Halloween

The kids love Halloween. We don't go very far from our end of the street because there is so much going on! All of our neighbors come outside and sit in the driveway just before dark. So, we hand out candy from there! The kids have such a blast together!

This is a picture of Thomas and Chase carefully checking out the Haunted House next door. Our neighbor's son came home with a friend and turned her garage into a haunted house! I told the kids before we went outside that it would be too scary and they shouldn't go in, but they wanted to see it. So, they walked in and got the scary part but it didn't affect them! It wasn't too bad! Although, someone did jump out at them!


My cow, fairy garden princess, and cowboy! Thomas had suggested that Chase could take a rope and that every time he hit Thomas with the rope, Thomas would have to give him a piece of his candy. However, after explaining to Thomas that Chase would take all of his candy, he saw the problem and gave up on the rope idea!


Look what I did! The kids and I chose what we wanted and then I carved it! They helped pull out all the guts and seeds!

Our neighbor's son and daughter! Meredith is mentally handicapped. She was afraid of her mom (the witch) all night. So, she stayed with me and helped hand out candy! We had a good time!The Haunted House - and Chase checking it out once again! He was determined that they were not going to scare him - AND THEY DIDN'T!

Howl-o-ween Fest

Our neighborhood put on a Howl-o-ween fest for Halloween. We took the dogs up to the park for several hours and enjoyed the parade and costume contest - which we participated in! Thomas and Sugar were cows. Curly was an angel. Mary Frances was a Fairy Garden Princess - also wearing wings, and Chase was a cowboy - go figure!! We didn't stray to far from reality this year - except for the dog being an angel!
This is Mary Frances and Payton - our "front-door" neighbor!

We had so much fun watching the dock-diving contest and the Frisbee Dogs! I really want Thomas to do frisbee with Sugar! It is an awesome sport for a person to do with their pet!! And Sugar would LOVE it!!

Doggy Day Care

How funny is this? My mom has a friend that owns a doggy day care in Georgia. It's called Pawtropolis. You can learn more at http://www.athenspetropolis.com.

Anyway, she decided to take her little "Bailey" for a few days this week to let him play with some friends! They are dropped off in the morning and then picked up when the owners get off of work. It is seriously like a kid daycare!

They have toys and playground equipment for the dogs. You can even pay extra for them to watch a movie!! My favorite part is that you can watch them play online. Go here to see Bailey playing today. Click on "watch the tiny tots play". He's the shih tzu with the darker coloring on his back!

Veteran's Day Parade

Waiting to be dropped off at school!

The school had a Veteran's Day Parade today. I was so excited to be there and watch! The kids worked on their signs last night and were excited to show them off!

Here's a close-up of Mary Frances sign. It says:

MY HEROES:

Grandpa Duke - Army Air Corps

Papa Griffin - Army

Grandaddy Stephenson - Army

Papa Hughes - Coastguard

Thank you! We love you!!

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED AND ARE SERVING!!

The Cuckoo Girls

Mary Frances was telling us about an event on the playground today when she added, "so I ran back to tell the other Cuckoo Girls."

I said, "Whoa...wait a minute. Who are the Cuckoo Girls?"

She told us it is a group of girls in her class and that she just "joined up" yesterday. She was so excited that she even sat by the leader of the Cuckoo Girls at lunch!

So what do the Cuckoo Girls do? They chase boys on the playground!

Thank you, Oprah!!

Oprah arranged for a sale for all her viewers - 50% off everything at Payless, but the deal ends tonight (10/30)! Go here to print your coupon!

I got everything shown above for just under $50. Some of the items were on clearance. So, I saved over $50!!!

Here's what I got, in case you can't tell:
1 pair of tennis shoes for me - $4.50
1 pair of thick tights for Mary Frances
2 pairs of thin tights for Mary Frances
2 pairs of leggings for Mary Frances
1 pair of black dress shoes for Mary Frances
3 pairs of dress socks for Ray C.
1 AWESOME pair of black heels for ME
1 beautiful red belt, also for me
1 bag of socks for the boys

I'm probably going back tomorrow to get a pair of black "converse" for Chase that will be $9 with the sale!!

