Results Are In

We had the ultrasound yesterday. The baby is doing very well. All measurements were good and the baby measured a little ahead. As for how obliging the baby was about letting us learn whether it was a boy or a girl, I have to say that SHE was very good. Yes, we will be having our first little girl in June! We are all very excited about this newest addition and are eagerly awaiting the day of her arrival. Now we just have to think up a really good nickname for her.

Pink or Blue?

Okay, we go in tomorrow morning to find out what our little dumplin' is. What I want to see is a little poll as to what you think we will be having. I have heard a few friends tell me what they think, but I would like to see what all of you think. So please comment and put in your vote!

Excitement of Baby

Last week something happened that has made the boys even more excited about the baby. They got to feel the baby move for the first time! I had just occasionally felt movement because it was still so sporadic, but on Wednesday it was really moving a lot. I was feeling it and then Bubba came in the room. He got to feel it, then we called for Butch. Butch came and he felt it as well. As of yesterday Joe finally felt the baby, too. To date Butch has felt the baby most of the three guys.

Today was also exciting since BJ not BK and M had their ultrasound and they got to learn what they are having. Drum roll please............it is a KITTEN! Just kidding! ;) We will be learning what our little Dumplin is next week. I for one cannot wait until I can know who it is I am talking to!

Sea Creatures Galore!

Today I was happy to be able to accompany Bubba on a Field Trip to the Gatlinburg Aquarium. We had an enjoyable time looking at all of the different creatures. The kids also were able to attend the Mr. Potato Fish class that is presented by the staff of the Aquarium. During this they learned about the body types of fish, different fins and their uses, coloring, where do they live, attributes that contribute to their survival, etc. After learning these different facts about fish, they split into groups and created their own fish with a potato and different "parts." They also thought up names, where they live, etc. (based on all they had learned earlier). The best was one that a group of fifth grade girls created. When the lady leading the class asked the spokesgirl what their fish ate she replied boys and it had a bad attitude as an attribute!

A New Year Begins

Today is the first day of 2007! Wow, how quickly the time goes. I was looking through my posts for the last year and it was great to recall some of the events of the last year. All of the hikes, trips, and other good times. So many things have happened in the past year and we are looking forward to what is to come in the new year. In late January or early February we will learn what our little dumplin' will be, in May the boys will complete another school year, and in June our little one will make it's appearance and that is only a few things happening in the first part of the year.

Our Christmas

This was the the year for hiking gear in our family. The boys got some first aid kits inside of water bottles, there were backpacks, cook stoves, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. Most of all, this was the year of the head lamp! As you see from my pic Joe received a head lamp as well as BJ not BK, :o)} , and Bubba. It was a fun time with all of our families and we greatly enjoyed the day.

The Importance of Reading

On Wednesday I got to observe something that I had only heard about for the past year. My elder son, Bubba, was taken out of school early for a dentist appointment. When we got back to school there was a little more than thirty minutes left in the school day. After he raced down to his class room it was only about three minutes before I saw him racing back towards me. I asked what he was doing and he said, "I think my class is with the Kindergarten class." I followed him a few minutes later and I walked into the room to see about half of his fellow classmates (fourth and fifth graders) all paired up with one to two Kindergarteners each. Each of the older children was sitting, with their Kindergarteners beside them, reading them books. This was a great sight to see!

Bubba was able to do this last year as well and I have heard from him how much he has enjoyed this. His teacher last year had to tell me that even she got a kick out of his reading because Bubba would read with "character voices." This is something that I have tried to do when I read stories to my boys. I think that it makes each character a little more discernable to the boys when they talk. I never realized that they really cared whether I did it or not, I just did it because I had liked it better that way growing up. It was just great to hear that Bubba was doing the same when he read to the little kids at school.

It was also funny to hear that he specifically liked to use a British accent. I am very fond of English literature, so several movies I watch are BBC or other British made films based off some of these literary works. The boys will usually watch these with me. I can only suppose that now he will watch them now so that he can sharpen his accent skills.

Price Family Comes From Wales

I was so excited earlier this week to see that Ancestry has opened their Immigration Collection to the public for the month of December. I have missed working on my genealogy the past month or so and was elated to do some searching! The first person I wanted to look for is my g-g-great-grandfather, Jonathan Price, who left his home in South Wales to come to live in Pennsylvania. I knew that Jonathan and his wife, Elizabeth, had their first child in 1835 and that she was born in St. Clair, PA. So I entered in a six year time span and what do you know? I found him! Jonathan came to America with his parents, Rees and Ann Price, as well as three of his siblings, David, William, and Hannah. They left from Swansea, Wales and arrived in New York on August 26, 1833 on a ship named Elizabeth Clark. I also looked and found another sister of Jonathan's, Margaret Price Larmey, who along with her husband and three children came from Wales in 1842. It is amazing how much I have learned in the past six years in researching this family.

