This just in...

Yes, this is a picture of a cat - it appears that this is our new cat. I was inside working on the lengthy blog entry below while dad and the kids were outside playing softball and next thing I know I see dad walking to the door carrying a cat and the kids in tow.

We will see how things go this weekend but it sure made itself at home from the first paw in the door and took a nap on Emma's bed waiting for dad to get home from the store with some catfood.

I mentioned last summer that I don't ever pick out a cat but they prefer to walk in the door. we're doomed. We think it's a girl, dad can't even catch a break on a pet!

Please Define the Word "BREAK"

He is Risen Indeed
Shockley's

Rachel on water slide

Hope... what can we say?

nothing like a big sissy

ahhh, room service

the Princess and the Pea can't touch Rachel!

Hey there Captain Jack

notice the SNOW topped mountains??

Emma made it under water !!!

Well, it's getting old but let me preface this entry by saying we had a typical Shockley time last week during Spring Break.
Emma, Hope and I had the whole week off from school/preschool, we got Rachel after her 1/2 day on Wednesday the same as Dad. We had talked at great lengths as to what we wanted to do since we had Rachel an extra few days so we wanted to do something special. We tossed up Roanoke, Chattanooga Aquarium, Knoxville Zoo and Gatlinburg... and with gas over $3 we headed to Gatlinburg as it was also the shortest trip and it's a one stop shop type of attraction since once you get there you are stuck as to where to park your car and everything is in walking distance anywho. I tried my best to make sure everyone was healthy, happy and ready to go - however, true to our history poor Hopie had something, involving a LOT of tissues and a lot of cough medicine. Poor kid has had a tough winter. We packed a 6th suitcase to hold our small pharmacy of drugs, said a prayer and hit it. We did the Ripley's Aquarium the first day - nothing like the underwater tubes that wind their way thru the huge tanks of fish and sharks - it has moving walkways so you can just stand there and say " Hey - another shark dad - take a picture, wow did you see that big eel hiding under that rock - dad, a shark look! - and humm the theme from Jaws " We stopped in Stingray Bay for lunch and just in time to see the show - a girl outside the tank telling us about the 75 or so stingray's in the tank and watch the scuba girl inside feed them. After that we checked in to the hotel, and headed out on foot to ride the Alpine Chair to the top of a nearby mountain top. Yes, a chairlift... up the side of a mountain. As mom I flatly refused to ride with the two smaller kiddo's -- I couldn't take that kind of responsibility - so I rode with Rach, I may need to rethink my strategy next time, like taping her mouth closed so I don't listen to her stories about the crocked posts that are holding the tramlines above, or how much it would hurt if we dropped on to that pile of rocks below. Kudos to dad though he had the two little ones and the new video camera and turned around and filmed us behind them. Talk about heebeejeebee's.
That about did it for the day there - Hope crashed so we got some call out food and munched and laid around. Then it was realised that dad didn't bring a bathing suit... so i stepped up to the plate and took Rach and Em's for a late night swim, it was a heated pool per the brochure. I guess that part that should of clued me in was that the pool was outside and not attached to the hotel but covered in a glass house, same as a plant nursery may use... I mean, how much heat could that really contribute to the temperature of the pool??? not much. It was a short swim followed by a fast run from the pool house to the hotel in 40degree nightime weather, knew we should of brought some flipflops.
Poor Hope passed a rough night coughing, so much for sleeping on the airmattress we packed her - after the 3rd time she got up she crawled in bed with me and banished dad to the airmattress. Friday dawned ok and we headed to Wonderworks, it's a new place to go - it's an upside down building that has all this crazy stuff for kids and big kids to do -- it was really the best for Rachel as she is big enough to do any of the activities she wanted, Emma could do some, and Hope rode on dad's shoulders. I think the coolest thing ever was the virtual air hockey table, you brush your hand over the puck and it goes back and forth on the computer screen in the table. Don't need to worry about smashing your opponents finger anymore with the puck. Lunch in the room, small snooze then up the gondola to the top of Ober Mountain. Once up top Rachel and I headed for the gocarts that you need to take -- yet again, another chairlift -- up to a higher part of the mountain and you ride down on the carts. We had a blast racing each other down, then dad took Emma and Rach up while I hung with Hope, and a third time was had by Emma and I - she loved it and kept pushing on the lever to make it go faster down the mountain. Jeesh. We got back in time to see Rachel on top of this huge tower waiting to take a water raft down this contraption. Dinner was very good and we retired to the room - I put my foot down and no pool this night. However, the girls were tired and Rachel was a bit under the weather, more under than we realised. I give her top marks for jumping up from the bed and making it to the bathroom before she let go! It was kinda cool actually because we did clean up the room but we got to call the maid service and exchange the towels... I wish that could happen at home. They offered to come in and do the rug, but she made it - then they offered to come in an disinfect, but seeing as we are seasoned travelers we had Lyecol and had already done that as well. Poor kid, nothing worse that a sick girl. We made it thru the night and in the morning dad was rip roaring and ready to go - I was like what is the rush? everyone seems to be fine. He took me aside and whispered, "we ALL drank out of the same water bottle yesterday remember???" sweet nibblets, let's get home before it hits any of the rest of us. True to his word we were home in l.5 hours and we all settled in for a quiet, quiet, nonsick day at home.
Easter Sunday dawned and we did not feel the need to attend sunrise service and took our time making the 11am service. Passed another day quietly and took Rachel back to b/burg and settled in for our last night off. It was a great time together as always - lots of excitement as always -

