Friday Night Sleepover/Camp Out

This weather is soooo wonderful!!!  My youngest wanted to have a sleepover with a couple of boys and I thought it was just perfect timing for a camping out sleepover.  We had so much fun!!(as seen in the pics below)

Spending time in the tent was the first activity of the evening!

Notice how close we have it to the house??  Story to come later in the post!

Then it was time for a pizza party!! 

And you can't have a campout without a fire!!!!

Or without SMORES!!!

Tired mommy with a happy little boy!!

We truly had so much fun!  Now for the story.  The 3 boys couldn't keep their scared little bodies in the tent.  What's a campout without scary stories?!?  The boys were telling stories about scary things and about the time they were talking about a guy in the woods with a gun (we live with 2 acres of woods in our back yard) I had happened to turn a particularly important light (unbeknownst to me) and they "heard" a gun shot....hahaha!!  They filed in quite fast and left everything in the tent.  They wouldn't even go out to the tent to bring their sleeping bags in the house so they could sleep on the floor inside.  I had to walk with them to get them.  NOW, as mentioned before, you did see how close the tent was to the back deck & steps??  Yeah, they were pretty scared!  hahaha

I hope you all out there have had and do have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!!  Ours has started out with a "bang"!  Couldn't resist!!

First Day of School 2010-2011

First Day of 5th Grade.

 First day of 8th grade.

 Getting on the bus to go to school!!

I am soooo glad school is back in session!  Now to get on with my running around like crazy!! 

This Oklahoma Weather!!

Well another weekend has come and gone and what a CRAZY one it was!!!

This past week was spring break so my daughter was cramming in every moment she could to be with friends.  We had several "come to Jesus" talks.  One referring to why we don't let our friends bust out our screens and climb out the windows of our bedroom when we have 3 perfectly good doors that lead outside.  The second was why we don't let our 12 year old friend drive us around town (WITHOUT MOM KNOWING OF COURSE!!).  This spring break has been a truly trying time for me with my daughter!  Good times!!  Good times!!

The second crazy event that happened was having a 75 degree Friday and then waking up to 6 inches of snow on the ground Saturday!  WHAT????  Can't help but love this Crazy Oklahoma weather!  While growing up I always heard the older generation say, "Used my heater to go into work and my air conditioner to come home from work"  OR "stick around a while...the weather'll change". 

Because of the SNOW CRISIS, they had to cancel and postpone the Mother/Son cake decorating contest.  Bummer!  I was kind of relieved to tell you the truth because I was uber prepared and got down to 5pm Saturday evening and realized I had forgotten something that I can't purchase unless it's M - F.  (more details to come later!   I Promise!!)

I did get my son's bedroom half way painted.  I was soooo proud of myself.  We are painting his room bottom half red (OU crimson) and top half white and then using aluminum flashing as a border.  It's going to be so industrial and cool when it's done!  I can't wait!!  I've taken before and during pics.  As soon as I have the completed pics, I'll post all of that.

Have a blessed week!

Thoughtful Thursday

Every year our church hosts a Mother/Son cake decorating contest.  2008 was our first year to start this.  I thought I would share a few pictures of our first experience.

Here is Andrew and I with our cake.  It's a hot dog and fries made out of pound cake and twinkies (iced in red)

Andrew taking a bite of the "hot dog"!  Too cute!

He won second place in his age group.  I was so proud of him.  2009 we didn't do so good and I didn't even take a single picture.  In two weeks, we will be having our 3rd annual Mother/Son cake decorating contest.  We already have a plan and we will be posting about that after it's done.  What fun have you had with your kids lately?

Proud Momma!!!

Oh y'all!!!  I am sooooo excited and such a proud momma at this time.  Just thought I would update everyone about my daughter's first track meet yesterday.  (I'll have pics to post later)

She ran in four events and placed in two of them.  She came home so excited and loving the track world!!  YAY!!  She placed third (bronze medal) in the 1 mile relay and second (silver medal) in the 200 meter dash.  She ALMOST got first in the dash.  Her time was 29.29 and the girl who beat her was at 29.28 - super close race.  Now I wish I could have been there to see it.

