The 6 J Griffin Family

Valentine's Day and Sponge Bob

2009-02-14T16:43:00.002-06:00

I have never been a really big fan of Valentines Day, other than an excuse to eat chocolate, so Jake and I don't really celebrate it much. This year with funds lacking, and other things going on (like me working this weekend) we decided not to do anything special.... EXCEPT Jayden for some reason has been talking about this day for a very long time. Of course he is such a lover, why would he not be into it? He made me promise to come to his party, and it was even a pizza party! They decorated cupcakes them ate them, and he had a grand time. Me being the painfully shy person I am felt like a "turd in a punch bowl". Not sure why, I just don't know many of the other parents in his class much, and I seem soooooo old. I hope they do not think that I am snotty, I am just shy. Anyway enough about me, and back to Jayden...

Jake spent all day one day making this Valentine box for Jayden, they were both so proud of it. It is made out of a cereal box, complete with a trap door in the back to get the Valentines out. Jayden wants to take it everywhere. Sponge Bob was priviledged to go out to eat chinese food with us the other night.

This is Jayden's friend Treniti, she is so cute. He has even been lucky enough to go over to her house and play.

Some of the frosting Jayden was using for his cupcake never made it onto the cupcake. A boy after his momma's own heart.

More Members of the Family

2009-02-12T14:44:00.002-06:00

Yes, we have several of the things that you supposedly get Salmonella from, and really you can. But, you can get it from eating peanut butter, too. Since we don't eat much peanut butter at our house, we will take our chances with the turtles. With proper care of the tank and creatures, frequent cleanings, and the right "drop-ins", and some correct hand hygiene we have had them for over 6 years and NO salmonella. They are greedy hungry things, and interesting to watch. They like to stack themselves up, and find funny poistions to "sun" in. But most of all we love to watch them eat feeder gold fish. They chase them, fight over them, and devour them. It's sort of a sick passtime of ours, but a necessary staple in their diet. They need the protien and the calcium (from the bones) for the health of their shells.

This particular one, likes to balance on this rock using only one leg.

MMMexican food at MMMercados

2009-01-27T23:17:00.002-06:00

There are a few of us from work that get together (or try to) on a regular basis, and eat mexican food. This month there happened to be 2 birthdays in the bunch, and so we decided to celebrate. Don't I have some beautiful friends? Inside and out! The thing is after I looked at these pictures, I got to thinking... I AM THE OLDEST ONE! Well, I have always said that age is a state of mind, and I will stick to that story, and also say that having young friends keeps me young. There are 3 of us that are 39 (well AO is knocking on the door anyway), and the rest are still in their 20's. Quite a group!

Amanda Peddy (one birthday girl turned 29, and just had her second baby a little over a month ago - doesn't she look great?); Angela Oefinger (otherwise known as AO); and Me.

Suzanne Gailey (such an awesome person); Holly Rozelle (otherwise known as Hollywood, and she is turning 25 this week); and Christina Burgess (who is pregnant with her 2nd, and glowing. I have honestly never seen her take a bad picture!)

Picture Tag

2009-01-13T16:47:00.004-06:00

I was tagged in this, as bad as I don't want to post this picture, I do not want to spoil the fun, and really it could have been a really bad picture of me...

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.

3) Explain the picture.

4) Tag 4 people to do the same.

This picture is from Jordan's camera, 10 year olds take pictures of a lot of inanimate things. I would like to try and explain the complete mess on my kitchen counter, but I can't - so I hope most of you will laugh - and not think about what a slob I could be. Really, I am not that much of a slob, we were probably gathering all the "things" around the house that were not in there home and distributing them to the kids to get them in there homes. OR I had just worked several nights in a row, Jake was exhausted and the kids or some aliens had taken over my kitchen.... make a more interesting story if you like.

I Tag... the Gaileys, Roths, Huberts, and Oxfords.

Let's see what you come up with. No cheating or editing - that's not fair.

Christmas and New Years

2009-01-10T07:28:00.003-06:00

We had a great and blessed Christmas. My kids are spoiled rotten, and have way too many things! "Santa" brought a Wii and some games to go with it, and we have had so much fun. Jayden can almost bowl a 200 - little fart! Jake never played video games as a kid, and he was a little unsure of bringing them in the house, but he has had fun with it and loves to watch the kids play it.

