Ice Skating Fun!

For Thanksgiving this year, we went over to my parents' in Jackson, MS.  My brother and SIL just moved over there with their two adorable boys in September, so it was really exciting to be there to celebrate their first holiday in their new city.

 

And it was cold.

 

I'm not talking chilly, I'm talking bone-chilling cold.

 

So cold the lake near my parents house froze and we were all able to ice skate on it.

 

See?

 

 

Ok, kidding.  I think it would be another ice age before Jackson would actually get that cold! (But, seriously, it was near freezing and to me that is beyond cold!)

 

The Baptist hospital near their house had set up an ice rink and sledding doohicky.  We decided to try our hand at ice skating despite the fact that our only other skating experience had been an epic fail trying to teach them to roller skate.

 

My mom, SIL, and I took the little kids over there to check it out while the guys (including Jack who I'm pretty sure now thinks of himself as one of the guys) were golfing.

I wish I had a picture of the incline.  It was steep!!

 

After some sledding, we decided to try some skating.

It was somewhat challenging at times but a lot of fun!

 

 

So fun that we even went back over there later that evening so the boys could join us too!

 

 

Fire safety and stranger danger!

Jack's class visited the Fire Safety Village yesterday.

Aside from being educational for the whole family (yes, we now have a sound fire escape plan) it provided loads of entertainment as Jack recounted the day's events that evening.

First, Jack demonstrated the Heimlich maneuver. 

He did save Dad from chocking, however, if his hands had been about 2 inches lower, I think there would have been a whole other set of issues.

We also practiced stop, drop, and roll.  It's safe to say my children have rolling around on the ground down pat.

Then there's stranger danger. (I understand this is a serious subject, and we have taken steps to ensure our children are aware of what do to around strangers.  However, sometimes what they say is just downright funny.)

First Jack informed us what he would do if a stranger grabbed his arm; he would pull away.

Alex asked him if he would say anything while he was pulling away.

"Yes," Jack replied,  "I would say [and he makes grunting sounds like he's trying to pull away from someone]."

"Anything else?" asks Alex.

"Oh yeah," says Jack, "I probably just say 'NO STRANGER NO STRANGER!'"

On to the next scenario.

Me: Jack, what would happen if a stranger offered you candy to help him find something in the grocery store or something?

Jack: I would yell NO, STRANGER!

And the clincher...brought to you by Melody.

Jack, again, demonstrating how to pull away from a stranger and how to a kick a stranger.

Alex says, "Ok, guys, if a stranger is pulling at you and you have to kick him, kick him right here."

(I'm sure you can guess where he pointed...)

Melody looks at him and says, "So, basically, you want us to kick strangers in the nuts?"

What I Learned From Disney On Ice...

Last night, Melody and I went to Disney On Ice.  Just like the last time we went, it was magical!

 

And full of life lessons. Below are four important things I took away from my Disney experience.

1.  It is totally ok and normal to scream with excitement when you see a princess.  Melody and I both did.  And I may have gotten a little teary too.

2.  I want Jasmine's body.  Seriously, this chick is solid.

(You can't really see from the pictures, and she's upside down anyway, but believe me, I could see every single ab muscle.)

 

3. I want my life to be just like a Disney movie.  I already have my crown and everything.  See?

 

 

4.  I already have my Prince Charming. (Yes, I know I'm totally being cheesy here!)

 

(Picture from Father's Day, 2010)

I better go and do some sit-ups!

Touchdown!!!

My boys love Upward Flag Football.  This is Jack's 3rd year playing and Charlie's 1st.  It's a great organization that teaches Christ-like sportsmanship and still keeps score (which I think is an important part of teaching sportsmanship)!

 

Anyway, Jack has really developed a love of this game and plays hard and tough.

 

*Disclaimer: the pics aren't great. It was at night and I had to zoom in pretty far and they were taken with my iphone and not an actual camera.*

See? Check him out trying to psych out the other team here! The other guy couldn't even maintain eye contact! Ha!

 

Defense is generally Jack's favorite position to play. He is an awesome flag-puller.

 

But he has skill on offense too.  Last Friday night, he had his first touchdown of the season.  He caught the ball, fought hard against three opponents to make in into the end zone, and then scored!!

 

During the fall months, I shout "touchdown" pretty often...but this was the best time I've said it so far this year!! 

 

After the game was over, Alex and I walked over to where the team was gathered to de-brief and Jack ran up to me, threw his arms around me and said, "I got a touchdown!" 

 

Talk about melting a mama's heart.

 

I hope he still does that when he's 16!

(Just kidding, Dad. I know you rolled your eyes when you read that!)

