Victoria's Secret Dare

While we are out waiting for Santa to return from dinner Friday night, Austin asked if he could dare Paul to walk into Victoria's Secret. I said men shop there all the time. He then said do you dare me to walk in there. And I said sure, you can go in there. By that time Santa had returned and the boys (one - excited and one - begrudingly) sat on his lap and had their picture taken. We were there with Tana, Scott, Austin and Brandon Kelly. We were standing there talking and the Austins went across to the Victoria Secret's store:

Of course, I had to sneak in some pictures:


At first, they weren't sure if they wanted to go in.

Then, they decided to go back in again,

and again,

and again.




I think they liked to store.

.

Eventually, Austin got tired of me taking pictures.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK ALOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

We finally put up the Christmas tree last night. We had decided not to put up any other decorations this year since we will be traveling. Paul reminded me that we are leaving in two weeks so I am really glad that we are being scrooges. We realized that we are driving 32 hours total Christmas week. We will be going to Amy and Jeff's on the 23rd. Hopefully, we will have a white Christmas. Then we come home on the 26th, spend the night, and leave the next day for Jackson.

This is my favorite ornament. I found it several years ago when we went through Pop's family stuff from Colorado. One of my great aunts must have made it. Maybe she saved the wishbone from Thanksgiving and crochetted around it. She even put a little hat or bowl in the middle. She must have been very talented. I don't think I have ever seen a pattern for something like this.

Even Nicky had fun on the tree last night playing soccer.

OUR BROTHER IS BACK

Our brother, Nicky, came back last night. He landed on top of the TV in the den at the condo. ELF ON THE SHELF joined our family last year at Christmas. He is a magical elf and every night from Thanksgiving to Christmas he flys around the house and lands at different places by morning. He watches the kids everyday to make sure they are being good and reports back to Santa. If he catches anyone not being good he will mess up their room. Hampton named him Nicky and does not want anyone to touch him or he will loose his magical powers.

RECIPE FOR INSTANT RELAXATION

Here is the recipe for instant relaxation:

Mix millions of grain of sugar white sand
Add blue water sitting like glass as far as you can see
Fold in warm crisp salty air
Stir in gentle rolling waves crashing on the sand
For a dash of delight, bury your barefeet in the sand and watch the sunset - best seen in winter when the sun sets on the water.

Add all this together and you have instant relaxation.

Thats why I love the beach.

AUSTIN'S POEM

Now here is a poem that Austin wrote last night:

I am from

I am from get togethers
With lots of food
With going to Target every week
Buying ............. whatever it is

I am from demanding parents
To parents saying
Do your homework

I am from good smells
Of different foods
But I wish I could smell lobster more

I am from
Bill Gates who made Microsoft
My parents saying
There was no channel 500
when they were kids

If you dig my family research
And dug deep into my genes
You'll find Mark, Eryn, George, and Gigi
That is where I am from

HAMPTON'S FIRST SPEECH

Here is a speech about responsibility made by my son and he might get some laughs and giggles:

I'm here to talk about responsibility. Do you think responsiblity starts when you are old? You are responsible for what you say and your actions. People expect you to be responsible, for example parents and teachers.

You get more and more responsiblity as you get older. My first chore was to clean up my room then to make my bed. I feed my dog and birds. Now I rake and pick up sticks. If I didn't do these things my room would be a disaster. I couldn't ever walk in it. I wouldn't have a dog and there might be less birds. There would be leaves and sticks everywhere.

When your an adult you get more responsiblity. You're technically responsible for everything. You have to go to work to earn money. You get money to pay bills, a car and a house. If I don't get good grades I wouldn't have a good job to get alot of money to pay for these things. When I become a dad responsibility changes. I have to teach my kids to be responsible.

If you have a big brother or sister you can also learn to be responsible. While I pick up sticks my brother mows the lawn. Soon I will mow. My brother also has to babysit me when my parents go out. He makes sure nothing bad happens like blowing up the house!! So responsiblity does not just come when your old you are responsible for your whole life.

