Trick~or~Treat

Halloween was alot of fun and the kids looked adorable in their costumes!!! Tatum got to choose her own costume this year and she decided to be The Little Mermaid. Christopher decided to put his foot down this year when it comes to Cason's costumes. My original plan was to have the twins dress up as Hansel and Gretel and for Tate to dress up as the witch. He crushed my dreams but somehow I convinced him to let them be sock monkey's. He was not happy with the idea but he went along with it anyway.

Trick~or~treating was alot of fun and C and R caught on really fast. At one house, Raileigh looked up at the person that had just put candy in her bag and with one little finger pointed in the air she said "one more time! one more time!" it was too cute. For those of you who are around Cason a good bit, you know all too well how persistant he is. He does not stop asking for something until he gets it. At every door he said "tic-er-tea, tic-er-tea, tic-er-tea" until candy was put in his bag. Tatum had a good time but we have learned not to take her to any house that have any type of Auburn decorations and we have to hope no one answers the door wearing Auburn clothing. One man opened the door wearing his AU shirt expecting to give kids some candy and send them on their way. Tatum saw the shirt and it was on! A grown man and a 5 year old argued for about 5 minutes over football and I think the 5 year old won! She got alot of candy from that house when his wife came to the door and realized what was going on! It was pretty entertaining! She makes us proud!!! Anyways... Enjoy the pictures!!!

What's been going on?!

Things have been busy the last couple of months so I have not taken time to post. Now I am back with new and old events to post on. Tatum is still loving school and is doing extremely well! She had her first fieldtrip in September to the Firestation. The class had a great time touring the building and looking at the trucks. They even got to witness the firemen in action as they left the station to help whoever needed it. It was a fun fieldtrip and I am thankful I am able to be there for that stuff. October 22nd she had another fieldtrip to the Pumpkin Patch and it was ALOT of fun. Their where alot of games and other activities for the kids to do and they all had a blast. They also got to go on a hayride and pick out their very own pumpkin. Tate found a cute little pumpkin and then broke the stem by accident so we had to find a new one. As we where waiting for everyone to get back on the hayride, Tatum started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she was upset because her new pumpkin was not as small as the first one. Most kids want the biggest pumpkin, but not her. It was pretty funny! This fieldtrip was an all day event and I think all the parents where more worn out than the kids. Tatum also got her first report card a couple of weeks ago and she made all G's (A's). She is doing so well and we are very proud of her.
Now, on to the little ones! Cason has turned into the biggest clown lately. He makes everything a joke and at times it is funny but most of the time it drives me up the wall! When he isn't busy clowning around he is a great helper! The boy can clean his room like no other and when he is done with his he heads to his sisters! Tatum always whinned and complained that cleaning her room made her sweat (seriously) and Raileigh walks from room to room acting is if she is doing something. But Cason on the other hand gets to work and gets it done right. He has also expanded his vocabulary and is no longer talking like a caveman. I love to listen to him get on to his sisters!
Speaking of sisters, lets move on to Raileigh! She is still spending her days trying to make me nuts!!! She is NEVER still, NEVER quite, ALWAYS does the opposite of what I tell her to do, VERY sneaky and the BEST cuddle buddy EVER!!! Honestly, there are not enough words in the english language to describe her. You could spend a day with Tatum and Cason and pretty much see what their personalities are like, but you would have to spend a week or longer with Raileigh just to get somewhat of an idea and that is just if you survive! Poor baby, she gets such a bad rap. She really is fun to be around and she is very smart. She makes us laugh daily and is usually the topic of discussion when all the kiddo's are in bed. I love how all three of them are so different from one another.
Onto other things... we took the kids to a different Pumpkin Patch this past Saturday and had a great time. We went last year but Cason and Raileigh where alot smaller and didn't really know what was going on. This year they where big enough to not need a stroller and just have fun! Raileigh was the brave one last year and rode a horse while Tatum and Cason chickened out but this year the roles where reversed. Tatum is starting to come out of her shell alot when it comes to doing new things and so is Cason. They all fed the animals and loved it! Cason probably went through 10 things of feed and everytime he ran out he would go throw his cup away and stand and look at the man, wondering why he was not giving him more. It was too cute! They all had a blast looking for pumpkins! Tatum was such a big helper and found Cason and Raileigh pumpkins before finding her own. Raileigh enjoyed straying off in the field (go figure). It was a fun day! I am done now... Enjoy the pictures!!!

