3 Christmas's

Christmas was wonderful!

This is her dancing on the couch to see her light up Tinker-bell Christmas shirt light up on Christmas Eve morning. Super cute! She was then off to have Christmas w/ her Chief and Grandma Jean. I picked her up in the afternoon and we headed out to Aunt Cheryl's for our annual Christmas Eve get together. We enjoyed ourselves. She had fun loving on and playing with Rachel's little gurl, Audrey. It was so good to have everyone together and to see those we dont get to see but once a year. Everyone received there "Danforth Soundtrack 2008" as well; a compilation of 1 song picked by each family member. It is quite interesting. I took her to her Mommy's afterwards so she could get nestled into bed and to sleep.
Woke up Christmas morning to find Santa had filled our stockings and left lots of presents under the tree. I talked to her Christmas morning around 9:30 and she told me about all the books, the Nintendo DS + games, and the stocking stuff she had got from Santa. I went and picked her up around 3:00. When we got to the house and to the door she closed her eyes, walked in, sat on the couch and then opened her eyes. We emptied our stockings and then she opened all her gift in a matter of minutes. Her "special surprise" from Santa was a beautiful pony necklace that she is never going to take off. The afternoon was full of Barbie, Polly Pocket, Webkinz and Nintendo DS. : )

The morning of the day after Christmas was spent playing of course. There was an art show and a cooking class where we (being MaryJane, me, Webkinz and VIP's) made a salad to take to Grandma Mary's for dinner. We went out to Grandpa and Nana's a little after noon to have a tasty lunch and open gifts. We spent most of the time after that playing all the games she got; a Littlest Pet Shop board game, a Cinderella board game, and Disney Princess Go Fish and Old Maid. It was so much fun. She loves her Candy Glam Barbie and takes it everywhere w/ her. We meet Cody and Robi at Grandma Mary's around 4:00. We talked, opened gifts, and had tasty Lasagna Robi made and our Salad. It was nice to see Grandma Mary.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas too!

Get Well Soon!

Hola. Well, i stayed home on Monday b/c of the icky weather and forgot my camera yesterday , so here is my Monday post on Wednesday. : ) Lets get the crummy newz outta tha way. I was sick Saturday and Gurly Gurl was sick Monday, Yesterday and is still sick today. Shes been running a temp, developed a cough yesterday, and has an achy little body. Mommy and i are taking good care of her of course and she should be better in no time. She rested at Mommy's yesterday and is resting there again today. Get Well Soon MaryJane; Daddy Luv's You! Saturday and Monday were mostly lounging around and playing low-key games. Sunday we got out and attended an awesome service at Fellowship and that nite went to a Christmas Party at her Mommy's Church in Rogers. MaryJane had a wonderful time. They had tables for arts & crafts and games lining the walls. She did every art & craft and every game and loved it. She made 3 cool ornaments, a bag w/ tinsel on it, a gingerbread man, and more. Also did some stencils and drew a few pictures....of Neo-pets. hehe. It was really fun. Now for the fab pictures.

Here is MaryJane and her favorite Cabbage Patch Kid named Charlotte. Ive talked about and shown her and her sister before, but heres a refresher. Her sisters name is Maragaret and she the one w/ orange hair. They are the crankiest kids in the world and are always really bad. I have a special voice i use for them. Charlotte loves Karate and Margaret loves Gymnastics. There last name is Picante. They are used quite often in games we play. Well, Friday MaryJane bought the baillie outfit you see here in at Harps. She told me that when Charlotte put it on she was going to turn good....and she did. Funniest thing. She is now a sweet gurl and her last name has been changed to Princess. I love it.

Here is MaryJane and her Letter and Pencil from Santa. She sent of her letter to Santa not long ago and Saturday she received a letter back confirming he had received her letter, that she had been good, that he knew exactly where she lived, a reminder to get to sleep Christmas Eve and that he loved cookies and milk, plus a mention about leaving her a "surprise". How awesome is that. The pencil she got she says she is going to use to write her letter to Santa next year. Sweet

Finally here she is just prior to us leaving for the Christmas Party on Sunday. She had disappeared into her room and i as wondering what she was doing. She was attempting to put on her fancy Christmas shoes, so i helped her out w/ those and then she did a pose and asked me to take her picture. Not often she asks to have her picture takin so i quickly grabbed the camera and here she is doing a few other poses w/ her stylin Christmas outfit and shoes. What a cutie.

Here I Am Now, Entertain You!

Here i am. Had a nice weekend despite Gurly Gurl coming down w/ a cold. : ( She didnt let it keep her down tho. Always high spirits and high energy w/ that gurl no matter what. : ) We did relax quite a bit. She got a new "gameplayer" (a.k.a. Playstation 2) game at Best Buy Saturday morning while we were helping Aunt Diana pick out a T.V. stand for her new honken 46 in flat screen and she was all about playing that. A lot of reading class too. We also journeyed over to the library Saturday and she got 15 books. She is really interested in one of them, a horse book of course. She would read it and others to the stuffed animals and it was great.

