Playin' at the Park

Well our week has turned out very good compared to how it started off... Monday morning I'm getting Allyssa ready for school and 3 times I walk by the table where my car and apartment keys are, each time note to self: Pick them up before I walk out the door without them.. well after picking up last minute items needed for Allyssa's school day, we rush out the door... and my car and apartment keys are STILL on the table!!! As soon as I shut the door I knew I'd made a HUGE mistake.. SOOOO Allyssa and I sit on the doorstep and call Bob to come home (thank goodness I grabbed my cell phone on one of the trips past where it layed) With Bob home I could get Allyssa to school, :) but I still couldn't get into the apartment.. because you see, last time we went to Illinois, I lost one of our two apartment keys and was suppose to make one off, but hadn't yet.. so now the only key we have is sitting inside our locked apartment!!! After getting Allyssa to school LATE, I took Bob back to work so I would atleast have a car, and I went to the Manager of our apartment and he got me another Key! Thank Goodness! Within an Hr. I was back in the apartment!
So anyway, with that out of the way, the rest of our week has been a good one. Allyssa started a regular tumbling class Monday Night, intermediate level instead of her private lessons, and she really enjoyed it! Wed. night was AWANA at church...and this evening we went to the park. One of Allyssa's friends from school was there so they played together on the playground.. and had alot of fun throwing rocks into the creek. They also found the daffodil patch and picked lots and lots of them. Allyssa gave one to me "for Mother's Day!" and wants to take one to school tomorrow for her teacher. Princess even got to go down the slide with Allyssa, which Allyssa enjoyed alot more than Princess did!
So that's been our week so far!!

Allyssa's 2nd Grade Class

 

Here is Allyssa's 2nd grade class, although several are missing from this photo... I'm not sure what happened with Allyssa's belt.... but anyway this is her class!
Front row L to R: A.J., Kirsten, Jaden, Libby, Allyssa
Middle row L to R: Xzavier, Hayley, Sierra, Jack, Gavin, Thomas
Top Row L to R: Tristin, Kenny, Carson, Nicole, Leah, Brett
And Mrs. Spain

HomeWork Pass...Leprechaun tricks...Drawing...

Allyssa came home from school today very excited! "That silly leprechaun did all sorts of tricks on us today!" she said. "He put shamrocks on all of our homework, he stapled our tests the wrong way... and bunches of stuff... hey mom.. did the leprechaun do anything at our apartment?" Silence... "Huh Mom did he???" "No Allyssa, he must've been busy at school all day, cause he didn't do anything at the apartment!!!" Oops... bad Mommy.. :)
Another reason Allyssa was very excited about her school day, is that she got a Homework Pass! i asked "Are you gonna use it for tonights homework?"
"No Way.. tonight is Math homework.. EASY.. I'm gonna save it for when I have to write those Long Sentences!!!!" Although she's very good at grammar.. Allyssa dislikes having to re-write sentences correctly.... way too much writing for her liking! I was just the opposite.. I loved to write and still do... but am not very good at grammar.. as I'm sure you've all noticed... SORRY!
Allyssa and 2 others were the only ones to get homework passes in her class today, for doing an assignment very well:)
Today was Library at school, and Allyssa brought home a "How to Draw" book, again this week. She loves these types of books that show you step by step how to draw certain things! She does extremely well by my standards anyway considering I cannot draw a stick person even! But whether there is talent there or not, She LOVES Drawing, and will sit for quite a length of time doing it. She sat on our back deck for probably an hour drawing today, and then she would take a break and play with Princess!
So St. Pat's was a Great Day for us.... hope yours was a good one too!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

 

Today it was Allyssa's turn to take Morning Snack for her class at school, so she took cupcakes with green sprinkles for St. Pat's day! She was also sure to wear "Green" today. On the way to school Allyssa asked "Mom, what happens if you don't wear green?" and I answered, "Oh well, you get pinched..!" Nothing more said about it, we walk into school, (I helped her get the cupcakes to her room) and The Principal, Mr. Owen, was reading announcements over intercom...."There will be NO PINCHING today...NONE... if you do you will get an in-school suspension".....

