Christmas #2

When we arrived in KY we had to quickly make some cookies for Santa then out to Uncle Kim and Aunt Brenda's for a pre-Christmas dinner with Josh, Mrs. Needham, Uncle Joe, Carla, Nana and Pepaw. We came back to Nana and Pepaw's house where we quickly got into bed so we could be asleep for Santa. I came back downstairs and realized that we had forgotten our cookies for Santa as well as our reindeer food! We had to get the kids out of bed to get ready for Santa. They got back in bed and we had our wrapping frenzy. They did not get up until 7 on Christmas morning but were ready to check out Santa's gifts. I will post pictures later but one of the adult's favorites was Jude's Hungry Hungry Hippo game. I am proud to say that I am the reigning Hungry Hippo Champion (today). We Christmased again with Mrs. Needham, Aunt Brenda and Uncle Kim - as well as our household. It has been great Christmas filled with activity. The 4 dogs and 2 kids have helped with the activity level! I hope everyone else had a great Christmas as well!!! We are still waiting for the arrival of Aunt Lindsay to do it all again!!!

Christmas #1

I don't have any pictures to post as we are still not home but I can at least put in my memories before I forget them!! Our Christmas began with a trip to Missouri on Friday. We opened presents with Kingston, Aunt Jamie, Uncle Chris, Mimi and Pops that evening. On Saturday the girls enjoyed manicures and we had some very entertaining game playing (sadly the boys won both). But, on the upside, everyone now knows the words to "Holly Jolly Christmas"! We all went to church together on Sunday then lunch at Colton's. The Barber family made the trip back to TN on Sunday afternoon but we stayed and did some Christmas Eve shopping (birthday shopping for me actually) and then headed to KY.

Christmas Craziness

This week has been busy with both kids having Christmas parties. At one point we had 16 dozen cookies filling our house. Luckily for those that are partaking of them our family did NOT make them. We will be doing that for Santa.

Jude's party was Tuesday. They had made Rudolph shirts which all the boys had pulled the eyes off of by party time. They had a book exchange, sang some wonderful songs, played a game and topped it off by making icing Christmas trees decorated with M&Ms and chocolate chips. They were allowed to eat those so the activity and mess level was VERY high in there.

Ella's program/party was today. Jude was the big party man as he was allowed to attend this one as well. The program went well. Ella said her line beautifully and sang her songs very loud so we all could hear. I was a little distracted as Jude thought it would be funny to wipe boogers on my pants and socks the whole time I was trying to video. (see why we didn't make the cookies?) Anyway, I left after the 19 5 year olds were juiced up on chips, punch, cupcakes, cookies and other treats. I am sure Miss Elisha will get them down for rest time no problem!

I will post pictures when I get home. Hope everyone is enjoying all the pre-events of Christmas!

Picture Updates

Here are some pictures from events that I am just getting around to posting....Ella's birthday party, Ice and actual birthday. We are gearing up for Christmas parties at school this week. Jude's party is on Tuesday and Ella's on Wednesday. I have gotten a vacation from Thursday until tomorrow because my parents have been keeping the kids. Jonathan and I have been busy though, catching up with Mark, Jessica and baby Megan - as well as Brian, Cassie and baby Brock. The Nesbitts, McConnells and Harringtons came over for dinner last night and I helped with the progessive dinner tonight for the youth group. We are ready for the kids to be back!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA!!

Ella busted through her classroom doors this morning with "Hello everyone, I have an important announcement to make - today is my birthday!" If you could have only seen the way it was executed. Her teacher and I were falling in the floor. Added to the comment was the fact that she was wearing silvery sparkly legwarmers. We are taking her to Chuck E Cheese tonight so I will let everyone know how that goes!

Great news!!

Jude's results from his MRI were very good. Dr. Keith said no masses and no cysts. There was a slight difference in the border on one side of his brain compared to the other but since the results of the EEG were good he does not see a problem. We have an appointment with the pediatric neurologist in January and he is going to go over the tests then and give us his opinion. Thanks again for all the prayers, they were certainly answered.

