Covenant Health Marathon 2008

This morning was an early start for the Jessie crew. It was the day for the 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles). Adam began running at 7:00 a.m. The kids and I left the house around 8:00 a.m. and finally were seated at the 50 yard line in Neyland Stadium around 8:30. Carson and Taylor were mesmerized with all of the excitement going on around us. Of course Carson asked where Smokey, the band, and the cheerleaders were going to be, and he was not happy to find out that they were not going to attend today's marathon. Adam finished the race in 2 hours 1 minute. Covenant Health had over 4000 runners today including all the events. It was a great experience. We are hoping Adam's work team did well today, but will not find out results until later. I was so impressed to find out that over half of his coworkers joined in for this. The weather was coolish for the spectators but perfect for the runners. Carson thought that it was his turn to race after his daddy went through the finish line. There is a kid's division which might be a good thing to look in to for next year if he is not too young. Taylor could careless as well as her mom!!!!! Sometimes it's fun just sitting in the stands cheering. Taylor asked why the MC called out "Adam Jessie" over the speaker phone. She wanted him to call out "Daddy". Carson and Taylor both were screaming and shouting daddy as he ran in to the stadium as well as waving. We are proud of him!!!

It's a Great Day!

Today is such a wonderful day. My mother called me this morning and wanted us to meet her at the mall. So, I did my favorite thing to do......go shopping with my mom. She is a wonderful person and I love her so much. It is so much fun to go shopping with her. All Carson wanted was "camouflage"!!! So, we left the mall with 2 camouflage shirts, a camouflage pair of pants, and a camouflage pair of shorts and sunglasses. He is all boy for sure. He already has the camouflage shirt and shorts on. Taylor wanted some pink outifts with her matching pink sunglasses and of course she wanted a new purse. Taylor is all girl. She took her nap today with her purse in one hand and her sunglasses on her face. Shopping is definitely my favorite thing to do. I love it! My grandmother went with us as well which made it extra special. My dad and brother are fortunate enough to have tickets for tonights 2 Sweet 16 games in Charlotte. They also have Elite 8 tickets for Saturday. Of course, they are excited and I am excited for them. Tonight's game with Tennessee vs. Louisville will be a great game. I am hoping that I can just stay up for it because it doesn't start until 10 p.m. Good luck Vols!

Easter Egg Hunt

Taylor and Carson had a blast with our Easter Egg Hunt. Taylor and my niece, Reece, would find the easter eggs, look inside them, and throw them back in the yard if no chocolate was in them. It was funny! After the egg hunt, the kids got to ice their own cupcake and decorate them. Of course, Taylor and Carson wanted to do the cupcake decorating and eating again and again.

Easter Pictures

I took Easter pictures today outside. It was an adventure.

Happy Birthday Abigail!

I just wanted to give a shout out to my cousin, Abigail, on her wonderful birthday. She has grown up before my eyes. Abby, her friends call her, is a wonderful person and a fantastic friend. Abby is going to spend some time with us today on her birthday while her sister is in Italy. Happy Birthday Abigail! I hope it is a good one. We love ya. Carson and Taylor can't wait to give you birthday spankings. Pictures to come later.

Upcoming 13 mile marathon

Tennessee didn't get the ONE seed like I had hoped for in the NCAA tourny, but we are excited about the TWO seed. We are hoping to see the Vols in Charlotte in a couple of weeks. I was thrilled for the Georgia Bulldog fans today. It was hard not to be excited for them. What an accomplishment...winning 4 SEC games in 3 days. Wow! It is exciting to see 6 SEC teams in the NCAA brackets (MS State, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Vandy). I can't wait to fill out my bracket tomorrow. Good luck to all the SEC teams. I love March Madness!!!!

2 weeks and counting until Carson, Taylor and myself watch Adam cross the finish line at Neyland Stadium. He is running the 13 mile marathon that day. Taylor and I were outside today (Carson was still asleep) when we saw Adam running on the walking trail behind us. Taylor was cheering him on and waving so proudly. We went to the front sidewalk when he reached us. He had ran 11 miles in an hour and forty minutes. Carson got up from his nap and saw Adam in his running gear. He immediately was trying to get Adam to go running again but push him in the jogging stroller. Adam quickly discouraged that for sure. By the way, Adam loves his Nike chip for his tennis shoes and ipod. It keeps up with his miles and times. If you are a runner, he strongly recommends it. Look for pictures to come later of the race.

Beautiful Day

Today was such a beautiful day. Taylor and Carson stayed outside most of the day. We went two laps on the walking trail; the kids did fantastic on their new 16" bikes. I was completely exhausted trying to keep up with them. Taylor was tired too, so she decided to come up with this contraption with the tractor and wagon where she didn't have to do anything. I thought it was pretty clever. I just wished I could fit in the wagon as well.

Easter is approaching

Easter is almost here. I always love Easter. I enjoy finding the "perfect" outfits for Taylor and Carson. I love hiding Easter eggs and finding them. But, what I love the most is the purpose of Easter. How awesome our Jesus is to have died on that cross for us! Easter is full of new life all around us. I am in the process of getting things together for a big Easter egg hunt at our house. I have invited some of Taylor and Carson's little friends to come help us celebrate Easter. I hope the weather is nice next weekend for us to do a hunt and maybe dye some eggs. As I was thinking about Easter today, I found some of Taylor and Carson's Easter pics from throughout the years. I thought I would share. Of course, you will see the 08 Easter pics after next weekend. Enjoy.

