Pppppppprrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeessssssseeeeeeennnnnnnttttttsssssss

This morning is Christmas Eve right so I got the Michael Buble C.D and 2 tickets to his concert! I am so so so exited right now ( even though the concert is not until March 10 ) I am still really exited. It's from Santa. Zander got a 4 wheeler and a toy 4 wheeler. I am so so so so so so exited. Sorry if I am boring you but I am just really exited!

Saturday

Tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow! I can't wait until tomorrow! Why, well I get to see my family! Madelyn, Norah ( who I havn't met yet but will tomorrow.) Avonlea, and Lincoln. I miss everybody, i get to see my Uncle J.J and Uncle Robby and Aunt Mellissa and Aunt Kelli! Btw I just saw Aunt Kristine's blog and Levi is 1 and I havn't met him yet! Just like my favorite song in the world " I just havn't met you yet". Well I am going to crash and wait for 10:00 tomorrow and go in the car for 3 and a half hours and sit listen to music then crash in the car then wake up WE ARE IN ST. PETERSBURG! Finally time goes by when you are sleeping!

Boys are so Interesting

. When you think a boy is talking about football never say what you think. they will always give you a weird look and say ' Uh no Baseball or soccer or tennis or la cross.'

. If a boy is being nice STAY AWAY! They are probably giving you the sign that they like you or something.

.When boys try to start conversation, don't answer. You probably won't understand a thing that they are saying!

The Weekly Days

Mondays - Boring; killing fifth graders with boredom.

Tuesdays - Better than Mondays; Less boring and will not kill innocent fifth graders for looking at the clock to much.

Wednesdays - Awesome; Library, P.E., and my personal favorite READING! But then again that's every day.

Thursday - BAD; Worse than Chopped Liver.

Fridays - AMAZING; GLAMOROUS, FANTASTICO, ANGOLA, I WANT THEM TO BE EVERYDAY!

Christmas Decorations

This makes a whole lot of sense to me :-)

Never Swing on a Vine

Hello as I said I would be back on Friday, today is Friday. The most awkward thing that happened this week that I swung on a vine. Literally I was pulling on a vine in my yard and I told my Dad "Look, I can swing on this vine Daddy look!" Once again never swing on a vine. I put all of my weight on it then BOOM! A blackout for me! The vine popped of the tree and I fell in my pj's. I cried but then again I laughed. So hard that I fell on the floor again. Well that is all everyone. Night America!

Once again...

I am not going to make any false promises about the level of commitment to this blog but I will commit to finishing this one.

I seem to be surrounded by inspiration lately. My family is blogging away and my daughter is threatening to take over the duties if I cannot keep some sort of schedule and then I read my sister in-law's blog about memories of her parents house and growing up and I thought... "I could write something about that too..."

My family moved around quite a bit, in fact I remember hearing one of my friends say they were moving feeling the sadness come over me about loosing them only to learn they were just moving across town... I did not even know you could do that! When we moved it was by several states, continents even! That being said, I have a few memories that have stuck with me from various homes we lived in that when I think about them, realize how young I was, I get a little nervous as the reality of my own children's ages set in.

There was Maryland, we had a house on a hill with a meadow behind us and I used to have to cross the meadow to get to my friends house. My Grandmother on my mom's side painted a picture of that house which we had hung up for years.

Also in Maryland (Hagerstown) my parents were the 'house parents' for the choir at Broadfording Christain Academy. As a family we actually lived in the school and at one time had two separate (dorm) rooms (separated by a hallway) where my brother (Jay) and I stayed and my sister (Kristine) and my parents were in the other room. I used to ride my bike all throughout the school during the summer months, down the stairs, through the hallways through the parking lot. We used to use the school's cafeteria kitchen and I would stand in the walk-in refrigerator and see how long I could take the cold.

