Corinn's 1st field trip - to the Apple Orchard!

today was Corinn's very first field trip ever!

we went to the same orchard that Gabby's class went to last year
(you can check out that post for more info, if u're local & interested in visiting)

Paugh's Orchard - and it was soooo much fun!

this is Corinn's friend, Kelsey - she was the other little girl i got to chaperone....can u tell they're excited to go?! ;0)

this is my sister, Kelly - and my nephew, Bryan....he & Corinn are in the same preK class!

Mr. Paugh is a RIOT! he entertains the kids & adults....and Corinn was so interested in everything he had to say.....she kept squeezing up to the front & listened so intently.....even answering questions with the loudest response she could! loved it! :0)

Mr. Paugh showing the kids a small apple tree

now showing them how the pickers gather apples

all the kids got to have their pic taken on Mr. Paugh's tractor

the only pic of the 2 of us - too bad she's squinting

time for some apple picking! Corinn went straight to the golden delicious

but she wanted a variety - so she got some red delicious too

here she is using the high-tech cleaning method that Mr. Paugh showed the kids! ~teehee~

mmmmmmmmm!

they even have a little pumpkin patch & each kid got to pick their own!

perfect! ;0)

now she's trying out a red one - yummy too!

AND apple cider - mama's favorite!

more please?

that's the end of our tour - look how wiped out these kiddos look

class picture - too cute!

such a beauty! :0)

she actually asked to eat a 3rd apple - but after the other 2, plus cider - mama thought that might b a bad idea! ~teehee~

weekend recap...

saturday, the fam went along with me to deliver my first 2 cakes of the weekend.....we decided to have a picnic lunch at the park afterwards & play for a while

look at this amazing dog that we watched while eating lunch....his owners would tell him to climb the tree, and he would! he'd run up the trunk to about this high, then flip over & land on all 4's.....he was doing a lot of other flipping tricks too - way cool & kept the kids entertained while they ate

after the park trip, we headed over to Nana & Grandpa's to visit.....Corinn tried out the "big" 4-wheelers for the first time! she's been riding the little blue ones (that are about the same size, but are actually just power wheel type ones & don't move very fast at all) for a while & it never dawned on her that she was big enough to go bigger.....she took to it immediately & did very well!


curtis & i took a ride through the woods too ;0)

gabby started collecting acorns off the ground - saying she was taking them home for fall decorations (love it!).....grandpa showed the girls that u can actually eat the inside (ack - bitter)

daddy got his new work van on friday! so when we got home & they noticed it sitting out back - all the kids had to take a turn "driving" ;0)

sunday was homecoming at our church (116 years!).....that meant:
-no children's church during the sermon
-meal afterwards
-kids performing in program after meal

i was impressed with the kiddos during the service.....usually, they head out to children's church right after the opening music & offering, but there was no children's church this sunday....mama pulled out some pens & a notebook - they were very well-behaved & quiet!

the meal was yummy & the kids did awesome in the program afterwards!

can u believe that the little boy in the front row (with the blue folder) is a few days older than jaden?! and the tiny little girl beside him (his sister) - she's just a couple months younger than gabby!!! (she insists on having her own folder, even tho she can't read yet ~teehee~)
boy, my kids are big! ~lol~

also, the boy playing the guitar has asperger's too (like jaden) - his guitar skills were seriously impressive! and he's quite the jokester too - he's very big into the skits & musical performance that the youth group puts on!

(check out corinn fidgeting - too cute)

last evening, we took a family walk (one of my fav activities).....we took the kids on a different route this time - a LOT hillier, but they really enjoyed it - they turned it into a game/challenge.....curtis is really getting a kick outta how much our kids enjoy exercising!

happy monday!

weekend cakes...

first up, was this cake for 9 year old Gavin.....Gavin loves legos & bear hunting with his dogs.....his mom wanted to incorporate both (love that!).....the camo legos are white cake, iced in butter cream & covered in fondant....i made little Gavin, his dog & the black bear out of fondant as well


then came this Nemo cupcake cake.....i've made a cake for every single one of Jamari's birthdays (3D Elmo for his 1st & a 3D firetruck for his 2nd) - but the poor little thing is laid up this year.....he broke his femur & is in an almost full-body cast! i can't imagine having a 3 year old, stuck in a body cast - especially on his birthday! poor Jamari AND mom/dad!!! this is 30 white cupcakes, iced/decorated in butter cream icing


and lastly, was this celestial cake for 16 year old Kelli.....Kelli's aunt ordered this cake for her & pretty must let me do what i want.....she just wanted the celestial theme.....it's all yellow cake, iced in butter cream.....i made the stars & the sun embracing the moon out of fondant & dusted it all in edible gold dust.....the glittery/starry effect (which looks sparklier in person) was done using gold/silver dusts as well


thx for looking! :0)
sharon

Dawn update - please keep the prayers coming

i posted a prayer request for my aunt Dawn yesterday (well, yesterday originally - lumped in with another post - then i separated it & made it it's own post today).....anyway, here's the email i just received from my aunt cindy, with an update...

