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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. Last week we were leaving the doctor's office and see a woman and her three day old baby. This woman was in pretty rough shape and could barely move. Amelia takes one look at her and says "What's the matter with her? She can't even walk." I explained as nicely and as PG-4 as I could that this woman just had a baby. Amelia's response "Who wants to have a baby if you have to walk around looking like that!?"

2. We got stomped on the soccer field this weekend. I don't think our girls scored a single goal. But they were very good sports about it and played their little hearts out. I was really proud of their determination and grace on the field. They were frustrated but still kept fighting.

3. Will's Sunday school teacher is pregnant and due this winter. We found out last week she is having a little boy and naming him Will (a family name for her too). I asked my Will what he wanted the baby to be and he said "an Owl". When I told him the baby was a boy and going to be named Will too, he got very excited. Now there are three Wills and he is happy to count them off for you.

4. Bella earned her vest in Sparks this Sunday. She was very proud of her accomplishment. She has been working really hard to memorize her verses.

5. Drew starts MMO today. I know, I know. I was going to hold off and send him to preschool in the fall. The ladies have been requesting him and when a Tuesday opened up, I decided to scoop it up. He loved going this summer. Will loves Drew's teachers (his from last year) and I'm preparing myself for the jealousy of Drew getting to stay with Rah-Rah and Pat-Pat.

6. Amelia had a tea party at school today. She had to dress up for the occasion and practice good manners. She was excited about this for days and had a great time at the party.

7. Will is really enjoying the big boy room at preschool. He loves to paint and when I pick him up every day he is so excited to show me the artwork he made that day. Last week all of the kids painted a sun and they are hanging from the ceiling. Will loves all the sunshines in his classroom.

8. Thanks to all that have pledged or donated money to Bella this week. She has actually enjoyed calling you and is excited to run on Thursday morning. Jason and I are a little disappointed that neither or us can make it because of prior scheduling conflicts.

9. Now that Drew is walking everywhere nothing in our house is safe. His favorite spots to play are the trash, toilet and anywhere in the kitchen. He absolutely loves emptying my un-childproofed cabinets. Ugh, we're going to have to find some way to keep him out.

10. Bella is cursed with a long, narrow foot. As I've previously stated she's very particular about footwear and is currently just shy of the big girls sizes at the shoe store. She's pretty sad about this fact because little girls shoes are mostly Mary Janes. My fashionista is tired of Mary Janes. She drools over and asks to try on the same pair of sparkly black flats every time we're in the store. Finally, this year they fit and I've never seen someone so excited over a pair of shoes.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. Bella scored two goals in her soccer game this weekend. She was so happy and so proud of herself. We were pretty proud of her too.

2. The kids enjoyed a visit from Sammy on Friday night. They have been begging for her to come over to babysit for weeks now. Jason and I finally had somewhere to go and she was available. They love Sammy and are already asking when she's coming back to watch them. Bella and Amelia don't understand why she can't come over for a regular playdate when I'm home.

3. Jason officially said goodbye to his unit Friday night. His boss lives down the street from us and he's working at the book store with another one of his friends, so he's not going to be totally lost in civilian life. His first week of classes went well.

4. Bella is the T letter expert for her kindergarten class. Whew. I'm excited we were randomly chosen for T and not X. She can write Tt fairly well already and is working on the sounds. We have to take in a picture of something that begins with "T" and she wanted to take a picture of an actual tree in our backyard. We also have to take in a piece of environmental print that begins with "T" and she chose Twizzlers. She wanted to take a picture of Target, her favorite store.

5. The girls are really enjoying AWANA at church. They love memorizing their bible versus each week and I'm amazed at how quickly they can accomplish this. Bella memorized John 3:16 in two days. This week we're going to try to memorize two bible verses.

6. We finally seem to have a drop in temperature here. It is supposed to be in the 90s all week. When I've gone out to walk all week it's been rather chilly. I must be acclimating to the southern climate finally. Oh dear.

7. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time you've heard me complain about the lunatics on the road. And I mean lunatics. They pull some of the craziest driving maneuvers that I have ever seen. If you aren't used to seeing them you're usually stuck staring with your mouth open or literally biting your tongue at the craziness. So I'm driving to church the other day through miles of construction. I miss my first turn option and realize traffic is backed up and there is no way I can turn at the second. If you're from the north clearly you're going to drive to the next light and turn around. Not me. I whipped a left hand turn and sat and patiently waited for oncoming traffic to allow me to cross three lanes. And you know what, they did. Driving like a local.

8. We're a few weeks away from the start of college football. Usually one of my favorite times of year. This year I am dreading it. We live in the land of the defending National Champions and if they weren't annoying enough last season, I know they will be this year. I'm just hoping someone takes them down a few notches quickly so I don't have to hear about their superior football excellence again. All season.

9. We are currently participating in our first school fundraiser. I know this is a great opportunity for the school and I really hope the parents are getting behind it. I dread having Bella call and ask for donations. That pep rally must have worked because she was ready to go. (She's so unlike her mother, the former university fundraiser.) Be forewarned family members, if you get a call from one of your favorite five year olds asking you to help her "run laps for school" this is what it's for :)

10. Drew and I have a lunch date tomorrow with one of my favorite newborns and her beautiful mama. I correctly guessed her arrival at our local news station's contest and I can't wait to get my hands on that sweet girl again. I love newborn babies and I seriously think I could hold them all day long. Drew can only tolerate so much and then he turns a bit jealous.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

soccer

We had our first soccer game of the season last week. It was a 9:30 game and it was H-O-T. I like the set up so much better this year. Thirty minutes of practice and thirty minutes of game. Bella is much more interested in playing and much more excited to be out on the field. Last year we had practice twice a week and a game and she got burnt out very quickly. She is on a team with six other girls this year and loves it so far. The fashionista was concerned about the uniforms. Last year they had hunter green and she was hoping for purple this year. When I told her they were green again, she kind of wrinkled her nose at me. The lime green with bright blue has seemed to appease her however. Her shoes, of course, are pink again.
She is much more aggressive this year on the field and happier to be out there. Last year she wanted to play puppy and was more interested in picking flowers than kicking the soccer ball. This year she is all all over the ball, even if she's heading towards the wrong goal. She's not using her hands at all and she's got a great attitude so far. We're excited for the season!




Tuesday, August 17, 2010

a little perspective

Being a military wife myself this hit me in the heart like a ton of bricks. This has been my child, this has been my family. I thought of our friends still serving overseas and their families waiting for them at home. I've lost count of the exact number of tours they've been on. Their courage, their strength their faith is unwavering. I'm re-posting this for you.
Until they all come home.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Drew is walking as you can see in the video below. He's not completely steady on his feet but he's getting there. He'll be chasing after his big brother and sisters any day now.

2. We ended the week at the pool for a birthday party. What a great way to spend Friday night in the summer.

3. Bella loved her first week of kindergarten. She loves her teacher, her friends and riding the bus home.

4. Bella has homework every night. She's practicing her penmanship every night and is trying so hard to get better.

5. Amelia finished her first week of big girl preschool. She loves being upstairs and is hoping to learn to write all her letters this year.

6. Will loves to paint in his new class. He is learning to share toys more with his friends and follow directions from his teachers.

7. Jason has officially started classes and doesn't think they are going to be too difficult, just time consuming.

8. Amelia loves puzzles. She puts several together every afternoon after nap and she is getting faster and faster at them. I'm not a puzzle person at all and I'm really impressed with her almost four puzzle skills.

9. If you are a person that prays, please keep my good friend in your prayers. She's currently pregnant with her second baby, in her 28th week and on bedrest. Drew has his appointment with the pediatric surgeon in two weeks. We will find out then when his belly button surgery will be scheduled. This is a minor procedure, complicated by his asthma.

