Cousin Ella's Big Week!

This week Ella has a Birthday. Happy 6th Birthday!!!

Pretty Cousins!



We also heard that someone will be starting Big Kid School ***Kindergarten*** soon. Don't cry mommy, all the teachers will laugh at you (just like they did at me).

Happy Birthday Ella Bella,
Love from Catelin and Alex, Uncle Mark and Aunt Traci

YUCK

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO REALIZE THAT POOP ON YOUR HANDS IS DISGUSTING!

Poke a stick at it, Seriously?

Yesterday afternoon, I'm standing at the sink and I see Catelin's friend B. go racing into the far end of the back yard and just stand there.... ?
A few seconds later Catelin comes in the front door holding her wrist. She goes to the back door and tells B. to: "Get IN here!" Then she very calmly says: " I got stung by a bee." No screaming, no tears, no hysterics. This is Catelin were talking about. I'm surprised at her reaction.
B. comes in and tells the whole story. Apparently, they found a yellow-jacket nest in the ground and Catelin decided to POKE A BIG STICK IN THE HOLE to see what would happen....
How she managed to only get stung once, I'll never know! B. took off running because he is ALLERGIC to bee stings, luckily he didn't get stung. Then the front yard was swarming with angry wasps, definitely Mark's territory.

Boosterthon Fun Run

Today was the Boosterthon Fun Run at Catelin's school. They had a big pep rally, and lots of loud 'game-time' music. Catelin ran/walked 29 laps in the alloted 30 minutes. Now, aren't you glad you didn't pledge $5.00 per lap, like some of the participants did?? The fund raiser was to help earn money to buy new playground equipment for the school. It was lots of fun, but it sure was hot. Several of the kids were feeling sick after the run, one little girl fainted before the running even started. I hope, if they do this again, it's later in the fall. It was about 85 degrees when we left the school at 10:30 am.
Thank you for all your help donating money and "finding" states. We will find out tomorrow which classroom won the ice cream party for 'most states'. But Catelin definitely had the most countries. Thanks Aunt Lori!
Catelin's teacher, Ms. Blackburn and part of her class. Catelin is on the right with hands up.

Hot and sweaty. Alyssa and Catelin.

This picture is in here because I couldn't figure out how to delete it without deleting the whole posting, which I've already done, twice dammit.

Remember this blonde cutie from our neighborhood? I have a feeling we are going to be seeing alot of him during the teenage years.

Go Catie, G...... ooooo ants....

Oh, Yummy!

You know how I've said: I wasn't so sure I was going to like living in a "neighborhood"??
I didn't think I was going to like having neighbors drop by unexpectedly, trying to "visit" and socialize and be friendly and stuff... kids and adults have a habit of just showing up in the house here. Darn friendly southerners.

But all is forgiven, I love my neighborhood..... and here is one reason why:
One of our neighbors brought these to us today. Do you know what these are??? They are figs!! Fresh and warm just off the tree. And what a big, beautiful tree it is!
She figured we had never had fresh figs, straight off the tree. " 'Cause you can't get that Up North." Boy, was she right.

And when you get up from a 4 hour nap, because you are sick with a nasty cold, fresh figs just hit the spot.

When we get our own yard I am SOOO planting a fig tree.

Nice Try Mark

Nice try Mark, but I just don't think it's going to happen. The girl was NOT a voluntary participant in this nonsense.

I mean, come on, the girl is a bigger clutz than I am!

I finally just told him to make sure she knows there are sharp moving parts. So she doesn't cut her foot off.

Sometimes it's just better if I go back in the house.

What happened to my baby?

Remember what a good baby Alex was? He ate good, he slept good, he was so cuddly. He was just an easy-going little guy.

Now... do you remember what happened a couple weeks ago?

That's right! Alex had a birthday. His SECOND birthday.