"Dawn just called, she saw her Nurse Practitioner and she told Dawn not to panic that it may not be MS. Her spinal tap is on Sept 25^th and she can call to get the results from that the following Monday. What that will show is if her immune system is under attack which is what MS does. If there isn’t anything wrong from that test then they will look closer to whether it is mini strokes or possible Alzheimer’s disease (BIG FROWN). We are pulling for the mini strokes.

Dawn sounds in good spirits. She just received chocolate/bear and balloons but doesn’t know who sent them……I should have taken credit but didn’t….dang it!

Love ya, Cindy"

my mom's father (& Dawn's) is already experiencing some Alzheimer's-like memory loss, but since they can't say for sure that is it Alzheimer's - they call it dementia or short term memory loss....so that's why the big frown :0(

again, please keep my family in your prayers - luv u guys! thx for all the support!

~sharon

i told ya!

the kid's got Halloween on the brain now!

after our little adventure the other night, Jaden has talked about NOTHING BUT Halloween!

he drew these pics at his after-school daycare yesterday

the grim reaper - what he was last year & will be again this year
(only with glowing eyes this year)


and this is too stinkin' cute - a Halloween party!!!

check out the radio pumping the tunes!

and of course, the cake with a candy corn on it!!!

Halloween festivities, music, AND a cake?!
a kid after my own heart!
;0)

prayer request

my aunt Dawn (my mom's sis) temporarily lost partial sight in 1 eye & lost her taste buds for about a week during the summer.....she scheduled an MRI & her results showed spots on her brain - the neurologist said it's 1 of 2 things - either she's been having mini strokes, or she has MS.....the neuro apparently had NO bedside manner & acted as tho Dawn shouldn't be so upset, since her issue isn't life threatening???? what a jerk!

she had a women’s retreat this past weekend & had such a good time....but God also used those ladies to help Dawn find a better neurologist and help her get through Wednesday when she found out the possibilities....she has an appt. with her regular doctor today and she will ask to be referred to this new neurologist for a second opinion.....from what i've heard from my mom & another aunt, after Dawn went to church Wed. night, she was in very good spirits and was rooting for mini strokes

please say a prayer for my aunt as she struggles through this......she's the absolute sweetest person on earth & i can't imagine how scary it must feel going through this - waiting to find out what's really going on! i just wish i lived closer to her & could give her a big squeeze! luv u Dawn!

Halloween is coming!

last evening, i was on my own with the kiddos - Curtis (and the other 3 trainees in his class) rode to Roanoke twice yesterday, to pick up their new vans - well, on their way back the 2nd time, his died! i know?!?! good thing it was the day he picked it up, and not a week later when it would be more of a headache to take back & switch out.....so he was super late finishing up & that left me with all 3 kiddos in tow for Gabby's dance class

during Gabby's acro class, Corinn's tap instructor stopped by to tell me that Corinn was doing really well.....she said that she can tell Corinn is really concentrating & that she's picking up the steps fast ;0)

after dance, we all headed to good ole Walmart......i needed to pick up snack for Corinn's class today & a few other things.....well, Jaden spotted the Halloween candy aisle & literally gasped! i guess he didn't realize it was coming up pretty soon......since daddy wasn't home & we were in no rush - i decided to take the opportunity to let the kids look at the Halloween costumes & get ideas.......i tell ya, i think Jaden might actually love Halloween more than me! :0) for quite some time, he's talked about wanting us to do a haunted house instead of trick-or-treating this year - telling each of us what we should dress up as, to scare our visitors.....but now, he's asking to do both (haunted house & door to door) - so we'll see.....i haven't mentioned my camping idea to the kiddos since curtis & i are still working that out ;0)

Jaden's already decided he's going to be the Grim Reaper AGAIN (i've mentioned before that he gets in the habit of having repeat costumes - we've done Spiderman & a karate ninja multiple times too)......Walmart has a hood with glowing eyes this year! here's a pic of Jaden under someone's Grim Reaper lawn decoration last year


he picked up a $3 plastic labrys last night (instead of the sycle/scythe that he had last year - and still has!) & we're going to use the same hood & cape as last year - he really wants the new hood with glowing eyes, but mama is trying to convince him to use what we already have instead.....i might see if i can find one at a good price on one online tho?