Remember, EVERYTHING is on sale. I saw some awesome purses that would have been only $10. I just couldn't justify buying them for myself. Let me know if you get something!

If you are interested in all the crazy deals I get, check out these websites:

www.hip2save.com
www.couponmom.com
www.thegrocerygame.com

Sick

"The doctor said popsicles are good for me."

Chase has been sick since LAST Friday night! He had Croup over the weekend and then went back to the doctor on Tuesday or Strep!! He felt awful over the weekend and the beginning of the week, but we've been enjoying the last few days at home! However and I am SICK of staying home!! I need some interaction!

Mary Frances noticed Chase staying home this week and has developed the "I Want to Stay Home" Flu! She tried it yesterday but still went to school after I checked her temperature and it was normal! However, today it was 100 all day. So, I let her stay home assuming she was probably getting what Chase had - which one I do not know!

Anyway, when I told her she could stay home, it was all she could do to hold her smile in and try to look sick! After about 30 minutes, she said, "We can have a pajama party!" She had fun for a while, but by nap time, she was wishing she'd gone to school! She HATES naps!!

So, she is doing fine now - no fever. We'll wait until she wakes up to make a determination for tomorrow! She is coughing!

Fall Festival

Chase was sick last week. So, we had to split up for the fall festival, but Pam managed to snap this shot during the few minutes that I was actually there! Mary Frances is dressed up as a Fairy Garden Princess - complete with pink hair! Curly is a cross-dresser in Mary Frances' tutu! We would have gotten away with fooling everyone if he wouldn't have hiked on everything he saw!

Oh well, Godfrey said it's okay since he's a French dog!! :)

Weekend in New Orleans

Ray C. and I spent the weekend in New Orleans WITHOUT kids! We had a really good time We were there to celebrate the wedding of Brandon and Gabby (our youth pastor and intern)! What a fun weekend. Here are random pictures of our weekend!
On Sunday, we had brunch at The Court of Two Sisters! It was delicious! Can you tell?

We were able to spend some time with our worship leader and his wife (Josh and Bethany). We walked Bourbon Street with them after the rehearsal dinner on Friday night. It wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, but I'm sure that was because we were back at the hotel by 10:00. When we came back from the wedding on Saturday night at midnight, it was much more lively!

Josh and Bethany had a good time dancing once she finally drug him out to the floor!

Brandon and Gabby were so sweet! They are a precious couple, and we are really looking forward to hanging out with them more and watching them as they begin their ministry together! (And, yes she did smash the cake in his face!!)
Brandon had a letter delivered to Gabby every few hours all day on Saturday! It was so sweet, and she was so excited every time she received one. The picture below is of her reading the final one just about 30 minutes before the wedding!

While walking Bourbon St. on Friday, we decided to enjoy a true Jazz club instead of all the other craziness going on! We really wanted the New Orleans feel, and this band delivered! They were great!
I was so excited we talked Josh and Bethany into leaving their baby, Bella, with grandparents for the weekend! Aren't they so cute?
This is Brandon and Gabby with her granddad! I must say that he and his twin brother are GREAT dancers. They danced more than anyone else at the reception, and I got to dance with her great-uncle. It was so much fun! I wish I had a picture! I just can't get Ray C. to dance with me. I think he wants to. He just doesn't know what to do!

There's Something Different About the Baby

I am reading "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. (I just realized that is was one of Oprah's Bookclub Choices!) Anyway, I have really enjoyed the book but wanted to share an excerpt with you about "the baby". I know I have heard people for years say, "There's just something about the baby...," and I find myself saying the same thing, but we just can't put our finger on what it is. I always add, "I love them all - not one more than the other, but there is still something different."

