SUMMER 2015 - Lakes-Berries-Caves-Snakes-Baseball-Dyslexia-Robot Zoo-Bugs

What a BUSY summer!

We made a bucket list for summer and did ALMOST all of it.

Our annual Honeycomb Beach excursion was quite fun.....and infinitely easier than last year.

Our trip to Jack's lake was awesome, and the fact that I finally (after 3 years) made it through a Jack's Lake day without letting the boys get sunburnt was just the icing on top!

We hit 24.75 hours of reading over our 6 week break and the boys were thrilled to turn in their reading logs to our beloved Miss Maggie at the library at the final summer reading party....which just happened to include snakes, lizards and frogs.

Creek trips always top the summer (and who am I kidding...spring and fall) to do lists for the boys.

We made a trip to Cathedral Caverns with Nana and Gramps.  No trip to the caverns is complete without a berry picking excursion.  Thankfully Nana is an adept berry picker, even when the little boys lose focus in the adjacent peach orchard.

I participated in an INTENSIVE dyslexia training at our local Dyslexia school to beef up my skills in teaching Matthew.  Nana & Gramps came and kept the boys....as a result these boys got a little spoiled and Kimber thinks all toast now "needs" CHEESE on it.

The baseball bug has hit Matthew HARD.  He has always loved baseball but I would bet we have played catch 5 out of 7 days for the past 3 months, since baseball season ended.  He also attended a 3-day baseball camp at the local high school that he thoroughly enjoyed.

The local Space and Rocket Museum has a Robot Zoo exhibit that is phenomenal.  We spent a fun day exploring it and enjoying the lack of crowds as the local schools have started.

Our new school year starts next Monday!  We are shifting from American History and Geography to a study of the ancients this year.  Add this to math, reading, cursive, biology, geology and Latin.  We will be dissecting owl pellets (poop) and crayfish in a few weeks and the boys cannot wait. 

THINGS I WOULD TELL MY KIDS IF I WERE THEIR SIBLING AND NOT THEIR PARENT

Totally stole this idea from http://www.texanmama.com/ but I wholly and completely identify with what she is trying to express.

1)  When Mama asks you to put something in your closet, the playroom, my room etc, what she means is for it to be put IN ITS PLACE in that room, not for you to walk in the appointed room and chunk the object in and run.

2)  The crazy nuts timeframe in which she is preparing dinner is NOT the time to request a snack.

3)  Her sewing machine is that, HERS.  Grubby little boys hands have no business touching it.  She shares EVERYTHING else with us (papa, her lap, her bed, her bathtime, her sleep, food, energy, quiet), let her have this little thing.

4)  Those random hugs, snuggles, sweet moments with Mama make her day EVERY SINGLE TIME.  So do it MORE!

5)  You know what toys go in which bins so putting them up the first time you are asked wins you GIANT brownie points in her book.

6)  Getting dressed is a NON-NEGOTIABLE.  As hard as I have tried to escape the house unclothed it has yet to happen.  So just get dressed and quit making a circus of the event.

Life=Good

Life=Good

When you have friends who let you show up at their house for the party you intended to host.

When you can have friends over and they know their way around your kitchen and practically make dinner for you.

When at a moments notice, neighbors step in and watch our little menfolk for the evening.

When on a dreary Saturday morning these same neighbors deliver sugar laden treats to the little men.

When, on the first day of February, your kids spend hours at the park jumping in mud puddles, playing in the creek and sliding and then riding home in all their naked glory.

When your husband realizes that all you really need is a nap....and does NOT disturb you.

When you finish a project...and feel oh so accomplished.

When your two year old can crack eggs more efficiently than you can.

