Pumpkins and Pumpkin Cheese!

I bet you have NEVER, EVER heard of pumpkin cheese! I hadn't either until tonight about two hours ago. We were getting ready to carve our family pumpkin and Cade yelled out "Mony can I take some of the cheese out of it!" I don't think I have laughed so hard in a while. It was wonderful! Of course, I let him take some of the cheese out of it!

Two years ago Cade would have been screaming and gagging and VOMITING if I even attempted to make him put his hand in that pumpkin! Not this year! He dug right in without any hesitation. Look at that face!

Now this person was not so thrilled about sticking his hand in the pumpkin! Haha! He wouldn't even put his hand in there by himself, I had to make him. When he pulled it out he keep looking at his hand and looking at me like wash it Mommy!
He just needed a little help from mommy, but he still wasn't overly impressed.

And after this - only the adults and big kid were left to work on the pumpkin since the little kids were not impressed at all.
Marissa's favorite part of pumpkin carving!
(Colin was still hanging around at this point but only for about two more minutes)
My favorite part - sorting out the stringy stuff and the seeds!
Looking online to find a stencil they like - and they did.
Working hard on the pumpkin - while Marissa plays on Facebook! The little boys were curious about the sound of the dremel tool so they made it back to the kitchen for part of this!

What do I do while they are carving?
YUMMY!

And finally...the finished product

Powder Puff - Freshie!

Well, it has been a busy week once again and it is only "hump" day! I blogged on Monday and said I would update with Marissa's Homecoming Week pictures. A promise is a promise right! Tuesday, was nerd day so let me just say that I had one classy NERD! Or as she posted on my facebook - she was a preppy fork! She was posting from her itouch so I am sure she meant dork, but it was still so funny!

Like father, like daughter! Two peas in a pod!
And of course one of her just posing for the camera, like always!
Well, I couldn't leave out this cutie either! It was camouflage day at the elementary school and well if you know me you know camouflage isn't my thing. I love my children's clothes and when I say love I mean LOVE! This is Cade's first camouflage outfit and of course it is from Janie & Jack. We have recently added more camouflage to our collection but it is from Mini Boden and I don't have any pictures of him in those outfits yet!

Today for homecoming week was Decade Day! It was also Powder Puff Day. If you remember previously I mentioned that Marissa was on the Powder Puff team. Well, this smom is NOT crafty at all. However, I have a sweet friend and neighbor who is crafty and LOVES doing crafty things. She made Marissa her Super Hero shirt and she also made her the AWESOME Powder Puff shirt that she wore today. So, a BIG, HUGE Thank You to Amber for all her hard work this week!
This shirt is seriously amazing! She made it look just like a real football jersey with some girly touches, because of course Marissa is a girly girl! She used the cricut to cut out the letters and then stenciled them on the shirt. Seriously, amazing!
Crazy Face, but up close of the shirt!
And the back is just as cute and amazing!

Here are a couple of pictures from her Powder Puff game today! They, of course, lost to the seniors which is why they had to play them. The seniors are supposed to win while the freshmen lose. Oh well, better luck next year when they play the juniors.
Huddle! Running back on the field!
There are 500 more but I am thinking seeing a couple of them is probably good enough for you guys!

Highschool

Did you LOVE high school?

Well, I must say, I didn't love high school. I thought it was completely overrated. Maybe it was because I was dating an "older" guy. Maybe it was because I wasn't part of the "in" crowd. Maybe it was because I thought the whole experience was silly.

I was ready to grow up and be done with the baby stuff. I wanted to go to college, get my degree, get a job, get married, and have babies. I wanted badly to get those things done. To do my one job I knew I would love, which was be a mother.

I am not saying I didn't have friends in high school, because I did. We just weren't the most popular group and I was okay with that. I am not saying that I didn't go through any of the high school experiences, because I did. I am just saying I didn't truly LOVE high school.

Now, Marissa - she LOVES LOVES LOVES high school! She loves going to school, she has awesome school spirit, and she participates in everything she possibly can. I was inspired to write this post because of her and her love for high school. Her friends that come over even comment how much she loves school and how she jumps up and down at school when she sees them. Now that is a true love for high school or for school period. The funny thing is she never loved school this much before until this year. Her grades are awesome and she is part of a group. I think that is what makes the HUGE difference for her this year. She is one of those kids that fit in easily with any group and pretty much gets along with everyone.

