Thanks Santa

The BIG question

This is an exact transcript of a conversation I just had with TPG. He asked me the first question and I immediately started writing down what he was saying cause I knew it would be good. I am totally fearful of the day my kids start asking me real questions about babies, how they are made, how they get out... you get the picture. Right now they think Jesus puts babies into a mom's belly and then it just "pops" out. I am not about to explain how wrong they are. Just no need to go there. TPG is already appalled when he sees TTG and I show any kind of affection even if it is just a quick kiss. He says that we already had our honeymoon so we should not kiss anymore. Imagine what he will say when he learns where babies come from-ugh. But, I was completely not prepared for this line of questioning I got from him when he got off the bus today. I think I may be excommunicated from the Catholic Church for how I answered his questions. Oh well. Here it is:


TPG:I am curious about dinosaurs and god.
Me: Ok, what?
TPG: Um, were dinosaurs the first people on earth? Really? Or was God first?
Me: God was first
TPG: But everyone says dinosaurs were first on earth. I think dinosaurs were the first to walk on earth
Me: So what’s the problem?
TPG: Were the dinosaurs here first or god?
Me: God made the dinosaurs.
TPG: I thought he made that man and lady who ate the fruit and had no clothes, I thought they were first.
Me: Well, maybe the dinosaurs were on earth first and then those people- Adam and Eve came later.
TPG: Yes, Adam and Eve that was their name. They came after the dinosaurs?
Me: Yes
TPG: OHHH, ok, Can I have a banana?
Me: ok
YIKES-I think I totally confused him and now me. I think I would have done better with the "where do babies really come from" question.

Snow Day

Locks of Love-finally

Well, I finally did it. I have been growing my hair out for almost 2 years and it was finally long enough (10 inches) to donate to Locks of Love. They make wigs for children who have permanent or long term hair loss. Here are some before and after pictures. I need to play with the "after" hair style a little because I am never able to do my hair the way they do at the studio. But, if you know me, you know I am a short hair girl so it is a HUGE relief to have all that hair gone.

First Tooth Finally OUT!

TPG finally lost his first tooth. The funny thing is that the one that came out is not the original first loose tooth. The first tooth that came loose the other week is still hanging on by a thread. So, I guess that means we will lose another tooth in a few days. TPG was pretty excited and could not wait to put it under the pillow for the tooth fairy.

Loose tooth

TPG has his first loose tooth!! Ahhhhhh. I can't believe it. How could my baby boy be old enough to have a loose tooth? Lets hope we can keep it in until the wedding photos are taken on Saturday.

Communist Librarians

Even kids could do law school

These videos are for my sister to show to her students.

Videos for Class

These are two videos I am showing in my GSD 101 Class on the topic of the value of a liberal arts education.

Funny Video

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Books for the State

Visit this site and share the book that first got you hooked on reading. The state with the largest number of responses gets 50,000 free books donated to the state.

First Day of School

TPG had his first day of school today. The plan was to put him on the bus and then follow the bus to school and walk him to his classroom. Did things go as planned? Of course not! TPG did get on the bus without a hitch and he even met a new friend who is in first grade and lives up the street. But, after he got on the bus, things went down hill...

Liberty Elementary is a new school so there were lots of parents who wanted to walk their kids to the classroom. Because they do not have enough parking at the school for every parent they set up an alternate parking plan. We could park our cars at the church across the street and take a bus over to the school. My plan was to follow TPG's bus and park at the church and take the shuttle over and meet him in his classroom. I felt really guilty when I got there because there were all these parent who were getting on the bus with their kids. Here I was, the bad parent who put their kid on the bus at the bustop by himself. But, once I got on the bus I met other parents who were doing the same thing as me. We rode the bus across the street and walked into the school. I was directed into the gymnasium where there were lots of kids sitting quietly and calmly in rows. I looked for TPG and did not see him. I asked a teacher and was told he could be in his classroom already. Ok, no big deal. I walked to his classroom where there were tons of kids sitting anxiously at their desk with nervous parents all around the room. Still no TPG. (see photo)

