Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Sports Camp!!!

Our entire family has been super excited at the mere mention of SPORTS CAMP since the beginning of the Summer. The excitement was for several reasons: 1. EVERYONE in our household is finally old enough to attend.  2. Salene and Saleece are joining the kids.  3. It's the FIRST week of FREEDOM for this mommy, since school was let out, AND it's FREEEEE! The week finally arrived.

Both boys and girls attend, but the girls are focusing on dance this year, while the boys are focusing on team handball and floor hockey.  Our youth pastor and dear friend, Brett, planned the entire week out.  Our younger youth and older college students are a great help, keeping the kids, ages kindergarten through fifth grade, entertained and obedient.  Brett has also assigned silly/daily dresscodes which help the kids to anticipate the NEXT camp day.

Monday - Introduction day!  The kids arrived early! I had all 5 kids ready and out the door by 8:45 am.  That was definitely a miracle!!! My biggest dilemma each morning is having to do 3 little girls' hair.  A small recap of their impression of the first day of camp: Salene LOVES Caroline Reed.  The three girls are infatuated with Jake Shaffer, but they think he "likes" them. Jake is 17 by the way. Ty is THRILLED to be with his friends.

The girls entertained me by rehearsing the dance routines they are learning.  The first routine is danced to the song "Saints" by Andy Mineo.  It's Christian rap. I have watched this 100 times and STILL find myself laughing.  It's funny with and without the SOUND.  Check Lilah out ... that girl has got MOOOOOOVES that will BLOW you away. #shescaresme

Tuesday - CRAZY HAIR and CRAZY SOCK day! I took the kids shopping on Monday, after camp. Have you ever taken 5 kids into a store the size of a public restroom? LOL!  I was surprised at how well-behaved they were actually were.  We picked out some glitter hair dye and some blue hair dye. Then we spotted some fun colored hair attachments at the Dollar Tree. 
For Ty's hair, I just took our razor and shaved his head down the middle and across the back of his head.  I dyed whatever hair remained, BLUE, and hot glued plastic ants onto his head.  Ty was actually the winner!!!!!
Saleece had about 5 sections of hair divided into ponytails, several bright hair attachments, and blue glitter hair dye.  
Jax chose to wear a goofy HAIR WIG!
My Liley Bow had two BUNS turned into cupcakes! I used cupcake liners, candles, and blue glitter hair dye.
Salene and Saleece's hair were very similar, but they were each able to choose the color hair attachments they wanted.
I surprised the kids on Tuesday morning with some CRAZY SOCKS that I designed while they were sleeping. Surprisingly, there was NO arguing over them. Everyone had their own preference for which ones they wanted to wear.  
Ty's socks had matches and sour patch kids on them.
Leecie's socks had balloons and pom poms.
Jax's socks had army men and pretzels.
Salene's socks had rainbow colored crayons and sequins.
Lilah's socks had google eyes and pom poms.
Group photo: compliments of Brett Williams.
Wednesday - Tie Dye Day!!!  After lunch yesterday, the kids and I ventured out to JoAnn's Fabrics to buy a tie dying kit, t-shirts, and a few other small items to prepare for Wednesday's agenda. Be on the look out for our tie dye extravaganza, in a later post.  BOY... it's definitely a messy project when you are doing it alone, with five children.  I will also do a short post on my duct tape project.
Ava Mitchell won the tie dye contest!!
Upon arriving home, they were able to make their own tie dye shirts and socks.  In the early morning, I made the girls tie dye hair bows and I made Ty a tie dye bow tie, out of duct tape.  They shirts didn't turn out as colorful as I had hoped, but I still think all the kids looked fit for the occasion, not to mention adorable.

The kids seem to be having a really great time.  Tyson said, "This is the best sports camp to-date." I am grateful that this is not just a camp.  It's a camp, filled with fun, sports, and friendships, but CENTERED around the holiness of God, our sin, and our need for a Savior. Ty has been coming home every day and telling me about the messages he is learning from his leaders: Jake and Kobi.  

Tomorrow, Thursday, is NEON day!!!! Be on the look out for the fabulous outfits and ideas I have planned!!!

