Happy Birthday KieKie

Happy 5th Birthday Kiersten!

We love you!
Rob, Tracey, Jared, Kevin and Ryan

Rocket time!

Making the rockets during a rainy day

Painting with spray paint

Hey cows...Look out!

Getting ready for launch...

Ryan and "baby girl" watching the action

Christmas Day

Not too many pictures of the morning. My camera needs it's settings adjusted for low light and we were up EARLY. Plus-I kind of like to be in the moment every once in a while instead of always taking pictures...I feel like I miss out sometimes...All the kids had a wonderful time--They got everything they wanted and they were so polite and orderly. It helps when the Santa's helper can read when handing out the gifts...we only had a couple gift mix ups but that makes things interesting!

Stocking time!

Kevin got a carnivorous plant kit, 10 meat eating plants...yummy...

Jared got two games for the play station from Santa.

Ryan got a double stroller for her babies from the big man in red.

Ramsay is taking the time to roll around in the plethora of pipe cleaners that Santa put in his stocking. Foxi and Aubie just enjoyed the treats. Also pictured is the "mega crinkle ball" that Ramsay carried around with him all day and growled at anyone who even thought of taking it from him...

Mary Crismis!

If this isn't cute...a picture of Santa and "Mary" Crismis...thanks Kevin for the work of art.

Kevy's Gymnastics

The Saturday before Christmas is crazy busy but we took time out to watch Kevin at his gymnastics exhibition. His class was combined with another boys class and we watched them go from one area to another, showing us their "stuff". This included the floor, trampoline, pommel horse, rings and vault. There were 12 groups of combined classes--plus coaches--plus family and friends--so the gym was PACKED to say the least but Kevin was SO happy to have all his "people" there. He got a certificate, trophy and a Tee shirt with the winter blast logo on it...he definitely had a "blast". Thanks to all the Grandparents and Uncle Ricky for coming to enjoy this performance and for putting a smile on little man's face!

Hi Everyone,

The holidays are here! We at the Homer House are so excited, anticipating the arrival of the big day. Our family is so blessed and so fortunate and we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. Christmas is a very special time for me to reflect on why I do so much for Relay. Many people have asked why I put myself through the stress of all the volunteer work. Two reasons. A few years ago we went through the Christmas season having just lost Grandma Lou on December 1st to colon cancer. That was a very hard year but it was also very beautiful. The night she died I was sitting in the common room of the hospice home with the kids, while mom was in with Grandma, and it began to snow in the courtyard. A beautiful "Christmas is coming" kind of snow that we don't see in the South. When I went in to say goodbye to Grandma I told her that it was so beautiful outside. The snow was really starting to come down but she didn't have to worry about getting out there to shovel the driveway. I said that she was very lucky because she was going to get to be home with Jesus for his birthday and she smiled at that in her sleep.

The second reason I Relay is for Ty. Last Christmas I sat on the couch with him at the Harvey's annual Christmas Eve party. We talked football, as usual, and he demanded that Troy was better then Auburn, as usual (and this year Troy had an awesome season :)). But in the back of my mind I kept thinking that this was probably his last Christmas here with us, and it was. Ty passed away on April 5th. That is why I Relay. That is why year-round I hassle people with emails and why I don't stop talking about it. That is why at Christmas I take a second to stop and count my blessings-- because the Homer House is healthy and fortunate. We want to stop and take a moment to think of all the people that are not having a very Merry Christmas because they are going through treatment or are newly diagnosed. We also want to think about the people that have fought hard this year and are either in remission or have lost the battle...that is why I Relay.

If you need to make a year end donation for your taxes, please consider Relay. If you have a hard-to-shop-for person, please consider a Relay donation in Honor or in Memory of one of their loved ones. All of the Homers are registered on the team and you simply click on this link"Friends for LIFE general donation page" and you can chose your favorite Homer off the list to make a donation.

From our house to yours, Have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy, Healthy New Year!

Santa Claus is Comin' to town!

Thought you might enjoy this great shot of the kiddos.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Kevin's results

Hi all! Just wanted to post a copy of what the newspaper had to say about the contest at the dentist. Kevin came in third place and won a gameboy. Second place was a 17-year old gal who saved a little boy while on duty as a lifeguard and first place went to an 18-year old girl who helps with the leukemia society. Thought you may want to take a look...

Jingle Bell Classic Video clips

Here you go Mikayla...You did a great job today, we are so proud of you!!!!

Here are the boys. Spencer is in lane 1 (top of the screen) and Jared is in lane 4 (bottom of the screen). Watch closely because it's a photo finish with Jared and the boy in lane 5. Spencer came in third....you guys totally rocked the house, we love you!!!