Broadfording had a terrible pigeon problem. They would sit up on the ledges of the old school and pepper the parking lot, people and anything else underneath them with poop. My dad took it upon himself to rid the campus of the annoying birds and I was going to help. At first he tried to shoot them with a bow and arrow, but it was not accurate enough, the arrows were hard to retrieve and some... well some we never found (and we would not watch the local news on those days). My dad also owned a shotgun which made its way out the door, pointed at a line of pigeons and then my dad realized that while hitting a pigeon was guaranteed, so was the windows surrounding the pigeon. After a few conversions with friends he burrowed a small rifle perfect for the job and the next thing you know we are picking off pigeons on the weekends. My job was to grab them by their feet (after they fell) and take them to the dumpster. I am not sure how hygienic that was for a 4/5 year old and I blame that experience as to wha I am loosing my hair today.

Enough for now... but more to come!

Official Owner of the Blog

I Izzy Bates am now the official owner of this blog. Since my Dad won't do it I will! I mean somebody's got to do it, so why not me? Ok so my Aunt Kristine gave me the idea to share the most exiting thing that has happened all week, and I must say that this has beaten everything by far. More likely that the bad stuff needs a long shot to catch up. This blog has been the most exiting thing yet. Even though it is only Monday I still think my thoughts. Tonight it was between Tetris and this so I chose this! Maybe Friday I will be back and do another blog thingamadgiger. Post is what people call it. Well that is it good night all!

The Oldest One's, Oldest Kid

Hello everyone it is me Izzy bates. By the way thanks for the support Aunt Kristine. I told him that before I read your post so thanks. Well I really don't know what to say so I'll do what any Bates would do. Hello how are my name is Izzy, what is yours? Well I don't know so if you want to have a answer to our post join my blog. I am the neice of Kristine, Dean, Robbie and Kelli. For me known as Aunt Kristine, Uncle Dean, Uncle Robbie and last but not least Aunt Kelli. Wow what a load full and there is more to that as well (Uncle JJ and Aunt Mellisa). But you probably already know that so uh well it was nice to meet you all and have a good night!

Magic Kingdom

Yesterday the kids and I had the opportunity to visit Magic Kingdom @ Walt Disney World. It was twice as nice for two reasons first, it is always great to experience Disney's magic through the eyes of a child (better yeat two). Second, I did not have any plans to visit Disney this weekend however, a good friend of mine had two tickets they coudl not use and gave them to me (thanks Kevin & Kari).

To make it even better, the weather held up so we only experienced a refreshing Florida sprinkle and another friend of mine and his family were there so we had the chance to visit with them while waiting for the lightning to pass outside of Thunder & Splash Mountain!

So here is a recap of our day yesterday:

* Breakfast at Craker Barrel
* Super Target to pick up essentials; sun-glasses, hair bands (for long hair & hot days)
* Drive to Magic Kingdom
* Monorail (versus Ferry)
* Go to Splash Mountain to get Fast-Pass
* Wait in line 70 minutes for Thunder Mountain, convince Zander (5 different occasions) that he could "hold it" until the ride was over
* Bought 'itzakadoozie' for Zander
* Pirates of Carribbean
* Time for Splash Mountain
* Lunch time
* Pirates of Carribbean (again, bought pirate sword & bomb, not the telescope.. not the bomb, change my mind the telescope, bomb, telescope, bomb... OK telescope it is... & activity book)
* Meet Joe, Ashley & Family outside Thunder/Splash Mountain
* Get new fast pass tickets for Splash Mountain (again)
* Ride Jungle Cruise
* Ice Creams for kids
* Splash Mountain (again)
* Try to find smoked turkey leg.. sold out... convince kids it is time to go
* Monorail back - answer questions as to why we are traveling "backwards"
* Ride home, discuss sore feet and blisters

The beginning?

OK, so I am going to attempt, key word attempt, to maintain a 'blog' about activities & whereabouts of yet another Bates family unit. The inspiration? Part guilt, partly a desire to brag and share the successes & opportunities of my family unit however, it is mostly inspired by the existing blogs and efforts of my sister and sister in-law :-) ... and so it begins!