A day in the hospital

I am sitting here right now on the hospital's laptop(i want one bad!!) No, I'm not in the hospital, my dad is. He got sent in on Thurs. and that day and Fri. my grandma and grandpa have been babysitting Taylor and I. First, I had NO idea they were coming over. I got home, did everything I had to do, got a drink, sat down and watched Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. I was only 6 minutes into the movie when the doorbell rings. I wondered who could be here already. I opened up the door and HELLO!!!!

Well last Michigan State football game, they won!! The score was 55-18. Today's game was won by Michigan State again. The score was 28-17.


The Deathly Hallows book was by far the best book I have ever read! I am now reading the Lord of the Rings, again.

School is very hard so far! On our first day how would you like to do a 6 PAGE MATH TEST!!!!! On our second day we had a three page book report.

Well, I have to go now!!

Harry Potter mania

So glad that the movie AND book are finally out......the suspense was almost more then Tanner could handle!!!!!

He has taken his dad and sister to see the movie, then begged me to take him back, he was using the excuse 'you HAVE to see it mom' just so HE could see it again! LOL

We went to a Meijer Potter Party the night the book came out. The book came out at midnight, but we had already preordered the book, so while at the store, knowing the books were there....it was torture! When the finally brought the books out to where the long line had grown, it was wrapped in dark shrink wrap and they were NOT unveiling anything until the stroke of midnight but that wasn't good enough for Tanner! He made us walk by it so he could touch the pallet with the books on it! Then, some of the shrink wrap was torn and he actually got to see a bit of the cover and his little eyes went as big as 50 cent pieces! LOL

We finally came home and it was a restless night for him, just knowing he was going to be getting his book. He was glued to the mailbox just waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. Finally, he saw the mail lady come around the corner and his little body went rigid! The mail lady handed him the mail and started to pull away......talk about total and I mean TOTAL devastation, there was NO book!!!! She drove just a bit, then hit the brakes and told him she had something else she over looked......it was his book! He could NOT get in the house fast enough to rip open that box and then just sat there rubbing the cover! LOL Good grief!!

He did so good once he started reading, not listening to anything on the news about the book, not reading anything in the paper about it, not anything on the radio or the Internet, he wanted to read it on his own to find out what happens. The very next day he went to his friends house and the mom is a big reading fan to and said right to Tanner 'so what do you think of Harry bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep *have to bleep just in case there are readers here who don't know the plot yet* This lady actually told him a MAJOR spoiler!! Probably one of the biggest ones and he was SO mad and upset! He couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it!

He almost has the book read and he has started to slow down now that he is at the end, I think it is because this is the last of the series and he just doesn't want it to end.

We went to the Toys for Tots run and he and his sister Taylor went around in the parking lot asking for donations to shave Grumpy. They got $219!!! Taylor was actually a bit scared to start it off, but not Tanner.....he grabbed those clippers and went to town! He made a checker board on the back of Grumpy's head! LOL

This week it is going to be hot so he is looking forward to the pool water warming up so he can go swimming again.

Missouri

Hello! Missouri was a really cool place to go! My favorite thing that we did was stop at the arch. At first I was really scared to go on it, but then once we got going it wasn't bad. It was fun. When we got to the top, we had to walk up a set of really long steps, and then once we got to the top, I said "Cool!!!" We got to see the Rams Stadium, The Cardinals Stadium (it was raining, so we got to see them cover the field with the tarp:) and we got to see a helicopter land on a boat.

The hotels that we stayed at were fairly neat, and our first hotel, I got to sleep on a rollaway bed. That was the comfiest bed that I have slept on! It had an outdoor pool, a really good breakfast, and best of all, right next door, I was a guest (not really:(. The sign said "Speacial Guest, Rickey Lee Tanner! Welcome!" Darn it all! Our drive to pick up Major B. was about a half an hour drive, but when we went to our second hotel, it was supposed to be a 2 hour drive instead of a stinkin' 5 hour drive!! When we got to the 2 hotel, they said it was nessled in the Ozark Mountains, but I could bareley see them! The out side was like a wilderness lodge. After we got settled in, we all went down to meet in the lobby and all decided to go to "Aussie Jacks". Then when we got done and went back to the hotel and slept!