Ok, now I am nervous. My biggest fear the night before was that he would get off the bus at school and not know where to go and get lost. It was an irrational fear last night but now it was coming true, crap! The teacher spotted me and noticed my panicked look. She tried to calm me and let me know that the first day of kindergarten is tougher on the parents than the kids. I tried to smile and told her that would be great if I actually knew where my kid was. "Hmmm" she said and then instructed me to wait and he would show up. Ok, no, not going to wait. I was going to look for him myself. There were TV cameras from all 3 tv stations all over the school to document the first day in the new school and I know they were looking for a crying parent to interview. Not me, I was not crying about that, I was pissed. They had lost my child. I tried very hard to keep my calm and not strangle the teachers. I went back in the gym, still no TPG. All the buses had already dropped kids off. No TPG.
At that moment, my stomach did a churn, I was going to puke and then I realized I had not eaten breakfast. Wait, breakfast, I smelled breakfast. They serve breakfast at school that some children eat because they don't, can't, won't eat breakfast at home. It all clicked. I should have known. I walked into the cafeteria and there in his cute green striped shirt that makes his eyes look amazing is TPG eating a healthy breakfast! See below-

I could have killed him. He had a full breakfast at home but when he got off the bus they told the kids "if you want breakfast go in the cafeteria, if not, wait in the gym." Well, TPG would never turn down food. No way! Of course I did not send him with money to buy breakfast. They don't even take money for breakfast or lunch. It is all done with accounts. And TPG now has a negative balance, on his first day, grrrr. I told him to hurry up and eat but he was bound and determined to eat the entire meal. Finally he was done, grape jelly all over his mouth and shirt and milk dribbled down his front. I wanted to walk him to his room. Before he had left in the morning I had put a note in his pocket with this room number on it in case he got lost. As we were walking down the hallway, he got out his note and started looking for his room. He turned to me and said "I can do it by myself" And he did. He got into his classroom, found his spot, sat down and proceeded to ready himself for the day. The teacher showed a little video clip that she put on her blog about the first day of school and then she ushered the parents out. TPG got a little bit clingy as I was leaving but I pointed out that one of his friends from his preschool was crying and he quickly swooped to her rescue, always the gentleman. I guess thats it. I will be waiting for him as he gets off the bus today. I survived and I am sure TPG did as well. To see more pictures from the First Day of School, click here.

Yellow Belt!

He did it! TPG took a real live, honest to goodness, Taekwondo belt test and passed! He is now officially a yellow belt. It took him almost a year to get this belt and he is pretty proud of himself.
(spell check does not like the word taekwondo and suggested wonderbra instead hmmmm...)

UK Fan Day

We went to the UK Football Fan Day on Saturday. There were fireworks, free hot dogs and we got to go onto the football field at Commonwealth Stadium. What more could you ask for?

Sunset Day 6

TTG and DCG
Originally uploaded by Julie George

Another day at the beach. Today the weather was absolutely perfect. The waves were pretty rough and there was a ton of seaweed washing in this morning but it did not deter the kids from getting in the water. TPG discovered that he could "boogie board without the boogie board" when he got caught by a wave and it took him all the way into the shore. He was pretty proud of himself. There were a bunch of older boys (around 11 or 12) out there body surfing and he thought he was pretty hot stuff hangin' with the big kids. DCG and AGW spent much of the time playing in the sand. After the beach we spent the rest of the day in the pool. We made dinner and then headed back out to the beach for some more sunset pictures. I think I was able to take some pretty neat shots so be sure to click on the picture of TTG and DCG holding hands to got to Flickr to see more. One more day at the beach and then we get back in the car for the 894 mile car trip on Saturday. I lay on the beach everyday and try to soak up the relaxing feeling so that I can revisit it during our car trip home. Hopefully I will be able to channel some relaxing feelings because I think it is going to be a pretty rough trip. We split the trip down into two days so the marathon trip home should be interesting. We have the portable DVD player, we have food, we have books, we have toys, but strapping two VERY ACTIVE kids into a car for about 15 hours will be a new adventure.

Cousins having fun

DCG and AGW hoola girls
Originally uploaded by Julie George

AGW and DCG have had tons of fun this week.

Linger Lodge-Day 5

We spent the morning on the beach (no photos cause I am tired of dragging stuff to the beach and then back again) The water was kind of rough but TPG and his friend were still out there trying to boogie board it. They got more tossed around then anything else but they had tons of fun. Then, they went to the pool and used snorkels and masks. It is so funny to see how outgoing TPG is when he is around other kids. I know I should not be surprised but believe it or not, sometimes he can be shy around adults and in strange situations. But, put a 5 year old boy in front of him and they are instant best friends. Makes me feel pretty good about the impending kindergarten first day. DCG and AGW played in the sand most of the time. They have really enjoyed spending the week together. Monkey see, Monkey do would be the theme of their relationship. Can you take a guess at who the ringleader is?

