1st Day of School!!!!

Jackson's First Day of School!

Jackson is now a big 4th grader!!!! I can't hardly believe it!!!! He is growing up waaaay too fast! At his school, it is K thru 4, so he is the top dog this year! WooHoo! He has to set the example for the other kids this year! We are pumped for this to be a great year! Since it is his last year at Richard Ave. we want to make it special! Soooo.................here's to a "GREAT YEAR" and we are here to "PUMP YOU UP!!!!" LOL!!! :) Anyone thinking of Arnold right now??!! LOLOLOL!!!! :)

What Makes Cissa Smile?!

Okay, once again, I am the "last" person to do my weekly top ten list! I think the best is saved for last! LOL!!! :)

Things that make Cissa smile!

1)Well, of course, the number one answer to this question is............hmmm, what could it be????!!! Hmmm.......................is it my two fabulous boys I have the privilege of raising??!! Why, yes, it is!!!!! LOL!!!! :) My number one answer would be: Jackson and Jacob!!!!
2)Would definately be my precious girl, Gracie! She is my niece for those who might not know ('cause so many people read my blog I have to be specific)! LOL!!! :)
3)Music helps me stay in a good mood and can turn a bad mood into a better one! :)
4)The zoo! I always feel better when I go to the zoo!
5)Movies (especially the movie theater)! It is soooo relaxing to go and see a movie. Plus, bonus, you have friends who go w/you, too!

Things that make Cissa frown!

1)When traffic is stopped! You don't want to be around me in a traffic jam! I absolutely HATE it!!! I just hate being at a "stop" when you are supposed to be driving! And the not knowing when you will start moving again! It drives me crazy!!! Plus, while we are on the subject of traffic, I also don't like people who just dart over (with or w/out their signal)! I am surprised there aren't "more" wrecks out there with the way people drive anymore!
2)People who think they know it all! This is a BIG turn-off for me! I prefer people who are kind to EVERYONE! If you really "do" know it all, that will automatically show on its own! :)
3)If one of my favorite shows is cancelled due to a Presidential speech! I know, I know, I should care what the President has to say! But the truth is, I would rather watch my show!!!! The President should come on at times that do not interfere w/our TV shows!!!! I guess I don't qualify as one of those people who "know it all!!!" LOL! Those people probably watch the Presidential speeches and such!!!! LOL!!!!! :)) And, btw, you don't always get to see a "makeup" show later, either! A lot of times you are simply "out of luck" until the summer reruns (which sucks)!!!!!!
4)Negative people! It just brings everyone else down around them! Now, I know everyone has bad days! That is okay! I am talking about the people who are continuously "down" and "negative" on almost a daily basis! These people are not fun to be around!
5)Last, but not least, I can't stand when people "dish" you in line!!!! COME ON!!!!! Get in the back of the line like everyone else!!!! Oh, and cars do this as well, which also drives me crazy!
So, there you have it!!!! Cissa's top ten list!!!! :)) WooHoo! I finished another one!!!!! A big accomplishment for someone who is having trouble sitting still lately!!!! Oh, and stay tuned for "1st Day of School Pics" of Jackson!!!! Today was his 1st day of school and everything went very well!!!!! He should be getting home in about ten minutes so I gotta run!!!!! :))

Fill In The Blank!

Okay, so this one might be a little late! :) I guess the old saying, "Better Late Than Never!" is true in my case! LOL!!! I am finally getting around to doing "another" top ten! Unfortunately, it is about two or three weeks past the deadline! :) But, I wanted to do it 'cause I enjoy the top ten's, so here are my "fill in the blanks:"