As mentioned before, she was sooo excited last night and also exhausted.  I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see what will come in the near future from other track meets.

Weekend Wrap-Up

This past weekend was so peaceful and laid back.  The weather was FABULOUS!!!  I forgot how wonderful it was to be outside with the sun shining. 

I must take a moment to brag really quickly.  I have never had a "star" in any type of sport in our home.  Looks like that might be changing a little though.  My daughter (12 yrs old) started running track this year.  Her coach can't say enough about her.  It makes me soooo excited to know that my child is good at something!!  Her first real track meet is tomorrow and she's a little nervous but excited at the same time.  The coach told me on Saturday that she feels it is highly possible for Hannah to make all-state track by the time she's a freshman.  WOW!  Sooo exciting.  Anyway, I'll have to follow up later this week and tell you how that went.

Saturday was spent at a "mock" track meet.  Hannah spent about three hours with the coach and the team getting prepared for the track meet this week.  The hubster and I just kind of relaxed all morning.  I did a little laundry, drove Hannah to track practice and Jeff and I went to Wal-Mart for a few items.  All in all an easy day.

Friday night we had the family over for Taco Night.  It was soooo yummy!!  It was nice to have everyone around and enjoy the fellowship.  Jeff's two boys and their families and his mother came.  We had a total of eleven including kids.  We missed my husband's sister and her husband.  Things just went wrong with their schedule.  We had so much fun eating and playing a new game called "A Game of Things".  It was soooo much fun!  I highly recommend anyone to purchase this game to have in your game closet. 

Sunday was church day and lunch and another sunshiney day.  I got out in the yard and cut back my monkey grass.  It was so nice to be outside!!  I made my kids get out and play, too.  They wanted to coop up in their rooms and watch a movie...typical!

This week is full of lots of fun things!  Tomorrow night is my monthly Bunco, Wednesday is church, Thursday is open for WHATEVER!!!! and Friday I am leaving for a two night scrapbooking weekend on Beaver lake!!  SOOOOOO EXCITED!  What did your family do over the weekend??

Thoughtful Thursday

It's Thursday and I wanted to share some photos with you.

These are some sweet, sweet boys that spent a weekend with us over the summer.  These young boys are from Africa.  They are part of a children's choir that comes to our church every other year.  We were a foster home for them while they were here.  Aren't they sweet??

We had soooo much fun with them this weekend.  We did a lot of activities.  We were all exhausted by the time it was over but very thankful that we got to share our home and time with these lovely children!! 

Here we are bowling at our local bowling alley.  They were so silly!!

Looking cool in our sunglasses while playing a video game.

Here's the entire group that came to our church last year.  Their choir is UNBELIEVABLE!!

Children of the World Choir.

Check them out at:  http://www.worldhelp.net/cotw.aspx

These children will melt your heart!!

Thoughtful Thursday

I've decided in the spirit of trying to get my little rear in gear and keep posts coming on a weekly basis, to post a picture of something random every Thursday.  Hope I can remember!!  May have to put it as a calendar event with a reminder alarm.  ha-ha

Guess where this is:

If you guessed Hard Rock, you are correct.  Not the restaurant but the CASINO.......YES, my children are at the casino!! ha-ha  We took my husband's mother out to eat one evening in the fall and she wanted to go to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill.  It was fairly new at the casino so we all met and had a wonderful dinner.  On the way to take her to her car, the kids and I piled into the backseat and started a private photo shoot.  Here's the results....  WARNING:  A tad goofy!!

I started off by trying to get a nice picture of all of us. 

Obviously my daughter didn't want to cooperate....haha

Then we decided to just take pictures of different emotions.

SHOCK!!

CRYING

SHY

OUR ANIMAL SIDE (KITTIES)

We had so much fun that night with the camera.  There were many giggles and laughs coming from the backseat of that vehicle.  Not so much from the front!!  I think they thought we had lost our minds....haha...little did they know that was done a long time ago!!!

