Another Day at the Freemans

So Long January

2012-01-31T14:37:00.002-06:00

Though we were busy in the month of January, I didn’t take a lot of pictures and haven’t had many blog posts. We saw lots of basketball games this month, whether it was Grayson’s at the Marvin, the Junior High and Senior High Panthers, or watching the Hogs and Hawks on television.

Grayson is in full on basketball obsession right now. I know that will change once it hits baseball season, but for now, basketball is on his mind A LOT. We brought his basketball goal inside the house, which we usually do this time of year, and he is constantly shooting baskets and having pretend games. He is also really enjoying playing on his first team with the JCBC. He hasn’t made a basket in a game yet and that bothers him a little, but he has only attempted a shot or two.

The weather has been strangely mild this January here in our neck of the woods. Last year it seemed like it would never stop snowing. This year it doesn’t seem like it’s even been cold enough to snow. And, Grayson is really on the lookout for some snow right now. He’s ready to play in it and have a snowball fight with his dad. I once mentioned to him that I wasn’t sure it was going to snow at all this year and he started crying. I’ve made sure since then to not say it exactly like that.

Next month brings the beginning of Razorback baseball season, the end of season basketball tournaments for the Panthers, Valentine's Day, and some scrapbook/girl time. Bring on February!

100 Days of Kindergarten

2012-01-24T11:58:00.002-06:00

Grayson has officially made it through 100 days of kindergarten. Woo Hoo! We're over half way through the school year and only have 75 more days (I think) until Summer Break.

The 100th day of school is party worthy at Clarksville Primary and Grayson definitely enjoyed it. He and his classmates were asked to contribute items to a 100th day trail mix. Grayson brought 100 M&Ms and 100 marshmallows. He said the trail mix was really good. He also had to do an "art" project of sorts. He had to put 100 of something onto a sheet in the shape of 100. We chose Goldfish.

He also was given this crown to wear.

In some ways it seems like the school year just started. It has definitely gone by quicker than I thought it would. However, I am definitely ready for school to be out for the summer. I can't wait to get to be with Grayson all day long throughout the week. I may just spoil him rotten (or more rotten than he already is) this summer. I've missed him!

Smiling's My Favorite

2012-01-20T16:43:00.001-06:00

Picking up Grayson and Ada from school this year has been fun and very interesting at times. Some days they're happy. Some days they're not. Some days they just giggle and giggle together all the way home. Today was one of those days.

They had the best time with each other. They would say random silly things (at least they were random to me) and then laugh and laugh.

Some days I feel like a referee all the way home, but today, all I did was smile. I just love these guys!

Grayson's 1st Basketball Game

2012-01-15T08:00:00.005-06:00

Grayson's first basketball game was Friday night and it was so fun. I smiled virtually the whole game. The K-1 league is the best age to watch play basketball.

There is not a whole lot of skill at this level, but that's probably what makes it so fun.

Grayson had a great time.

He got in on a jump ball or two, made some passes, did a little bit of dribbling, but took no shots.

He was a little disappointed that he didn't get to shoot the ball, but I'm not sure how often that's going to happen. He doesn't have much range. And, when you're under the basket, there are lots of arms reaching in and flailing around. Maybe, he'll make a basket this year, but it's not likely.

I'm so happy for Grayson. He loves basketball and is so excited about getting to play this year. He's Bobby's mini-me, for sure. He loves all sports. If he's not playing, he wants to be watching.

Many years ago I bought a shirt for Bobby that read, "Of course I know the seasons... Football, Basketball, Baseball, etc." And, that is just how Grayson feels. His favorite sport is the one that's in season.

For anyone wanting to see Grayson in action, the following video is from the first minute of Grayson's game on Friday. If it's hard to pick him out, he is #3. He's the one who can't stop bouncing.

Three Amigos

2012-01-12T10:28:00.008-06:00

Ada and Isaac came over for a little while last night. The kids had a good time together.

They played basketball, acted silly, sang songs, and danced around the room. Ada wanted me to video them a little, so here is a snippet.

