Olive garden

I gave Hailey the choice I could make her favorite meal at home and we could have the family over or we could go out to eat. She decided she wanted to go to olive garden, which sucks for me as there's only like 2 things I can have. But I told Ryan it was her birthday and I would find something to eat.




There are a lot of us when we're all together. My mom & dad, My Sister Sam, her husband John, their daughter Valerie, My cousin Evan, his wife Danielle (Dano), their boys Logan and Dylan, Ryan's Mom, her friend Steve, his sisters Ashley and Mandy, and my 5. So that's I wasn't very happy when they seated us instead of one really long table they stuck us at 2 long tables, I don't like that because then I have to choose who I'm going to sit with my family or Ryan's.


Hailey loves Baby Dylan, and he's pretty fond of her. She had him screeching like a howler monkey.


Pirate Jacob, and Hailey and her buddy Dano


Baby feet fighting. Who will win Benners or Dylan. The things grown men put there children through. Jammie and her friend Steve.


Happy 8th Birthday my big girl!!!


Aunt Mammy & Aunt Ashley patiently waiting for their cake. Ben banging on the table.

Logan & Valerie getting cupcakes. Grandma Carol & Pappy waiting for cake.


A horrible picture of me. Ryan & Benners having cake


Present time.



Hailey's big present was a fish tank and a gift card to go buy the fish she wanted. She's been begging for fish for 2 or 3 years now, but Ryan has been soooooo against it. But when Cousin Valerie got some for her birthday that was the deciding point. I felt so bad for Hailey when she saw Valerie's fish and tank I thought she was going to cry. So I called out the big guns and talked daddy into it. I finally got him to agree with the fish as long as I agreed that he would never have to do anything involving them.

After dinner Sam sat in the car with 3 of the kids while Ryan, Hailey and I went into walmart. Don't let the sweet hugging fool you. He probably hit her 2 seconds later.

Crafts and Cupcake Birthday Party

Hailey wanted to have a girls only party. So we had her girlfriends from church and school. First we decorated bags for them to put their goodies in. Aunt Sam was nice enough to come and help me with the girls party




Then we made Flower barrettes. We were to busy making barrettes for the girls. They got to pick their flower, and a gem for the middle.



I baked the cupcakes the day before and I let the girls decorate their own cupcakes with icing and sprinkles.






Then we made birthday Scrapbook pages.



Aunt Sam was nice enough to take a picture of Hailey and all her girlfriends

Abbie Chapman Savannah

Brooklyn Shelley Sabrina Welch




Laureen Gunning Valerie Rohwer



Caitilin Evangalesta All the girls


Present time


I was very proud of her she was very polite. She was appreciative for everything she got. She even got a dress with no sleeves from one of her girlfriends and I was really afraid she was going to say something about it not being modest. But she just said looked at me and said Thank you. Later she told me I didn't say anything because I didn't want to hurt her feelings.







Decorations

Teacher appreciation

Hailey has had the best teacher this year. When we found out she wasn't going to have Mrs. Chamberlain for 2nd grade both Hailey and I were really upset because she was such a good 1st grade teacher. But we had no reason to worry because Mrs. Tomas has been the best 2nd grade teacher. Hailey & I just love her. She is so good with the kids and Hailey was having trouble with math tests in the beginning she could tell you the answers but as soon as she was timed she couldn't do it so she helped her through it. and as Hailey excelled in reading she just pushed her along and she did better and better.

This week is Teacher Appreciation and I wanted to do something special for her but I couldn't find a Teacher appreciation card, so I made one and took it to school and the PE teacher was nice enough to let my interrupt his class so I could get all the kids to sign the card for her. I happened to pick the one day that all the kids were there. Some of the other moms pitched in and we got her gift cards to a restaurant and movie, Hailey picked out a box of chocolate for her, another mom got her flowers, another mom took the pictures I took of her and the kids and got them framed, and another mom got her a message donated. She has done such a great job with our kids she deserved it and I hope she knows how much we appreciate her.

The kids were all there, and they weren't for the class picture so it worked out well that this was the day I picked to take the pictures and get everyone to sign the card.

Big boy unders

We started big boy unders today. He has done OK with the pull ups so I think it is time to move on to the next step. I still can't get him to poop in the big boy potty but I'm hoping with moving on to big boy unders that we will move on to actually pooping in the potty. I can't believe I'm going to have 3 potty trained children. He is so little for this. Neither of the big kids showed any interest at this age. I'm feeling pretty good that my not yet 2 1/2 year old is almost potty trained. I figure he has to be easy to potty trained. I have earned it. Hailey and Jacob were both so hard to potty train I deserve an easy one, and Ben has been such a horrible toddler that I think I deserve one easy step with him. I'm not sure the lord will agree with my plans, but we will see.

Cooking Day #3

6 batches Meatballs, 6 Pizza Doughs, 6 meals Chicken & Rice, 4 meals Manicotti, 5 meals Tacos, 4 meals Roast Beef Manhattans w gravy, 4 meals Ham n’ Cheese Quiche, 5 batches buttermilk Pancakes, 3 batches buttermilk Waffles, 3 batches Gluten free Pancakes, 1 batch Gluten free waffles, 47 meals total!!!

Date with Grandma Jammie

Grandma Jammie and Aunt Mammy took the big kids to see the Princess and the Pea. I'm not sure what all they thought about it because I was cooking all day, but the said they had fun.







Afterwords they went to lunch.