10. Several people have been asking me lately about weight loss. It's getting a little embarrassing because I'm finally getting back to what I normally look like. If you know me here, I've apparently lost a dramatic amount of weight since I've been pregnant. If you know me before the four kids in five years, I look pretty much like I always did. No one seems to believe this since I'm so large pregnant and that's how they're used to seeing me. Either way, thank you for the very nice compliments but I promise you I have no big secrets to share. I'm not taking a magic drug. I don't and have never done any of the popular proven weight loss plans. I watch what I eat but I believe in eating everything in moderation. If I want a brownie, I eat a brownie. I just don't eat an entire pan. I drink diet soda, water and milk. I tried P90X and loathed every minute of it. Really, I just walk. A lot. Four miles, at least five days a week with some enjoyable company. So for the inquiring minds, there you go :)

Monday, August 16, 2010

he's off

Here are Drew's first steps caught on film. I was so excited to see him actually walking and I wanted to catch as much as I can. You'll have to ignore the lovely background noise of my other loud children and the camera angle.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

preschool begins

Preschool began today. Hooray! Amelia and Will were very excited to get back to their school. They were ready to see their teachers and their friends. When I woke Amelia up this morning, she said "Is today my first day of school? Finally!" I'm excited for all that they are going to learn this year, the new friends that they are going to make and the fantastic friends they will be with again. They love going to school and we're so fortunate to have such fantastic ladies teaching our kids.






day one complete

Isabella LOVED her first day of kindergarten. She was full of smiles when she got off the bus yesterday afternoon. I asked her a ton of questions and didn't get a lot of information out of her. I think her brain was on overload from seven hours worth of straight activities and she was still super excited about actually attending school.
Here are a few of her highlights.

-Kindergarten Rocks! This is a book they read with their teacher and she really liked it. It is about a little boy that went to kindergarten on the first day.
- The thinking mat. If you do something you're aren't supposed to you get to go to the thinking mat and think about your actions.
-She made several new friends. Samantha, Mallory and Olivia were a few of the girls names she could remember.
-She knows where the nurse "lives" at school and she can find her by herself now. If you're sick you go see the nurse.
- The toilets flush automatically like the ones in Burger King that we use when we travel.
- She painted a girl on a plate with her new paint set. Her girl had straight hair.
- Her nap mat is purple and has ballerinas on it. She still doesn't need a nap but she likes the nap mat better than the thinking mat, so she'll nap.
- She liked eating in the cafeteria and is excited to try the cafeteria food. I'm impressed because I didn't think cafeteria food was good until high school.
-She rides the blue diamond bus home. She loved riding the bus.
- There is no playing in kindergarten, only learning. It's still fun though and she really likes it.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

first day

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin' til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish
(My wish for you)

This is my wish
(My wish for you)
I hope you know somebody loves you
(My wish for you)
May all your dreams stay big
(My wish for you)
~ Rascal Flatts

Monday, August 9, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. Bella, Amelia and Will were playing make believe. Bella asked Will what he was pretending to be and he replied, Indian. Hands on hips, this was her response. "You can't pretend to be an Indian Will. You are an Indian. You have to be an Indian princess. Or how about an Indian astronaut?"

2. I told the kids they could watch a movie after they finished eating. The girls are always finished first and were already on the couch waiting. As I wiped Will's hands off, I asked him what movie he thought they were watching. His response as he shakes his head and walks in "Probably Cinderella".

3. We've been in stranger-danger mode since the attempted kidnapping. Amelia is leery of anyone on a good day. Even the people she knows. We're walking around church at the children's ministries kickoff Sunday night and our pastor comes up and starts talking to us. Amelia just looks at him out of the corner of her eye and waves. She won't move an inch. I explain about the stranger discussions we've been having and he leans down and gave her a big hug and kiss and explained again who he was.

4. Jason and I have always insisted the kids call everyone Mr. or Miss. Isabella sometimes gets a little confused about what she's supposed to call people if they have an actual title. I have a friend that she knows is a doctor and she insists on calling her Dr Miss Jenny. She also says Miss Lt COL or Miss Nurse Emilea. Fancy.

5. Isabella enjoyed open house last week. She was ecstatic to find out that her teacher has long brown curly hair and a baby that is Drew's age. She saw her room, unpacked her school supplies, and even bought a magnet and tshirt for school spirit day.

6. Drew isn't closer to walking. He has been pushing a noodle around the swimming pool, completely standing upright and at home he runs behind his train. He just won't take more than three or four steps alone.