We rang in the New Year quietly. We had a chance to go to a party that a coworker was having, but our babysitters baby came down with strep throat. We needed that like we need a hole in our head, so we took the kids and went to our Associate Pastors house, and had a great time. We stayed there until 3am playing games, including the newlywed game - it was hilarious, and I learned a lot about the people I go to church with. Ha ha. The kids crashed on the floor after midnight, and we had to drag them to the car when it was time to leave.

I HOPE THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT READS THIS HAS A HAPPY AND BLESSED 2009!

2009-01-10T07:20:00.002-06:00

Jayden had his first school Christmas party this year, luckily I was off, so I could attend, and of course Jake was there, he just came over from his classroom. Mrs Graham read a story, they played "tape the ornament on the Christmas tree", ate lots of goodies, and had fun with friends.

After his party, I was able to run over to the intermediate school and catch the triplets parties (they are all in different home rooms - now don't you think that is fun). A good time was had by all. Too bad the battery went dead on my camera - poor planning on my part.

2009-01-10T07:07:00.004-06:00

For the third year in a row, we took the kids to a nearby Christmas tree farm, go on a hayride, pick out our tree, cut it down and haul it home. We always have fun, but this year it was too warm, I think it should be cold when you are cutting and decorating a Christmas tree. I guess that comes from growing up in Wyoming. Before we left that day, I tortured the kids trying to get some good pictures for our Christmas cards - they actually had fun playing in the leaves until the ants started biting them. Gotta love Texas and those fire ants.

2009-01-10T07:01:00.002-06:00

In early December, there was some special moon (I think it had something to do with how close it was to the earth), so Jake and the kids took the telescope out front to take a look. Jordan took these pictures and actually got a few good ones. I was at work. You know, a full moon never means good things for a Labor and Delivery nurse!

2009-01-10T06:51:00.003-06:00

We have a lot of trees on our 2 front acres, which means we have a ton of leaves in the fall. Since we maintain the lawn on that 2 acres, we have to rake the lawn twice a year to get the leaves and pine needles off the grass. It takes forever, but thankfully Jake bought me a pull-behind sweeper for the lawnmower, and I no longer have to rake it by hand, therefore eliminating blisters. Jake rides the mower sweeping and dumping; and I burn the piles, making sure the fire does not get away from us.

Jordan and Jayden raked up a pile of leaves one day and were playing in them. It reminded me of when I was a very little kid, my cousins would rake trails in my greatgrandmas yard and we would play. This also gave me the idea of the pictures for our Christmas Cards this year. Note the chocolate all over Jayden's face.

2009-01-10T06:39:00.003-06:00

My Parents were here for Thanksgiving, and it was great. We all went out to Jake's parents for the day, and the weather was beautiful. We saddled up the kids horse "Love" so everyone could have a ride. Jamison hardly ever gets on her, so this is a rare picture of him on a horse. He would much rather have a gun in his hands hunting squirrels.

The story behind the pig? Well, actually that is a wild hog. Jamie, our nephew and his little girl live next to Jake's parent (or across the pasture rather, and he caught this hog as a tiny baby. He penned it up, and it is tame. Let's everyone pet it and plays with the dogs. I have never seen a "calico" hog before and it was quite entertaining.

Yes, we have a strange family.

A few other members of the family.

2008-12-06T12:59:00.003-06:00

Here is our newest addiction, I mean addition to the family. Macie. She is so sweet, and proving to be smart. I feel that she will replace my beloved Golden that disappeared 5 years ago. Macie was an anniversary present from Jake and the kids. I can not believe that we have been married 13 years. Time flies when you are having fun!

The donkeys are good at keeping the grass ate down on our back acre. They also start braying when someone or something comes into the back yard or the back acre, so they have been good at keeping critters away from our chickens.

Our silky chickens are my favorite to watch. Jake bought me these white silkies this fall, and they come running to me.

