Turtle Treats

I decided to finally make these turtle treats I have had the ingredients for since Christmas. Some of my friends and I were going to have bakapalooza over the holidays but I got sick and couldn't go. This was one of the things I was going to make. They are super easy and DELICIOUS! You lay out several small pretzles on a baking sheet and place an unwrapped rolo on the top. Bake at 200 degrees for 5 minutes. Then pull them out and place them on wax paper. Smash a pecan on the top and let them harden.

They are the perfect mix of sweet and salty and chewy and crunchy and oh so yummy!

Parenting Is A Lost Art

Reed had his big end of semester show at the Little Gym this morning. He did great and I was so proud of the way he waited his turn, was patient and was nice to his friends. I am amazed how many parents, not only at the Little Gym but everywhere these days, don't pay attention to their kids or make sure they are nice and polite. At the end of the hour, each child was supposed to be invited up to receive their ribbon and then their parents could take a photo. Well, probably over half the kids mobbed the stand and started crawling up on it. The teacher tried to hand them out to each child and have them stand on the blocks but there were kids everywhere, right in the middle of the photos and their parents were doing NOTHING! It was driving me crazy. Some of the parents were not even watching, some of them saw but didn't seem to think that it was completely rude for their child to be right in the way when another child was receiving their special ribbon and a few parents called from across the room "so and so" try to stay out of the way. Come on parents! Be responsible for your small kids and teach them respect, patience and responsibility. This requires you to get up off your rear end and do some parenting! Reed was being so sweet, he was sitting next to me and he kept asking "Is it my turn? Can I go now? When do I get my ribbon? I be patient mom, I wait. I be nice to my friends." I kept telling him to wait his turn and that his teacher would call his name. He did great and sat there, on his little bottom, until the teacher called his name.

Weekly Photo Challenge - Week 1 - Horses

I have joined a photography group that challenges you every week to take a particular 'themed' photo. Several of the members are folks I took the intro to photography class with at UT last spring. Ahhh, spring I miss you! Anyway, this week's theme was horses.

Here was my description and information on this particular photo:

Canon EOS f/8 1/25sec ISO-400 110mm no flash
I knew with my husband's hours and the weather, I would not be able to get out and find a "real" horse with my 2 kids with me. So, I dug out my son's farm toys, which are pretty much out all the time anyway, and went to work. My 5 year old daughter thought I was crazy but I finally got one I liked ok. It wasn't what I was really after but when my son woke up, he wanted his toys back :-)

Who Am I To Judge?

I am the worst speller in the world, anyone who knows me well will validate that statement. So, when Millie brought home this story she wrote today at school, I had no room to criticize.

I rille like princusis. I have 4 princusis costooms. Sleeping buyootee, sinderrellu, snowwite, bell. And thay are fun to ware. So that is the end of my storee.

Father Daughter Dance

It's time for our church's annual Father Daughter Dance this evening. This is only the second time Millie and Rick have gone (I think we forgot about it last year) but the year before it was not such a hit. Millie thought the music was too loud, which makes me laugh now because I know that won't be a problem this year.

She was very excited about going tonight and when Rick asked what he should wear, she was adamant that he not wear a sweater and he had to be fancy like her. She insisted that she wear the necklace that Aunt Chris got her and the beautiful bracelet from A Lala (Aunt Laura).

Rick and her left a little early to stop and get a treat, my guess is ice cream. Reed and I are snuggled in our "jammies" and I let him pick out any movie he wanted. He choose Sandlot, big surprise! He loves that movie.

The 3 Stooges

Did Reed Join A Gang?

It seems these days that Reed needs to put on some sort of show for the camera. He used to hate it, looking away as soon as he saw it. Or better yet, giving me one of these.

Now it seems that he has realized he can not beat me with the dirty looks or flat out turning his back to me. One of his new strategies has been to become a total ham and over 'cheese' the photo.

But better yet, most often he turns thug life and starts throwing up gang signs. I really have no idea where this move came from but I have a bad feeling this is going to be his new pose until he comes up with a new plan to get me to stop taking photos. Little does he know that I WILL win this battle. So keep up the gang signs boy because they won't stop me!

Millie's First Tennis Tournament

Millie had her very first tennis tournament today at Knoxville Racquet Club. This is not where she usually plays so it was a little different for her. It was a singles tournament with no elimination. Every child played at least 4 matches but I could not really follow how they had the brackets set up. They played the best of 3 7 point games to win a match.

The first boy she played was 7 years old and although each game was pretty close, he ended up winning the first 2 games so he won the match.

The second boy looked to be about 7 as well and he too won the first 2 games to win the match. We had to keep reminding him to call the score before he served because as soon as he would get the ball in his hand, he served super quick and Millie wasn't ready for it half the time.

Millie's third opponent was a 5 year old girl and Millie smoked her by winning the first 2 games easily for the match win.

Next Millie played an 8 year old boy. They each won 1 game so they had to play a third and he barely ended up beating Millie so he did win the match.

We were told then that Millie was finished but we stuck around for her medal and Millie did some practicing. Then it turned out that the boy who was supposed to play for the championship had gone home already (not sure how that happens but it was all kind of disorganized). So everyone kind of bumped up 1 so Millie played one of the other girls so that she would have someone to play. This girl was 7 years old and was in the second grade. They were very evenly matched and it was a great game to watch. Millie did end up beating her the first 2 games to win the match.

Millie told us she had a great time and wants to do it again. I could tell as the games went on that Millie was getting better at running up to get the short shots, that was her hardest part and she will be more prepared for them next time.

Thumbs Up

Reed's new thing is Thumbs Up. He figured it out a few months ago while Millie was playing baseball. Now he does it during the most random times...like while he prays before meals. This thumbs up was right before he plunged into the foam pit at SIGS while we were in Indiana for Christmas break. He is so silly.

Millie the Princess

Millie has turned into a princess this Christmas. My aunt and uncle, Bette and Nelson, didn't even know she wanted it but they got her a box of princess dress up clothes. I have never seen her this excited before. Ever. My mom made her day by giving her her 'real' prom queen crown (yep, my mom was the prom queen) from when she was in high school to add to her treasure chest of jewels. This photos shows the dress up crown, not the real one.

Nelson and Bette, thanks for the great gift. You could not have made her any happier!