My little Prince!

Fun with Daddy!!!

Ready for her Fieldtrip!

All the kids where a little nervous about getting near him!

Mrs. Thomas' Class

Pumpkin Patch Feildtrip

Fun on the hayride!

Rubber Ducky Racing

Friends

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

Tate feeding a baby goat!

Cason trying to show Raileigh how to do it!

Feeding a llama... I was shocked when she got near this one.

He is very aggresive!

A little pumpkin for my little pumpkin!

Where's Raileigh?

Friends, Football, Farewell and First Project!!!!

We had a very busy but very fun weekend! Saturday the kids and I headed to the Zoo to meet some friends for a playdate! Tatum had been looking forward to this all week long! As many of you know, Tatum fell in love on the playground at the age of 3 and is still in love with same boy. According to her they will get married and she has already told her daddy her husband can come and work for him. They are at different schools this year and suffered thru months of seperation over the summer so his mom and I finally worked out a playdate. C and R are in the same class as I's little sister L so it worked out well. The kids had alot of fun and managed not to get into too much trouble. C, R and L have very similar personalities and they like a challenge. R found an ant bed that looked interesting and decided to dig right in. Christopher is allergic to fire ants and sat in a bed when he was little. When I saw R with her hands and feet covered in ants Christopher kept running thru my head. Luckily she had no reaction except being itchy! C was really laid back and enjoyed the zoo. I am starting to think her gets a bad wrap from being so closely related to R. Lol! He does have his moments, she just has more! Tatum of course had a wonderful day!!! I think I might have to take away all the Fairytales because she acts like she lives in one!


I and T!!!

C, R and L! They look thrilled!

Okay, they really are thrilled!

Friends!

T say's Boyfriend and Mommy say's Bestfriend!

He is strange sometimes!

Saturday evening was of course game time!!! Christopher had been counting down the days since Bama's last game last season! I love Bama football but with it comes every other football game that Christopher has to watch. Also, it means lots of Sports Center and lots of time on the computer looking up everything pertaining to football especially Alabama. Pray for me over the next several months please! Anyways... we got together with some friends to watch the game and had a great time. The majority of us (the smarter ones) are Bama fans but we do have a few Aub's in the bunch. We are trying to correct this problem and if it can't be solved we might just have to let them go, Haha! Bama won, Roll Tide! Excitement over our victory soon ended because we had to tell a very good friend, bye : ( Christopher's oldest and closest friend got a job in Nebraska and he was going to be leaving early Sunday morning. Another change! We will now have to find new ways to stay entertained and find someone else to come over several nights a week, eat our food, harrass our dogs, tell me I'm mean, pick on Tatum, etc. Wow, after making that list I might not miss you as much K-man! J/k

Sitting between two Aub's! One is wearing black due to embarrassment!

Who is going to ruin every picture now?!

: (

Our adopted child!
Last but not least, Tatum brought home her first project assignment! She had to make a family tree and use different objects and materials to make the family faces, tree and other decorations. She was super excited about getting started and we had alot of fun, well at first! She did everything herself and I was their to assist and help give her ideas. She was very open to alot of my ideas at first but then she started shooting them down. I am happy she has a creative mind and likes to think of things on her own but she gave me attitude! Not only did she give me attitude but she stole some of my ideas and took the credit! I got pushed around by a 5 year old! Ok, she really wasent that bad. Well she was that bad but I found it to be humorous and enjoyed working with her. I am also proud of her! She drew, cut and glued everything and the finished product turned out great! It did take some time to dry because Tatum's idea of a drop of glue is a blob of glue.

Tatum's Family Tree

Change!!!

