It's a Lunker!!

Micah has been in some dire need of Daddy time lately. So last week, I suggested that Kevin take him out fishing this weekend. I know, I know, I can't believe I actually suggested Kevin go fishing. But you have to make certain sacrifices for your children you know.

Anyway, Kevin and Micah took off sometime before 8 that morning. A little while later I got a call from Micah saying that he had caught a 13 oz crappie. I honestly didn't know if that was big or not, but of course I made a big deal out of it. FYI, it is pretty big. I did know that sometime in the past, but my children have taken my place as Kevin's fishing companion, much to my relief.

Kevin's brother Mark, his daughter Ilese (one of the Fab 5) and Kevin's Dad joined my boys at the pond later that morning. The crowded dock made casting a little difficult for my little guy, so he was pretty content to simply fish over the edge of the dock. That was apparently the best spot because this is the fish he caught there.

6 Pounds!!

He was so excited! I actually think Uncle Mark was a little jealous. Kevin was in high school before he ever caught a fish that big. Way to go Micah. He had so much fun!

Ilese got in on the action too. She caught a little 1 pound catfish, much better for eating. They both got a kick out of eating the fish they caught themselves.

Boy or Girl?

We had another ultrasound yesterday. The baby is very healthy and very active. Any guesses as to whether it's a boy or girl?

I'll give you a hint...



you may be seeing more shots like this one, very soon.

I never do this

Okay, I know. I really never do this. I don't like to get involved in political debate. I rarely even know what's going on in the news, let alone get all riled up enough to blog about it. But, the other day I did happen to catch a report about a 13 year old girl being strip searched by the school nurse. It outraged me! You can read more about the story here.

I have read all the school arguments. There's a zero tolerance for drugs and prescription drugs are the drug of choice anymore. The school should have a wide latitude for keeping students safe.

I actually find many of the arguments on the student's behalf weak as well. I honestly think the fact that the administrators were only looking for ibuprofen is irrelevant. (Although it's pretty silly considering 10 years ago, I was giving ibuprofen to my teachers at their request.) I really don't care that the girl was an honors student or even that the girl who pointed the finger at her was less than reliable.

My problem actually lies in the fact that a school authority would ever presume to have the right to force a child to take off their clothes. If the infraction or suspicion is so severe as to validate a strip search of a young girl (or boy for that matter) then I think the police ought to be involved. A 13 year old would not be allowed to be questioned by police without parental consent, why on earth should that same child be allowed to be stripped searched without the same requirements?

A school should be a safe haven for our children. I see very little difference between this school's behavior and a priest or teacher who tells a child to take off his or her clothes for the adult's own pleasure. For a student who has done nothing wrong (and nothing was found on this girl during her search) the violation is the same. She was humiliated so much so that she never returned to that school and, at 19, has never completed high school despite being an honors student until this incident.

The Supreme Court heard the case on Monday and is not expected to rule until late June. But many of the justices made comments siding with the school district. I wonder if these, mostly older men, justices remember what it was to be an awkward junior high student. Certainly none of these men have the faintest idea what it is like to be an overweight 13 yo girl. The school administrators have said that a little embarrassment is worth risking for the safety of the students. But they seem to have greatly understated the risk and overstated the reward.

I'm sure many of you disagree with me and my views, it's certainly happened before and I really do respect other opinions. But I just had to get that off my chest, so now I'll step down off my soapbox.

* now back to our regularly scheduled programming

I'm Back!!

Shelly and I had a GREAT time in Florida! This is Ann and John's place where we stayed. The picture is a few years old, so there's quite a bit more plant life around the house. But isn't it gorgeous! We did absolutely nothing all weekend. Seriously. The first day was a little chilly in the morning, so we wandered around downtown and did a little shopping. Then we ate lunch at the Loose Caboose. YUM! After lunch it warmed up quite a bit so we got a couple of books and towels and went to the pool for a while. Sometime in the middle of the afternoon, I realized I had no idea what time it was. And guess what? We didn't care. It is such a freeing feeling to not care about a clock. We had no one else to answer to, nobody who was counting on us to fix dinner or wash laundry or anything else. Ahhh.

The timing was perfect. We had a great time, but we were ready to be home by the end of the trip. We actually ended up getting $300 airline vouchers on the way home. The plane was too heavy, so they asked 3 people to get off the plane. Shelly was so excited, apparently that's something she's always wanted to do. Then they sent us in a cab to Tampa where we flew to Memphis to catch the same flight home we would have been on had we stayed on the plane in Sarasota. How funny is that!

Anyway, I didn't even take a camera with me, so I have no pictures to share. Sorry. I'll leave you with picture from a few years ago. Just to make you all a little green with envy.

Ready... Set...

GO!!!

So I know that I've been rather sporadic with my blogging lately. Forgive me. With surgeries and extra children and potty training, life has been pretty hectic around here. But you'll have to excuse me for one more week. My Sis-in-law and I are going to Boca Grande tomorrow for the next 5 days. That's in Florida by the way. Where it's warm. And there are no children jumping in their beds at 6:30 in the morning. Or begging for supper at 4pm. Or arguing that he took my toy or she's in my way.

I'll miss my kids and my hubby, but only when I allow myself to. The rest of the time we'll be enjoying the sun and the beach. Doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!

See ya next week!

Big Boy!

Last week, while grocery shopping, I went down the diaper aisle for about the nine hundredth time. While perusing the selection I reached for Jadon's size in the big ol' $20 package and then stopped. Did I really want to do this? So I turned around and instead picked up a package of Easy-Ups. And that was the beginning of the end. We stayed home all day the next day. Jadon spent several half-hour stints on the potty chair watching Veggie Tales. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, he figured it out! He "dirtied" his pants precisely at 8am for the next four days, but stayed dry all day(including naptime) all week long. Even a shopping trip and the library didn't faze him! In the nursery both Friday and this morning, he didn't really want to cooperate, but instead of having an accident, he just waited for Mommy. After Micah's very delayed attitude about the potty, I had myself ready for a few more years of diapers with a little overlap with the baby. But it looks like I might have a six month reprieve! I'm so proud of my big boy!!