Good Night Three!

When Carter wakes up tomorrow morning, he will be four. It's unbelievable! I always get emotional around my children's birthdays. Remembering the bittersweet time before their birth. Carter is headed out of his toddler years and right into KID!

I always show the kids pictures of themselves when they were newborns and the hard times are starting to fade and my memories are mostly sweet ones. He was such a sweet, good little baby.

He is such a cool little kid. He is stubborn, but so sweet and loveable. He loves to dress up and play pretend. He loves being at home, with his toys and his stuff. But he never turns down a great playdate! I enjoy looking back at where he was, where he is and pray for where he is going!
Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

6 in a Row Baby!!!

Well, Michael and I finished up our Auburn tailgating this past weekend and we went out with a BANG!!

After hosting Thanksgiving at our house on Thursday we were cleaned up and out the door Friday morning by 10am! We left the kids behind with my mom and dad and headed for a nice weekend away!

Because of the late night game we decided to stay as close to town as we could. We stayed at the Highland Marina on West Point Lake in a fishing cabin. We checked in Friday afternoon and the accomadations, were, well, let's say...we just had somewhere to sleep!





Michael was able to fish for just a little bit, but it was too cold in the morning for him to do anymore. Friday night we met up with some of our Columbus tailgate friends and they introduced to a restaurant in Hamilton, Ga. called Hunter's Pub. I was a little nervous when we got there because the place was not well lit was small and was made out of cinder block. But on the bright side, the place was packed! We had Lobster tail, steaks, green beans, sweet potato fries and peanut butter pie!! YUM!!

Saturday Morning we were at our tailgate site by 8am eastern (game time was not until 8pm eastern). We had a great day of tailgating. I was even able to see Laura, her sister Ivy and her mom! The game was VERY cold and windy, but worth it with a 17-10 win over Alabama! That makes 6 wins in a row over Alabama!!



We headed back home on Sunday and Michael's college roommate Carson and his wife Michelle had been in Auburn for the game and came to our house before they flew back to Phoenix. We were able to go to dinner and have a nice visit. The next morning I drove them back to the airport. They hope to see us some next summer after Carson finishes his cardiovascular fellowship in Phoenix.

So it was a great weekend and a great way to start off our holiday season! We will be decorating the house this weekend. I am gearing up for my finals and the boys birthdays so I have a busy month ahead!!! Love to you all and WARRRRRRRRRRRRR EAGLE!!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we had a great one! Who all came: Me, Michael, Zack, Carter, my mom and dad, Michael's mom and her husband Gentry, Molly, Tom, Sam, Josh and Tom's dad, Jimmy and of course Maizy was there to take it all in!

We had a great day cooking, sleeping, playing, creating, watching football, eating and more snoozing!! (Notice that Carter has a few costume changes!)

Leaves

The boys were so excited that Michael was finally getting the leaves up (of course there are more)! Here are pictures of them enjoying the leaves!!

Fruit Feast

Carter was so excited to participate in the Thanksgiving Fruit Feast at his preschool. They were busy all fall working on songs for the event and making Indian costumes. Carter did very well and sang all of the songs! He wore his Indian costume all weekend and even slept in it!! Enjoy!

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT!!!

I have I ever said how much I love my dog??? I mean I really love my dog. She is sweet and lovable and devoted. But she has a nickname around here..."Crazy Maizy". We think she might be a little OCD. She likes her routine and will whine at you if you are doing something out of sync. I'm not kidding. She also loves rawhide. Granted she is a puppy and we hope she will outgrow this, but she loves her rawhide. And when she doesn't have her rawhide, she will let you know how upset she is with you. She even takes it out on innocent stuffed animals. Carter was VERY upset with this one and was ready to give her away and get a cat. I told him his Kitty could fix it, we'll see...

TRICK OR TREAT!!

Well, Halloween is over and I know it is a matter of days before the radio stations start cranking out the Christmas tunes (sigh). The boys had a great Halloween! Carter only made it about 5 houses and he was ready to come home and help me. He stayed by the front door to let me know when Trick or Treaters were coming! Zack and Michael hung in there with the big kids and he got a lot of loot!! Carter was the Human Torch, or as he liked to call himself, Fireboy, from the Fantastic Four and Zack was a soldier, which was a little too realistic for me!! Carter woke up the day after and put his costume on and then again in the afternoon and ended up taking a nap in it!!!

Michael

I just was feeling a little sentimental and I wanted to brag on my husband. No one knows Michael the way I do, and that makes me happy. Most might know him as someone who is smart and quick to give someone a hard time. Or maybe someone knows him for his love of beer, good food and Auburn football.

But let me tell you about my husband Michael. God truly blessed me with an amazing man. His love for me and our children transcends through everything that he does. He works hard and he plays hard and he always keeps us in mind when he does.