In this book, the character, Orleanna Price, describes it beautifully. I got chills reading it and wanted to share it with you - especially moms! Here is what is different about the baby...

"A mother's body remembers her babies - the folds of soft flesh, the softly furred scalp against her nose. Each child has its own entreaties to body and soul. It's the last one, though, that overtakes you. I can't dare say I loved the others less, but my first three were all babies at once, and motherhood dismayed me entirely. The twins came just as Rachel was learning to walk. What came next I hardly remember, whole years when I battled every single day of grasping hands and mouths until I could fall into bed for a few short hours and dream of being eaten alive in small pieces. I counted to one hundred as I rocked, contriving the patience to get one down in order to take up another. One mouth closed on a spoon meant two crying empty, feathers flying, so I dashed back and forth like a mother bird, flouting nature's maw with a brood too large. I couldn't count on survival until all three of them could stand alone. Together they were my first issue. I took one deep breath for every step they took away from me. That's how it is with the firstborn, no matter what kind of mother you are - rich, poor, frazzled half to death or sweetly content. A first child is your best foot forward, and how you do cheer those little feet as they strike out. You examine every turn of flesh for precocity, and crow it to the world.

But the last one: the baby who trails her scent like a flag of surrender through your life when there will be no more coming after - oh, that's love by a different name. She is the babe you hold in your arms for an hour after she's gone to sleep. If you put her down in the crib, she might wake up changed and fly away. So instead you rock by the window, drinking the light from her skin, breathing her exhaled dreams. Your heart bays to the double crescent moons of closed lashes on her cheeks. She's the one you can't put down."

Sneaky, Sneaky

Just before Mary Frances walked out the door this morning, I heard her open the pantry door and wondered what she was doing. When I asked she didn't answer. So, I walked in the kitchen, and she pointed to her backpack with a frown.

After investigating the backpack and not finding anything extra, I noticed that something was actually missing - her LUNCHBOX! I said, "Mary Frances, did you put your lunchbox away?"

She shook her head and said she wanted to buy lunch at school.

Well, if you read my blog much, you already know that the children are allowed to eat lunch at school every Friday. For some reason, that is a treat to them! But, for Mary Frances, that just isn't enough. She does not understand why I have to pack her lunch everyday!

So, I had a very sweet conversation with her explaining that I do not want her to be sneaky. I told her she can always tell me how she feels. I also explained that I understand that she wants to buy lunch at school but that the lunches I pack are much healthier. I went on to explain they have a lot of grease and fat in them that is not in the lunch I make.

So, she wanted to know what fat is. I just told her it is bad stuff in the food that is not good for our bodies. I told her that the schools try really hard to make healthy lunches, but they aren't as good as the ones I make.

So, she was still sad and pressed me to let her eat at school more often. So, I told her that maybe next week she could eat there twice.

Then, she said, "Will you come eat lunch with me tomorrow when I buy lunch?" So, I went to my calendar and told her I was writing it down. Her face lit up, and she gave me a great big hug. Ahh...she left happy! It was a good discussion!

Tardy

Mary Frances woke me up in the middle of the night because her nose was running! So, as I went to get her a tissue, she met me in the hallway and said, "I know what tardy means!" Half-asleep, I said, "What?" She repeated, "I know what tardy means."

"Oh," I replied, "what does it mean?"

"It means you're late." Then she got back in the bed and went to sleep.

Of course, I walked right downstairs and made a note on my calendar to blog this morning as it reminded me of one of my mom's favorite stories from my childhood.

I came home from first grade one day and announced that I had a boyfriend. When my mom asked about him, I said, "Well, sometimes he's retarded and sometimes he's not."

Of course my mother was a little concerned and couldn't quite figure out how that would be possible. So, after a while - I believe at a parent/teacher conference - my teacher explained to my parents that my boyfriend, Chip, was sometimes late to school - TARDY - not retarded!!

So, my family has been laughing ever since!