2011, YOU ROCKED

My top ten list for 2011

1)  Shaved 10 whole minutes off my half-marathon pace from a year ago!!
2)  Took on a part time paying gig that I am enjoying.
3)  I survived. The interrupted sleep cycles, the food demands, the poop, the vomit, the big tornado, the arctic storm, temper tantrums, living in limbo, fevers, K starting MMO, ,,,,and I am happy, healthy and truly love my life.
4)  My children still love me! I still get unsolicited kisses from them both just further proof that I managed to make it another year as a pretty decent mama!
5)  After a 13+ year search our family found a church home!
6)  Will and I had our first night away since becoming parents 4 years ago.  Bonus points, we got to spend it with great friends and run our first Warrior Dash.
7)  No more diapers in this house!!
8)  Last girls weekend was in 2005, in New York City.  This was fixed this year, a sandy Florida beach, books, some adult libations and a few full nights of sleep....heavenly!!
9)  In the last 60 days of 2011....I became the owner of not one...but several new pairs of shoes.  Yes, I needed some...just not sure I "needed" 4 pairs of boots and 2 pairs of peep toe Tom's. 
10) Alabama is starting to feel like home.  We have some genuine friends, are involved in our little community, have awesome neighbors and best of all.....Will went to work for a local company so we hope to be staying put for awhile!

Gratitude

Since it is the season, the season for being thankful for how very blessed we are I thought I would share a list of things I am thankful for.  I will compile this list throughout the month. Hopefully it will bring to light, once again, how incredibly blessed we are.

1.

I am incredibly thankful for the God that created me in his image, loves me and protects me unconditionally.

2.

I am thankful for my husband, who so fiercely loves me, gets me (most of the time), provides for me in so many ways, stands firmly behind me, challenges me and always always always makes me laugh and every once in a while...cry.

3.

I am thankful I was born in a free country with brave men and women willing to lay down their lives to protect our incredible freedom.  People have died for our rights, rights we take for granted EVERY SINGLE DAY so that we may occupy Wall Street, read what books we choose, bear arms, have as many babies as we desire, wear what we like or concern ourselves with idiotic things like those stupid frickin' Kardashians.

4.

I am thankful for Matthew, the baby that made me a mom and makes me proud EVERY SINGLE DAY.  He is healthy, happy, determined, quiet, loving and has proven that motherhood is 1000 times harder better than I ever conceived.


5.

I am thankful for Kimber, my caboose, my missing link, my snuggle puppy.  He has that thing that his Dad has, the ability to crack me up daily.  He is happy, healthy, stubborn, definitely NOT QUIET, sweet and every single moment makes me thankful for my blessings.

6.

I am thankful for heated seats in my car.

7.

I am thankful for friends who "get" me and all my quirkiness!

8.

I am thankful for a dad that made me a strong independent woman.  He is always the perfect combination of firm and loving.
 
9.

I am thankful for our little house in a cul-de-sac with awesome neighbors and lots of trees.

10.

 I am thankful for the health of my family.

11.

I am thankful for my paternal grandparents who were the most patient-perfect-grandparenty grandparents ever.  The vast majority of my positive childhood memories involve them.  I never look at a yellow squash or peach tree without thinking of them.  They didn't laugh at my high school/college horse affliction, they encouraged me to follow my heart, they were truly genuine Christian people who cared for everyone around them. I was blessed enough to have them until I was into my thirties but man I miss them.
 
12.

I am thankful for all of the experiences, good and bad, that I have had that delivered me to this happy place in my life.


13.

I am thankful for my 2 year old being potty trained and our household being out of the diaper business!!

14.

I am thankful for PIXAR and Disney and the geniuses behind their awesomeness.

15.

I am thankful for our fertile soil that we get to play in, grow things in (especially weeds) and simply enjoy.

 
16.

I am thankful for my Garmin GPS, I am totally spoiled and there is not a single part of me that misses the pre-2006 days of running....and then driving the route to determine my mileage.


17.

I am thankful for a husband that doesn't do sports (besides a little baseball), loves to build me stuff and is always thinking way outside of the proverbial box!

18.