Our Golden Heros

The Homer-Harvey clan went on a field trip today to north Georgia for the older kid's very first Gold swim meet, the "Jingle Bell Classic". We had a great time even though it was very crowded in the stands, warm in the pool area and chaotic. The kids all had a wonderful time and they all did their best. The times were posted but it was too crazy to write them down. If you came in the top 16 then you scored points for our team. Mikayla was the only one of our three to score...4 of her 5 events went towards the team. We should know later which team won the entire meet. Even though Mik smoked the boys, only the top 8 places got a ribbon (top three got a medal) and the best she did was 10Th. The boys were usually in the 20's with their placement. What a learning experience! They all want to do it again so I guess we'll be off to Columbus Georgia in February...

..................Mikayla's ready! ...............................................Jared in lane 4 and Spencer in lane 1...

And the results are in....

Hannah video

So the uploading of the video has been causing me grief! I have been playing with this post for two days...I will try this one more time. I finally got two videos posted and then it bumped out half of my pictures...argh!

UBER CHAOS!!!

RYAN MONTANA...

HANNAH MONTANA!!!!!!

Yes, we were SO lucky to be blessed with the HOTTEST set of tickets on the planet. THANK YOU to Pap and Mamaw a.k.a Cliff and Beverly Bartow (Jen's folks) for helping us get these tickets, THANK YOU!!!! Hannah Hysteria and Miley Mania have attacked Atlanta. We left right after the school bus and headed out to Gwinett Arena. We had a quick bite to eat where we spilled the beans to the girls that this wasn't just any GNO (girl's night out)...we were actually going to the concert. They were so excited, especially since ALL the girls in the restaurant were totally decked out in Hannah gear. After we braved the sea of people to get our souvenirs we took our seats. It was a tad overwhelming and they teased the kids by constantly raising and lowering the lights. Each time they did that an eruption broke out that could be heard in Alabama. No lie, I still have no hearing, well...except for the ringing in my ears...Ryan hates loud noises and once the concert actually started she kind of got used to it. Jonas Brothers opened and then Hannah took the stage. She changed outfits every few songs and then she took a break to become Miley. The end came too soon for some of the crew but she did come back for a 1 song encore...let the pictures speak for themselves...it was like, so totally awesome...really!

Science Fair 2007

Well the boys worked really hard this year and they finished their projects tonight. Kevin's presentation is on Thursday and Jared's is on Friday. Kevin's work is entitled SHARK BITE and he researched shark teeth. He wanted to do this after catching a shark this summer on uncle Ricky's boat. He and Rick dissected the shark and took out the jaws. He also bought a pack of fossilized teeth at the gift shop this summer. Using his shark magazines and umpteen shark books- he listed a bunch of new facts about sharks and their teeth. Pretty cool. A HUGE thank you to mom and dad for scanning in pictures of sharks for us!!! UPDATE:Kevin didn't place but the competition was tough, 17 entries in his grade. He said he'll do it again next year. Great attitude Kevy!

Jared's was a tad more complex. He insisted on doing an invention...big shock since he wants to be an inventor...he came up with a way to mark his swim goggles so that his name won't come off in the water. He is SO forgetful and is always losing something and goggles are $15 a pair...not cheap...and he needs them to compete now. His is entitled AQUATAGS and he even has them packaged up. His first set of three tags is going to Spencer and Mikayla since they helped him test his prototypes...he plans on selling them this summer at the swim meets...UPDATE: Jared got 3rd place, that's three years in a row he got 3rd place, great job Jarebear!!

Relay for Life sign ups--There's No Need to Fear...a CURE is Near!

Hey all,

This is your personal invitation to join my relay team. Just because I'm not the team captain anymore is no excuse...now I'm the co-chair of the entire-million dollar-event and I need your support more then ever. If you would like to join the team the cost is $5 and it includes your tee shirt. This offer is good until the 12th of December...after that date the cost is $10 to join. This year the relay will be on Friday and Saturday May 9th-10th. If you do not wish to join but would still like to support our cause please go to our team's donation page, Friends for LIFE, at the Cobb County Relay for Life website. Rob, Jared, Kevin, Ryan and I are all on the team so you can click on any one of us to make a donation. This is a wonderful gift for the holidays for that hard to shop for person. To all my friends and family who have supported and continued to support us in this mission...THANK YOU!!! Our family is truly blessed and we have learned so much through our journey with the American Cancer Society. It isn't a road anyone ever wants to find themselves on but it's great to know there is someone there to help if you ever need them. As always, for more info on the team--click on the Friends for LIFE links on the right side of the blog. We have direct links for donations and also one to our team blog page.