Friday is water day and funny pool gear attire!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Glenvar All-Stars FINAL GAME!

It was a bitter-sweet outcome... The Glenvar All-Stars played an incredible game against Salem.  We were killing it the first four innings and then we lost control.  The final score was 9 to 12.  I say bitter because it's stinky to be so close, yet so far away to heading to the State Championship Tournament, but SWEET because our family will now be able to have ONE last Summer vacation before Football Season stars on August 2nd. Beats driving to South Boston, VA everyday for more tournament games. Enjoy a few fun photos I captured OR click on the link below to view them ALL!
Clay at pitcher!
Coach Daddy and Son Clay having a heart-to-heart.
Lawson at catcher!
Riley at pitcher!
Below: Ty in the left outfield, looking cool in his new baseball shades.
Ty receiving his metal!

Team photo.
Recognizing the volunteers.  Darren was one of them!  I love my husband's involvement in the community, even though at times, I am jealous he's not home with me.
Goofy team shot!  Ty is buried in there somewhere.
Best buds!!!!
Win or lose, he will always be a champ to me.
 Tyson tackles his teammates and ends up on top!

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Reminiscing On The Birth Of Lilah and Jax!

It's hard to believe this was almost 5 1/2 years ago. WOW! Watching this makes me exhausted knowing what life was like the next few months upon my return home. LITTLE SLEEP!

Holy Cow - I Love Free Stuff!

Chick-Fil-A is THE MOST incredible fast food chain known to man.  Although MOST LOVE/rant and rave about their food, believe it or not, Darren and I are not really a fan. We eat it, but it's just not our favorite.  So....why do I speak so highly of this fast food chain? Their food chain is brilliant.  From their calendar fundraisers, to breakfast bingo, to kids-family night, to daddy-daughter date night, to military day, to their milkshakes and their funny artwork, to COW appreciation day and finally to being closed on the Sabbath aka their core values, it sets this chain apart from ALL of the others.

The original owner, Truett Cathy, said that his decision to close on Sundays was as much practical as it was spiritual.  He believes that all franchised operators and their restaurant employees should have an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends, and worship God if they choose to do so.  It's part of their recipe for success.  Truett believed in treating his employees with the upmost care, but it's also their "pleasure" to treat their customers, who walk through the door, with honor, dignity, and respect. 

On July 11th, we took advantage of "Cow Appreciation Day".  My dear friend Erin, went all out, designing her children's cow outfits.  From head to toe they were dressed to the hilt in moo-valous attire.  They even had tails.  She offered the Williams' and our family to use the clothing before we all headed to the pool for a fun play date.
There's Erin and her kiddies: masks, shirts, cow spots from the hips to the toes, cow tails, and even hooves for their hands. Can you tell that she is very artistic?
(Above) Mason cried and cried.  He was embarrassed to wear all of this.
 (Below) Check out Julia's cute little cow tail!
After Erin and her kids went in, Jody, Ansley and Lilah changed into their clothing and went in for a round of FREE food.
Look at how happy free food makes Jody!
The funniest was when Jax, Ty, and I went in.  Jax and I fit into the cow clothing just fine, but Tyson had to squeeze into Julia's (age 6) clothing. To try and envision it, just imagine me trying to fit into Jax's clothing.  That's what it looked like.  There was NO way to document this.  He refused, more than once, to even go inside, much less get it on camera.  I said, "You either come in or you don't eat today!" He ran into a classmate from school and was MORTIFIED.  Our bill came to $26 and we got it ALL for free.  Isn't that insane?
Off to the pool we went...
 After the pool, we stopped by 7-11 on 7-11-14 to get our free slurpees!  
For a momma of 3, days like these are a HUGE blessing.  This day would have cost me well over $30 if it wasn't for these amazing companies. Thank you Chick-Fil-A and 7-11.  Your generosity is MUCH appreciated.  