Sometime at the end of last week, Alex fell head-long into a full-blown case of the Terrible Two's. If your child has been well behaved up until this point the Terrible Two's can be shocking, embarrasing and exhausting. (If your child starts the TT at 15 mos. and doesn't outgrow them until... oh say age 5, you don't notice it so much.)

Suddenly, Alex is hitting, pushing and biting his neighbor friends (and not just Catelin). He wants what he wants, when he wants it (like NOW). All toys are his. He says "No" and then shakes a finger at you. The umbrella stroller can't hold him. Baby gates can't hold him. He throws things at people. He whines and cries. He screams. Not just any scream. A long, loud, ear piercing scream from the bottom of his lungs. He demonstrated it in the Library today, because he wanted to go to the kids section where the bean bags are located. Yeah, were reeaall popular there..

He won't drink cold milk. Refuses. Stands in front of the microwave and points saying something along the lines of "No brrr drink". Some mornings he refuses to drink out of anything except the Thomas Train cup. Some days he refuses to wear pants, some days its shirts.

Stay tuned for finger shaking and tantrum photos. I'm exhausted, I think I fell asleep at 9:30 last night! Preschool a couple days a week is starting to sound good.... hmmm...

Cavities, and Plaque and Gingivitis, Oh My!

This morning I told Catelin to go upstairs, to get dressed and get ready to go run errands. Twice she comes back down, not ready to go. Finally, for the second time, I say, "Did you brush your teeth?"
Her reply: "I don't see why I have to brush my teeth, no one is going to see them anyway!"
So a Mom Lecture is necessary to explain cavities, yellow teeth and bad breath, etc.
Her muttered reply as she stomps back upstairs: "Well, I'll just keep my mouth shut."
If only......

Momma Kitty

This is "Callie Mae". She is our Kitty Baby Mama.
Although she looks a little bit evil in these pictures, she is not. She is a very sweet little cat, who has tolerated all the kids handling, moving, carrying and losing her kittens, very well.

Remember I said she lives across the street from our house?

Well, when Lucy came to live at our house last weekend it didn't take Callie Mae long to realize where her little girl kitten had gone.

Every morning this week, between 6 & 7:00 am Callie Mae is sitting at our front door. Meowing... LOUDLY.


We have a system now. I open the door to let her in, then I get Lucy and put them out in the garage together. Callie Mae gives Lucy a bath and 'breakfast'. After a while I open the garage door and C.M goes home.

Sometimes she comes to visit after school while the kids are playing outside. But she always comes back before dark for another visit.

Is this the craziest thing ever?? She still has two other kittens at home to care for.
I figured Callie Mae would forget about Lucy after a day or two. But every day this week she has shown up right on schedule. This afternoon she even brought a gift. A live lizard. Yum! What a good mama! You should have heard Catelin shrieking! Ha, good times around the Orr house.

Lucy, on the other hand, is quite content with her new digs. Just hangin' out and learning her place in her new home.

You Might Be A Redneck If.......

this is what......

your child looks like.....

playing in the front yard......

at 10:00 in the morning!

Welcome, Lucy

Well, if any of you have spoken to Catelin in the last 7 weeks you knew it was coming.

Our neighbor's cat had kittens. This was at Brayden's house. Where Catelin plays every single day.

How many times can a persistent 8 year old say "Pleeeaassse" in 7 weeks?

Three trillion, six million times.

This is Lucy. Like Lucy in Narnia. She is 7 weeks old. If we give her a full bowel of food she might weigh-in at 2 pounds.

Lucy is pretty small!!

But did I mention her fleas were almost as big as she is? Hmmm......... yeah....

Did I mention she was supposed to be an outside cat? Yes, that is my white bedspread she's scratching on.

But regardless of how small Lucy is she is still a cat. She can already scale the futon-couch and find the only pile of clean laundry to sleep on.

But the biggest question is: What is Zoey going to do when she returns from her country vacation with Nanny in Campbell Hill?

Look out Lucy....