Best Birthday Weekend

It's Thursday and I'm just now getting back in to the swing of things. We had one of the best birthday weekends with some wonderful friends down in Orange Beach last weekend. We went down on Friday and had so much fun, we extended our stay until Monday. That decision may have been helped by the fact that Steven's iphone was ruined in an early morning fishing excursion on Saturday and therefore, the work he could do was hindered. And it was his birthday. Just enough excuse to stay one more day, right?

Our hosts kicked things off right with an evening boat ride after a delicious dinner and a birthday cake just for me. This was the boys first ride and only Elle's second. I'm not sure if Reese is more concerned about the boat or the fact that we put a Barbie life jacket on him.

Reese held on for dear life at first, but didn't take long to warm to the idea. Or maybe just to Morgan:). He loves Morgan, almost as much as his own big sister. Grady was on his typical emotional roller coaster, crying hysterically one minute, then pointing at something interesting and smiling the next. I can report that overall, he would give a thumbs up to the boating experience. Elle thought both her Spiderman life jacket and the boat rides were awesome!

We spent time both days riding out to islands, playing in the sand, catching hermit crabs, and enjoying the sun, the sea and the fellowship. Saturday night, Darby had secured two babysitters for our six kids and we enjoyed a night out with our husbands and Tommy. After an amazing dinner, we took another moonlit cruise around the bay.

This is the view from their dock. Not bad. Not bad at all.

The kids had almost as much fun as the adults. Here they are checking the contents of the crab trap. It was always exciting to see what was in there. We even got to examine & partially dissect a red snapper that I did not get a picture of.

Since we've been home, Reese has tried to flush at least 8 toy cars. Four were successfully thrown in to a peed-in toilet. Gloves on, I was able to retrieve them before he hit the flush. The next morning, we lost at least one. We've called in our local plumber {my dad} to assist with search and rescue on Saturday. Because, not surprisingly, the toilet is stopped up. He also managed to chunk John Martin's brand new Finn McMissile off a pier in to the bay while we were there. And he climbed out of the pack-n-play about three times every sleep session. A few times to play with Steven's ipad. Another to play with a 5 pound decorative wooden seal. I also caught him eating a leaf off my ficus tree yesterday {that is dying. I cannot for the life of me, manage an indoor plant.} and I said, "Reese, what are you doing?" He said, "I eatin basil." Life with a 2 year old is never boring, that's for sure.

I can't seem to keep up

Well, it was definitely later rather than sooner...

We got to go to my nephew's 5th birthday party last week. Grady said, "This is the best birthday party ever!"

We had some friends over for dinner complete with a water balloon fight. In case you were not aware, there is an inverse proportion in the amount of time spent filling up the balloons to the amount of time it takes to use them all. Thirty minutes prep time. Three minutes of fight time. Still fun.

Friday, Grady woke up from his nap not feeling well. We decided to go swimming anyway. He wanted to stay inside and lay on the couch. At this point, we should have noticed the red flag. But it was hot. And we wanted to get in the pool. Grady threw up all over our friend's couch and rug.

Mom got here just in time for dinner and one more projectile vomit from Grady. I told her that's how we like to welcome our weekend guests.

Saturday we took Elle and Grady to see Cars 2 while Mom stayed with Reese. They loved it!

Sunday we attempted swimming again and had a fun time with no vomiting. Mom and I did a little shopping that afternoon and she took us to dinner that evening at Panera Bread.

Monday, we played outside in the sprinklers and with water guns and more water balloons. We had a fun visit from my aunt, uncle, cousin and grandma. Then we went over to my brother's house for smoked ribs, corn risotto, steamed asparagus, Sister Schubert rolls, apple pie and ice cream. But I have to say, the ribs were the star of the show. Delicious!

Mom had to leave Tuesday, but not before breakfast at IHOP and a trip to Target. It's hard to go out to eat a lot with little kids. People who don't have to do it a lot forget. So I made mom sit with Grady. He busted a creamer that splattered all over himself, our booth and the booth behind them. Then he squirted his yogurt tube all over himself and the booth. We ran out of napkins.

Yesterday was my birthday. My husband and kids gave me a card, some jelly beans, and a Keurig. Such a sweet family. I have been reading The Mission of Motherhood and have been so convicted and encouraged at the same time. I am so thankful for my family and that I have been able to stay home and raise our children. But some days, I'm resentful and I don't want to do anything else for anybody and I want it to be quiet for 5 seconds and I'd like to not have to referee a fight or clean up another mess. But they are kids and parenting is hard, hard work. It takes patience, more patience than I have in my own strength.

This quote from the book is my new prayer for this season:

"Instead of seeing fusses and messes as irritations in my day, for instance, I am more likely to see them as opportunities to train my children to be peacemakers and to learn to be responsible for their own messes. Instead of resenting the interruptions in my schedule, I am more likely to accept them as divine appointments. More and more, I have learned to see my children through the eyes of God and to accept the stages of growth through which he has designed them to grow."

