Weekend with my family!

My cousin Amy and her daughter Lauren.


When we went back to Newport for Robbie's reunion last week, we also got to visit with all our family. Robbie's dad and brother. My aunts and cousins. My Brother and my nephew that brought my great nephew. It was fun! Here are a few photos.
Lauren, Aunt Lucenia, and Hayley

Aunt Lucenia, Aunt Georgia and my mom

(Carson peeking around the corner)

My cousin's sweet boy...

Logan and his bubba teeth

A Sunday with the Trotter's

After church today, we worked outside! Robbie worked on putting in a "dripping" system for our flowerbeds. Grace and I worked in the flowerbeds. :) Grace loves to help plant flowers and be outside. Carson wanted to help, but didn't want to help! haha! He kept asking what he could do, but NEVER wanted to do anything I suggested! So he was our talker. Occasionally, he would sidetrack Grace in to playing with him. I was using this small shovel to help dig the terribly hard, dry ground...Carson and Grace would find a small pile of dirt and make "sandcastles". (You can tell we LOVE the beach!) Needless to say, it REALLY wasn't a sandcastle, since they only had a couple of handfuls of loose dirt...but so cute to listen to.

We took a break from planting (because it actually got warm today and we were sweating). We decided to carve some pumpkins. I cut the top of one off for Carson and Grace. At first they wouldn't TOUCH the "pumpkin guts" but after a few minutes of staring at it and realizing I wasn't going to do it right then, they started to stick their hands in the pumpkin! It was so fun watching their faces touch the slime goo. They are not quite old enough to complete gut the pumpkin, but they did their best. So...Mom got to finish them. haha! (Robbie is still working on the drip system). We borrowed Robbie's Iphone, because he has a program that you can change a pumpkins face. Anyway, we found several "faces" that we wanted to carve. So, mom, the great pleaser I am, attempted to carve the faces they picked out. Only one nose I messed up! haha! The rest weren't so bad. Once they were finished, Hayley, Carson and Grace wanted to take pictures with them. So...here they are! :)

Class of 1988-Newport High School

This weekend, our family traveled to Newport, Arkansas...the town both Robbie and I graduated from and the place we call "Home". 2008 is Robbie's 20th year class reunion. I believe he graduated with around 165 people in his class---Newport High School. We were so excited to go to the reunion, to show our kids the school we both attended. (Yes, I'm the grade under Robbie).

We all left town on Thursday night when Robbie got off work (around 6pm) Nothing like being stuck in the Trotter bus for 6 hours! (Trotter Bus=my chevy suburban) We checked all the kids out of school on Friday--since the reunion actually started Friday night.

Friday Night 6pm--Attend NHS football game (Newport vs. Osceola)

Saturday 11:00am--Tour our old school

Saturday 12:00am--Eat lunch together

Saturday 6:00pm-11:00pm--Reunion at Newport Country Club

The football game was fun---even if we did lose. One of my classmates is an assistant coach for Newport. I saw several of my classmates who had kids playing football for Newport. So many "adults" from my past church and teachers from my school. It was really cool. Of course, our kids all wanted NHS shirts, so we headed to the local Walgreen's and picked some up! (Cheerleaders were already sold out!) We were all decked out in our Newport gear (no...I didn't take a picture! I forgot the camera!) Now, the drill team was not what it was like when we went there. The crowd was less, the band was less (but really good, for the size of it)...Our school went from a huge 4AA school to Small 3AA. (brackets go all the way to 7AA now in Arkansas)

Needless to say, it was all quite interesting! Kids had a great time (except Grace-who wanted to play with her cousin, instead of being with us! haha!)

Saturday, we met up at the school to tour our old stomping grounds. Coach Ronnie Brown (who was the assistant prinicipal when we were there--and now is the Superintedent) met us up there and unlocked the doors for us. The auditorium had changed some. Padded seats and a new stage. The graduating class this year only has 88 kids--pretty shocking! He said half the kids, but twice the problems. It's sad to think of your hometown dying...or changing for the worse. The middle class died in our town...they all left. You have the really wealthy (well, for Newport standards) or the really low class. Very few middle class. There were TONS of middle class when we were in school. They were having so much trouble with the kids--they all have assigned seats in the auditorium for assemblies.

My kids REALLY liked going to the school. We walked up and down the halls-pointing to rooms and telling stories about certain teachers. (there is NO MORE TYPING CLASS!! haha) Still has a study hall! :) The old Band Building was now administration building and they built a new Band Building! Very nice! We did get to sneak down to the Junior High area too (yes they are connected by a hallway...doors are there now, but not locked! Sweet! That was a HUGE trip down memory lane!!!

The trees have grown so much all over town! When we left 15 years ago (something like that) the trees were there, but still growing. Now they are SO TALL and beautiful! I think we have a really beautiful campus for a small town.

