Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

Madalynn read her first Dr. Seuss book cover to cover today, which is big reason to celebrate! She is gaining confidence in moving away from her readers and reading some real books, and she's sounding out bigger words like "wonderful" and "sizzle."

I asked her if she would mind me posting about her achievement, and she said she would like it if I would. Her only request, however, is that I put the words of the book in the blog.

Presented for your reading enjoyment at the request of Madalynn, here is Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises, "Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?"

Oh, the wonderful things Mr. Brown can do! He can go like a cow. He can go MOO, MOO.
Mr. Brown can do it. How about you?

He can go like a bee. Mr. Brown can BUZZ.
How about you? Can you BUZZ, BUZZ?

He can go like a cork, POP, POP, POP, POP!
He can go like horse feet, KLOPP, KLOPP, KLOPP.

He can go EEK, EEK, like a squeaky shoe.
He can go like a rooster, COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!

He can go like an owl, HOO, HOO, HOO, HOO.

EEK, EEK, EEK, EEK!
COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!
HOO, HOO, HOO, HOO!
How about you?

He can go like the rain...DIBBLE, DIBBLE, DIBBLE, DOPP.
DIBBLE, DIBBLE, DIBBLE, DIBBLE, DOPP, DOPP, DOPP.
He can go like a train, CHOO, CHOO, CHOO, CHOO!

Oh, the wonderful things Mr. Brown can do!
MOO, MOO
BUZZ, BUZZ
POP, POP, POP
EEK, EEK
HOO, HOO
KLOPP, KLOPP, KLOPP
DIBBLE, DIBBLE
DOPP, DOPP
COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!
Mr. Brown can do it.
How about you?

Mr. Brown can WHISPER, WHISPER very soft, very high, like the soft, soft whisper of a butterfly.
Maybe YOU can, too.
I think you ought to try.

He can go like a horn, BLURP, BLURP, BLURP, BLURP...
Like a big cat drinking, SLURP, SLURP, SLURP.

He can go like a clock. He can TICK. He can TOCK.
He can go like a hand on a door, KNOCK, KNOCK.
TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Oh, the wonderful things Mr. Brown can do!
BLURP, BLURP, SLURP, SLURP
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
and HOO, HOO, HOO!

He can even SIZZLE, SIZZLE.
He can do that, too, like an egg in a frying pan.
How about you?

Mr. Brown is smart, as smart as they come.
He can do a hippopotamus chewing gum!
GRUM, GRUM, GRUM, GRUM, GRUM, GRUM, GRUM!

Mr. Brown is smart, so smart he can even do this:
He can even make a noise like a goldfish kiss!
PIP!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Mr. Brown is a wonder!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Mr. Brown makes thunder!

He makes lightning!
SPLATT! SPLATT! SPLATT!
And it's very, very hard to make a noise like that.

Oh, the wonderful things Mr. Brown can do!

MOO, MOO
BUZZ, BUZZ
POP, POP, POP,
EEK, EEK
HOO, HOO
KLOPP, KLOPP, KLOPP
DIBBLE, DIBBLE
DOPP, DOPP,
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO
GRUM, GRUM, GRUM, GRUM,
CHOO, CHOO, CHOO
BOOM! BOOM!
SPLATT! SPLATT!
TICK, TICK, TOCK,
SIZZLE, SIZZLE
BLURP, BLURP
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

A SLURP and a WHISPER and a FISH KISS, too.
Mr. Brown can do it.
How about you?

Our Classroom

Three boxes containing the kids' new homeschool desks and chairs were delivered by the UPS truck yesterday!

I put the kids to work labeling their school supplies after supper last night while they very impatienltly waited for Travis to assemble their desks. Proud of their new personal work spaces, the kids posed so Travis could snap a picture for me to post. My teaching wall is also pictured.

Each child enjoyed sitting in their own desk today to do their work. I purchased a fourth desk and chair, just because the desks came packaged in twos and the chairs in fours. I am using the fourth chair to sit next to the kids at their level to work with them for now. Jillian will be able to use the extra desk when she gets old enough to sit up to it. Dawson still asks me when we are going to "play school" so he can do his "worksheets," too! :)

One note. I ordered the kids' school supplies from a website that I highly recommend because it saved me precious time and money. I tried getting into the school supply isles at Wal Mart a total of about seven times before I gave up and looked to the Internet. I do not have time or patience to battle carts and people while herding four kids. The site is schoolkids.com. Schoolkidz.com has grade-ready prepackaged boxes of school supplies, so I ordered Madalynn a first-grade kit, Justis the Kindergarten kit and Dawson got the pre-K kit. Each child received a box with their supplies and a sheet of labels with their name and school (home school in their case) to put onto all of their supplies. Some schools register their grade lists with the site, so parents can order grade-specific supplies customized to the teacher's requests of their child's school. Please share this information with any parent/teacher you think might appreciate this service for next school year. I'm putting the link in the margin of our blog with the others!