but, it might have been a mistake to get this ball rolling - he woke up this morning & said he had a scary dream about a haunted house with live pumpkins.....then walking into school this morning, he asked the crossing guards if they knew that Halloween was soon! and my mom just got back from having lunch with Jaden at school - she said Halloween is all he could talk about! ~lol~ his poor teacher! ~lol~

as usual, the girls are bouncing back & forth with ideas......Gabby first said she was going to be a cheerleader with the dress up costume, pom poms & megaphone that she already has......and Corinn said she wanted to be a lady bug again (like last year)......but remember, they also have the option of using their recital costumes.....Hannah Montana was also mentioned last night - and a fairy princess......we'll see what they finally land on this year ;0)

i've been tagged...

danielle just tagged me....so here goes:

THREE

3 joys:

my kids - duh, right? but seriously - i can't even begin to tell u how much joy those little rugrats bring into my life!

nature - i love being outdoors, especially with my family....and i love teaching our kids about nature - and it helps that they too, love exploring the outdoors.....i'm even trying to talk curtis into a halloween camping trip! yep, the campground that we visit often (yes, the same campground that hosted redneck weekend!) hosts a halloween weekend every year where all the campers decorate their sites & the kids can go around trick-or-treating....what fun! curtis thinks it might b too cold - i think he needs to suck it up ~lol~

music - i'm such a music freak! and it's one of the many loves that curtis & i both share.....i feel the need for a life soundtrack at all times - if i'm cleaning, i need cleaning music - if i'm decorating cakes, i need decorating music - if i'm at work, i need work music - if i'm in the car alone, i need scream-at-the-top-of-ur-lungs-cause-no-one-can-hear-you driving music.....u get the idea.....and my kiddos seem to have the same eclectic appreciation for music as their mama ;0)

3 fears:

wild animals - i'm not scared of bugs, or spiders, or snakes, or anything like that - i'm not really scared of much at all....but even though i'm a huge nature fan - i've always been worried about coming across a wild bobcat, or bear, or coyote, or something like that, out in the woods.....i know it's very unlikely, but it's a fear that i can't clear from my brain when we're out camping or hiking

failure - i'm a perfectionist by nature & failure is something i am always scared of.....this is also a fear i've been trying to overcome recently.....i am trying to live more in the moment & not worry so much about the ultimate outcome.....of course, i recognize that it's healthy to work hard & strive to do well - but i want to teach my kids that enjoying & appreciating how u got there is way more important than getting there.....does that make sense?

disappointing others - this might tie in with my fear of failure, but i have a problem with being too worried about letting others down.....i'm a people pleaser & will go the extra mile to make sure that others are happy/satisfied - whether it's at work or in my personal life.....again, i'm trying to find a healthy balance - i want to be helpful & available to my friends & family.....but i also need to put myself & my family first

3 obsessions:

wasting electricity - i'm constantly walking through our house, turning off & unplugging things! i get so annoyed with things being left on when not in use - grrrrrr ~lol~

coffee, the stronger the better! - not only do i love coffee, but i need coffee - no seriously! i suffer from migraines & if i don't get some caffeine in my system by around lunch time, i can feel the headache coming on.....sure enough, i have a cup & viola - no more headache! it's a drug, i tell ya! ~lol~

music - ok, i know i'm repeating one of my joys - but it really is an obsession of mine.....i really wish i had an mp3 player permanently implanted into my brain ~lol~ and am i the only one that thinks ur life should have a soundtrack? ;0)

3 surprising facts:

i'm an impulse shopper - this is a struggle that i deal with on a daily basis......i'm a sucker for all the crap that is strategically placed near the check-out line, to draw people like me in, as we're waiting to pay for our stuff......and i have to go into the store with a list, or else i'll leave with way more than i need.....and it's almost always for the kids! i hardly ever buy frivolous stuff for me or curtis.....but let me say, i'm pretty good at resisting the temptation these days - i haven't bought stuff that we don't really need for some time now......but i tell ya, it's a daily struggle for me! ~lol~

i haven't read a "real" book in years! - i know, this is a sad revelation! it's not cause i don't want to read, it's just that i haven't had time.....and if i do have a moment to sit down & read, i usually pick up a magazine or the kids' class newsletters from school - cause if i tried to read for longer than 15 minutes, i'd probably fall asleep! ~lol~ that's all about to change tho! ;0)

i want my nose pierced BAD - i've already told u about this before, but danielle's surprising fact reminded me of how bad i want mine done! it's on my wish list ;0)
(oh, and i've totally nixed the whole zodiac tat thing that i talked about in that post - it really doesn't represent me - i don't believe in astrology or the chinese zodiac - i just really liked the symbols & it represents jaden's love for all things chinese.....i've got something else in mind now, but i'll talk more about that another time)



ok, as for who i'm tagging - let's see......how about Wendy, Brooke & Shanna - Shanna, i'm ganging up on you with Danielle so that you definitely do it ;0)

Modern Heirlooms on Paper...

a good friend of mine (we were both cheerleaders & graduated high school together) just announced the grand opening of her new etsy shop!