Oh...lots coming up post wise over the next month. I may just post as much as Jessica. : P Speaking of her, i will be wanting to show off the awesome gift i am making her for Christmas. Its going to be smashing.... ; ) There will be my weekly posts, a birthday post, a Christmas post or 2...or 3, a new years post, a 1st anniversary post, and a music post. This is certainly the best year in new music I've seen since 1993 (the year In Utero was released).

Headlines!

Turkey and sweet potatoes are yummy.

Gurl decorates tree w/ style.

No Name gets name; "Orange Beauty".

Strong second half gives Hogs boost; defeat Rattlers 86-61.

Gurl enjoys first snow of year; eats many flakes.

MaryJane and Daddy first to watch Tinker Bell on TV.

Metal Mania!

Below you will read My Review, The Set List, Some Killa Lyrics, and An Accurate Review from the Arkansas Times.

My Review:

Ok....so obviously the show was amazing! Everything about it was top notch. They sounded great and it was plenty loud. I couldnt have asked for a better set list. Some of the songs are always the same, but other vary and the ones we got were just the best of the best. The stage set up was just awesome; the size of a basketball court with 6 mics for James to choose from and a rotating drum set for Lars. Sweet. Special effects were at a minimum which was cool. Some lasers, some movable huge coffins with lighting, and flash pots with flames so high and hot I could feel a blast of heat each time they went off. My favorite song was "Master of Puppets" since it is my fav MetallicA song. It was just so unbelievable to hear them play songs ive been listening to almost everyday from the new album since it came out and songs ive been listening to over the past decade plus. What a loaded and heavy set...and man am i still feeling it. Talk about letting loose; head banging, arms flailing, yelling and screaming every word, bouncing and down...the entire time. It was intense. Arms still a bit sore and neck is still jacked, but so worth it an d kinda nice really, cause every time i move im reminded of the awesomeness that was the MetallicA concert. : )

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The Set list:

That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Creeping Death
Ride The Lightning
One
Broken, Beat And Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Wherever I May Roam
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman

Encore:

Die, Die My Darling
Whiplash
Seek and Destroy

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...and because i feel like it is a proper portrayal of the evening im including the censored lyrics to the "Kill'em All" encore smash "Whiplash"

WHIPLASH

Late at night, all systems go, you've come to see the show
We do our best, you're the rest, you make it real, you know

There is a feeling deep inside that drives you (expletive) mad
A feeling of a hammerhead, you need it oh so bad

Adrenaline starts to flow
You're thrashing all around
Acting like a maniac
Whiplash

Bang your head against the stage like you never did before
Make it ring, make it bleed, make it really sore
In a frenzied madness with your leather and your spikes
Heads are bobbing all around, it's hot as hell tonight

Adrenaline starts to flow
You're thrashing all around
Acting like a maniac
Whiplash

Here onstage the Marshall noise is piercing through your ears
It kicks your (expletive), kicks your face, exploding feeling nears

Now's the time to let it rip, to let it (expletive) loose
We're gathered here to be with you 'cause this is what we choose

Adrenaline starts to flow
You're thrashing all around
Acting like a maniac
Whiplash

The show is through, the metal's gone, it's time to hit the road
Another town, another gig, again we will explode
Hotel rooms and motorways, life out here is raw
But we'll never stop, we'll never quit, 'cause we're Metallica

Adrenaline starts to flow
You're thrashing all around
Acting like a maniac

Words and Music by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich
Copyright © 1983 Creeping Death Music (ASCAP)
International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

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Review: Arkansas Times
by Paul Peterson

