How Much Do You Love Cats?

I was shocked when I learned that I was not the cat lover I thought I was! I was shown a link for this new amazing cat that was going to be so extraordinary it would amaze me (the cat pictured to the side is not it!). It has been specially bred to have the exotic feel of a leopard with it's spots, but it is a very tame cat for a regular household. It is even said to be easily taught to walk on a leash! Who would not want one of these amazing cats? (other than Joe! ;) ) Well, you will soon learn why even I would never want to try to obtain one of these amazing wonders of modern science. There is a 9-12 month delivery time (or for an extra fee you can reduce that by 4-6 months). That is not the biggest turn off for these wonderful cats, no that would be the exorbitant price for the privilege of owning one. Get this, you must pay a small fortune of $22,000 for one highly intelligent house cat that would awe your friends and family! If you think that this cat, called an Ashera, is for you here is a link for you: Lifestyle Pets

Finally, Some Time! (I Think)

It has been a while since I pulled out my blogger mind and wrote to tell everyone about what is happening in our neck of the woods. Last week was my last week of working and although I will miss the kids and my co-workers, it is a relief to have that time to focus on other things. Today was also the last day of school for Bubba and Butch. That means that I no longer have to wake up and get two boys ready for school each morning! Alright!!

I have been trying in the last week to finally get the baby's room cleaned out and set up for her imminent arrival. I was able to successfully remove several boxes as well as clean and set up her crib (you can see her bedding pictured to the right). I felt so good about being able to accomplish at least that much while the guys were away on their camping trip. Now if I could only be able to get the rest of the boxes cleared out and get her clothes washed and put away I would be thrilled!

So there you have it! I am now 36 weeks and counting.

Our New House

Well, it has been a while since I could post as we were in the process of moving and now as we unpack and settle into our new home. We moved a couple of weekends ago and have since closed on the house. So, now it is officially ours. Very scary! We have enjoyed being back in a wooded location. We always did enjoy the wildlife that surrounds you and now we have a large picture window to add to our enjoyment.

On the day that we moved my father-in-law saw that my dear Joe had tried to fill a finch feeder with regular birdseed. Of course that just frustrated the birds that came looking for food. So my father-in-law went and got us a normal bird feeder and some seed made for the finch feeder. He came and hung our new feeder and changed the seed in both. The birds were SO HAPPY! Now we enjoy seeing the different birds coming to our front yard looking for food. Recently we had noticed that the feeder was somehow getting knock out of wack and I assumed a squirrel was involved. Well, this morning we got to witness first hand what was happening. And here is the culprit!

One Step Closer

Well, it seems that we are finally one step closer to owning a home. We got the call today that the inspector came and FINALLY gave us the go ahead. I am so glad that I will not have to worry about those little flakes anymore (and I am sure that Joe and Wesley will agree)! Now there is just a little paperwork that needs to come in and I think we will be done. I will be so glad to see this process completed. Now, I am off to try to get some more packing done.

Spring is Here!

I always love this time of the year. The weather starts to warm up a little, trees and flowers are starting to bloom. For the past couple of days I have been able to have the windows open for the greater part of the day, which I love! Peach and pear trees have started blooming. You can see the buds coming out on so many other trees. Ahhh, spring!


I get so excited about seeing my flowers growing and starting to bloom. I started seeing the daffodils blooming in the end of January (in the Great Smoky Mountains by the Sugarland Visitor Center). In the next couple of weeks the dogwood trees in our area will be in full bloom. This is even more exciting now that we will be living on the Dogwood Trail. I am eager to see what kinds of dogwoods we will have. I am a little partial to the pink dogwoods, although I like both the pink and white.

Spring this year will also be very special since we will be having another little blessing in the form of our daughter. I know that I am very excited about her coming and last night we even heard about how her older brother, Butch, is also eagerly anticipating her arrival. In art class at school they are focusing on spring and he said that on his project this week he put "spring with my sister." How sweet is that!

