Good to Have a Plan

Cole: Mom, one day I'll move. Who are you going to live with then?

Me: Your dad.

Cole: But you won't have any kids here.

Me: I know. That will be sad.

Cole (trying to think of a way to make it better):
 I'll stay until I'm 55.

Works for me!

Cole Lost His First Tooth!

Cole's bottom tooth popped out this evening!

He was so excited.

We explained the Tooth Fairy to him and he seemed a little skeptical.  This was the look he gave us. 

He decided he would just collect his teeth in a jar. After he loses all of them he plans to make a necklace.  

So Sweet

Cole may not be very nice to everyone, but he is overly sweet to me.He constantly tells me he loves me because I'm so soft.   

He tells me he loves my face, that I'm so pretty, and nice.

He loves to snuggle with me and I can't get enough of it.

 I make him promise that I'll be his favorite girl even when he's 15.

 

I just want to hold on to this forever.

Beautiful January Day

Hadley came over for a little while today.  She put on her own headband.  I told her that her hair looked ridiculous, but she said she didn't care. 

It was a gorgeous day.  It was in the high 60s.  Not bad for January. 

It was pretty windy though.  Hadley was annoyed that the wind was messing up her hair.

She is one funny little gal.

Zoe, Cole, and Hads enjoyed the day outdoors.

They even made snowcones!

Dog Rescue

It's been a while since we've helped out at Petsmart. 

 

 I think the dogs missed Zoe and Cole.

I know Zoe and Cole missed the dogs!

Best Field Trip EVER!

The 5th graders at Stone Canyon went on a field trip to BizTown in Tulsa.  It was so awesome.  Their classes have been preparing for this day for a while.  They applied for jobs, had interviews, learned how to set up a bank account and much more.  Zoe was happy she got the job she applied for...news anchor!

We borrowed Aunt Shell's clothes (and attitude) for the big day!

I volunteered at one of the businesses and was so glad I went.  The building was set up like a real town.

When the kids arrived they already knew where they worked and a little about their job!

Zoe was working for the Cox Network (just like Michelle)!

I helped out in a business called Linde.  They did science experiments and sold items like slime that they actually made.  I was so impressed by how independently they worked!

 

  Each child had a checkbook.  They got a paycheck that they deposited into the local bank and kept track of their spending.  Each business sold items to try to pay off their bank loan.  The kids managed the cash register and the CFO entered all the checks into the computer and deposited them.  She also paid invoices to other businesses. They worked hard and learned so much.

The town had a doctor's office where the kids could go for a check up.  It was covered through their insurance but they did have a copay of 25 cents.  They enjoyed lunch at Arby's and could buy items at Reasor's and other stores.  They had a wholesale store that delivered supplies and a non for profit agency that supported charities. 

 

The kids could visit a financial advisor and invest some of their money in stocks.  They had a City Hall where you could vote.  There was a TV station and newspaper.  They even had utility companies such as ONEOK that installed pipes and read meters in and around the stores. 

The mayor led a couple of town meetings.  She did a great job.

I wasn't with Zoe's group, but on my break I followed her around a little bit.  Part of her job was interviewing citizens and learning about their job.

I got to watch her interview the beverage manager at Arby's (I love the girl's hat). 

Zoe had told me earlier that Arby's Beverage Manager was one of the most sought after jobs.  Apparently a lot of kids applied for that position.

 

She also went to the bank to ask some questions. 

Her best friend, Macy, worked at the bank.  Zoe said she got a teller job but was promoted to CFO (because the original CFO had the flu).  That's pretty impressive!

She seemed to be having a good time with all her friends.She also really seemed to enjoy her job.  I can't wait to watch the video of her interviews.

We hung around and snapped a few pictures after the field trip was over.

I really loved hanging out with the 5th graders.  My favorite thing that happened today though was toward the end of the experience.  The group I worked with all day consisted of two girls and four boys.  They were a great group.  The kids loved spending their paychecks at all the stores buying all kinds of toys, jewelry, and a variety of other items.  Our sweet CEO had $10 to spend but couldn't find her checkbook anywhere.  By the time she found it, it was too late to buy anything.  She was so sad and started crying.  Without any prompting at all, the other kids in our group started giving her one of their things. It was honestly one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

  It was such a great day!

Cotton Bowl

Mark, Michelle, Brad, and I loaded up Friday morning and headed to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl.  Mom and Dad came to Owasso to watch all of our kids.  It was super sweet of them. 

Mizzou played Oklahoma State.  Michelle is a huge Missouri fan and Brad is a huge Oklahoma State fan.  We teased that there might be fight but thankfully there wasn't.

We walked to the stadium from our hotel and stopped by Chili's to eat on the way.  The stadium was unbelievable!

The four of us really haven't got to spend much time together without kids.  It was so much fun.

Our seats were in the 3rd level and there was a huge screen above the field.  When we first sat down I actually felt sick, like motion sickness!  I thought it might be a long game but it got better before the game even started.  Man, I'm old.

 Brad and I noticed that we were sitting with all the Mizzou people.  Michelle is the one that ordered the tickets and claims in was a coincidence.  I kind of believe her. 

The game was really exciting.  It was close the entire time.

I loved sitting next to Bud.  That guy is hilarious!

Michelle cheered loudly when Mizzou did something great...

and Brad just got quiet.

The whole experience was highly entertaining!

Bud and I haven't perfected our "Go Pokes" pistols yet.

Mizzou pulled off the win at the end.  Brad wasn't as sore of a loser as I had expected and Michelle wasn't nearly as obnoxious of a winner as I thought she would be.

 

The walk back to the hotel around midnight was cold, but kind of nice.

It was a such a fun trip!