In Review: Metallica

In an age when technological gimmicks and special effects often override the act employing it, Metallica delivered a pile driving show, working in tandem with, rather than relying on, atmospheric enhancements.In reference to illustration on the cover of “Death Magnetic,” huge silver and black open-faced coffins loomed ominously above the four stage corners, occasionally lowering and producing eerie additional lighting effects. A few green lasers, along with heavy blues and oranges, made for subtle ambiance.What wasn’t subtle, however, was song selection and execution, save for the roaring pyrotechnic flames breathing fire warm enough to be felt in the rafters. Seriously. These were same sort of flames that barbequed lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield in Montreal in 1992.Songs ranged from new material to deep cuts, covering the 27 years of Metallica’s existence.Storming off into “That Was Just Your Life,” and signing off with “Seek and Destroy,” Hetfield’s rapid-fire rhythms were target practice and his vocal range stayed wide open. Lead guitarist Kirk Hammet proved why his hybrid of metal riffs and soulful wailing remain in a category alone. Robert Trujillo’s four-fingered bass weaving would make Cliff Burton smile down from above. And, to me, Lars Ulrich’s drumming sounds much tighter with two rack toms instead of four. Not that the change was necessary.A case can be made for advantages and drawbacks to playing “in the round,” and the jury’s still out on this one. The giant square stage at center arena provided four unobscured front-row views from the floor seats, allowing Hammet, Hetfield and Trujillo to travel freely to all four corners of the stage, as rows of microphones dotted the perimeter. Ulrich was posted center stage on a short riser that rotated clockwise at regular intervals, and he made routine contact with the hordes surrounding him on all sides as well.Aside from the floor seat’s perspective, what the round approach may subtract from, however, is a sense of onstage unity. The band sounded great throughout, but they were positioned so far apart, it was impossible to see them all at once.A co-worker, himself a guitarist, pointed out that the three string players changed instruments almost every other song. But, then again, nothing throws an instrument out of tune, drums included, quite like extreme climate conditions. In this case, six feet of roaring flames.The near-capacity crowd of 14,263 stuck around for the long haul, and songs drawing exuberant praise included “Blackened,” “Creeping Death,” “Sanitarium,” and “Enter Sandman.” The primal pulse of “Sad But True” was served with a loading dose of tribal intensity.My pick of the litter was the title track to “Master of Puppets,” an album that scared the (expletive) out of me the first time I heard it 22 years ago.Hetfield ordered on the houselights for the encores, as black, full-sized and fully-inflated beach balls dropped down from the rafters during “Whiplash” and “Seek and Destroy.” Great souvenirs. Of the four Metallica shows I’ve seen between 1987 and Saturday night, this one tops. Also noteworthy is that Metallica donated $5,000 of its proceeds to the Arkansas Foodbank Network, just in time for Thanksgiving

Picture Perfect!

What a great weekend. MaryJane and I rose at exactly 7:00 am on Saturday morning. Perfect. Not 2 early and not 2 late. Got in some good play time before it was time to primp and head over to Sears for our annual Christmas pictures. It went so good and MaryJane rocked the set. So glad we got there early and had such a great gurl helping us. They were short a person, they were getting way behind, and it was getting uneasy in there and despite it our gurl took her time w/ us, didn't rush us, and stuck w/ us thru the whole thing despite another gurl trying to get her to help others. Very happy w/ the experience and what wonderful pictures. I sent out links to you all via the Sears web-site earlier today. The pics here are from right before we left. She picked out the dress and show the nite before. When we were done we grabbed some Donald's and cruised back to the house. After we chowed and played Barbie's we headed over to check out the new office/clubhouse. They just finished it and man is it fancy; pool, excercise room, theater, kitchen/dinning area, and a huge living roon w/ fireplace. MaryJane, Kelly, and I had a blast working out. She proclaimed that she wanted to go there every day. A little later Mommy showed up and they were of to tour there new home and I was of to tour the tour. haha. Ill put up a separate post later this week about my MetallicA experience. Before i get to Sunday i want to elaborate on this picture and tell some other stuff beyond. When she put the dress on before we left she told me she thought it looked like a Mexican dress. Being so she felt compeled to do a Mexican dance. How funny. When we left the house she wanted to "walk like a lady". She loves her new shoes. She was so excited she got to get (low) heals. She said that when she outgrew them i needed to buy her antoher pair just the so she could keep wearing them. haha. So she walked like a lady and i tried w/ /some success. Shes a pro, but incredibly slow...which is part of it according to her. hehe. Then when we got into the car she told me was a "southern" gurl, gal, belle...or something along those lines. She was totally into the part w/ the accent. Again, i tried w/ some success, but thin i sounded more Irish then anything. haha. So in conclusion i have a Mexican Southern Lady for a daughter. haha.

When I gotz back Sunday I went to get my gurl from a b-day party she was attending. It was for a gurl named Katie who used to go to Treehouse. They haven't seen much of each other in a while so I was happy she got to go see her for a while. They had a ball making crafts, cookies, going on a button hunt and all other kinds of gurly stuff. We headed to the house and spent the remainder of the day playing birthday party, library, polly pocket, and more. It was very fun.

Ok...enjoy the pictures and I will be back later this week as promised.

Later

A Purr...fect Pair!

Purrr request (hehe) i took and am putting up this purrr...ty pic (hehe) of the 2 kittens. Aint they precious. Gurly Gurl got a trip to the doctor on Friday for her poison ivy and thanks to the medz is doing much better. We had a nice weekend full of playtime, some school time, and a fun trip to a local horse auction. If you didnt know by know Horses are numero uno (followed by bunnies and kitties) and she just loved getting close to some and petting them.

Loyal and Royal!

