It's been a while

It seems like the kiddos have done nothing but swap germs the last couple of weeks. We thought Cole had chicken pox the last time I wrote, but it was just a reaction to an antibiotic. All three kids have had runny noses and little coughs, but only Elizabeth had a fever virus that was really yucky! She was miserable and missed three days of school with it. We seem to be much better now except for runny noses. If the weather would decide what it's going to do and stick with it I think we'd all be better off. I'm so ready to air out this house.

This week was make it or break it week for basketball. Both teams had to play in "play in" games to enter the tournament and both teams lost. We have had such a good time with these kids this season. I believe our kids think they are just part of our family because we see them so much. Kinda sad that it's over, but now we're on to Track.

We got snow in Clanton last night! There's always hoopla about snow in the south, but I learned at an early age not to get my hopes up. Now it's a special treat when we actually get snow. School was delayed, so there was time to play in the snow before school which was lots of fun. Unfortunately it was upsetting to Sarah and Cole that Elizabeth and Daddy had to leave. They both cried.

Last night was wonderful. With no basketball Jonathan was able to come right home after school. He brought Elizabeth home with him of course. She fell asleep in the car. He cooked dinner and we were at church before 6 which NEVER happens! I loved it!

I suppose you want an update on the kids. Well, my sweet Sarah says she's getting married to a boy named Brody. I will try to get a picture of them at her Valentine party on Tuesday. We hear about Brody ALL the time! Elizabeth brought home a progress report and of course it was a good one. I really don't think I'll have to worry about her academically for quite some time. She's a very smart girl. Cole has been funny lately. We say prayers every night before putting them to bed. He does "Now I lay me down to sleep" with Daddy and then he and I do our own. Lately when I'm finished he'll say someone's name and I'll tell him to pray for them. He'll mumble something I can't understand, say their name and then say, "Amen". Last night I think we prayed for everyone we know. It was cute though.

I guess that's about it for the Shedds. I'll leave you with some pictures. There's one of Sarah from her field trip to Bud's Best Cookies. Two snow pictures from this morning. One from the doctor's office and one of Cole being silly!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I think that the week before last was so busy that we are still reeling a week later. Jonathan's girls team won second place in the county tournament. This was major! It was the first time they had gone that far in the tournament in more than 10 years! We are so very proud of them.



Cole, Sarah, and Elizabeth were so very good at all the games!



Sarah and Elizabeth started taking tumbling classes and after much resisting on Elizabeth's part I think they both really liked it.




Cole had an allergic reaction to some medicine he was taking and got a terrible rash! It got a lot worse than this. This is just what it looked like at the doctor's office. We thought it was chicken pox when it first came up. Thank goodness it wasn't. That would have been bad. He was put on a steroid which made him very fussy and mean, but we're off it now and slowly getting back to normal.



This week Elizabeth had her second round of cheer camp. Most of cheer camp was canceled during football season. They finished up this week and performed last night. I was going to post the video, but I guess that because of the length it was taking an incredibly long period of time.

Elizabeth missed her second tumbling class, but Sarah did get to go.


You can tell from the picture that Cole wants to tumble too.
We've stayed busy! That's for sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Windows and doors

I applied for a job. It's not something I do often or take lightly since I stay at home with Cole and Sarah, but something about it struck me, so I put my name in the hat. I interviewed and it went well, but I didn't get the job. The job I applied for was at church. Some would think that I would be upset and quit going. I don't understand that. I loved my church before and still do. I was walking to Zumba this morning and I just started thinking that I struggle so hard balancing going to the gym, playing with my kids, cleaning my house, and working on my Masters. How in the world would adding a job help all that. Well, it wouldn't. I must admit after thinking about that this morning I was a bit relieved that I didn't get the job. Would I love to work at the church I love, of course I would, but apparently now is not the time for me to go back to work and that is ok with me. Door closed.

Elizabeth went back to school yesterday and Sarah Grace goes back to preschool today. I am so happy that we are getting back to our routine. I guess I missed it more than I thought I did. I think the kids did too. I miss them when they're gone though. My Cole is getting so big. I was thinking that when we travel next year it will be the first time we will travel with kids and without diapers and sippy cups. I think they are growing up too fast. My mom always told me she was going to put a brick on my head so I would stop growing. I might have to try that soon. I'll let you know how it turns out.

We are nearing the end of basketball which fills me with more joy than you could ever know. I love the kids Jonathan has playing for him at Verbena, but I miss having him home and so do the kids. I guess that's all for now.

Hope you are well.

Christmas Travels

Christmas seemed like a whirl wind for us this year, but I don't think we'd have it any other way. We drove to TN on the Tuesday before Christmas. We enjoyed lots of activities while we were there. We found some amazing Christmas lights like nothing we had ever seen. The kids loved to watch the lights dance. We visited with Nanny and Grandaddy and Grandpa Ed and Grandma Sue. We saw aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins. The kids got to play with their second cousin Will and Cole was so excited that he wasn't the only boy! We even went to Cookeville and had breakfast with Uncle Joe-joe and Aunt Amanda.