I know no matter what happens in my life, Michael is my home. I find peace with him; I find love with him and most importantly I find happiness with him. My boys couldn't ask for a better Daddy and I certainly couldn't ask for a better husband.

Okay, you can go vomit now :)

Pretty Pretty Princess

Some of you might know that Carter calls me "Pretty Pretty Princess". I'd love to say that he came up with that on his own, but no, his mother brainwashed him into saying it. Well, today it came back to haunt me.

I was up at the elementary school volunteering after school making copies. So Carter normally will hang out with my niece, Maggie and he knows his way around the school pretty well. At about 4 o'clock, knee deep in copies, I hear over the intercom "Michelle, if you are still in the building Carter is at the ASP (after school program) desk, could you please come get him". Great!!! The place I would like to be hired someday is realizing that I can't even keep up with my three year old.

When I go to retrieve my child this lady is just laughing as she is walking away from Carter. She apparently saw Carter wandering the halls and didn't know who he was so he asked him who his mommy was and he said "Pretty Pretty Princess". And that's all he would tell her. So she walked him to the ASP desk and the lady there knew him and was able to call for me, but he just kept saying my name was "Pretty Pretty Princess". He was pretty proud of himself when I found him.

BOYS!!!

Crazy Vance Boys and a Yellow Dog

This is what happens when two Vance boys don't have enough to do on a Sunday morning...

Cagle's Dairy

So we took the boys to Cagle's Dairy Farm North of Atlanta this past weekend. We had a GREAT time!! It is the only dairy farm in the state of Georgia that not only produces the milk, but processes, bottles and distributes it. We were able to tour the dairy and see how milk is made and for a couple of city boys this was good for them to see! They were able to see what the cows eat and why they eat what they eat. There are pictures of the Holstein cows coming right up to us during our wagon ride. To be honest, I wasn't quite expecting that. They were HUGE! The cows that are out in the pasture are the ones who are "with calf". We also were able to get up close and personal with calf that were only one week old. We fed goats and even watched a pig race...poor Wilbur, he didn't win! We sampled some of their chocolate milk and it was soooo good!! They boys also had a great time jumping on the "pillow". They even got to go on a "horse" ride! I always feel so sorry for those ponies just walking around in circles! It was a beautiful October day and we just had a great time!!! And for those of you wondering, the boys do own other clothes other than there jerseys, but what is the point of wearing them during football season!! Enjoy the pictures! If you would like to see them better click on the "more" underneath the pics and it will take you to a site with the pictures posted!!

What Happened???

Yesterday we were down at the bus stop and Carter was talking to our neighbor and he told her that it was picture day!! He was right and I had completely forgot! So I got him dressed and just couldn't believe how big he looked! I can't believe he will be FOUR in December!! Where has the time gone! I told him to smile like he would for his pictures at school...we'll see how they come out!!

What kind of mother does this???

So Zack and I were goofing around and he was asking me to draw him a moustache on his face. Well, this is what happened...

It's Great to Be An Auburn Tiger!!!

I can't tell you how great it felt to watch Auburn beat Florida last night. As Michael said that was the Auburn we were expecting to see at the beginning of the season. But win or lose "It's Great to Be an Auburn Tiger" and for all of you fairweather fans, we don't need you for the rest of the season!!!!

WARRRR EAGLE!!

Home Run!!!!

Zack hit his first home run at baseball practice on Saturday! He didn't even use the tee!! Michael said (I wasn't there) that it was a true hit and went into the outfield.

Zack has been unsure of his feelings towards baseball. It's a game that requires concentration and for a five year old that takes a lot out of them. We see him building sandcastles or spinning in circles in the field. Thankfully, he's not the only one!

Reality

So this morning was a little stressful for me...
Zack has had the sniffles for a few days and this morning when he got up he was coughing and it sounded a little "barky". My gut reaction was to drop everything and take him to the dr. But I had two major projects at school due today and I had to go. I was faced with what women face all the time. Staying home for so long has programmed me to just handle it all and never ask for help. So as I sat in the kitchen looking at my child and crying over my dilemma, my knight in shining armor was checking his schedule. He only had a bazillion conference calls to make and he said he could take Zack to the dr. and stay home if necessary. Phew!!

I thought of Zack all morning and wondered how he was doing. I talked with Michael before lunch and Zack was back at school. Just a cold...no biggie. I wasn't prepared for not being able to be 100% Mommy to my kids. This is a new experience for me and it was hard. I'm sure I have many more times like that ahead of me as I head back to work...

I'm sure like me you have sometimes wondered why bad things happen to good people. Someone you know and love gets terminal cancer, has debilitating pain, loses a loved one, the list goes on and on. I can honestly say that nothing major has ever happened to me personally. But sometimes I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Here I am pursuing a career that I am very excited about, have two healthy sweet boys and have a wonderful husband that works hard to provide for our family. In an instant, one bad car accident, one bad medical test result, it could all be taken away. I have to work really hard to keep those thoughts out of my head.