Bachelor Jude sweeps Vanderbilt

Jude's MRI went great this morning. We went to Target and picked out a toy then off to Vanderbilt. The staff was wonderful. They gave Jude crayons and let him color all over the sheets. While he was drawing a Christmas tree and Rudolph with a nurse another nurse put in his IV. He looked a little confused but kept drawing and no tears. Jonathan held him in the MRI room while they put the meds in his IV - again a bit confused but right off to sleep. It took about 45 mins. We went back in to wake him up and a nurse said "Jude, are you ready to go home?" His response was a very groggy "No, I want to go to McDonalds!" After that we knew he was fine. He downed a pack of cookies and water and we hit the road to McDonalds. They should have the results in 2 days. Thanks for all the prayers - this being over is a big relief. Also Jude left there with about 6 girlfriends. One nurse had him promise to call her in 30 years.

Parties and Parades and MRIs - Oh my!

So far so good...we have had a fun filled weekend. Ella celebrated her 5th birthday (not until 12/4) on Friday night with 4 girlfriends along with Lofton, Kingston and Jude (Mimi, Pops, Nana and Pepaw were also in attendance). The girls ate, made Hello Kitty cookies (with their Hello Kitty aprons), gingerbread houses and gingerbread men in the time span of 2 hours with LOTS of help from Aunt Jamie, Nana and Mimi (thanks girls). Ella also managed to open some presents in that time frame. The boys were crazy - as usual - but had fun and even managed to make a gingerbread man with their Superman aprons. Saturday brought the exciting WH Christmas parade followed by a trip Kubuto with Mimi, Pops and Jenna and then off to Opryland Hotel to see Santa (who is wonderful by the way), break my camera and briefly look at lights. Afterward we hit Ice where we had a great time in the provided blue coats looking at the Grinch that Stole Christmas story and sliding down an ice slide. We are capping off the weekend with Jude's MRI in the morning. I will add pictures soon - luckily my camera is not fully out of working order!

Thanksgiving

We headed to West Plains to be with the Merriman clan for Thanksgiving. While we were there Olivia and Ella had a grand tea party. Kingston joined the party only to prove that boys should NEVER be invited to a tea party (his mom is the one that made that statement). He sort of fell out of his seat but grabbed the tablecloth to catch his balalnce. The second picture is the aftermath. That is his straw stuck to the back of the chair... Oddly enough the girls did not seem to mind too much.

Jonathan's Birthday

The kids and I made Jonathan a pumpkin pie for his birthday. It actually turned out pretty good. I made sure there were no "special" added ingredients - you never know with Jude. He likes to pass out boogers.

Last Disney Day

Before we left Ella hit the Beauty Salon - Bippity Boppity Boutique. She picked out her nail color, lip gloss and make up. It took A LOT of hairspray and gel but the "fairy godmother" managed to get her hair in a bun. After dousing it with glitter (fairy dust), she was ready to make her appearance and a transformed princess. Oddly enough, makeup, dress, nails and a tiara can change someone's attitude. She had wonderful manners for most of the rest of the day. Now if we could get those results without all the makeup and glitter!

Another Jude Update

Dr. Keith called today (he called yesterday too but I was in the Lion King and could not hear him). He said although the EEG was good they want to go ahead and plan the MRI. The nurse called me back and they scheduled it for Dec 2. at 11:30 which is a Sunday morning. He has to be sedated so I am really not looking forward to that. Maybe this will answer any questions. He also set him up an appointment with the Pediatric Neurologist for January 14th. I really don't know what that is for though.

Bippity Boppity BAM!

Today was an interesting day. Uncle Joe left EARLY this morning and we sort of took it easy. We went swimming, let the kids nap (adults too) and then off to MGM - again. On the way there was the interesting event. We were rear ended by a Disney bus - driver in training. He pounded us pretty good. Nobody was hurt but we held up traffic for a while and the driver in training will probably never make it to driver status! Also, our room overlooks a pond and today we saw and otter AND an alligator! The most interesting events did not involve Mickey at all. We did have fun at MGM though.

Breakfast with Mickey

This morning was our special breakfast....Here are a couple of pictures. Afterward we hit Animal Kingdom. I am too tired to elaborate.

Dinner with Cinderella

Last night was our big meal with Cinderella. I am not sure if Ella or Jude had more fun. Of course Ella loved seeing Cinderella and Prince Charming but was not so sure about the Wicked Stepmother. She stayed true to her character and Ella had on her Birthday Girl shirt so she asked if today was her birthday. When Ella said no she said she was a liar. I thought Ella was going to cry on the spot. Jude did make a friend with Anastasia. He danced with her and she gave him a big kiss. He had his Chick Magnet shirt on so she asked him if he was a chick magnet did that make her a chick. All he could do was shake is head. Apparently he is attracted to the "bad girls"....we are in for it!

