Thank you! Thank you!!!

Thank you so much for all of you buying popcorn from Hunter for Boyscouts. He won second place for sales. (He so gets that from his Dad and great grandfather, Pa) He won this awesome new bike. He loves riding it and says next year he wants to sell even more. Guess what you are getting next Christmas??? Popcorn.

Thanksgiving 2008 = Whirlwind!!

Man, am I ever thankful!! That it is over!!!! We loved being home this year for my favorite holiday but we were busy.



Thursday was of course the BIG day!



Friday we had a black friday (I was up at 4:30), birthday party and then the tree lighting downtown to see Allison sing.

(Allison is in the white hat and scarf. She is singing a song from Rent)

Saturday we took Hunter to see Walking with Dinosaurs. That boy totally amazed me. He knew ever dinosaur type and loved every minute of it.

Sunday off to Kmart at 7:30am, church at Crown Point for a special celebration, put up the tree and finish my CDA teaching requirements.

Monday I finally have my CDA testing and Hunter has a dentist appt and cubscouts.

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent catching up before I start my new position at the preschool. I am off to work tomorrow. It has been a busy week but we are so blessed with two beautiful children, an awesome family and terrific friends. What else in this world could we ask for!! Much love to all of you !

I am addicted...

I need help. A support program or something. I mean when I go out and I don't have it with me. I start to shake and I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach. I have tried to not be so obsessive but I think there is no turning back now.....

I AM ADDICTED TO COUPONS!!!! Seriously, I started at 7 this morning at Kmart for their double coupon event. I even got Rick to go with me.

This is what I used to get for $50.00.


















and now with double coupon and some preparing. I got all this....Yes, we saved over $150!!!! I got lots of dog treats, medicine, and sparkling grape juice all for free! I am hooked now, did I say that already.




I know it is hard to see it all but I thought I would post my great deal of the day!! I can't wait I may make another trip back this week since we don't ever have double coupons in FL. Happy Couponing!!

Halloween 2008

We had a great time with the boys!!! Hope you enjoy the pictures!~

Who is your presidential candidate????

You may have thought that there were only two to choose from but we have news for you. There is a third candidate. Here are his stats and what he agrees to do for our Country.

*He is six years old and has officially been classified as "gifted"
*He sees everything in black and white (I always said he would make a great politician)
*He said that he wants all Americans to recycle. He is our recycling president here and thinks if you don't you are making a BIG mistake for our future.
*He also stated that he wants everyone to go to Disney World. He said if he is president that he will help people to get there because when you are there everyone is happy. (yes, I raised him with good values!! hello, he loves Disney)

His name is Hunter Laney and he is ready to campaign for your vote!!!



I know it is too funny! We were in Joann's and Hunter put on that mask and yelled, "Look Mom, I look like a president!" I grabbed my camera and took the pic. Then Hunter said Mom, put that on the blog. I said consider it done. We went over what a president does and how they have things that they stand up for. Hunter came up with his own. He does think it is ridiculous that you have to be 35 to run for president because that is OLD!! Hahaha!!

Our First Camping Trip with the Boy Scouts!

We had a great time at Camp Shands last weekend! The boys loved it and we enjoyed watching them experience new things. Enjoy the slide show!

Awwwww, I love that boy...

Hayden wants to do his room in a baseball theme. So we have started looking at some things for it. I found this really cool baseball chair. Hayden loves it!! He said it won't be a time out chair EVER..So last night I went in his room to check on him before I went to bed and sneak in one last kiss. His bed was empty! My heart started to panic until I looked down and this is what I found...

I seriously owe you all some updates...

I checked out the blog and realized it has been almost two months since I posted. I am so sorry..Please forgive me. You are about to get updated on the Land of Laney . I will type quickly and you read quickly because there A LOT going on here.....

On 8/18, Hunter started the first grade and Hayden started PreK. They both are enjoying their new classes.


