It is a stage of growth. And it's short. But the investments I'm making now with my time and energy have the potential to influence eternity. I pray they will.

Wild Adventures & Other Happenings

We have been having major issues with our cable and internet service over the past month. About 75% of the time I try to access the internet, it won't work. Or it will work for about 5-10 minutes and then drop. Needless to say, this has resulted in much less blogging than I'd like. And a lot more frustration than I'd like:). I guess the bright side is it keeps me from spending too much time on the computer...

A few weeks ago we met some family in Valdosta to spend a couple of days at Wild Adventures. Mom suggested we try it since we'd never been and it was a mid-way point between here and Savannah. Saturday was a bit rough but Sunday was a lot of fun. I don't know if you've ever heard of Lady Antebellum, but they were there in concert Saturday night:). My advice is to never go on a concert day. It was nuts!

When we first got there, the kids, Maddie and Steven jumped on this "kid-friendly" roller coaster. That basically took Grady out for the rest of the time. I'm still hearing about how he "never, never, never wants to ride the Ant Express again!" But, there were plenty of even more kid-friendly rides that he was brave enough to try. Like the Super Trucks:

Reese was too small to ride by himself, but neither Maddie nor I could fit in the cab with him. So he chaffeured us around the track a few times. Elle and Grady took care of the next rig.

In the 13-ish hours this girl is awake every day, she spends about 12 of them talking. Last night, we finished reading, turned out the light and she was detailing an idea to me. I said, "Elle do you like to talk a lot?" She said, "Yes, do you like to say 'No' a lot?" I had to laugh because she wasn't being smart, she was genuinely asking.

Saturday when we came in to the park, there was an employee standing there with a boa constrictor giving kids a chance to hold it. Both Elle and Grady fearlessly went right up and held the thing! Sunday, it was an alligator and they held it too! It's mouth was taped shut, but I was impressed all the same. All in all a fun trip and we enjoyed our time with family.

Bedtime for the boys has not been as smooth as the initial nights. I suppose the newness has worn off. For several nights now, we read, pray, tuck them in, give stern reminders to stay in their respective beds and head out. A bit later we go back in and Reese is sitting in Grady's bed, where Grady's head usually is, and poor Grady is under the covers all the way at the foot of the bed, trying to get away from his tormentor. Why is it that things are much funnier with the third? We move Reese back, give a more stern "reminder", this one involving our hand and his bottom. Sometimes it works the first time, and sometimes it takes three or four times.

We went up to Calera last weekend to check on our house. Thankfully, there was no major damage but it was a mess! They knew they were not getting their deposit back so I guess they figured they'd get their money's worth. They left stuff in every room: toys, clothes, books, kitchen stuff, food, lamps, garage shelves, tents, planters, etc., etc. We basically 'camped out' inside because there was nothing in the house {once we got all their stuff out!}. Elle and Grady slept in their old room in sleeping bags and Reese slept in his old room in his pack-n-play. I failed to pack much for Steven and me so we had an old futon mattress, one sleeping bag that can't totally unzip, and one pillow. Saturday morning, Steven said, "We are not staying again tonight." We worked hard and got it looking good again. I'm really praying the Lord would provide a buyer because it is very difficult to manage a property when you are almost 3 hours away and I'm not sure we can afford having a rental company manage it. Anyway, maybe I'll be back sooner rather than later, but Happy 4th weekend just in case!

Bye Bye Crib

We got a new mattress a couple of weeks ago. The plan was to put it in Reese's room with his crib until we got ready to move him out and in with Grady. Then Elle would move in to the big bed in a room all her own and the boys would share. Elle lasted one night before she had to sleep in the bed. We switched things around, moving the crib in to the room with the bunk beds. And the brothers became roommates.

Saturday, we took the crib down. Let's have a moment of silence please. This is the first time in a little over 6 years that we've not had a crib in our house. Kind of sad and weird but also exciting to be moving out of the baby years with finality. We broke the bunk beds down in to twins for the boys. Reese has done really well and hasn't gotten out of bed once. We put his bed {the top bunk} with the railings out and the other side against the wall. We thought we'd make him at least think he couldn't get out. And so he couldn't fall out of the bed, too.

Also wanted to throw out there that our house is available for rent again. Long story short, our tenants didn't work out very well. It was a struggle each month to get the rent on time or get checks that wouldn't bounce. And we are not in a place where we can fund two houses:). So, we asked them to leave and they are. We are praying and trusting that God will provide some more tenants quickly that can pay rent on time.  

Happy Birthday Reese!

We celebrated another big day yesterday. Our baby turned two! We tried our best to make it special, but it's difficult to know what a 2 year old really likes. It's not hard, however, to determine what they don't like.