Very Merry Christmas

Last night we made it over for the big Christmas Party - it was crowded! We did get to see the show in front of the castle, the Christmas Parade and the big fireworks spectacular with special guest Tinkerbell that ziplined through (I think she does that every fireworks show but Ella and Jude loved it). Afterwards we went and rode Dumbo, Snow White (again), Peter Pan and It's a Small World. By that time it was 11 and Jude was asleep so the adults went over to Space Mountail where there was no wait. When we came out Ella was asleep (lucky for us my mom does not like roller coasters and watched both kids) and we headed on out. It was alot of fun but I think we wore them out. They both wore their costumes but had decided on pjs by the time the fireworks were on. Today we have an early dinner with the princesses at 4:00 and the boys (Jonathan and my brother) don't feel like going to Animal Kingdom so we are giving them the day off. We will do the dinner tonight, breakfast with Mickey tomorrow and Animal Kingdom tomorrow night. Those are the tentative plans anyway so we may adjust!

Jude's Normal

Or at least his EEG results are. I just spoke to the pediatrician's office and everything was fine. His pediatrician won't be in until tomorrow and I am supposed to call back to see what - if anything - is next. Yeah Jude - he PASSED his very first test!

They are napping now and then we are heading over for the Very Merry Christmas. Mom and I took them swimming this morning and they have 3 barrel slides that run into the pool. They both went down them and I really wish I had video. They shot out of the slides like little bullets! It was pretty funny - after the second launch Jude would not get back on.... I went down too but would prefer no video of that!

Day 2

We got a late start today due to church, lunch and naps. Our plan was to head to Animal Kingdom but when we got there we had 30 mins until close. We revised the plan and headed to MGM. We had great timing. As soon as we got there I headed to the Aerosmith ride to get fast passes. Then we did the Tower of Terror and straight to the Beauty and the Beast show. Right afterward we got seats for the Mickey. Ella, my dad and I went to ride the Tower of Terror again - that's right, Ella on the Tower of Terror. She liked it but will not ride again....according to her. Then we saw the Mickey show where Jude shared his popcorn with Uncle Joe then off to Aerosmith. We called it quits after the ride. The kids are still tired and so are we. We have a late night tomorrow night with Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party from 7 until midnight!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to Disney We Go!

Well, we made it and today we spent our first 8 hours at "The Happiest Place On Earth". There were a few moments when I felt like we were in the busiest, craziest, cryiest (if I could temporarily make that a word) place on earth. It was a blast though. We watched a show (we watched it twice according to my brother) at the castle which had several princesses, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Mickey and Minnie among others. We also rode Snow White, Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, the race cars and watched Mickey's 3D and the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. Everyone was worn out and now the wee ones are sleeping and the big ones are about to do the same. Oh yeah, another highlight was Ella getting to have her picture made with Ariel!!! Here are some pics to prove it - more tomorrow....we have 7 days of fun!

CMAs

I just spent 20 mins on the Top 10 Reasons Carmen and Amy should NOT be granted All Access passes to the Country Music Awards. However, my computer went down and I lost it. It is really late so I will save the details... I will let the pictures of the two Desperate Working Houswives speak for themselves. Sandy (whoever Sandy is) had just better be glad that she did specify that we NOT go in the greenroom because we went EVERYWHERE else! And yeah, that is Kenny Chesney.

Okay I found them but keep in mind it is late so they are really not funny...
10.) We have nothing to wear.
9.) If streets are closed off downtown we might get confused.
8.) We WILL take food from craft services
7.) ....which means we will drink from Chick-fil-a styrofoam cups during the awards while on the floor level (eating pretzels, too).
6.) I am not ashamed to take pictures of the stars with my cell phone even though no pictures are allowed - although Kimberly Paisley may think I am a stalker.
5.) Carmen is not afraid to run into Jessica Simpson - she did stop herself in time.
4.) We will sit in any empty seat.
3.) All Access means we can hang out in the media room - they did say all access.
2.) I am willing to tell anyone congratulations on their awards - although I may embarrass Carmen.
and finally....
1.) We WILL be rude and ask Kenny Chesney for a picture!

one more - We should also not be allowed all access passes because we stay out way too late and we will stay up TOO late typing on our blogpage.

