Ice...Ice...Baby

Much to my surprise, school was canceled for today. Usually our district is one of the lasts to call it off, but late last night when we checked the district Website, sure enough, it was canceled. I quietly went in and turned off the girls' alarm clock and we didn't set one for ourselves. It was so nice to sleep in a bit this morning. We had to bring the dogs in last night because it was in the low 20's outside. Luke sleeps in the crate, but we now just put Rudy on a towel and he stays there ALL night without moving...wow...Luke has been very destructive lately, besides fetching the NEIGHBOR'S paper, he also has been digging large holes in our backyard...not a welcomed activity here...John and I have both been very discouraged and often wonder if we should find him a new home. Okay, back to the ice day, the kids were over-the-top excited about the ice in the yard...they hoped for snow, but settled for the sleet and ice. I got them all bundled up (reminds me why I like to live in the south...what a pain!) and we took off outside to play. They had soooo much fun. I was a bit freaked out worried about Reagan falling on her head and re-opening that wound, but she survived. This is the first year that Reagan could really enjoy the fun!!! After a couple of hours, we came in and enjoyed hot chocolate together. Now they are all competing on a video game together (even Reagan) and just seem to be enjoying their day at home together. I like days like this!!!

Never a Dull Moment

I just wrote the other day that "I love being a mom and I enjoy the craziness of having 4 kids!" Well, last night was an example of the craziness part! At night, after baths, the girls get into bed and read. Reagan likes to come to their room and "pretend" to pray with them and tuck them in. Well, last night, I was in Blayne's room putting him to bed when I head a thump and Reagan began crying. I ran to Whitney's room and found Reagan on the floor crying. Whitney said "she fell...she was praying with me and her feet slipped and she let go and fell" I picked Reagan up and she stopped crying and told me "I fall down on the ladder and hit my head"...that is when a familiar warm stickiness began to cover my arm. I looked over and saw that her pajamas were covered in blood and it was all over both of my arms. I calmly called to John who was on his way because he had heard the commotion too. We took her to the bathroom to rinse her head and inspect the damage. She had a gash about 1 inch long and about 1/8th of an inch wide. We got the bleeding to stop, and we couldn't decide what we needed to do. We had some liquid bandage, but we didn't know if that was good enough or if we needed to take her in for stitches. So, we called our trusty 'ole friends, The Packwoods, he is a surgeon and she is a pediatrician...they would know what we needed to do. I got Eric on the phone and he talked me through some stuff and we decided that it would be best for he and Gracie to look at it. We cleaned her up, got her fresh pajamas and John took her over to be inspected. Gracie said that as a pediatrician, she would suggest that Reagan go in for staples, Eric felt that the liquid bandage would do a fine job. So, Eric cleaned it up real good and he and John put liquid bandage on it. They also tried to tie her hair to help hold the wound closed. Because of her trendy new haircut, there is not enough hair to tie! They both felt that the closure was good and they sent her home with gauze and bandage for us to wrap her head to protect it while she slept. She was hilarious through it all she was as happy as could be, goofing off and she was ecstatic that she got to go the The Packwoods at bedtime last night! So, if you ever wonder why I have so much gray hair, please know that some of it is genetic (thanks mom) and the rest of it is from days like this!!!!

Fun Day

On Saturday, Uncle Jerral (Jennifer's brother) and Aunt Dilia, came to watch Savannah play basketball and then they took all three of our BIG kids to lunch (at Snuffers) and to see the movie Hotel for Dogs. The kids were SOOOO excited. They have been looking forward this day since Christmas when Aunt Dilia asked about doing this with them. They had a GREAT time. They haven't stopped talking about it. They even took them to the Toll House store for yummy cookies! What a treat. They said that they want to come and take them to do it again sometime. Fun!!!

And...before they left for lunch, Uncle Jerral presented Blayne with a Christmas gift. He had purchased this long before Christmas, and stuck it in his closet. It wasn't until AFTER Christmas that we gave Charlie one of these helmets and it occurred to me that Jerral had bought one for Blayne. When I asked him about it, he remembered that it was in his closet. He had given the kids a Wii game and accessories so the helmet was forgotten. Blayne couldn't quit smiling. He LOVES this helmet.