We drove home Christmas Eve so we could have Santa at home. Christmas morning we opened presents and then had a Birthday Party for Jesus. We read the Christmas story and sang Happy Birthday, then we had cupcakes, of course. The kids got bikes and pillow pets from Santa.





After eating some muffins for breakfast we packed the car and headed to Cullman. We had a big time there too.






We even found time while we were there to play in the snow. Jonathan's friend Jared got his car hood he bought last winter and they pulled it with the truck around the field. Summer drove and was good when the kids were riding, but not so much when Jared and Jonathan would ride. She of course made sure their life insurance was up to date first. I won't mention the fact that she almost ran over my husband. Anyeay, here's the snow.








Poor Cole didn't know what to think about the snow. He finally got to run in it and the next time we went out it was so windy that he was miserable. Sarah was too once her hands got cold.

We had so much fun over Christmas break that I think we need more break!

A fun day

Normally I would not call a day of driving to TN with my kids a fun day even if Shedd is here to help, but yesterday wasn't bad at all. We stopped in Decatur to eat lunch and go to the bathroom and Elizabeth was telling us about a friend who had pulled a tooth. She went on to say that it hurt to eat when you have a loose tooth. I asked her is she had one and she bent one of her bottom front teeth down to her lip. Sure enough it's loose and today it is still barely hanging on. I must however not forget to mention that her father tried to pull it while we were eating lunch at McDonald's. He would stop short every time because he was afraid he would hurt her. He does have a heart after all.

Once we got to TN we spent a little time with my parents before he and I headedd out for date night. We went to Murfreesboro to Red Lobster and then to the Vandy/Middle Tennessee game. Yes, we watched basketball, but we had fun. After we ate we were headed back to the van and Shedd went to the passenger side I of course asked if he wanted me to drive. He said no, so I asked what was going on. He said he was opening the door for me. I sweetly informed him that the last time he did that was on our wedding day. We laughed and then headed to the ball game. Vandy won, of course. It was fun. Then we went to Wal-Mart to get some stocking stuffers for the kiddos.

Everyone was sleeping when we got home.

Blessings

My kids (although very wild at times) have been such a blessing to me lately. Elizabeth has been wanting to learn how to fold clothes lately, so the other day she helped me fold the basketball laundry. She folded the girls' uniforms and all the basketball towels. The she asked if she could fold our towel. I let her fold as much as she wanted and I didn't fix it when it wasn't perfect because I was so touched that she wanted to help.
Sarah Grace has been singing up a storm lately and she has such a precious little voice. I'm not sure what songs she's been singing. I think she's making them up, but they are so incredibly sweet.
I'm not sure what was going on with Cole the other day, but he climbed up in my lap and let me hold him for a long time while we watched Shrek. It was really sweet. He's usually entirely too busy to sit with me for more than a second, so it was such a sweet time.
Today is Elizabeth's last day of school before Christmas break. She has a program at 11:30 and then we get to bring her home.
Jonathan has a boys' basketball tournament this weekend, so I see lots of basketball in our future this weekend. Just hoping to squeeze in a bit of family time too.
The kids are so excited about Christmas. We went to protablenorthpole.com and had Santa send them video messages to my email and the absolutely loved it. If you have young children it's really neat. He'll call them by name and talk about a special toy they might be getting. You just have to do the leg work when they aren't around. It's going to be a busy time with lots of traveling, but if we get to see everyone it will be well worth it.

Parenting Milestones

Children have developmental milestones, but it wasn't until the last week or so that I realize that parents have them too.
There's the first night you bring home your new bundle of joy home. If everyone survived you feel like you've really accomplished something. You feel the same way when that same bundle of joy reaches their first birthday. You've kept the child alive for a whole year!
There are other milestones too like the first time one of your children has surgery or your first trip to the ER.
Every person in the world has heard the screams of a child in Wal-Mart because they didn't get what they wanted. Everyone in the world has started at THAT mom and wondered what terrible act she has committed to make her child act so terrible or even worse what kind of mother is she that her child would act that way. Last week I got to be THAT mom. I was at Wal-Mart with Sarah Grace and Cole and Sarah pitched the worst fit in the entire history of Wal-Mart. I have proof from a friend that was there that she could be heard from the back of the store while we were in the check out line. It was the single worst parenting experience I have ever had. As soon as I got to the van I called Jonathan and proceeded to tell him how terribly HIS daughter had behaved.
Today I have reached another milestone. I received a phone call from Elizabeth's school and was told that she might have pink eye. So today I am THAT mom that unknowingly sent her daughter to school with pink eye in order to infect the entire student population at Verbena. We aren't sure if it's pink eye or not. She feel fine and says her eye isn't bothering her. She did wake up in the night crying because it was hurting. I gave her Tylenol and Jonathan took her to school and said he would have the nurse check it out. Since a nurse cannot confirm a diagnosis I had to go get her. This of course was upsetting to me because I was about to head to the gym.
Oh well, I'm sure I have many more first coming on my parenting journey.