 

Way to go, Jack!!!

5

A week ago today, one of my very favorite little boys turned 5!

It's hard to believe this was 5 whole years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday! (It's also still hard to believe he was 8lbs 11oz at 37 weeks, but that's another story!)

 

We started the birthday celebration with a special treat at preschool.  He was so excited to wear the birthday crown and listen to Ms Dale tell a special story about him!

 

 

 

 We have been planning his birthday for the past three months...ever since his big brother had a birthday.

I have to admit, I'm actually glad it's finally over. I was getting tired of all the "Mom, for my birthday, can I..." comments!

 

Anyway, he finally decided on a soccer themed party. We made plans and sent out invitations.  And then he promptly changed his mind to a football themed party.

In the end, we stuck with the soccer theme but added some football fun in there too.

We were blessed with a beautiful fall day...perfect for a party at the park!

 

We tossed the football around some.

 

Jack led the kids in some soccer drills.

 

 

We opened presents ("Awesome!  Superhero legos!" was the comment here)

 

 

and had cupcakes.

 

 

What could be a better birthday?! (Here's the whole crew...minus a few little siblings who weren't keen on the idea of a picture.)

 

 

Oh, and we topped it off with dinner at Waffle House. 

Not the place I would have picked, but it wasn't my birthday.

 

After all this excitement, I'm glad we are birthday free until January!

A correction, an update, and a birthday

First the correction: I got a call from my dad the other day.  He called to comment on my recent post about our food issues.  He wanted to let me know that it was him and not my mom who thought of the list idea.  So, I now stand corrected.

 

However, unlike my mom or dad, I had the foresight to write the list down.  So, unlike my brothers and I, my children cannot claim different items on their list depending on what is being offered at meal times.

 

This leads me into my update:  I had told my children that every three months we would update our list.  So, we updated yesterday.  Here are their new lists.  As you can see, Charlie finally realized I was not going to force him to drink sweet tea and added actual food items on to his list.

Yes, I also think it's totally bizarre that he does not like French Fries.

 

And, finally, we had a birthday in the family!  Last Thursday, this handsome guy...

 

 

turned 5!!

 

 

 

A birthday party post will come soon, with lots and lots of pictures, but for now, this is all you get.

 

It's Monday, yo.



supper time battles

Is there a mom on the planet that hasn't experienced the supper time battles?

 

Y'all know what I'm talking about.  It's when you put anything that's not a chicken nugget, bagel bite, or waffle on their plate and they whine about it.

 

A few months ago, I pretty much reached my breaking point on this. I was over the whining. I was over the bribing them to try food. I was over just letting them not eat and then having to throw food away.

 

In one of my brief and rare moments of clarity, I remembered a trick my mom used with my brothers, who were also picky eaters.

 

Don't you love those moments when you realize your mom really does have all the answers!?

 

So, I sat down and let each child pick three foods they didn't like and I would never make them eat. 

 

 

 

It's interesting to see their lists.  Jack wrote his own; shepherd's pie, chicken divan, and microwave tacos.  There went two of my staples.  And I guess I'll have to stop being lazy and actually cook the quesadillas on the stove from now on.  Melody picked all fruit.  I think she was having an off day.  And Charlie just generally likes to eat (Clearly he gets that from me) and had to resort to beverages.

 

Let me tell you...this has worked like a charm.

 

I started kind of slow.  For the first week or two, I would always pair something new or previously disliked/rejected with a staple I knew they would eat.

 

At the beginning, there was a little whining and I would just say (sometimes more than once), "I'm sorry, but that's not on your list."

Yes, this took patience and, even more importantly, consistency.

 

Guess what eventually happened?

 

They stopped whining and now they just eat it.

 

Yep. Just like that.

 

Disclaimer: If it's a new food or something I knew they won't be crazy about, I will only put 2-4 bites on their plate.  This way it isn't overwhelming to them to have to eat a whole plateful of something.

 

Also, I let them update their lists every few months.  After all, their taste change and food choices change.  I'm not going to be serving up blackberries in the dead of winter, so it's silly for Melody to have something on her list that's not available anyway.

 

Have you experienced supper time battles in your house?

 

What have you found that works?

Best Day Ever!!

In the fall, our weekends are pretty busy.  Between birthday parties, gymnastics, the boys' flag football games, SEC football games, etc, it seems we are always on the go. 

 

This weekend, we had a semi-reprieve from all the busyness.  No birthday parties on Saturday and Melody's gymnastics was cancelled due to a meet being held at the gym. 

