Braces

I took Bryce today to get braces. He was terrified. His dad had told how much it was going to hurt and scared him about the whole ordeal. Well, after 30 minutes, we were walking out the door and he said "I am glad I got braces now. That wasn't so bad." And of course, it had to be purple and gold rubber bands on them. Imagine that!!

Bryce turns 9

Bryce turned nine on Saturday. He requested an LSU Birthday. So, of course, mom came through. We had a blast. We rented a jumper combo -- included jumper, slide, and obstacle course in one. The kids played for hours and hours on that. Then he opened presents. He got so much stuff. One kid really should not be this spoiled! Bryan and I purchased all the Rock Band 2 pieces for his Playstation 2. Once it was hooked up, all the kids took turns (and even some of the adults) playing. We listened to so many versions of Eye of the Tiger, Livin on a Prayer, and Hungry Like a Wolf. It was hilarious. Here are a few of the pics.....

Completed Project

Well, it took him a month, but Bryan finally finished his lego project. He was so proud. He demonstrated all the perks of the turck. I.E. working headlights, working winch, and the suspension. I at least acted impressed...

Kid at Heart

This year my mom wanted to get something for Bryan that he really wanted but didn't really need. So, I showed her an item he said he would love to have but it was really silly. Well as everyone knows, nothing is silly when it comes to my mom. So once I showed her, she immediately went online and ordered it. Needless to say, Bryan was so excited. Bryce was a little disappointed to realize it was for Daddy and not him.

There are three instruction books. After three nights of sitting down for about two hours and playing, here is the progress he had made. He has not made it out of book 1. When he talks about it, he proadly boasts that it has a working engine, working headlights, working winch and adjustable suspension. He absolutely loves it. Who cares that the age on it is 11 - 16. Bryan really is a kid at heart!

Snow on Tay Tay

Here is what we woke up to this morning!!!

Yeah, I am late for work. I DON'T CARE!!!

Bob Cat Badge!

Bryce earned his Bob Cat Badge and I presented it to him at this month’s pack meeting. He was so very excited. I think he just wanted to be held in the air upside down!

Mom & Me Campout (November 7th)

On Friday, November 2, Bryce and I packed everything you could imagine and headed out to Camp Edgewood for the Mom & Me Campout. As some of you know, Bryce joined Cub Scouts this year. Well, this was our first adventure with camping out. That is right – in a TENT! I have never in my life slept in a tent. We expected cold weather, so I packed several layers of blankets and clothes. I was told to bring a wagon to transport everything to our campsite because it could be quite a distance. Since we don’t have a wagon, I decided I would bring Bryan’s dolly (one that lies down on the side) to pack everything with. Off we go….

We got to Camp Edgewood around 4:30. That didn’t give us much time to get things set up before dark. So, we unloaded everything we brought onto the dolly and headed off to find our campsite. It wasn’t long after pulling this dolly that I realized something was wrong. At one point, I tried to push the darn thing. That is when Bryce said, “Mom, the wheels are coming off.” Yep that is right; the tires on the dolly were FLAT! So needless to say, the dolly that I thought would be my big helper turned out to be a pain in the you know what! Anyway, I pulled the dolly all the way to our campsite. I don’t know how far it really was, but it seemed like we would never get there. Once we got to the site, I realized just how roughing it, it was going to be. Bryce and I figured out how to pitch our tent. We had borrowed the tent from a friend. Thank goodness there were instructions. By about 6:00, everything was set up and the cold was setting in. Some of the other campers had already started the camp fire, so I asked Bryce to find us some sticks to roast hot dogs on. Little did I know that they sell skewers to do this with. So, we roasted our hot dogs on sticks we found in the woods. Long story short, the kids all played around the camp fire and the adults tried to stay warm. Did is say that I knew NO ONE at this camp out. Time for Bed – I made Bryce lay down for bed at about 10:00. We tossed and turned all night just trying to stay warm. We ended up with even our heads under the covers trying to stay warm. IT WAS SO COLD!

