Welcome to Crazytown!

This week has been CRAZY! I have hardly had time to eat and sleep, much less blog...sorry! Here are a few things that have been going on...

Last Saturday, we went with our friends, the Carpenter's, to the metropolis of Fayette, Alabama for "Balloon Blast 2006". Fayette is only about an hour's drive from Tuscaloosa, so it was a fun little outing. When we got there we let the kids jump in a few moonwalks (or jump houses, depending on what part of the country you are from) and Riley got to ride a horse, named "Star" and a pony, named "Spot". You could not wipe the smile off of her face...she was in heaven. Tim & I were in shock. We couldn't believe that our unadventurous child that doesn't like to take risks, went with a stranger into a pen with 5 strange animals she had never laid eyes on before, actually talked to the unfamiliar people and animals and was happy doing it. Because of weather uncertainties, we were not able to see the hot air balloons take off (the reason for the whole event/trip), but they did do what they call the "Glow". This is where they just blow them up for everyone to see, but do not leave the ground. We ate at Lisa's Bar-b-que, which was very good...awesome fried okra and baked beans, and then headed home.



On Tuesday, Riley and I got to keep baby Clayton while Tesney had a dentist appointment. He is so precious and sweet. Riley had a ball reading books to him and talking to him, and I got a quick baby fix. Walker slept through the whole extravaganza, completely. That's probably a good thing...I think he would have been a little jealous.

I help organize our church's School Supply Drive, every July. We attach supply lists on the front of paper grocery sacks, our members pick up the sacks, shop for the needed supplies, and return the filled sacks. After we get in all the supplies, we look at what we still need and use any donation money given and head to Walmart for a last minute run. We then sort all the supplies and put them out on tables, setting it up like a store. We send out invitations to hundreds of families around town and ask them to come "shop" (it's all free) for their children's school supplies and eat free pancakes with us. Last year we gave 394 children school supplies and fed around 500 people pancakes. It is one of our church's biggest projects, and a much needed one. Many of these people can't even buy food for their families, much less buy school supplies. Being a former teacher, I know how important it is for children to come to school prepared to learn. So, I say all that to say, the last few weeks have been spent planning, planning and more planning for the big day. We have made the announcements, sent out most of the invitations, put the volunteer sign-up lists in classrooms, etc., and we still have a ton to do. Our children wanted to get in on the action, so they decided to have a lemonade stand. Carrye Ann, Caroline, Anna Leigh, Mary Helen, & Riley (from left to right in pic below) set up in front of Winn Dixie yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. They sold lemonade, chocolate chip cookies (which Riley & I made), and brownies. They made a whopping $400 in about 2 1/2 hours!!! Glisa, Christie, and I (their moms) were so proud of them. Anna Leigh did most of the talking (she is 9), and the other girls dipped ice, poured lemonade, & handed out cookies. Many people just gave donations when they heard why we were doing the sale. At the end of the evening, the girls were exhausted, but learned a lot about the generosity of others. We took the girls to Walmart, and let them pick out the supplies to donate. We used a calculator so they could see how much we had spent. Our buggy contained a lot of girly notebooks and folders, but they earned the money, so they got to spend it. Thanks to everyone from church that stopped by and sent people our way!!!

Riley's birthday is today and her party will be tomorrow. She wanted a gymnastics party, so that's what she is getting. This is probably the easiest party I have ever done. We are only having cake, ice cream, and potato chips (for the sweet/salty people), and drinks. I can't even set up the party room until 15 minutes before party time....it's about to kill me. That's o.k., it's just a party, right? Her present from us is an old school desk that I have repainted, along with some notebooks, markers, crayons, art paper, and of course a book. Since Kindergarten is less than two weeks away (AAAGGGHHHH!), I thought the desk would be a great place for her to do school work at.

Anyway, a lot going on at the Dreyfus house. Update and pictures from the party coming soon!

Driving Under the Influence of Gatorade

Last night, Riley went to her friend, Mary Helen's, birthday party. Her mom picked up all of the girls (at the request of Mary Helen) and they went to Pizza Hut. They ended the evening at Mary Helen's house eating cake and ice cream and making a craft. Glisa (MH's mom) had told me that the party would end around 9:00 or 9:30. I evidently misunderstood her and thought that either Tim or I would need to go get her. MH and her family used to live across the street from us...that would have been very handy last night, but now they live across town...about a 20 minute drive.

After watching Big Brother, I was very tired, so Tim said he would pick Riley up from the party. I was thrilled. Of course I offered several times, but he insisted, so I let him. I was brushing my teeth (had not changed out of my clothes, thank goodness), when I hear this screaming/yelling noise. I run out of the bedroom, and Mary Helen and Riley are standing in the dark garage telling Andy (MH's dad) that they could not find me. Because I was running the water in the sink, I did not hear them knock or open the door. I apologized and talked to Andy a few minutes. He still had a couple of girls to drop-off and it was 9:30pm. I told him that Tim had made the trek over to his house to pick Riley up, he immediately picked up his phone (they work together so they have the same kind of cell phones with 2-way radios) to radio him. It was a huge misunderstanding.