I am going to get Allyssa an ISS yet... A couple of weeks ago she came home from school and was upset because the teacher told her that if she said that cheer one more time she would get an ISS.. Allyssa said.."My mom taught me it" ..
it was Fire Cracker Fire Cracker Boom Boom Boom... and you aren't allowed to say sexy at school... girls have the sexy legs.... so that's twice now that I've about caused my 7 year old to have an ISS.....

RAMSEY FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Mamaw got all of us shirts to wear for my nephew Carter's Basketball Championship game... he's #2! It was kinda weird seeing HUNT on the back of Allyssa's shirt, and really funny seeing Bob wearing a HUNT shirt! I gave him lots of grief over that! :)

Carter's Championship Game

As I said Allyssa and I went to Carter's Championship Basketball game in Brownstown after the Jamboree. Bob met us there, he was just getting to Illinois from P.Bluff... We were all so excited about this game. Carter's team was undefeated so far this season and this was their last game!!! WOW!!! They ended up losing to Vandalia by 1 point in overtime... YUCK! Pretty Upsetting!! But they have alot to be proud of during their season!! I enjoyed being able to be at his games this week... so much fun!!!

Hannah's Jamboree

On Friday evening Allyssa and I went to my niece Hannah's jamboree. Wow, was that fun to watch. Hannah is in the 1st grade this year and she played basketball instead of cheering, and boy did she have fun!! Allyssa had a good time watching Hannah, and she got to see her old best friend, Emily, so that was nice. Would've like to seen more of Allyssa's old friends but we had to leave right after Hannah's game to get to Carter's championship game so we didn't have time to visit with any others :(

Wii Fit says... I'm Not FIT!!!!!

While spending nite at mom and dad's, Allyssa started playing Wii fit... she was having a little difficulty so I thought I would show her how to do it... well, turns out the Wii game figured my age to be 53 years old based on my balance and movements... GREAT! That was a real confidence booster! :) Needless to say, I gave everyone a laugh and I even got a chuckle or two at myself! But for the record... I won't be purchasing a Wii fit anytime in the near future...Probably NEVER! :) And I will pay my mother back for grabbing my camera and snapping these shots in my pj's...

Mamaw and PawPaw in Poplar Bluff

 

 

PawPaw and Mamaw came to Poplar Bluff on Tuesday afternoon and stayed with us at our apartment until Thursday Morning! We had lots of Fun.... Allyssa was sooo excited to have company down here. They got to go with me to pick Allyssa up from school, play with Allyssa outside, see Allyssa at her AWANA group at Church on Wed. evening. And I got to visit with Mom and Dad when Allyssa was in school and Bob at work. What a great visit! And it even continued on through the weekend, because Allyssa was out of school for her shortened Spring Break, Thurs. and Fri. so Allyssa and I rode back to Ramsey with Mom and Dad when they left on Thurs. Morning! We went to Carter's basketball game on Thurs. evening and then Allyssa, Princess, and I stayed all night at PawPaw and Mamaws house! Bob joined us in Ramsey on Friday evening, and Mom and I got another afternoon out by ourselves on Sat. How nice to be around family for an extended visit! Looking forward to it again, hopefully soon.

Another Wonderful Day....

We enjoyed another great day today... Allyssa came home from school in great spirits, cause her tooth was soooo loose... it's gonna come out today she said!! She worked on getting her tooth out for about 15 min. and succeeded. Then outside to ride her scooter! We tried back in Illinois with her bike and no training wheels, and she did okay... but was scared to death of it... she did not enjoy it one bit. So we backed up a bit and went for the scooter, she loves it. Since then, i've read that children with neurological disorders have a difficult time mastering riding a bike... yep it is definitely difficult for Allyssa! So why sweat it, she loves the scooter... then scooter it is.. for now!