please check out her new business blog & shop - her ideas are so fresh & creative - truly original & fun!

congrats Brianna! :0)

for when I am weak, then I am strong...

boy, this job is sooooo going to work out for us! i can't tell u how excited curtis is about it.....and it's rubbing off on the rest of us! he left yesterday morning, telling the kids "today is the 1st day of a new beginning for us" ~awwww~ and he was just so chipper last eve - studying his book & talking to the kids about what he'll be doing.....all they really care about is the free premium cable we'll get in about a month! ~lol~ but that's ok.....y else would they care about daddy's new job?! ~lol~

he said as soon as he & the other 3 trainees sat down in class yesterday, the instructor says "well guys, u just got a $2 raise!" sure enough, curtis' class is the first class to fall under the newly established training pay! :0) he also found out tons of other neat "benefits" to the job yesterday that he didn't know already (yes, there are actually MORE amazing benefits!!!) - the training instructor is a guy that's been with the company for 12 years & absolutely LOVES his job! he told the trainees that this isn't just a job - it's a career....and one that they'll never want to leave

plus, curtis just called - they told him that he'll get his van & gas card tomorrow!!! i can't thank God enough for blessing us with this unbelievable opportunity!!!

my mom just said this morning - "there's lots of changes going on in the Skates family lately, huh?"


that's right! positive changes too! i can't wait for our move to be complete & to have free time back with my family! i feel so full right now - so full of blessings & love & positive energy - right on time too! just when i was feeling stressed & down in the dumps - God shows us that His grace is sufficient - that in our time of weakness, Christ's power was made perfect!

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

weekend recap...

wow, this weekend was almost a repeat of last weekend.....i got about the same amount of sleep (a little more this weekend) & we did just about the same things - again, curtis helped me tons with the kids so i could finish cakes, we did a lot of playing at the park/playground & we attended a family birthday party :0)

saturday afternoon, curtis & the kids went along with me to deliver 2 cakes about an hour away.....i had packed the kids' lunches for a picnic & on the way home, we visited a park that's about 45 minutes away from our home, so we don't get to go there often (actually, this was our 1st visit this year!)......it's an amazing park - a river runs through it & there's a damn & a shaky (yet safe) bridge over the river......a small playground, hiking trails, ducks that beg to b fed.....tons of beautiful flowers & lots of cool bugs......needless to say, we had a great time!

corinn was nervous about the bridge at first - especially cause her brother & sister were jumping up & down to shake it! ~lol~

jaden insisted on having our picture taken together - awwww! ;0)
of course daddy couldn't resist getting out the fishing pole

see that lady sitting in the tree, perched over the river? see jaden on the bridge, watching that lady? he wanted to do that sooooo bad! but of course, mama wasn't trying to jump in that dirty river to save anyone this weekend! ~lol~
this neat spider would lay down flat against the fence to hide from us - it was too cool!
these gorgeous flowers had about 100 bumble bees flying around/in them!
i got the chance to explain to the kids, how mud daubers work
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that park!

on the way home, we stopped by 7-11 for slurpees......jaden gets a blue slurpee each and every time they have them - regardless of the flavor - well, because blue is his absolute favorite color & if he has an option, he'll choose blue......but u'll never guess what the flavor was this time!!!

DRAGON FRUIT!!!

i know, right?! starburst must have made that flavor specifically for jaden! ;0)

then sunday after church/lunch/nap, we spent some time outside (oh, what a hot & humid weekend! much better out today tho) - we were just killing time until matthew's birthday party.......the kids could not wait & were driving me crazy!

gabby asked me to take a video of her new way of jumping rope......evidentially, daddy showed her that if she makes tinier jumps, she can go faster & get more in! i was impressed by that alone.....THEN she pulls out all the stops & shows me she's learned to jump backwards! loving it! :0)

finally, the time for matthew's party came & we headed to my brother's house..... matthew loved his cake & presents, and a great time was had by all.....especially at the end of the night, when katie's mom gave jaden a ride in her BLUE convertible miata! jaden LOVES jeeps & convertibles......so this totally made his week! he couldn't stop talking about his "fast ride" the entire way home! unfortunately, the battery had died on my camera by then - i took a pic with katie's camera, but i haven't gotten that from her yet - he had the biggest grin on his face when they got back from their ride.....i'll make sure and share that pic with u when i get it :0)

what is this?

omg - if u could have heard this cutie's giggle when he found out he got a tractor?!
priceless!

he had a little trouble getting the hang of holding down the pedal - good thing he had lots of cousins to help him out ;0)

on a side note - thank you guys for all your prayers as curtis started his new job! he began his training today and LOVES it so far - it sounds like a fabulous place to work & everyone he's dealt with so far loves their job! he's still super psyched after finishing today, so that's a great sign! thanks again! :0)