7. Bella has been asking me since open house if today is the first day of kindergarten. I can't believe that today is actually the first day of kindergarten. Bella can hardly stand it she's so excited. Amelia is devastated and has been sobbing since Monday around 2:30 PM. My emotions fall somewhere in the middle of my two girls.

8. Open house is today at preschool. We know who are teachers are and have been carrying around there pictures on and off for three weeks. We're still going to actually see the rooms, hear about what they're doing this year and find out who is actually in their class.

9. Choir begins tomorrow night. I know I've talked about it before but I'm a little nervous about teaching three year olds music. Teaching? No problem. Three year olds? I'm your girl. I'm ready to have a great time and I'm not really concerned with how in-tune they are. Or is it off-tune? I may need to refresh my musical terminology before tomorrow.

10. Last but not least, this one deserves mentioning as well. As I was taking Isabella's picture this morning she said to me "Are you going to post this picture on Facebook?" I responded "Yes" She said, "Okay, I know you want all your good friends to see me on my first day of kindergarten." This follows our previous conversation where Isabella and Amelia determined that if you were not Jason or I's facebook friend, you weren't really our "good" friend. Where do they come up with this stuff?

Sunday, August 8, 2010

the happiest guy in the house

Here are a few photos I took of Drew before church today. He was so happy this morning and crawling around the house. Laughing and playing with his cup and lid. Every time I said "cheese" he gave me the cheesiest smile. He's the happiest little guy and we love him so much. At the end of the mini photo shoot, the other kids willingly posed for a picture with their baby brother.








Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

1. Will had his first ever case of swimmer's ear this week. We knew something was up when we couldn't even take his shirt off without him crying.

2. The pool was closed this week because of filter issues. We were bored and hot and struggling for things to do by the end of the week when it opened back up.

3. Jason enjoyed his first week ever in civilian job world. He is twice the age of one of the girls he works with.

4. We have Isabella's open house tomorrow night and we FINALLY get to find out who her teacher is. I guess I can kind of see why they make the parents wait to find out, they don't want people calling to complain and trying to switch classes but seriously, this is kindergarten. This is huge. I need to prepare her for not knowing anyone and a completely new environment, with a new teacher she doesn't know. I have a feeling this is my welcome to the public school system.

5. The kids are in private Christian-based preschool programs. I'm so thankful for that environment. We've already warned Isabella that certain things will be different and there won't be praying to begin her day or before lunch. She's a little confused about why already.

6. There was an attempted kidnapping here last week at my favorite superstore. A man walked up to two little boys, waiting for their mom outside the dressing room and told them he was a police officer. He offered to buy them anything they wanted if they would come with them. He had a gun with him. As a parent this is my biggest fear and I've been talking to the kids about it since it happened.

7. Driving down the highway today, I hear "that is so stupid". I don't like the word stupid and look up and reply, "please choose a better word Bella." She says, "That is really dumb". I'm getting a little frustrated at this point and simply say "Isabella". She gives a huff and says, "fine, that is absolutely ridiculous.". Then I see what she's talking about. A teenager driving her wrangler pulls up beside me. Her foot, without a shoe is hanging out the door flapping in the wind. (Keep in mind the speed limit here is 70 and most people travel 80) and her arm, cigarette in hand is dangling there flapping in the wind. I'll give credit where credit is due - that is SO stupid.

8. I took the littlest three shoe shopping for BTS. Will is in an 11.5 double wide. His feet are huge. Bella only wears a 12. Amelia still measures a 8-8.5 but I made them put her in a 9 just in case she has a growth spurt. Maybe wishful thinking.

9. We are now carrying an EpiPen for Will incase of a beesting. The allergist doesn't think we will need to use it but because of the severe reactions he's had in the past, he thinks it's best to have it on hand. He's too young to test for a bee allergy right now and we just have to keep a close eye on him and hope he doesn't get stung.

10. Everyone in the house (with the exception of the father figure) loves Annie. Complete with moves from the movie. It's a nice break from our Saddle Ridge Ranch VBS songs we've been hearing all summer.