Yes...i am the proud new owner of 2 tickets to see MetallicA next Saturday at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock. All i had to do was listen to Mandatory MetallicA on 93.3 The Eagle last night at 9 pm to hear the the 2 MetallicA songs, call this morning at 9 am, be the 9th caller and name the two songs. My first attempt and im a winner, winner, chicken dinner. Some might call it luck, but I think its fate. It is meant to be for loyal fans to win. We should reap the rewards, not some numb skull who thinks Enter Sandman is MetallicA's best song. It seems like it was just yesterday that i was the first person to win and own a pair of tickets to see Foo Fighters in Fayetteville. So ya see...this just goes to show that if you really love a band and show that love by buying and listening to there awesome cd's and knowing all about them and there happenings like a dedicated fan...you'll get to see them live for nudin...that is unless there lead singer is dead, there broken up (and stay broken up) or the radio stations dont give away free tickets. Getting back to the point here...Im going to see the Mighty Metallica...im soooo excited...and its going to rock...literally. haha

Drama Queen!

Marvelous...just Marvelous I say! What a stellar performance by the little lady in pink. Couldnt be more proud of her. You just know she going to do great when she knows her lines, and all the other characters lines, by heart. She did wonderful in every aspect. She uses such good emotion thru voice, facial expression and movement. Plus
she has a good stage presence and volume when she speaks. All around an ever so lovely and talented actress. Bravo! Bravo!

Halloween Queen!

Ok...well, more like Halloween Princess...and a Snow Princess at that. Purrty Huh. Notice she has one eye closed. I asked her about that and she said "if i dont blink i cant live". What a funny hunny. So the Gurl and I hit the streets about dusk on Friday. We only traveled a few minutes away to an area with boo-koos of houses. We spent a little over 45 minutes going door to door before she was ready to go back to the house. I thought that was kind of quick, but she had a good amount of candy and i could tell she just wanted to get home to check it out....and eat it of course. hehe. As soon as we got home she said to not turn on any lights. She had a blue glow stick we got at Wal-Mart for her to care and that was our light source. I followed her into her room where she dumped candy on the floor. She held each piece of candy to the glow stick to decide whether it was yummy candy or yucky candy. She kept the good stuff and i got the bad stuff. Really, she gave me some really good stuff....she pretty picky. hehe. We headed into the living room with our candy and then she wanted to play candy shop. When i announced we only had 20 minutes to play before bed i think she heard you only have 20 minutes to eat candy cause she ate 6 pieces in a row. : d Saturday morning we got right back to playing candy shop. Stuffed animals got play money and came to our shops. Yes, we each had one and the animals got to buy 1 piece from each of us. The prices stared out at $5 a piece and when the 5's were gone the price went to $10 and when the 10's were gone the price went to $20. We had a wonderful time Trick-or Treating, playing with the candy, and eating the candy.

Beverly Hills MaryJane!

I'm Back in tha Saddle...again.....after a wonderful weekend. MaryJane and I had lots of fun. We had our share of fun at the house playing mainly Barbies. We rocked Science, Heritage Studies, and a Guitar review and enjoyed our trips out on Saturday. She did great at her acting class. Ummm...not sure of the time, but her play is in 2 weeks; November 8th. Ill get you all more details in an email or sumdin in hopes that you will be able to attend MaryJanes biggest performance to date. You'll be very impressed; shes a natural. Gotz that gurl some much needed clothes....some new princess jammies, and outfit and an adorable light jacket w/ butterflies and and flowers. She looks 2 cute in it. Target had the best kidz clothes...just FYI. hehe. The movie was just awesome. MaryJane had these things to say "I loved the movie", "...excellent", "It was fabulous. I loved it". It got kinda goofy towards the end, but then again its a movie about talking Chihuahua's. hahaha. We are still working on our pumpkins. Church was nice Sunday. MaryJane spent the afternoon w/ her mommy. They had Trunk-or Treat at there Church last nite. You go trunk to trunk and get candy. Pretty cool idea i think.

Good Timez!

A wonderful day yesterday. Gotz to see my gurl and it was just dandy. We chatted (and played piano and played guess which hand the pumpkin seed is in) while she ate her lunch and then it was outside to play tag. MaryJane loves to play tag and all the little gurls there obviously like it too cause they were all having a great time. M.J. and I played a bit at the Springdale Library Park after Treehouse too before she was off to pick up her new puppy (yes, another attempt is being made) and I was off to community group. All in All a very nice day. Today, ehh...pretty lazy and bored, but tonight will come and let the good times roll on. Tonight, tonight its Luvin & Playin. Then its off to the Dentist in the morning. M.J. is ok w/ that and it should go smoothly and be a good experience. The planz after that are as follows. Thursday & Friday nite: lots more Luvin and Playin, plus Carvin. Saturday: Spend the morning playing, acting class from 10-11, lunch at the hacienda, a few hours of school, a few hours of shopping (my gurl need clothes) and listing (your list is coming Santa), and finally a trip at the Theater to enjoy a movie and refreshments. : )

