Chelle Fazal rocks!

Our great friend Chelle Fazal took some amazing photos of the kids a few weeks ago. I keep meaning to send the link to check them out.... click here then go to "Stuckeys". You can also see some of her other work on there. I can't even begin to explain how well she captured those special moments between having fits, tantrums, tears, screams, etc.....and the kids were pretty bad too! : )

Stuckey Family goes to the SC Aquarium

Amazing Abby!

Thunderstorm Picnic

Last Monday, we had a pretty scary thunder storm come through here. The lightening cracked just outside the house over & over again. The kids were scared, I was scared....even our dog Miga was scared. So, we all packed up some snacks and headed to the bathroom floor to ride out the storm until Clay got home from work. I tried to stay calm and let them know everything was OK (even though the noises were so loud it sounded like our neighbor's house was exploding!). Here is a picture of the kids eating animal crackers with Miga.

Check out my new "Palin Look"

I just borrowed Clay's glasses and put my hair up in the popular "Palin poof" and whallah....Terri Palin! : )

SNL - Palin & Clinton

David & Golaith (Part 2)

So, you know that Cody has been learning about David & Goliath, right? Well, it happened to be the story they taught at church this weekend. I thought it would get him real excited to hear the same Bible story we've been learning at home.

After church, I asked him if he liked his Bible story. He said, "yes". So, I asked him what it was about. He said, "Jesus came down and boom! The giant fell and then he blew the house down."

Um....I guess that version is in the book of Exaggerations.

Here is a funny cartoon of David & Goliath's sons at school. ------>

David & Goliath (Stuckey version)

Tonight's bedtime story was David & Goliath (if you haven't heard it before, you can read it here) ...not the best story to get Cody relaxed & ready for bed, but it ended up being a lot of fun. Of course we don't settle for just reading the story, we had to act it out too! : )

Cody was David and I was the giant (ok, ok, I know I don't make a good giant, but to a 2 year old it worked). He also has coins instead of small stones....so we changed it a little (get it, changed it...). We went though the skit several times before I decided to get the camera out and try to film it. At the beginning I ask him who he is and he replies, "R"...that's because we had just reviewed his "letter of the week" right before the story and I guess he got a little confused. Hope you enjoy!

As I'm writing this....I can hear him in his room telling the story over & over again....he is supposed to be asleep!

Never Forget 9/11

I was getting ready to go to work that morning and was listening to Howard Stern (of all people) on the radio. They were making small talk about Pamela Anderson and then someone told Howard that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. The tone went from joking to serious as he was trying to get his producers to find out more about it.

At first, reports suggested that it was a smaller plane, like a Cesna, that accidentally ran into the tower. As the story unfolded, they started following the reports on CNN....and then the second plane hit. You know the rest of the story.


I'll never forget where I was, what I heard, what I saw, and what I felt. I'm sure you won't either.

I remember the days that followed....there was a sense of urgency to do something (anything), a feeling of patriotism, an acceptance of life's uncertainty. We were ready to fight, ready to hold someone accountable, ready to sacrifice whatever it took to find those responsible. It makes me cry to think how much we have forgotten about that day. A philosopher once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." As sad and terrifying that day was for so many people, I hope that I never forget what happened for as long as I live.

Ever heard of the Large Hadron Collider? Well, it could either be the world's first Time Machine or it could create a BIG black hole and suck our planet into it....or it could just be a huge waste of time & money if nothing happens. Either way, it's really cool....and it is being tested right now.

The first beam was fired on the LHC last night, and it went all the way around the circle. So far everything's great, but the Collider does not go full power till next year.

Discover Magazine puts it: "The collisions at LHC could spray out strange new kinds of matter, unfurl hidden dimensions of space, even generate tiny glowing reenactments of the birth of the universe." And now, as we have seen - it may even facilitate time travel.

"We don’t even know what to expect," says French physicist Yves Schutz. "We’re now in a domain of energy that nobody has ever explored."

Basically, they want to figure out how the universe was created (by getting protons to speed up to near speed of light and then collide head on in this massive tunnel). Hmmm....seems like a faster way to get their answer would be to turn to page 1 in the Bible. Just a suggestion.