Justis vs. Dawson

Why buy ring-side seats to a wrestling match when you get to play the referee and experience the REAL action first-hand in your own home?

I could have made money selling tickets to the show Justis and Dawson put on for us today. Tension, drama, bulging muscles and veins, surprise and all of the other elements that make a profitable sporting event were displayed by our budding fighters today in the living room.

In the first corner was Justis. Weighing in at a wiry 36 pounds, Justis is a flash of uncontrollable energy, driven by his pursuit to mediate and keep a balance of fairness and order to our household.

In the second corner was Dawson. Weighing in at a solid 36 pounds as well, the last thing Dawson wants to do is to use his overpowering physical strength to fight. He is driven by his pursuit of hugs and kisses and getting a laugh.

Justis must have won the coin toss, because he got to choose the fighting position. Travis and I found Dawson crouched down in his corner of the mat (Grandpa George's old lounger) defending whatever he had underneath him, with Justis on top of him holding his hands down yelling, "It's MINE, Dawson. GIVE IT BACK!"

Foul was called when the referee (Travis) noticed Justis was fighting unfairly. The ref determined that Dawson was minding his own business when Justis made his first move.

The ref turned his back to help the other ref (mom) finish getting lunch on the table. Justis and Dawson began circling, crouched down and wondering whose move was next.

Justis reached toward Dawson. "NO-OH, JUSTIS!" Dawson yelled, backing away.

Dawson's adrenaline apparently jolted him to action next. Dawson charged Justis, screaming a blood-curdling scream-turned-to-growl. He then (still growling with his open mouth now planted in Justis's bare chest in an attempt to bite him) simultaneously lifted him completely off the ground while bear-hugging him.

"Dawson, NO!" the referee yelled. But he was too late.

A growling and screaming Dawson, in a fury of testosterone, body-slammed unsuspecting and surprised Justis to the ground.

The referee used his strength to rip the crying boys apart and put them each back into their own corners to cool down. All three men were sweating!

The second referee (that's me) was no help at all. She just stood in the kitchen laughing at the intensity and humor of the situation. The fact that all three men had ironically come dressed for the occasion in nothing but their skivvies made the second ref laugh even harder.

Upon questioning the fighters, the referee determined that the cause of the fight was a tiny gift bag of highlighters. They were Justis's, but Justis had left them out where Dawson (not knowing whom they belonged to) picked them up to get a closer look.

The referee declared himself the winner and ultimate authority in the situation and imposed a penalty spanking on the behind of both fighters. He then sentenced the fighters to apologies and hugs.

Dawson, in an intense display of emotion and tears, ran to his brother Justis, bear-hugging him as hard as before. This time his bear hug was a symbol of love and apology. "Sorry," Dawson said, sobbing.

"I forgive you," Justis said, "I'm sorry, too.

Feeling whole and right with each other again, the boys surrendered and forgot about the fight as quickly as it had started.

Dawson must have been a little bitter about the penalty imposed to his behind by the referee, however.

"I don't like you, Daddy!" Dawson said, folding his arms and scowling at Travis.

"That's okay son, I love you, anyway."

A Day at the Davis Homeschool Academy

Homeschooling is new to me, so I figure it might be new to some of you as well. I would like to walk you through a day in our family's homeschool schedule.

6:45 (or earlier) is wake-up time. I feed the kids breakfast and eat mine quickly so I can clean out the dishwasher to make room for the dirty dishes. Madalynn and Justis are sent to their rooms to tidy up and pick out clothes for the day while I load the dishwasher. I gave Jillian a bath and then help Madalynn shower while the boys are soaking in the tub, finish the boys up and then take my shower. I make my bed and tie up any loose ends with house work.

At 8:35, I announce that school is starting and all four of the kids pile into the front room to start. The front room, formerly our small former living room that we didn't often use, is now the school room. Pictures were replaced with bulletin boards, number charts, etc. A bookcase holds all of our school materials and books. We are waiting on the desks I've ordered for all of the kids (even Dawson) to arrive. Until they do we are using the kitchen table for doing worksheets.