I was talking with my mother-in-law on the phone the other day. She was feeling pretty blue. If you don't know my once very active, very energetic mother-in-law, has been brought down by her bones. They have failed her. She has had 7 vetebrae fused and two knee replacement as well as Crohn's disease. For the most part you will find her in high spirits. She works very hard in her various therapies and takes very seriously the advice given by her doctors. She wants to get better and she wants to get back into life. But sometimes the pain is just too much and it begins to break her spirit. So we talked on the phone for awhile about it yesterday.

I was telling her about some friends that I know where the husband is facing cancer and they are expecting their first child any day now. But what has amazed me is this couple's amazing faith through their ordeal. I'm sure they have had many moments where they are scared and sad about what they are facing. But they remember that their life is there for God's glory and not their own. WOW.

My life is not here for my purpose, but for God's divine plan. Gayle and I reflected together about lives and that if we no longer look at our lives as ours, but God's alone, that sometimes those tough times might become a little easier. I know for a fact that as I hear the updates of our friend with cancer and hear of their faith, my faith becomes a little stronger.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God - even as I try to please everybody in everyway. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 10:31-33

I don't know if any of this makes sense, but it makes sense in my head. Watching others in their tough times, using their faith to guide them, sends such a message to my heart.

HOMEWORK!!!!

So I thought Zack would be excited about doing homework and getting to act like a "big kid". But the homework we have had is met with tears and whining. Zack says it's just too hard. He was so upset tonight because I was trying to teach him to make his name with a "little a" rather than a "big A". He has been writing his name with all caps.

I talked with Megan, (the 5th grade teacher) tonight and she said some kids are just not ready for homework at this age and if I push it then he will end up hating homework and possibly school. I certainly don't want that to happen. She says to maybe get in the habit of doing homework, but not to make it a big deal for him to do everything perfectly, rather accentuate the positive.

I found myself getting frustrated with myself tonight because I knew whatever approach I was taking was not working. I was sitting there looking at him while he was in tears, wondering if I can't help my own son with homework, how was I ever going to teach a whole classroom of kids.

Thought???? Ideas???? Tips???? Margarita Recipes????

Preschool

This is a little late, but Carter started preschool on Aug. 27th. As most of you know I taught up at the preschool last year and am not there this year because of the courseload I am taking. A friend in the front office said that Carter walks around there like he owns the place. I guess it is good for him to have something that is just his! He really likes his class and he seems to be doing well!

Loose Tooth!!!

Why is having a first loose tooth such a big deal!?! Zack and I discovered that he has his FIRST loose tooth tonight. I thought he was going to cry he was so excited!!! I'm sure we will have more about this soon!!
I will add his first T-ball game pics soon too!!!

Obedience

For some reason I think God keeps trying to teach me the lesson of obedience. Maybe it is because I have a hard head, but maybe it's because He really needs me to get used to paying attention so that when He needs me for something MAJOR I will be there, listening, attentive and ready to obey.

A couple of weeks ago I had to sign up for the elementary school I would be doing 30 hours of observation in. Unfortunately, I did not get the school I wanted and ended up in a school a little further away, but in Cobb County. I was really upset about it so I was ready to call my sister and have her run some interference for me, make some phone calls and get me what I wanted. Because after all, I do know what's best for me, RIGHT??? Well, I had to leave a message for Megan about how awful this school was and she needed to handle it for me. Before she could call me back and rescue me from this terrible school. I heard a whisper. Did I really know what was right? Was I turning away an opportunity where I might learn something or be mentored by someone that could influence my future teaching? I had this wonderful debate with God that logisitically this was a terrible school. Why would God put me here??? I ended up talking to my friend Aileen who's opinion I value and she is a former school teacher. She brought many good points why I should stay at this school and not cause trouble. So I thought if God was trying to tell me to stay put and Aileen was telling me the same thing, maybe I should listen and OBEY. UGH! So today I went to class and my professor told me I had missed my orientation and I needed to go see someone in the Field experience office ASAP. Well, no one was there, of course. Apparently, through a techinical error they had me at another school in PAULDING COUNTY!!! After just a few temper tantrums it got worked out. When I was finally calm another whisper came through. Obey Me first. (This is what I ALWAYS tell my kids) God needs me to obey Him the first time I hear that whisper. Not after I have had time to think about it and poll my friends of their opinions. He is training me to listen so that when HE has that big thing I need to hear, I'm ready, willing and able to obey Him first.

So, I don't know what wonderful things God has planned for me at this school. I did learn that this school has 75% of the kids on free or reduced lunches. I know I not would go into a school like this by my own choosing, so I know this will be a learning experience for me. I will let you know what God is trying to teach me.