A Pic of Our Little Dumplin

I went to the doctor's office today for another ultrasound. This was more to appease my little mind as to the continue development of our little miracle than anything else. It was great to see our little dumplin again and see that everything is great! The little one was just wiggling around at first. It was so funny to see! The heartbeat was also very good. My doctor was very pleased. We have been greatly blessed!

Camp Buck Toms

Butch and I went to Camp Buck Toms two weeks ago. It was fun doing all the different stations. Butch was most excited about the bb guns and archery. We spent the day Saturday having fun with some of the guys from our Pack going to the different stations. Then after supper the kids sat out on the field to watch "Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." There was also a haunted hike that the kids could take a tour through. Of course, they do not make is scary. I mean who wants to take their kids on a scary hike then take them back to tents for the night in a dark forest?! Butch decided to skip this so that we could stay in our campsite around the campfire while he played hide and seek in the dark with some other scouts. I really enjoy campfires! It was a fun day for both of us.

Minnow Racing and Archery

A Week Of School Spirit

This week was Homecoming week at the boy's school. Each day the children got to dress up to different themes. Monday was Western day, Tuesday was Duo/Trio day, Wednesday was Famous day, Thursday was Hawaiian day, and today is School Spirit day. This is always a fun week for me at school seeing all the kids and their different costumes. This week was no different. They were so funny with all of their unique ideas. Here are just a few of the pictures I took this week.

A Day With The Guys

Today the guys and I took a trip up to Cosby to do a scavenger hunt hike. Bubba picked this hike out of the scavenger hunt book that :o)} has. It is a short hike, but it had several neat sights along the way. You hike through an area that use to be a homestead, where parts of the stone walls and the chimney are still standing. It was also great to see Bubba (who normally will fall into any water in the vicinity) cross the creek on a tree without falling in, not only once, but four times!

Braves Stitch-n-Pitch game

Well, Sunday we had an enjoyable day together as a family at the Atlanta Braves game. This was a first time experience not only for Bubba and Butch, but for myself as well. We did not get seats with the Stitch-n-Pitch, but we did get some great seats along the third base line. We did go up to where the S-n-Pers were just to see. There did not look like there were more than 20 people in that section. Now we did meet a couple of ladies that, like us, got seats in a better section. I was able to get the nice little gift bag. I was a bit disappointed that we did not see any of the "vendors" that were suppose to be outside in the concourse. It was also funny to see on the jumbo screen two older men sitting there knitting. These men evidently amused the people behind the cameras because they continued to show them throughout the game!

The game was very enjoyable and we loved the "free baseball" in the extra inning. We were all excited that the Braves were able to pull out a win for us! After the game was over we took the boys to the line of kids wanting to run the bases. It was a long line! We did make it through and both Bubba and Butch got to run the bases. Bubba had Joe time him as he ran! After that they received a free t-shirt and a certificate saying they ran the bases. We were all very tired when we returned home. All in all it was a very good day!

Grapeyard Ridge Trail

On Friday I was able to go with Joe and his parents on a hike in Greenbrier. There were several interesting aspects to this trail. There were several creek crossings as well as two cemeteries located along the trail, one included some of Linda's family. This was also part of the area that Joe's grandfather grew up in. One of the most fascinating points of interest on this trail is an old steam engine used for logging in the 1920's that fell into Injun Creek about three miles up this trail. This was a fun time that I had with Linda as we walked the trail looking at all the surroundings. Of course Joe and Dad were taking the fast track rather than my slow snails pace. It was a fun time together and we wrapped up our evening dining at the Greenbrier Grill. Ah, I love to hike in the mountains! It is so refreshing.

The Teardrops Are Making A Comeback!

Today as we were coming home from our hike (which I will tell you about later) we drove through Pigeon Forge. This weekend is the Fall Grand Rod Run where everyone brings the cars that they have rebuilt to show off and/or sale. I was also surprised to see a few teardrop campers in the mix. I had just recently watched a show on TV about the comeback of these very unique campers. I thought that they seemed very cool for a couple who wanted to travel. The teardrop was famous in the 1930's-1940's as they were small and lightweight enough for the cars of that time to haul. They are about 4-6' wide, 8-10' long, and 4-5' high. There is a small sleeping compartment that is just big enough for a bed, and then the back hatch comes up to reveal a little kitchen on the back. Many of the owners of these campers get together at "gatherings" to show off and spend time with other teardrop owners. Doesn't this look like it would be a lot of fun?!