Responsiblity does not always come naturally, you also have to learn it. I'm responsible for doing this speech but I didn't want to. My parents and teachers expect me to do it so I am. Here is a quote from one of my favorite movies Spiderman "With great power comes great responsibility."

AUTUMN LEAVES

The fall color is so beautiful this year. The leaves ar so vibrant and the trees are full. It is a little late but worth the wait. Check out the view out of the window. Just fills the room with an orange glow during the day.

Hampton's "Wonderful" Field Trip

Here's Hampton letter from his field trip:

Dear Mom and Dad,

It was not really fun at all. It was at a 4-H Center. It was a summer camp. I only liked 3 things about it. I liked finding rocks, lunch, and wild life class. Everything was boring! I didn't like my group. I was with Cameryn, Audrey, and Akhil. It was the worst field trip ever!!!!!!!!!!!

from,
Hampton Nowack

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Here's the spooky clown - Austin -

and the zombie skater punk - Hampton

Austin and Cade got alot of candy. Thank goodness for strong arms and pillowcases.

I think this is the most you have ever gotten!!!

IT'S BOO TIME

During Halloween season we get "boo"ed. Someone rings our doorbell. When we answer the door - no one is there. Only a bag of candy and other treats is left behind. The boys get so excited and run around the house to try to catch the culprit. Then it is our turn to "boo" someone else. The next night we take a bag of treats to another house. You have to post a sign on your door, so that other people know who has been booed. The boys love to ring the bell and run!!!! They make a plan first. Ring the bell, run to the bushes, and either hide till they aren't found or run through the back to our house. This year, of course, Paul had to get in on the fun and scare the boys. So he was hiding in our bushes and when the boys came running by, he jumped out and scared them.

WALK FOR THE PINK

I did a 5 mile walk for the American Cancer Society. It was alot of fun. I was worried about walking 5 miles but it was easier than I thought because I got to talk to my neighbor the whole time. The best part about the walk was the t-shirts. The creative sayings were great. Here are some examples:
-save the tatas
-bosom buddies
-big or small, we will save them all
-save the hooters
-pink and the city (written like sex and the city)
- save second base
The last one is my favorite. It had two baseballs above the saying.

I will definitely do those walks again. As long as I have someone to talk to, at least.

ALL DRESSED UP

Don't we look nice. We went to Eryn's wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful day and alot of fun. The boys look so nice or I should say "beast" since that is the new work for looking good. So boys you look beast.

SOMEDAY NO MORE MOM MOBILES

Hopefully, one day this will be my car. Maybe when I don't have to shuffle kids everywhere. A car just for me.

FAMILY DAY

Usually we are out of town for Family Day but this year we were here. We had a blast:

The first ride we rode was the Tilt-a-whirl. I was very excited to ride with the kids as you can see, but after the ride I had to go sit under a tree in the shade because I was so dizzy. I think my days of fair rides are over.

Of course, the boys were ready for more:

Looks like they like getting dizzy:
Austin and I tried the electric slide and the cha cha slide:

Here they are wrestling -

wish they had this gear and

ring everyday!!!!!

I FEEL LIKE A SHRIMP

It's official, Austin is taller than me. Paul just noticed tonight that Austin has gotten taller than me by a half inch or inch. Just a month or so ago, he was half an inch shorter than me. A shirt that he wore last spring is so short and snug on him, it looks ridiculous.

Well, at least I have three more years before Hampton is taller than me. Then I really will be the shrimp of the family.

FUN BOY WEEKEND

We had a great weekend. Austin played paintball on Sunday with Paul and two friends - Austin Kelly and Vignish. Austin loves to play paintball and they had a blast. He has a war wound - bruises as proof of his good time.


I went camping with Hampton. Paul and Austin stayed home since Austin had gone the previous weekend camping at the Barn. I didn't want Hampton to miss out so decided that just me and Hampton would go. We had a great time. Hampton ran around with friends the whole time. And yes, mom, I do like camping. I did come home very tired from not sleeping very well.

CRAZY HAIR AND CLOTHES

This week is spirit week at Winstead. Today is crazy hair and clothes day. We had fun spraying Hampton's hair purple and green and picking out his not matching clothes. All the kids are so creative.