Of course, Grayson wasn't ready for them to leave when it was time to go. He loved having them here.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T08:00:00.003-06:00

Hogs Win The Cotton Bowl

2012-01-07T14:55:00.060-06:00

Bobby, Grayson, and I had planned to have a Cotton Bowl party at our house for the Hogs football game versus Kansas State on Friday night. Those plans were changed early early Friday morning when Grayson got sick with what we thought was the dreaded stomach virus that has been going around. So, our Cotton Bowl party was quickly downsized to a party for 3.

Grayson still wore his Hogs football jersey. He just wore it over his pajamas instead of regular clothes.

And though it was a quieter party than we had expected, we still cheered on the Hogs

and yelled at the television a few times. Most of the yelling was directed at the broadcasters of the game since they were totally obsessed with all things Kansas State.

By halftime Grayson was tired and ready to go to bed, so Bobby and I watched the rest of the game without him. I only had to remind Bobby a couple of times to not be so loud because Grayson was sleeping.

Much to the dismay of the television announcers the Hogs won the game 29-16. WPS! The Hogs had a great season ending with an 11-2 record. I can't wait until next year!

JCBC Basketball Begins

2012-01-03T13:49:00.063-06:00

The Johnson County Boys Club basketball season begins this month. It's Grayson's first time to play and he's super excited. He's in the Kindergarten-1st Grade league with Bobby as his coach (of course).

They had their second practice yesterday, so I went to watch.

Grayson was all decked out with his new #2 Joe Johnson Atlanta Hawks jersey and his new Nike basketball shoes that he got for Christmas. He looked super cute!

He's watched enough basketball in his life that he pretty much knows what to do, but his problem is with his size and strength.

He can't do everything that he wants to do. And that really frustrates him.

But, he doesn't give up.

In fact, it just makes him want to practice and practice and practice. He wants to stay late to shoot

and gets upset when we make him leave the gym.

I can't wait for the season to start. I know it's going to be a lot of fun.

Wii Are Having So Much Fun

2011-12-30T21:41:00.010-06:00

The Wii that Grayson got from Santa this year has been a big hit. Grayson loves it and wants to play it often. His favorite games to play are on Wii Sports, of course. He loves baseball the most, but also enjoys playing tennis and bowling. And, he loves to tell people how he beats me on them.

We also got Just Dance 3 for the Wii from Santa. It was more of a family gift. I thought Bobby and I would enjoy it as much, if not more, as Grayson would.

Though it wore him out by the end of the song, Grayson really had a good time dancing.

When he was finished he said, "Whew, I'm tired."

But he did a pretty good job for his first time. He does like to dance. It was just a little difficult for him to figure out how he was supposed to do what the screen showed him. Here's a little video of him rocking it out to Katie Perry:

After Grayson danced, it was Bobby's turn. I soooo wanted to take a picture of him dancing. And, I really, really, really wanted to take some video of him. But, I was threatened, so I didn't. It probably would have been shaky video anyway. Because I could not stop laughing throughout his whole song. Even the game thought he was a bad dancer, which was reflected in his poor score. Someday, maybe he'll let me video it. Maybe?!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T08:12:00.005-06:00

We Owl Had A Merry Good Time

2011-12-27T16:34:00.004-06:00

The day after Christmas the B. Freemans and the D. Freemans loaded up and headed to Van Buren for a party at our friends Krisha and Landon's house. It was a great night. We had good food, good conversation, and the kids got more gifts.

We had a delicious meal which consisted of smoked pork tenderloin, green beans, twice-baked mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and homemade dinner rolls. All of it served on Krisha's gorgeous Christmas china. We followed it up with several different dessert options including lemon ice box pie, pumpkin pie and chocolate cake. Yummo!

The kids had their own table for dinner and they enjoyed themselves immensely. They laughed a lot making us wonder at times what they were up to.

After the group picture of the kids, we were even able to get one of the adults thanks to Ada, who snapped this one for us.

After dinner the kids got to open their presents. Grayson received some cool Bakugan thing-a-ma-jigs (I don't know what they are), a personalized baseball t-shirt, a book, and an owl hat. He loves them owl! :0)

It was a really nice evening thanks to our wonderful hosts, the Myers. We can't wait until next year.

