Just so I can remember

Elle and I were doing school work this afternoon and she commented on a big pink marker line on her arm: "I'm never going to wash my arm." And I immediately thought, uh-oh.

me: "Why?"
elle: "Well, I kind of don't want to tell you because it's my secret."
me: "Did someone make that mark on your arm?"
elle: "Yes, Gabriel."
me: "Who's Gabriel?"
elle: "He's just my best friend in CBS."

Family Vacation

It's been awhile, but we had a wonderful family vacation at the beach. The water and weather were beautifully perfect and although the purple "dangerous sea creature" flag was flying the entire time, we only saw two jellyfish. We did see an amazing amount of crab, live sand dollars, dolphins and the tiniest hermit crabs ever. This was the first time the kids enjoyed the beach more than the pool. I think maybe because it wasn't the kind of hot where you can't breathe.

The kids did a lot of drawing in the sand. What a great place to work on your letters. They were having so much fun and so proud, they didn't even know they were learning! Grady has been especially proud of working on his name. Can't you tell?

One of our favorite things to do when we are there is to eat at the Donut Hole. Steven insisted we go the very first morning and no one objected. They have the most amazing donuts as well as what I like to call the "clog your arteries" kind of breakfast: biscuits, gravy, eggs, sausage, hasbrowns, bacon, etc. I commented on how I liked their coffee mugs and Steven went to pay our bill and came out with a mug for me. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I went back a second morning and brought back a dozen donuts. It was vacation after all.

We love September at the beach. It really does feel like you have the whole beach to yourselves. We joked that it just might be enough reason to keep homeschooling a few more years:).

Another great check up

I took Grady to his 4 year old check up this past Friday. The doctor said he looked great, even after Grady asked him why he didn't have any hair. I was a bit surprised that he is a little above average in height and weight (64th percentile). I'd been thinking he was on the small side, but maybe not so much after all. Or it could be that I compare him to Reese, who's almost 2 years younger but about the same size. I've never thought Reese was on the "small" size.

We waited a pretty long time in the exam room. Of course, in an 8 x 8 room with three children, 5 minutes seems like 30. And you can only play "I Spy" for so long, since there was nothing but the biohazard sign on the wall. And the goldfish lasted about 3 mintues. Anyway, Grady said, "Mom can we go yet? I'm kinda finished." I was kinda finished too, but we had to wait for the doctor to tell us when we were finished. The boys got the flu mist vaccine {Elle can't have the mist} and that was enough to set Grady off. I opted to put off the rest of the shots until next summer and hope Steven can take him then:).

I have not yet mentioned that I have a new part-time job. I am glad to be helping out a friend, earning some extra money, and doing something new and different with my brain. Now you  know that when you buy shirts from Darby, you are not only helping support her business but me as well:). That's in addition to getting some really cool kids tshirts.

We are off the the beach tomorrow!!

Super heroes

We took a trip to Greenville to see Steven's parents.

Grammy had gotten some gifts for the kids. The super hero capes were a huge hit!

Reese fought the bad guys on his own for a while. But then reinforcements showed up. Don't be fooled by the flowered parasol. She is a super hero who means business.

There was to be a super game of hide-and-seek, but first, Flash had to get the rules straight with dad.

You were obviously allowed to shoot your pursuer.

We had a fun day there with them and enjoyed lots of good food and time outside playing and exploring. My mom also celebrated a birthday milestone {she might not want me to say which milestone!} over the weekend and we are looking forward to celebrating with her in Atlanta in a couple weeks. 

But first, we are going to do a little fall clothes shopping over the weekend. My friend's post about this made me laugh this week. I hope we'll find some suitable things that aren't diva-fied or skull and crossbone-ified! Hope you all have been enjoying this beautiful, cooler weather!

The end of an era

I remember making fun of my aunt Tammy when she got a mini-van. She was fairly young and I was a teenager and vans were just not cool. I remember making fun of my friend Delta when she was like 23 and bought her first mini-van. Again, we were just out of college and mini-vans were not cool. I really think she might have even gotten hers before having a baby. And then, at the young age of 28, Elle and I came home from a trip to see my mom, and my husband had a mini-van sitting in the driveway. For me. He traded in my dearly beloved 4Runner for a van. How would I face my mini-van driving family and friends? Was this really the direction my life was headed? But I'm a practical person. When you become an adult and a parent, sometimes practicality has to win out over coolness. I knew it was a good thing for us. And I drove that sweet ride from December of 2006 until last week.

I got a new car. And it is the family version of my dearly beloved 4Runner. I'm very excited about it and so thankful for it. It is 4 years newer than the ol' mini van with 74K less miles on it. My husband and a friend laugh at me because I wanted cloth interior. But I got my cloth interior:). And I've instituted a "water only" policy and an "only food that can be vacuumed" policy for those under 21. I had to make it 21 so my sister would be obligated to the policies as well. She and Grady tend to spill things a lot.