The kids love riding their scooters and bikes before school and its mostly boys.

HOMEWORK CAN BE DONE ANYWHERE

Hampton is taking advantage of the wait at tennis lessons to do his homework

- on top of the car!!!

BUSY SCHOOL YEAR

It has been a super busy school year. The boys have lots of activities after school:

Monday - Austin has tennis

Tuesday - Austin just joined chess club and has Boy Scouts

Wednesday - we are FREE

Thursday - Hampton has guitar lessons - only 30 minutes

Friday - Hampton has soccer practice

Saturday - Hampton usually has a game

Also, seventh grade is killing us and Austin too. He has at least two or three quizes/tests per week. He had two posters due this week. He has been studying alot. The state of Tennessee upgraded the standards this year and he is having to learn alot more.

Paul and I enjoyed a weekend away to New Jersey. His cousin Deena got married at Beach Haven on Long Beach Island. We always have a blast at those New Jersey weddings. Paul's cousins and aunts and uncles are so much fun to hang out with. The beach town is great. A very old town with lots of houses and restaurants that have been there forever. Tropical Storm Hannah came through during the wedding and reception. It was very windy and rainy. We all got very wet going from the wedding to the reception. Here is a picture of us late into the night as you can tell.

Gigi came to stay with the boys and spoiled them the whole weekend. She stayed over the few days of the next week so that she could go to Grandparent's breakfast with Hampton at Winstead. Here she is enjoying breakfast with Hampton:

HAPPY 10th

Hampton turned the big double digits on Sunday. We celebrated with his request of breakfast in bed (my bed, of course ). Then he had his party at Gamestation which is where Austin had his as well. He wanted to have the cake at exactly 2:40 pm which is when he was born. He and his friends had a great time. We then had dinner at his favorite Japanesse hibatchi restaurant. He had a great day. Today, I am taking brownies in to celebrate with his class. Who says you only can celebrate for one day.

Gigi and Pops sent him a perfect card:

10 REASONS IT'S GREAT TO BE 10

1. Your video game skills are becoming unbeatable.

2. Only kids who've been around a whole decade know what's really going on.

3. You're starting to pass up those shrimps who aren't tall enough to get into amusement park rides.

4. You get to eat cake and ice cream till you pop.

5. Being a teenager is only 3 short years away.

6. A bigger allowance might be just around the corner.

7. Gifts
8. Now you're totally balanced - ten toes, ten fingers, ten years.

9. Single digits are SO last year.

10. You can't get any more perfect than a perfect 10.

It's all true for you - Hampton

RAIN????

It has been so long that it has rained. I walked out this morning and Hampton was out on his scooter before the bus. A light rain was falling. Hampton said, "It's tinkling." He was confused and forgot the word. Then said, "no, it's what?" I said that it was sprinkling. But I like tinkling so much better and much more appropriate for the very small amount of rain that we got.

Also, I have my first tennis lesson today. And no I don't have a cute skirt - yet - or ever? And no I probably will never be one of those cute moms that goes out to eat lunch AFTER tennis in their cute little skirt outfits looking like they never even played tennis.

OLYMPICS - Family Style

Our family participated in the Olympics this week. It was Austin's idea to do a family olympics using the Wii. Over two nights we participated in five events. Here is the outcome:

BOWLING
Gold - Austin
Silver - Mom
Bronze - Dad

TENNIS
Gold - Dad
Silver - Hampton
Bronze - Austin

SHOOTING
Gold - Austin
Silver - Mom
Bronze - Hampton

BOXING -
Gold - Hampton
Silver - Austin
Bronze - Dad

PING PONG
Gold - Hampton
Silver - Austin
Bronze - Mom

Austin won the Platinum medal for having the most medals. Hampton was in second place with four medals. Dad and I were last with only 3. Of course, this was the first time we had played a couple of the games so maybe next time we will have more. It was a lot of fun and a great idea.

