"The WNC Nature Center is a living museum of plants and animals native to the Appalachian region. Our purpose is to increase public awareness and understanding of all aspects of the natural environment of Western North Carolina through hands-on and sensory experience."

We had a really fun time at my Dad and Mom's. We had BBQ, Baked Beans, Slaw and Corn on the Cob. For dessert we had apple pie and ice cream. How very American!



They each read 45 books or long chapters so they all won all of the prizes. They received:

*Chick-fil-A Icedream coupon

*Pavilion ice skating pass

*Chick-fil-A Kids Meal coupon

*Be Creative paint sheet

*Certificate of Completion

*Toy mini video camera

*Voucher to a Greenville Drive baseball game

A unique way to explore downtown greenville Goodnight Moon is the children’s book that the mice idea came from. As a senior project at Christ Church Episcopal School, Jimmy Ryan proposed the idea of placing the mice downtown for children to hunt. He raised the funding and commissioned Zan Wells, local sculptor, to make the individual mice. A bronzed sculpture of the book and one mouse are mounted on the fountain in front of the Hyatt Regency hotel and the other eight mice are installed along a nine-block stretch of Main Street between the Hyatt & the Westin Poinsett hotels. So, this is what we have planned for today. Then I think we'll find our way down to the Falls Park. Maybe a picnic lunch? If I can pull it all together. We'll see. Have a great day everyone!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a really wonderful time at Riverbanks Zoo on Monday.

I wish we had gotten there earlier as we didn't get to do everything we wanted to.

We missed several of the presentations, the 3-D movie and we didn't make it to the Botanical Garden.

We DID get to do the main things the kids wanted to do:

1) See lots of neat animals

2) My 2 youngest went on the pony ride. It is expensive ($5 per child) but it was their money and, even though it was a short ride, they did enjoy it.

3) The 2 older kids wanted to do the rock climb. At $3 per child it wasn't so bad. They thought it was very cool!

4) 3 of the kids rode the carousel. $1 per child and really, who doesn't love a carousel?

5) Feed the lorikeets. We only bought 2 cups of nectar ($1 per cup) and I wish I had bought 1 per child. That was really neat.

6) 3 of the kids rode the train. It was $2 per child but my youngest is crazy about choo-choo trains so that was a must.

We are really looking forward to going back sometime soon :-)

Kenton and Andrew

February 25,1998

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Kenton and Kimberly

June 26, 2003

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Kenton and Daniel

May 22, 2006

The winds were so strong, they picked up the trampoline and dumped it into the pasture behind our house.

Thankfully, no one was hurt and no property was damaged other than the trampoline.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your protection.

Fort Mackenzie is a four-story interactive treehouse water fort offering 12 levels of super-soaking fun for the family. Younger kids can climb with their parents to reach the slides at the top. The older ones will love making their way over suspension bridges and cargo nets to spray stations and soaker buckets. (Watch out below!) The grand daddy of soaker buckets is the 1,000-gallon tipper that sits atop Fort Mackenzie. Every few minutes, the warning bell clangs, and the bucket begins to tip its contents over the roof and onto the giggling group below.

And that is just the beginning! There is SO much to do at the Great Wolf Lodge and we'll only be there one night and one day. I hope we can fit it all in!

I'll be sure to take lots and lots of pictures while we're there!

While I was outside yesterday doing some yard work yesterday, my older children were in the house making birthday gifts for me.


Here we have the gift my 9 year old daughter gave me. See those big, white sunglasses? Well, they belong to her. My dad bought them for her when they went to the Jockey Lot a few months ago. Yesterday, I borrowed them while I was using the weed-eater because I couldn't find mine. I came in for a break and laid them down. When I went back to get them they were gone! I couldn't find them ANYWHERE! Turns out she grabbed them and wrapped them up for my b-day gift :0) The Chunky bar? Well, that sweet little girl knows those are my FAVE so she made sure to include on in the package.
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And did you see my card? Isn't that sweet? Of course NO birthday card is complete without money in it. I do think she's rubbing my age in my face a bit, though LOL ;-)
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Don't you love this gift box? Pretty resourceful don't you think?
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And this is from my 11year old son. Again, you've GOT to have money in a birthday card! I just love he's note he wrote. And that picture! I guess he knows I love that precious face of his. Did you see the note in the box? It says "The paper clips are in a bag in the desk." Guess that was for my peace of mind ;-)
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I fail so often as a mother but it feels wonderful to know that they love me in spite of my faults.

Thank you God for these beautiful children and for their thoughtful and generous hearts.

Nearly everyone at my house is or has been sick this week.

Kimberly came down with a fever on Sunday (103*) and she just went back to school today (Thursday)

Jessica was next. Tuesday she was home. No fever but she was throwing up.

Today it's me and Andrew. I've got a slight fever, congestion, cough and all over aches.

Andrew has a fever of 102*, but would you believe he went to school anyway? Yes, I know, I'm a bad parent for letting a sick child go to school but there is a reason.

Every year Andrew ends up with strep throat and misses out on perfect attendance. He has since had his tonsils removed and hasn't had strep again. He's made it nearly (3) 9-weeks of school with out missing a day. He SOOOO wants perfect attendance...just once! So, I let him go to school. I told him to call me and I'd pick him up once he hit the half-day point but he made it all day. He's miserable now, but he's had some more Motrin and he's laying down.

He's supposed to have "Why" practice tonight but we may just have to miss that one. I know it's crunch time...but he's one sick little boy. We'll see how he feels when it's time to go.

We are also supposed to have Jessica's birthday party on Sunday. UGH! The house is a mess, there's a couple of "Why" practices to go to, Andrew has practice on Saturday for "Spring Sing" and I've got to make a cake. I'd love to postpone the party, but next Sunday we have 2 "Why" performances and the following Sunday is Easter.

It's too much to think about right now. I'm going to go lay down until I have to pick up the girls from their after school class.