Grady got a new car too. An awesome birthday present from Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Luke and cousin Andi. He's definitely cuter on his than I am in mine. But I might have gained some coolness back.

The one thing my "new" car doesn't have that I had hoped for, is a factory DVD player. I would love some suggestions and recommendations for what to buy for the car. We've been using a hand-me-down one of my aunt's (maybe she had it in her van:), that only plays in black and white now and I thought we could potentially upgrade to a color version.

Routine

I feel like we are getting back in to the swing of things. School. Routines. Mother's Day Out. As much as I love summer and the freedom to be flexible and spontaneous, I have to admit I love a good routine. And sometimes I think my kids do thrive when they have a general idea of the way the days go. Or maybe because I do better, they do better.

First grade is awesome, even better than kindergarten. We finished reading Mr Popper's Penguins and have moved on to Pollyanna. We are having a lot of fun exploring different math concepts and manipulatives. Last week, we focused on patterns and this week we are sorting and classifying. Again, I have so much stuff my mom has graciously given, we are never bored using the same things. We're breaking out the huge box of shells on Thursday! Elle has really enjoyed our drawing lessons and music so far (so have I--Peter and the Wolf rocks!). She really is a great student and so easy to teach. Academically, she's spot on. But like her brother (and the rest of us), we are learning and growing in character and trusting the Lord to soften her heart towards Him.

There are some other additions to our "routine" this year. I am teaching the 4 and 5 year olds in Sunday School. This past Sunday was our first Sunday together. I do not have a teaching degree nor have I ever taught in any form besides homeschooling Elle. Let's just say I'm very thankful Steven attended with me:). Really, it was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to getting to know these kids over the year, to pray with them and for them, and learn about God together. It's going to be a learning process for me for sure. Just like homeschooling was last year. I am comfortable teaching my kids in my home, but lots of kids in a classroom with a time schedule is a bit different. I learned Sunday that I have to think through time management a little better. And remember that these are 4 & 5 year olds!

**I do have to interject here for record's sake that both Elle and Grady stayed in worship with us the entire time and we did not have to correct behavior for either of them the entire service. They were the most well-behaved kids! Three days later, and I'm still awed and amazed. I honestly didn't think it was possible. Well, for Grady at least. There's always next Sunday for behavior issues, right?

The kids and I are going to be a part of Community Bible Study this year as well. Our first day is tomorrow. The kids' teachers have already called to introduce themselves. I have heard such great things about this and am very excited for us all to be involved in group Bible study. It's been about 7 years since I have been in any type of small group study.

And not to leave little Reese out, he has been doing great too. He is doing so much better staying in his bed and not getting out to eat Tums or anything else. He's doing awesome about going to the nursery at church. He's putting lots of words together and will eat anything that you put on his plate. I have started talking about the potty with him and he's sat on it a few times before taking a bath, but he is definitely content with diapers for now:).

We have one last hoorah at the beach planned for the week after Labor Day. Steven is taking his vacation and the five of us are going back to the same place we went last Labor Day. The kids are so excited and are counting down the days!

He's Four!

Yesterday was a big day around here.

First, our little man turned four. We had a pre-birthday dinner celebration the night before at Chick-fil-A with Poppey, Gigi, Uncle Mark, Aunt Khaki, and cousin Powell. He was very patient and waited for us the next morning even though he knew presents were waiting.

He was thrilled to get the big Finn McMissile from my mom and Siddeley the Spy Jet from Grammy. Here they are planning their next spy mission. Or maybe they are just introducing themselves. He also acquired several new Transformers, a stomp rocket, a new book, a new movie, some new Cars underwear and a cool number shirt.

Then we moved on the second big part of the day: school. It might not have been the smartest parent move to give him all his new birthday presents and then expect him to be excited about leaving them and going to school. But he did not cry or complain or protest. I sent birthday cupcakes for his class and teachers to celebrate with him. When I picked him up, I asked his teacher if he was cooperative and she said, "for the most part." Which means he wasn't:). Then she said, "But he's a good kid" and Grady said, "You're a good teacher." And that dear boy, is why you'll make it through. You are such an encourager and love bug and compliment-giver. Your charm makes up where your attitude lacks. But we are still going to work on it and pray the Lord continues to change that little heart!

After nap time, we went outside to play with the stomp rocket. It was a lot of fun but in ten minutes time, we'd lost two rockets to the tree and one to the roof and I had successfully gotten 8 mosquito bites. I might not go outside again until fall.

The birthday boy requested pancakes for dinner, so pancakes we had. Then one more cupcake for dessert. He asked me to sing Happy Birthday so I did. All by myself. Grady, we love you so much and are so thankful for you and proud of you. You make us laugh all the time and encourage us. We pray the Lord gives you a long life enjoying Him and loving people. I look forward to seeing how He uses you and your gifts and talents. And how He molds and grows your character!:) Happy 4th Big Guy!