This week at the well loved high school is homecoming week. Homecoming week is a HUGE deal at her high school. They have a dress up day every single day of the week. They have a bonfire, homecoming king night, powder puff (did I mention Marissa is on the team), and a parade. All these activities also fall during Drug Free Week. So my smart, talented sdaughter (that is not a spelling error - she is my sdaughter (step-daughter) decided last night at 8:00 pm that she NEED to make a shirt for today - Monday - and the theme was SUPER HERO! We did have to get some help from our crafty neighbor but overall it turned out great!

And here is the one and the only...
AWARENESS WOMAN

Be on the look out in the coming days for pictures of the rest of the week!

Happy 15th Birthday, Marissa!

Happy Birthday, Marissa!! Here is Marissa on the day she turned 15! I had all intentions of getting up and taking a picture of her as soon as we woke up, but that didn't happen. She was up way before me - ok so maybe not way before me, but earlier than me for sure.

We had a super busy week celebrating Marissa's birthday. It was like a birthday party all week long. Tuesday, we celebrated with a cake (although I couldn't get the Harry Potter one). Then the rest of the week, birthday cards rolled in with the grand finale on Saturday when we took our trip to...

Yes, Harry Potter at Universal Studios! It was so much fun! We left our house at 4:15 am on Saturday morning. We arrived in Jacksonville at 5 am to pick up my amazing sister-in-law, Deanna, and her twins, Chuck and Caila. We arrived at the park at 8:30 am and got our tickets. Then we had to WAIT until the park officially opened so that we could go on the Harry Potter ride. The only thing I was disappointed about was the fact, that I left my camera in the locker instead of taking it with me. It was amazing inside the castle. It made me so happy to see how "real" everything looked. I felt like I was in the book as did Marissa which was amazing!

Now for the really AWESOME part...after waiting in line for ONE WHOLE HOUR to go into this store! Look what happened while we were in there...
They chose her to get the wand! It was the best present ever for her, I do believe. She was able to do three spells and get the PERFECT wand! Of course we bought it!

15 Months

Colin - you are 15 months old.

You are wearing size 12 month and some 18 months.
You are wearing a size 6 shoes.
At your appointment on Monday, you were a perfect cube; meaning you are are in the 50% percentile for everything - height, weight, and head circumference.
You weigh 24lbs 30z and are 30.5 inches tall.

You have an adorable Buddha Belly! You are always pulling your shirt up to show people. You let your brother and sister talk for you all the time so you don't have too, but Baby School says you talk and say "real" words! You do say "mama", "dada", "Gigi", and "bye". You even said "Cheese" the other day when I had the camera out taking pictures of you.



You are one busy little guy! You are always running around the house. You love to play with your toys. Your favorite toys are cars and balls! You still love your Busy Ball Popper that Aunt Deanna gave you for your birthday. You love copying whatever your big brother does. You climb on everything! Your daddy taught you how to climb on the ottoman and turn the lights on and off. This is your new favorite trick!



You love to eat! It is your favorite thing in the world to do! You still get a bottle twice a day; once in the morning and once at night. You love your pacifier and your blanket. You run to them when you get home in the afternoon. You love to "read" books by yourself and with Cade.

You have learned how to throw temper tantrums. I am hoping it is only a phase and will be by quickly. You don't want your picture taken very often because you always want the camera instead.


Colin, you have blessed our family beyond belief. You are one of my sweet miracles. Your smile brightens the room. You have completed our family. We are so blessed to have you and thank God everyday for you. I love you so much, Colin!

The Good & The Better

This morning I was feeling so pumped about the day. I left for work on time and even had time to spare to get some pictures of my boys (but of course I can't post them today because my desktop is acting crazy), had taken dinner out to thaw, and everything was just falling in place.

My class came in today so quietly and so wonderfully. I was so happy for them and for me. The morning went great! I was going strong and so were my kids. Then I hit that dreaded bump in the road - that one I call POWER STRUGGLE! That is the ONE thing I can't stand but alas it happens all the time. Today it happened at recess! I was blown away and from recess it extended into class time. Why you ask? I am not sure, I did everything to redirect but it didn't work. It pretty much made me forget about all those wonderful moments that I listed. It almost wiped the slate clean and made me say that I had an AWFUL day. Actually, if I am being honest that is what I was thinking when I took my students to dismissal today. I couldn't wait to get home, relax, and forget about the day. I was even ready to tell my husband what an awful day it was for me at work.

