How Do You Spell That?

I don't know if any of my other friends with 2nd graders feel this way, but the talk on the playground at our school usually centers around the fact that 2nd grade seems to be mostly a refresher course of 1st grade. Just wondering if it was like that at other schools?

One area in which I think Nathan is being challenged is spelling. He's a very good speller, but we've really had to work on some of the big words that he's been bringing home. For example, this week, we have "infirmary" and "admirable" plus she gives them three "Star Words" that aren't on the spelling list.

If you read my Facebook post last week, I apologize for the duplication, but this story bears repeating. Nathan pulled his homework packet out of his folder last week and exclaimed, "Mom, I only have 3 spelling words this week: 'see', 'attached' and 'list'!" Too funny!

And here's one last thing before I get to the laundry and housework that are calling my name. Nathan's art teacher sent home a link to an online art gallery where she is posting some of their work. I thought this one made from torn paper was really good:

Care for a Spot of Tea?

I work with a lady named Aura who was born in Australia and lived in Italy before moving to the U.S. She's our receptionist, and she has the most interesting accent. Seriously, it would be worth prank calling my office to listen to her. Since she is so multicultural, she suggested that we have an English tea party at work with real china and traditional fare. I like tea but consider the whole idea of it to be a little too dainty for me. I'm used to slamming down a large black coffee or two for my morning caffeine intake, but I was willing to give the tea party a try.

Since I love to cook, Aura brought me one of her English cookbooks so that I might get some ideas on what to bring. It was sort of like reading a different language. For example, they use different measurements and nomenclature than I'm used to (i.e. 200 grams of caster sugar???). I chose to make scones. Aura said the word is supposed to be pronounced with a short "o". Who knew? I found an Americanized recipe online, so I didn't have to do any conversions. Though it was kind of a pain to get up at 6:00am to make baked goods, they turned out great. But really, how can you go wrong with a recipe that starts with 3/4 of a pound of butter!

I think everyone enjoyed our little cultural diversion. Just as we had finished up, a sales rep stopped by and dropped off coffee and doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. Welcome back to America, folks!

The Boy Likes Legos

Nathan (and Ashley, too) have been all about Legos lately. I swear, I pick-up the blasted things in every room of this house! Don't get me wrong. I'm glad they like them, but the play area has to be confined. Especially since that is pretty much the only thing he asked for this year for his birthday, so our Lego volume has more than doubled in the last couple of days! Nate gave his old ones to Ashley, and he and I have been working on the new, more complicated sets.

Nate's Birthday Party Rocked!

I've probably mentioned this before, but Nathan is REALLY into planning his birthday party. He cares about the details of it and wants to make sure that everyone has a great time. Months ago, his Cub Scout pack/den/whatever went to the LR Climbing Center. They had such a good time that Nate decided that day to go back for his birthday. We got there early so Jeff and Nathan harnessed-up and got a head start on the rock climbing.

Soon our guests arrived and (after a few instructions and rules) got strapped in. Most of the dads wore harnesses as well and learned to "belay". Thanks guys for all of your help!

Jenna P. and Morgan

Papa and the birthday boy

Fisch and Ashley

The Jennas (P. on the left - S. on the right)

Abby, Jared, and Nate Dog

Nate and Luke

Since the younger ones were too little to climb, I brought some crafts for them. Phyllis graciously helped out at the activity table. Thanks again to my great mother-in-law and everyone else that helped us set-up, clean-up, and supervise. I think everyone had a great time!

Pre-K Pumpkin Patch

Today was Ashley's first field trip. I went with her class to Motley's Pumpkin Patch off Chicot Road. In spite of the obscure location, it was a really nice place. In fact, I would say that the pumpkins played second fiddle to all the other cool stuff: hay ride, pig races (yes, actual pigs racing each other), petting zoo, cow train ride, and more.

Happy 36th!

Since I'm furiously catching up on the blog this afternoon, I would like to publicly wish Jeff a belated Happy Birthday! As usual, his big day was pretty low-key. We went out to dinner and had cake and ice cream at home. The kids insisted that we hide and yell "Surprise!" when he came home from work. In fact, he started to open the door before we were ready, so they made him go out and do it over again. ; )

Fried Things on a Stick

It's time for my annual State Fair post! I know that people are polarized when it comes to their opinions of the fair and carnivals in general. However, in our house going to the State Fair is a yearly blog-worthy event. (See here for 2009 and 2008.)

We did the usual things again this year and added a few new elements as well. We met up with Debbie, Abby, and the Krebs Family on Monday night. (Which, by the way, was Dollar Night and in my opinion the best night to go. You're still going to spend some serious cash on rides and food, but at least parking and admission are cheap!)

