Makeup

No matter how crazy it makes Ben, he can't deny that our Lexie is growing up. She's such a sweet girl! I just don't know where the years have gone. I look at Sophie and it seems that Lexie should be the same age. Over Thanksgiving weekend I took Lexie to Clinique to buy her first makeup. When I was her age, my mom did the same with me and it's a memory that I wanted to share with my girls. We headed out alone and went to breakfast. It was nice to have uninterrupted time together to talk. At Clinique the salesgirl was so sweet to Lexie. She taught her all about the products to keep her skin clean. Then she taught her how to apply powder and blush. We also bought a pretty lip gloss. It was so much fun and Lexie felt very cool :). She looks very pretty! Of course, I had to talk Ben down when he found out about it. According to him, she should still be wearing a diaper.

Holidays

My new table and lamp from Sandy

Lexie's getting so big!

Our stockings

Ben's new 50 inch tv

JW being sweet to his sister

We had a busy, busy Thanksgiving! Ben's parents came into town Tuesday evening and stayed until Monday. Ben and his dad worked on installing speakers and all of the other electronic stuff that goes along with it. We are high tech now! They hit up the Thanksgiving sales and we have a new tv for the living room. After using bunny ears and watching dvd's in our bedroom for the past 3 weeks, it was nice to finally get the tv working again. My favorite part is the speakers they put up in the kitchen so I can listen to my ipod while I'm cooking or cleaning up. I love it! We all had dinner at my parents on Thurs. It was the only break that Ben and Randy had all weekend. Sandy and I did some shopping. Thanks for the new lamps Mom! We were able to head to the movies one night also.

We're starting to settle in to the new house slowly but surely! Now I just need to add some furniture. Ben is trying to get as much done as he can. He is heading to Dubai again in January for 6 weeks and wants to have as much done as he can before he leaves.

Lexie is in a Christmas play this weekend at school. This week they have a drama team at the school teaching the kids about makeup and setting up the stage. She has had a blast! She's playing a waitress. Can't wait to see how she does.

Moving Pics

Ben, getting frustrated with me

Dad

Judging the distance to the ground

Halloween and Moving Pics

Halloween-Lexie is Christine from Phantom of the Opera, JW is a ninja and Sophie is Snow White

Dad, the master painter

Sophie got a pumpkin stamp at a birthday party and stamped up her siblings

When Did I Get Old?

I've been playing on Facebook lately. I've found so many old friends that I haven't talked to in a long time. It's been great catching up with eveyone and seeing their families. 6th grade has been a transition year for Lexie. Boys, lockers, mean girls and peer pressure. We've talked about my time in 6th grade. I had my first boyfriend. We would hold hands, talk on the phone and send notes to each other. He gave me my first Valentine's gift, a box of chocolates. I still have the box in with all my school stuff and those love notes from Ben, that I will one day blackmail him with. I looked the old boyfriend up on Facebook and found him. Looking at his picture today, I realized that it's been 20 years since I saw him. 20 years! When did I get to the point that I could say "well, 20 years ago"? I see myself and Ben through the kids eyes and it makes me feel so old. I feel a girls weekend to VA coming up to remind me that I'm Heather, not just MOM. Robin????????

Still Here

So we closed on our new house on Halloween. We moved in the next day. It's been a hectic two weeks. My computer wasn't happy about the move and was low on the priority list. My wonderful uncle has been working on it for two days and has got it up and running now. We decided to make everything wireless and it was more trouble than it's been worth so far. The move has been great. The blinds are in and everything is unpacked. We all love the space and I love my new kitchen. I'll post pictures in the next few days. After 2 weeks of no computer, I have a lot to catch up on!

Almost There

Lexie and JW didn't have school Friday so I took them to see High School Musical 3. Sophie went to Kimie's to play with Jack. She loves to go play with her cousins. I loved the movie! It was so cute and fun. There were some older girls from school there and Lexie tried to pretend that I wasn't with her. So fun to have a preteen! Lexie spent the night at my mom and dads so she could work on her history project some more. Thanks so much mom! I don't know if I have the patience to help the kids right now. Saturday, Lexie had an all day birthday party for her friend Meredith to go to. Ben,JW, Sophie and I spent the day at the new house. I decided to spend the weekend and clean it myself. Ben worked all weekend on fixing up the tile in the master bath and a list of other things. My dad came over and was a huge help! He painted Lexie's office and did a ton of other things. Jack and Sophie had a bowling party for a preschool friend on Sunday. Kimie took Sophie for me so I could finish up at the house. Plans have changed a little bit and it looks like we're closing on Friday. I can't wait to get in, get unpacked, and stop living in chaos!