4th Annual Pinewood Derby

The race today went very well. We had sixteen Cub Scouts enter cars and thirteen cars enter the open class (leaders, siblings, parents). In the scout race there are weight and size limitations. I was the person who was in charge of checking the weight as they registered. The race began and as I was unable to watch to see how the races ended (I was also helping with getting the cars in line for each race) I was not sure how Bubba and Butch faired. After the race of the open class we learned the results of the speed and design of our scouts. I am happy to say that both boys placed in the top five for speed as well as Butch winning a spot in the top five for design. This is another opportunity for both boys to go to district to race. Last year Bubba placed third in the district, so we are eager to see how they do this year.

Ready For The Pinewood Derby?

Tomorrow is our Pack's fourth annual Pinewood Derby! Tonight we set up and prepared for the race. It is funny how you take all this time setting up when the race itself will not even take as long as they worked tonight to get it ready. I guess when you think about it from a boy's perspective it makes it worth the time and effort. They all get so excited about the race and seeing the different car designs. I look forward to seeing the cars and the boys excitement. I will be posting the results hopefully sometime tomorrow evening.

The Songs Kids Know

Today was a field trip for Bubba to a local planetarium, which had a combination of fourth and fifth graders. After they watched the movie about black holes and learned about constellations there was a laser show. It was set to music that was a combination of music from the 50's to current day music. I was hoping that they would not be playing any Backstreet Boys, Brittany Spears, etc and I was glad to not hear any of that. There was one song that I was quite amazed to hear three of the fourth grade boys behind me sing along with. It is so surprising that I still have to laugh at the thought of the three of them singing the song and I mean they knew every word! You might ask, What was the song? It was Shania Twain's I Feel Like A Woman!

Eating Until Blue In The Face

The Luau was Friday evening and I believe that it went well. I had some great help in getting everything set up and we had a turn out of over 50 people. Everyone brought a dish of food and a couple of guys from the Pack grilled chicken shish kabobs.

There were skits by some of the dens and some of the boys were awarded advancement of rank. One of these was our own Bubba who earned his Webelos Badge.

Another interesting aspect of our night was called Jonah's Revenge. During the past month the boys from the pack brought in money to "vote" for the lucky den/pack leaders to participate in Jonah's Revenge. All of the monies received were going to be matched by the pack and used for a piece of equipment for their school's playground. After all of the money was counted it seems that the boys favored their Pack Master and the Assistant Pack Master. So they had to use their faces and mouths to dig in a pie of blue pudding for five gummy fishes. Of course the boys all loved seeing the men digging into the pies. It was a really good evening and I was glad that everyone seemed to have a fun time.

Blue and Gold Banquet Time

This Friday it is once again time for our Blue and Gold Banquet in Cub Scouts. Our theme this year is a Luau. This is a really fun theme for any party (it was the planned theme of Butch's birthday pool party last year). So I, along with several others, will be decorating and preparing a room at a local church Friday afternoon for the big event. We had originally thought to have a pig roast to add a more traditional element, but that later seemed like a not so good idea for a mainly indoor event in February! That also means that there will not be any fire dancers at the Luau either. What kind of party are we having?!

Biblical Names

We have been trying to think of some names for our little girl and I thought I might see if any of you might have some suggestions. We are looking for a Biblical name we might possibly use for her middle name. We would also like to know the meaning that go along with the names. Here is where you come in. As most of you will know, female Biblical names are few and far between. So I am asking you to give us some female names and their meanings. I look forward to seeing who can tell us the most unique name. Also if you know where the name is located in the Bible please include that as well! I only ask that you do not include her first name for those of you that know it already.

Oh The Fun Of Birthdays

Do you remember the fun you had on birthdays? The fun gifts you got and getting to play with them. Like Christmas there are always toys that need some sort of assembly. It is amazing sometimes what parents or uncles will do for the kids in their lives. Poor Wesley was working on this Rody inflatable horse that kids can ride or bounce on. Only after several minutes he looked up laughing and stated that the engineers for this must have been crazy. Notice in the picture where they placed the valve to inflate this horse.


He was even good enough to help her take her first ride when she was scared to ride by herself. Grandmomma had even tried to ride before Wesley in an attempt to get L to ride her new horse, but it seems that Wesley just has a way with kids. He is not afraid to look goofy or silly. What child could ask for a better uncle than that?

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.