Upwards Basketball

2008-11-30T11:17:00.002-06:00

Jessica played Upwards Basketball this fall, and had a lot of fun. Upwards is a Christian based group that does several sports. They have a short bible lesson at each practice, and during half time of each game. The teams are split evenly, and each child has the same opportunity to play the same amount of time in each game. During practice the coaches are able to given individual time to each player to build on the skills of the game, and I saw Jess learn how to handle the ball better and become more aggressive on the court. It was a great experience for her.

Dressed up for the Fall Festival

2008-10-30T11:01:00.004-05:00

The kids are getting to wear their costumes twice this year. Here they are dressed up to go to the Fall Festival at the intermediate school, and then on the 31st they will get to wear them to our church's Festival. I was glad to be off at least one evening they were dressing up, so I could get some pictures and enjoy them.

There is a new Sheriff in town, and he is packing some heat. I learned something about Jayden this evening. He saw about 5 little girls from his class, called them all by name and gave them ALL hugs. One little girls mom said, "So, this is Jayden, the little boy that all the little girls like so much." Haha, I told Jake we will probably be beating girls off with a stick in a few years.

A snow angel. I reminded her throughout the evening how crooked her halo was. LOL She did not think it was funny.

Jordan really wanted this beautiful asian princess costume, but I could not find it in her size. She went back online to find something else, and she decided on Mary. I think that says a lot about her personality.

Going B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

This was also red ribbon week, which is an antidrug campaign. One day the elementary school got to have pirate day. Since Jayden wore out his pirate costume from last year, and all that was left was the hat, we drew on his face. He was very proud of that curly mustache. One day was 60's day, and there are some great pictures of Jake as a hippie, but I will have to get the camera card from the teacher that Jake works with to get the pic's.

Pumpkin Decorating

2008-10-30T10:36:00.003-05:00

Texas has such unpredictable weather this time of year, it does not make for lasting carved pumkins. You can carve them, and just a few days later they are molding and smelling. So, we decided that this year we were going to decorate them. The kids had some ideas, and I went and gathered up some craft items, and we went to work. Now, please keep in mind, I am the least crafty/creative person I know, and patience is not one of my finer points; but this is what we came up with. Plus a few burns from the hot glue gun, and a huge mess on the kitchen table. Jake kept his distance, and did not lift a finger, but he did compliment me on how patient I actually was throughout the process. Then the morning of the Fall Festival at the intermediate school, I drove them to town and carried them in one by one. The PTO leader laughed and asked if I was ever going to stop bringing in more pumpkins.

Jayden and his pirate (imagine that). He complained the most when trying to cut out the sword he drew, he wanted SILENCE so he could concentrate.

Jessica and her Brownsboro Bear Cheerleader. Cutting and gluing all those squares of felt for the skirt took FOREVER. Then she tried to use pipe cleaners for the hair, and it was not working well, so I sacrafised my mop head and we cut her some bangs.

Jordan and her Angel to match her personality. It took us a while to figure out how to make those wings stand up, but we managed.

Jamison's turtle got Honorable Mention in the contest at school. He was proud that we could come up with a turtle. When he was picking his pumkin, he was looking for the shortes roundest one he could find.

Oh! Wait! That is not a pumpkin, that is Garfield in his Halloween costume. I can not believe he sat still for a few pictures. The kids were laughing hysterically.

Our First Ever Costume Party

2008-10-27T13:41:00.005-05:00

Jake and I were invited to my friend Christina inlaws house for a costume party, and we decided to go. I will have to say, it was a lot of fun. Christina's mother-in-law loves to entertain, and she has this party every year. We have been to their house for Easter and for Cason's first birthday party, and they are wonderful people. We thought for a long time about what to be... have you ever tried to find tasteful costumes for adults? The decision was indians, and my costume was still a little racey for me. I am not used to going out in public with so little on me. I ended up wearing leggings under the dress because I was afraid it was just too short. I think we turned out pretty good, and we won 4th place! Some other friends Mike and Angela Oefinger also came, and we all had a blast. There was a little karaoke, a little dancing, and a whole lot of socializing and laughing. I must say that Cameron really does have a great family. Many thanks to the Burgess' for inviting us into their home and making us so welcome.

Christina always makes their costumes. She made these 2 days before the party. Her baby bump is just starting to show, but I don't think I ever got a good picture of it.