We started off with chocolate chip pancakes and strawberries for breakfast. Then, he opened up a few presents from us. Next, he got to experience his first movie at the theater. We went to a 10 o'clock $1 showing of How to Train Your Dragon. We had lunch and naps as usual. For dinner, we met Poppey, Gigi, and cousin Powell at Chick-fil-A. He also got birthday packages from Grammy, GranGran, and Uncle Luke, Aunt Rhonda and Andi. It was just too soon after Elle's cake for me to attempt another, so we had chocolate chip cookies instead. I don't think he minded.

I just realized there was a lot of chocolate chips involved in yesterday's celebrations. He does love chocolate. We were swimming Wednesday and I was by him in the pool. He kept pointing saying "chocwhat". I finally figured out he was talking about my hair in the pool. Does that mean you are no longer a blonde when your child calls your hair "chocwhat"?

We are so thankful for this little guy. He was a surprise to us but we are so glad God knew what He was doing. Reese has blessed us so much in just a short two years. He is so mild-mannered and easy going. He loves to play with cars and trucks and playdough. He loves his big brother and sister very much. He sings himself to sleep most every night. And like most two year olds, he is emotionally unstable. This picture was about 3 seconds after the last one and he wanted the camera. And surely, the world was ending. Three seconds later, he was stable again. We love you so, little guy, tantrums and all!

Flying IPads & Broken Mirrors

We spent the weekend out of town {post to come!} so today, the kids and I headed off to Publix because the cupboards were bare. As I turned on to the four lane highway, something flew off the top of the car and in to the median. I wasn't sure what it was, but was anxious to get to the store. Then, I really felt like I should turn around and check. I thought it was one of the kids' DVDs that maybe Steven had put on top of the car when we unloaded last night. I whip around and pull in to the left turn lane, get out of the car and I see Steven's IPad {for work} laying in the road. It was in its leather case. I get back in the car, take it out and it works perfectly. Not a scratch on it. The case itself was beat up. I could not believe that 1) I had almost not gone back to see what flew off and 2) that it was in one piece and working.

I called him immediately and asked, "Do you know where your IPad is?"

He said, "Yes, I put it on top of the van."

I said, "No, it was just in the middle of Ross Clark Circle!"

I bought a couple of mirrors at Target last week and they were still in the bag laying on the floor in our bedroom. I was talking with my step-mom and sorting some laundry when I heard glass breaking. I looked up and Reese was standing on the bag playing with some car on the nightstand while he smashed my mirror to pieces. Thankfully, all that was hurt was the mirror.

And that was all before lunch. Never a dull day around here.

The start of summer

I have to say we thoroughly enjoyed our first full week of summer vacation. Our normal school schedule is probably more laid back than some people's summer, but it's been nice to not have school work to get done each day. Elle signed up for the summer reading program at the library and I set her goal at 20 books. She already read three over the weekend so I think it's safe to say she will meet her goal by July 29th. She's still very interested in the Magic Tree House series. I borrowed my sister-in-law's Little House on the Prairie series the last time we were in Greenville and we are looking forward to spending some time with the Ingalls.

I recently re-read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because I'm a nerd like that and I like to read the books before I see the movie. I don't remember reading the Narnia Chronicles in school, but I did read them through when we lived in Kazakhstan. And I have re-read each one before seeing the movie. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in the latest installment. Not that the movie was terrible. It's just 99% of the time, the book is always better than the movie. One of my favorite parts of the whole series occurs in this book. Eustace has been turned in to a dragon and cannot, for the life of him, figure out how he can turn back in to a boy. It's too lengthy to quote here, but he has an encounter with Aslan and he tears Eustace's dragon skin down to the heart, pealing it back until he is a boy again. And then he dresses him in new clothes. Makes me think about Jesus washing away my dragon skin and dressing me in white.

Some friends of ours are spending the summer at the beach and have graciously allowed us to use their pool in exchange for a little pool/yard maintenance. They have been gone a total of 10 days and we have been over four. It has been no trouble at all to turn on a sprinkler, water some plants, clean out pool skimmers and mow a little grass to be able to beat some of this intense heat with some swimming. Although it would be a little better if they were here swimming with us. But the kids are loving it! The first few times, Reese would not even come in the pool gate, but stayed on the patio or in the yard playing with toys. He progressed to the third step and then made the final plunge Saturday, drifting around happily in the baby float. Then, he threw his largest tantrum ever when we tried to get him out of the pool.

This week is Vacation Bible School at our church and Elle is so excited about going. We got to spend a couple mornings last week helping decorate and that raised the excitement level even more. The boys aren't quite old enough yet but I have a few fun things for us to do together while Elle is there. Although Grady did tell me last night that he had already learned about Jesus so he didn't need to go to VBS. After a short quiz revealed to him that he, in fact, did not know everything about Jesus, I kindly told him I hoped he spent his whole life learning more about Jesus!