How much is a tooth worth?

If you don't have children or your children are small and all the children you know are small, then you may not know the economic value of teeth nowadays. When I was growing up (wow, that's an old person phrase), I got a quarter from the tooth fairy. Seems now it is $5.00. You may have had the same reaction I did when I found out. I'm not sure how the Tooth Fairy is staying in business these days.

Well, the Tooth Fairy gets to make his or her first visit to the Lewis household tonight. Calen lost his first tooth, via help of his friend, Wyatt's, foot while playing on the slip-n-slide. The boys were out playing in the yard, and Danny was sitting on the porch doing some work on the computer. He overheard Wyatt say, "You have to go tell your mom....but don't tell her I did it." Boys...

At first glance, Danny thought the tooth had broken in half, and his first thought (as a doctor) was that we would have to go have it abstracted. However, upon a closer look, he realized that it was the permanent tooth he saw. No wonder that tooth popped outta there.

Calen is very excited. Danny and I are a little sad. As for the five bucks, we've decided that will be the special rate for a first timer. All subsequent teeth will have the rock bottom price of $1. The kids gotta pay for college one day, and I don't believe the Tooth Fairy gives scholarships.

As for other firsts... Jax is now out of the crib and in a toddler bed. Last week I put him down for a nap and went downstairs. After a few minutes I heard, "Huun-tor, Hunn-tor." In the span of only a few seconds my mind went from thinking the monitor was loud to realizing it wasn't on, to thinking that his voice was very clear, to realizing that he was on the steps. I quickly went to the stairs to be met by an obviously proud 22 month old.

I told him back to the crib and put him in, only to have him out within seconds. After a few more attempts to keep him in I decided it was over. I had truly hoped to have another 8 months of crib use. I just wasn't ready for him to have the freedom that a bed allows. I threw the mattress on the floor, got a screwdriver and took down the crib. I could have kept him in it for those extra months, but I'm not sure CPS would appreciate me putting a lid on it.

He spent a week getting used to sleeping without the confine of the crib rails while we waited for his bed to arrive. Last night we put it together, and he very excitedly took his shoes off and ran to the bed saying, "Me bed! Me bed!"

As for RileyRoo. She is crawling right along and finding new and exciting things to get into. She has even begun to pull up. My head is spinning.

A Party, Pictures, and a Puppy

On Saturday Calen graduated from Kindergarten. We had grandparents, aunts, and uncles come to celebrate the occasion with us. What's a party without a theme? Calen and decided this called for a beloved author-Dr. Seuss. Yeah, that's Calen on his last day of school, still in his pj's (just one of the perks...) I was still in mine, too, as were Jax and Riley. Hehe.

We munched on Green Eggs and Ham biscuits, pigs-in-a-blanket, chips and goldfish crackers served in a goldfish bowl. We also threw in some pesky veggies. To round out our celebration-a Cat in the Hat hat cake. YUM-O.

Calen was presented with a diploma while wearing his snazzy cap and gown. We enjoyed looking back at his accomplishments over the past several months. He entertained the family by reciting most of his Bible verses, reading poetry, and reacting a Little Bear story. I shared some stories from his writing journal.

Here are the books we read- all 68.

Here's a shot of our other future graduate.

Here is a sample of the most recent pictures of the kids.




For some reason Riley always has a look of concern and uncertainty on her face when with her "bubbies."

And, as promised, pix of Hunter.

In other news. My dad is doing well. We are very thankful that he wasn't seriously injured. For those not up to date: Two weeks ago he was in a tractor accident. He and my brother and some friends were getting hay bales out of field. The tractor started sliding, and when my dad jumped off the trailer jack-knifed and pinned his left leg. He thought he had lost his leg, but he didn't. In fact, it wasn't even broken! Talk about a blessing. He still has a lot of work ahead of him since he did suffer from extensive muscle damage, but hopefully PT will help with that.

We are in monsoon season here in the mountains of TN. The heavens are just dumping water right now. Yesterday morning Danny went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee around 6:30. At 7:00 he was getting ready to leave for work when he stepped in something wet. The floor was covered in standing water and there was a bulging bubble in the ceiling. Some shingles had blown loose, and our roof was leaking. We will have to have the entire ceiling and some drywall replaced, as well as some light fixtures. I hated the light fixtures, fan, and chandelier in the eating area so I get to get some new ones. Might as well paint while we're at it.

We Did It!

We're ringing in a new month with new milestones. Calen completed his kindergarten curriculum and his first year of homeschooling- two weeks early. He is now officially in first grade. Over the "summer vacation" we will continue to read everyday and do math and phonics two or three times a week to keep his skills fresh.