This party wrapped up our Christmas season. We have been so blessed this year with wonderful friends and family and are looking forward to what the new year will bring.

And The Gifts Keep Coming

2011-12-26T16:22:00.018-06:00

Christmas night the Freeman clan came to our house for a delicious barbeque meal and more presents, of course. For dinner we had sliced brisket and pulled pork from Fat Dawgs BBQ with some baked beans a la Rutha.

It was very very good! Just ask the kids.

There was only a slight mishap and that was with our dessert. We had hot fudge brownie sundaes. Somebody (ahem, Rachel) got a little whipped cream happy and used it all before the last of us got ours.

Anyway, the main event (according to the kids) was all of the gifts they were going to get to open.

They were super pumped about them, especially Kali.

All of them got some things they had been wanting

and some surprises, too.

One of Grayson's favorites of the night was this dog Happy Napper,

which he immediately put to good use. In case you're not familiar with the Happy Napper, it's a pillow and a stuffed animal. The dog is zipped up inside when it's a pillow. Grayson has been wanting this for a really long time thanks to the commercials that are constantly playing during the shows he watches on tv.

A merry time was had by all! And, the kids looked super cute, too, thanks to Aunt Rachel, who bought the kids all matching Christmas pajamas.

Merry Christmas from the Freeman Grands!

Christmas Brunch

2011-12-25T22:32:00.013-06:00

After letting Grayson play with Santa's gifts for awhile, we headed over to Mamaw and Papaw's house for more gifts and brunch. The gifts were nice, but the food my mom made for our brunch was absolutely delish!

First up was presents and Grayson got a lot from GiGi and Mamaw & Papaw.

He got some new basketball shoes for his first season of Boys Club basketball that is about to begin.

He also got books, clothes, a remote control car, some baseball cards, a couple of Wii games, money for his savings account, and a light saber & shield.

Grayson is truly a very lucky boy.

After we opened gifts, Aunt Ruby and cousins Bob, Nancy, and Melody came over. Then, it was time to eat.

There were two breakfast casseroles (ham,egg, & cheese and sausage & hashbrowns), two kinds of muffins (blueberry and poppy seed), fruit galore,

biscuits with butter, jelly and apple butter, three kinds of juices,

and coffee & hot chocolate.

It was all soooo good. I think everyone enjoyed it, even Bobby who is mostly anti-breakfast foods. I'm hoping our Christmas brunch is a keeper and we do it again next year.

Merry Christmas from the Freemans!

Santa Was Here

2011-12-25T14:28:00.018-06:00

This year on Christmas Eve we left out some Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies and milk for Santa. And, he ate all but one bite.

Besides getting his belly full at our house, Santa also left some nice gifts for Grayson under the tree.

The biggest of which was a Wii. Grayson has been wanting one for awhile and we're so glad Santa decided to give him one this year.

Santa also left a few goodies in Grayson's stocking.

After Grayson opened his stocking, we noticed that Santa had dropped something in the fireplace.

It was an extra Wii remote.

Grayson was really happy about getting the extra remote because he knew we would need it in order for him to beat us at all of the games. :0)

Grayson was definitely pleased with his Santa gifts this year, but there was one thing he said he wished he could do that he didn't get to. He said he wanted to be able to see Santa when he was here at our house. Of course, we told him that could never happen...

Christmas Eve Gift

2011-12-24T23:36:00.004-06:00

This year as usual Grayson opened a gift from Bobby and me on Christmas Eve. Also, as usual, the gift was pajamas and books.

But, not as usual, this year Grayson was a little disappointed when he opened the gift.

His first words were, "Oh, yuck it's clothes." Not exactly what you want to hear when someone opens a gift you just gave them.

A couple of things came to mind at that moment: 1). Hello? It's your 6th Christmas. You get pajamas and a book every year on Christmas Eve. Why did you not know that's what was in there? 2). You had better take that back, mister. Santa hasn't come yet. :)

Of course, we had to have a talk about being grateful for what he has and for the gifts that would be given to him over the holidays.

