I'm still here

Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. But you know, the holidays are crazy, busy and so I have neglected my blog. oh no! I have no pics to post right now but suffice it to say, we had a GREAT Christmas! We went to church Christmas Eve where five minutes into the service, Luke fell asleep so I held him for the hour-long service. My arm was more than asleep after it was over. Then we came home to gumbo and Jack and Sharon came over. It was so nice to visit and be festive and watch all the children's excitement!

Santa came and brought each child one wrapped present (the other gifts weren't wrapped). Luke's was cowboy boots, pants and a shirt; Asa's was a kid video camera; Andrew's was a yankees jersey and cap; and Noah's was a cell phone! oh, the excitement. everyone loved their gift however Noah was the most surprised b/c mama and daddy have been insisting for a long time that he would not get one til he drove. Let's just say they caved. And the fact that it was totally free and as long as he sticks to calling and texting only Cingular/AT&T people, it will be free. So don't expect a call unless you are with that carrier! however, last night he dropped it in the toilet and now it won't work. Suffice it say, you shouldn't be using your cell phone on the toilet. And guess who had to dig it out of the toilet. And he wasn't using number 1. ok, too much info. gotta love being a mom!

We went to my parent's home on Christmas day. so nice. So cool how the older we get the better we get along and the more affectionate we become. There was not much affection growing up however now Mama and Daddy give lots of hugs and "i love yous." Guess they picked it up from our generation b/c we seem to say it all the time and give hugs to everyone! I am so appreciative of my parents, more and more everyday; and so grateful that they are still here. so many of my friends have or are losing their parents. Don't want to think of that.

We spent a few days in New Iberia which always nice and crazy. Enjoyed our time in the heated pool at the hotel. the kids love seeing their cousins and playing. there were 4 ipod nanos and two new cell phones and lots of laughter coming from upstairs!

We came home and welcomed Darren and Jill and Cole to our house. All the boys went riding horses in the National Forest. I have spent the last few days undecorating and putting new things in their place; cleaning out closets, toys, doing laundry, etc.

Today is my 37th bday and it doesn't feel any different. We tried to find a sitter so we could go out but none were to be found. so it will be a quiet new year's eve and that's ok. trying to find a family friendly movie. is there such anymore?

i just have to comment on the jamie lynn spears issue. It really stinks to have to explain to my five-year-old how she got pregnant. Of course, I didn't really, however he keeps asking me over and over again about it. And it doesn't help that the father's first cousin is in Noah's class and so he gets "first=hand" information. And the commercials are playing about her leaving and going to boarding school in London (on her show of course). Geez! give a mom a break! Not ready for all this! want to keep my kids "innocent" forever or atleast a little while longer.

so that about sums it up.

as soon as I learn my new printer and print program, I"ll be posting pics.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

this and that

 Jimmy cooked jambalaya Saturday and the boys were outside reading around the pot. Just love how Noah was reading to Luke. so sweet!

 on the same day, Luke wanted to run around the yard, however couldn't find his tennis shoes but found these crocs with no back. So he taped them onto his feet. Isn't he smart?

 Noah killed a doe last night. First one this year. Mr. Oliver, friend and employee, took him. Oliver had killed one earlier in the day and Noah helped him skin and clean it. So he had a day, doing the same with another. Guess you have to be of the male species to "get it." Anyway, he was proud, so I am proud for him.

Safe and Sound

Missy is home now after spending the night in Atlanta and making a stopover in Houston. Glad she is safe.

our festive Christmas weekend

 
 
Asa and Luke at the parade (Noah and Andrew were there but no Jimmy)


 
Isn't it cute how they made this pony so festive?


 
Traci and I goofing off. Yesterday was her 40th Bday!


PS saying a prayer of safety right now for Missy. she is on an airplane in North Carolina (or is it South) and the engine died on the runway and they went back to have it checked and now are taking off. Makes me a bit uneasy so I am asking God for his hand of protection on that aircraft.

pics that go with previous post

 

 

 

U

do you know how hard it is to come up with five "u" words that don't start with "un?"

1)ugly--I use this word a lot, not talking about someone's looks but how they act.

2)uvula--isn't it that thing that hangs down in the back of one's throat? to stop one from choking? if so, then I am sure am thankful for this "u" word b/c I personally don't like to choke.

3)unique--love to be different, not too much but I don't know things just b/c it is the thing to do. don't mind being a bit unique in that sense.

4)usual--as in "the usual." I enjoy "the usual" of our life. the mundane day to day things that our life is made of.

5)useless--don't like someone who has this trait, as in a loser. (sorry can't think of any other "u" words--you try)

T

1)Texas--love that state!

