September

Sweet September was filled with FOOTBALL, CHEERLEADING AND FLU!

Cooper played his second year of flag football again this year. Rober was the assistant coach again. They both had a blast. Cooper only got to run the ball once due to them taking turns each game. We only had a few games, but we practiced three times a week. That's a lot of practicing if you ask me. This is a shot of his one run with the ball. The last picture makes me want to cry. You can just see the little guy is upset that those evil Rocket players got his flag. I'm kind of a bad sport.

This is one of my favorite shots. One of the other mom's is a photographer on the side and she took tons of pictures of Cooper and the other boys and sold the mom's copies for only five bucks. I love this shot of him while they are singing the national anthem. Doesn't it look like he's looking right at her. I messed with it a little on Picnik trying to be cool, but I'm not sure I like the effect.

This was Miss Alexus' first year ever being a cheerleader. I was her coach and we had a blast. It brought back a lot of memories for me from when I was her age. She did an awesome job and is now taking gymnastics. She may end up following in her mother's footsteps after all.

Let's get fired up!!!!!

Well, hello there. Remember me?

I'm back!!! It has been forever since I last posted. I feel like I have been lost at sea for a few months. So much has been happening. Nothing big, just the usual crazy. I must admit that I have been a little addicted to facebooking lately. Not sure why; however, I have been religiously checking all of your alls blogs daily. I haven't missed a post. Even if I have not left a comment, I have still been reading. I know that means so much to you all.

I am going to try and catch up as quickly as I can, but I must blog in chronological order. I just must or it drives me crazy. My last blog was about July, so here comes August.

I now have a fifth grader and a kindergartner. Can you believe that?
No first day of school is complete without a properly done manicure. A girls gotta get her nails did! Alexus was lucky enough this year to have received a gift certificate to the local nail salon so she had a professionally painted set of claws for the first day of school. She is now slightly addicted to florescent nails and florescent everything else for that matter. I am secretly jealous of all of her florescent things as I would have died to have them when I was a little girl. I was lucky enough to have a few jelly bracelets and a pair of hot pink shoe strings. If only Justice had been around 25 years ago.

Cooper Reed was pumped to start what he called "big school". He got to move upstairs with the other big kids and away from the preschoolers. The first day was awesome. Not a tear one. Then came days two through thirteen. I am estimating the thirteen part; however, he cried every morning for over two weeks. It was a nightmare. He would enter the room and stay in his seat, but every morning I left him sobbing his guts out. The aide told me he cried the entire day one day. Then, finally he stopped. Big goober. I have no idea why he did this, but I totally expect him to do it again next year. So far, he seems to have tons of friends. He's already had two girlfriends. I have also been called one day by the aide to tell me that I needed to talk to him about sliding on his knees in the hallway. Apparently another teacher caught him pretending to slide into home base as he was supposed to be going to the bathroom. He also has received his first sad note for talking too much and blowing his pencils off of his table. All is expected and I love every single bit of his rotten behaviour. I'd much rather him be a little bit of a trouble maker than a big wimp.

Miss Alexus Reed on the other hand is all about fashion and BOYS! Thank goodness she is a naturally good student so her grades are not affected by her obsessions. She paints her nails every day and plans the hottest outfits for the next day. She is doing well and I cannot believe that this will be her last year at elementary school. Next year she will be at the middle school and heaven help me then. She has already heard about the dances that they have and is thinking she needs to dress up for each one like it is a prom. I should probably find a second job now. God love her little heart. I would have her no other way.

The parents are still alive and kicking. I can say that 2009 has so far been one of the best years of our marriage. We have now been married for thirteen and it's totally like us to have the best year of our marriage during the most unlucky numbered year. We have spent this summer just spending as much quality time with our kids as we can. They are really getting to that fun age. We are truly blessed.

Alexus' 10th Birthday! Candy Buffett

My only girl, my first born has hit a big milestone. She turned double digits. The BIG 10!! She planned her party for weeks, mailed out the invites and finally the big day came. She had a few girls over for a sleepover. We chose a candy theme and had a candy buffett as the party favor. They swam, ate pizza and rode in the golf cart. They told scarey (funny) stories and then crashed in the floor. I hit the couch and all went well. No drama at this slumber parties and it was the first one I have attended that my bra didn't end up in the freezer!!!

We made flip flops with different ribbons to match the school colors.

Human pyramids are a must at any sleepover.

Thank goodness no one was injured on the new birthday gift.

Here's a shot of the candy buffett. We used solid white chinese takeout boxes from Walmart and each girl got to fill it to the top with the candies of their choice. They thought they were in heaven.

I made the cake this year. I liked it, but she hated it. Of course, she's ten!

My favorite part of the candy set up was the suckers smashed in that bowl. It looked like a flower arrangement. I used tissue paper to fill it up and then crammed it full of baby blow pops. I also used ring pips to hang on the bowl full of gumballs. I got the idea from mique over at thirtyhandmadedays.blogspot.com a long time ago. She has tons of ideas. Check her out.