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA Theatrical Trailer

Lost / Out of Focus

You know how at the beginning of the greatest show ever....where the blurry word comes at you...well thats about how ive fell for the last week, out of focus and lost. MaryJane has been sick w/ croup. Pretty much a virus causes you to run a fever and lose your voice for about a week. MaryJane has been a trooper tho, remaining cheerful thru the whole week, just a more quite cheerful then usual. hehe. So when your sick you need medicine and rest, but what do you also need....yup, ur Mommy...and thats exactly what she wanted for the past week and until she feels 100% better thats the dealeo. Her voice came back over the weekend and she is doing good. So b/w being concerned about her and not seeing her for a week, its been pretty crummy. Just not used to it. I guess i should have remained cheerful thru the week too, but its hard when the sun dont shine... Looking forward to seeing her at lunch tomorrow, our Treehouse tradition, and looking forward to a much better week.

Party Time / Who...What...?

Could 4:00 pm Yesterday possible come soon enough, or what about 7:00 pm Today. Well one time has come and another is anticipated and patiently being awaited.

Although it didnt start till 4:30 yesterday (had to squeeze that Guitar Lesson in thurr) MaryJane and i finally got to begin preparations for our party, something we have been looking forward to for a good week or so. It was originally going to be a Dance Party, but ultimately the "Dance" part was nixed and became simply a party. A party that found us making tickets and coins for the games that our invites would play. MaryJane created tickets by coloring ticket shaped paper w/ a red marker and a "T" for ticket and I created the coins from coin shaped paper w/ a yellow marker and a "Q" for coin....hehe. I also set up 4 games, golf, basketball, Frisbee throw, and a pumpkin basket w/ numbered papers (number of tickets you got) and two pom-pom's inside. We each invited a few stuffed animal friends to the party. After everything was ready the party began. MaryJane and i didnt play any of the games, rather the friends did. MaryJanes animals tended to prefer the pumpkin grabber game to any of the others. She had two folders she used, one held tickets, the other coins, and after an animal would finish there game she would give them tickets from on folder and another coin for there next game seeing has how they had deposited there other coin into the game to play it. She was the coin collector that went around and gathered the coins from the machines and also the girl who worked the prize counter where the animals cashed in there tickets for fab prized. awesomeness all around. We did this for a while before it was time for pizza. We went to the oh so close Mazzios and picked up our pizzas. MaryJane got cheese and I got Jalapeno (thanks buy 1 get 1 free), and we chowed, shared w/ our friends and watched a little T.V.. It was a great party!

So speaking of T.V....this brings us to, the can't come soon enough, 7:00 pm tonight. Im talking about the long awaited premiere of....

Thats all for now. Im off to tend to my DVR...

Later

A Very Nice Morning!

WoW, i feel like i could write a book about the past 4 dayz with all that has been going on. Maybe i will, but not today. I think ill just tell about this morning. A morning spent with sweet MaryJane. I was supossed to be a trip to the dentist for two fillings, but I gave her a juice box this morning before we left and was reminded when we got there that she was not to have had anything to drink or eat since midnight so we rescheduled for a few weeks down the road. I felt like an idiot for forgetting, even though it was 6 months ago when i was told. Then i felt better b/c we were getting to spend the morning together regardless and we will get to again in a few weeks. We got to sleep in till 7:00, play disney princesses cash in tickets for prizes before getting out of bed, and play dentist in the car on the way there. MaryJane was the dentist, Kelly was the kid who had ben there before and wasnt scared and Lionel was the kid who had not been there before and was scared. It was a very cute little game. The ride to mothers included a stop off for yummy breakfast that we would not have been able to enjoy had our fillings happened, coloring class, and story class where MaryJane taught Lionel the First Story in the Bible. All about Creation and Adam and Eve. It was just precious. Then i got to spend a little time at mothers checking out the class room, a computer i might get *crossing fingers*, and a disaterous room created by M.J. hehe. Most importantly i got to spend more time w/ MaryJane, chat w/ Jess face to face which we get to little time to do, and watch in amazement as Christian walked around and in laughter as MaryJane and him interacted. They are quite the pair....of monkeys that is. hahaha. All in all it was a very nice morning...i think i should come in at 10:15 more often. hehe.

Yes...i am still around.

