Nicole...such a doll, oh, I mean cheer bunny!

Friends Maty and Drew "flapping" away.












Mady and Nicole.















Go Greenbrier! Nicole- top left!

Nice birthday cake, Nicole. Sorry- frosting was a little runny. Remember the Barbie legs that are now on the side of the cake. Yummy!

P.S. If you are way clueless and never read my blogs- Nicole is our fun exchange student from Germany.

Nicole- what kind of day is it today?

Is it going to be this kind of day?OR

THIS kind of day?

You decide.

Birthday wishes to Mama Rue and Grandpa

Six Flags fun

We went to Atlanta in September and met my mom, dad, and older sister there.

SIX FLAGS, BABY!!

What a perfect day for it. It was Sept. 26, right after Atlanta flooding, everyone thought the park was closed, and it was overcast with 90% chance of rain. All I can say is roller coasters, roller coasters, roller coasters. Went right in the front row over and over for Batman, Superman, Goliath, and the other great ones.

And what was the funnest part for the kids?
the hotel

and the hotel ice machine, of course!

Another fun night

So I tend to post family night every time. It is just when we have our most exciting moments. The other days we are just plain boring.

So--- in case you wondered IF we had a lesson:

The lesson was on forts- how ancient American inhabitants built forts to defend their cities from enemies, but how if it wasn't strong enough or if there were holes, enemies could sneak in... then we compared that to how to make our homes strong. And how we can have sneaky holes in our strong fort home that we don't even realize (TV, music, forgetting to pray, etc).

So there were "destroyers" (worms) in our "city" (pudding) that we had to get out to make our city strong and clean.

And obviously, Nicole fits right into the family!

Too bad I can't get the video on here... it is AWESOME!
(ONE great thing about being the mom- you get to take all the pictures and not have to participate!)

Scripture time

Devotional didn't quite go as planned:
The lesson was on responsibility and how as you get older you are given
more responsibilities. I gave Ben a ball he had to take care of throughout
the lesson- if he popped it we wouldn't be able to play ball afterwards.
Daisy had the phone to call Dad, and Alexis had some candy that she
would pass out at the end if she was able to hold it and not smush or eat it.
We talked about how babies have less responsibility but can't do the fun
things, either- can't play ball, talk on the phone, or eat candy. Then, I made
the mistake of saying, if you can fit into baby clothes, you don't have to be
responsible. BIG MISTAKE. Daisy is wearing Colby's pants and Lex and
Ben are sporting his onesies. Guess that means extra duties for mom until
the "babies" get older. Humph.

Ouch!

Rhet's battle wounds from a sprained ankle.

Church basketball...

it'll getcha every time!

Happy Birthday, Daisy!

This is kind of embarrassing to put on here- but it only took 15 minutes

to frost and Alexis helped me...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Happy Birthday, Daisy. I love it- stay six forever. "Mom, you did such

a great job. It is just what I wanted." Let's see if Alexis will be as gracious

in a week:)

Ahhh...Volcano!!!!

Alexis liked how adding gelatin made chunks.

Daisy learned that if you keep adding baking soda, you can get a couple of

eruptions.

Great cheeser, Daiz!

My cute pregnant sister. What a great mom she is going to be! Jaime is
due in November and is going to have a precious little girl. Way to go Jaime
and David:)

Nicole is here!