Been a Good Week...

1. Got a ticket, but wasn't sited for speeding...could have been a lot worse.
2. John found out that his company would be distributing bonuses this year. Great news in this current economy.
3. Reagan went POO-POO in the potty at COSTCO (and told everyone about it!)
4. We are all healthy and feeling good.
5. Had BEAUTIFUL weather this week.
6. The girls both made good grades this nine weeks.
7. Blayne lost his first tooth and can now write his complete name legibly THAT Stonecipher name is a hard one to write!
8. We get to have Home Fellowship tonight after having to miss or cancel the last 3 times because of all of our sickness!!!!
9. Made arrangements for an upcoming overnight trip with the kids...it is a surprise!
10. Got almost all of the PTA scrapbook done and have that stressed taken away!

Wow! What a Day!!!

I hadn't intended on blogging today, but as the day progressed, I decided that, yep, it was for sure a blog worthy day! My day really began at 1:30 AM when I was too exhausted to stay up with crying Reagan (who has started having bad dreams) and I just put her in our bed. That meant I didn't get good sleep last night....then the alarm that John set, DIDN'T go off and our sweet kids didn't disturb us until 7 AM...we have to leave by 7:30 (ALL of US!) I think that the rest is captured in pictures so enjoy a photo walk-through-my-day!!!!

Re-cap of the Day:
*1:30 AM Up with Reagan (get kicked in the face the rest of the night)
*7 AM (after no alarm) up and frantically getting ready to get out the door by 7:30
*Take trash and kids out to get in the car.
*Find neighbor's paper in our yard
*Find Luke Out
*Chain Luke up
*Quickly head to school (too quick, I assume)
*Get pulled over in a speed trap of 5 motorcycle cops. (41 in a 30...not sure I could have really gotten that fast in such a short distance, but that is what the radar said...did you watch the Office last week? Maybe it was ANOTHER car!)
*Nice cop says "what's good for the goose is good for the gander, I pulled your husband over before with pizzas and let him off, so I assume I should do the same for you!" Thank goodness for the strange Stonecipher name that stands out in people's minds, and for a husband that genuinely THANKS the police for pulling him over! I also had left without my wallet (which meant NO license) and our vehicle registration was expired
*Take Whitney to school...she is now late!
*Go home to get ready to go to Southlake to get my registration renewed.
*Reagan picks up my curling iron and touches her face...arghhh!
*Put cold compress and aloe vera on it...call pediatrician...get confirmation that I did the right thing.
*Go to school to get a student directory and meet with the principal.
*Head to Southlake (drop off a school directory to the Saums on the way)
*Go wait in line at the courthouse.
*Pay the fee and the FINE for getting a ticket!
*Head to Wal-Mart for a few items (Blayne and Reagan in tow!)
*Go to Keller Courthouse to "take care" of the fines and such...was told to mail $30 and copies of everything in! (gesh!)
*Came home.
*Returned the neighbor's paper.
*Put Reagan to bed for her nap....
So, in case you ever wonder what I do all day now you know!!!!!

Sweet Saum Kids

On Monday, my kids got to enjoy fun times with their friends, Jonah and Savannah Saum. The Saums serve as missionaries in Kenya, and we are thankful to have them home for 8 months. Blayne and Jonah are SO much alike and Reagan and "Savvy" enjoy being together too! Savannah and Whitney enjoy "mothering" the baby girls. Savannah and Whitney did fashion maker-overs on the little girls and Jonah and Blayne enjoyed interrupted time on the Wii! They all visited and laughed at lunch. 3 of them wanted to pray, so it took a long time of patiently waiting for prayers to be said before they got to eat. It was a fun day!