Lots of changes have been going on around our house for the last several weeks! Tatum starting kindergarten was one of the biggest. I have finally gotten use to that change and have stopped crying! If a can keep her five for the next 13 years I will be happy! She seems to really enjoy school and she is definetly learning alot. She is learning spanish and loves it! I think it is great that she is learning other languages at such a young age but at times it gets on my nerves! For instance... I was getting on to her for something and at the end of my lecture I said "do you understand me" and in a none enthusiastic voice she replies with "si comprenda". Her favorite thing about school is the computer lab which she gets to go to on Friday's. Another special thing that happens on Friday's is they get to pick a prize if they stay on green light all week long. Tatum inherited my mouth because the first week of school was the only time she managed staying on green light all week long. She moves her clip once a week for talking in the lunchroom or the halls. I had a very serious talking problem in school and got in trouble daily. I don't understand how she manages to not get into any trouble for four whole days and has to speak at least one day. She makes me crazy!!!
Another big change is I am working! I know most of you know that already but some of you don't. Monday, Wednesday and Friday I am teaching the older two's at a Mother's Day Out program. For the past five years I have never really had to worry about getting anywhere unless we had some type of plans. Now, I have to get myself and C and R out the door and at work on time. I thought it would stress me out but it has actually been going really well. I have a great class and work with great people. C and R are also right down the hall from me.
The twins where going to start Mother's Day Out this year but only going two days a week. When I got the three day position we had to add one more day for them as well. They seem to really enjoy it and C is glad to get out of a house filled with girls!
The twins also had a big move right before school started. Do you remember my post on the big kid beds and the pictures of how cute their room was? After a while their room looked like a jail cell. It had bare walls, no curtains, a lock on the closet and locks on the dresser drawers. They destroyed their room!!! Despite all my child-proofing efforts they managed to get into every drawer and even in the closet. I had already learned a ponytail holder was not enough to keep them out so I bought one of the latches that hooks around both knobs and Christopher tied rope around the knobs as well. The still got it open!!! I also bought latches that hook around the side of the dresser to keep them out of there but they broke them off. We would wake up in the morning to a bedroom covered in clothes and toys! These two toddlers are something else!Naptime became a nightmare and watching them turn their mattresses into slides by propping them up using their beds was a little scary. It was time for seperation!!! So C now has a big boy room and the girls are sharing a room. It has worked out very well until recently R has discovered the joy of ripping up books. Books are now going to have to be taken out of their room. She reminds me of animal from the muppets! Blogging about the things C and R do make me tired! So I am going to leave you with some pics of the kiddos and hopefully I will do a better job of posting updates sooner.


She looks so happy ; )

My little stud!

Raileigh has great manners if you can't tell!

This is better!

Cason's big boy room!

Getting a pedicure for our Mommy- Tatum day!

He is such a pain when it comes to taking pictures!

What a girl!!!

Oh How I Cried!

My baby girl left me this morning for her first day of kindergarten. This day has come way to fast and now my baby is really a big girl but to me she will always be my baby. The past few weeks we have been busy getting ready for school to start. Prepairing for school has been fun for the most part. I always have fun playing dress up with my girls so clothes shopping and shoe shopping was fun to do and she is extra cute in her uniforms! Luckily her school has pre-packaged supplies so we didn't have to spend any time trying to hunt down all the little things. Over the weekend I would start to think about her starting school and I could feel my eyes starting to fill with tears and a lump in my throat. I was able to keep it under control but I knew that would not be possible today. Getting ready this morning I got choked up a few times and driving to school as well. The closer we got, the harder it became to control it but I did. Christopher went with us this morning but remained in the car with C and R because he knew what would happen if he walked her in. So as we where walking into the building I ran into a few people a know and I had to keep conversations very short because everytime I tryed to open my mouth to speak I would get that lump in my throat and could feel the tears starting to come. We finally arrived at her classroom door and her teacher was greeting another child and her parents so as we waited Tate asked me for "loves". I bent down to give my baby a hug and kiss and attempted to tell her I love her but as soon as I opened my mouth I could feel control of my tears slipping away. I was able to hold myself together to get a picture and get out the door. Walking back to the car I made eye contact with NO ONE! When I got to my car Christopher asked me how it went and thats when I lost it. So there I was standing in a parking lot crying! I stopped crying and started crying several times during the rest of the car ride. There is just something about kindergarten that makes it completely official your baby is no longer a baby. I am sad my baby is getting big so fast but I am also so excited for her and all the things she is going to learn. I love seeing the knew things she learns and even if the growing process was slowed down it would never be slow enough for a parent. So I picked up my "Big Girl" this afternoon and she had a great day. She loves her school and loves her teacher and had so many exciting things to tell me about. Seeing her happy and have a joy for learning puts a smile on my face and makes all of my tears worth while. Enjoy the pics while I go cry some more.