ENJOY!!

Valentines Is Coming

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching us.  I love this time of year!  I love Valentine's Day.  I don't enjoy the crowds or the push to buy expensive things for each other but I do enjoy knowing that we are going to be taking time out for each other!  That is what I look forward to.  I have something up my sleeve this year.  I don't want to mention anything as of yet - just in case hubby reads this blog.  I'm sooooo excited I can't hardly stand it!! 

Moving on, before I spill the beans!  We had a great night last night at OFA's Ladies Night.  We played bunco until we just had to make ourselves stop.  It was so nice to see all of the new faces and familiar faces.  We had about 50 women there...WOW!  We had baked potatoes and the best desserts you could ask for!!  I took my camera to take pics of the event and do you know I got so wrapped up in talking and playing that I did not take a single pic?  Shocking, I know!!  I saw other people taking pictures.  I am hoping to maybe "steal" some of theirs. 

I know I mentioned on my blog yesterday about having to be in 3 or 4 places at the same time.  Well, about 4:30 yesterday, Drew's coach sent a text saying that they had cancelled the basketball game.  All of that planning and shuffling for nothing.  Bummer for Drew but yay for the family!  It sure made things a lot easier for all of us.  We now have a game scheduled for tonight, Thursday night and Friday night!!  Not to mention Saturday morning Pinewood Derby Car Races!  Drew is our busy one this week it looks like.

The kids FINALLY went back to school today.  I think they were ready to go back.  Five days of being home gets to them after a while.  Hopefully we will get our lives back to normal (what is that?) again soon and pray that is the last of the "ice storms" for this season.  A little snow doesn't hurt but Ice...GO AWAY!!

We Made It! - ALMOST

Well, we made it through the storm - almost.  It's not even close to being melted away as of yet but we are all still living and breathing and warm in our homes!!  The kids are out of school today because the roads are still AWFUL!!

I would like to report that my hubby made it home safe and sound on Saturday morning.  He had been in Alabama since Tuesday of last week.  I got to brave this storm all by myself!!  It was a little intimidating at first because of the thought of having no electricity without him here to take care of us, but I made it through!  Hallelujah!!  We all got out and went to Hobby Lobby to get supplies for my son's pinewood derby race that's coming up this Saturday.  He is so excited!  It's always such a fun time!!  While we were out, the kids begged to go to CiCi's Pizza.  Sooooo, I caved and treated them to that.  What is the fascination with CiCi's to a child?  I don't get it!

Sunday was a great day as well.  We got up and went to church, which had been re-arranged because of the storm.  We had one service (10:00) and after that, we had our annual business meeting, followed by our annual steak dinner and evening service was cancelled.  We went straight home after church, changed into our PJ's, Jeff and Andrew worked on the pinewood derby car, Andrew had a buddy come spend the night, and Hannah and I enjoyed watching the Grammy's together.  Oh did you see Lady Gaga??  Woah!

It's going to be very busy tonight around here.  It seems we all have something going on!  I have a ladies church event to be at, Jeff has physical therapy and my son has a basketball game.  Wouldn't you know they are all happening at the same time tonight??  We are having to make some major adjustments to get to all of these things.  WHEW!!  Feels like just another Conner Night!

Sickness Came To Visit

My baby started not feeling well during the wee morning hours on Thursday.  He had no symptoms except for a croupy cough and a sore throat (probably from coughing so much).  He looked a little sullen in the eyes and really pale so I let him stay home from school.  He looked so pitiful laying around all day playing his Xbox and watching TV.  That's about all he had the energy to do.  He told me all he wanted was a bowl of grits to eat and that is all he had all day long.  Poor guy!!  By the next morning (Friday) he had developed that fever and his sore throat had cleared up and his cough had gotten lighter.  Knowing there was nothing that the Dr's could do, I decided to just fight it with Tylenol and wait this virus out. 