Weekend Update

I got to go scrapbook at the Packwoods' empty house this weekend. My friend, Michelle, met me there. I am the Historian for the elementary PTA and I have to make a scrapbook of our entire PTA year (our school is over the top on some of the events) anyway, the book is due in April so I knew that I needed to get started on it. I worked and worked. I completed over 50 pages and my body hurts from scrapbooking! Michelle is starting a neat business, and she had lots of painting to do for designs that have to get to the printer for her new catalog, so she worked hard this weekend too. It was great to be together, but I have to admit that I can think of hundreds of things that I would have rather have been doing with my friend Michelle this weekend. It was nice to have the company as I am sure that I would have been lonely in that big house all by myself. Gracie does have a great scrapbooking set up, though! I didn't take pictures. Michelle and I both looked horrible the entire time, so I didn't want to make you ill having to look at us.

Something VERY exciting happened tonight before I got home....


Yep, my Blayne lost his first tooth. Savannah videoed it for me so I wouldn't miss out...wasn't that sweet?

Reagan wanted to pull her tooth too!!!

Disney World...Libby...and MR FIXIT

I realized recently when a friend sent me an e-mail asking, that I haven't posted on Libby in a LONG time. She is a MIRACLE!!! She is doing FANTASTIC. Anyway, I wanted to post a couple of pictures of her. She received a cool bike in October from a local charity. It is awesome, and you ought to see her ride it! Blayne loves to ride it too! Libby has been doing great with only a few bumps in the road here and there and Friday she leaves for the Happiest Place on Earth with her "Make a Wish" trip. It was granted to her last year, but this was the best time for her to go health-wise and for the boys' school schedule. We are so happy for The Packwoods. Reagan got in their car yesterday, buckled in, and told me that she was going to "Dees-wee-whirl" with them. She screamed and cried when I took her out of the car. Funny thing is, she has never been, but I guess she knows that she is missing out on something!

Our friends, The Heberts, leave today for Disney World. "Tinkerbell" has been magically appearing and placing gifts on their doorstep each night leading up to their trip. Beth is gonna kill me for all of the glitter that is on her porch and sidewalk!!! They are going to have so much fun!!! Their girls are the PERFECT ages to be going and this is their first time. Beth has spent MONTHS planning and organizing their trip. It will be wonderful.

And lastly and VERY important is that most of you that know us well, know that I am married to MR FIXIT...well, he took that washer apart last night, took the motor out, did something to it and put it back in and that thing worked!!!! He amazes me how he will just tackle something like that. Anyway, I guess the true test will be today when I run another load of laundry!

Washing Machine R.I.P.

Well, our washing machine died tonight. It is full of clothes and the water is all the way to the TOP. John is in there trying to "encourage" it to run just long enough to spin that water out. I am thankful that this happened THIS week and not last week. Can you imagine us being sick, all vomiting and not having a working washing machine???? Guess I know what romantic gift I will be getting for Valentine's day.... I HAVE been envious of all of my friends that have those LARGE capacity front-loaders.....;)maybe we will win $10,000 on Funniest Home Videos so we can pay for it. I could submit the video of John and I dancing on the Wii to Dance..Dance Revolution!

Upward Basketball

John is coaching Savannah's basketball team again this year. They are playing 3-on-3 in her division this year. They had their first game on Saturday. Savannah's Science/Homeroom teacher, Mrs. Lacaze, came to her game. The girls played really hard and John was pleased with their hustle and their good attitudes. The girls that we played had two players that towered over our team! Reagan enjoyed watching the game. Blayne and Whitney played their DS games without much arguing. Nana came to see the game, too! This was our first outing in over a week (except for our FUN grocery run when we saw "The Trashman") It was nice to be out in the real world. But as they say "all good things must come to an end"....Blayne was up with diarrhea on Saturday night and started vomiting last night....so, here we are again...home....going on TWO weeks!!!!