I came inside, got Riley in the bed, and called Tim. I felt so bad that he had driven all the way over there for no reason. He answered the phone and before we could even talk he says, "OH NO! I think I just got a ticket." He hung up without even saying good-bye. At this point, I am thinking, a. this is all my fault. I should have been the one to make the drive and pick up Riley. b. I should have made sure of the pick-up/drop-off arrangements. c. we are going to owe $200 in a traffic ticket...Nice! I waited for him to call back. A few minutes later he called back, laughing. He proceeds to tell me that after Andy called, he turned around on a side street, almost doing a u-turn, and then continued to pull out onto the main street. The car that was behind him just happened to be a cop. The cop (who was a she) followed him for a few hundred feet and pulled him over. Tim had no idea what he had done. He knew he wasn't speeding. The officer came to the window and said, "Hello, sir. How are you, tonight?" Evidently she was trying to assess the situation and see just how drunk he was. She proceeded to tell him that he had crossed the line (middle, I guess). At this point, Tim was quick to reassure her that he was just picking up his cell phone. She ran his license and "plates" through the system. She realized he hasn't had any major traffic violations...I can only think of 2 tickets he has ever gotten, and that he wasn't drunk. Tim told her that he was the last person that would ever drive under the influence, or even drink for that matter. If you know Tim, you know that the only thing he likes to drink is Gatorade, and it has to be orange. She did not make him walk the line or do a breathalyzer test. It makes me laugh just to even imagine it. Sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but it is just so unlike him! The officer told him to be careful on the cell phone, "It could get you in trouble, one day", and sent him on his way. WHEW! He came home and told me the whole story, adding that he had an open container of orange Gatorade in his cup holder the whole time!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....About this Summer!

1. Being able to actually relax at the pool...Walker swims with floaties and Riley is becoming a more independent
swimmer.

2. Big Brother 6 - All Stars

3. My sunflowers

4. Watching Riley participate in Spanish Camp, ballet, swimming lessons, and Bama cheerleading camp

5. Being able to run 3 miles

6. Celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary

7. Our trip to North Carolina, and on the way stopping in Atlanta to visit the new Georgia Aquarium

8. Looking forward to (and planning) our trip to Disney World in October

9. Going to garage sales and estate sales

10. Discovering Coppertone Continuous Spray sunblock...I highly recommend it

11. Going to Lake Tuscaloosa

12. Squash, Silver King corn, & cantaloupe

13. Starbucks' Banana/Coconut Frappucino

14. Uncle D's new pool

15. Getting Riley's 5 year portrait made with Mr. Crosby

16. Taking Riley & Walker to see "Curious George" and "Cars"...Walker actually sat through both movies!

An Official Alabama Cheerleader

This week, Riley participated in the University of Alabama's Cheerleading Camp for elementary age girls. She had a blast! Tim or I would drop her off at Coleman Coliseum at 8:00 am (with a bottle of Gatorade...just like her Daddy), and I picked her up at 11:30 am. The instructor's name was Miss Amie...a real U of A cheerleader. She taught them cheers, band chants, stunts, formations, and jumps. They practiced in the indoor football facility ("The big room with fake grass where the football team practices when it is raining," according to Riley), along with about 100 high school cheerleaders there for camp, and about 12 different mascots. On Tuesday, they got to "play" with the mascots - an eagle, bear, tiger, chipmunk ("with a smile on his face" - wouldn't want it to be a sad chipmunk), and of course Big Al. She talked about that a lot, along with the fact that she got to be a "top girl". I was not a cheerleader in middle or high school, so at first I didn't know exactly what Riley was talking about. She explained that there were two girls that were "bases" and they did lunges; she would stand on their pockets; there was a "backspot". By the end of her elaborate explanation I understood that they were learning a stunt. I thought it was really neat that Miss Amie had taught them exactly what each position was called. Today, they did a performance for parents. If you haven't already guessed, we are HUGE Alabama fans, so today was definitely the highlight of my week. Not only did I get to see my precious daughter cheer in the indoor football facility (by the way, the general public is not allowed in this building), but, because I was walking in with one of the assistant basketball coach's wives, we walked through the football practice field, where the football team was practicing. Walker was in pure heaven. For those of you that aren't familiar with Alabama football, all practices are behind a tall fence that is covered with a tarp-like material. There is no way to even peek through to watch practice, much less walk on the field. O.K., so back to the performance. It was absolutely precious. She introduced them as "The 2006 University of Alabama Cheerleaders", and then said each of their names. That was followed by a jump, cartwheel, etc., of their choice. Riley did one of her best cartwheels. We watched them do several cheers, the stunt, and they were each presented with a certificate. It was a lot of fun to watch...we had a great time, and Riley learned a lot about being a cheerleader. I think I am ready for football season! ROLL TIDE!