1)Married or not, I have a "secret" crush on: well, I don't think it is much of a "secret," but my answer is BRAD PITT, of course!!!! If only he could see my "top model" pics!!!! :))
2)A genie came out of a bottle. My three wishes are a)health for my family! b)bright future for my kids (they make good money, they are happy, etc.) and c)I become famous (such as a famous photographer or something like that).
3)I could go the rest of my life without hearing the song: "We've Only Just Begun" by Karen Carpenter. Don't get me wrong. I like Karen Carpenter and I like the song. It just gets played waaaaay toooooo much! So do her Christmas songs, at that time of year, on the radio! I like more variety!
4)My pick for Bob Barker's replacement is: I would pick Rosie!!!! I think Drew will be fantastic, though! I just think Rosie would be good at this kind of thing! No politics involved for her to get into trouble about!!!! LOL!!! She would be funny!
5)When I'm hungry, I will most definately eat: well, I would "drink" Dr. Pepper, of course! LOL! :) I have also been into flavored water this summer (which I hope continues into the winter months as well). I will eat lots of junk fund such as chips!!!! I will eat pork chops! Oh, I love Red Robin No Bun Burgers and Bob Evans Chicken Meal with garlic butter!!!! Yummo!
6)The strangest thing about me is: you will probably have to ask my brother and sister about this one! Or, maybe, ask Mark, but he will be afraid to answer 'cause he might get into trouble! :) I mean, come on, I am like next to "perfection!" LOL! :) If "I" have to answer this question, I would honestly have to say, my sweaty hands and feet! They sweat horribly!!!! It is really kinda embarrassing to tell the truth!!!! :) But, that is the "strangest" thing I can think of! :)
7)The biggest thing I miss about elementary school is: oh, most definately, the innocence! I go to Jack's school quite often due to taking the yearbook pics. I always sit and watch and listen to the kids and I always come away thinking, "why can't we be this way as adults?" For the most part, they haven't been jaded yet, so most of them still care about each other. And for the "few" that have problems, they are mostly still "reshapable" with a little guidance! All the kids seem to get along! And when there are problems, they are fixed pretty easily. It is just simply the innocence! I would also have to say I miss having my "mommy" taking care of me! Dinner was always ready, breakfast was made, I could sleep in, etc. :))
8)The reality show I'd most like to be on is: Work Out! It comes on Bravo on the cable channel. I would love to be on that show! It might kill me, but I would do it in a minute!!!! :) I would have to answer to a trainer who doesn't take excuses and makes me really work out! Whatever doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger! LOL!!! :)
9)I am/am not smarter than a 5th grader? Definately NOOOOT! :) Jackson is practically smarter than me now when it comes to school stuff! I've still got him beat on life skills though!!! LOL! :)
10)In 5 yrs., I will hopefully be: happy! I just want to be happy! That is all I really truly want!!! :)

Okay, now it is on to doing "this" week's top ten! WooHoo! :)) I am on a roll!!!!

America's Next Big Star!

I think you all should start calling me "Tyra!" Or better yet, maybe I should change my blogger name to "Reflections From a Supermodel!" LOLOLOLOL!!!! :) I just had to post these after seeing Emjayes! Oh, btw, Emjaye took these two pics as well. We were at the church waiting for Carleta and Steph to get there and, well, you know the rest!!!! :) I will be signing autographs this Friday, at the Kids Night, at the church at 6:00! :)

Inspiring Quote I Just Heard!

I just heard this quote and thought it was worth passing on! I hope you guys like it as much as I did! :)

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything! They just "make" the best of everything!"

Very true, indeed!!!!! And a great reminder for us all!!!!! I know I needed it!!!! :)

Top Ten List!

Not much time, but I have been forgetting to do the top ten lately! I didn't want to forget this time! LOL! :)

1)Leno or Letterman? Probably Leno, but for some reason I really like Conan O'Brian almost better than either of my choices! :) Conan is kinda dorky yet sweet at the same time!
2)Choc. and Peanut Butter or Choc. and Strawberry? Definately choc. and peanut butter!!! Yummo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3)Disney or Warner Brothers? Disney, for sure! Jackson watches it all the time! Hannah Montana is my personal favorite!!!! :) Suite Life of Zack and Cody is his fave!!!!! :)
4)Movie Theater or VCR/DVD? Um............movie theater!!!!! :)
5)Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi (Pepsi used to make Dr. Pepper, my fave). I am pretty sure Dr. P is independent now, though.
6)Pens or Pencils? Pens!
7)60s, 70s, 80s, 90s? 80's!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Best of Times!!!!!!!!!!! :)
8)Dog or Cat? Cat!!!!! :)
9)Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit? Probably neither, but if I "have" to pick, I would say Trivial Pursuit! I was always horrible at monopoly!
10)CBS, ABC, NBC? ABC b/c of Desperate Housewives and Grey's!!!!! CBS would be a close 2nd, though! And, nowadays, there are a lot of cable channels I really like! :)

Wow, I finally did a list!!!!! I am pretty proud right now!!!! :)
Hope everyone is having a good week! :))

Ohio State Fair!!!!!