He quickly came back to his normal self after that. And, he should. The boy does love him some pajamas...

and he was super happy about getting two new "Llama, Llama" books. He read one of them to me before bed that night.

Ho! Ho! Ho! It's almost Christmas!

Grayson's School Christmas Party

2011-12-18T08:02:00.058-06:00

Friday the 16th was the last day of school before Christmas break. That afternoon Grayson's class had a Christmas party. Bobby and I were both able to attend, which Grayson really liked.

The kids got lots of goodies to eat and take home. I brought cupcakes, but for some reason, Grayson only wanted to eat the wrapped candy.

Each kid brought a $1 store gift to exchange. Grayson received this...

which he really likes. Of course the gift we brought to exchange was a ball.

The kids also got to make a reindeer ornament for their Christmas tree at home. This is Grayson's...

It doesn't exactly look how I had it pictured, but Grayson loves it. Oh well.

At the end of the party, Mrs. Arbaugh opened the gifts from her students. We got her a bag of her favorite things.

After the party, we headed home. Grayson's first semester of kindergarten is in the books. Woo Hoo!

New Golf Clubs For Grayson

2011-12-17T10:34:00.037-06:00

Several days ago Grayson got a surprise gift from Poppa and Grammy. Bobby and I took him over to their house where there was a box for him to open. They had bought him a new set of golf clubs.

His others were starting to get too small for him and Poppa had found a set just right for his age.

My favorite part of the video is after they have taken the clubs out of the box and Grayson still looks into the box like something is in it. He just saw Poppa take them out and yet he looks anyway.

Grayson loves the new clubs, of course, and can't wait to take them out to the golf course to use them.

Thanks Poppa!

The Many Faces of Grayson

2011-12-16T10:03:00.031-06:00

Last Saturday Bobby, Grayson, and I along with my parents went to North Little Rock to the Clarksville Panthers basketball game in the Joe Johnson Jammin' for Jackets tournament. Of course, we stopped for some shopping in Conway on the way there. And, we ate at Chik-Fil-A for lunch, too.

While we ate, Grayson decided to show us his many faces...

his happy/sweet face,

his mean face,

his sad face,

and lastly, his surprised face!

I think he has a future in acting, don't you?!

Grayson's Visit With Santa

2011-12-15T17:45:00.025-06:00

Grayson got to see Santa this week. Usually we take him to the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville to see the real Santa, but we haven't been up that way in a while. I guess, the Pizza Hut Santa will have to do this year.

Grayson didn't really talk much to him. He basically said hi and thanked him for the candy cane. I think maybe Grayson knew he wasn't the "real" Santa and telling him what he wanted for Christmas wasn't necessary.

Ada's Kindergarten Christmas Program

2011-12-12T13:44:00.046-06:00

Last Thursday evening (8th) Ada's kindergarten class and a few of the others had a Christmas program at the Fine Arts building.

Ada did so well

and looked so very cute!

We were so proud of her!

Santa made an appearance at the program, too. He was having a little bit of trouble with the pant legs on his suit, but I think he may have made up for it with his fantastic dancing ability. What do you think?

After the program was over, I wanted to get a picture of Grayson with Ada. It proved to be much more difficult than usual. For some reason, Grayson kept wanting to kiss Ada, which is totally unlike him.

I did finally get a picture of them, but Grayson's night didn't end so well. His disobedience led to much trouble for him. I am soooo ready for Christmas break!

Howl Yes!

2011-12-09T09:13:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Bobby, Grayson, and I along with Darren, Rachel, Ada, Isaac, and Zackary traveled to Jonesboro to visit some wonderful friends and go to the Arkansas State football game.

Our fabulous hosts, the Marsicos,

were so good to us. They had cookies and hot chocolate ready for us when we arrived Friday night. On Saturday they set up a delicious tailgate meal before the game and even outfitted us all with ASU tee shirts.

We had a great time!

The game was super fun!