Hi. I am Nicole. I am from Germany. I go to Greenbrier High. I not really
talk like zis- but Jessica is writing zis. No matter where I live, I like to do
the cheerleading, Indi music turned up really loud, drums, sitting on the
warm grass, and gouda cheese.
What I miss most about home: sidewalks; German bread; my
friends; my family; my pets- Mizi, Baghira and Jonny; Fleischwurst; the l
ake by my house, my bike, my cheerleading team, bugs, flies, some peace
and quiet while trying to do my homework. OK- my home is always loud-
but it is my music turned up and not Jessica and the kids all yelling and
running around playing hide-n-seek or ring-around-the roses.
What I enjoy most about Georgia: Jessica's sweet and sensitive
nature; not so many chores; a new cheerleading team; way easier schooling,
better marks, air conditioning in every room, greenery, eating with everyone
at the table, the mailbox is at the street, the trampoline, the big fridgerator,
the awesome four jet shower, price and look of the clothes, Target, Walmart,
the Y, so many cars, having my own room.
America Likes: bagels, cream cheese, ice cream, cool whip, Lays, Skittles,
Peanut butter crackers, Chick-Fil-A, staying up till 3 am talking to the coolest
person ever.
Don't Like: fake cheese, the word "foreigners", people who think I don't
understand but really I am just being quiet, 3 hour church, changing dirty
diapers (although I never have), getting up at 6am for school, riding the noisy
bus home, my English teacher, cleaning the dishes after Colby and Ben ate at
the same table (although I have only done it once and we had fast food), school
dress code, the kids going in my room to get their dress up clothes and then
putting all my clothes on the floor- after I took so much time to put them
away exactly in their place.

Ok- so this wasn't exactly pre-approved from Nicole's mouth- but I'm sure
I'm pretty close. Nicole is a joy to have at our house and has quickly learned
the quirks and faults of the Tuckers. We hope she will overlook these foibles
and enjoy her time with our exuberant family. I will be a happy mom if our
daughters grow up to be teenagers as responsible, dependable, and making
good choices as Nicole is. We love you, Nicole. Welcome to our family!

Family Night Fun

Nicole, Jess' parents, Lex with a bowl on her head, Daiz, and Ben-Man

Family Night: (def.) n. A weekly night of short Christian lessons, an activity,
treat, songs, and a little bit of chaos. Held on Mondays after dinner. Each
member of the family takes a turn being in charge of a part of the festivities.
Not to be confused with Family Fun Night which is games/movies/treats on
Friday night that mom gets ready.


Anyhoo- Lex was in charge of the lesson and needed me to make water
balloons. Normally, I would not be so inclined- but I will do anything for
the sake of "object lessons" or learning. So- I sat there and made water
balloons for 20 minutes.

Her lesson, thought entirely on her own: "We should all be baptized because
it will bring you blessings. Each person was then to share an aspect of baptism
that they knew to be true. Then, we were all to go outside. We all got to hold
"blessings" and shower them to others, so that they could have the blessings,
too. How fabulously gifted my child is:) She knew exactly what to do to be able
to throw some water balloons- when it wasn't even her turn for activity.
Brilliant. I'm not sure if the kids understood why we were throwing water
balloons- but that 20 seconds of fun was worth 20 more minutes of filling
them up. (although I won't do it again next Monday- sorry, guys.)

Half full or half empty

So here was my day as I see it:
*Woke up to crushed cereal on my bedroom floor, even though we have a "no food
out of kitchen" policy. Hmm. No biggy. Moving on...
*Kids have deep coughs, have to miss my training for the Tour de Y. Ok, I'll make
it up when Rhet gets home.
*Went to piano lessons. Got ticket for going through "emergency cut through only"
to turn left on Baston road. The day now officially stinks.
*Am now 20 minutes late for 30 minutes of piano instruction. And I have a child
that is not mine that I made late, as well.
*Go to my spin classes at night. Do two in a row to make up.
*Get a phone call to come home immediately to take Colby to emergency room.
*Ran out of Y and didn't get my spinning class signed off.
*Get home and Colby is sleeping. Had slammed finger in door. It was bleeding and
bruised.
*Took him to ER to get it checked out (broken or needed stitches) Sat for FOUR hours
for them to say he was fine and give us a band-aid.
*Got home at 2am and had a meeting in the morning at my house at 9am. Cleaned up
that night.