Saturday Morning: At about 7:00 in the morning, we got up to get ready for the day. We both spent a little bit of time by the fire warming up then headed back to the camp office for registration. After picking up our registration packet, we waited for the activities to begin. What a fun day! There were so many activities to do. Bryce earned his belt loops for BB Gun Shooting and Bow & Arrow Shooting. We were able to canoe together and spent some time fishing off the wharf together. Bryce climbed an enormous rock wall, rode a zip line, and mastered the monkey bridge. By about 2:00 in the afternoon, we were both whipped. I gave him the option of staying the second night or going home. After such a cold night the night before, Bryce had no desire to spend another night. So, we went back to the campsite, loaded our stuff up (on the dolly with flat tires), and headed for the truck. Ok, I thought going back to the truck would be easier than going to the campsite. WRONG. Two times, the dolly tipped over thanks to our lovely flat tires. Ultimately we finally made it back to the truck, loaded up and headed home.

When we drove into the neighborhood, I had to stop in front of the neighbor’s house to drop Bryce off to play with his friends. I came home and got right into the shower. Once finished with the shower, I filled my bath tub up with hot water and turned on the jets. I WAS SO SORE!!!!!

It was a long two days, but was so much fun. I would not have traded the time for the world. I can’t wait for the spring and Bryan has to go. He is not getting out of that one!!!

Halloween (October 31st)

This year for Halloween, Bryce did not know what he wanted to be. I told him he could not have a costume with a mask because he never wears it. So, we convinced him to be a beat up football player. I purchased a kit to paint his face with fake cuts & blood. It looked horrible. Remind me next year to never ever do this again! Just buy the mask. Anyway, he proceeded to go trick or treating with his friends in our neighborhood. Bryan and mom handed out candy at our house while I followed Bryce around. After the trick or treating was finished, we walked over to a friends house for a “block party”. Music was playing and the kids danced and had a good time. Next we walked over to Missy Stutes’ house for some great gumbo. We visited for a while then headed home. Once home, Bryce got in the bathtub. Well, we had to attempt to get the mess off his face. The package said use make up remover. Yeah right!!! It took Bryan and I about 45 minutes to get all the stuff off his face. Again, I will never do this again! I don’t think Bryce will ever let us do this again either! He had a fun night though. That is what counts.

Sad Days for our Family (October 28th – 31st)

On Tuesday, October 28th, we received some very sad news for our Family. Bryan’s aunt, Brenda Benoit, passed away. She was found in her home where she died from natural causes. We were all very close to Brenda. Brenda was an interpreter for hearing impaired and deaf children at Barbe High School. She had worked there for 22 years. She will be greatly missed. We will never forget you Aunt Brenda. We will love you always.

Class Field Trip (October 22nd)

Bryce asked me to attend a field trip with him to the Global Wildlife Refuge in Folsum, LA. He has never asked me to go on a field trip before, so I thought I had better go. We started the day off by meeting at T S Cooley. Then all the children loaded up on two charter buses. I followed the buses in the “parents caravan”. Our first stop was at the Atcahafalaya Basin Welcome center. I have lived in Louisiana all my life and never knew this place existed. It was pretty neat. The children watched a video on Louisiana. Then they all gathered around the busses for a snack. Next, back on the busses to head to the refuge. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I had no idea what we were about to see. First stop once we got to the refuge was to eat lunch. Then, we loaded up on the trailers to tour the facility. The refuge was incredible. There were so many different types of animals. We saw cows, bison, deer, antelope, giraffe’s, camels, llamas, kangaroos, and more up close and personal. The best part was we were able to feed all of them. There were two classes of 3rd graders & 4th graders. The kids were so good though. I was very impressed with them. We spent about 1 ½ hours touring the facility. I know, some people would say cows & deer, no big deal. Well, I have never seen them up close like this. It was so neat. They animals knew that once the trailers were out in the fields, there was food, so they crowded around the trailers waiting for food to be given to them. The cows and bison would come up to you and open their mouths for you to pour the food into. We laughed so much and had the best time. I am so glad I decided to go. I can’t wait till next year to go back!

Cub Scouts (October 21st)

Bryce decided this year that he wanted to join cub scouts. Bryan was in cub scouts so we thought Bryce would have fun with it. Well, we hosted the den meeting on October 21st. Our meeting topic was sports. Bryan discussed the rules of kickball, basket ball and bean bag toss to our cub scouts. The boys had a blast playing the three different games with Bryan and Manny (den leader). Wow, 8 year old boys have so much energy.

PS – stay tuned to the blog, Bryce and I are attending Mom & Me Weekend at Camp Edgewood on November 7th – 9th. It should prove to be a lot of fun. I have never camped out so we shall see…….