Took my last of 3 Excel classes on Monday and its close week here at work, so even though i could have put up post yesterday...well, i just didnt. Really, i was hoping to have time to put a novel together, but again the day is almost over and i still got little time b/w bustin tale and going home to eat my lunch i failed to bring. So sis and i have been having a ball. A very nice weekend. It was such beautiful weather and we had us some fun outdoors. At the house she was all about swinging. she has figured out how to get on the swing by herself and how to jump off so she cant get enough. she swings herself sometimes, but still enjoys daddy pushing her. Sometimes she will say shes "running out of gas" or in the case of a game sunday "running out of film". hehe. At grandmas it was collect as many acorns (w/ tops only) and hazelnuts as we could. We are in the process of drawing faces on each hazelnut and are considering making bodies from some fabric we are using for Heritage Studies. What fun! MaryJane enjoyed round 4 of Treehouse yesterday and is loving every minute of it. It is so nice to get to spend lunch w/ her. We meet up w/ the guys and kids from community group (while the ladies had a "girls night"), at the Tyson park last night and had a lot of fun playing there. She loves the Tire swing. Well, id love to blog on but break is running short and i must get more fun work done. Until next time...later.

Morning Magnet Magic Trick. Wow!

Is That Dorothy? Cute!

My Present Yesterday! Sweet!

Luv, Lafter, Play and Success!

No fab trip to talk about, but certainly a fab weekend to tell about. After 3 dayz of missing my gurl i got to pick her up from her theater class at ACO. This was her second time to go. The first time she went they auditioned for parts and this time they got the full script and got assigned there parts. She got the part of the daughter. The play is called "The Truth" and it is about a two children who learn that you cant make a truth out of a lie. I'd tell more, but i cant go giving away they whole plot and ending. Maybe some of you can come up to see they play? Its not until November tho. After getting home we got in a good solid hour of Barbies, had some lunch, played babysitter where we cracked up making crazy baby noises, and then i taught Science and Heritage Studies for the first time. It went very good. She is such a smart gurl, which makes the teaching all that more easy. I learned a lot over the weekend too about how and what to prep; not prep and how to go about teaching. It is great to have the option and the freedom to not have to follow the teachers guide word for word; step by step. I found myself covering things w/o the manual and found her answering questions before we even got to them. BTW we are learning about farms in heritage studies and we learned about Forces in Science. I am looking forward to covering the upcoming lessons this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday (the days i have decided to teach). I had gotten a scale to use for our Gravity lesson and when we were done she asked me if she could have it. Of course, so she immediately wanted to play a game involving it. hehe. It was grocery shop where at the check out she weighted each item and determined how much it cost by how much it weighed. it was awesome. Played a little outside, including superhero's and a play very much like the one she is doing at ACO (i think she likes drama ; ). Sunday was wonderful Church, then home to play Barbies and to do some school before heading to Fun City for a B-day party. It was for one of the boys that she goed to Treehouse w/. She had a really good time; glad we went. We boogied home, she played Cinderella on her V-smile and then we did the rest of our school for the day. Before bed, in the bed, we reenacted this magic show we watched earlier. Its this show where they show you a trick and then show you how its done. Kelly was the masked magician and two unicorns were the assistants. it was hilarious and we were bustin up by the end. So the weekend was just full of love, laughter, play, and successful school! Later.

Random Thoughts!

I Love MaryJane!

Kittens are cute (and sometimes annoying)!

"Ma Ma Mia"! "Pa Pa Pia"!

Thank you MetallicA!

Take that Seahawks!

Well, Well, Well...

...look who decided to Blog today. Shame on me for not posting earlier this week *slapping own hand*. Hard to believe its already Thursday, but kinda glad it is. Im going to Fayetteville tomorrow from 9:00 to 4:00 on paid company time to take my first of 3 Excel classes. Should be aight. I like to think i know a lot about Excel, but i know there is a lot i dont know to so this should get me squared away. So before im gone tomorrow i must recap last weekend and this weeks happenings.

Weekend was nice. Got out to home depot and built a sweet pair of uprights. She gets to make a Firetruck next time and there going to have the a truck and a fire fighter or two there as well. Watched the brand spankin new Barbie and the Diamond Castle Movie. It was so awesome. She loves it. One of the best parts is when these 2 cute puppies dance. Went to Church and to the Jones Center to swim on Sunday. She gave me some wild swimming lessons, we played super hero's in the water, and just had the best time. ...and of course we played around the house; duh! haha.