Mike and Angela were trailer trash, LOL. They crack me up, and played up the part well. I could not get over the blacked out teeth - it was weird to look at. I need to get a picture of the real AO (Angela) because she has short curly red/auburn hair in real life, and this looks nothing like her. I almost did not recognize her.

Angela, Christina, and I posing for a pic.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T13:28:00.005-05:00

We decided to go out to Moore Farms this year and pick our own pumkins, and our friends The Burgess' joined us. We had a lot of fun, there was a farm animal area where you take a dried out ear of corn crank it through a "thing" and get the corn off the cob then feed it to the animals, there was a hayride out to the pumpkin field, a cornfiel maze, and a lot of warm sunshine. It was warmer that day than we thought is was going to be, and there was a lot of complaining about the long sleeves that I put my kids in. Over all it was fun, and we are glad we did it. Take a minute to watch the slide show!

This is such a sweet picture. Jayden had gone into the cornfield maze with his siblings and freaked out. He was telling Jake about it.

The results of a long and warm day.

Something about me!

2008-10-27T12:40:00.003-05:00

Well, I just decided to put a few pictures of me on here, and say a little bit about me. I often wonder, if I were not listening, how would people describe me. I really have no idea. I think I know how I would like to be described, but who knows if that is how I come across. I am working hard at becoming a softer, kinder, gentler mother and wife with more patience. Having more faith and trust in God, and depending on Him for things is a sought after goal of mine. I am also working on not letting others actions affect me in a negative way.

I am: A God loving Christian woman actively seeking to build this area of my life, BUSY - always, a hard worker, a nurturer and a peace maker, a grouch when I first wake up, a little crazy - in a fun way at times, and did I say busy?

Over the past few years I have worked (sometimes harder than others) at losing weight. I woke up one day, and it hurt to tie my shoes. I thought - OH MY, I have young kids that I have to keep up with, and they need a healthy active mother. So, I made a decision to do it. It is not an easy journey, and I take a detour every now and then, but the overall results are great. I have lost a total of 65lbs, I still have about 20 more to go to get to my goal weight, but I will get there. So, here are a few pictures of me.

I used this picture recently for my Myspace page (yes, I caved in), and have received a lot of compliments

After having kids, losing a lot of hair each time, and it coming back curly, I have not had straight hair in a long time. I recently straighened it, and this is what it looked like. Jamison thought I had a wig on. LOL

I think I meant to download a different picture, but anyway here is Jayden's rabbit.

Jayden and I having a little fun!

A Birthday Party

2008-10-27T12:19:00.002-05:00

Jamison's friend, Jared had a birthday party at Fire Mountain, and Jamison had a blast. There is all kinds of things to do there, and we had never been before. I would imagine that Jamison will be asking to go back again. There are 2 gocart tracks (one for big kids and one for small), bumper boats, mini-golf, an old mixer (a carnival ride), and a large arcade. Of course Jamison spent most of his time on the gocarts, and in the arcade, but he really enjoyed the bumper boats also.

Jared wanted guitar hero as his them, and his mom had this cake made at our favorite bakery. It was good!

Meagan (Jared's sister) flying by on the gocart track.

Jared waiting to get going.

Jamison anticpating the fun of racing.

Having a blast splashing each other on the bumper boats.

Ending September

2008-10-27T12:08:00.003-05:00

This picture was the day of Homecoming, and spirit day. The girls have their first mums (courtesy of my friend Suzanne), and they wore them to school. Jayden was not having a great morning, and was none too thrilled about having his picture taken. I can not remember what is was that he was actually pouting about.

We made it through the threat of Hurricaine Ike without a scratch. A little wind and a lot of rain. Not even any visitors. We did have a lot of evacuees show up at the hospital.

Our Furry Feline Friends

2008-09-17T14:51:00.006-05:00

Most of you know, that we have 14 million animals around here. Here are our cats that are actually pets. We have 3 more "outside cats" that are tame, but not really ones that we interact with much. They are just good to kill mice and other rodents.

Jamison's cat "Garfield" enjoying the first fall breeze.

"Ollie" Jordan's cat snoozing at the foot of our bed.

