We Survived Bible School... And Had A Little Fun Too!

T-ballers are really just little men!

Busy Busy Busy

Baseball, Bible School, Borders, and Bridal Shower!!! We are busy! I promise to post soon with all the details and lots of pictures.

Calling All Rays

We have started a Ray Family Blog. Click on the link at right to check it out!

Belle of the Ball

This past weekend Ella and I traveled to Huntsville, Alabama with Mama and Daddy to go to a wedding. Our good friend, Matt Mims, had a very sweet ceremony, followed by a rockin' reception. We all had a blast. Here is a rare picture of all of us sharing a moment together.

In case you need a caption: Ella, Josh, Lawanna, Joel, Leslie, Sarah & Jake

For those of you who don't know Matt, he and Josh graduated high school together and then went on to pledge Pi Kappa Alpha together at Mississippi State University. They weren't alone though. They had a very tight knit group, which included Jake, both in high school and college. These days they don't all get to see each other as much as they used to except at the occasional wedding.

Now...to the real story. Ella was the BELLE OF THE BALL. She stole the show. I will give credit to Matt, his new bride Janelle was definitely the prettiest girl in the room, but my Ella was a close second. She danced her little heart out. She danced with Jake, Josh, Me, Webb, SuperDaddy, Nanie, and by herself. She can shake her hips a little too well for a two year year old. We better watch her closely the older she gets.

These are all the pictures I have right now, but IF Jenny sends me the ones she took, I will post them too!

Girl Friends

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my girls...You know who you are. Last night we had our first full fledged girls night out in a while and it was a blast. There is nothing like time away from your family to rejuvenate your soul...not to mention your attitude and energy level.

We went to see "Sex In The City" because there are four of us, and we each fit a different character. Now you are wondering who I am!! Take a guess!

Anyway, it just reminded me how important friends are and how lucky I am to have such wonderful women to share my joys and sorrows with. Most of you know that I am not one to have a lot of friends. I prefer a small close knit group. These are my girls and I love them. Thanks again for a great night out, can't wait until the next one.

I'm going to be an aunt...FINALLY!!!!

I hope I am not giving away the news, BUT Jake and Sarah just found out they are having a girl...woo hoo!!! Although most of us had an inkling, today the sonogram confirmed it. Anne Coleman Pettit will be joining the family this October and I cannot wait to meet her.



I am ready to go shopping. Thank goodness I will see the parents-to-be this weekend or I really might go overboard buying stuff trying to celebrate on my own. Here is a picture of the glowing mommy and her growing (ever so slowly) belly! Now that we know who the little stranger is it makes things so much more exciting!

Congratulations Jake and Sarah! We are all celebrating with you and praying for a health, happy baby girl! We love you...All 3 of you!!!

Slip 'N' Slide for the 21st Century

Today we had our Sunday School party. We had 10 families over for pizza and outdoor fun. Gary just happened to luck up on a free GIANT inflatable slide a lot like this one:

All the kids had a blast running through the sprinkler, jumping on the "jump-o-leen" and of course sliding. But the real fun started after the crowd left.

My boys, Gary included, and two friends from the neighborhood decided to put the water hose on the slide. Before long Gary and I were sliding right along with all four boys. It was the MOST fun I have had in a long time. The boys stayed out there for four hours until we finally just had to shut things down. Everyone is a little red from the sun. And mom is a little black and blue...I'm not as young as I use to be. My boys will never again think a regular slip 'n' slide is fun.

Lazy Days of Summer

School has been out for barely a week now and the kids are already bored and I am near crazy. I don't remember last summer being this hot. The boys try to play outside, but don't last more than 20 min. Ella can't even stay out there for 10. So I am open to any ideas for things to keep us busy...remember we are on a budget.

I am going to get some new craft supplies this week and we are reading TOM SAWYER as a family so we can watch the movie later. We do have Bible school one week, but only in the mornings. For the rest of you looking for ideas, I did find this online today:

I am sure we will make it to one or two of these. For those of you who don't live here, check out your local theatre. You can't beat $2 a person to get out of the heat for a couple of hours.

