Nashville Pictures

Never mind, Blogger won't upload pictures. I'll try again tomorrow.

We took the kids to the zoo this morning. Caleb enjoyed it, but he got bored after awhile. Alexa loved every minute. She kept pointing and growling at the animals. She even said, "Cat," for the first time. She also walked for much of the zoo instead of riding in the stroller, so she was one tired little girl this afternoon.

After naps, we went to the indoor swimming pool. The floor was very slippery. Caleb slipped a few times, but Alexa actually fell in the pool and went under. Grammy was right there, and got her out very quickly, but Alexa still protested vehemently at getting all wet.

Tonight we went out to dinner and then went to see the Opryland hotel. Now the kids are asleep, and I plan to go to bed soon as well.

Tomorrow after church, we head to Chattanooga.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

First, the one lone picture I took at Dave's graduation party last weekend.
At Phillip's graduation.
The non-napping girl. She slept for just a few minutes in the car, and that was it.
Phillip processing in. He was on the 2nd row since he graduated with top honors. Then we had a long, boring wait while the 300 something other graduates slowly processed in before the actual ceremony could start.
Out for dinner. We went to a restaurant with an aquarium in the center. The kids loved it. Uncle Phillip even bought Caleb a Sesame Street book about fish in the gift shop after dinner.

Uncle Phillip helped Caleb chow down on calamari.
Yum!

And Off We Go

Phillip's graduation is today at 2:00, so we plan to drive straight there and then check into our hotel afterwards. I'm sure it's going to be fun getting two kids who have been in the car all morning to sit still during a graduation, which just so happens to be during naptime. Fun, fun. Here's hoping that they sleep in the car, although they never do.

Tomorrow, we are taking the kids to the zoo. Alexa loves to roar like a lion, so I'm sure she will be quite amusing. For some reason, Caleb has it in his head that we are going to ride the animals. Hopefully the carousel at the zoo will be open tomorrow so that he can.

Off to finish breakfast and pack the van.

Absolutely Nothing Interesting To Say

It is has been a dreary, rainy, busy day here. I have to get my grading, lesson planning, etc. finished up for school tomorrow, which is always fun to do with 2 helpers. Caleb sat at the dining room table this morning and colored while I worked. We also ran to the UPS store to make copies in the rain. Oh and did I mention that my umbrella is either in Dave's car or in a black hole somewhere, but it is not in my van. And the copier jammed.

After the UPS store, we ran to Publix to get a few items for our trip to Nashville this weekend for Phillip's graduation. I also have to do mountains of laundry and start packing. On the way home, we are also spending a night at Covenant and then a day in Chattanooga. It's been awhile since we've been up there, so I'm looking forward to that.

Finally, I am selling some kids' stuff at a consignment sale this weekend. I have to drop off stuff this afternoon after naps, and then I get to shop at the presale tomorrow night. Which is exactly what I should be doing after a day of work before a long weekend trip, but the kids still need a few things for fall/winter, and I much prefer to purchase those things at consignment sale prices.

So for now, it is back to work for me! We should have internet at the hotel this weekend, so look for updates about our trip.

CVS Deals of the Day and Dentist trip

I dragged my mostly patient and well-behaved children to three different CVS stores today, all of which were out of the elusive Well Patch which is a nice money maker in the month of October. I did get lots of stuff. I spent a bit more than usual today, $11.94, because I needed to get some more diapers for Caleb for our trip this weekend, and I didn't want to use up all my ECB. I saved $135.18, which was a savings of 91%, so still not too shabby.

Here's what I got today -

Store #1 -
3 4 pack Bic Soleil razor cartridges
1 Breeze II diabetes monitor (donate)
1 Vitamin Water
1 CVS brand vitamin D

Store #2 -
1 4 pack Bic Soleil razor cartridges
2 Colgate Max Fresh toothpastes
3 kids toothbrushes (on clearance, hard to find a good deal on these)

Store #3 -
2 Mega packs Playskool diapers
2 packs Always pads
1 3 pack CVS paper towels

In between all these CVS trips, I took the kids to the dentist. They both did pretty well, and I really liked the dentist and office, until I learned that my insurance only gives a discount for pediatric dentists and doesn't actually pay for the visit. You think either the insurance company or the dentist could have told me that last week when I called. Anyway, we will be switching both kids to a family dentist for their next visits.

Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Tropical chicken ribbons, rice pilaf, salad
Tuesday - Homemade macaroni and cheese with diced ham, broccoli, rolls
Wednesday - Pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, vegetable medley
Thursday - Grilled cheese sandwiches, soup
Friday - Out of town
Saturday - Out of town
Sunday - Out of town

All Praise and Thanks to God

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;

The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

The words above are the third verse to the hymn, Now Thank We All Our God, by Martin Rinkart. We sing this verse at church each Sunday morning as the offering is received. I just started teaching the words to Caleb this week, so he could sing along in church. Well, sing along he certainly did, loudly and with enthusiasm, bringing tears to a few eyes and smiles to many faces. What a joy it is to see him worship the Lord together with the body of Christ!