We did get to go to the cafeteria too. All along the walls are each classes graduating composite. My grandmother's class is up there (1939). The classes are almost completely around the cafeteria now! I saw both of my brother's class, Robbie's and mine. (Our parents didn't attend Newport). It was very cool to see my grandmother hanging on the wall! :)

Each graduating class usually left a "donation/marker" to their school. My class left signs that great schools and show them the way to our school from an intersection. Robbie's class made flower beds that line the front of the main building. Robbie remembers helping plant flowers/bushes in them. Needless to say, his class needs to give some more money to plant new things and help with the upkeep! haha!!! Actually, one side looked very good, while the other...well...didn't do so well...as you can see in the picture.

I took our picture in front of the main doors at the school. Made me proud. Even Coach Brown snuck in a picture or two!

Saturday afternoon, we visited with family and rested. Some out of town family showed up to see us...since we hardly ever make it that far north anymore. My cousin Amy Whitehead Williams, picked up ALL my kids and took them to her house to spend the night, so I wouldn't have to worry about them driving my mom and aunt crazy. PLUS they wanted to spend time with their cousins, Lauren and Logan. Now that Hayley is driving (which she drove at least 2 hours both ways for us! yippee!), she drove Lauren and Jake to watch a movie in Cabot, Arkansas (where my cousin lives). They had a good time!

Robbie had a ummm....a class that didn't connect as well as some (like mine! :)---but the ones that did show up....I had a ball with and it was so much fun to catch up with them! I couldn't believe all the guys that served in the military that were there. Over half! Pretty amazing! So proud of all those guys! I also saw some of the "genuines" aka older generation--older even when I was in HS! Some of them were long time customers of my dads and I had to stop and say hi to them. Very bittersweet, since Dad isn't with us anymore.

It's hard to believe it's been 8 years that my dad died. We did go out to the cemetary that afternoon...my dad...my grandparents...one of Robbie's classmates...aunt and uncle. Memories were flooding my brain the whole time...also listening and watching my kids react to this experience. Carson and Grace did not know any of the loved ones we were meeting. So it was hard for them to understand. Hayley, bless her loving heart, remembered "papaw pig" and "Pop". She LOVED her Pop! We all did...still miss him so much.

Random thought-----OMG--I tried Fried Green Beans for the first time and they were absolutely amazing!! Especially dipped in Ranch dressing!

Anyways, after 11:00pm, we met up with a couple of friends that graduated with me! One of my best friends in the whole world...drove 40 miles at midnight to come hang out with me! So sweet! We had a blast. Of course at that time of night, the only place we could go was this Bar/Club. It wasn't in the greatest part of town---but so entertaining....wow...you never know what walks of life you will see in places like that. We laughed so hard that night at each other and our environment! haha! We finally left about 3am. It was an amazing evening!

Well, I've typed forever! Need to get off and get the babies ready for bed! Until we meet again...

J

Shopping Day

Today, Hayley and I headed towards Dallas with our friends, Kathy and Emilee. It's football season and with football season comes HOMECOMING! We've all been there and done that...and remember the fun and frustration of finding the right dress. Denison has a Homecoming dance, so we needed to go buy a dress. Most of the time, Hayley wants a short dress, except for Prom. She wants to stay cool and be able to move and DANCE! We decided to go to Plano, not Frisco today. Didn't want to battle the crowd at Stonebrier in Frisco! haha! We like Collin Creek Mall...still big enough, but not nears as busy. Plus Hayley and Emilee said it has a Panda Express!!! :)

It was a fun but exhausting day. Started off in JC Penney's. Umm....we tried some on. It's funny how designers think the saggy front is cute...looked like a formal maternity dress to me! heehee!! After Hayley tried on about 6 dresses, Emilee loved the first one she tried on (so did we!), we purchased Emilee's and moved on to Dillards. Kathy and I found us a couple of chairs in the dressing rooms and watched/judged/praised all 50 thousand dresses she tried on. (Actually, Kathy and I kept throwing really crazy ones at her, just for fun! She was a trouper!) Even the Hot pink with black and white stripes! haha! She actually decided on the 2nd one she tried on. It's blue and short...that's about all I can say. haha! I'll get pictures up here soon. We then went to Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, and Macy's...just to make sure we didn't miss out on "the" dress. We didn't!!!! We hit the jackpot at Dillards. (Sadly, the dress was in Denison...she had already tried it on once about 2 weeks ago!) haha! That's the way it goes!

Anyway. She is happy, I am happy, if she is happy. All is well, that ends well.

Oh yeah, I happened to swing by the Disney Store, since it boasted signs of 25% of Halloween costumes. heehee! Carson still needed one! So, I browsed through all the sales and came across a Jack Sparrow costume that was 40% off! YEAH!! I was so excited! I bought him the costume and the hat with dreadlocks! He was so excited when he saw it tonight! Even Grace was excited for him! She tried it on too! It is absolutely adorable...as much as a dreadlock pirate can be! haha!