Mandy’s Baby Shower (October 19th)

The very next day, we attended a baby shower for one of Bryan’s other cousins, Mandy Taylor. She and her husband, Brandon, will be welcoming their baby boy, Zachary Charles, sometime in December. Friends and Family gathered to shower Mandy with gifts to help her prepare for his arrival. Let me tell you, she racked up! Bless her heart, she looks like she is about to pop and still has two more months to go. After all the gifts were open, she said, “OK, now its time for him to get here.” We all laughed. I am so excited about this baby. I can’t wait to hold him!!!

Charles’s Wedding (October 18th)

On October 18th, we attended Charles McFarland’s (Bryan’s Cousin) wedding to his lovely bride Stephanie. The wedding was held at Stephanie’s parent’s house. We had a great night. The majority of our family was there to celebrate this special occasion. The sweetest thing of all was Charles & Stephanie’s son, Charles IV. He was in the smallest tuxedo I have ever seen. Since he was only 2 ½ months old, he was pulled down the aisle in a wagon. It was so cute.

After the ceremony, everyone celebrated with a wonderful party. Bryce became the camera man taking pictures of everyone. Who knew he was such a great photographer. Congrats Charles & Stephanie. We are so very happy for you.

We Won!

Bryce came home from school today and told us his Republican Pumpkin won the award for "Most Decorated". There are several different categories you can be selected for. From what he said, the overall winner was the Liberty Bell. I haven't seen it, but I bet it was neat.

Pumpkin Decorating

As some of you may know, we participate in the pumpkin decorating contest each year for Bryce's school, T S Cooley. This year's theme was "Celebrate America". We thought quite a bit about what we could do. You see, some of the pumpkins get really elaborate. My original idea was to purchase a bunch of little bitty pumpkins and spray paint them red, white, and blue. Then we were going to glue them to a poster board and make an American Flag. I know, pretty boring. So, today as Marianna and I were walking through Michaels, we saw the idea of an elephant.

Over the weekend, Bryce told me that he was learning about the presidential election in class. The class is going to be holding a mock presidential election this year. Bryce had talked about running under the Republican Party "ticket". So, the idea of the elephant and the theme of Celebrate America seemed to fit. However, with me being so into politics, I had to call a friend to see what political party the elephant represented. Luckily, it was the Republican Party.

So, here we go decorating. Add a little grey paint, a little floral wire, a bunch of pumpkins, some floral cones, some clay, and you have our version of the Republican Elephant. The button says "McCain, Palin 08 Republican Party". May be a little cheesy, but it worked and Bryce was excited. That's the point right???? I will let everyone know if he wins anything.

Perdido Beach Vacation

This summer, we went to Perdido Beach, AL with Bryan's mom. We had a great time. We spent two days on the beach, two days shopping in Foley, AL, and one day touring the Battleship Park in Mobile. It was wonderful. Bryan's mom works for the Home Builders Assocation in Lake Charles. Every year, there is a summer meeting that lasts for 2 1/2 days. We usually tag along with her for a easy get away. Some years, we add on a few extra days. This was one of those years.

This year, the meeting was held at Perdido Beach. We arrived on Wednesday, July 23rd, Bryan, Bryce, & I spent Wednesday & Thursday playing on the beach and in the hotel swimming pool. It was so very relaxing. Wednesday evening, we brought Bryce down to the beach. He wanted to get in the water, but the jelly fish were way too bad. Instead, he carried his bucket around collecting sea shells. He loves doing this every year. This year, we remembered to bring a bucket at least. Then we headed back up to the hotel and got cleaned up. Before the night was over Vicki and I took Bryce down to the arcade to play some video games.

Thursday morning, Bryan, Bryce, and I made our way down to the pool. We spent the whole day just relaxing. Bryan and Bryce threw a small football around in the pool all day. My two boys should have been fish! They LOVE the pool. I layed around in the sun, read magazines, swam a little, but most of all relaxed. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Thursday night, we went to a local restaurant, Lulu's. The owner (Lulu) is Jimmy Buffet's sister. It was really neat. The entire restaurant is open. No exterior walls. When it rains, they put plastic covers down to keep the water out. When it is closed, they have large rolling doors that come down to secure it. It was hot, but the atmosphere was great. There was a live band. We sang the entire time we were there. Don't worry, we didn't make fools of ourselves. We were not the only ones singing.