Outside of the summer crazies life is good. We have 2 borders for the summer. Chase, my cousin, and Jeffrey, Gary's nephew (21 & 20) are here in Jackson working. Keeping "our big boys," as Gary calls them, and our kids both happy is proving to be quite a feat. They compete for the tv and irritate each other. They do keep each other entertained, which is a big help when I am cooking. If only Gary and I could get some free babysitting out of the deal.

Still no camera for those of you wondering. It has to show up sometime. When it does....I will make up for lost time (I promise)!!

Happy Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a happy Mother's Day! I don't think mine could have been any better. I got exactly what I asked for: REST!!! I got to sleep in, Gary cleaned the house, and then all five us spent the afternoon together...riding 4-wheelers.

After the wild week I had last week, I deserved it. On top of all the normal craziness, I attended a birth and a funeral, took food to friends who had a baby, and dealt with a sick child...all while Gary was out of town.

Today I had my interview at Jackson State. For those of you who did not know...I was accepted to graduate school with "Advanced Standing," which means that I would only have to go for a year! YIPPEE (or so I thought)! I got there today to realize they made a mistake. I cannot be an Advanced Standing student because my BA is not in Social Work and I graduated more than 5 years ago. I am still admitted to school, I just have to go 2 or 3 years instead of 1.

I still have not decided what I am going to do. As much as I would love to pursue my degree, it may not be God's will. Gary and I have so many things going on right now and tons of decisions to make. I will keep you all updated.

Both the boys had their first baseball games Saturday. I did not get to watch Jackson because they played simultaneously, but Gary says he did well. Chance had a good game too. You would think this would have been the highlight of their weekend, but it wasn't. Yesterday we all played in the woods. All 3 kids waded in a creek and chased Jeffrey's lab, Deuce, around in the sand. It has been a long time since I have seen all three kids have that much fun together. I told Gary that it truly attested to who our kids are!

I would love to share pictures, but I still have not found my camera, so everyone keep your eyes open. I guess that is about it for now. The kids and I are headed to watch Gary play softball, by way of Chik-Fil-A. Talk to you all soon.

The Speed of Life

I have lost the camera . . . AGAIN!!! I know, don't harrass me. As soon as I find it I will post some new pictures. All is well here. The kids and I just got back from a long weekend in Midland. We had such a good time hanging out with Nanie and SuperDaddy! The boys got some skates and that is now their new favorite thing to do. They even talked me into buying rollerblades. I haven't had a chance to really get out there yet, but I'm sure it will be quite a sight when I do.

We have our first baseball games Saturday. Both the boys play at 8am (UGH) at different fields (double UGH)! Basically this means Gary and I will have to split up and each watch one. Hopefully the camera will magically show up before the games.

The Snake Man

Chance Had a "snake man" visit school today. He was so excited. It was the only thing we talked about at dinner. I finally decided I would attempt to record him and post it so everyone could share in his knowledge. That said, it is mostly for my mom who loves to hear Chance talk about what he learned. Please forgive all the background noise...Suppertime at our house is never quiet.

Tagged

Who do you Love? Gary, Chance, Jackson, Ella, My Fam, Gary's Fam, and my bestest friends.
How long have you been married? 8 years and counting
How long did you date? First or second time??? First time 4 months. Second time 4months, obviously we are not big on dating!
Where did he propose? On my parents front porch
Who is taller? Gary, by about half a foot!
Who is smarter? We are both pretty intelligent. Where one falls short, the other picks up.
Who does the laundry? Usually me, but he helps.
Who pays the bills? I do, part of the agreement of me not working.
Who mows the lawn? I have never even turned on the mower and don't plan on starting any time soon.
Who cooks dinner? Me 75% Corey 25%
Who drives? Gary, I like to ride and sleep. Not to mention I get lost!
I now tag!! LB and Amy

All About Chance

The end of last week seemed to revolve around Chance. He had is first baseball practice on Thursday night. He really seems to enjoy and he is pretty good, (said his mother)! We think the coach will be a big help this year. So far he is very focused on fundamentals, which is what Chance needs. At the first practice the team worked on: Throwing...


Hitting...