FATHER AND SON RAFTING

Paul had the annual Nissan rafting trip and invited Austin to go with him. They had a blast. It was the last Saturday before school started (August 9, 08) and they had to get up very early to drive to the Ocoee River. This is the same river that Austin rafted at camp. Looks like Austin is excited:

Father and Son ready to go:

Relaxing in the river:

Austin getting ready to jump in the sluse. A rapid

that when you jump in it takes you down river:

IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

It was 6:15 and Austin got up fairly easily. He was not or will not ever be ready to say goodbye to summer vacation. He was reminding himself about the good things about school last night. The comic books in the library, lunch, and seeing friends. The best thing is that the bus is 30 minutes later this year. He can get up when the bus used to be at our house. Now the bus comes at 6:45. He was mad that four of his friends got into another class. But I told him that it was just an opportunity to make new friends and still see the old ones.



Next, at 7:00 we try to get Hampton up. He says to come back at 7:30. He can have 30 minutes of TV time or sleep longer. So he finally got up at 7:30 and got ready for the bus at 8:05. He was excited that he had friends in his class. Of course, after five years at that school he knows almost every boy there. He also gets to change classes this year. He will have two or maybe three teachers.

As for me, I had excercised, showered, vacuumed, did paperwork, and cooked lunch - all by 12:00. I feel like it should be nighttime by now, this afternoon.

Both boys had a great first day. Austin has friends in all his classes, not much from Hampton yet. Since it was a half day, they took off playing immediately.

Maybe we can make the 9:00 bedtime tonight.

Boating on Center Hill Lake

On Saturday we rented a pontoun boat and a tube on Center Hill Lake. The lake is so beautiful. It is clear and clean. The lake is in a valley with hills rising around it. The houses are high on the hills and nestled in the trees. There is very few boat docks. You have to use a marina or a boat launch. Most of the lake is owned by the Army Corp of Engineers and is undevelopable.

We had a blast. The boys loved tubing. The tube was big enough for two people. They also loved jumping off the boat and swimming.

Hanging Out:

Trying to stand up - while moving:

HANDS UP:

Taking a break

Captain Paul

Getting their hair wet - while moving

Do you think we got tired?


Here is a video that Austin took of Paul and Hampton tubing - remember we are moving fast:

Changing all the time

Austin is changing so fast as a teenager.

He told me he could get his socks pulled up. I tried and he had outgrown his socks. I had to go the men's department and get him socks. This is the size he will probably wear for the rest of his life.

Also, his voice is changing. I thought his throat was sore or he needed to clear his throat when it first started. He told me he was okay. I didn't know thats what it sounded like when boy's voices change. It is so hard to listen to him because it is so scratchy sounding.

And the talk about girls has started.

I just saw the movie Step Brothers last night. It is about two guys who are age 40 but act like they are teenagers. It was so funny to see grown men act like my boys with a lot of other words and actions thrown in. But alot of the way they acted is what I live with all the time.

Family Reunion

We rented the condo next door and had a great time. It had been way too long since we have gotten together. It was great to hang out and catch up. Tammy has two girls and Eddie has one girl. So it was a treat to see how girls are SO different from boys. The boys would have nothing to do with the girls. It took a few days and a game of Uno for them to connect. The boys did not understand why the girls would squeel and run away. They thought it was because the girls did not like them.

In the pictures we told the kids to hold hands and as you can see they did not want to at all.

Girl in the House

I finally have a girl in the house, if only for a few days. Her name is Callie. She is black and white, a shi-tzu. I am keeping Diane's dog while she is out of town. She does what Brit doesn't. She jumps on the furniture and sits on your lap and licks your face. This is how she woke me up this morning. She is very sweet to me and the kids, but she doesn't like Paul. She is scared of men. Paul is trying to win her over. She will take treats from him, but won't let him come near her. We took her with us to the beach. Here she is with Hampton.

Six Flags pictues

I am in the white hat, barely getting wet. Hampton is hanging onto the center ring. Austin, Colton, and Camryn are next getting soaked.

Showing off their prize to the "real" bugs bunny. We played the water gun game with just the two boys to make sure we got the prize. It was an exact tie. Even the buzzer didn't say anything because it could not tell who had won.

Waiting for the big swing to get going. Austin is rocking out to Flowrida.