On Friday, we checked out of the hotel (the expensive one) and headed for guess where. That's right, the local scrapbook store. Each year, I have to make a stop at Gigi's. It is a really neat store and has a lot of different stuff than the store here at home. Bryan and Bryce dropped us off at Lambert's to get our table and went to check into the hotel in Foley. Then they met us back at Lambert's for lunch. If you have never been here, this place is known for their rolls. Or should I say, their "throwed rolls". Yep, that is right. They throw the rolls at you. You had better be watching too or you will get hit in the head. This was the guy throwing the rolls. It looked like he really enjoyed his job. But then again, who wouldn't. The food was great. None of us could eat everything on our plates. The portions are huge.

Next stop, the Foley Outlet Mall. Boy did we shop. We spent the rest of the day there. We didn't even stop for supper. Once we finally left, we stopped at McDonald's for a quick bite, got back to our hotel room, and crashed.

Saturday - Another full day of shopping at the outlet mall. Between the two days, we put in 11 hours of shopping. Bryce & Bryan never complained. They were truely good sports. Thanks guys!! That afternoon, we made the short trip to Mobile, AL and changed hotels. Yeah, I know, three hotels in 5 days. Is that really necessary? Well let me just say, $269 per night to stay at the original hotel another two nights was out of the question! But, we wanted to see the battleship at Mobile Bay before we went home. So instead of coming home Saturday, we decided to stay one more night. That evening, we had dinner at a restaurant called Felix's. It was seafood. Ok. Being from Louisiana, you would not think we would go to Alabama and find better seafood. Well, I am here to tell you , that is completely wrong. This was the BEST seafood I have ever eaten. We had fish, crawfish tails, shrimp, oysters, soft shell crab, crab cakes, etc. WOW! That is all I can say. Fantastic. If you ever have the opportunity to stop, I would strongly suggest it.

Sunday - Up and at em early. The hotel we stayed at was adjacent to the Battlehsip Park. This park was really neat. We were able to tour the USS Alabama. Did you know that the movie Under Siege was filmed on this ship. Pretty neat. Anyway, there was a self guided walking tour of the ship. Ok, really there were three different self guided tours. We only finished two of them. It was really fasicinating to see how people live on those ships. It got really, really hot so we gave up on the third round. Next, we went over to the Aviation Building. In there, we saw so many airplanes. Bryan was absolutely fascinated. Vicki, Bryce, & I sat and enjoyed the air conditioning while Bryan explored the airplanes.

Next stop was the USS Drum, a retired submarine. I don't really know what I was expecting before we went on the sub, but I was really surprised with what we saw. That is the smallest work space, living quarters, eating areas, etc. I have ever seen. We were able to climb up and look through the periscope. That was really neat. How people lived on that sub, I will never understand.

I said it many times while we were on this trip: This was the most relaxed I have been in a long time. Thanks so much Vicki for inviting us to tag along each year. We are so very grateful!

Welcome to Third Grade

Summer Vacation has come to an end. Time for school to start again and the first week of school is complete. Bryce started third grade last Friday, August 15th. I brought him since it was the first day. However, on Monday, we resorted back to the same ole routine. Dad dropping him off in the morning and Dad picking him up in the evenings.

Towards the end of the summer, everyone was asking if he was ready to start school. He always replied with a quick "NO!". His standard comment about school was "I wish you were born knowing everything. That way no one had to go to school." But, as far as Mom & Dad were concerned, it was time to go back.

Dad & I had our Parent/Teacher conference last Friday as well. Needless to say, Bryce is going to be up to some big challenges this year. Third grade is really different. It appears that everything is stepped up signficantly starting this year. Bryce is going to have a lot of home assignments/projects. He is even going to have TV assignments. Who ever heard of that?? He asked his dad this week if the teacher was still going to "give" him banner roll. Dad was quick to explain that the teachers were not going to "give" him any grades. That he would have to "earn" his grades. I don't think Bryce liked that very much.

Bryan and I really like his new teacher. Her name is Mrs. Margaret Declouette. She has been teaching for quite some time. She seems to have a lot of activities planned to keep the kids challenged. I think Bryce is going to have a great year once he gets back into the swing of things.