Let see, we had TS Fay come thru and disrupt our school schedule, then we had some really big news!! We got a tiger!! Yes you read that right, a TIGER, a cub of course!!





I told you we got a tiger.. A tiger cub scout. Hunter heard all about it and could not wait to sign up. He even wanted to forgo t-ball for rock climbing and bows and arrows. We have our first camping trip (yes in a tent!! All four of us!! Quit laughing...stop it) the first weekend in October. Don't forget to check out the blog..it is sure to be good after that one.

Love, love, love to all ....S

3 + 3; 5 + 1; 4 + 2

Anyway you look at it they all equal 6. That is a pretty imporant number for us today. It is Hunter's 6th birthday today!! I can remember all those special moments from the time I got the phone call to find out I was pregnant, to his delivery, the last five birthdays, his first day of preschool, and his first day of kindergarten. Gosh, where has all the time gone???? He keeps growing in wisdom and stature but some things never change....

• He still won't eat peanut butter



• Everything is still black and white in his world



• He consistently must have the last word



• He still whines (he is going to outgrow that, right?)

This last year has been amazing one of growth and knowledge for Hunter. He learned to read, write and addition. He tried karate and still can't decide if he likes it. He found that he loves mexican food. Moe's is his favorite restaurant. He learned to ride his bike without training wheels. We celebrate Hunter and all the amazing things that make him today!!

Here is the cake a made him last night!! Awwww yeah, I can't wait to cut it...

Here is the birthday boy right out of bed this morning...

Thanks to all of our family and friends for all of your love, support and encouragement for our boys. They wouldn't be where they are now without such amazing family. We love you all!

The Laneys have a lake in their backyard!

Yes, can you believe it. We have our own lake thanks to two little boys. It had been a crazy day and I had lost my patience in the day more then once. We came home and the boys slip and slide split down the side so there were tears and more drama then a mama could handle. I made the statement just turn on the hose for a bit. It is basically the same thing, right? No, its not - boys, water and dirt equal the above. They had a blast and that was that mattered.

Check out my Slide Show!

Dog Days of Summer

I worked on a photo album this morning of our summer adventures so far! I realize I sure do miss being a kid. I am once again in love with summer thru the eyes of two little boys. Check out the slide show. Enjoy!! Love, love, love - S

Ordinary?.?.

Things have been unusually ordinary at our home. That's not the rhythm of our home. I am not sure exactly when or how it happened or even what exactly caused it. I have tried to put my finger on it. When I started to have a little pity party about how ordinary is kinda boring...I came across the word extraordinary. I thought you have be ordinary first before you can be extraordinary. I began to realize some of the things that have gone on that may cause the ordinary, there blessings attached to each of them that make them extraordinary.

Here are a few things I could come up with:

I retired from directing the preschool. We are definitely not at church 24/7 anymore We have time to be at home and just hang out together.

We lost a major account with our lawn business. While the financial end of it hurts greatly, the benefit is that Rick is home with us a lot more.

We have come up with some really cost effective ways for meals and entertainment over the last few months and it has caused us to cut back on things that were extras. We have a greater appreciation for family and the things we do.

All this to say, when you start to have that little pity party go ahead and have it and then remind yourself when things seem ordinary and boring; extraordinary is probably right around the corner with some great things in store for you and your family. Happy 4th to everyone!!

Summer has begun...Yeah!!

Today starts our second week of summer. The boys are loving being at home and playing all day together. No one has been injured yet and after a week at home the play room is trashed. The boys ask every night for a camp out. Rick and I made them a tent and they had fun.

Father's Day was great! Allison started the day by dedicating a song to Rick. Rick got lots of great gifts but the best part was dinner with our family and friends. Okay, and the banana pudding was to die for. (Thanks to Paula Deen for that recipe)

We are off to free bowling today. Hunter's report card earned him 8 free games. He has been dying to use them. So we are going to head out and see if the Laney boys can keep the ball out of the gutter.