Fielding...


Fly Balls...

And Grounders!!!

Check this one out, do you think we could get a million dollar endorsement from Gatorade?

Friday morning Chance had a Kindergarten program at school. He did wonderfully. They even sang one song in Spanish...my how school has changed since I was little.

He is too cool!! I think he was the only one who walked in with his hands in his pockets.

If you can't pick him out, he is in the second row from the bottom, second one from the end. We have had a relatively restful weekend and pray that it has been the same for all of you.

WOO HOO GO LESLIE!!

The kids wanted to know why all the other blogs had music and ours didn't. So, supermom that I am, I figured the darn thing out and got some music going on our blog. We hope you all enjoy it. Each of my kids has their own "baby song" that I used to sing to them when they were babies. They all three still like to hear them. So, I chose those three songs to play here so they can hear them every time we log on. "You Are My Sunshine" is for Chance. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is Jackson's. And last, but certainly not least, "Baby Mine" is Ella's. I also used a few more that talk about loving your home, the one in this world and the one we will live in eternally. I hope you enjoy the music as much as we do. Talk to you all soon.

Long Time No Post

I'm baaaack! I know you have all missed us so much..ha ha ha! We lost the cord to the camera and haven't been able to upload pictures ...until now. So here is a brief synopsis of life at the Tanksley house and some pictures of the past couple of months.

Jackson's party was great! All the kids had a blast! We received tons of compliments from the parents. The boys are signed up for baseball and practice starts this week. They are all doing well in school. Being around other kids has really helped Ella blossom. She has no problem making her presence known these days. Currently her favorite thing to do is to be put up in a cheerleader stunt and yell "Go Dawgs" I know what you are thinking, but it is completely normal in MS to brainwash our children from an early age to support the college of our choice! Go State!!

I have turned in my application to JSU for their Masters in Social Work program. I am checking the mail every day waiting to hear if I got in! Gary's job is going great. He loves everyone he works with and he is enjoying his new responsibilities. Overall life is busy, but not all that exciting. We are all getting ready for a busy summer. We are planning for Bible school, which I help teach every year. We are preparing for Jenny and Webb's wedding in July. All three of the kids and I are in the wedding so there is a lot to do. I am also attempting to give Jenny a shower. For those of you that no me well, you know that I tend to overdo when I throw a party, so the planning has already started (at least in my head)!

Enough of me blabbering. We have taken a good number of pictures, but here are some of my favorites.

Ella's first time ever to "Lick the Spoon." It took

a little coaxing, but she eventually loved it.

This is me with my friends Kim and Fraiser.

We went to a Disco fundraiser.

Jackson, with Chance and some of his friends,

opening presents at his "RockStar Party"

Ella last Sunday, in her "Fancy" dress

This was the scene Monday afternoon, as all

three of the kids were waiting for Gary to get

home from work.

I hope this satisfies your longing to know what is going on in our little world. I will try to keep up the blog better from now on. Thanks for checking in on us and we will talk to you all soon.

Sick Kids, Birthdays, and Back to School

Okay, for all you loyal readers out there, here is an update thanks to a little prodding from my sister-in-law. Kids have been sick, then well, then sick again. It seems like it has been non-stop since Christmas. This past week Jackson had the flu and Chance had bronchitis. Actually, Chance is still coughing and runnig a low grade fever. Ella seems to be immune to it all (knock on wood).

Gary's birthday is on the 26th and I am trying to decide what we are going to do to celebrate. I am thinking we might have friends over and just cook and hang out. Then Jackson's 4th birthday is just a week later on March 7th. We are planning his party now. He decided to have a rock star party. This is great because it is really turning out to be a pretty cheap party, which is saying a lot in the world of Madison. However, it also requires a lot of creativity because there is not a whole lot out there in terms of a rock star party for a 4 year old boy. Leave to Jackson to want to be different.

Now, for the big news. I am going back to school! My job SUCKED! and I got fired (mainly because I did not incorporate myself quick enough). Anyway, I have been wanting to get my Masters for a while now and the timing is finally right. I am taking my GRE on Friday and then I have to get my application and financial aid application in ASAP!