The character trait we are working on is Attentiveness. We get up and moving by playing our CD with the attentiveness song. The kids and I go through the song three times, at their request, just to make sure we are awake. A game or lesson about attentiveness finishes off our discussion of our character trait.

Prayer is next. The kids and I like to make a list of what we are thankful for, people we ask God to bless, and for our school day. Each child chooses one or two things they want to pray for and we all pray together.

Archie the Apple helps us figure out the month, date and day of the week each day. The kids have to help HIM figure out what day he needs to move to. We then recite the months of the year and the days of the week a couple of times. The kids identify what season we are in and what the weather is like and they turn their weather and season dials to indicate the correct conditions.

Number recitation is next. We use a big number chart that I point to to help us memorize. Justis counts with me by himself from 1-30, then Madalynn joins in to help as we count the rest of the way by 1's to 100. We then count by tens to 100 a couple of times. We say the ABC's and sometimes play ABC bingo before moving in to the kitchen table.

Math is the first subject we do. I sit with both Madalynn, Justis and Dawson and help them with their separate worksheets. Dawson is mastering holding a crayon and is barely learning to color. Justis is working on recognizing and writing his numbers to 30 and counting grouped objects. Madalynn is working on adding single-digit numbers, telling time, doing simple story problems, and identifying and writing numbers to 100. This week has been review for both children. We start the actual math curriculum Monday.

Reading/phonics is next. I have Madalynn do her phonics worksheet(s) while Justis works on identifying and writing his alphabet. I then let Justis go play with Dawson while Madalynn reads to me out of a reader or real book for at least 30 minutes.

Math and reading/phonics are the two subjects that are critical for a good foundation for children Madalynn and Justis's age, so we work hard at them. We usually spend three hours (from 8:30-11:30 a.m.) on the basics.

We break for lunch and eat leftovers or sandwiches while I start or fold laundry.

Five in a Row, our favorite "subject," is saved for last. I usually wait and do this in the afternoon or when I know the kids are rested from their rigorous morning subjects.

Five in a Row is a literature curriculum which uses real children's books to explore social studies, science and the arts. The same book is read five days in a row and we do a different activity after the story is read each day. "The Clown of God" was this week's story. Giovanni, a young orphan who becomes a career juggler, lives in Italy and juggles until he gets so old that people get tired of his act and he finally drops one of his juggling balls. He decides to go back to his hometown of Sorrento, where he juggles his last time while giving his best performance (standing before a statue of Mary and Jesus) to a solemn Jesus before he falls down dead at the foot of the statue! I about died laughing the first time I read the book because to me it was hysterical that a children's book character would fall down dead at the end of the book with the illustration to prove it! The monk who finds Giovanni dead looks up at the statue and is taken aback when he finds Jesus holding Giovanni's favorite juggling ball and his carved frown had turned into a smile. Madalynn summed it up best when she said, "It's kind of sad, but it's kind of happy, too. He went on to grace to be with Jesus and he gave Jesus his best gift." A perfect summation of the story. She got the point.

You may be thinking, "What in the world could a book like that do to teach social studies, science and the arts?" Well, Monday, we talked about new vocabulary. We learned what an eggplant, gondola, duke, troupe, orphan and brother (monk) is. We also talked about the author and illustrator of the book. Tuesday we spent two hours using my architecture art supplies from college and used ink, colored pencil and watercolor to create our own masterpieces on watercolor paper. Wednesday, we got out a world map and learned where Italy is and talked about how it's different from Louisiana. We talked about orphans and the elderly Thursday. Today the kids identified Italy again and we reviewed what we learned. We will find an eggplant when we go to the produce store in a little bit.

Late afternoon or evening are reserved for me to run any errands I have to. Yesterday we went to the library and checked out some books when we were done with school.

Travis comes home to a warm reception from the kids and a meal and we play as a family until the kids go to bed. Sometimes Travis plays with the kids while I run essential errands ALONE! Travis and I enjoy sharing about our days and then turn in early almost every night. We wake up looking forward to starting a new day!

The Davis Homeschool Academy

Like the name of our school? Creating a name for our "private school" and registering it with the state was just one of my duties as Madalynn and Justis's new teacher.