I am glad to report that he fought that fever all weekend and by Sunday mid morning it was gone!  YAY!  He still has this awful cough and we've got basketball games going this week.  Bummer!  Don't know if I should let him play.  He is the type of child that doesn't like to miss school.  Not because he loves school but because he HATES make up work!  He would rather go to school not feeling well than miss and have homework.  He's so bright and fast with schoolwork that he never ever brings home homework.  He does it all in class.  The teacher has often told me that he can't possibly be finishing his work accurately at that speed.  She has even called him up to her desk on several occasions to check his work and he is spot on with every item on the work.  She's amazed and so am I!!  What a great kid!!!  Sorry, just had to brag on my boy for a moment!

With a sick child in the house, there wasn't much of a weekend for us.  My daughter was the one galavanting around everywhere.  She went to an overnight birthday bash on Friday (right after school) and I didn't see her again until Saturday night around 10:30 when she came back from the movies.  My little social bug!!  She then brought home a friend from church to stay with us Sunday afternoon.  My dear hubby got up and took her to church with him on Sunday morning while I stayed with the sick one and I went Sunday night while he stayed home with the sick one.  Pretty good trade off, I thought!  All in all, as I said before, not much going on around the Conner home.

Now this week could prove to be a different story.  Right now, not a super busy schedule but at any moment that could all start crumbling in on us!!  Kids are out of school today (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and a basketball tournament (not sure if we will participate) and a few physical therapy appts. sprinkled in and I believe that's about it for us!  What a relief to know that we might be able to enjoy a few nights at home.

Hope your week is fabulous!!

First Day of December

My 10 year old son woke up this morning and wished me a "Happy 1st day of December!"  Can you believe this year went by that fast??  I can't.  Seems like just yesterday it was Valentine's Day.

The countdown has begun in the Conner-Mock Blend.  Countdown to Christmas has begun for the kids and countdown till surgery has begun for me!!  Lots to look forward to in the next few weeks. 

The hubby and I began our Christmas shopping on Black Friday.  I have everything bought for my kids this year.  I laid down the law about Christmas.  I am tired of buying tons of presents just to have them torn up in a few weeks.  Sooooo, mom thought - maybe if I buy one large (kinda pricey) gift and told them that was all they were getting, it would be better.  We'll see!  I'm spending about $200-$250 on each child this Christmas and calling it quits!!  They are fully aware they will have one present under the tree.  I can't vouch for what "Santa" will put in their stockings though!!  I hope it will go over well and it really takes the pressure off of me to find all these gifts.

As for the rest of the family, well, my hubster's side draws names.  We have that taken care of also.  I have no family nearby so the holiday season just gets to be a depressing state more and more each year.  I take it really hard that I have no family around to fit in with.  Bummer!!  Anyway, my half brother and half sister are going in with me on a flat screen for my mother.  She had recently been talking about wanting a 19 - 22" in her bedroom.  Sooooo, on black friday, it was accomplished! 

Coming home from church on Sunday, I was giving the run down to the hubby and kids about our schedules for the next two weeks.  Lots going on (with holidays) and even more going on because of preparations for surgery.  Basketball has started so that just adds a little more to the running. 

I attended a Pampered Chef party last night.  It was sooo much fun!  We made cookies with the new cookie press!  My 12 year old daughter got in the kitchen after everyone had left & made a whole pan of cookies and baked them before I even knew she was doing it.  WOW!!   Sooo, I bought the cookie press just for her.  She told me while I was down, she would make cookies for me...HOW SWEET!!  Guess I'll get fat while recovering huh??

Tonight is Bunco Christmas Party!!  Woo-Hoo!  Such great ladies I am friends with!  Wouldn't trade them for the world.  They keep me going a lot of days (more than they know).  Then it's to church on Wednesday for our next to last Wednesday practice before the Christmas Concert.  It always seems that no matter how early you start learning Christmas music, it always seems like the last few practices are a cram session.  Thursday, we are planning on having a family night.  Can't wait for this time to spend with the kids! 