My Baby

He's still a baby to me! He just doesn't look like a big kid yet! I know I didn't think of the other 2 as babies at this age, but he sure is!! There are certain things that he does that are so grown up, but he still does some of the really sweet baby things too (i.e. sucking his thumb, always wanting to be with mommy, etc.)

I realize that he could turn the corner at any time. So, I am trying to savor every "baby" moment I get! This weekend, I just couldn't get enough of him with his fresh haircut, right out of the bath, and wearing that sweet white shirt! He just couldn't get any sweeter and HUGable!!!

"Gank You"

I have been working with Chase on saying the "y" in yellow and "th". He really wants to get it right. So, he works on it when I bring it to his attention, but when when we're not working on it, he still mispronounces the "th". Sometimes he says it like a "g" - as in "gank you" instead of "thank you", and other times he says it like an "s" - as in "sink" instead of "think".

He can finally say "yellow" instead of "lellow" and is so proud of himself. The first few days when he started saying it correctly, he would say "yyyyyyyyyy" really slow to be sure he got the letter right before he finished with "ellow".

I am going to miss the baby words, but it is time to move on and grow up, I suppose! So, tonight, I was thankful to hear the sweet baby words one more time as Chase was praying...

"God, gank you for our food, and all the houses. And gank you for the trees and the dogs. And gank you for mommy and daddy and Marilyn. Amen"

I will miss "gank you" very much!

Guess What...

I'm tired of guessing!!! Mary Frances says "guess what" every other sentence! It cracks me up, but I'm really getting tired of it. So, I've finally decided to bring it to her attention! We'll see how it goes...

Jesus Loves the Little Children...

I always loved that song but thought it was funny that all the colors were included since I have never seen a red or yellow person!

Anyhow, my kids have been cracking me up this week talking about all the different kids in their classes! Sometimes, Mary Frances will tell me something about one of the kids and say, "She's brown," or "She's a little brown," or "She's really brown!"

I just think it's so funny that we've never really talked about "black" people, so they are merely describing them. They really have no clue about all the prejudices that exist, and I LOVE it!

So, last night, as they were talking about this, I asked, "Well, why do you think they are brown?"

Thomas was the first to speak up:

"I don't know...maybe they just drink a lot of coffee!" Then he quickly said, "Or, maybe God just made them that way...Or maybe their mom and dad are brown too!"

Again, I love the way that kid thinks!!!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Is it morbid that I love rainy days? Of course, accomplishing anything is out the window because all I really want to do is lay around in my pj's! Notice the word WANT in the previous sentence! That's not actually what I do, but the rain does make me slow my pace. AND, on top of that, the scorching sun isn't beating down on us anymore! It's starting to get cooler. It actually feels somewhat like fall today!

Which brings me to my point, I LOVE my seat heater in my van!! Totally random, huh!?! I love to use it on chilly, rainy days! It just makes me feel good! It is my favorite feature in my van! Just thought you'd like to know!

Have a wonderful, rainy day!!

Through the Generations...

We were looking for a costume for Mary Frances to wear for her "Annie" dance recital. I looked in her closet and realized how perfect this old dress was!! This is a dress and pinnafore that my great-grandmother, Mama Taylor, made for me when I was little!

It is so precious on Mary Frances and PERFECT for the recital!! I really enjoyed watching her wear it yesterday to dance!

Yummy Fish

I just wanted to share this beautiful dish I made last week! It's fish with some veggies and seasonings. I wrapped them each individually and baked them in the oven! It was fantastic and so beautiful! I'm going to try it with chicken next time!

The Call 2009

Ray C. and I hosted teenagers for a youth ministry event at our church this weekend! We had so much fun, but I am exhausted! We had 4 senior high girls. I don't think we realized how much we missed youth ministry! On Friday night, we had a large group time with all 130 something students at the church.