OK- how I should see the day...
*Kids let me sleep in a little, even though I had some mess to clean from it.
*Next piano lesson was canceled, so the kids got their full lesson.
*Rhet didn't care about the $120 ticket.
*Maybe my instructor will remember me on Saturday to sign my paper.
*Colby didn't need stitches or a cast and we had some good together time.
*I got to take a really long nap the next day and I didn't feel bad about it at all.
*My house got cleaned because people were coming over.

Maybe tomorrow I'll count my blessings.

Tour de Y

I had on my "to do" list before I turned 30 to run a marathon. There is a half-

marathon November 1 in Augusta. But frankly, running 13 miles just doesn't

appeal to me at the moment. Especially after running 13 miles, having to wear

a t-shirt that has the word "half" in it just doesn't seem fair.

INSTEAD... I am training for the Tour de Y. To qualify, you have to take 28

spinning classes before August 12. Then you "get" to be a part of the show:

Six 45 minute spinning classes back-to-back for a total of 4 1/2 hours of spinning.

The rules are:

1) can only get off the bike once for a bathroom break

2) have to keep heart rate up

3) can't stop:)

I am only on spin class number 8. That means I have to take 7 spinning classes

per week. Wish me luck!

PS No, the picture isn't me. I don't wear sports bras to exercise. That would

be scary- except to my husband, who says I always look beautiful, even in

the morning:)

Daisy and Lil

My little Daisy! Wooey!

Alexis and Ace

It would have given me a heart attack if I knew they were
doing all this on their own at the horse back camp.

Way to go, Alexis!

Air Force Museum in Utah

Dad is fired as a babysitter

Colby's bed/nap routine that I write down for a babysitter:

1. Give Colby a bottle

2. Turn fan on high

3. Turn off light

4. Sing Colby a song

5. Place him in bed on stomach

6. With pacifier in mouth and one in hand

7. Put blanky over him, he likes to hold it to get to sleep

8. If he cries, DON'T pick him up. Go in after 2 or 3 minutes and put him back on stomach with pacifier again and walk out.

9. Repeat until he goes to sleep. (maybe 2 or 3 times).

What happens when DAD BABYSITS:

Can you see how close Colby is to the edge of the bed? But- don't worry, little baby, I'm sure your daddy's reflexes are amazing when he is in REM sleep!

Swim day is every day

Day 3:Cooking Camp

Cooking Camp Finale: Let's host a party!!
A. Planning
budget
menu
servings
guest considerations (vegetarians? allergies?)
ingredient list

B. Preparing
What to make early.
What to make first thing. (baking)
What to make last (cut fruit- fridgerator dips on plates)
Set up: tables, chairs, cups, utensils, plates, serving spoons, tablecloth
Follow recipes. Do one thing at a time. Keep fridge stuff separate.
Add greenery/flowers/decorations

C. Be a good host
check on food/drinks
get peoples finished plates/cups from them
pick up along the way
make sure everyone is comfortable
keep food covered from bugs if outside
keep fridgerated foods cold

OUR FINAL MENU:
(Kids made it all:)
strawberry mice http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50362
fruit kabob http://www.recipezaar.com/Fruit-Kabobs-With-Coconut-Dressing-205109
lemonade
chilli cheese salsa dip with tortilla chips (crock pot)
little smokies in bbq sauce and honey (crock pot)
cucumber boats http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50387
pretzel treats http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=41019
Leftover Oreo pizza with cool whip dip

Then we had an impromptu backyard party in the sprinklers, slip-n-slide, and kiddy pool. A great, packed day. I was ready for a nap when Daisy came to me with a fat upper lip. "What's wrong, Dais?" "I'm just sad that cooking camp is over. Can we keep doing it?" "Umm, NO!!!!!" (with a sweet and dainty voice, of course)

video coming soon- when I figure out how to work

Next week: horseback riding camp. But alas, I am not the teacher and the girls will be there from 8-3 everyday. What shall I do? (Like having Ben and Colby is beans and I am a free bird. Sure.)