Vacation 2009

We just returned from a week short vacation. We went to Destin, Florida and were fortunate enough to have my best friend and her family go with us. We had a blast. As you can see.

I love this shot of Cooper. He lost both of his two front teeth the week before we left. He wanted to save one of them to put under his pillow at the beach to see if the toothfairy could find him. She sure did. She snuck into his room and put the money is a giant seashell. How cool is that toothfairy?

By the end of the trip, I could totally have left his little butt buried in the sand.

I love this shot of all of the kiddos. I framed it for my friend. It's a secret.

We ate lots of seafood. Cooper ate his first crablegs.

My kids had so much more fun at the beach than they normally do. It makes a ton of difference to have kids to play with.

This big girl will be ten in July. Where has the time gone?


In summary I learned a few things over the week.

1. fruit by the foot can and will be used against you in a motor vehicle.

2. if you get diarreah, go ahead and administer the Imodium AD after the first run to the potty. Don't just wish that it will go away, cause it will not.

3. krispy kreme doughnuts are better hot.

4. Breathe in, breathe out and move on.

5. Baby turtles make a lot of poop. Not a good pet.

6. Pay bills that are due while you are gone before you leave or otherwise they will be late. Duh...

7. It's fun to step outside of the box, especially with a good friend.

8. Real friends are always real friends, no matter how much time or what consequences have seperated you.

9. My kids need real work with table manners and ordering skills.

10. Always read the bottle of BBQ sauce carefully. Hot is a bad thing.

11. Real friends walk by each other out into the ocean to pee. I was on jellyfish watch while my bff peed. That's true friendship in my book. It sure beat walking all the way across the street to the real potty.

12. Rival Sno cone machines can be a lifesaver when the ice cream truck doesn't run. The darn thing ran like 6 times a day last year and we had to call it to come this year. What the heck?

13. Outdoor breakfasts rock.

14. There's no place like vacation.

Random Catch Up

Sorry, I have been missing in action for the last month. Let me just start by saying it has been a month of action!! Some of which I could have lived without, but am thankful that I lived through. Here's a catch up post.

• Cooper had pneumonia and got admitted to the hospital.
• Within one hour of being admitted, he was flown out to a better one.
• Missy prayed and cried--- a lot!
• Cooper got sepsis.
• Cooper got a pic line
• Cooper came home.
• Cooper's pic line kinked, Cooper got readmitted.
• Alexus felt very sad that she hadn't seen her family and had suddenly been sent to live with NANA.
• Cooper got his kinks worked out.
• Cooper came home.
• Missy worked for 4 days.
• Cooper got a virus and/or drug fever.
• Cooper got readmitted for three days.
• Cooper came home. Missy went back to work.
• Cooper got a four wheeler and Alexus got a golf cart. Missy and Robert are suckers.
• Missy held her breath for another week praying that we would not be readmitted. Three times and eight days were enough.
• Alexus is happy too, but scared that we will have to take him back.
• Missy got a new car (again, I'm a sucker for a good deal).
• Alexus go her first highlights and her boyfriend broke up with her :(
• Alexus won Student's choice, an award voted on by the students. Very proud of her.
• Missy has learned a huge life lesson. Enjoy every single day and don't sweat the small stuff.
• Missy turns 34 tomorrow. I think I will cry some more now.

It's That Time of Year Again

This has been a tough weekend at the Tussey farm. The family room television is broken and the world just about stopped spinning because of this. Not to mention, Cooper is sick again. It's an allergy thing, but the poor little guy has only been over type b influenza for two weeks now. It's never ending. We live in one of the most beautiful parts of the United States, but also one of the worst places for allergies and we as a family suffer because of it. Unfortunately, my children suffer the worst. I'm really hoping that this will get better as they get older; otherwise, I'm moving to Utah or Arizona.
I have to try and not complain too much about the weather because all of this Spring pllenation leads to some of my most favorite things including freckles of Alexus' nose.
Here's a shot of poor little sick Cooper eating his one millionth popsicle of 2009. Check out the beautiful blooms on my azelia (totally spelled wrong) bushes.
Check out this yard visitor. It's never ending here at the Tussey farm, visitors trespass through our yard uninvited. This turtle was HUGE!!
I'm thinking it looks a little like I felt this weekend. Aggravated at the entire world!
This weekend was also the opening weekend for our little league. Check out the cute little guy with his hat on backwards and the bright red spikes on. Also check out the hot second base coach in the white shirt. Who is that guy?
That's my little guy catching the grounder!!
Listening to the coach give out the rules of the dugout. No punching, no hitting and no dog piling :)
The little league parade. Cooper is in the far left with the giant hand full of bubblegum that he is about to launch at his dad. He informed me that he hit some lady in the eye glasses with gum and he also hit his football coach in the head. Maybe I shouldn't let him throw candy next year.
All in all, this pic sums up the weekend. We all felt like crap.

Easter 2009

We celebrated with family (my maternal grandparents)
The men looked for eggs.
It was a very good day.

We posed for family pictures.

We were all very glad that Cooper found the golden egg. This meant he didn't cry this year.

It was peaceful!

We ate.

We colored eggs.

We hid eggs.