Tuesday was packed, as it usually is this time of year. Can anyone tell me why EVERYTHING is on Tuesday? MaryJane kicked the day of w/ her first day of Treehouse. Mommy called around 10:15 am to report that she was totally into it, as we knew she would be. She has an adorable little friend named Shayla there and aside from the 2 classes they dont have together they spent, and will spend, every moment together. they are quite the pair of monkeys. they just crack each other up w/ there crazy antics and behaviour. ill have to get a pick of them..that is if i can get them to stand still for 2 seconds. haha. I am going over a lunch on tuesdays to spend an hour w/ her (and Shayla) and we love that. She said enjoyed all her morning classes. they ate for about 15 minutes and then we ran around indoors and out as if we were some animals that had escaped the zoo and were having a party to celebrate. the best lunch ive had in a looong time...and i get to do it 9 more times woohoo! Im also getting off at 4 on Tuesdays so i can pick her up and take her to the library for class. : ) so i did, and she sat thru maybe 1 minute of class before she wanted to go get book. Was ok w/ me so we did. Shes loving horses, ponies, (b)unicorns, and Pegasuses right now so she picked out 18 horse and unicorn books..and one cat book for good measure. hehe. then it was off to community group. i anticipated a possible issue since i was going to be leaving her at the babysitters...and there was a problem...she really didnt want to stay and didnt make her. So off to mommy's she went and i went on to community group. It was good to get back into a lesson. We are doing a DVD study. The DVD is called "The Sacred Marriage" and although im the only single there i have been married and have plenty of input and am taking plenty away from it. I had lunch w/ Brandon, our leader, today. He called me and took me to this place called Jason's Deli down by the mall and man was it phat. : d

M.J. and i spend last night just hanging out playing the barbie that could only speak to animals and the prince who just didnt get it, pet shops, beauty salon, and this cool game where we type e-mails to each other from under our pillows. : )

M.J., mommy and some other homeschoolers are rocking the Benton County Fair tomorrow so look for goodies about that over at Jess's spot coming soon.

So ill end w/ some really exciting newz..to me at least. Starting next week i am taking over teaching 2 subjects. Yea! Im a little nervous, but very confident in my ability to teach these 2 subjects. They are Science and Heritage Studies. I will keep you all updated.

Later

Goodies!

Homeschool is going great. M.J. luvs the BJU Press Curriculum. Her fav subject is math.

Had our first community group meeting for this semester last nite. Just grubbed, caught up, and talked for a few minutes about how this go round will go. Some new couples, one of which has a 6 yr old daughter named Mikaela. MaryJane and hr are friends already and she is happy that there is now a girl her age to play with at community group.

Got MaryJane signed up for her next drama class today. She moving up into the next level of class you might call it. Shes taken 4 drama classes previous, and they were all great, but they were all fairly simple as well and i have looked forward to when she was old enough to advance into the next level of class. As you can see by the description of this class it goes deeper into the world of theater.

Kids Theatre Production Workshop for 2nd-3rd grade with Judy Scott– This production oriented class teaches the world of theatre through actual performance. From auditioning to learning lines to developing characters, plus costumes, sets, lights, sound.

Around the Treehouse!

So you may remember me mentioning the Treehouse openhouse last week. Well, it was neat. M.J. took me on a tour of the Church and classes were decided on. She did not want to go a full day like last semester, which was fine w/ mommy and me, but we felt like it was important for her to take at least 2 classes. The program is so good in so many ways, from the educational standpoint as well as the social interaction standpoint and we want to keep her involved because of those things. Jessica has also taken on the responsibility of Official Treehouse Secretary (go mommy, it not your birthday) and if she going to take on that responsibility M.J. needs to take some classes. Well, it seems the job of secretary requires a bit more on hands involvement then we originally anticipated and Jess will need to be at the Church all day on Tuesdays so guess what that means....yes, M.J. is now in 6 classes instead of two...and she is ok w/ that. Her reasoning for not wanting to go to Treehouse this semester was because she didnt want to be away from us (she is VERY clingy right now), but w/ Jess being there all day and me coming to spend lunch she feels better about going. MaryJane is excited and looking forward to this coming Tuesday when Treehouse kicks off.

Here are the class descriptions:

Connecting With Nature

It’s only natural to be curious about the things we see in nature – why do some animals eat other animals? How come trees don’t grow in deserts? What is a rainforest? We’ll learn about how different plants and animals are connected to each other and to the world around them. We’ll use activities, games, and experiments to find out the answers to some of our questions about nature and how it works, and while we’re learning about the environment we will learn a whole new way to enjoy being outside.

Discovering The Treehouse

Based on the popular Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, we will use this wonderful series to explore the magic of books. Do Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knights at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning sound interesting? This class is for beginning and non-readers. We will read, discuss and do some projects pertaining to the "time" we travel to. We will read portions of the book in class but students should ideally have a copy of the book to read at home with a parent or on their own. This course will run through Spring Term 2009. A ticket for the spring production of The Magic Treehouse at the Walton Arts Center will be included in the Spring Term 2009 materials fee.

Family Math – level one

We will focus on practicing problem solving techniques, mental arithmetic, estimation, place value, and exploring relationships of multiples and factors of the first one hundred numbers.

Seasonal Arts & Crafts

We’ll be cutting and pasting and creating a variety of cool crafts each week. Kids will have fun using different mediums to create projects perfect for any fridge, centerpiece or gift-giving occasion.