Meeting a Detroit Tiger Legend!

Tanner got the real pleasure of meeting a legend from one of his favorite teams, the Detroit Tigers. Tanner got to meet Denny McLain who played for the Tigers from 1963 to 1970 and he is the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season!

He was in a parade for the Three Rivers Waterfest where they were honoring Taylor. Taylor makes sure there is always room for her brother to be with her in these, as he is her 'wing man'. He is always happy to be there for her and he loves it when someone recognizes him and calls out HIS name!

He went with this sister to visit a WW11 veteran who was in the hospital. I am sure some of you will remember Lester and what he did for Taylor on Taylor's Day. He had to have some surgery, so Taylor and Tanner went up to wish him well and make him smile.

I will add more later on about the trip to Missouri for http://www.anysoldier.com/ and Tanner being REALLY enthralled by a certain Lt. Col. Mitch 'Taco' Bell!

HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER

HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER is all this family hears about from one Tanner Batten! He can't wait until July 11 for the movie to be here and July 23rd for the book. This is a hard time for Tanner as his patience has just about worn out.....he can't and I repeat CAN'T wait!

We got his report card and of course, all A's and B's. I think I am going to start asking him how to do things from now on he is so dang smart!

We are waiting for the pool to get topped off with water so he can turn into the little fish that he is. Come summer time, I have to practically drag him out of the pool, if he could sleep in there, he would. He is all ready to head to an amusement park, he LOVES roller coasters and has absolutely no fear what so ever when it comes to that stuff. Heck, he goes on rides that even the adults stand there looking at going NO WAY.

In a few weeks we are going to MO for the weekend for something for anysoldier.com and Taylor has a part in it. Tanner is actually really excited about going which really surprised me. He is talking about everything he is going to see along the way and what he wants to take pictures of already. He normally is just pretty quiet and laid back, but he is pretty excited.

CONGRATULATIONS TANNER!!!!

Tanner has been a busy body, riding in 2 parades with his sister, reading up a storm to take over the top reader in his class, he got 160 AR points this year, up from 92 he had last year!!!! WOW!

Today was awards day at school and he got 3 awards! He got one for Academic Excellence in Accelerated Math, Academic Excellence in Accelerated Reader and he got a gold seal award from the President of the United States of America! It is from the President's Education Awards Program and he got it for Outstanding Academic Excellence, along with a letter from the President! This now makes TWO letters he has gotten from the President in 2 months time!

We are very proud of him. He is a wonderful student and he is so helpful to the other kids that need it. He loves to read and I think that shows by what his points were at the end of the year.

School is officially out tomorrow, but today was his last day as we are spending the day at a 5 day Memorial Day symposium and tomorrow will be a day for Iraq veteran's and those serving presently. Of course, his big sister GySgt Batten will be there, so he wanted to go along to. He and Taylor will get the huge honor of meeting LCpl Christopher Bendall, Tin's son. She is a member of the Patriot Guard Riders and her son has been bravely serving our country and has been over in Iraq. He just got home and will be here in Michigan for about a week before he has to head back to his base. He is giving up one of his precious days away from family and friends to come down and be with Taylor and Tanner. VERY COOL!

Tanner is now officially a 5th grader! Way to go buddy!!!

(I tried to get that darn certificate to turn the other way but can't!)

My favorite things

These are a list of my favorite things!

Favorite book; Harry Potter series

Favorite site; the-leaky-cauldron.org (a Harry Potter site)

Favorite shows; Flight 29 Down, Amazing Race, and Ghost Whisperer

Favorite subject in school; math

Favorite movies; Happy Feet, Goblet of Fire, Eragon

I have alot more things but I just can't think of them! The picture of me in the corner is my spring picture that we just got. I picked out 3, but I really didn't like them. In school, we are doing Young Authors. It is where the whole school writes a mini book. I have been working on mine for what seems like a year! My dog has been getting covered in ticks. Today she had two, yesterday, she had one, I wonder what she will get tomorrow?

Tanner's new blog

Seeings how Taylor got her own blog, Tanner decided he wanted one as well. Each day he will try to come in and type out anything his little heart desires and he can say what he wants!