Funny Reagan

We are slowly coming to good health over here. Whew...this has been a LONG illness that has had a vengeance! Anyway, I went to the grocery store yesterday with Blayne and Reagan to get some necessities from the pharmacy and some food staples like: bananas, Saltines, Gatorade and apples. We weren't there long, but I am telling you, you have never seen two kids more excited about going to the store. We have been home since Saturday! Well, there was a very nice looking African American man there. He was dressed in a suit and was probably just running some errands on his lunch hour. Well, my sweet Reagan. She saw him and was saying in her LOUD Reagan voice "There's the trashman"...."Look, there's the trashman"...."Mom, there he is, it's the trashman"...I was trying to quietly hush her and distract her and tell her "No, that's not our trashman"...well, she wouldn't have it, she was yelling "Yes, it's trashman" and then she proceeded to call for him as we walked through the store "Trashman, where are you???" People were laughing at her all over the store. I was horrified. Poor man, I am sure that he felt labeled. Our trashman is a very nice African American man, and Reagan likes to wave at him and say "hi"! This reminds me of when Whitney was this age and LOUDLY announced to me at the store "Mom, look at that fat lady!!!" as she pointed...ahhh, these children, they keep you humble!

Stonecipher Christmas Part 2 (Becky's Slideshow!)

My sister-in-law made a slide show and it captures the evening, so I thought you might like to see it. We continue to recover over here from the awful bug. About the time I think that everyone is fine, someone complains over their tummy hurting (today it is John)!

Well, enjoy the pictures.

Five Down at ONE Time!

Well, our family got THE stomach thing. All of us except for Savannah were miserably sick starting Saturday night. It started with me, then Whitney, then John, then Reagan and ended with Blayne...whew. John and I realized that we have NEVER been sick together like that. It was just awful. I have to say that I am married to an amazing man. He cleans up after sick kids without complaining, helps do the multiple loads of laundry from all the sick people and pretty much tag teams with sick kids with me. I couldn't have handled this without him!!! I called over The Packwoods yesterday morning and asked if they could go get us some Gatorade and Pedialyte and some diapers and detergent....we had to do so many loads of laundry that I ran out of detergent! Whitney seemed to bounce back the quickest and seems fine. My stomach is finally not hurting but I am so exhausted. Being up for two nights in a row plus being sick myself has wiped me out! We did go (before we got sick) over to have our 2nd part of Christmas with John's family. I left my camera battery at home charging so I didn't take any pictures, which might be a good thing. We are back this week into full swing with school and activities. Where did those 2 weeks go? And, this was not the way that I had planned to end our two week holiday! Well, Reagan is waking up...hopefully she is feeling much better too!

Lunch with The Kaemmerlings

When my life seems hectic and I seem overwhelmed with all I need to do (laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc) I think of our friends, The Kaemmerlings, who have 13 kids!!!! WOW! They run their house like a well oiled machine! They have figured how to do things to keep it simple and running well! There is never a dull moment there and always someone to play with. The kids had a great time. We enjoyed Taco Stacks for lunch and followed with a fire and smore making! Here is a look into our lunch. I don't think that I got pictures of everyone...sorry. I guess I should keep a list to make sure that all 21 that were there got a photo taken!!!!

Stonecipher Family Christmas #1

Well, we have had our Stonecipher Family Christmas planned for today for months. We got called early this morning and were told that Nana has THE illness that has been passed from the grandkids. She was so ill that she went to Mammaw's house for the day as it was decided that the show would go on without her. We all felt uneasy to have Christmas without Nana, so David spoke up and it was decided that we would have our Part 2 Christmas on Saturday and hopefully be able to include Nana. Since Keith has to work on Saturday, it was decided that we would have our gathering Saturday night. Thanks to my VERY flexible best friend, Michelle, for allowing us to bow out of dinner plans at her house in Dallas that have been on the calendar for weeks. (Michelle you are the best for understanding and helping me out of the situation!) We did allow the kids to open ONE of their gifts today and they had FUN! We did our traditional Mexican meal. The weather was perfect for the kids to enjoy playing outside. I took like 200 pictures (didn't feel like it!) So, I will give you a glimpse of the day. Becky is getting a camera that is better than mine so I may not be the official family photographer at our gatherings for the events that are coming up, so maybe you won't have to sit through my LONG slideshows! :) Here is a small glimpse of what went on today! Nana was surely missed!