On the way out the door!

Daddy and his baby girl!
A little girl and a BIG school!

She was so happy to see her teacher again.

TERRIBLE TWO'S

As I was finishing unloading the car this morning I noticed Raileigh standing by mud and thinking about playing in it. They seem to get tempted by the dirt everytime we go outside. I said " Raileigh, if you touch that dirt you are going to be in trouble", she looks at me and smiles and then slowly starts to rub her shoeless foot into the dirt. I was getting H and L out of the car so leaving them to handle my sweet little princess ; ) was not an options so I said " ok when we get inside you are going to sit timeout!". She is still smiling but decides rubbing her hands in the mud would be even more fun than just feet. Needless to say she got more than a timeout!


Now on to Mr. Cason! Nap time was a huge struggle yesterday so forget what you read in the last blog about things getting easier, I was wrong! After and hour of going in the room to lay them back down I go into the room to find this! Raileigh was asleep and Cason was busy pulling everything out of his drawers and climbing them. He got in BIG trouble for this!

These two belong in the ZOO!!!

Big Kid Beds!!!

My little monsters had to be moved from cribs to toddler beds this weekend due to a safety concern. We tried to hold off on the big switch for as long as possible because we knew it would be a headache keeping them in their beds for naps and bedtime. This past week they proved that crib rails where no obstacle and they would get out of bed with or without them but not having them would be much more safe. A couple months ago I was in the den and heard a loud thump that was shortly followed by Cason's cries. I went to check on him and I found him sitting next to his bed upset and scared. It scared him enough not to do it again so I thought we where in the clear. About a month ago we heard Raileigh in her room crying while she should have been napping. Chris went into the room to check on her and upon entering the room he found her standing at the door trying to get out. I also had a box of fall clothes I had just packed in their room and everything was taken out of the box and dumped in her crib.
Thanks to my mother-in-law we are able to see what is going on in the room with our lovely video monitor. This was a our favorite Christmas gift and has brought us lots of entertainment. One of my favorite "Monitor Memories" is of Cason removing one of his socks, throwing it to Raileigh in her bed and Raileigh putting it on her hand and putting on a puppet show for her brother. It was great! Lately the monitor has brought us some humor followed by concern.

• I watched Cason climb onto the side railing of his crib, and ride it as if it where a horse. Raileigh decided to join in on the fun and did the same.
• Christopher was home on his lunch break and happened to look at the monitor only to see Raileigh running across her room to grab a book off the bookcase and quickly climb back into bed. I went to go see what was going on and she did this several times.
• We where woken up to lots of noise coming from their room and when we went to look at the monitor it had gone completley fuzzy. Christopher thought it was broken but I knew better. We went into the room and they where standing in the middle of their floor which was covered in toys, books, clothes etc. They destroyed the room and unplugged the camera.

It was definately time for big kids beds!!! Saturday we got the room Cason and Raileigh proofed and their new beds ready to go. Naptime came around and for the first hour we used our Super Nanny skills walking into the room saying nothing, putting them back in bed and walking out. They finally went to sleep and things have gotten a little easier when it comes to laying them down. Sunday morning we where woken up by Tatum telling us Cason and Raileigh got out of their room. Needless to say the door now has a safety cover. We have still been waking up to a toy filled room but we are working on it. Last night before we put them to bed I decided I would use a ponytail holder to keep them out of the closet and pulling every last toy out. This morning I found every toy on the floor and a broken ponytail holder. These two little ones love a challenge. They make me crazy but also make me laugh while they do it. Tatum was such an easy baby and has always followed directions very well. I am very thankful for that not only because she was easy but because we might have reconsidered having another child and we wouldn't have these two precious little babies! It is now safe to say we are definatly done. These two are a handfull!!! But I love them dearly and I always have interesting Cason and Raileigh stories to tell.