We have had a wonderful time learning together. I asked Calen what he thought of our first year of homeschooling and he said, "I think it was a success." I agree. Before we began our year, I asked Calen what he wanted to accomplish during that time. He said, "To learn to read better, to learn more about numbers, and to learn more about Jesus." He is reading chapter books. He can count money, add, subtract, and can tell time just to mention a few. In November,Calen accepted Jesus into his life as his personal Savior and was baptized. Yes, I agree, it was a success-more than I can have ever imagined when we began. I can't wait to begin our next curriculum and am looking forward to doing it for many, many years to come.

Jax is now 21 months. He is an adorable ball of fire with a killer smile. He loves all things boys: cars, trucks, trains, tractors, blocks, balls, animals, mud, puddles, dirt, sand, climbing, swinging, running, wrestling. He is quite the problem solver and has the "where there's a will there's a way" attitude. Jax as a taste for all things red meat, sugary sweet and starchy. He's the ultimate meat and potatoes, sweet tea and homemade pies man's man type of boy. You can't turn your back on him for a second and he'll keep you on your toes.

He is climbing the rock wall on the playset and getting faster everyday. He insists on walking down the stairs like everyone else. The other day he climbed out of the shopping cart at K-Mart. He'll lock or unlock the doors, and he loves to climb in the car before anyone else and get behind the wheel. At the table his plate and fork has to be just like ours. Everyday his speech is improving and his vocabulary is growing. He loves to "...go outside, play." He loves to draw, just the other day he discovered the joy of murals. Thank goodness for Magic Erasers. We are also in the beginning stages of potty training.

Riley is now 7 months. I can't believe we are in the second half of her first year. She has grown by leaps and bounds this past week and a half. Up until then she was still exclusively nursing every three hours. She refused a bottle and any type of food in her mouth. She loved to watch you eat and drink, would try to grab your cup or plate, but as soon as it hit her tongue- out it would come. When we had to get her a new pacifier a few weeks ago she wouldn't take it for a few hours. The only difference was that it had a silicone nipple, whereas the old one was latex.

As of today, she will take a bottle at night and is eating a full serving of cereal and fruit for breakfast and a serving of cereal and vegetable at dinner. She may not be petite for long at this rate. She is still wearing 3-6 month clothes. Also, in the past week she has begun to sit up independently and is trying to get into crawling position. It won't be long until I'm chasing another one.

Another Lewis Family Member

Take a slow, deep breath. Ready? Sure? No, I am not pregnant. Last Friday morning, at 9 am, our newest addition arrived to our already busling household. His name is Hunter, and he is a 8wk old Boxer pup. Calen finally got his dog. He got his brother. He got his sister. He got his playhouse. He got his trip to the beach. The boy got his dog. Calen's doing pretty well.

For the first hour he shook like a leaf. He was scared on his new surroundings. With these kids that is fair enough. There was also a terrible thunderstorm outside; adding to the anxiety. He sleep most of the morning, but by late afternoon was entering the puppy blues. He missed his mom and his siblings. He didn't eat at all that day. That night was long. His crying disturbed Riley and she would cry. She ended up in our bed so we could at least get some form of sleep. Hunter would have also been content to sleep with us.

Saturday, he was still in his puppy blues. He wouldn't eat, but he would have little bursts of energy. He would play with the kids. We also began training for basic commands and setting rules for our newest little fella. That night he finally ate. He went to sleep really well, but when he woke up, the crying started.

*Note: it has now been one week today that Hunter joined our family. Everyone is doing well. Jax can't keep his hands off him, but Riley doesn't mind. She's getting a reprieve. Calen said last night, " I have a baby brother and a baby sister and a puppy. What big responsibilities I have." Yes, you do.

Hunter is proving to be 100% housedog. He doesn't like to go outside and is eager to come back in. He doesn't like the chilly night, the wet dew, or the dark. He fits in so well with our family.

By Sunday, we came to the conclusion that Hunter is the ultimate house dog. He has little desire to go outside unless necessary. Then he is usually right on the heels of someone. He is eager to come back inside. He also wants "to be with his people." At night, he is fine if we are in the same room with him.

At this moment. Riley is asleep in the glider. Jax is playing with legos. Calen is doing is bookwork, and Hunter is curled up at my feet between the boys. All is calm, but I know that a storm awaits with three active, curious, natuarally clowning around boys. The thing is the dog will be the easiest to train.