Homeschooling is a new adventure for our family. I will be the first to admit I do not have a PhD (or even a bachelor's degree) in teaching. I will be humbly relying on God and the support of other veteran teachers and homeschoolers for information quite often, I'm sure. I don't feel completely in the dark about schooling my children, thanks to the wisdom of my parents who are both outstanding educators and other friends, teachers and homeschooling moms.

A book of the top 100 homeschooling curriculums helped me determine the kids' learning styles, my teaching "style," and which of the top 100 curriculums fit all of our needs best. The bones of this year's learning (so to speak) are the phonics/reading and math curriculums. To those I added a literature program that ties in social studies, science and the arts.

I won't bore you with the details, but I will sum up our first week for you tomorrow. I will share what a day of homeschooling for us is like. If you're wondering why I haven't posted many blogs this week, it's because we've been homeschooling. Time flies when we're having fun (schooling), and we've all been busy! More tomorrow...

Yellow Water

This is both gross and hilarious. Hope you're not too offended.

Dawson was taking a bath in the big bathtub in our master bath this morning as I was taking a shower. He likes to talk to me through the shower curtain while he's bathing, so he was chatting away to me.

Suddenly he said, "Mom! I've got to go potty!"

I said, "Well you're either going to have to pee in the tub or wait until I'm out of the shower and then I can get you out."

Without further adieu, I heard a sprinkling sound coming from the tub.

I stuck my head out of the shower. "Dawson, did you just pee in the tub?"

He grinned at me and said, "Ya."

I said, "That's gross Dawson. Yucky."

Dawson looked thoughtful as he laid down on his stomach, carefully keeping his chin out of the pee water. "Don't eat it, right?" he asked.

"You're right, Dawson, don't drink the water."

"Okay," he said.

I thought when I gave him the choice to go in the toilet or his own bath water he would surely choose to wait and use the toilet. Well, at least he had enough sense to know it wasn't fit for swishing around in his mouth!

Share YOUR school story!

School is officially in session for Madalynn, Justis and Dawson. Today was their first day of homeschool. I am so happy to be able to teach my children and watch them learn. Both Madalynn and Justis have told me they are glad I am homeschooling them because they like spending time with me, which makes me feel loved, too!

I thought it would be fun this first week of school for you all to share your fondest school story with the kids. The way you can do that is by posting your story as a comment on the blog. Everyone can read each other's story, and I will print and share your stories with the kids as well. I'll start!

I have so many fond memories of school. Each of my parents were fantastic middle school teachers for years, too. They are now retired. I KNOW they have lots of stories!

Winning a jar full of candy corns is one of my memories from elementary school. The whole school had a contest to see who could guess the number of candy corns in a big Kerr jar. My mom always dropped me off at the school lunchroom a little earlier than the other kids in the morning, because she and dad had to be at their school early. I took advantage of that time and used my newly acquired geometry skills to figure the number of candy corns in the jar. I figured the volume of the jar (length x width x height) and wrote that answer on a card with my name on it and stuck it in the answer box. Those of you who know me know I'm not a pro at math, so imagine my surprise when the principal came across the intercom the day before the start of Thanksgiving break to announce I had won the candy corn guessing contest. I ended up only being off the actual number of candy corns in the jar by three! I got to tote the huge jar of candy corns home. I think they were on the shelf in my closet for about two years before they were all gone. I went on to be very good at geometry, but I still stink in algebra!

Please share your favorite story(ies) with us!

Straw Paper

Not much embarrasses this mother of four (and wife of prankster, Travis), anymore. I have dealt with so many "uncomfortable" situations, courtesey my family and my own doings, that not much phases me anymore.

Going somewhere as a family is like a parade or a circus. Each child (and adult) has a very distinct personality and his or her own set of opinions. I don't think I would be stretching it to say we have six Type A personalities living under the same room, in fact!

Justis was the star of the circus tonight. Travis and I took the kids to the zoo in New Orleans and then decided to go eat at the yummy Chinese restaurant P.F. Chang's for dinner. P.F. Chang's is a chain restaurant, for those of you who haven't been, but it has ambiance. You know, lighted candles, waiters all dressed up, etc.

I'm sure some of you are already gasping for air. Four children, six and under, and only two adults at a restaurant with ambiance? Try two children with swim trunks and t-shirts, one child with half-wet hair, one baby and two adults. Our waiter seated us at a table right in the center of the section of the restaurant we were sitting in. Right where everyone could see.