I am thankful for sunshine..without which I would not be a pretty person.

19.

I am thankful for cheese...any all flavor variety...cheese...mmmmmmmm!

20.

I am thankful for family and friends who still appreciate the beauty of snail mail.

21.

I am thankful for this strong body I have been blessed with, it never ceases to amaze me.

22.

 I am thankful for chocolate...

23.

I am thankful for W's new position...him being home more is SO AWESOME!

24.

I am thankful for my sewing machine, one of the most awesome gift I have ever gotten and it is oh so fun to make stuff.
 
25.

I am thankful for awesome in-laws.  I know A LOT of people don't feel very blessed in this department but I certainly do.

26.

I am thankful for a healthy marriage, that defies some of the accepted roles that marriage typically takes on.

27.

I am thankful for our old school wood burning fireplace, there is nothing quite as homey as a real fire in the fireplace and the smell of woodsmoke in the air.

28.

I am thankful for sandpaper and paint, such an easy way to transform a room or piece of furniture.

29.

I am thankful for Muppet, the most awesome dog on the planet.  She watches after/puts up with our boys and all of their antics.  Loves sitting in the sunshine....and in front of the space heater and is great at floor clean-up...as long as it doesn't involve lettuce.

30.

I am tankful for books.  If there is one thing I love the most it is reading.  There is nothing quite like the feel/smell/sensation of a book in your hands.

+/-

+  I have gotten more snuggle time with baby K the last 12 hours than I ever dreamed possible

-  Of course the only reason he is sitting still and needing said snuggles is the fact that he is sick.

+   Loving the changing leaves, cooler temperatures and occasional decreased mosquito population.

-   The summer to do list is getting compounded by the fall to do list.  So. Much. To. Do.

+   Getting a little paycheck has been nice these last few months.

-   Figuring out this whole working from home thing has been more challenging than anticipated.

+  These little boys are growing and changing at such an insane pace.

-   These little boys are growing and changing at such an insane pace.

+   I am right on target for my half marathon training.

-  A sick baby this week just might throw me off schedule.
  

Why I love being a mom to BOYS!!!

1) Digging for worms provides hours of entertainment.

2) It's okay to be shirtless.

3) Peeing outside is standard operating procedure.

4) They snuggle just as hard as they play.

5) They, and now I, know the name of every type of tractor/heavy equipment rig.

6) I love a freshly buzzed head and having two of my very own to love is AWESOME!

7) No leggings, tights, bows, make-up (besides mine) will be an issue.

8) At any time you will likely find a train, a truck, a tractor and a garbage truck in my purse.

9) Neosporin and band aids, they have their own line in the family budget.

10) Sand, mulch, rocks and dirt are better than any toy I have found and so CHEAP!

A little about me....a little about you?

Fun to share....and a great way to spend some time on-hold:


Making : fabric Easter Baskets for my boys and a purse for my niece
Cooking : absolutely nothing
Drinking : H2O
Reading: The Five Love Languages for Children
Wanting: a new hairdo
Looking: at my messy desk
Playing: stay awake
Wasting: time wishing I had more of it
Sewing: same as making.....
Wishing: life were easier to predict
Enjoying: the odd silence of two guys NAPPING
Waiting: for my long awaited stand mixer to arrive
Liking: this weather
Wondering: what life has in store
Loving: checking things off the to do list
Hoping: for a good night of sleep
Marvelling: at how many times a day I pick up the SAME things
Needing: some stiffy...fabric stablizer
Smelling: laundry
Wearing: tee and running pants
Following: the path of destruction created by thing 1 & thing 2
Noticing: that I will be closer to 40 than 30 in a few weeks....YUCK
Knowing: that being an adult sucks sometimes
Thinking: of a kid free dinner out
Opening: my checkbook
Giggling: over how big Kimber thinks he is
Feeling: kinda energized after my run

100 Things

As a way of providing insight...and just maybe a smile or two?