*Update: Hunter is now 11 eleven weeks old and been with us for three weeks. He is the perfect dog for our family. He has blended right in, and Danny and I enjoy watching him be one of the kids- most of the time. The kids couldn't love him more. He loves, loves, loves to go ridin' around and is now sleeping through the night now that he is sleeping with Calen. Now, if we can just get Riley reprogrammed not to wake up at 12am, 3am and 6am.

**NOTE: pictures will be added once I retrieve them from the camera. The camera has taken to holding pictures hostage, but has yet to demand any form of ransom. Motive: unknown. Solution: a new camera without the attitude.

Florida Here We Come

We just got back from spending 8 wonderful days the Sunshine State. Danny had an AMSSM meeting in Tampa to attend. Because I am still exclusively nursing Riley, we decided we would take the entire family. We have also been telling Calen we would go to the beach for the past two years. It would be a vacation/educational experience- just one of the perks of homeschooling. We also decided that it would be easier to drive than to try to get everything we needed to an airport, on a plane, and in a rental car.

We packed up the car with all of the essentials and left on Thursday evening when Danny got home from work. About an hour into the trip, we got our first ever, "Are we there yet?" from Calen. We laughed and told him "no, no".

We drove just south of Atlanta, stopping only twice. There we spent the night and was on the road by 10 the next morning. During this leg, we only had to stop five times. First for lunch right outside Moultrie. (Brooke, I almost called you to see if I could borrow your washer/dryer. Jax had a stomach bug). Next, Wal-Mart near Valdosta for a Shout and detergent run. Even though it was vactation, I would still have to do laundry with that tag along bug of ours. The third stop was for a "we need to get out of the car/stomach bug" moment. We spent about 15 minutes at a Burger King before we hit the road again. The next two stops were potty breaks for Calen. We pulled into Tampa at 6 pm.

Enjoying the pool

Come on in! The water's fine.
Brrr. That nice breeze is cold when you first get out. Who cares? The pool is soooo overrated.

Saturday, Danny had meetings all day long, but the kids and I enjoyed just lying around the hotel room. We even enjoyed pizza in our room that night, followed by a walk around the boardwalk, and then Calen and Danny headed to the pool for an evening dip. Sunday evening we went to the Florida Aquarium. The kids really enjoyed the watching the fish, otters, birds, and stingrays.

It's official. Calen was hatched from an egg.

Man, those things are fast!
I don't get it.

Monday was Busch Gardens. Calen road his first big roller coaster. Unfortunately, it was the old, wooden one. He thought at all would be as rough as that one so we had to do some coaxing to get him on the next one. He perfers the metal ones right now.

Jax rode his very first ride with "Bubbie"

This egg doesn't taste like the ones momma makes.

So, how fast can these baby go?


Oops. I barely missed that elephant.
I'm ridin' the rails and watchin' the deer and the antelope graze.

See!? I knew my bros were wildebeasts!

The boys were having so much fun, and Riley was being such a trooper that we stayed all day. We even went back Tuesday morning and stayed until 1:00 before Danny had to head back for some meetings.

Let me drive! Nobody's lookin'!Finally! Everyone's one the other side of the fence, and I'm on my own!
Can we put one of these in the backyard? We're pooped.

On Wednesday morning we checked out and headed towards the official vacation spot- Amelia Island Plantation. On the way we stopped at Dinosaur World.

Then a few miles down the road, SeaWorld. The kids had a blast! Calen loved touching the sting rays. They felt soft, smooth, and slimy.




Jax wanted in with the dolphins.

The shows were "awesome," "cool," "amazing!"

After we had drained all of our energy, we hit the road once more. When we arrived at Amelia Inn, we went out on the balconey. Although, Calen could hear the waves, he couldn't see anything at 10:00 at night. We went to bed and awoke the next morning to the sun rising over the ocean. I woke Calen up and told him to go look out the window. He pulled the drape aside just a little bit. Then with awe and amazement he said, "Wow. Oh, man" as he began eagerly pulling the curtains out of the way for a better look.

We spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning relaxing on the beach and playing in the waves and sand. When we first went down to the beach on Thursday morning, Calen would walk into the water and then run back towards shore yelling, "there could be a jellyfish out there" or "there could be a shark" or "there could be a stingray." Yes, Calen, there is we explained. After about 10 mintues he forgot what lurks in the ocean and was frolicking in the refreshing, salty water.

Stingrays, jellyfish, sharks. Oh, my!