I am not afraid of my children in a restaurant. Some people, however, believe there are places children don't belong. I do my best to encourage my kiddos to be a good representation of "children" to those dining with or around us in a restaurant. I glanced over and noticed we were sitting by an older married couple all dressed up and without children. I made a special effort to make sure we paid special attention not to disturb what appeared to be a romantic date.

The kids were being angels. They sat quietly and said "thank you" to the waiter when he brought the drinks. I ordered spring rolls and crab rangoon appetizers to keep their mouths busy while we waited for the main course. I am constantly on the offensive in trying to prevent any disaster or melt down with the children. This simply means I do my job in thinking ahead to keep them fed, well-rested and busy.
Sometimes things slip by me, though, and no matter how much I remain vigilant, kids will be kids.

Justis seemed particularly restless in his seat. He was still buzzing from the zoo trip and he was just happy. What fun is it to be happy and not be able to share the happiness with others?

Anxiously looking up after every piece of spring roll I fed Jillian, I wondered when "it" was going to happen. I know my kids, and Justis was just a walking time bomb in that seat, if you will. I didn't know what "it" was, but "it" was going to happen before we left the restaurant. Understand that Justis was doing nothing inappropriate, so I couldn't stop the time on his bomb...it just randomly went off!

Movement caught the corner of my eye. Madalynn, ducked with her head down, was using her hands to shield her face from Justis. I quickly looked at Justis. With an ornery grin plastered on his face, an "Aha, I've got you" laugh and straw paper cocked and ready to fire, "it" was happening. The bomb was about to explode.

"Justis!"

My firm whisper was too late. The white straw paper flew into the air as Justis puffed as hard as he could into the straw. The paper was so high in the air others looked to see what it was, as well. His target Madalynn had moved, so the strawpaper was on another path of destruction; the table of the couple on a romantic date!

I gasped and turned my head, because I didn't want to see where it was going to land. I then looked over and saw the straw paper on the floor by the woman's feet.

"I'm so sorry," I said immediately. The couple said nothing. Justis had this look like, "Man, I know I'm in big trouble, but, it was all worth it."

Several tables of people had been watching. The silence from the dining couple was very uncomfortable. The fifteen seconds everyone sat on edge to see what would happen seemed like an eternity.

Suddenly I heard Travis try to stifle a giggle. Then the couple and everyone around us busted out laughing!

Whew! I wave of relief swept over me. Travis explained to Justis that blowing straw papers isn't appropriate. Did I mention that Travis was the one who taught the kids how to have straw paper wars? ;)

I realized, whether the couple had left angry or laughed doesn't really matter. Justis was being a kid and doing what he had seen Travis do. Life was the teacher of this lesson. Justis was embarrassed because of the attention the straw-blowing brought on, so I don't think he'll be doing it again any time soon.

We let down our guards (a little) and enjoyed the rest of our family meal out and left with a memory to help us remember our meal at P.F. Chang!

Madalynn's Newest Beauty Essential

Madalynn loves to feel pampered, and her new sleep accessory proves it!

A leopard print "beauty sleep" mask is Madalynn's newest indulgence. After all, a girl has GOT to get her beauty rest, right?

A little cotton nightie set I bought for her at Wal Mart included the mask, and she has insisted she MUST have it to sleep "properly" since I brought it home.

Some background on Madalynn's sleep habits is necessary for you to fully understand why this cherished leopard print mask is an essential part of bed time now. Madalynn used to sleep completely covered, head and all, so she could go to sleep. I guess she was trying to keep the light out, because now she puts on the mask and leaves her head uncovered to sleep.

The mask goes on at bedtime and she appears from her bedroom in the morning pulling the mask up so she can at least see where she's walking. Madalynn, with her sleepy eyes, disheveled hair and leopard print accessories, is a hoot! :)

No other is quite like Madalynn. Isn't it fun that God made no two people alike? I enjoy learning my kids likes, dislikes and even their habits. Being the mother of my household is like being an audience member on America's Funniest Home Videos most of the time.

I think the next accessory Madalynn could use is a pair of ear plugs. Madalynn is a sport about trying to ignore Jillian and sleep when Jillian is standing up in her crib (opposite Madalynn's bed) and jabbering and trying to get Madalynn's attention!

The Candyman Can!

Dawson did it! He's potty trained!

