Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

I've been blowing and going for days and haven't had a chance to update. The Nutcracker was gorgeous!!! Hannah did such a good job. I got to see every single performance. She is so graceful and quite the ballerina. When she came home Saturday night from her last performance as playing "Clara", her toe was bleeding really bad. When she came to show me, it was dripping on the floor!!! Instead of freaking out about it, she was so excited. She said, "Mom, this is just like the movies. If your toe bleeds, that means that you are doing everything just like you are supposed too. This is what a ballerina hopes for...dreams for...." So we took several pictures of her bloody toe!!!

We enjoyed having my Mother here. Her blood pressure was lower than it's ever been since her stroke. So I'm glad she was relaxed and had a good time. I took her back to the Baton Rouge airport yesterday.

Randy, Aaron, and Daniel are at the hunting camp. Between the 3 of them, I hope one of them gets a deer. We have sure enjoyed eating Benjamin's deer. He is feeding our large family!!

The rest of us will be driving to Jackson this afternoon to spend Thanksgiving with Randy's side of the family.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for!!

Today is the DAY!!!!!

Today is the day that the Nutcracker begins. Hannah will play the part of "Clara". She has been working so hard for months. I can't wait to see her. She's been coming home from practices kind of discouraged saying she doesn't know it. But last night she got to practice on stage....in costume....and with the LIGHTS!!!!! Most people are scared of the lights (including me) but not Hannah. She loves them. Most people see her as a shy, and very quiet girl, but when the spot lights hit her, she turns into a completely different person. She said she feels like a different person. Hannah's ballet teacher even cried last night when she watched Hannah. OH....I can't wait!!!

Benjamin is back in the woods again. He saw 20 deer yesterday. Most of them were small and the ones that's weren't, outsmarted them. He will give it one more try this morning.

I picked up my mother at the Baton Rouge airport yesterday. She flew in from Texas to see Hannah's performance. My Dad wasn't able to come because he has to work. She likes to play cards and games, so we will enjoy her while she is here. She recently had a stroke and her blood pressure is still high so I would appreciate it if you would keep her in your prayers. She is on medication but it hasn't kicked in yet and she has to take her blood pressure at least twice a day. So...while she is here, I'm trying to keep everyone in the house calm, cool, and collected - yea right!!!!! Once Benjamin gets home, it will be more of a challenge.

Benjamin's BIG news!!!!!

Benjamin killed his very first deer this morning!! He called me and woke me up to tell me - he was soooooo excited!!! It's in his blood now and he is ready to do it again!! It was a very, very big doe. His Daddy had gone over and over everything you are supposed to do before they left the house. They had only been on the stand for 15 minutes when Benjamin saw the deer. Randy put him in his lap and started the "talk" again about what all you are supposed to do....where to put the cross hairs.....blah, blah, blah. When Randy was still talking....BOOM!!!!! Benjamin had already shot the deer because he knew what to do!!! It was a perfect shot right in the kill zone. So our little boy is bringing home some meat to feed the family!!!

We had a nice weekend. We went to Robin and Cole's wedding which was the sweetest wedding!! We saw the Walkers. I got to hold the Patrick's sweet little baby boy. I got to spend time with Brooke. I was finally able to go grocery shopping. Hannah and I shared a brown bag special at Sonic on Sunday. Nice, nice weekend.

As I was doing grooming duties on Benjamin and Bethany which included cutting Benjamin's hair, giving Bethany a trim and cutting their nails.....I was reminded how time flies with your children. When my 5 oldest were younger, I would line them all up to cut their finger nails and toe nails. That was 100 nails to dispose of!!! I'm talking ONE HUNDRED!!!! Now I only have 40 to cut. Well, actually it's less than that since Benjamin bites his. The nail numbers are dwindling - so sad!!!

The soccer tournament went well, even though we weren't able to go. They won every single game and made it to the Championship game in which they lost 2 to 1.

Let me know how your weekends went. Shalom (that's for Brooke!!)

Thank you for all your "well" wishes. I am feeling much better. Today is the last day for capturing bugs. I think we still have 4 to go. Me and Benjamin.....whoa.....excuse me and let me rephrase that.....Benjamin and I have our work cut out for us today. It's actually been kind of fun. It's weird how I go places now and instead of looking at things I used to look at, I'm looking for a bug!!!! I actually touch them too!!! WEIRD!!!!!

The wedding pictures came in today!!! It was fun reliving the wedding while I was looking at them. It was such a sweet wedding. All my little "dwarfs" were in it - how sweet is that!!! Now I get to sort through all of them....put them in order....get them in an album....and write comments about them. I want to be able to put some of them on this blog but I have no idea how to do it......help Brooke!!!!

Brooke and Chad will be coming home this weekend. It's still kind of weird adjusting to a son-in-law. Not that it's a bad thing....it's just different. I can't wait to see them.

Well I have tons of things to do that are waiting for me. Shalom!!

Feeling blah.....

Brooke says I need to post again but I don't really have anything to report. I felt really sick all day yesterday and I still don't feel that great today. I know what some of you are thinking....No...number 8 is not on the way. I just don't feel well. We have church tonight and AWANA'S. Plus Aaron has a bug collection that is due tomorrow. He needs 4 more bugs. In order to help him out, I'll have to go bug searching today. He really needs a dragon fly. Please go outside today and capture me a dragon fly. We'll come get it. Paige is doing her "clinicals" today at the hospital. She has her first male patient today - a sponge bath!! She isn't looking forward to it. Even though there may be a certain area you want to practice your nursing, you still have to do EVERYTHING whether you like it or not in order to get to that point. This is one of those things. She wants to be a nurse in the labor and delivery - especially work with the babies. She has always loved babies. Gotta go!!

Just one of the JOYS of homeschooling.......

.....happened today. You spend countless hours of teaching your child phonics - the sounds each letter makes. It seems like they will never "get it". Then one day...it clicks....and they can read words. I'm proud to say that Bethany read her very first book today. It was sooooo exciting!!! It's such a joy knowing that you taught your child to read. We still have a long way to go, but the first step is always the best!!!