Spring is here!

I know it is Spring now when my husband is out mowing the yard. Yes folks, our yard has now been mowed for the first time in 2008. I know it is Spring when I see fertilizer and grass seed already sitting in the garage. I know it is Spring when Adam called the irrigation company today to add another water meter to our irrigation system. Yes, it is Spring. And I love it! Carson mowed the yard with his Little Tykes mower right beside his daddy. Taylor and I cleaned house inside and afterwards painted fingernails. I so enjoyed the 65 degree temperature today and am looking for the sunny weather the rest of the week. I know it is Spring because SPRING BREAK is next week. Spring Break is one of the benefits of being a teacher. Today was a fabulous day at school in 8th Grade. We are starting a new plan to help those failing students that don't succeed in any subject or in any area. These students just get left out in the cold. Each teacher has "adopted" a few students to watch over and mentor for the rest of the year to help monitor these students. You never know when you can make a difference in the life of a child. I met with my three students individually this morning. I told them that I was going to be their new "mom" here at school. I also introduced them to their new "brother" or "sister" (peer mentor) that was going to help them as well. I told them we were going to work like a triangle all reaching for one goal: student to be successful in 8th grade. A lot of emotions were flying today about realization that some students just may not pass the 8th grade. It was a great maturing day for some students today....an eye opener if you will. This is why I still teach even just a few days a week. It is a great feeling to help students. I was leaving my room with a satisfaction of a day well spent UNTIL one of my failing students came up to me and said, "Mom, I could use 40 bucks.!!!"

Happy Birthday Hunter

A Happy Birthday goes out to my other nephew, Hunter, who will be turning a big 9 years old on March 11th. We will be thinking about you on your party day!

Vols Vs. Gators

Whew! It was a close one last night for the Vols. Too close. We definitely started off to a rough start, but luckily pulled it off in the end. Carson is an avid Vol fan. He has a couple of Rocky Top Cd's he plays all the time or when we will let him. In the other parts of the day, he always sings the chorus to Rocky Top in bed, doing his preschool work, or even watching television. He has a cute little Adidas basketball jersey with a number 5 on it. We were watching some highlights of the game today, and I said "Look Carson, you have the same jersey on that Chris L. does." He responded by saying, "No, he has on MY Jersey." Carson has attended three basketball games this year with his Daddy, Papa and Uncle Brannon. His favorites are Smoky, the band, and of course the cheerleaders.

Small Group

The kids woke up feeling so much better today. The humidifiers must have worked last night. However, I still didn't want them going to church tonight to Awanas, so Adam and I met on the way to church and did a switch-a-roo with the cars. He brought the kids back home and did dinner (PB & J), bath, and bed time while I went to church to meet with my small group. I love my small group! It is a group of young ladies just like myself with young kids getting together for prayer, encouragement, fellowship, accountability, and participate in a discussion group about our study book, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul by Linda Dillow. These ladies are incredible. They love God with all of their heart. It is so exciting and refreshing to be around them. I look forward to every Wednesday night to worship and rejoice our Savior. If you are not apart of a small group, I urge you to find one and join. It filled a missing part of my life.

Tonight, we discussed about surrendering 100% of our life to Christ. It was evident to me that I "think" I am giving my all to Christ, but there are always pieces of the pie I hold back because I think I am taking pretty good care of those pieces. Read Dillow's book. It is an eye opener.

Congrats to Brayden

Congratulations goes out to my nephew(first one on the left), Brayden, for being the Kindergarten Writer of the Week for Taylor County Elementary. Way to Go Brayden!!!!!!

Under the Weather

Well, it is finally here. Taylor and Carson have gone all winter without having any kind of sickness, but today they both do not feel well at all. When I walked in to pick them up from preschool today, Taylor immediately came to me and said "Mom, I don't feel good." We officially have colds. I am sure it is the change in the weather AGAIN. The kids were excited to hear that I don't have to work any more this week and can spend time just hanging out. Taylor and Carson made their way to my bed to watch The Wiggles after bath and before bed. I didn't let them get comfortable before I made them get to their beds. I don't think we will be at church tomorrow night. What a bummer!!!!!!!

No Naps

I picked Taylor and Carson up from preschool today and was informed that Carson has not been taking naps. He lays down on his mat, but he never falls asleep. Yesterday after church, I laid down with him for an hour and a half. He played with my face, played with the covers, and even kept giving his Spiderman doll kisses just so he would not fall asleep. After an hour and a half, Taylor woke up and came in to his room. He immediately thought it was time to get up. Taylor asked him how he slept. He responded, "Great." Great........I don't think so. He never went to sleep. Who was he fooling? On the three year check up, the doctor said that 50 percent of 3 year olds quit taking naps. I never thought it would happen to my kids, but it is here. I know once Taylor gets wind of Carson not going to sleep, then she will do the same thing. I need those little afternoon naps to do laundry, clean house, and just sit down.

Temperature Teasing!

The weather was beautiful today! I loved it. Carson and Taylor were able to play outside and ride their new bikes. Carson played soccer, basketball, baseball, frisbee, and golf just in the short time we were outside. It is suppose to be pretty tomorrow as well, but it will get colder as the week continues. URGH!!!!