Last Time In Atlanta

Last night Joe reminded me that we will be heading down to Atlanta on Sunday for the Braves' Stitch-n-Pitch game. I was thinking tonight of my last trip to Atlanta. It was in the fall of 2003 when the boys and I (along with another mom and her two girls) made the trip to Atlanta to meet up with our military husbands. Joe was in the midst of training for an overseas deployment and they had a free weekend so we decided to meet about half way. That was a more difficult trip to take because we knew that after only a short time together that he would leave again. That was a time when every moment seemed to count because you did not know how long before you would see each other again. It is amazing to me that it has been three years since that time. I look at pictures and see how small my boys were and see them now and how much they have grown. As Bubba is always telling me "Not long before I am leaving home!" He is right. Time seems to be going by so quickly and they are growing so fast. I am left to wonder what it will be like when I have to deal with another one possibly leaving home. The possibility of moving away from one another is a frightening thought. I love my boys and I hope that through the passing of time we will always maintain a close relationship that will only grow stronger with each new day!

Duck Season! Wabbit Season!

Did you know that there is a squirrel-hunting season? In talking with a fellow Scout leader today I learned that there is a squirrel season and not only that, you have to have a hunting license to legally hunt them! Who would have thought that sitting on your back porch, luring squirrels with food and then shooting at them would be illegal unless armed with your $28 Combo hunting license?! ;) Here is a little information for those who want a more through knowledge on this subject (taken from the TWRA News/ Press Releases)

08/03/2006 ~ SQUIRREL SEASONS OPENS AUGUST 26

Tennessee’s hunting season for gray, fox and red squirrels opens on Saturday, August 26, 2006 according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). The season continues through February 28, 2007 with a daily bag limit of 10.

The hunting season for squirrels is one of the longest fall seasons and one of the most underutilized. All that is needed to hunt squirrels is a $28 combination hunting license. This is a small price to pay for months of enjoyment and relaxation.

Two of the most productive ways to hunt squirrels are still-hunting (slowly walking through the woods watching for squirrels) and stand-hunting (sitting near food trees). Squirrel hunting with dogs has been gaining popularity in recent years. The best hunting with dogs generally occurs from November through February after the trees shed their leaves.

Squirrels are abundant in most areas where patches of woods are available. Excellent squirrel hunting can be found on many of TWRA’s wildlife management areas.

Squirrel hunting is one of the best ways to introduce a young hunter to the outdoors and squirrels are known for their excellent table fare. Most recipe books have a variety of recipes for squirrel, with fried squirrel and squirrel and dumplings being two traditional southern favorites.

For more information on Tennessee hunting seasons go online at www.tnwildlife.org

A New Persuasion

I learned today that there are plans to make a TV version of the novel Persuasion by Jane Austen. I am still unsure who exactly is putting this together, but I hope that it will be another well done adaptation and not so far from the original story that it is almost unrecognizable (i.e. Pride and Prejudice in 2005 with Keira Knightley)!

Now there is also another one of the works of Jane Austen that is up for a remake and that is Northanger Abbey, which will be done by Andrew Davies (who did the wonderful remake of Pride and Prejudice in 1995 with Jennifer Ehle). I must admit this is my least liked novels by Austen. The film adaptation done in 1986 was a horrid movie. I could barely stand to watch it! I hope that perhaps a new adaptation will breathe some new life into this novel.

It's Football Time In TENNESSEE!!

There is nothing like sitting in Neyland Stadium
on a Saturday amidst a sea of Orange!

Sleeping With The WHAT!!!

Last night Joe and I (and several other leaders from our Cub Scout Pack) went to Ripley's Aquarium to a CS Leaders Bash. We had a sidebar with food to eat and a meeting to learn about what is happening in the Sequoyah District this year. At this meeting we also learned about the different programs that Ripley's has available for scouting groups. One of these was called "Sleeping with the Sharks". There was a thought that went through my mind. How many people can sleep in that tunnel knowing that all kinds of sharks are in the water right over your head? I am not sure I could. First of all, I might be too fascinated at all the different creatures and secondly, there are sharks swimming over my head and I am expected to be comfortable enough to sleep?! Now there was an even worse thought when she also mentioned that they do overnighters in the Haunted Adventure called "Midnight with the Monsters" (of course only for grades 6-12) and also in the Believe It Or Not Museum the "Bedtime with the Bizarre" where part of the trip includes a scavenger hunt, wax hand, a Moving Theatre ride and much more! A WAX HAND!! Oh yeah, sign me up!