Riley getting ready to cheer

Ala....Bama! Rooooollll Tide! Roll!

B-A-M-A! Bama all the way!

Big Bama Spell-Out...Give me a B! Give me an A! Give me an M! Give me an A! What's that spell? BAMA!

Riley & Miss Amie

Riley & Mary Helen...future Bama cheerleaders

Crazy Pajama Night

Saturday nights at the Dreyfus house is "Crazy Pajama Night". We let Riley and Walker wear whatever they want to bed on those nights. Riley likes to dress herself and surprise us with her ensemble. We started doing this a few months ago and now the kids look forward to it all week (plus, it gives us something extra to take away for punishment...it's always nice to have something like that on hand). We got the idea from some friends of ours (shout out to the Ramsey's). At their house on Friday nights, they let their four children (ages 15, 12, 9, & 7) sleep anywhere (sofa in the den, in the playroom, in the coveted leather recliner...anywhere they want, as long as someone else hasn't claimed it). They call it "Sleep Anywhere Night". We loved the idea, but it wasn't very practical right now with a four-year old and a two-year old...maybe in a few years. So we started our own version. It makes getting ready for bed on Saturday nights a little more fun and exciting. Just thought I would share one of our family traditions.

Funny Quotes

Here are a few funny things that have been said at our house this past week:

Riley: "Does God have 1,000 eyes? I think he has 10 or 1,000 because he can see all over the world, even at Disney World and Florida."

Riley: "Why does Rudy (our miniature dachsund) poo-poo outside? The grass doesn't smell fresh when he poo-poos outside."

Riley: "I'm brave! I'm brave! I'm brave! I'm brave! I'm brave! I'm brave! I'm brave! I'm brave!" (as Tim is taking off a band-aid that was on her knee)

Walker: "Dee-wicious!" (as he sucks on a dum-dum sucker)

Walker: "To the wescue!" (as he jumps in the water at the pool...had just watched Toy Story and loves Buzz Lightyear)

Walker: "Daddy, that hurts." (he says in a sweet voice after he was just spanked by Tim)

Walker: "I tok you, Mommy." (translated: "I want to talk to you, Mommy.")

Walker: "I want bastetball." (translated: "I want to wear my Alabama basketball jersey.")

Happy Birthday, America!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and 4th of July holiday! We had a great time with friends and family.

*Friday - We went over to our friends, Shon and Shannan's house, where we ate pizza and watched Napoleon Dynamite. What a hilarious movie! I'm usually not one to enjoy dumb humor, but I love this movie. Riley and Walker had fun with their boys, Tate and Turner.

*Saturday- I went to the farmer's market here in town...now I'm hooked. I bought squash and zucchini while I was there. I wanted some blueberries and watermelon...maybe next week.

*Sunday - After church, we ate sandwiches at home, and put Walker down for an early nap. Around 2:00 pm we headed out to the lake with some of our best friends, Andy and Glisa, and their kids, Mary Helen and Andrew. Andy's
parents just bought a house on Lake Tuscaloosa..so cute, with a huge yard. Until Sunday, we had not been out there, and we had a great time. The kids swam and we all went on a boat ride. Their neighbors have a "UFO" (basically like a tube, pulled behind the boat, with three seats)...perfect for kids. We ate hamburgers, fresh corn on the cob...yum!, baked beans, and Symphony bar brownies (to die for!). Tim and Andy played the kids in a game of baseball in the backyard. What a relaxing day!

*Monday- Tim had to work, but was surprised when his boss let them all go home around lunchtime. His parents came that evening and took us to eat at Outback. We took them to see some friends of ours farmhouse, that's going to be restored, and out to see Tim's boss' new house on the lake. We had a really good visit with them.

*Tuesday - I've been running on the treadmill at the gym 3 times a week. For the first time, on Tuesday, I ran outside in the neighborhood, mainly because the gym was closed, but also because I am going to run a 5K in the fall, and I need to get used to running outside. It was so hot, even at 7:00 am. !!!
After lunch, we went back out to the lake. Tim's boss and our close friends, Duane and Suzanne, have a lakehouse,
boats, jet skis... you name it. They call it Sunshine Pointe. He also lives up the
hill, and has a very nice pool. They were having a youth group day on the lake, and then at 6:30 pm invited the whole church out to watch fireworks and hear The David Greer band (a friend who now lives in Colorado). We let the kids swim in the pool and then ate dinner. They had cooked barbecue, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs...a ton of food. We went down to the lakehouse and listened to the band, which was very good. There were so many people there, and it was really a lot of fun. We watched an awesome fireworks show (that friends Andy and Greg put together), and then headed home around 9:45 pm, with very tired children.

P.S. These are just a few of the pics from Sunday & Tuesday. There are more on the Flikr account.