Then, we went back to our house for devotions and bed! When we woke up Saturday morning, this is what we found...a t.p.'d house! I immediately suspected the Sr. High boys who were staying around the corner.

On Saturday morning, we went to CAM (Cypress Area Ministries) to help clean the building and sort donations. It was exciting to be there and to help somewhere they needed us! The girls realized how much the place was needed and were thankful for the things that they have - realizing how busy the second-hand store was!
The girls wrote Bible Verses (from memory - I noticed) on the bags that were ready for delivery from the Food Pantry.
Vacuuming was quite a chore because we had to move everything out of the way to get anything cleaned! The place is stuffed with donations!

After confirming that the Sr. High Boys were the culprits, we discussed the different options we had for "payback". We finally decided to bake them some cookies with a small substitution - salt instead of sugar!

So, when we had our large group at the church on Saturday night, we had a little "contest" on front of everyone to see who could "eat the most cookies". (We had also cooked some normal cookies for ourselves.) The interesting thing about the salty cookies is that the salt doesn't hit you right away. So, the boys had chewed a lot of the cookie before they realized how nasty they were! It was so funny, but I felt bad after finding out that they threw up because of it!!
"Ugh..what is in the cookies?"

Josh and Bethany led worship, and it was awesome! I LOVE to worship with high school students! It is always so meaningful and fun! I love to see Josh moved by the Holy Spirit!

Brandon gave an incredible message - complete with the XBOX 360 red ring of death and Jimminy Cricket - our conscience!

After the service, we ALL loaded up and went to the Bridgeland Pool for a late-night party! Thankfully, our girls were tired early and we didn't stay all night long!

(Prayer before our first service!)

ALL of the students came to our campus on Sunday morning! The senior high students came in shifts to help with set-up! It was incredible to have them in worship! They FILLED the theater in the first service. What an awesome experience! I am SO Glad we were a part of it!
(This is just some of the students on Sunday morning! The junior high wasn't all there yet for this picture!)

Happy Blog Anniversary!!!

Sunday marked THREE years of blogging for me! WOW! I am so excited to have 3 years of funny stories and memories recorded. So, I've been reminiscing this week and wanted to share some of the entries I have made that I am so glad I took the time to record. I hope you enjoy!

Communion

Boogers

The reason behind "The Story of Life"

New Toothpaste

The Muffled Plunger

Germs & The Hughes Zoo (2 consecutive entries at the bottom of the page)

Peanut Butter Anyone?

Chase's Hospital Visit

Tough Love

Sound the Alarm

My Hubby

I just wanted to take a moment to brag on my husband! Here are my TOP TEN reasons why I love Ray C. - in no particular order!!!


1. He spends quality time with each of the kids
2. He takes me on dates regularly
3. He loves people the way God does
4. He is the same person all the time - on stage or off, behind your back or right in front of you
5. He is as adventurous as they come!
6. He wants to make a difference in the world and not just live from one day to the next without purpose
7. He tells me how beautiful I am ALL the time - except not in those exact words!
8. He supports me in what I want to do and what I feel that God is calling me to do
9. He makes me laugh all the time
10. He is the HOTTEST guy I know! Seriously!

I could keep going, but I think you get the idea! I feel so blessed to be his wife!

One Last Check

Ray C. drops the kids off at school almost EVERY morning! So, he just told me today about Mary Frances' daily habit!

He said that every day when they get up to the school and just before she gets out of the car, she pulls down the visor and checks herself in the mirror to be sure there is nothing on her face. Yesterday, she pulled it down and said "ooh" when she realized she had a little breakfast still around her mouth! She cracks me up!

I guess what makes it even funnier is that I said, "Where did she get that from? I don't even do that?" Ray C. looked at me and said, "Yes you do! You check the mirror every time you get out of the car!"

Seriously? Is it so normal that I don't even realize that I'm doing it? I wonder what else I do that others have noticed!