Morgan hit the magical 48" mark this year and was able to ride the Cliff Hanger for the first time.

Little girls on the carousel (a little blurry from my phone).

A new option this year in the category of "Fried Things on a Stick" was the Tater Dog: a hot dog wrapped in a spiral cut potato and then (of course) deep-fried. The Tater Dog was enjoyed by both Grace and Jeff. Ashley and I shared this ear of roasted corn and an obligatory corn dog. I am happy to report that the frozen, chocolate-dipped cheesecake on a stick made its way back to the fair this year. Yum!

Since we went to the fair the day before Jeff's birthday, the kids decided to sing "Happy Birthday" to him on the karaoke stage. It was really...well...special, but very cute.

And lastly, it wouldn't be a fair post without a few funny pictures. Enjoy!

Cotton Needs A Pickin'

Dad called me last week and wanted take the kids out to Scott to see the cotton fields in full bloom (?) - probably not the right word. I agreed as long as we could work in a trip to Charlotte's. Surprisingly, my dad had never been there. This little, hole-in-the-wall kind of place seems right up his alley. One quick update on my favorite pie shop: they now take reservations, and you need them on Saturdays. For real. We got there 10 minutes before they opened and took the last non-reserved tables. Crazy!

Back to the cotton...

Ashley wasn't feeling well Saturday morning, so we just drove around after lunch stopping for a few quick pics near one of the fields. Dad's grandparents grew cotton, and I remember my Granny's stories about long days pickin' cotton as well. Dad also educated us on the harvesting of soybeans and pecans. I wish I had taken some pictures of the pecan orchards. I think they are so pretty. Maybe we'll have to go back another day for more pie, uh, I mean pictures.

Mom and Me - Take 2

I thought things were supposed to be easier the second time around? Not so with Cub Scout "Mom and Me" Camp! We got off to a very rough start Saturday morning that involved a 2-hour wait to get checked in, Nathan getting stung by a bee, and having to haul all our stuff to most remote point on the entire property.

After all of that, I realized that we did not have the poles for our tent so we had to sleep in this spider-infested, ghetto tent. Seriously, if I would have been physically able to haul our stuff back to the truck, I think we would have left! Nathan's smile is deceptive. He was drugged on Benadryl and walked around holding his chest like he had a gunshot wound instead of a sting.

It took so long to get set-up, that we missed lunch. After snacking on Pringles and peanuts, we finally got to do some fun things. Nate's favorite activity was archery once again. The weather was perfect, and we ended up having a nice afternoon.

By dinnertime, we were starving! They served some of Nate's favorite foods and plenty of them! We pigged out on chicken strips, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, cobbler, and ice cream.

By nightfall, we were worn out and went to "sleep" around 9:00. I actually did doze off pretty quickly, but after Nathan knocked his pillow off the cot and out of the tent for the second time, I was pretty much done even trying get anymore sleep. We got up and packed up early. After breakfast and a few more activities, we headed home for much needed showers (and for me, a nap!) In spite of the rough start, I was glad to spend the weekend with my boy.

We Had High Hopes

Alabama 24 - Arkansas 20. It still hurts to say it. While this could still turn out to be a pretty good season, we had hoped this was going to be THE season. Delusions of grandeur? Maybe. But I'm still holding out for at least 10-2.

The excitement was palpable in Fayetteville last weekend. Over 200 students pitched tents and were camping out for days! The students weren't the only ones eager for the game. For the first time in over a decade, we nearly lost our tailgating spot. When we arrived on campus Friday night, there was only one spot left on "our" hill. We set up the canopy right away and chained it to one of the cedar trees. Let's just say it was a tense moment. Our tailgating neighbors who were there long before us, pitched a tent and spent the night in their spot.

It was a little chilly when we arrived Saturday morning, but Jennifer was prepared.

You know you've made it to the big leagues when the Goodyear blimp flies over the stadium.

These two were nervous wrecks before the game:

I was also a nervous wreck, but it was not totally related to the upcoming game. I had to buy a new pot for our shrimp boil. I think I overestimated how big it needed to be, and it took FOREVER to get the water boiling! When we finally ate, it was tasty.

B's Big Day

Brandon had a big day today. He was baptized in the morning service at church and participated in the Lord's Supper for the first time. Then we came home and celebrated his birthday while Fisch was here. All in all we couldn't have packed in one more celebration. I hope you enjoy the pics

The Big 3-0!

Amanda turns 30 today! Happy Birthday from your Big Sis!

I've been taking care of you from birth ; )

Peppermint Twist

Hitting the slopes

With Mandi at the Phifer's cabin on Lake Norrell

BTW, Mandi turned 30 last week. Happy Birthday to our adopted sister, too!