Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

December 2, 2012 on 5:17 pm | In Uncategorized | 1 Comment

One thing is for certain – moving the computer upstairs to the ‘office’ in the new house has definitely put a damper on blog posts.  It used to be that I’d hop on the computer every night for 30 minutes or so.  Do a blog post, look at finances, read a message board, browse facebook, do email.  But now, it feels like I’m completely separating myself from the family to go upstairs.  On the plus side, I’m spending more time with the family.  On the downside, I rarely look at how much money we’re spending (gulp) and even less frequently do I write blog posts.

I’ll do a couple back to back over the next couple days to catch up.

First off, take a look at this beautiful family!  Fall is in the air.  Which means cooler weather…yay.  And shorter days…boo.  And hunting seasons…yay again.

Deer season opened at the end of September and I’ve been making full use of Millington.  I’ve spent a couple nights out there and the whole family spent the night once since season started.  I believe I’ve gotten in about 13 hunts so far this season between deer and duck.

Laura “Dead Eye” Simons shot herself another deer this year.  She got a doe at about 100 yards.  he got a new rifle and shot it twice just to see how it was before we took it hunting.  It was the first time she’d ever shot a rifle.  She couldn’t have placed a more perfect shot on the deer.  I’m telling you folks, I’ve got to walk the chalk.  She’s got a gun and knows how to use it!

Trey also got to go on his first duck hunt last weekend.  We had a blast.  Of course, I think every duck within 2 miles saw the sticks he was waving around and the bushes he kept shaking.  If they didn’t see that, they heard his ‘attempts’ at calling ducks.  Of course, I let him blow the duck calls any time he wanted.  Because really, that hunt had absolutely nothing to do with hunting.  It was all about the time we got to spend together.  He had a great time.  And we made it even better by stopping on the way home to let him pick out anything he wanted from the gas station.  He picked out a bag of cheese popcorn but only ate half.  He said he was saving the rest to share with Haley and Avery.  So sweet.

Haley’s rocking out school.  They have been learning ‘sight words’.  It is a learn at your own pace type of program.  She gets 10 words or so at a time.  There are 20 sets of words.  Haley was actually knocking one out a night.  So after about 4 weeks, she was done.  She came home with no more reading homework, so we told her to ask her teacher, Ms. Wooley, what was next.  Apparently, Ms. Wooley wasn’t prepared for anyone to finish so quickly.  So for the past 3 weeks, there’s been no reading homework!  But of course, it’s not stopping Haley.  Every night after I tuck her in bed, I can go up 20 minutes later and she’s laying in bed reading a book.  Such a little learner.  (oh, and Haley’s first tooth is wiggling…where you at, Tooth Fairy?)

Avery “Bobo Tickey” (as her siblings call her) has been doing great too.  She’s getting VERY independent and her personality is starting to come out.  And when she doesn’t get her way….oooh, look out.  You’ll definitely hear about it.  One problem we’ve got is that she’s turning into a biter.  We’re trying to figure out how to stop it.  That little bitty mouth is full of razor sharp teeth.  Poor thing, though, is defenseless against the “loving” that Haley and Trey put on her.  So perhaps we should let the biting go on them.  It’s her only method of fighting back!

Laura and I have been busy, busy, busy getting the house in order.  I think we’re just getting older and we’re not as spunky as we used to be when it comes to knocking out a punch list.  But we’re making our way.  We just finished painting upper cabinets in the Kitchen.  Now we have the lower cabinets and the island to go.  If you’ve never painted cabinets, let me explain something.  If you are told you have 2 weeks to live, don’t go sky diving or rocky mountain climbing or 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.  Refinish cabinets.  Why?  Because refinishing cabinets will make that 2 weeks seem like an eternity.