Jackson State has a Masters in Social Work Program that I can do part time and finish in 3 years, which is just when Ella will be starting Kindergarten. I know some of you will think this is out of the blue, but this is what I have always wanted. I was actually applying to grad schools when Gary and I got back together...8 years ago. Everybody just say a prayer that if this is in God's plan for me, I will pass the GRE, get accepted, and get some MAJOR financial aid.

New Job...Need Prayer!!

Okay, I got my first two projects for my job. It's been a while since I finished the training, so I have to refresh my memory. The house is still a little chaotic. My instincts are to work on the house and not sit at the computer all day, but I will have to shift my focus, Lock myself in the office or something. Anyway. I just wanted to let you all know that I am starting to work and I am asking ro all your prayers. I am little nervous about not being able to do what is asked of me. I guess that happens when you haven't worked in 6 years. I'll keep you all posted on how it is going.

Still Sick

We have been through ear infections, pink eye, and the flu. Just when we thought everyone was getting better...BAM...mom gets the flu. And we all know that when mom is sick the whole house is in disarray. Gary has been great, but I am still sick. We did get our new furniture, which is a huge plus. I will post pictures as soon as I am feeling better.

Settling In

Well, Gary made it home Saturday. We unloaded the truck on Sunday. And we have been unpacking ever since. We are both starting to get a little tired of boxes. You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to find somewhere to put it all.

Gary and Jackson have gone to KO to hunt today, but should be back tonight. We are hoping to finish unpacking tomorow and then paint the living room this weekend. Gary starts his new job on Monday and I am going to get back working too.

For those of you who don't know, I got new furniture for my birthday and we are still waiting for it to be delivered. Honestly, we don't have anywhere to put it at the moment.

Madison is just as we left it...with a little less road construction. It has been great seeing all of our friends. We have not made it to church yet, but are hoping to start back this Sunday.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us in this move. Jeffrey for flying to Denver to help, Mamaw for the food, all the guys who helped unload, Amy and Rob for taking on Chance for the whole weekend, and everyone who has just called to check in. We are truly grateful to be home.

There's No Place Like Home

I guess Glenda the Good Witch really knew what she was talking about. There really is no place like home. I had to call Gary the other night to tell him that even the rain is better in Mississippi. The kids and I were having a picnic on the living room floor and had the front door propped open (in JANUARY) to watch the storm.

I want to say thanks to everyone who has called to check in on the kids and I. For those of you who haven't, I know you have thought about us. We are surviving. Truthfully, it hasn't been that bad. The worst part is that we miss Gary.

All 3 kids started school this week, in spite of many trips to the doctor. Jackson has an ear infection, Ella had to get immunized, and Chance had pink eye and now the flu! We are doing our best to take it all in stride. Back to school, Ella was meant to be around people! She loves school and her teachers love her, SURPRISE SURPRISE! Jackson still doesn't want to see me leave, but he does fine once I'm gone. He has a wonderful teacher who makes him feel very important! And then there is Chanceroo! He is so big! He only got to go to school two days this week, but he thoroughy enjoyed it.

I have been painting up a storm. I have finished both the kids bedrooms and plan on painting my office (formerly Chance's room) tomorrow. Jeffrey flew out to Denver today to help Gary load the UHAUL and drive back. They should be here late Saturday night. He will have all next week off to help me unpack and get things in order around here. And then hopefully we will both be starting new jobs at the same time. I am still planning on doing my research job from home just as soon as we get settled in.

We are so excited to be back home. it's true what they say, You never know what you had until it's gone. . . (I'm just glad we were able to get it back!)

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig!

Well, for those of you who have not heard yet, we are moving home! Gary received a job offer over the Christmas holidays and since our house has not sold, we decided to come on back to Mississippi! Gary is already back in Colorado packing up the apartment. He is handing in his two weeks notice today and should be home next weekend. The kids and I are staying put! There was no point in driving all the way back to CO just to turn around and come back! So, we will start school in Madison on Monday the 7th. Chance will be at Madison Crossing and Jackson and Ella both have spots secured at FBC! We can't wait to see all of you again!