Easter and School

Ok, the state of schools have changed since my days in kindergarten. Hope had an Easter party at preschool last week and an Easter Egg Hunt, the only thing asked was no peanuts for allergies -- sorry I used the new video camera so no stills for her running around in circles looking for eggs -- and she came home with a bag full of goodies. Emma had her hunt on friday and we sent in a dozen eggs but no candy in them... so she hunted in the rain for 6 empty eggs??? Her school doesn't let the classes have cupcakes or candy or squat - I know there are a lot of food allergies out there but if you are 5 or 6 and haven't figured out you have a serious food allergy there could be a problem. I have a little boy in the infant program who is allergic to soy products and he never eats anything that isn't given to him and if one of the other little kiddos hands him a treat he brings it and shows it to me first before putting it in his mouth and he just turned 2 years old. Kinda makes you wonder ( yet again ) about the state of things, over indulgence of kids, helicopter parenting, and no one making kids take some responsibility and learning from life.

//

I did get some cute pictures of Emma and her bunny mask she made at school and a playboy... er play doe bunny Emma sculpted.

999 Pieces of Puzzle on the Wall

Ok, second weekend of putting the 1000 piece puzzle together and "we" (moi) and yeah, Rachel and dad finished the puzzle, except for ONE piece. How the heck does that happen? It was bad enough that we had to drag Rachel upstairs to finish what she started but we made her listen to horrific music from get this... the 60's, 70's and 80's... like sooo old, and for the record it was music from the 80's! I did my best to sing along with all the songs to up the annoyance factor ( my job as a wonderful parent ) but she got us back as she was dancing while doing the puzzle and I couldn't stop laughing at her craziness. Nothing promotes family togetherness like annoying each other and razor sharp barbs of sarcasm.
We glued it together to put on her bedroom wall, and it kinda makes a statement being sans one piece... the little ones came down stairs Sunday morning in total awe that we finished it after they went to bed. Maybe we shouldn't of done it on the eve of daylight savings so it was really midnight, not 11 pm when we finished - and we would have to get up at what really felt like 7am for church on Sunday. Whoops.

Signs of Spring

Gotta love March, rain, tornado warning, 70 degree day - what a first week! I went to get the mail and saw the little while crocus in the middle of the lawn blooming like a champ, I called Emma over and she said " Cool, can we pick it? "... jeesh, we have two flowers blooming in the yard and she wants to pick it. It made me check out another spot where crocus are actually planted and found another on blooming away and a daffodil close behind.

We hung out bird feeders we made at church. Don't ask me what made me think making bird feeders from old bagels with peanut butter and bird seed was the thing to do with the 5 and 6 year olds... I wish I had a picture of Ms. Janet's face when she walked into the room to teach music, but trooper she was she just kept the kids on the other side of the room while I quietly swept up the pound of seed that didn't make it on the feeders. They kinda look like glazed donuts with chocolate sprinkles on top.
Finally, the girls came running over and what did Emma have in her hand ? A worm, ahhh the best sign of all things are getting ready to change, it wasn't even a petrified worm, it wiggled and everything. We made sure we put it next to the brick along the house since it's supposed to snow tomorrow so maybe it wont freeze.

What the...?

As you can see there are two perfectly good chairs and a couch for Hope to sit and finish her breakfast upon but nooooooooo...... maybe I shouldn't let her watch Curious George in the mornings, too much monkey influence.