 

So, the only big event on our calendar was the boys' regularly scheduled football games combined with their team photos being taken.  Since Melody and I had no real part in that we decided to treat ourselves to a little girl time.

 

So....

 

We road tripped it to Auburn for the day for some mommy/daughter bonding (which means we had a great time shopping at the cute stores in Auburn) and some AUBURN football!

 

Melody is, by far, my favorite shopping partner.  She always tells me I look great and encourages me to buy whatever I like.

After lunch at an Auburn favorite, Momma G's, we joined up with friends for some fun tailgating.  And what is tailgating without some tree climbing?

 

We meet up with friends for Tiger Walk.

 

 

 

 

 

And we went to the game.  I had no idea Melody was so into football.  She was captivated by the game. And her popcorn, chips, cotton candy, and strawberry frozen lemonade.  Don't judge. I only got her the popcorn.  She just so cute, all the people we were with just wanted to treat her to all kinds of things!

 

 

But, seriously.  She watched the whole game.  Asked questioned.  Cheered like crazy.  When we left, and before she crashed in the car, she proclaimed this the

Best Day Ever!!!
 

 I think that about sums it up.

The Last First...

Day of Preschool!

 

Last Tuesday morning, after dropping Jack and Melody off at school, Charlie and I headed out for a special treat...

 

 

What's the occasion?

 

It was his last first-day-of-preschool!

 

 

Charlie is following in his sister and brother's footsteps and is a Zebra this year with our very favorite teachers, Ms. Catherine and Ms. Dale.
 

 

He is super excited!

 

Additionally, since his name begins with a letter near the top of the alphabet, he was also the leader on the third day of school.  The leader is not merely the line leader, but also says the date, holds the flag while the pledge is recited, and does the weather.  The highlight of one's leader day is the toy.  The leader is allowed to bring a toy from home, show it to his/her classmates and then answer three questions about the toy. 

 

You can only image how Charlie felt on Thursday!  

(Ok, he was way more excited than that! I just think this picture is hilarious. He only allows me to take one picture before he gets annoyed and this is his "I'm too cool to have my mom take my picture" look.)

 

Yep! His last year of preschool is off to a great start.

Handprints

If  you read my blog you are probably well aware that I

a) have chronic baby fever

and

b) am working feverishly to find a way to stop time so my children will stop growing up!

 

Yesterday, I was driving the two bigs to school and then headed to preschool to drop of this little angel for his last first-day-of-preschool.

 

 

(Yes, of course I cried!  Charlie, on the other hand, popped right out of the car and hopped off to school without so much as a backwards glance.)

As we were driving, I saw this on the car.  Can you see it?

 

I looked and noticed that they were everywhere.

 

I said, "I see handprints on the windshield.  Has someone been climbing on my car?"

 

*Crickets*

 

Finally, a tiny voice from the back.  Melody, who just can't not say anything,

 

"Yes. Charlie and I were.  Sometimes we just like to sit on your car."

 

I didn't really know how to respond and then that sweet little poem about handprints popped into my mind.  You know the one.  The one that always makes you cry.

 

Sometimes you get discouraged because I am so small,

And always leave my fingerprints on furniture and walls.

But everyday I'm growing, I'll be grown up someday,

And all these tiny handprints will simply fade away.

So here's a final handprint just so you can recall,

Exactly how my fingers looked when I was very small.

 

Of course I got teary then and Charlie said, "Well, we might not have done it if we knew it would make you cry!"

12 Years...

ago, I said "I do" to this wonderful man. 

That was such an amazing, special day and it's only gotten better.

In honor of our twelfth anniversary and because my husband commented to me that he doesn't think he gets enough face time on the blog I'm going to write 12 things I love about him.

In no particular order...

1.  He makes me laugh.  Usually with sarcasm.  (Don't roll your eyes, you know sarcasm is funny too!)

2.  He puts up with my annoying habits. *I'm not admitting to any annoying habits here, but if I had some, I'm pretty sure he would tolerate them graciously.

3.  He loves action packed superhero moves too. But, he will watch the sappy movies with me when I ask him (yes, that means he has seen Twilight).

4.  He tells me I'm beautiful all the time.  Even when I know that there's no way I'm looking good at the moment.

5.  He's an Auburn fan.

6.  He's gorgeous.  I would put a picture of him here shirtless, laying out on the beach, but I don't want all y'all to get too jealous. 

7.   He loves God, his family, and his friends. And in that order.

8.  He honest.  Sometimes too honest.  Whatever he says and what ever he does, I can count on him to do it with integrity. 

9.  When he takes me out on a date, he always treats me as though I'm the girl he's been dying to go out with and is so happy to finally be out with me.