2)Traci--my wonderful, loud, unique sis. gotta love her!

3)Tiny--something I know nothing about.

4)Truth--something I really want. admire it when someone can be totatly truthful even when it's hard.

5)Ticklish--I am VERY and HATE to be held down and tickled. Will come up fighting mad!

S

1)Sane--a state of being that I never truly really questioned until I had children--four to be exact! haha!

2)Scrapbooking--a true love of mine. I started out doing it for my boys however I will admit that I enjoy it so much that I now it for me . . . to stay sane!

3)Swing--I absolutely LOVE to swing . . . preferably in a old wooden swing in a big tree on a breezy summer day.

4)Season--love the Christmas Season!

5)Sick--HATE being sick. right now I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!

christmas around my house

our mantle

 

love this stained-glass wisemen deco--Jimmy's aunt Hazel gave this to me thie year before she died. it is beautiful when the votive candle is glowing behind it.

 

my nativity set. my sis, missy gave this to me for my 21st birthday, the first year I was married. there are many broken pieces that I have glued back together with love. it is tiny but means so much to me.

 

R

1)Red - my fav color. have lots in my house. makes me happy!

2) Relax - something I have never learned to do. always feel like there is something that needs to be done that keeps me from totally relaxing. unless I am at the beach, that is.

3) Rest - something one can never get too much of. good for the body and the soul.

4) Rich - used to think of this word only in monetary terms however I now know better. Rich is a state of mind when you really think about it. Although the monetary kind would be kinda cool too.

5) Remedy - anyone know a remedy for bronchitis and all the after-crud? I have had it for four weeks and still not up to par.

Christmas shopping at its finest

I left at 5:30 am yesterday morning at crawled into bed at exactly 2am this morning. Went shopping with supper club girls. Too much fun to even begin to describe! too bad we didn't have a camera to document all the packages, rearranging, shifting, etc. that it took to fit us all into Leslie's suburban. Last year it was six of us and it was crazy with everyone holding multiple bags on their laps and this year was even more pandemonium b/c 8 of us went. Holy Cow! It was wild. Next year, we are either bringing a trailer or going in Leslie's motor home and making it a two day event. Thanks girls! I had a blast!

It really is "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

The house is all decorated and even made some Christmas goodies tonight with Luke's help. We got our tree yesterday and decorated it tonight. Love the smell of a real tree. So glad the Season is here.


 
 

The holiday season is officially here!

Got up at 4:30 am this morning and went to WMart to get some good deals. got everything i went for except one thing but was able to order that online just now. so cool to be using my laptop in my car. gotta love wireless! anyway, waking up so early was welcomed--Jimmy, Luke and I shared a double bed--MISERABLE! geez how do couples sleep so close?!?! now we are headed to LSU for the big game. Go Tigers!!!!! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. we did. dinner was yummy thanks to Mama! and then she and I made dry cookie mixes to sell at Christmas Bazaar at school.

So excited the Christmas Season is here! my fav time of the year!

McKey Family Reunion -- pics are finally here!

Aunt Maxine, these are for you! enjoy! our family reunion was awesome! can't wait til next year! Love ya!



 
 
 
 

McKey Family Reunion Nov 3, 2007

 
 
 
 

McKey Family Reunion 2007

 
 
 
 

Andrew's 10th birthday party

the bonfire
 


the birthday boy
 


the sleepover
 

Thanks, Vera!

for these slippers . . . I bought them last Friday, the day I got sick. They were a bit pricey for slippers but I splurged b/c I didn't have any winter slippers and boy am I glad I did. Being sick all week without slippers would have been the pits. So, thanks Vera. You've kept my feet warm and cozy.

Major catch up

the last few weeks have come and gone and here is a bit of what i've been up to . . .

finished pulling up flooring and painted concrete. came out pretty good.

held McKey family reunion here. beautiful weather. about 50 people came. good food. hayride, fishing. wonderful day.

had supper club here last Thursday night. ate yummy gumbo that Jimmy cooked for us. thanks babe!

got sick the next day and that is where i have been for the last week. went to work on Wed but that was a mistake and was diagnosed wtih bronchitis yesterday. got a shot and some other rather pricey meds but if it works, that I am fine with it. still not up to par. ugh! feel like i have lost an entire week of my life.

looking forward to feeling better and getting into the holidays.

having a birthday weinie roast for andrew monday afternoon. can't believe he'll be 10 on Thanksgiving Day!

hope to be a better blogger in the weeks to come.

PS The alphabet game will resume in a day or so. . . as soon as my brain starts working again. of course, missy is the only one who cares but we sure have enjoyed ourselves, huh, girl!