Fish for Thanksgiving

We just got back from Costa Rica and I feel so behind. I'm still on "Pura Vida" time and it's hard to think about the fact that the neighborhood is all decked out and ready for Christmas, the boys have science fair due this week and we still have to write up what we did on our vacation for all three kids for their classes. I want to make some sort of collage with the pictures from the trip but it may take me a while to figure out how to do that. I only have my pics from my camera, the other 5 gigs of pictures are on my dads camera...so I will get them all posted a.s.a.p...We had an AWESOME time and the kids are already talking about going back. This was one of my favorite pictures, everyone looks good in mud...hahaha. Jared had already rinsed off by the time we got the picture organized so Kevin looked at him and told him that, "he could be the villager and we'd be the savages"...we did NINE things this day and we drove the kids hard--not a complaint at all from anyone...except maybe the ladies because of the suspension bridge 70 feet over a raging stream... Watch for more to come!

Happy Birthday Kevin!

Happy Birthday Kevybu!

We Love you!

Good News comes in Three's

So I got a call this morning from our dentist. Kevin had entered a contest to win a laptop computer. The theme was to Do a Good Deed and write an essay about it. Kevin wrote about how he and the other kids held a bake sale during our garage sale and that all the money from both events was going to the ACS. We submitted the entry months ago and we have been waiting to hear back. Last week when the boys were on the computer, the "You've won a FREE laptop" pop up came on the screen. Jared started screaming that Kevin had won the contest at the dentist. I had to burst their bubble and also have a talk about why we don't click on the pop up's. So this morning "the call" finally came. He got third place and will still receive an award. He thinks it will be a key chain...I had to laugh at that. So the AJC will be out to take pictures and all that stuff so stay posted for updates. As I am waiting for the bus this afternoon with this wonderful information in my back pocket, he gets off the bus telling me "he got a note from school". We are all aware of Kevin's behavior issues so my heart kind of sinks a little. Well, no worries, the note was a request to test him for Target. Jared got one too so I was extra thrilled. I was happy for Kevin because then maybe he can work out some of his behavior issues if he's kept too busy to misbehave. And I was happy for Jared since quite a few of his friends are in the program. Rob and I both missed by a couple of points, as did Jared in first grade. I'm not expecting much, but the boys are happy about it. Stay tuned...

Qweezy and Weezy

Karen is one of my best friends, we are neighbors, we work in adjoining classrooms at the preschool and she is on my Relay team. That's what we do...support each other. This past year had been EXTREMELY hard for both our families, but we helped each other get through. Please take the time to look at this website. I know I always talk about the American Cancer Society, but without these wonderful Children's Hospitals, my job with Relay would be even harder.

Kmtarbell@aol.com wrote:
I'm thinking of sending this out to people I know....do you think it's too pushy asking for donations? Be honest!

Today, Friday November 9th, is the one year anniversary of Michael's surgery at Egleston Hospital.

One year ago today, we sent our son into surgery with him bravely fighting back tears...

One year ago today, we spent hours in the Waiting Room waiting for news about our son...

One year ago today, Michael woke up from surgery with ½ of his face almost completely paralyzed...

Today, one year later, because of the excellent doctors, nurses and medical equipment at Egleston, he will be playing in a tennis tournament...no doubt with a smile on his face from EAR TO EAR!

Our local radio station Star 94 is holding a radio telethon this weekend benefiting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Scottish Rite and Egleston Hospitals). Children's Healthcare is a non-profit organization relying heavily on donations from people like us. Please consider making a donation---even a gift of $5 will go a long way to help Children's Healthcare continue to provide the expert medical care to seriously ill children. Last year, Star 94 raised over 1 million dollars!!!

You can access the Star 94 website through the link below.
http://www.star94.com/

Just click on box "Star 94 Cares for Kids". Scott and I are selecting the option to donate in honor of our hero---Michael Tarbell.

Turn on Star 94 this weekend and listen to some of the stories from the parents and children who are so bravely battling life-threatening illnesses. It will make the day to day challenges that we face with our children seem not quite so overwhelming.

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who might be interested in donating! Thanks! Karen and Scott Tarbell

Happy Birthday Jen!

hahahaha I was looking for a good picture to post for your birthday and I came across this one....it makes me laugh the most so it wins the prize. We've been through a bunch in our friendship and I am so glad to be on this crazy ride with you. Have a wonderful birthday and here's to a great year!

Trick or Treat!

We had a great time trick or treating this year. Jared went the entire time with the mask on his face, with NO complaints!! Ryan thought she was tough stuff hanging out with the big kids (Katie and Brooke) from the bus stop. Kevin was a hoot with his nun chucks and his Ninja outfit...especially when he kept smiling for the pictures! Jared did lose his patience for someone who thought he was a "cyclops", not an "eye clops"...is there a difference?!!? Seems like we had less kids come to the door this year--maybe because this year was the first year that our subdivision did a haunted house. They charged $1.00 and all the proceeds went to St. Jude's Children's hospital. We went last night and it was AWESOME! Ryan wasn't even scared one bit, she LOVED it. I did find out tonight that the "ghosts" and "ghouls" that work the haunted house yell out "move it along" when there are small kids in the group so that the bogey man doesn't jump out and scare the little ones. I wonder how cool it was for the "big" kids...