"Midnight", bet you can't guess which one she is. The stray that Jake let Jessica keep. And "Silky" something that Jake let Jordan drag home because it was scrawny and scraggly. Well, you can tell she is now well fed. I have banished both of these cats to the yard, and they frequently sleep together on this door mat at the back door. I refuse to let anyone bring anymore animals into the house.

Cool and the Gang

2008-09-17T14:51:00.003-05:00

This week is Homecoming Week in Brownsboro, and everyday the kids wear or do something different. Today is crazy hat day, and tomorrow is sunglasses day, so Jake took the kids to the dollar store and bought them all sunglasses. Last night just before dusk, they were out in the front of the house riding Jamison's gocart. They think they are pretty cool. Of course Jayden will pose for anything.

Yes, his shirt does say "Don't you wish your mommy was hot like mine". LOL

Jamison Evan Griffin

2008-09-06T16:37:00.003-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I have posted anything. I guess that comes with working 5 12hr shifts in a row, then playing catch-up with all other things. I have made a post about all the kids except Jamison. So, here it is. Jamison is such a sweet boy, so affectionate. He loves to have his back scratched. As you can see in the pictures, he has killer dimples. He is going to be a lady killer with them. For now he does not like girls, which is fine with me, so that can wait... for now.

Jamison loves fishing, he would go fishing every day if it were possible. He also loves turtles. In fact, we have 2 tanks with turtles in them. Some of the older ones we have had for over 5 years. They have pretty long life spans, so when he leaves home he will be taking them with him. His other interests are his go cart that he paid $50 for at a garage sale, anything outdoors, collecting knives, and he love to watch Myth Busters, If These Walls Could Talk, How It's Made, and anything to do with forensics.

This is Jamison's cat "Garfield". He is a huge cat, and loves to play in boxes like this one in the hallway.

Jamison is a good student, he does not like anything to do with Language Arts, but he loves Science and is really good at math. He is our diabetic, so we keep a close eye on him, but he would like for us to just leave him alone. Typical boy.

The First Day of School Ends with a Surprise

2008-08-27T09:48:00.004-05:00

Everyone actually got up without a fight, and got ready for school on the first day. We let the triplets pick out their own clothes for the first day, and I had to bite my tongue. In my quest to let them "grow up a little", letting them make choiced that won't hurt them is a step. So, this year they are independant in making clothes choices. (As long as the clothes fit, and it is tasteful.) Picture day may be a different story.

That afternoon after everyone came home, I had just gotten back from walking 3 miles and was hearing about everyone's day, there was a knock at the door. It was Grandma Jenny and Grandpa Griffin. We were very suprised, as they don't get out much, especially this far (they live about 35-40 miles from here). But after a Dr appointment in Tyler, they stopped and picked up pizza, and brought it over for dinner on their way home.

Jayden and Grandma Jenny in her very blond wig.

Jordan will always be Grandma's girl, because they are so much alike.

Jamison and Grandpa.

Jessica gets a big hug from Grandpa Griffin.

Jayden's Very First Day of School

2008-08-26T21:50:00.003-05:00

Our baby started Kindergarten this week, and it was a great transition. On meet the teacher night last week, he cried because he did not want to leave his classroom. I guess it was a good sign of how he was going to be on the first day.

After waking him up, he went to the couch to think about what he wanted for breakfast.

He got all dressed up, and it was a beautiful morning.

He found his name to put up his backpack and give Mrs Graham his lunch money. We all really like his teacher, and bonus, so far she thinks Jayden is great.

He was ready for us to go, but not before we gave him hugs and kisses.

If you look real close, you can probably see the tears in Jake's eyes. Sad thing is, Jake's classroom is just down the hall.

Jayden came home, saying he had a great day, but he was exhausted. He fell asleep by 820pm, which is amazing for him. After all, he is a night owl like his momma.

Jordan Briann Griffin

2008-08-23T15:12:00.005-05:00

Jordan is such a beautiful girl, inside and out. She is smart, kind, a worry-wart, and very much her grandma Jenny's girl. She was the first born, and took a beating inutero. The other two bounced on her all the time, while she bounced on my bladder. Jordan, I would describe as a type A personality, always being harder on herself than Jake or I would ever be. Straight A's is what she brings home on her report card. Being an animal lover, she says she wants to do something with them when she grows up. I just hope what she does with them is not bring them to my house. She has her own cat "Ollie", who is a calico. Jordan worries a lot. She worries about everything from storms, her siblings, to being on time. She is very tall, and I wonder if she will keep growing, or be like me an dquit growing in the 5th or 6th grade.