Q

making up for lost time

Q is really gonna be hard or unmeaningful for sure.

1)quiet--not a good word to describe me although I enjoy a quiet house!

2)quick--another word to NOT describe me, as in "she ran quickly" because when it comes to anything that involves running, I don't do it quickly.

3)queasy--can't stand the feeling just before you throw up! would rather have my little toe removed.

4)quit--don't like a quitter. trying to teach the boys the value of finishing what you start, like I am doing in my marriage. I started it, now I have to finish it--haha!

5)queen--I am the queen of my household. Whether they know it or not, I tell them often. Want my boys to learn to treat their significant other as a queen. They can practice on me.

N, O, and P

N

1)Noah--my firstborn. Nothing compares to that first pregnancy, birth, time alone with just one child. Not showing favortism, just the way it is. He is growing into a fine young man (for the most part--haha!)

2)Never--such a strong word that should NEVER be said. I remember one day talking with Daddy referring to Missy having two boys and he asked me what I would do if I had another boy (I only had Noah at the time) and I said something about NEVER having more than two boys. Like I said, it's a word that should NEVER be used b/c NEVER is a very long time!

3)Neat--the way I like things. Most of the time my house is NEAT but maybe not clean and I'm ok with that.

4)Need--such a strong word. there are not many things that we truly NEED. maybe food, water, shelter, love and the rest is just lagniappe . . . except for maybe a really good pedicure every once in a while.

5)Naked--or as we say "Nekid." the way my boys like to be most of the time. even the big boy.

One more . . . .

6)Nimcumpoop--use that word for when the boys do something really goofy. is it a real word?




O

1)Organized--goes back to the neat thing.

2)Ocean--Love the sound of it. one of my fav places to be.

3)Obnoxious--don't like it when people act obnoxious. Pre-teen boys are really good at this.

4)Obey--cannnot believe that this word used to be in marriage vows!!!!!!!! Jimmy likes to think that I said it in my vows however I have the video to prove that I did not.

5)Obese--by the "skinny people doctors who propose these guidelines", I am considered obese. Not good.



P

1)Pain--don't like it, however sometimes it is a good thing like the pain of childbirth. Don't like to see my children in pain, physical or emotional.

2)Patience--something I don't have enough of.

3)Pretty--Don't we all want to feel pretty? Overheard Luke telling Jimmy one night that his "girlfriend" is the prettiest "except for Mama." Aaaaawwww!

4)Puke--can't stand to do it or clean it up.

5)Pissed--not a nice sounding word but I use it a lot, "pissed off" that is. need to stop. setting a bad example. won't let my kids say it.

so what did you do this weekend?

i pulled up flooring in our living room and kitchen. it was a HUGH job and I am very tired and sore. Asa and Luke were really BIG helpers, especially Asa. Heh worked right along side of me all day both days, despite having fifth's disease which hasn't slowed him down one bit. scraping 60 year old glue with a one inch razor blade is pretty time consuming--did i mention that it smells awful? painting the concrete for now. not a long term solution but it will be ok for a while. searching for a rug for the living room. better get back to scraping.

 

Meet Buck -- Andrew's new horse

 

living room painted

was supposed to be more of a cream however it is more of a white. atleast it is fresh and clean and new.

 

M

1)Mama--love that word. love being one. love my Mama. sounds so much more endearing than "mother."

2)Missy--my sister. she is a great friend to me. can't imagine life without her. she was like my second "Mama" when I was growing up. Played with me, took me places, gave me money when Mama wouldn't. She is also a GREAT "mama" to two great boys. Love ya!

3)Memories--got some really good ones. thankfully, not too many bad ones. Hoping to create awesome memories for my boys.

4)Mexico--went there on my honeymoon. we were very naive and didn't know the ropes. wish we could go back now that we are older.

5)May--going to Disneyworld!

Meet Ann & Blaze

This is Ann!
 






This is Blaze!
 









The two sisters together!
 

Saturday we went to 4-H day at the MS State Fair in Jackson then traveled to Bellfontaine to pick up two puppies that Noah bought. Little did I know just how far Bellfontaine was! OMG! it was a 5 hour drive home! but the puppies are so cute and worth it, I guess. We spent more in gas than the puppes cost together! Oh, the love of a boy and a dog. After watching "Where the Red Fern Grows" over and over again this summer, he decided he wanted two hunting dogs and thus the search was on. He found these for sale in the MS Market Bulletin. He reserved them even before they were conceived and has seen them weekly via email pics. They are Feist and supposedly good hunting dogs. Noah is happy; his brothers are enjoying them too; and Josie is jealous!