Big News Here!!

Yesterday, Master Hayden requested to go bike riding for his birthday! So off we went to the school so they could have lots of room to ride. Rick and I thought Hunter might be ready to try riding without training wheels. We figured it would take quite a bit of time before he got the hang of it. Boy were we wrong! Hunter mastered (on his own ) riding his bike with no training wheels. We are so proud of him. Hayden had a ball playing in the puddles and riding his new Speed Racer bike.

The Texans Invaded!!

Yes, Mimi and Pop-Pop arrived with lots of hugs and kisses. But unfortunately they came without luggage. (Just for a little while, we got to make a trip to the airport to pick it up) We had a fabulous visit and as usual, it was so hard to see them go!! Hayden wanted to go home with them as long as he could take Lucy with him.



We were very busy while Mimi and Pop-Pop visited. On Wednesday we went to the Alligator Farm. We saw every kind of alligator known to man. Then we headed to the outlets. That night we found a really great Cuban restaurant that is now at the top of our favorite restaurant list. The boys also had a slumber party at the hotel with their grandparents.



On Thursday, we went to the book fair and to the park. Pop-Pop was great pushing all the kids on the swings. Even those he was not related to. We called it an early night so that everyone could get rest for the big day tomorrow.



Friday, we went to see Hunter at school for lunch. You would never believe how loud it is in that cafeteria? Took Mimi and Pop-Pop to Dave and Busters. Mimi got challenged to a game of horse racing. Hayden had his birthday party that night at the baseball field.

Saturday came so quickly! Off the grandparents went back to Texas. The Laneys were depressed for days with Grandparent Withdrawal. We are looking forward to their next visit and praying that soon they will be a bit closer to us.

Weekend...

Did someone ever say that it would be boring with 2 boys running around? NEVER!!

We had a great weekend. Saturday we went to a friend's home in Keystone and had a bar-b-que. They have five acres and the boys had a blast. They swam, dug in dirt, caught bugs and catapillars, went on golf cart rides. But the highlight of the day was when they said the cows were coming!! Cows, what cows? Their property backs up to a dairy farm. The diary farm let the cows out and Hayden went crazy. Not only does that boy love animals but cows are usually at the top of the list. We tried to feed them grass but we were not very successful. Hayden said next time we need to bring hay with us.

Sunday was Mothers Day. We all had a great day. The boys painted ceramic figurines for me. Rick took them to buy me a beautiful necklace. (Who-hoo gotta love jewelry!) Mom bought me a Coach keychain (another of my favorite things). Rick got to go to the TPC golf tournament for the day. So my mom, Allison, the boys and I spent the day together.

Now, Monday came with lots of excitement. We are awaiting for our grandparents to arrive tomorrow but the biggest excitement was the fact that someone cut Hayden's hair. He said Hunter did it. Hunter said, "No way it wasn't me". So finally, after asking a bijillion times, Hayden admitted it was him. He is only three and will have to have a comb over until it grows out. Why do kids always do that right before a big event? I will be out looking for a baseball hat for him to wear to his birthday party on Friday night.

Some things are not for everyone!

I was so excited to see one of Hayden's favorite books presented as a play here in Jax. So we made plans to go and see "If you give a mouse a cookie" today. I told Hayden we were going to a play. He seemed excited. We got there and it was general admission. They sat us in the third row. Wow, how excited was I? The play was a few minutes late getting started. Hayden looked at the balcony and said to me. "Mom, is that where the playground is? Is that where I can play?" I knew I was in trouble. I explained that this kind of play was like watching a book. He made it thru most of the performance and then nature called. We were getting ready to leave the restroom and go back to our seats for the last 10 minutes of the show. Hayden looked at me with those big brown eyes and said, Can I go home and play basketball now? Off we went to our house to play basketball. Some things we like and others we don't.

Note to self: Sports is Hayden's thing!! Take it easy the rest will come.