After the beach all 14 of us drove to Bradenton to the Linger Lodge for a late lunch. According to the Food Network, the Linger Lodge is "One Of The Top Five Weirdest Restaurants In The Country" I would have to agree with them. The kids both ate alligator and loved it-see pictures below. The picture below of the sign is actually made from dead, stuffed snakes and the place is decorated with many dead and stuffed animals-very appetizing. Needless to say, I did not eat much of my plain cheese pizza. I just could not stomach much else. The location of the lodge is absolutely beautiful. You can either drive to the place or take a boat, tie up at the dock and walk up from the back. We all went out to the Braden River in the back and actually saw an alligator swimming. Very cool.

Beach again tomorrw-if the weather holds up. If not, we will head to the G-Wiz children's science museum for an indoor day. Enjoy the pictures below. Also click on this Flickr link for some other pictures.

Aquarium-Day 4

Touching sting rays
Originally uploaded by Julie George

We visited the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota today. The weather was a little yucky so it was a good day to spend it away from the beach. The kids got to touch stingrays (they were slimy) pretend to be a shark, see a gigantic squid (ick, ick, ick), see tons of sharks, watch manatees eat and play, and watch a dolphin training session. We all went back to the condo and took naps and then it was back out to the beach because the weather had cleared. TPG met another kid his age on Sunday and they were able to reunite for some boogy boarding this afternoon. I am so glad that TPG had swim lessons this summer. I felt pretty comfortable letting him go out there without me making him wear a Coast Guard approved PFD (lifejacket) and me holding him to me at all times. He is definitely not a great swimmer but he knows how to get himself out of the water and keep himself afloat. Now to work on DCG. Later that evening we all went our separate ways for dinner. Our part of the George clan stayed in and grilled hotdogs on the community grill out at the beach. We plan on heading back out to the beach tomorrow and then Grandpa is treating us to lunch at the Linger Lodge. Once again, I have uploaded more pictures to Flickr and you can get to them by clicking on the picture.

Some more pictures of the trip

Take me out to the ballgame-Day 3

We went to see the Cincinnati Reds Single A minor league team The Sarasota Reds tonight. Lots of fun.

Longboat Key Day 2

Sunset on Longboat Key on the second day. Lots of time at the beach, time on the playground, and time at the pool. All of us are worn out but it was a good day.

Longboat Key

Sunset on the first night TPG and DCG
Originally uploaded by Julie George

We made the 14 hour drive to Longboat Key Florida without a hitch. We drove about 7 hours on the first night and spent the night in Macon GA. We got up and were on the road by 7am and made it to Longboat Key by 2pm. TPG asked about 1000 times if we were almost there and DCG kept asking to get up. Other than that it was a pretty good trip. The weather is beautiful. We went out to the beach on the first night to see the sunset. It was so beautiful. We spent the next day on the beach. TPG and DCG spent the whole time in the water. They had a blast. I made a promise to myself to not get burned on the first day. I usually get fried on the first day and then I am miserable for the rest of the trip. I held to my promise and did not get burned today! We shall see how I do tomorrow. Click on the photo for more pictures. I will post more soon.

Soccer Camp

Soccer Camp TPG
Originally uploaded by Julie George

TPG is attending soccer camp at EKU this week. He comes to work with me in the morning. I drop him off at the camp, come back to work and then pick him up and bring him back to my office for lunch. After he eats lunch, I set him up in the classroom next to my office. Today he is watching movies. I may bring something for him to do the rest of the week. Anyway, today TPG won the award "camper of the day" for being a good listener and trying really hard. He was awarded a an EKU soccer ball for his hard work. He came running to me after the camp and said "look mommy, I won a UK ball" I had to correct him and say "EKU, not UK" He is having a great time. Click on the photo to see more pictures of TPG in action.

Our garden

Our garden
Originally uploaded by Julie George

We doubled the size of our garden this year and it is growing like crazy. We are eating cucumbers just about every day. The kids pick the grape tomatoes off the vine and eat them right from the garden. I don't think that any of them have actually made it into the house. The corn is getting close and we have had green beans and yellow squash a few times each week since they have started producing. Click on the picture on the right for some other shots of the garden.

Ready for the Beach

We are heading to the Longboat Key in Florida in a few weeks. We tried out our new goggles today at dinner. They work!

Independence Day

IMG_0694
Originally uploaded by Julie George

Click on the picture for more photos of our Independence Day celebrations. More info on what we did later!