10.  He's a hard worker.  Sometimes I complain that he works too hard but, in actuality, he's very committed to doing the best he can, he has a strong work ethic, and goes above and beyond always.

11.  He's always calm, cool, and collected.  There are moments I wish he would just panic right along with me, but when it comes down to it, I know that I can always count on him to be the rational one.

12.  He works hard at our marriage.  I have to admit, he works harder than me. He is almost always the better person and in that way, encourages me to be a better person.  I know he will always strive to put our marriage first and that his commitment to me and our relationship is unwavering.

Happy anniversary, babe! The past 12 years have been wonderful and, from what I hear, the best is still yet to come!

Cousin love!

Right before school started, we took a trip over Jackson to visit my parents.  My brother and SIL were also in town so Ben could take the Mississippi bar.  Since they currently live in Denver, we are always excited to see them any chance we get, but this time we were doubly excited because...

 

We also got to meet sweet baby Hayes!!

 

We don't get to see our CO cousins enough (and cannot wait for them to move to MS so we can see them much more often!) so when we do we are sure to smoother them with all kinds of love and affection

Charlie had fun getting to be the "big kid" for a change.

 

Melody had fun practicing her babysitting skills

 

I tried to get as much of a baby fix as possible.

 

After all, who can resist a precious baby smile like this!?

 

 

Jack realized how fun it was to boss around a 2yo who will do whatever he's told. What could be a better activity for a firstborn, type A child!?

 

And we tried to get a group shot.  Well, we got a group shot.  We tried to get a good one! Tried being the key word here...

 

 

Just a few more weeks and our CO cousins will be living in the south permanently!

And we're off...

Starting another school year!

Although we started this race last week.  I'm just behind. I know, I know.  Although if you read my post here, you'll know that timeliness is not really a priority for me anymore.  As if it ever was. 

This year, Jack is in 4th grade.  He was very excited to get Mrs. Campbell as his teacher.  Aside from just being a wonderful teacher who truly loves her students, she also has a no homework policy.  Yes, this is one thrilled 4th grader and one thrilled Mommy.

 

Melody is off to 1st grade.  She has a new teacher this year, Ms Benefield,  She's super excited that her friends, Jordyn and Anji, are in her class.  She also told me she can't wait to take her first math test.  I know, I don't know how she's related to me either.

And, last but not least, this cutie gets to hang with me for another few weeks.  Pre-K starts next Tuesday.  He's very excited about being a Zebra with the teachers we love love love, Ms Dale and Ms. Catherine.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry on my last baby's last first day of preschool. But until then, Charlie and I will be packing in the fun these last few days of summer break!

I promise...

I have not abandoned my blog again!  I have a list of stuff to post and will be doing that this week.  In the meantime, I'm blogging over here today. Go check it out...

Calling all ladies...

There are many things I look forward to at the beginning of each school year, but for the past four years, near the top of my list has been BSF.  BSF is short for Bible Study Fellowship. 

Let me just go ahead and tell you that BSF rocks.  If you have ever wanted to be in a Bible Study but didn't really know where to start, look no further.  And don't worry if you don't live in Atlanta.  They are international.  You can pretty much find a BSF anywhere.

BSF is a group of women (although now they have men's groups as well) that come together weekly to fellowship together and study a book or section of the Bible in depth.  And when I say in depth, I mean in depth.  Last year, we studied Genesis.  Yes, an entire school year devoted to one single book of the Bible.  See what I mean by in depth?

But before you start to panic, don't.  You don't need to understand Hebrew to study this way.  You don't even have to know anything at all about the Bible.  The leaders are fabulous and well trained and can explain complex ideas in a way that a preschooler can understand.

And speaking of preschoolers, if you have one them you will love BSF even more.  Their children's program is fabulous.  They will hear the Gospel, learn hymns, and experience God's love.

If you are in the Smyrna area, BSF starts on September 11 this year and I would love to see you there. It has been a fabulous place to build friendships and deepen my faith. If you aren't in this area, check out their website to find a class.  Classes generally follow the local school calendars.

One Fish...

two fish

 

red fish

 



blue fish

 



 

 

Whew! We had certainly had an exciting month!

Last week, while on vacation at Resort Mitchell, Uncle Andy took the kids catfish fishing.  We also got to visit with Aunt Bekah, Uncle Ben, cousin Holden, and meet new baby cousin Hayes.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg of a very busy month!

I have quite a bit to catch up on.  Not to mention that school starts in a week and I have yet to buy a singe supply.

 

Am I the only one that thinks summer vacation should be extended another month!?