"Wanted Dead, Not Alive"

2008-08-23T14:49:00.004-05:00

Whie we were gone on vacation "something" killed all of our baby guineas right in the cage. We had our suspicions, and they were right. Jake bought "me" some baby white silky chickens, and the other night when he went out to feed them, this is what he found. Jake has a knack for killing snakes with the pruning shears. He hates them, snakes that is. A few days prior a smaller snake got away. This one had obviously eaten something in the last few days, but he will no longer stalk our chicken cages. The only thing is, I hope we catch his buddies.

Enjoy the Very LOng Slide Show

2008-08-18T15:39:00.001-05:00

Here are a few (ha ha)pictures from this summer for you to see.

The Perils of Motherhood

2008-08-17T09:13:00.014-05:00

My friend Christina's baby Cason had his first birthday party yesterday, and it was so much fun. She is such a great mother and went all out for his party. It was not without a few bead of sweat from me, though..... read on.

Christina ordered a very special cake from a special bakery in another town. It just happens to be the town we go to church in, and I knew my husband would be there the morning of the party, so I volunteered him to pick up the cake. Which he did. We cleared a place in our extra fridge for it, and figured it would be safe. NOT!!!!! About 3 hours before we were to leave for the great event, I am at the computer, Jake is in the garage painting, who know where the tripletes were; Jayden comes to me and says. "Momma, I ate some of the cake".

I bolted to the utility room and this is what I found.

This was my feeble attempt to repair the damage, and the beautiful front side of the cake. After a healthy spanking, a few tears (on Jayden and I's parts), a phone call to Christina to drop the bomb, and a few stiffled laughs from Christina, the party was a great success. Now, that is an awesome friend, one who can still love you after your 5 year old son ruins her sons first birthday cake.

Well, long about midnight, Jayden is crying at the foot of my bed, stating he is itchy, and it hurts. In my haze of sleep, I took him to the bathroom and started putting lotion on him in the dark thinking that he had dry skin from playing in the water at the party all evening. The he began to scream, so I thought I better turn on the light. OH MY, he has hives all over him. I slathered him in benedryl cream and hydrocortisone cream which seems to soothe him, and he slept the rest of the night.

This is the hives when he woke up 9 hours later.The mentally ill alter ego in me can't help but wonder if this is his karma for digging his little hand into that cake. Reguardless, I better take him to the doctor in the morning.

As if his ears were not big enough.

A few great pictures of Cason Robert Burgess. Christina, I could not resist posting these.

As Cameron, Cason's dad said. Cason is really upset about the cake.

Jayden, enough said!!!!!!!

2008-08-17T08:55:00.002-05:00

Jayden adds soooooo much personality to our family, as if there was not enough. Truly life would be dull with out him. He can be so charming one minute, and raking on my last nerve the next. He makes me laugh and fume every day. Some people thought we were crazy having another baby after the triplets, but he has been a whole new experience from pregnancy on.

Jayden loves all things about cowboys and pirates, he would play in the dirt in his underwear from sun-up to sun-down if we would let him. Lucky for him we live out in the country and he can sometimes go out in the yard in his underwear. He really has a knack for quoting movies and singing songs, especially ones that he should not. Like "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?..." And of course all pirates drink rum, so his koolaid in childrens church is rum, not koolaid. His teachers think it is humorous, but it is still embarassing.

He is starting Kindergarten this year, and is very excited about going to big kid school where his daddy works. Thanks to our friend Lisa, he can almost read. He has spent the last two years with Lisa during the school year, and this last year she did a pre-k and kindergarten home school program with Jayden and her son Logan who is the same age.