I'm a beach bum

I'm a beach bunny

On Friday afternoon, while Jax and Riley were taking their nap, Calen and Danny headed back down to the beach. They were playing in the "wildebeast waves" as Calen called them. Immediately after getting hit with a wave, Calen would call out, "Shore!" But, Danny kept him in the water and they continued playing. At one point, they had just had a wave and Danny was helping Calen back up; however, Danny had made the mistake of turning his back on the ocean. As he was trying to help Calen regain his balance he heard it behind him. Before he could do anything he was hit full force in the back by a huge wave. It knocked Danny off his feet and swept Calen about 10 feet away from where they had been. After Danny was able to stand back up and get Calen, who at this point says he was thinking he was going to die, they both yelled, "SHORE!" at the same time. As they getting out of the water Calen looked at Danny as said, "That was the KING of the Wildebeasts wave!" They spent the rest of their time that day at little closer inland. That evening though Calen was back out, but this time on the lookout.

Ah, the easy life

The fish ain't bitin'

Saturday morning we spent more time enjoying the beach before we packed up and headed back home. By 9:30 that night we were in our garage. The kids did fantastic. They travel really, really well. Our biggest challenge was bedtime.
Catchin' the waves



Ridin' the waves

A Little Backyard Project

*Pictures to be added after I get them off the camera.

This is something every family should tackle as a backyard project- a wooden playset. Last month we bought the kids a "Sky Fort" to put in the backyard. We looked at all the different types available and finally settled on one that fit our family's needs. There is such a age gap between Calen and his brother and sister that it was difficult to find one that was a "one size fits all."

We went to Sam's, loaded all four large heavy boxes on the truck, and brought them home, slowly, to put them in the garage. That night and the next day, I spent three hours sorting the pieces and then putting them in alphabetical order to ensure a quick find of required pieces. We had a 50 page instruction manual. The cover informed us that with two moderately skilled adults it would take 20-24 to assemble the Sky Fort. Not too bad. That means with Danny and his father, who is an extremely skilled adult, it would only take them 40 hours or so (Danny is addition by subtraction in situations like this, you see...)

The one set back was that we had to use our large unattached garage for the job instead of the drive-under garage near the construction site. Oh, well, the excerise is good for you.

So, anyway, I sorted the pieces with the plan to have Danny's brother and dad and my brother and dad come help put it together. My mom and sister was also going to come help watch the kids so I could help the boys. Well, that weekend it rained. Calen drove us up the wall the next several days asking when we were putting it together.

The next Saturday arrived, beautiful, clear skies, and a warm 76 degrees. It was lovely. The weather I mean, not the project. We began by marking off the area and clearing the grass. The we put together the base of the fort. Then the boys began leveling the ground underneath before we could do anything.

Then my dad and brother arrived and began helping work on the fort. At this point, we has too many chiefs and not enough Indians. A few things got turned around and had to be redone. There was also questions about the directions. Sometimes, guys, it is best to follow the directions.

By the end of the day we had accomplished a bulk of the playset. That night my mom and sister spent the night so we could work the next day. Yes, it was Sunday, but Calen wasn't going to wait until next Saturday. While mom and Amanda and I got the kids ready for bed, Danny went to the garage to assemble the climbing wall. After the kids were in bed I went out to help him. We assembled the ladder and monkey bars and called it a night. We were nice and burnt from the sun's hot rays.

The next day, after church we headed back out. It was another gorgeous 78 degree day. We attached the ladder, climbing wall, slide, swing set arm and swings, and the mokey bars. Calen was able to play on it that evening. They only thing we lacked were the crow's nest, picnic table, and finishing the base. We had spent a total of 18 hours at this point- including the sorting and leveling.

We didn't get a chance to do anything else for several days. That gorgeous 70+ degree weather turned to snow. We were sunburnt and wearing sweaters. The next week Danny and I would take the kids out and work an hour here and an hour there, trying to finish it. We still lacked the crow's nest. So the following weekend we finished that.

The Great Turkey Slayer

Calen had quiet a weekend. He started it off Friday afternoon by going with Danny to Thunder Valley. More about that in the next post. On Saturday, he headed to the woods with my dad to "hunt" turkeys. Calen spent the afternoon and evening cutting branches down and playing around. There weren't any turkey around anyway. The rest of the blog is Calen.

Sunday morning, Papaw had to drag me from the bed to the couch. I didn't want to get up 'cause I was sleepy. I knew I had to get up because I wanted to go turkey hunting, so I did- finally. I was still so tired mamaw and papaw had to get me dressed over my pajamas though.

After I was dressed, we went to the truck and drove to the mountains. We got to the gate and started walking to Tim's treefort. We climbed the ladder and papaw started calling for turkeys. Then the turkeys started flying down out of the trees and coming in. I saw a big one, but papaw said it was a hen. We can't shoot them. We had to wait on a gobbler.