Palin Power!

Watching DMB in HD

Here is a cool picture I took of Dave Matthews Band playing live....in my living room! I have never appreciated HD more than I did at this very moment.
About 3 weeks ago, the band lost one of the founding members and saxophonist, LeRoi Moore, who died following complications from an ATV accident in June.

Oh, so much to say, what would you say, say goodbye.......

Cody gets a haircut...well, sort of

Clay tried to cut Cody's hair tonight and got as far as wetting it and trimming the bangs and a little of each side. Once the hair started getting on his face, he didn't want to hold still anymore. So, this is the style he ended up with (would have been super cool in the late 80s)...hopefully we can get it fixed professionally tomorrow!

One of Abby's Favorite Games

Tropical Storm Hanna

I feel like I'm usually "in the know" about what's going on these days. But ever since the media turned ultra-liberal-let's-all-drink-the-koolaid-with-Obama....I don't know what to believe anymore.
They are making Hanna out to be so scary and devastating - heading straight for Charleston with sustained winds of 35 - 50 mph. That just makes it a big thunderstorm, right?
I mean, we've had "real" hurricanes come through here and we've all survived. Sure, we may have power outages or some flooding (its called the "Lowcountry" for a reason), but I don't think we need to get too freaked out about it. Shouldn't we be keeping our eye on Hurricane Ike? Does anyone else feel that way or am I the only one who is not a media zombie?

Update: Latest Hanna image from CNN (1:00AM EST)

Favorite moment of the RNC

This is Piper Palin fixing her brothers hair while her mom was knocking it out of the park at the RNC.

Highlight's from Sarah Palin's Speech

Highlights from Sarah Palin's Speech last night:

ACCEPTENCE:
Gov. Palin: Mr. Chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens, I will be honored to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States.

I accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend America. And I accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election against confident opponents at a crucial hour for our country.

And I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions, and met far graver challenges, and knows how tough fights are won, the next president of the United States, John S. McCain.

FAMILY:

Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a very, very special love. To the families of special-needs...

To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message for you: For years, you've sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. And I pledge to you that, if we're elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.

MILITARY:

Our nominee for president is a true profile in courage, and people like that are hard to come by. He's a man who wore the uniform of his country for 22 years and refused to break faith with those troops in Iraq who now have brought victory within sight.

And as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man I want as commander-in-chief.

HOCKEY MOMS:

I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom and signed up for the PTA.

I love those hockey moms. You know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.

PURPOSE OF POLITICIAN:

Well, I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly these last few days that, if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

But -- now, here's a little newsflash. Here's a little newsflash for those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this great country.

Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reason and not just to mingle with the right people. Politics isn't just a game of clashing parties and competing interests. The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it.

No one expects us all to agree on everything, but we are expected to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear convictions, and a servant's heart.

And I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the United States.

OIL/ENERGY:
Americans, we need to produce more of our own oil and gas. And...

And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: We've got lots of both.

Our opponents say again and again that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems, as if we didn't know that already.

But the fact that drilling, though, won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.

ON OBAMA:

And now, I've noticed a pattern with our opponent, and maybe you have, too. We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers, and there is much to like and admire about our opponent.

But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the State Senate.

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word "victory," except when he's talking about his own campaign.

But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot...

When that happens, what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet?

For a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words. But for a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds.

Abby the Happy Drummer

Who says the musical talent is limited to the men in this family? Check out Abby having her moment in the spotlight - playing the drums while Mommy sings along.

Uncle Bill

Uncle Bill dropped in to visit with us for about 10 minutes yesterday. He is such a funny man....he reminds us of Mr.Bean.

He had brought us a random assortment of things:
- a half-used bottle of sunscreen
- a baseball cap
- a charger for a Nintendo DS (we don't have one)
- a flashlight
- a business card

We thought it was a little odd....later we found out that those things were meant for Heath & Willow. I guess he got the kids mixed up, I don't know? I asked him to pose with Cody & Abby for a quick photo before he left. As you can see, he was a little uncomfortable with holding Abby....I love the way she is looking at him.

It was nice to have a random visit from Uncle Bill even if it was a little weird. We love him anyway! : )