As I walked out of the school building this evening I just felt blah and all because of the end of the day; however walking out of that building always makes me happy. As I am leaving that building I get to walk through the doors of the extended daycare program and see a smiling, blonde haired boy is actually happy to see me. His face lights up and his smile brightens my day. He is one of my big miracles and everyday I thank God for him. God blessed me with him and showed me that miracles happen everyday even to me, just an ordinary person. This made me think and reflect on the day as put that miracle in my car. It wasn't a bad day. It didn't end the way I wanted it too but overall it was a good day. I smiled a lot and I taught a great group of children. I was able to pick up that sweet boy that I love from daycare and that sassy teenager from high school. I was able to hug and kiss my husband when he came home with my other sweet boy, who was just as happy to see me and give me hugs and kisses. Not only am I totally blessed by God but sometimes I just need to stop and reflect and make myself see all the great things that are happening to me every single day because of him.

Tonight at dinner I was able to realize again what a great day it was. Now I know most families don't do this anymore but we strive to have a family dinner every single night of the week. Most nights it works out, the only nights that we seem to have problems are weekend nights (really just Friday and Saturday). We all sat down for dinner tonight and Colin started yelling across the table at Cade. Cade would repeat whatever Colin would say and Colin would laugh hysterically. This went on for a good five minutes and my heart was filled with joy and love. My boys truly love each other and for that I am extremely blessed.

Before I end this for tonight I just want to ask that if you have any prayers to spare a few for my good friend. She was almost 7 weeks pregnant and started spotting on Monday. She rushed to the doctor's office to be told the baby's heartbeat was only 56 beats per minute. This was not the news she had hoped to hear. They told she would miscarry it was just a matter of when. The doctor wanted to be aggressive and put her on progesterone twice a day until her next appointment. She was supposed to go in on Monday but just couldn't hold out until then and who can blame her. She went in today and the baby had no heartbeat. My heart is just broken for her. I know the pain of a miscarriage but sometimes I think might is different only because I didn't know about the baby until I lost it. I didn't have the opportunity to be excited and happy. I found out and it ended all in the same day. My friend was excited, she was so happy and just couldn't wait for this sweet baby to be here in May. Tomorrow she will be going through a a DNC. I know this will be a very difficult time for and I am just hoping if you have a chance you could possibly lift her up in prayer. I know all things happen for a reason because it is God's plan and sometimes we just aren't able to see if all at the time. I know she will get through this because God is carrying her through. If you prayer for her, send her a good though, whatever positive support you can send she will and I will appreciate it.

Starting Out

How should I start this? I am not really sure. What witty, funny thing can I say to open my blog? I am sure before you started reading you looked at my profile, of course who wouldn't. So I am Lane; a mother to three, a wife to one wonderful husband, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, and a first grade teacher to 18 amazing little first grade students. That sums me up in a nutshell.

Now my goal is to post at least once a week - maybe more often and to even post pictures at the same time. I am hoping it all works out but we will see. Things get busy around here with three children of varying ages. We are ALWAYS on the go, ALWAYS! Life doesn't throw us a dull moment and you know what I like it that way. God has truly blessed me and our family so even if we are busy most days, it is okay, because I know this is what God has in store for us.

There are five of us in The Plemons' Family, plus two dogs! So here we go with the introductions!


This is Larry and myself (Lane). I will be doing the blogging but I know you will be reading about that wonderful man in the picture beside me!



This is Marissa. The almost 15 year old. She will be 15 in exactly one week and is most definitely the diva, drama queen!



Then we have our miracle baby, Cade, who was born at 23 weeks and has overcome every possible obstacle. He is an amazing little boy who loves life! He will be five next month and I can't even believe it! (Yes, that is me with him!)



Of course my last sweet, miracle baby, Colin, who was born at 36 weeks 5 days! That is almost full term, baby!! Of course this was after 20 weeks of bedrest but my goodness it was so worth it. Colin is almost 15 months old!

Last but not least, we have Gigi, our black lab and Tuphy, which is Marissa's dog. I am sure I will refer to them every once in a while as well.