Fun Day At The Fair!!!

Jacob loves trains and enjoyed this Thomas the Train exhibit! :)

Jackson and Jerod loved the super slide! Jerod is on the left and Jackson is on the right!



My dad did chin ups at the Marine Corp Challenge!!! He did TEN, THAT'S RIGHT, TEN chin-ups! The crowd was cheering him on!!! Only two other men besides my dad could do ten!!! :) And, the other two men who did ten, were young while my dad is 58!!!!! GO, DAD!!!! We were sooooo proud!!!! :)


Jerod and Jackson having fun!


Jackson cooling off!!! It was sooooo hot!!!!


Jerod and I had a blast on this ride! Jack wouldn't ride it at first 'cause he was afraid it would make him sick! But he rode it the 2nd time around! This is the only ride I ended up riding, but it was totally worth it!!! :) It goes in a circle sooooo fast that everyone to your right ends up squishing you!!!! :) Can ya tell I was enjoying it?!!! LOL!!!!

This is the 2nd time around w/Jackson! I am telling you, my whole right side hurt the next day!!!

Jerod, Jackson and I enjoying ice cream and seeing the famous cow made out of butter! Go, Ohio, #1 Swiss Cheese Maker!!!!! :)

Jerod and Jackson goofing off!

Every great day must eventually come to an end!

But, man, what a fun day!!!! :)

What a great day we all had at the Ohio State Fair! We hadn't been in about three years, so we had a real nice time! My mom and dad joined us and by the afternoon took Jacob home so we could stay and enjoy the big kids! It might sound sad that Jacob had to leave, but he actually wanted to go (it was his idea) and he had more fun being the "only" child w/Gramps and Gramsey! He ended up staying the night w/them and we ended up staying at the fair until eleven!!! Jack and Jerod had a fabulous time and it was sweet watching them! Jerod stayed the night again (this is his third time), but we love him, he is a sweetheart! Today two other boys came over and joined Jack and Jerod, plus I picked up Jacob! Stop and think for a moment (well, some of you have probably experienced it, so you know firsthand), but a house with "FIVE" boys!!!!!! Needless to say, a little wild!!!! But, soooooooo worth it!!!!!! They are all good kids!!!!!!

Fun weekend! Fun friends! Fun family time! Fun food! The list goes on!!!!!!! :)

I just also have to add on a more "serious" note! While at the fair, I ran into two little boys who had down syndrome. I saw them both at separate times! The one little boy was sitting beside me and kept putting his precious little hand on my leg! It was the sweetest thing! He had no idea who I was, but felt comfortable enough to almost lay his head on my shoulder! On top of seeing these two little boys, I also saw a young man who was probably anywhere from 16 to 20 or so! He was mentally handicapped! He stopped and said hi to me! Then, if that weren't enough, I also pass an older gentlemen (60's) and he was mentally handicapped as well. I probably am not making sense right now but, it was just really powerful!!!! It makes ya stop and think!!!! It was like seeing three generations, back to back - the little boys, the teenage boy and the older man! I guess it felt like God wanted me to see them! Like he was talking to me in some way! Does that make sense?! Anyhoo, it felt powerful to me! I wasn't gonna blog about it, but it felt like I was meant to! :) Oh, and also, I met a man (I was taking a break while the kids rode more rides). I got a horrible migraine from being in the sun. I had to take my medicine and take a break and ended up talking to a grandpa (there with his two grandkids). He was also taking a break, but wait till ya hear this!!!!! He had a prosthetic leg!!!!! From just below the knee his leg was gone! I had never seen a "fake" leg up close like that before! We got to talking and he took his leg off and showed it to me and how it worked and all! Plus, I find this amazing, but he had just lost his leg this past March!!!!! Who would think that 5 months later he would be walking at the Ohio State Fair!!!!! Amazing!!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with him!!!! I guess I am feeling like God sometimes puts people in our lives - if only for a moment - for a reason! Maybe to remind us of something, or maybe, something we need to learn! Or maybe, simply to bring us back to him!!!!

Anyway, I had a great day and so did the kids!!!!! :) And Mark got to go golfing at Foxfire for FREE today on top of it all!!!! Can't beat that!!!!!

More blogging to come!!!!!! :))

Have a good week!!!!!!