Candy is quite a powerful bargaining tool to use with Dawson. The deal was I would give him a piece every time he went in the "big boy" potty. He's no dummy, so he was going in the potty every ten minutes! He even managed to squeeze something out even if we were sure he had no more to squeeze. I made good on my promise, so he got a piece of candy about every ten minutes for two days straight. Hey, at least he was doing it in the toilet and not in his pants! He still gets candy almost every time he goes, but the novelty has worn off a bit and he doesn't go just to get candy anymore.

A pile of pull-ups about 10 high is sitting on my bedroom floor. I did not have to persuade Dawson that big boy briefs were the way to go. Once he had his Thomas the Train briefs on, there was no going back to pull ups! He decided the briefs are a much more mature and fashionable choice, I guess.

Dawson has had zero night accidents! I was very weary of letting him crawl into bed with the briefs on instead of a pull-up, but it's been about seven days now and he hasn't gone in his bed at night once. He did during a nap one day and I made sure he saw that I had to wash the sheets and mattress pad AND his beloved blanky. He didn't like having his blankie's time occupied by the washer and dryer, so maybe that was incentive not to use his bed as a toilet.

#2 was a little harder for Daws to get the hang of, but a couple of accidents in his pants made him realize he didn't like that oozy-gooey feeling.

I give God credit for this child's potty training. I feel like I haven't done much to help, he just kind of had self-motivation. The good Lord knew I needed the help and everyone is happier now that Dawson is potty trained!

Mr. Sandman

I caught a very special moment on camera last night.

Jillian is a very active little girl and will do everything she can to stay awake so as not to miss out on any of the action in our house. Only sleeping one or two hours during the day is not uncommon for Jillian. She plays and plays until her head hits the crib mattress at night.

She was exceptionally active yesterday, but she was also exhausted. Her little body was in overdrive. Two nap attempts failed, so I finally just put her in the living room to play so the rest of the kids could get some sleep!

Travis kindly offered to feed Jillian her bottle while I was finishing up supper and she fell asleep in his arms. He must have the special touch with Jillian, because last night was the first time Jillian had ever fallen asleep in the arms of her daddy! She has only fallen asleep in my arms about two times.

Travis took advantage of the moment and just let her snooze. She looked so peaceful. She really takes to Travis, which is wonderful, I think.

HOT Air Balloons!

Go to a hot air balloon festival if you ever get a chance! We had a first-time experience seeing hot air balloons up close last night when we visited the 2007 Pennington Southeast Regional Hot Air Balloon Championship in Baton Rouge. The championships started Friday and ended today.

Hot air balloons filled the skies over Baton Rouge and we saw them while we were still en route to the festival. The evening take-off was at 6:30 p.m. and we missed it by a few minutes, but we were still close enough to enjoy the balloons all ascending. Experiencing the air balloons first-hand was much different than seeing them on TV as we had before. They were beautiful and colorful and looked so elegant and gentle floating up into the sky. I will stop trying to explain it, because words can't do a hot air balloon experience justice.

Thousands of people (literally) were at the festival, but there was no crowded spot in the park. Everyone had a great view of the balloons from wherever they chose to sit and watch them because they're so big! The event was free, too! The only cost of the event was food and drinks, if you wanted to sample from the vendors selling sausage-on-a-stick and friend alligator!

We passed on the food because it was sooooo hot, but we grabbed some lemonade and sat to watch the "lighting of the torches," as they called it. All of the air balloon teams blew up their balloons on the field at 8:00. The announcer counted down 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-----and all of the balloon pilots lit their torches at the same time, lighting the balloons up like light bulbs! The sight was magnificent. The colors and different shapes of the hot air balloons all glowed in the night sky. They kept doing this countdown for at least thirty minutes. We sat there and watched for a long time. I was so amazed I could have sat there all night and not become bored with it.

The kids enjoyed the free kid's carnival where they got to bounce and climb on all kinds of moonwalks they had. The evening ended with fireworks and the temperature was still 92 degrees when we left the festival at 9:45 p.m. Those were some HOT air balloons, and we were some HOT people!

We did take the camera, but unfortunately we found out it was dead when Travis tried to snap a picture of me and the kids. I copied this picture off of the festival website. I am bummed I didn't get a picture of the balloon torch, though!

Crappers have snappers!

Food is a necessity, as all of you know, and it seems I can't keep the pantry stocked at our house with all the mouths to feed. Wal Mart is visited by the Davis family several times a week, because groceries there are affordable.