I will have to stop here so I will have something to post about the rest of the week/weekend.  Just in one of those rambling moods I guess.

I pray all had a fabulous Thanksgiving with their families!  Happy Holidays!

Halloween Week Celebration - Day #1

Well, we have officially started our Halloween activities for the week!!  YEEHAW!!  The kids and I went to the Pumpkin Patch last night to pick out some pumpkins so we could spend the evening carving pumpkins together.  What fun!!  Here are a TON few of pictures that I thought I would share with you. 

Andrew thought it was REALLY gross digging out the "guts" of the pumpkin.  Truthfully, it wasn't my favorite part either.  The ice cream scoop helped tremendously!!

After we "gutted" the pumpkins, it was time to get creative!!  I gave the kids some sharpies to draw the faces on the pumpkins before we started cutting.  I thought it would be easier for them to have the drawing as a guide than to just start knifing the poor thing all over!

My daughter being silly for the camera!  I did tell her that this picture was going up on my blog.  Her response?  See the picture below this one!!   Mwah-ha-ha-ha!

This was right after I told her it was going on my blog.  She's saying "Nooooo" in a whiney voice.

Next, it was time to get the serious stuff going!  The KNIVES!  Scary moment for me.  Kind of a thoughtful moment for me, too.  I stood there the whole time supervising them and wondering in my mind if this was a good idea.  Was I an OK mom to give my children knives and let them start mutilating their pumpkins??  Oh well!!  I did it and there are no boo-boos, well at least on the humans of the household (poor pumpkins).  The whole time I was watching my children carve their pumpkins I was thinking about having to come on my blog and write about how we are THAT family.  (Reference to a blog I follow - HILAROUS!!  Check it out.  They do the funniest stuff.  Great stories!!)

THE BIG REVEAL!!!:

Andrew's masterpiece.  Don't ask me what the drawing around the eyes are supposed to be...I HAVE NO CLUE!!

Hannah's Masterpiece!  She wanted hers to have a unibrow - see it above the eyes??

I hope you all are having a wonderful Halloween Week just like us!! 

Cool food on its way this week!!  Check back later!

Birthday Blitz

We have had a very busy day today in the Conner-Mock blend!!  My younger two kids are at their dad's this weekend and I have my oldest son with me.  It is his birthday next week so we spent the entire day celebrating HIS DAY.

First celebration of the day was that we got to sleep in.  YAY!!  Who doesn't count that as a celebration?  We slowly got around and about 2 o'clock this afternoon we went out to eat where Caleb wanted.  He chose Logan's....YAY BOY!!  I must admit that I played the "oh I don't feel like eating CiCi's Pizza" card.  He initially wanted that...bad mother I am!

After lunch/supper (lupper??) we went shopping.  He had money from his Mamaw and it's just easier for me to take him shopping and let him pick out what he wants.  He's so quiet and never really asks for much so I never know what to get him.  15 is a strange age!  He wanted a new XBox game and the XBox live card for a few months.  Soooo, we went to Game Stop and were successful!  How lucky could we be to get the gifts he wanted at the first place we went?

He then had asked for a big cookie as his birthday cake.  After going to Game Stop we walked on over to Wal-Mart (have I mentioned I hate that place??).  As usual, it was a mad house and I was only going in to get about 3 items.  It took forever!!  YUCK!

We made it home a few hours after going to a few more stores.  When we got home, we immediately started with the cake!!  I had to pull out the camera and take a few pics.  He didn't care for me doing that but oh well!  He doesn't have any friends or family here where we live so, it becomes a little bit of a small birthday celebration.  I apologize for the PG-13 rated pics.  I couldn't get him to put on a shirt!  What a boy!!

All in all we had a great day.  I worried that because we didn't have a great big celebration that he would be a little disappointed.  I think he prefers this to a lot of chaos!  Can't believe my baby is 15 & will be driving in 6 months!!  WOAH!

Hope everyone had a blessed day and even more blessed Sunday!  Till another time!