All About Jessica

2008-08-13T18:37:00.003-05:00

Well, we have decided to dedicate an entry to each one of our family members, so we are starting with Jessica. She is the middle child of the triplets, and has the middle child personality, including being in trouble the most. She gave us the most worry when she was born, she was the only one on oxygen. Eventhough she is the smallest, she packs the biggest punch. Jess is our social butterfly, and has lots of friends including Kaitlyn, Megan, Morgan, Jake, and Amber. So far she is our only athlete, participating in basketball, volleyball, and soccer. She did not really have an affection for the soccer, but she tried it anyway. She likes animals, and has 3. A horse "Love" that lives at her Grandma Jenny's and Grandpa Griffin's; a dog "P. Sherman" a mutt that she shares with her momma; and midnight a kitten that has a great personality, but still is banished to the yard. She says she hates school, except lunch and PE, but she is a good student getting A's and B's. She does not like girly-girl stuff especially pink. She wants me to write that she likes to pull pranks, but I have not yet seen her excel at this quality. Bears is what she likes to collect, and has way too many of them.

Our Annual "Last Hoorah" Before School Starts

2008-08-08T05:32:00.008-05:00

For the third year in a row, the Griffin kids and the Gailey kids with their mothers take off to NRH20 near Fort Worth for the summers last Hoorah. It is a medium sized water park, that we feel safe in letting our kids run off in pairs and do their own thing. This is Jayden's second year, and he is getting very brave, and loves to go.

I know Jayden knows that I was watching him, so I am not sure if he was putting on a show, or if he was sincerely surprised by his actions. What is your vote?

Can you guess which one is not mine?

The race is on!!!

A Very Long Day

2008-08-07T05:55:00.002-05:00

Jake and I spent the entire day yesterday working on cleaning out the kids rooms. We removed 4, yes FOUR, 55 gallon trash bags full of trash out of their 3 rooms. Then on top of that we removed 3 55 gallon bags and numerous boxes of garage sale stuff out. Their rooms are virtually empty. Our motto was if we haven't seen in in the last 2 months it's going. The kids helped, and were actually cooperative. We are playing musical furniture also. The girls are getting a new queen sized bed (we will have to see how that goes), and Jayden got the top part of their bunk beds with attached dresser and desk. We are turning the bottom part into a tented play area. Being able to remove his dresser from his room will give him more floor space to make a mess, ha ha. Jessica and Jordan want their room redecorated, so it was a little sad to remove all the beautiful fairies and pink stuff. We will be replacing it with jungle prints, aaaaah the preteen years - here they come. Anyway it was a very long day, and it ended with a bubble bath and 3 ibuprofen for all my aches and pains. I did not think to take before and after pictures until I was already half done. The results were amazing, but do any of you parents have any suggestions on bargaining tools so we can get them to keep them this way?????

Some of the Beauty We Saw

2008-08-06T06:26:00.000-05:00

A great picture of Yellowstone Lake, a Bull Buffalo slicking off his winter coat, one of the 6 different bear we saw, and The Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River were just a few of the 465 pictures I took. I still have not loaded and counted the pictures on the girls cameras.

The Wild Man

2008-08-06T06:22:00.001-05:00

Jayden wanted to buy every toy gun he saw. Then when we had some downtime, he constantly played with them. Thank God we were in a part of the country where most people understand that little boys can play with guns, and it is okay, he won't turn out to be a serial killer.

2008-08-06T06:12:00.000-05:00

One of the things we did on our vacation was go on a breatkfast trail ride. Jake, Jordan, Jessica, Dad and I got up early one morning and off we went. Everyone will tell you, it was the best meal of our vacation. It was eggs, bacon, biscuits, potatoes, orange juice, and coffee all cooked over an open fire. The scenery was also beautiful.
Jamison did a little fishing. All he wanted out of the vacation was to catch some fish, poor thing did not catch a thing. My dad caught some after we left.

The Beginning

2008-08-02T07:13:00.000-05:00

So, a few friends have inspired me to create a blogspot, really some just want me to get on myspace, but I am going against the grain and doing this instead. So, hang with me while I try to figure this out. This picture of all of us was taken in the Beartooth Mountains in Northern Wyoming on July 4, 2008. We were at over 11,000 feet elevation, and the temperature was in the 40's. My kids were amazed at playing in the snow in July, as this was only their 3rd time to play in the snow, ever! We were on vacation, staying at a friends cabin (thank you Klinette), and none of had been in the shower yet that day. So, we may not look pretty, but we were having a great time.