Despite tailgating prior to the game, we still found room for lots of concessions. The warm powdered donuts were my fave. And Bobby liked the wings.

Grayson, of course, loved the popcorn.

The kids had a lot of fun at the game. Maybe, too much fun.

The game ended well. The score was 45-14 in favor of the good guys. Troy was no match for the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Sadly for ASU, just days later their coach, Hugh Freeze, left the program to go be the head coach at Ole Miss.

Bobby, Grayson, and I had a wonderful time in Jonesboro and are so thankful to have friends like the Marsicos. We always have a good time with them and they were so very generous to us.

Three Words: It's The Griswolds!

2011-11-30T22:09:00.003-06:00

Family Football Fun

2011-11-29T08:00:00.013-06:00

Friday afternoon before the Hogs vs. LSU football game we had a little family football game of our own in the cul-de-sac. The game pitted cousin against cousin

and mother against sons.

When Grayson's team was on offense, cousin Jovie and Aunt GiGi made sure Grayson always got the ball.

GiGi the elf hiked the ball to Jovie the quarterback,...

who handed it off to Grayson.

Grayson ran around the defense (who were kind enough not to stop him)

and scored a touchdown.

We told him to spike the football after he scored. He didn't know what that meant so he kicked it instead.

We were all having such a good time. It's unfortunate that we had to come inside to watch the Battle for the Golden Boot. Unfortunate because it didn't turn out so well for the Hogs. We lost 41-17. We have had a great year and have a bowl game left to play, but Friday's game was ugly.

We loved having the Swains, my parents, and sister over for the Razorback game and are already looking forward to a rematch next year...not just for the Hogs and LSU but also for the family in the cul-de-sac.

So Thankful and So Full

2011-11-28T11:13:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Wednesday evening we had dinner at South Park with my parents and cousins Brian, Jovie, Brandon, and Seth. Then, Seth came home with us and spent the night. It was Grayson's first ever sleepover and he loved it. The two boys giggled a lot and had a little trouble going to sleep because of it.

Thanksgiving morning we stopped by Bob and Rutha's house for a few minutes before heading over to my parents' house for lunch. We got to see our niece Kali and I took a few pictures of her.

She let Uncle Bobby love on her a little bit

and did a super job posing for me.

We had lunch with my family at my parents' house. The food was delicious and the company was great. I recently got an iPhone for the very first time, so several of us sat around the table after lunch talking about the different features and apps we liked on our phones. The men were, of course, watching football on television.

Brandon, Seth, and Grayson went outside to play football in the backyard.

Grayson had a blast with Brandon and Seth

and followed them around and wanted to be with them at all times.

Before leaving that afternoon, we took some family photos. First up were the Arbaughs, Days, and Swains...

Then, Aunt Ruby with Bob and Nancy (Melody had already left :( )...

and finally us, the Freemans and Jameses...

After spending a couple of hours at home, we went to Darren and Rachel's house for dinner. Bob and Rutha came, as well as, Rachel's family. While we waited for everyone to get there, the kids played and then sat at the "kid table" to play Thanksgiving tic tac toe and to color. Isaac didn't stay long at the table, so Bobby stepped in to play in his place.

Dinner was wonderful. There was sooo much food and it was all delicious. My favorites were the dressing and the purple hull peas! Yummo! Also, on my favorites list would have to be these...

the desserts!

By the end of the evening, Bobby, Grayson, and I were all so full and so tired but also so very thankful for our families and the time we were able to spend with them.

Grayson's Class Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-24T15:07:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday Grayson's class had a Thanksgiving Feast in their classroom. The kids were dressed up as pilgrims and indians and had lots of delicious food. I brought macaroni and cheese. And there were also heaping helpings of mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn, chicken legs, bread, and cookies.

Grayson was a pilgrim.

Since his "likes" in the food department are limited at the moment, he feasted only on bread, corn, and cookies. Generally, he loves chicken, but he thought the chicken legs at the feast were too brown and wouldn't eat them.

The kids had a fun time at the feast. Not only did they enjoy the food, I think they also liked getting to eat lunch in their classroom.

Happy Thanksgiving!