Our Weekend

We had a busy, productive weekend. It finally started to feel like fall outside. We really enjoyed the beautiful cool weather. Saturday, Ben and the kids stayed outside all day. Ben worked in the garage and the kids rode their bikes and followed him around. I finished packing up the girls room. That was quite a project! There were so many "treasures" to be found under beds and in the closet. Lexie's missing retainer was under Sophie's bed. I'm suprised it hadn't become a chihuahua treat. Saturday night I went to the movies and dinner with a wonderful friend. Mendi has offered to keep all 3 kids overnight for us the weekend we move. She has 4 of her own monkeys running around. She's been a good friend for a long time, our kids have grown up together. They'll have so much fun. We spent Sunday doing the same things.
The house stuff is really moving along. We ordered our blinds Fri. Hopefully they'll be ready in time for our move. This week Ben is going to be doing some work at the new house. It's been sitting empty for 2 years and is now home to millions of spiders. Not my favorite thing! Ben is going to be killing bugs, painting and installing a water filtration system on the house before we move in. Next week I have someone coming in to clean everything before we move. There's so much going on that it's hard to sleep at night. I can't wait!

Disney on Ice

Sophie and Daddy

Disney on Ice

Yummy snowcone

Ariel and Prince Eric

Tinkerbell

Ben and I took our little princess to see Disney on Ice for her birthday this weekend. She loved it! We had great seats, 3rd row, so she could see everything. She stood up and danced most of the show. Her favorite part was when they dropped confetti down.



We're getting closer and closer to our move. It's overwhelming! Packing is almost done. Our house is stacked with boxes in everyroom. Ben has been making tons of trips to Goodwill for me. We had the home inspection done and are finishing up all the small details. I meet the blind guy from Lowes tomorrow to get everything measured. Ben has a bunch of wonderful friends at work that have offered to help us move. Only 2 more weeks to go!

14 years

Today is our anniversary. The time just flies by! We have a great life and I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. We were supposed to have a weekend in Charleston for our anniversary. We decided that new furniture for our new house was a better idea.

The week has just flown by. Sophie has been sick with an ear infection and a cold all week. Lexie and JW are good, busy with school and the beautiful weather. My inlaws are heading into town today. Our home inspection and walk through is tomorrow. I'm packing things up, but it's going slower than I would like. It's been hard with a 4yr old hanging off of me all week. Tonight we're taking the kids to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. They've been excited about seeing this since they first saw the trailer months ago. Sophie knows all the words to the chihuahua song. Ben can't wait to see it either. He just adores our chi Salsa (I'm rolling my eyes as I type).

Happy Birthday Sophie

Tonight at 7:11 my baby girl turned 4. I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. She is such a sweetie and such a handful! I am so thankful for my children. They are all gifts from God. Sophie has been a bright, happy, spark in our family since the day she was born.

more pics

Keeping room off of kitchen

Kitchen

Eating area off of kitchen

Fireplace in keeping room

Master bath

The House

So we got the call tonight that the bank took the offer!!! We are so excited. This was such a gift from God, and Ben's parents! The house is amazing! The girls will each have their own rooms and share a jack and jill bathroom. John William will have a room with it's own bathroom in it. He'll love not sharing the bathroom with the girls. We'll all enjoy the extra space. Hopefully with a 3 car garage, I'll have room to park in it and Ben will still get the space he needs. We'll be on almost an acre and a half so even the dogs will get more space. The best part is that it's only a few minutes down the road so we'll still be in the same area. We've been so blessed. Closing is going to be somewhere between the 18th and 30th of OCTOBER! I've got to start packing right now! SOOOO much to do!!!



Front

Back

Front door and dining room

Living Room

Kitchen

Daddy's Home

Ben returned home from Dubai on Friday. We were so excited to have him back where he belongs. We spent Sun up in Blowing Rock. The weather was beautiful and the kids had a blast with their dad. Ben had Mon and Tues off. It was nice having him home for a few days before he had to go back to work. Of course his phone never stopped ringing. I'm so relieved to have him home safe. He'll probably be going back again, but not until after the holidays.

We're waiting to hear if our offer has been accepted on a new house. Right now we have 2 of the 3 signatures that we need. If everything works out we'll close on Oct 30th. Now I just have to pack everything a get it ready to go. I hate that part! I think we'll be getting a Pod and putting it into the driveway and packing over the next month. If any of you have seen our garage, you know that it'll take that long for Ben to organize all his junk. After we move, Ben will spend some vacation time to fix up our house and get it ready to sell. Hopefully it won't be too huge a project.

The kids are doing great. Lexie started piano lessons yesterday and really enjoyed it. JW is enjoying the nice weather and spent the weekend riding his bike. Sophie is excited about her birtday tomorrow. She's having a party with her friends from school this weekend. My baby is turning 4. I just don't know where the time goes.