So many funny things have happened to me at Wal Mart. There's the time Madalynn and Justis pulled the cart over with Jillian in it because they were squabbling. There's the time Madalynn (3 yrs. old at the time) stuffed my car keys in a candy box in the checkout line where they were found three days later by a store employee. Justis screamed loudly as he stood by the main isle to tell me that he had found a bra my size in the intimates section once. I'm sure there are others I can't recall now, but the point is, some funny things happen at Wal Mart.

Today's trip to Wal Mart managed to give me something to laugh at, too. We had all the groceries on the list and we were heading to the front between the meat section and the freezer isles. Justis stopped in front of the cart so that I had to stop the cart to hear him talk.

He said with urgent excitement, "Mom, can we go see the crappers?"

"What?!" I said.

"Can we go look at the crappers?"

I pondered what he was saying and tried to keep calm, considering it sounded like he was using a bad word.

"What is a crapper, Justis?" I asked and then paused so he could explain.

With that 'duh mom' kind of look he said, "YOU know. The things in the ocean that go like this [he forms his hands into pinchers] and we eat them."

"Oh, do you mean Lobsters?" I asked, struggling to stifle my giggles.

"Yeah, crappers."

I said, "No, son, you've GOT to call them lobsters. You may go see them."

He ran over to the lobster tank in the seafood section with Maddie and Justis. I just couldn't stop laughing. I realized he was putting together the words "crab" and "lobsters" to form his new word, "crappers!"

The Audubon Zoo

Travis, Holly, the kids and I went to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans July 28.

The day was hot and muggy and it rained while we were there, making it even muggier when the sun came back out. Notice Dawson's hair the picture. His hair is wet from sweat, not the rain. His hair didn't dry until we got in the van to go home. The rain didn't dampen the spirits of my children or the animals, though.

The chimps are some smart and funny creatures. The thunder started rumbling and they got out their pieces of cardboard and held them over their heads. They could have gone into their inside shelters, mind you, but I think they were having just as much fun looking at the funny people as the funny people were having looking at them! One was multitasking and eating a banana while holding the cardboard over his head.

Jillian is a smart and funny creature, too. Pillaging the bottom of the stroller for good loot is what she did during most of her ride around the zoo in the stroller. She found all kinds of good stuff in there like diapers, wipes and a sippy cup filled with water. Jackpot!

We spent quite a bit of time in the insect/reptile area. We had to familiarize ourselves with the creepy crawlies that live down here in the south. I'd never paid much attention to snakes and reptiles before, because I didn't cross paths with them too often. I see some kind of creature here every day, so I think it's time for me to learn. We also saw the birds snatch worms that the caretaker was throwing. He'd throw the worms up and one of the birds would dive down and catch it in mid-air. Quite impressive.

The kids were delighted to get to feed the giraffes. Did you know giraffe tongues are blue? I didn't either. Madalynn our animal lover did, though. She learns things about nature and doesn't forget. Sometimes having her along is like having private tour guide. She gives us all the info she knows about everything. I enjoy listening and am amazed at the facts she can remember.

Madalynn also bit the dust when we were there. I now know how someone coined the phrase, "Bit the dust." Madalynn tripped on a crack in her flip-flops and face-planted into the gravel. Sand was in her mouth, all over her face and her knees were scraped up. She insisted she was too hurt to walk, so Travis just threw her over his shoulder and told her he'd carry her the rest of the day like that. You can see by the ornery smile in the pictures that Travis had full intentions of her deciding she didn't like the ride daddy was giving her so she would walk on her own!

We ended our little zoo tour with some slushes from the zoo cafe. We were so hot! Jillian even enjoyed sharing a slush with her daddy, which she thought was a real treat.

We didn't see everything at the zoo this time around because there was just too much to see in one visit. We went ahead and bought a year family pass to both the aquarium and zoo (actually cheaper for our family of six than buying one round of tickets individually), so we'll see the rest another time.

The Lake Ponchatrain Causeway

Travis, Holly, the kids and I all got to experience a feat of engineering first hand when we drove across the Lake Ponchatrain Causeway Sunday, July 28th.

The Lake Ponchatrain Causeway is a 24-mile bridge that crosses Lake Ponchatrain almost right in the middle. The bridge runs from Jefferson Parish (New Orleans) to Mandeville, which is a little town about 25 miles east of Ponchatoula.

My grandma and grandpa Rader are well-traveled and they specifically remember several things about Louisiana, the Causeway being one of them. My grandpa says he can remember being out in the middle of the Lake, unable to see the shores! Can you imagine?