Amazing Grace

I love that my kids BEG me to sing Amazing Grace to them before they go to sleep at night! What a privilege it is for me to be able to teach them a love for such a beautiful, historic hymn!

Volunteering

I have been volunteering up at the Elementary school the last few weeks and really enjoying it. I told each of the kids' teachers that I would volunteer one hour a week in their classroom doing whatever they needed. I've already logged 9 hours in just 2 weeks helping with some other projects - since I had the time!

It has been so nice to be at the school and "catch" the kids doing different things. I wanted them to know I am around. I wanted them to see me up there and know that they are important to me, and I wanted their teachers to know that I don't expect them to do it all. I view this as a team effort, and I have really enjoyed it!

So far, I've helped Thomas' teacher determine the level of ALL of her books (along with another mother), learned how to use the die-cut machine - I must say I was not impressed after all the years of wondering, and cut out a few random things for one teacher. It may not sound like much, but I know the teacher's really appreciate the help!!

Three Good Things

According to Thomas and Mary Frances, "three good things happen on Fridays":

1. They get to ride the bus.
2. They get to buy lunch at school.
3. They get to sleep together!

Mary Frances announced this to my mom a few weeks ago, and then I heard them reminding each other when they woke up this morning!

These are all agreements we've come up with for different reasons. If it were up to them, they'd do them everyday, but "mommy has her reasons" for not letting them. However, they have been sleeping with each other almost every night. Once I realized they were sneaking in each others' bed after I went downstairs, I decided it was not a fight worth fighting!

Thomas Turns 7

We celebrated Thomas' 7th birthday on Saturday! I can't believe he is 7! The kids have not been having birthday parties this year. So, we invited some friends to the park to play for a little while. However, we did make a special cake! Thomas wanted a "Super Cow" cake. Super Cow is his own creation. So, he drew a picture of exactly what he wanted the cake to look like, and I copied it, even though I like to do much more elaborate cakes!


I also made him a new cow costume since the old one is a size 4! I had fun painting the costume, and the kids gave it to him! They were all so excited! He wore it all day long - even at the park!

We sang Happy Birthday, and had cake at the park. The kids played golf and frisbee, and even the dogs got to come along!
We ended the day with fireworks! Our neighborhood 4th of July Fireworks show was postponed, and the makeup day was his birthday! So, we loaded up at 9:00 Saturday night, and laid on a blanket at the activity center and watched the amazing fireworks! I thought it was a very special day to end a birthday!

Which one would you choose?

Tonight at dinner Mary Frances asked, "Mommy, if you could only have one baby, which one would you choose?" I looked at her and said, "Are you serious?"

She really was, and I quickly informed her that I could never choose between them and that if I were to choose that I would have missed out on all the blessings that God has given to me through each of them.

So,to make this easier for her to understand, I said, "That's like if I asked you to choose between mommy and daddy!"

I cautiously asked her who she would choose, knowing that she probably would choose one, and she said "Daddy"! Can you believe that? Little stinker. Then Chase, who was sitting beside me looked up at me with a mouth full of french fries and said, "I choose you!" It makes me want to cry thinking about it!

Of course, my feelings are not hurt because I understand enough about her developmental stage and mind to know it is nothing against me, but I still can't believe she actually thought I would answer that. Can you imagine how much damage would have been done if I had even jokingly chosen one?

Poopy Report

I know you all have been dying to know :), so I thought I'd inform you that Chase has not had a single accident in over THREE weeks!!! I really am finished with diapers! Can you say FREEDOM?

I have been changing diapers for just short of SEVEN years, and I am finally finished!! I was starting to think he was going to be wearing them in high school, but it looks like he'll be normal! :)
(Just kidding, of course! He is perfectly normal!)

Labor Day

Yesterday, Thomas asked why we didn't have school on Monday, and I said, "because it's Labor Day." When he asked what Labor Day was, Mary Frances chimed in with a disappointed look, "Its the day we can't wear white anymore!!!"

Oops, did I do that?