Now, I am resting on the couch, with my feet propped up and enjoying watching the old TV. I also received a great idea from an old High School friend, Doug Tapp. He knows a class that has a website for website for their reunions and information! It's a great way to keep in touch. Of course, I immediately checked in to it...and I'm addicted to it! Now I have to get it all organized. But it's coming together! Well, I'm tired, so I'll get off for now. Love to all!
Janaga

Dallas World Aquarium

Today I took 3 of the 4 kids to the Dallas World Aquarium. Hayley was more interested in hanging with her friends today. haha! We went to the Aquarium before school started and the price of the place for my HUGE family...well, let's just say for $30 more dollars, we can go all year for free with a membership! haha! So, I decided to take them again today. We had a great time. It was a little more crowded, but still doable!

One of our main goals today, was to see the Manatees! Last time, they stayed hidden and we were a little disappointed. We could see their shadows under water, but never came close to the HUGE GLASS. Today...we weren't! The came up close and personal in the underground tank. Felt like we could kiss them. It was really neat!Here is my picture of the Manatee...

Grace was dying to take a picture...so this is her picture of the manatee...

I guess we got the head and the tail! hahaha! Believe me, the middle is so huge!!!! They are eating very well. It's amazing to watch them swim/float around.

Another fun thing we did was catch butterflies. The kids loved this. The butterflies would just crawl right up on their fingers and flutter their wings. One butterfly had been picked up enough, we guessed, because it kept flying/jumping off our fingers.

It was a great day!!! More pictures later!

Hurricane Gustav

I just can't believe another Hurricane is going to hit the Gulf Coast again! Destin, Florida is our favorite place to vacation. We try to go EVERY year! Since I wasn't blogging in the spring, I didn't post any of our beautiful pictures! Sorry---the Hurricane makes me think of that beautiful place and the wonderful memories we have there as a family. I remember how long it took to recover the last time! Coming soon....DESTIN PICTURES!

We are Back to Blogging!!!!

It's been SOOOO LONG since I've blogged. I've been terrible about it. I've been reading other peoples blogs and it has inspired me to do better. For one thing, all of our family is so far away and I want to be able to share my family with them at all the AH HA moments! So...here goes!

Life in the Trotter house has been calm since school has started...to some degree. Let's see. Hayley, 16yo, is a junior in High School--Jake, 13yo, is in 8th grade--Carson, 6yo, is in 1st grade--Grace, 4yo, is begging to start Kindergarten! haha! Yes, I'm still a Elementary School Nurse, wanting to move to Junior High if a position ever comes open. Robbie is still a finance manager, but has moved to Bob Tomes Ford in McKinney. He loves it there and is so much happier! Of course, car business is slow these days, but you never can tell anymore.

Sports wise---we are SLOW! Hayley decided not to play Volleyball this year at the High School (yes, I was very sad, but supportive). Jake and Carson are not playing soccer this fall. Grace is Grace--no sports for her ever (that's a quote! haha!). Jake is starting to play Football at the Middle School, but no games yet! We CAN'T WAIT FOR HS FOOTBALL TO START! Go Yellowjackets! So all in all our weeks insist of school and relaxation! But THE MOM is missing her cheer time! haha!

Hayley is driving--has been since July. It has made my life easier, but a little sad. She doesn't have to depend on me as much, but she has grown in to a wonderful young lady--making a LOT better choices than I did at her age. She has a job working at Nautilus (fitness center) Monday-Thursday afternoons. No weekends--she doesn't know how lucky she is!

Jake has finally put on 10 pounds this summer and grew some inches! He was so excited...he is now up to 85 pounds! haha! (haven't seen that number on a scale in a LONG time!)

Carson is loving 1st grade. He did get his first school behavior mark this week for kicking under his desk. It was a sad moment, but I honestly can't believe it was his first!!! Of course, he said he didn't really do anything, but I think he probably did!

Grace is staying home with Mimi--and loves the one on one time! Mom works at Nautilus too in the daycare part, so Grace goes with her every morning and they do "school" there. Mom is always the teacher...so good with kids.

This past week, my best friend Kathy's dad passed away. It was hard on all of us, but he was suffering so much, that it was really a blessing...just hard. Of course, death always brings lots of questions from toddlers. Grace wanted to know where "pepaw" was. I explained Heaven (again) to her. She sits there for about 10 seconds and then says in a very upset, whiny voice, "I don't want to go to heaven". I ask her why... she said, "Because I want to stay on the ground, not float in the air!" haha! I can just imagine the visual she had in her mind. I proceed to explain that and that God promises that we will always be happy in heaven. Next question, "Will there be drinks in heaven?" Again, explain happiness, so we won't be thirsty. She said in that pitiful voice, "Good, cause I don't want to be firsty!" heehee! It was so cute. Not sure she is still sold on the whole Heaven thing. Oh, she wants to meet God, but not sure if Heaven is all mommy keeps telling her!

That's about all that is happening to us! We are looking forward to this LONG weekend we have! Going to the Dallas World Aquarium on Monday! We have a year pass and want to use it all we can! Carson and Grace love it...especially the Shark Tunnel! Here are some pictures from last time!