Sick

I have been sick all week. It started with a cold and now I have a horrible cough that just won't go away. I went to the doctor Sunday and I have bronchitis. Now I'm finally on the mend. The kids have been so great! Lexie and JW have cleaned up and behaved and helped with their little sister. I'm so proud of the people they are becomming. Ben comes home in just 4 days. I can't wait! We've missed him so much. Hopefully, he'll be staying put for awhile. After he comes home, we hope to finalize the house plans. It's hard for me to be patient. I'm ready to move!

First Days

Sophie's cute ballet bag

Her new classmates

Getting a sucker for being good

Having breakfast with Reese at Cracker Barrel before class

Sophie started back to preschool yesterday. She's been upset that she was going into a new class and wouldn't be with her teachers from last year. She started out crying and being pried off of me by Miss Rochelle. When I picked her up she was happy and gave kisses and hugs to her teacher and told them she loved them. I tried to take a picture of her on her first day. Imagine my surprise when my camera batteries were dead. After I charged them I found lots and lots of pictures of John William and Lexie and the tv and the remote and up noses and inside mouths.

Sophie started ballet today. She was so excited. She wasn't happy about the ballet part, too much standing in one place. She loved the tapping and the creative movement. There are only 3 girls in her class. She can't wait till next week. Watching her took me back in time. It's hard to believe that I was doing the same thing with Lexie 7 years ago. How fast time flies!

Robin and I had a great visit. Her son, Reese, is such a cutie! We had a low key time. We went to the mall, watched movies and drank margaritas. I don't know what I would do without her. She's my family.

Can't Wait

My very best friend in the whole world, (can you tell I've known her since I was a teen) Robin, is coming to visit this week! I can't wait. She and her adorable little boy Reese are coming into town Tues. We try to see each other every couple of months. The kids and I went to Va to see her in June.

Ben is doing good. He's still adjusting to the heat. It's hard to feel sorry for him when he calls me from his hotel and he's sitting in the marble jacuzzi tub and ordering room service. The kids really miss him.

Drama Runs in the Family

Today I took John William to the eye doctor for his yearly exam. Ben is blind and Lexie has needed glasses since she was 8, so I take always take him for a checkup. He decided that glasses make him look smart,so he tried to fail his eye exam. What a nut! We all caught on very quickly, especially when he couldn't read the big E at the top of the page. His vision is good and he doesn't need glasses.

Sophie had her open house for preschool today. She's having a hard time understanding why she has a new teacher. She loved her teachers last year and has spent a lot of time talking about Miss Sue and Miss Monica. We saw them tonight and it made her cry. I'm sure that she'll love Miss Rochelle in no time. She can't wait to start school and play with her friends next week.

Gone Again

We had a hectic weekend! Ben's parents were in town for a long weekend. We spent Fri and Sat house hunting. I never knew how exhausting it was! After much debate and lots of time online, and lots of walking around houses, we found a house that we really like. I took my parents over today to see it. It's beautiful and would give us more than twice the living space we have now. Plus it has a 2000 sq ft unfinished walkout basement that would be great for all of Ben's work stuff and a rec room for the kids. It would be so nice to finally use the garage for my car. So we'll be keeping our fingers crossed and seeing if they accept our offer in the next few weeks. It would be perfect!

Today, Kimie and Brad had baby David dedicated at church. He is just so precious! We went out to lunch to celebrate afterwards. Then we went to a surprise 40th birthday party for a friend of ours. Ben stayed home and packed his gear. My parents took him to the airport for me so the kids could say goodbye at home. Sophie has been very clingy and is so sad that her Daddy is gone. Hopefully this is the last time he has to travel. With such a busy week, it seems like we hardly had time to spend together.

A Phone Call from the Teacher

Yesterday John William's teacher called me. It was only the 3rd day of school. She told me that he was talking disrespectfully to her. Great, just what I need. So when he got home we talked about it....

Me-Your teacher called today and said you back talked her

JW-She asked a question and I answered her and she didn't like it

ME- What did she ask?

JW- She asked if we wanted to play a game, I said no. She asked if we wanted to do Math and I said that I hated Math, she asked if we would write down our homework and I told her that I didn't feel like it


So we had a big discussion about how when his teacher asks a question, it doesn't mean that she needs his opinion, she wants him to obey her without answering. What a mess. He has had a bad attitude lately and it's really bugging me. He seems to think that he's grown and gets to decide what he does and when. If it were up to him, he would never sleep or shower or go to school. Hopefully he'll get back into the swing of school quickly so that I don't have to talk to his teacher again.


Lexie is doing great in 6th grade. She seems to have mastered the lockers and changing classes. In 6th grade you don't have recess anymore, you have PE. She takes after me and hates PE. She likes her teachers and is happy to be with her friends again.