Everytime in my life that I "trust and obey", God blesses me ten fold.

"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory tha has overcome the world, even our faith. " 1 John 5:3-4

Now, if God would only speak to Maizy about obedience!!!!

Bye Summer...Hello Auburn!!

It has been two weeks since Zack has started school and thankfully he has agreed to continue to go...phew! Carter starts preschool tomorrow and is very excited about being in the big kid building, carrying a big kid bag and playing on the big kid playground!

I have been back in school for almost two weeks as well. For those of you that don't know I am back in school working on a 2nd Bachelor's in Education. It's a Metzger family curse/blessing to become a teacher, I guess it got me too! My classes are going well so far. I have to do 40 hours in the schools this sememster and I am excited to see other schools and other teachers. My estimated graduation date is Fall '09, so I have a lot of work ahead of me!!

We are also headed into football season this coming weekend. So as we say in the family it is good-bye to the lake season and hello to football season. We had a great summer going to the lake and experimenting with camping. I have decided that being a mother of boys requires me to do boy things unless I want to be left in the dust!!

I have posted a video of Zack getting on the bus for the first time. I am learning how to do a slideshow and once I get that figured out I'll put some more pictures up!!!
WARRRRRR EAGLE!!!!! HEY!

About me...

Well, if I am going to give this a try maybe I need to post a little about myself...

My name is Michelle and I have lived in Georgia for over 7 years with my husband of 12 years, Michael. We have two boys, Zack, 5 and Carter 3. I have been able to stay home with them since Zack was born. My motto through the past almost 6 years has been "A bad day at home beats a good day at work". In our little family we are HUGE and I mean HUGE Auburn fans. My kids knew how to say "War Eagle" before they could say "Mama" and "Daddy". We love going to games in the fall and cheering on the Tigers! I met my husband in a bar watching Mel and the Party Hats on New Year's Eve, 1993 in Nashville, TN. I talked to him because he said "War Eagle" at the end of a song and I figured I needed a New Year's Eve kiss and an Auburn guy is always a good choice!

We have another member of our family and she is a Yellow Labrador Retriever named Maizy. She was born in January and she is ALL puppy!!! She loves to play with the boys and wants to always be a part of the action as you can see...

I was born in Ohio in, we moved to Huntsville, AL when I was 5 and then to Opelika, Alabama when I was 11. I would say my home town is Opelika, but no one in my family lives there anymore. I have two older sister's Molly, a high school teacher and Megan, a 5th grade teacher. My parents moved to the Atlanta area a few years ago as my father gave up the "rat race" to focus on full time ministry. I guess since my mother used to be a teacher (and continues to teach me!) you could say I am the daughter of a "preacher and a teacher"!!!

Last year I found myself needing something else in my life. I had been working on a volunteer project at the boys' school and really enjoyed working with the women, but after it was over I honestly felt empty. I can remember it like it was yesterday and I was praying asking God to guide me in my next step in life and it was like a lighting bolt hit me and it was God telling me to go work at the boys' preschool. I begged God not to send me there with all of those whining screaming children. But I obeyed and I called the school and I got a job.

I really did not want to teach there, but I knew God told me to do this and I knew how important it was to obey Him. He knew he had to speak loud and clear to me as I was not to misuderstand His direction for my life. So I taught 3 year olds for 3 days a week. My expectations were pretty low, but I figured God had a plan and I better get ready for the ride...

Well, I LOVED IT. I fell head over heels in love with teaching those little ones. Coming from a family of teachers I had avoided this like the plague, but here it smacked me upside the head and I haven't looked back. I guess God does really know what He is doing...

So, with Michael's undying support I have taken it a step further. This past summer I was accepted into Kennesaw State University to begin a 2nd Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. I am in my second semester and although it is a little overwhelming at times, I am so excited about what lies ahead of me.

I never thought that I would be going back to work full time one day, much less as a teacher. I tell people all of the time that I feel like I am getting to have my cake and eat it too...that's why I said that I am "Having It All"!!!!

Sometimes I think it can sound cliche, but I truly, truly feel blessed. I have an amazing family, from top to bottom, the most wonderful friends who are not only supportive, but deal with my craziness. Every night when I say my prayers I start with my "thank yous" and the list is so long sometimes I fall asleep before my "I needs"!!!

So, whether I keep this up, I don't know, but we'll see where this leads!

xoxoxoxo

I'll Give it a Try!

Well, I'm not exactly sure what I am doing and why I am doing it. All I know is that I have some friends that blog and enjoy reading those as well as my celebrity gossip bloggers. Ask me anything about "Brangelina" and I can probably tell you.

So, I'll try this and see what happens. I don't think my life is very exciting, but maybe I'll have some fun in the process...