A little while later papaw saw two gobblers out the window. They had white spots on their heads. They were huge. Papaw helped me pick up the gun and hold it because it's still too big for me. He told me to move my arm for a second so he could aim for me. Then he told me when the turkey popped its head up to pull the trigger.

We waited for a few seconds. The turkey popped its head out from around the tree. He was strutting and all puffed up. When he popped out, I shot the gun. The turkey started flapping around. Papaw climbed down out of the tree fort to go get the turkey. He told me to wait, but I got down by myself while he was trying to pick up the turkey. He was so excited. I was shaking. I couldn't believe I got a turkey on my first weekend hunt!

Papaw and I went back home. Everyone was still in bed because we hadn't been gone that long at all. I ran into the house shouting, "I got one, I got one, I got one!" I ran to mamaw and told her to come see what I got. I ran and told Aunt Amanda to come see what I got. I think papaw got Uncle Justin up to come see.

Aunt Amanda sent mommy and daddy a picture of me with my turkey. They were still at home and weren't there to see it yet. When they got there they couldn't believe I got such a big turkey. Daddy took a couple pictures, too. Papaw said he had never killed one so big.

I had to go with papaw to check it in at the gas station. I got to sign my own kill tag by myself. I was so excited I accidentally wrote Calem instead of Calen. It was a good looking "m" though. I said, "Uh-oh. I made a mistake on my name. I wrote it wrong. I put two humps instead of one for my "n." They told me it was okay.

When we got back home papaw and Chris skinned it for me. They took out the meat. We're going to eat it at Easter dinner. Then we took the turkey to this man's house. He's going to stuff it for me. It's going to look like it's flying down from a tree. He's even going to put it on a limb. I'm going to put it in my room!

My first turkey

March 22, 2009
20 lbs.

11 in. beard

1 1/4 in. spurs

Yo Ho Ho. It's a Pirates Life for Me

Yesterday we celebrated Calen's birthday-finally. It was scheduled for last Saturday; however, Friday evening he spiked a fever of 103.5 and began complaining of leg pains. We decided it best to call everyone to cancel his party-again. By Tuesday his fever had subsided, and his appetite (and antics) had returned. We decided to go ahead and have his party on Saturday.


The orginal invitations where on parchment style paper, and I burned the edges and some holes in them. I put a red "X" on the bottom left corner.

To set the mood I had made signs that said "Enter at Yer own Risk" to hang on the front door and another was hung on the door to the guest room. I also had several signs warning, "Beware, Pirates" that we hung up throughout the house. In the living room I set up a card table and decorated it with a treasure chest, treasure map, and telescope. We also sat the presents on the table. Next to the table we placed "Mr. Bones" guarding his gold and silver along with the sign "Dead Men Tell No Tales." We also had lots of black and red balloons inside and out and Jolly Rodger flags along the walkway to the porch.

Cap'n Calen's crew began arriving at high Two. What's a pirate with a sword or eye patch? So they each got one of eye. After playing for about fifteen minutes, it was time to begin our adventures.

They had to Walk the Plank, if they dared. Arrr.

Then we had a rousing game of "Tic Toc Find the Croc" in the house that they had to capture.

Tic Toc. Where is that croc?

After the croc was discovered (thankfully it was only a tiny one), Cap'n Calen and his maties were famished. They chowed down on some Sea Dogs (hot dogs), Fish 'n' Chips (potato chips and goldfish), Lagoon Dip w/ Peg Leg Veggies (ranch dip and celery, carrot, and cucumber sticks), and Treasure Salad (fruit salad). To quench their parched throats, they guzzled Ocean Water and Shark's Blood (blue and red Kool-Aid).

With full stomachs, we were off for some more adventures on the high seas. They had to Feed the Shark. Then we took their picture posing with the shark. I'll include their pictures with their Thank-you notes.

After our shark was well feed, we divided the kids into two crews to play Cannonballs Away. Each crew had a ship and fifty "cannonballs." They faced off in an attempt to "sink" the enemy ship. The kids had a blast with this game and played it four times!

After feeding the shark and battling enemy ships, the lil' pirates were ready for something sweet. I made Calen's cake per his request, a pirate ship on the ocean with an island.

After cake and ice cream, the pirates had one more swashbuckling adventure waiting- a treasure hunt. I had six clues for them to solve and find. The final clue led them to the treasure, a pinata treasure chest filled with chocolate and bubble gum coins.

The children left with quite a booty. Their treasure chests were filled with coins from the pinata, and a pirate assortment of pencils, compasses, yo-yos, stickers, telescopes, suckers, tattoos, and bubbles-plus their swords and eye patches.


Next party, Jax and the Wild, Wild West. YA-HOO!