Xtra Special Surprise!!!

Allyssa called Grandma and told her all about her Xtra Special Surprise... take a look at the video to hear all about it too!

Movie Time

After being active outside all day, we ended our day with popcorn and a movie in Allyssa room. Nice relaxing down time, a nice way to end the day.

playin catch

Here are some pics of us enjoying the day outside soakin up the sun. We Thank God for the ability to enjoy days like this one...

Princess says..."This is Better!!"

Just to show you Allyssa can be nice to Princess.. After landing on her while doing cartwheels Allyssa lounged in the chair with Princess and read her Dr. Seuss book.

Havin' Fun... But Poor Princess!!!!

We had lots and lots of fun outside the last two days! The first tears of the Season came tonight ..." I Don't want to come in!!!" cries Allyssa as it was dark outside and I am telling her for the millionth time that we'll play more tomorrow. Enjoying these warm temps. Allyssa was practicing her tumbling...at the expense of poor Princess, but Princess kept coming back for more. We played catch and Princess spent all of her time running back and forth just waiting for a chance to get the ball, which she accomplished more than a few times!! And when she did then it was us who was running after her waiting our chance to swipe the ball outta her mouth... which is no easy task! What a nice weekend so far, church and Sunday school for tomorrow and if the temps are as nice Allyssa's already asking to be outside AGAIN!!!

Some Allyssa Humor For ya!

Bob and I were watching the 5 day weather forcast on the weather channel... allyssa comes in and Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs are on the screen and our little Drama Queen whines... "There's No Friday this week?" Soooo upset... and as I turn to her to explain, she started busting out laughing!!! So there's your Allyssa funny for the day! Have a Great Week!

Saunders' Life

Well life here has been going very well!! Thank you Lord! Nothing much going on, Allyssa has been keeping busy with school, homework, Church, Gymnastics, and taking care of Princess! She is doing very well at all of the above. Allyssa was suppose to have a Spring Break from school coming up March 9- 13th but since the ice storm caused no school for 5 days, they are only giving them March 12th and 13th off! Better than nothing! I think the plan is for Allyssa and I to spend those days in Illinois! At Church AWANA, Allyssa is almost to finish her 2nd book! She has Memorized SOoooo many Scriptures! What a wonderful Kids Program it is, I really believe that since she has learned it at such a young age, and they review so often, that most of the scripture verses will stay with her through the years. What an awesome tool for her life! I enjoy studying with her because I am learning right along with her! Gymnastics is going pretty good, it is just still very new to her, the bars and balance beam, she's a little scared of them, but does better each lesson. So we are all just enjoying the "good days" we've been experiencing lately. Bedtimes, are uneventful she's in her own bed and just has a short story from us and she's on her own going to sleep! Overall she just seems in better spirits and less irritable, able to handle situations when they arise. And we are sure the other cycle will return, but for now we are thankful for the "peace"! Allyssa's therapist has referred her to the Thompson Center in Columbia, Missouri on the 16th of March to be tested for Asperger's Syndrome. That is on the Autism Spectrum, and could be the source of Allyssa's emotional/social issues! Keep Allyssa and our family in your prayers, that's what gets us through! And You and Your family are in my prayers As Well! That's about the extent of Life with us Saunders'! 'Til next time!

Allyssa and Band Aids go way Back!

 


After blogging about the band aid wrappers it reminded me of when Allyssa was 3 1/2 years old... she was playing in her bedroom, and when we went in to check on her we found her t.v. decorated with band aids, spelling her name, except for the s's because she said "I couldn't get the band aids to bend!!" And Once again, the band aid wrappers were all over her room! Daddy spanked her bum :( and mommy took a picture of it... pretty good job for 3 1/2 only backwards and no s's! Too funny! Some things never change... here Allyssa is 8 and still has a thing with band aids, and Daddy is still more apt to spank and Me, "Oh that's cute" or "She's only 3, only 4.. only 5, and I still catch myself saying Only almost 8!!!!! :)

Miss Allyssa Sweet one Minute and Mischevious the Next!