Principles and Elements of Art

Students will learn the principles and elements of art and how they can be used to create a work of art. Wear old clothes or bring a smock. You will get messy.

Mad Science

Kids will enjoy exciting hands-on activities, watch spectacular demonstrations, participate in inquiry-based discussions and take home things that they have made themselves like monster drinks, glow-in-the-dark 3D constellations, cannons, Mad Science slime, putty and more. Topics will include astronomy, matter, polymers, light, lasers and more. This class is going to be VERY cool. Please note that there are no tuition discounts for this course. www.madscience.org/

From No-Labor 2 Labor-Labor!

Wanted to get a post up yesterday, but its been mad krazy around here. A day off on close week toped w/ lots of out of the ordinary issues makes for a fun week. The weekend and the day off was great. M.J. and i played around the house, got out and did some stuff, knocked out some chores, and had did our guitar / bible lesson for the weekend. Saturday made a trip to Barnes and Noble where she picked up a free book she had been wanting. She read 8 books to get it. She played babysitter w/ her kitten. That thing is surprisingly ok w/ being treated like a baby. hehe. Also made a sweet polly pocket pool out of a ceramic dish and wooden blocks that provided hours of fun playtime. Sunday w/ rocked Church, which was very nice as always. Went out to G&G Danforths for lunch where we chowed, visited and played hide-n-seek tag, something M.J. has been wanting to do for some time. Also played the afternoon away, more blocks, more kitten, more a lot of things. Monday we were on our way to Target and Wal-Mart @ 8 AM. We had gone to both Saturday to get grocery's and MaryJane had seen tons of stuff she wanted. She took her earnings from finishing her chores for the previous week, along w/ the long time collected change i give her; came up w/ 35 bucks and got her self 4 peek-a-boo- petites, a bella serra stuffed animal w/ cards, and a pack of webkinz cards. So as you can imagine the day was nothing but playing w/ the 4 dolls and the pegasus. Lionel wanted to eat the the dolls, i was continuously surprised to find the dolls, and the dolls had a ball doing gurly things together. We learned about Jonah (the Bible version, not the Veggie Tales version which she knows all 2 well) and learned a new chord and practiced 2 songs on guitar. She enjoyed both very much and it was a very nice day.

It's a Gurl!

We have a new addition to our family. She is a 7 week old female, long-haired, blue/green eyed, orange tiger stripped cutie. Not sure on a name yet. MaryJane has been coming up w/ a lot of ideas. The first idea came before we even got her; Prisa, some others are Curly Fry and Scratchy, and the most popular is Wet Nose. hehe. Ok...before i go forward let me go back a bit. As you know we have our gurl ShoSho at the house and poor thing is so lonely. Shes there all alone all day every week day and as soon as you come home she is rubbing up against you wanting affection (or food). MaryJane and I do not give her as much attention as she need to boot. So i thought why not get a kitten to keep her company, plus i new MaryJane would love having a baby kitten to play w/ and raise. Well, I introduced the idea to MaryJane and she did not want to do it. We think alot of her decision was based on her not wanting kittens to be away from there mommy, but Jess and I both talked to her about that and although i still dont think she likes the idea of them being separated she understands and is accepting. So i was checking the classifieds here at work Monday and came across an orange girl kitten, a rarity and exactly what MaryJane would want, if she wanted a kitten. She still didnt want to get it, but i disobeyed and set up a meeting to get it last night. She wasnt to sure about going to get it at first, but as we got the time to get it got closer and closer she became more and more excited. it went from "why did you disobey me" to "is it the orange one" (yes i replied) "yea"; "is it a gurl" (again yes) "yea" to her wanting to hold the carrier on the way home (which she didnt get to do; its a beast) to this....
Twins! Yes, on the way there we were talking about the kittens eyes and M.J. said they were twins. Funny cause when we got there the on so very nice lady we got her from said they were twins cause of there eyes too. how krazy kool. ...oh and not only the eyes, but the energy....they both have practically unlimited amounts of it. MaryJane and her had the best time playing with the catfish pole; M.J. was busting up and the kitten was busting a move. Bedtime did come and MaryJane was very please when the fuzz ball curled up next to her....that is until someone came in a disturbed them. So that brings me back to the original reason i wanted to get that darn cat (great movie by the way), to keep someone company...well, so far it seems she dosent want company, which i really did expect. It know will take her some time to get used to sharing her territory w/ that little rascal, but once she does they will bond and be the best of friends, but for know its been sit back and watch and if you get to close to me...hiss hiss.
So this morning we were awoken by the kitten a little after 6 AM, and M.J. and her were back at the fishing pole minutes later. They got a little more play time and petting time in this morning and M.J. exclaimed how "adorable" she was a dozen times or more, one time even thru song. She loves her new little friend and i know her little friend certainly loves her.