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.