This is a wonderful example of life with Allyssa even at almost 8 years old!! :) All sweet in her bean bag chair with Angel the Giraffe! So I capture that on camera, only to go down stairs a few minutes later and find a bunch of papers on the floor.. what's this?... Allyssa comes running downstairs... I kinda made a mess! Oh I see, Band aid wrappers why? That's when she showed me her hands...Every finger had a band aid on it! Well, if that's what entertained her on this boring Afternoon, so be it! But Pick up the wrappers when your finished Atleast!

No Church Today :(

 


Well, after getting all ready for Church this morning and driving there, upon pulling in the parking lot the sign read "No Services Today" Oh man, we only have 4 inches of snow on the ground, but evidentally if there's snow on ground = no church, cause this happened to us before! Oh well it's not very often I get a picture of Allyssa dressed up. So it's worth that anyway! Allyssa said "Oops I just about said Yes, when I read the sign, cause I really kinda want to play my Nintendo DS anyway.. but I know I could do that after church!" We just drove around the parking lot and came right back home!

What you Do to Make Your Kids Happy!!

Allyssa got an American Girl Doll for Christmas and she has been begging for a washer and dryer to wash her doll clothes! Well, enough money goes to other "necessities"... So What a Creative Daddy Allyssa has, He made her a washer and Dryer... That's soo Neat!
This American Girl Company offers anything and everything imaginable... Allyssa's doll Alexis, now has crutches, a cast, a finger splint, and ice pack, and even her very own Wheelchair.! This is just Allyssa's thing, she loves doctoring everything!!! Allyssa has a lot of fun with Alexis! And she owes her Daddy a Huge Hug and Kiss!

Christopher's Interested in Art

Chris has really been improving in his drawing ability this year. He sent me a few pictures he's done. He also included a picture of his tattoo... well I would prefer he would have kept his art interest to drawing.. but he did just turn 18 and I think that might of had a little to do with it! :) But he did put some thought into his decision... he tried on every short sleeve shirt he owned and didn't get the tattoo any lower than his shortest sleeved shirt! Tattoo aside, I am very impressed with his art work, and am interested in whether he will pursue it in the future! He will graduate in May, (hard to believe) and is planning on attending a community college while living at home. He was considering the Army, but I think has reconsidered. I'm relieved about that!

Hannah Spends the Night !!!!

After Playing All day together at Grandpa and Grandma's on Sat. Hannah came home with Allyssa to spend the night! We had lots of fun. Most of the time they spent playing with Princess! But they did take some time away, playing down in the basement. We Went to Church Sunday Morning, and then back to playing at our house again after church. Allyssa wanted to know if Hannah was coming back to Poplar Bluff with us that evening... no longer than I told her no, because of school, Hannah came running up to me... "Am I going back to Poplar Bluff with Allyssa????" Can't wait until Summer when we can do that!! That will be fun, or as Allyssa likes to say " AHHH Good Times... Yeah Good Times!" We dropped Hannah off at her house around 6 p.m. and Came back to Poplar Bluff!

PawPaw and Mamaw Home From Florida!!!

We are soooo Happy that Mom and Dad/ Gpa and Gma are home from Florida... We Missed them! They brought all of us back sweatshirts and the kids all got Sand Dollars. Very Cool!!! We went out to see them a couple hrs. after they got home and stayed ALL DAY!!! Rodney and Scott's families were there so we were all together except for Chris and Rach... Miss them!! Lots of visiting and playing, A Great Day!

Valetine Fun

Bob and Allyssa had alot of fun Making Allyssa's V-tine box for her school party. Allyssa didn't win any prizes for most creative, or best decorated or any of that, but she was fine with that. Her class party went very well, not as stressful as the Christmas one where she was overstimulated and too much chaos! We had lots of fun.