First Day of School

Here we are again. It's the first day of school. John William is in 3rd grade and Lexie is in 6th. Lexie starts middle school today. She was so nervous in the car. We organized her locker and put away all her books and decorations. Her best friend, Atalie, is going to our school this year. She and Lexie have been friends since they were 5. They were so cute today in their matching outfits. John William let me kiss him goodbye today. I asked him is I was embarassing him and he said no, so I kissed him again :). He's a mess! He and I were both ready for school to start. He and Sophie have been at each other's throats all summer. I need a break from all the arguing!

House Hunting

I am not a good house hunter. I love everything that I find and I want to move in today, right now. This is a problem for Ben. I drive him crazy. We have found a house we both really like and 2 others that we are interested in seeing more of. We're going to view them all on Monday with my dad, he gives great advice. We want to find just the right house and also find a great deal. We're so blessed by the opportunity we've been give by Ben's folks.

Everyone is healthy and the older two are dreading the start of school. They go back on Monday. Open house is tomorrow. I can't wait!!! Sophie goes back to preschool the beginning of Sept and will be starting ballet the same week. She is so excited about ballet. She has new ballerina sheets for her bed and has been wearing her hand me down ballet clothes. Lexie had her allergy testing done yesterday and she is allergic to all trees, grass and cats. We have 3 cats. So she's starting some new allergy medicine that we hope will help.

Ben leaves for Dubai again on the 24th. He won't be gone quite as long this time. I'll have a lot to keep my busy. House hunting, homework and chasing Sophie around will keep me on my toes.

My car is finally in the shop. It should be done next week. What a pain! The rental car is fast :). I got my first speeding ticket last weekend. I've been driving for 16 years and this was my first ever ticket. I told the officer that, he wasn't impressed.

Go-Carts and Laser Tag

JW's chocolate chip army cake


JW and his friends ready to drive

JW and Uncle Drew

Lexie and Atalie terrified before driving

We had a very busy weekend! John-William's party was Sat. He and his friends drove the go-cart track. They were all so nervous at first, except JW. All those Wii driving games gave him an advantage. Ben, my dad and another dad all drove a race also. I think they had more fun than the kids. Then we played a game of laser tag. I joined in on that. It was so much fun! His army cake turned out so cute. Then that night we had his "family" party. Ben's parents came into town for the weekend so they were here. We had 21 people in our house, it was busting at the seams.

Sunday we started our house hunting project. We had fun just driving around checking out houses. It's been 6 years since we bought our current house. It was our first, so now we have a better idea of what we want. We just need more space for all our kids and all my animals. My goal was to be in our new house by the end of summer. With Ben heading out of the country again so soon, my new goal is before Christmas. I guess we'll see.

Happy Birthday John-William

Today is John-William's 9th birthday! I can't believe my little man is getting so big. He has the sweetest heart and is such a wonderful boy. He looks at everything around him with such wonder and excitement. I'm so proud of him! Tonight Sophie is having a sleepover at Nana's and we're going to the movies and out for dessert with our special boy. His go cart party with his friends and our family party is Sat.


Last night Ben ran up to the store with Lexie to pick up some chicken broth that I forgot for dinner. While they were in the store (just 5 minutes) a motorcycle lost control and crashed into the drivers side of my car. So today we're also dealing with body shops, insurance, rental cars and a ton of other details. Hopefully this all goes quickly and easily!

Bowling

We've spent the last week enjoying company. My grandmother turned 90 this month and we've had family come into town to celebrate with her. My cousin Lauren, her husband and her 2 adorable little ones spent last weekend with my parents and this week my Uncle Dwight, Aunt Toni, cousin Kevin, his wife Tamika and their two children were here from Vermont. It's been great catching up with everyone. The kids and I had a cold all last week. Sophie ended up with an ear infection. I've been coughing all week. Poor Ben needs a good night sleep after listening to me.

Lexie's 5th grade teacher got married today. Lexie and I went and got a pedicure and then headed to the wedding. She looked beautiful and Lexie got to see a bunch of her school friends. Ben is in the mountains for the night so I took the kids bowling after I picked the younger two up from the sitter. JW won the first game and I won the second by one point. Sophie loves to throw the ball down the lane. She threw it in other people's lanes a few times :).

I finally got my dishwasher yesterday. I went by myself this time and got what I wanted, instead of taking Ben with me. He installed it for me last night and I love it. Lexie is glad she's off dish drying duty. We also got the kids school supplies yesterday. I love shopping for paper and crayons!! Next week we'll be heading to the uniform shop in Charlotte and gearing up. Only 3 weeks till school starts!!

Who Ate My Peanut Butter and Jelly?

Yum this is good!

Diego is funny! Mom, can you make me another pb&j?

Sophie was eating her favorite lunch of peanut butter and jelly yesterday. She sat it on the coffee table and someone stole it. We found Diego under Ben's recliner chowing down. He's so tiny (3 lbs), we can't reach him under there.