So, without further ado...
1. I was born in Louisiana
2. but TEXAS was and always will be HOME
3. I never ever ever thought I would live in Alabama
4. In fact, I honestly though Alabama was one big trailer park
5. Thankfully it is not
6. I love it here now
7. Sunshine and digging in the dirt makes me VERY happy
8. I love that I am the only girl in our house
9. The last three years have felt like ten.
10. In a good way.
11. I've been looking for my path.
12. I have the two most adorable redheaded boys in the planet
13. And no, I am not the least bit biased.
14. I want to be a writer
15. but don't know where to start
16. I have a love/hate relationship with running
17. but I'll keep at it
18. I have done 2 full marathons and several half marathons and there are more in my future
19. eventually
20. I love our neighbors
21. I hate grocery shopping
22. I love to read
23. but the little people don't tolerate it much
24. I love chocolate
25. When I start generating an income...I will quit ironing
26. and start buying books again
27. I used top be such a dog person, but the kidlets zap me of energy, I love our dog but she doesn't get the attention previous dogs have, which makes me sad.
28. I adore my husband
29. funny-unpredictable-nutty-and head over heels for me.
30. I desperately need new bras...
31. Spending nearly 4 years being pregnant and or nursing has done them in.
32. I like the quiet
33. Maybe a little too much
34. I miss it.
35. I miss Texas some days
36. But not that insane commute we did for 8 years
37. I want chickens..for the eggs
38. and goats
39. and horses
40. I am finally done nursing
41. which makes me very happy
42. and a little sad
43. I miss shopping for myself
44. I have a want to sew list a mile long
45. and most of the fabric to do it
46. just need the time
47. My desk is always a work in progress
48. I love thrift store shopping....as well as curb side shopping...a serial recycler I am.
49. I love book stores and libraries
50. I hate spelling and grammatical errors.....facebook makes me CRAZY for this reason!
51. I am addicted to English Breakfast Tea
52. and Nutella.
53. I need a haircut...BAD.
54. Someday, I will have a station wagon
55. I know, not "cool" but that's okay, I was never the cool kid.
56. My husband really is my best friend
57. and my biggest advocate
58. I will write a book
59. and hopefully get it published.
60. The list of things to do on the house grows by the minute
61. just wish the funds to do it would grow that fast
62. I need a massage
63. and a pedicure
64. and a nap
65. not necessarily in that order
66. I hate going to bed with a dirty kitchen.
67. Horizontal spaces piss me off
68. I miss sleeping in
69. and uninterrupted time with the hubs
70. but love the chaos of two little boys running around under our feet
71. just not so much at 5 AM
72. I hate talking on the phone, I feel awkward
73. Clean sheets....one of my favorite things
74. A covered screened back porch = BLISS....
75. A girl can dream...right?
76. I am afraid I will never be a skinny girl
77. and that's okay...but these last few baby pounds have GOT TO GO.
78. I believe in God.
79. I am a survivor.
80. My birth mother is the most evil person I have encountered on this earth
81. but she helped make me strong
82. A balanced checkbook makes me feel good.
83. I compost
84. I love growing my own food
85. and planting seeds with my little ones is like frosting on the cake.
86. I feel like I am never a good enough wife-daughter-mother-friend even though I try SO HARD.
87. I hate having an untrustworthy back.
88. I love cuddling in bed with all my boys...
89. but miss sharing my bed with just the big boy.
90. I have a love-hate relationship with change.
91. I think many people are oblivious to a LOT of things.
92. I stockpile food, water and yes, ammo.
93. I desperately want to build some Adirondack chairs for the backyard.
94. I am struggling with the right education options for my boys
95. and career options for me.
96. I do not follow trends
97. I don't like snakes..in fact they scare the hell out of me.
98. I have an MBA
99. I can forgive but struggle with the forgetting part
100. I hope I didn't bore you to death!

Come on...share 100 things with us!!