Well, you can't really imagine what it's like to be on a bridge in the middle of a Lake and not see either shore. You have to experience it! So we did. We paid the toll of $3.00 to drive across from Mandeville to New Orleans on our way to the zoo. That was $3.00 well spent, if you ask me. Thanks for the tip, Grandma and Grandpa Rader!

The Causeway (as it's called for short) consists of two bridges, a north-bound and south-bound bridge. Each bridge services two lanes of traffic and both are connected by crossovers every few miles for emergencies.

The ride accross the causeway was a sensory experience for everyone in the minivan. Surreal is the word I would use to describe the moment you realize you are driving in the middle of the lake at the mercy of the bridge that was engineered roughly 35 years ago! The view was amazing, especially when the gray skyline of New Orleans faintly came into view through the muggy haze of the lake. There were boats, of course. They were big boats, but looked tiny in the context of the lake.

I am including a web link to the Causeway website if you'd like to know more about it. The information really is pretty fascinating. Go to the list at the right of this blog and click on the Lake Ponchatrain Causeway to see pictures and learn more.

We'll take you over it if you come down, too!

Happy 28th Birthday, Travis!

Travis is celebrating his 28th birthday today. He doesn't like much fuss over his birthday, but I am going to make his day as special as I can, anyway!

The stories Travis tells me about his childhood and growing up are hilarious. Here's some dirt on Travis. He was the class clown in grade school and middle school. He tells me all kinds of stories about how he would get in trouble and how he would get a spanking at school and then again from his dad when he got home. He was telling me last night about how he would hang out in the deep end of the public pool with his friends (you know who you are) waiting for some poor, unsuspecting teenage girl's bikini top to come up as she plunged into the water off of the diving board so they could get a peep show! He's not proud of this now, of course, but it just goes to show you how far he's come! ;) Love you, honey! He got bored of high school and skipped a lot, because he was making all a's and b's and felt unchallenged. He said he had a deal with the person in the security tower at Heights that monitored the parking lot for escapees! He was one of the guys on an Asbury ski trip that almost got taken to jail by the ski police because the group was caught skiing out of bounds in Colorado. He did get to experience jail when he was falsely arrested for a clerical error by the clerk at the Sedgwick County Court House.

Would you ever have guessed Travis was so ornery by looking at him now? Well, okay, he still gets that sly smile quite often. He manages over 500 employees every day, is married with four children, has learned to play the guitar and manages to stay young at heart even as he matures. My favorite thing about Travis, however, is that he loves God and has a pure heart. He can have LOTS of fun while creatively staying in the boundaries of the law!

Tonight we will be celebrating Travis's birthday here at home with his requested birthday meal. We'll be having steak and shrimp kabobs, brocolli cheese salad, cheesy grits, rolls and his FAVORITE, hairy cake. That's why I need to stop writing now. I need to get baking! Happy birthday, Travis!

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Travis, Holly, me and the kids all went to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans on Wednesday, July 25.

The Aquarium is on what is called the Riverfront of New Orleans. The Riverfront runs along the Mississippi River and there's much to do there besides the aquarium, too.

We stopped and ate in the Riverfront shopping area before going to the aquarium. Travis then went to get us tickets while we waited on the plaza in front of the aquarium. A kind man serenaded us with some tunes from some jazz greats, which was fun for Holly, me and the kids. Blueberry Hill and another song I'm not familiar with are the two songs he sang for us.

All kinds of aquatic life are on display at the aquarium. There's the tunnel of fish we walked through. Seeing the penguins being fed was lots of fun. The kids (minus Jillian), Travis and Holly got to pet a sting ray and a shark. The sea horse and jellyfish exhibits were amazing. An impressive Amazon area simulated a walk through the Amazon, complete with piranhas, tropical foliage and a walk through the misty branches of the trees. True to New Orleans pride was a swamp display that showcased what's found in the swamps and Mississippi River.

We watched Hurricane on the Bayou at the IMAX theatre, as well. We all left there with a better understanding of Hurricanes, Louisiana culture, New Orleans and the wetlands. Maddie asked me at one point, "Is this for real?" I told her yes, but the video of Katrina seemed surreal. Holly commented that Hurricane Katrina seemed more real to her since she got to see some of the areas (now) in New Orleans that were featured in the film under feet of water and debris. I would agree with her. I think I need to get serious about putting together my hurricane preparedness kit!

We left the Aquarium with our minds SWIMMING with information new information. :) Bed time came early for everyone that night!