Beat Up By His Younger Brother

It was the day we warned him about from the moment he began picking on his little brother. If we haven't said it 100 times, we haven't said it ONCE.  "One day, you are going to meet your match and Jax is going to beat the crap out of you!"  AND "The time will arrive, when Jax is no longer willing to take any more of your abuse and he will get back at you!"  I think we said the above in more ways than 10, but I think Ty was in denial and NEVER thought that day would come.  Well, he was wrong.
After spending two hours in Verizon, no exaggeration, replacing my cell phone and then 45 minutes talking on the phone to my dear friend Gretchen, in a Target parking lot, the kids were fit to be tied.  My phone conversation was interrupted by the sounds of a person screaming out in total desperation for help!  That person was Ty.  Jax jumped on Ty's face about 5 or 6 times in anger.  He claims Ty was pinching him and he kept asking him to stop, but Ty wouldn't.  So... Jax retaliated.  

I hate to say it, but I hope this happens a few more times, so that Ty realizes the repercussions of bullying someone.  

This "Beers" For You!

I would never blog about "alcohol" typically, but since this is the non-alcoholic type, I had to share.  It's probably the cheapest beer I have ever "bought" for someone too.
What you need...
Butterscotch Candies 
Marshmallows
A Beer Mug
 Directions:
Open bag and pour into mug!
I tried both mini and large marshmallows and I believe the mini marshmallows look the best.   

Each item cost $1 from the Dollar Tree.  Simple, affordable, clever, impressionable, funny, and sweet all for a total of $3.00. The dangerous part about this beer is as soon as Lilah saw it, she said, "I want one of those beers!"  That gave me a heart-attack for just a moment.  You don't expect to hear those words out of your 5 year old's mouth.

In addition to the other items we bought for my father-in-law, for Father's Day, this was part of it.  I kind of wish I would of attached a printable that read, "Have A Cold One On Us!" or "This Beers For You!"

Friday, July 18, 2014

A Grassy Patch of Sweetness!!!

Unlike my husband, my father-in-law loves sweets.  He also loves golf!  It's hard to come up with gifts for a man who can buy himself anything he wants. And as much as I love to shop I love to have an excuse to shop, I think those homemade gifts are especially more meaningful than ones purchased.

So... I decided to make him a grassy patch of sweetness combining his two loves GOLF + DESSERT.
I knew the look I was going for, but I was being held up during my search for white gum balls.  These were going to act as the golf balls aka cupcake toppers.  I was bored one day, sitting around the kitchen island with the kids, and started talking out loud about what I could use instead.  I thought, "I know, white fondant!" YES...I actually had some on hand.  SCORE! The kids and I began rolling chunks of white fondant into balls.  The problem was, it just looked like a ball of white clay.  My mind was racing and then I grabbed a few tools from my kitchen drawers to try and make the indentions that an actual golf ball has.  Nothing was replicating it well.  I then tried youtube for ideas and found NOTHING.  I was almost at the point of giving up the idea of using a topper when all of the sudden I told Ty, "Get me a pencil eraser!"  The pencil eraser worked PERFECT!!!!!! Both the kids and I were amazed.
I did these cupcakes in stages... so days later I baked my special cupcake recipe with the kids.  They enjoyed licking the beaters. It's actually the only way I can get Lilah and Tyson to help bake with me.  Jax, on the other hand, is always willing.
Then, I made my special French Vanilla filling.  YUM! This is probably the best part about my cupcakes.  Are you wondering what I do with all of the "cake holes"?  I let the kids eat all them. I'm such a good momma.  LOL!   
And then the frosting.  I have to say this is the WORST part about making my cupcakes.  It's a nasty mess to make homemade frosting.  It doesn't HAVE to be this messy, but the knob off of my kitchen aid broke and sometimes my mixer turns on without my permission.  I have got to get that fixed. I dyed the frosting green and piped it onto the cupcake using Wilton's 233 tip to replicate grass.
 Below is the end result!  We added a golf tee and our fondant golf balls to the the top of the cupcake.  
I hope this "putt" a smile on Reid's face and a dimple on his belly!!! I'd safe I scored a hole in one on these.  
 These are SOOOOOO addicting, sadly, I even ate two in ONE day.  GROSS!!!!!

What's worse, is that father's day was a month ago, and we are JUST NOW, getting his gifts to him!