As you can tell, Phillip scored us some passes to the show. It was so much fun. Instead of all access passes it should have been called too much access passes. We probably will not be allowed back!

One more side note is that behind both Carmen and I in the other pictures is Brad Paisely - that was our attempt to get our pictures made with him without asking...it didn't work out so well!

Jude's Update

Here's the picture.... Most probably know that Jude had another seizure on Saturday night. Of course after it was all said and done he was indeed running a fever. It was a bit different this time in that he did not convulse, he just collapsed down (in Wal-Mart no less). He is doing great. They did refer him to a Pediatric Neurologist and told me that he could probably get an appt. at Centennial within a week and get one with Vanderbilt in about a month. The pediatrician called me yesterday and said they had set it up - Tuesday (which is today) at Vanderbilt. I was relieved since we are leaving for Disney on Friday. He had his EEG today and did fantastic. I could not have programmed a robot to be any better. He endured having to get up at 4:30 (so did I by the way), holding still while they exfoliated and placed electrodes on his head, wrapped his head like a mummy, had him open and close his eyes, stare at some lights, blow a pinwheel for 2 mins (which is a 2 year old record by the way) and then to top it off he fell asleep on command (waking at 4:30 will do that for you). I was very proud of him. He was only allowed to sleep for 5 mins then I had to wake him up which was VERY hard. He left happy after all was said and done and is still napping (it is 5:00 pm). We don't know what the results are yet. Ella requested that I take pictures. I only got one of him on the parking garage in front of the hospital that I will have to put on later. I was too embarassed to take the camera in for documentation for my 4 year old.

HALLOWEEN!!!!

Here are our pictures from Halloween. Our neighbors had a street party and the kids partied down. Jude and Lofton enjoyed hanging with the dj. The highlight was the chicken dance. My parents were here to enjoy the festivites but ended up holding down the fort while we were doin the chicken! The last picture I could not resist - Jonathan said Jude looked like a Chippendale Dancer....that is funny coming from Peter Pansy (that is what my dad called him).

Fall Parties

Jude and Ella partied down this week at school. They had their fall parties - you know kind - lots of sugar, a little paint and some great games! Jude played pin the nose on the pumpkin - he cheated and won, hunt the pumkin, decorated the pumpkin and dance party. Ella's class painted a pumpkin, played Who Stole Your Pumpkin? and something else I don't remember the name of. Ella got to party down Tuesday and Wednesday. They both had about a 10 min tooth brushing Tuesday night....

Trunk Or Treat

I picked out a Peter Pan outfit for Jonathan that passed inspection. I did make him a hat out of green felt and a red feather that I did not think was going to fly (get it fly)...anyway it did and he wore it. Here is our picture. In case you cannot figure it out, I am Wendy, Jude is Captain Hook, Ella is Tinkerbell and Jonathan is Peter Pan. Trunk or Treat was great but with the way Captain Hook likes to eat his costume is getting VERY dingy! One picture is of Ella, Abby, Riley and Ann in the back of the Rose vehicle being VERY genrous with the candy. The last picture is of Captian Hook trying to coax some caffeine out of the vending machine...

Ghouls at Grassmere

Tonight we hit the Zoo for Ghouls at Grassmere. We met our friend's Joni, Larry, Reesi (the good witch), Phillip, Lofton (Batman), Carmen and Landon (Robin) for the adventure. (Ella was Tinkerbell and Jude was Captain Hook). We rode the frightful carousel, took a hayride, did a little spooky dancin', LOTS of running - after the completion of 20 Bingo stamps and over 2 and a half hours later we got a Halloween flashlight! They had a great time and we got some pretty good pictures. Stay tuned for more adventures of Tinkerbell and Captain Hook as we are doing Trunk or Treat on Sunday night and the Big Night is Wednesday. Now if I can just talk Jonathan into being Peter Pan...

Circus Time

I went out of order here. The night before the soda fountain we went to the Shriner's circus with our friends Lofton and Reesi. The guys got out of it and went to watch a baseball game...We had a fun filled hour and a half of pony poopie and crazy mad clowns.