32nd Birthday

Today is my birthday! This year it happens to be on a Sunday! And, here is what a typical Sunday looks like at our house - crazy kids and sleeping(faker!!) husband! And, as you get older, birthdays are just another day! We did what we do every Sunday - church in the morning, naps, laundry, vacuum, mop, hang pictures and towel hooks(although definitely don't do that every Sunday!) and grill out!  And I was able to watch Chipper Jones at one of his last games at Turner Field and made homemade play doh for S's class!  A very busy day, and a day full of family!

Reading and Art

This morning the kids had a few minutes(a very, short-lived few minutes I might add) of reading together before the birthday craziness of the day started.  I think half of our friends have birthdays this month!! 

At one of the parties, the party goers were given an art lesson and taught to paint a picture of a blue car with a surfboard.  I allowed S to do the entire thing herself although it took all the restraint I had not to step in and "help" her!!  I mean, really, I am one of the worst artists I know, so who am I to tell her that what I would do is better than what she would do!?!?  She made her very own with no help from Mommy, work of art and is very proud of it!

TGIF

Today while S was in school, C and I went by Krispy Kreme where we received our free coffee and doughnut.  Coffee for Mommy and a fresh, "hot now" doughnut for the boy:)  We were both happy with our treats!

We then went to the zoo and met a friend.  Her kids are both in grade school now so C had two adults' undivided attention the entire time and was able to call all the shots while we were there.  Good deal for him!

Camp Pop-Pop

I grew up camping with my family!  We all loved it and my brother and I continued camping into college and our early twenties!  Now, with kids, it has been a while since I've been but we've talked about taking our first camping trip next summer when C will be three.  But, the kids have been exposed to the "camp pop-pop" as S calls it:)  When C was born, my parents came and stayed a week in their pop-up and S absolutely loved it!  That was more than TWO YEARS ago, and she still occasionally talks about it.  Yesterday, Gigi surprised the kids by bringing it when she came to visit.  To say the kids love it is an understatement!  S helped set the entire thing up and take it down and once he figured out what in the world it was, C was all about being inside of it.  Last night we had dinner in it and this morning they couldn't wait to get out there first thing and have breakfast!  While C was napping, S and Gigi played games and puzzles in it which gave me a quiet house where I read 100 pages in one sitting - unheard of!  What great entertainment all day!  I think it is in their blood to love camping:)  Makes me excited about next summer!

And, we also went to the park this morning with Gigi so of course I took pictures!:)  I forget how nice it is to have an extra set of hands around when going places!  I had not been to this park in probably a year because it is so big and I can no longer contain C in a stroller and him be happy about it, so we just opt for parks that aren't quite as spread out!

Thanks for a great visit Gigi!!

Juicing

I have been interested for a while in trying out juicing.  It seems so healthy and a great way for our family to get more fruits and veggies into our diets each day.  A very generous friend from church invited me over and gave me a demo using her juicer and then allowed me to borrow the juicer and sent me away with a stash of leafy greens!  I LOVED it when I was at her house, as did C-man since he was with me when I went, and I couldn't wait to try it for myself!  I attempted the same one she had done, but was a little different, but the kids devoured it!!!  Both of them were begging for more!  I think I may like this thing!!:)

Side note, I am actually posting this a day after I started it and made another juice today.  This time it was kale and carrots, no apple to make it sweeter since I didn't have any.  THEY STILL DEVOURED IT!!!! 

Together Tuesdays

I cannot believe it has been a week since I last posted!  We have been super, super busy and I have not even had the thought to pull out my camera!  Sad! 

Since last Tuesday, we've:
-had three speech sessions.
-had school.
-been to two birthday parties.
-changed the kids' closets from summer to fall/winter clothes - meaning LOTS of laundry.
-had two bible studies.
-been to girls' night out.
-fertilized, limed and seeded the yard.
-attended church.
-had one doctor appointment.
-made a trip to the library.

And of course the weekly/daily joys of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, errands, gym, etc.

Still mad I haven't taken a single picture!!!

Today, being Tuesday, we went to the Bounce House to spend time together and have fun!  We had several free passes to get in that need to be used before they expired!  It was a blast!  The kids jumped and bounced and pushed each other fast in the toy cars!  Oh so fun!  It was a good day together!

This afternoon, we had a reschedule for C's speech, so Grandmomma came over to sit through that and take care of C while S and I headed to dance!  I was almost giddy with excitement over the fact that I was going to be able to go to Target AND Trader Joes kiddo-free while she had class:)  I was also able to get back and watch the last 30 minutes of tap which I have yet to be able to do since C is not the sit-and-be-quiet kind of kid and I have to stay outside of the building until class is over otherwise he is a serious distraction for everyone!  I loved watching her!!  Her teacher is precise with them and I could tell S was trying sooo hard to do it right, but having a hard time getting it perfect.  She is a perfectionist and I get the impression that her teacher is too!  She should learn a LOT this year but I hope that she doesn't get discouraged because she doesn't get it right the first time - hard lesson for me to learn much less for a 4-year-old!!  And, I was of course "that mom" with the camera peeking my head in(since there is not a viewing window) distracting my child and taking pictures.  Yup, that's me!!:)

Together Tuesdays

Today did not quite turn out like I had planned:/

Furman University has a program called The Learning Lab.  They have toddlers/preschoolers come in and participate in their research studies.  S had done one last spring and did great and it was a lot of fun!  While there, they got information on C too since he, as of age 2, would qualify to join in the fun.  Well, since he has turned 2, we have gotten about five different calls asking if he would come in and do the same study that S did in the spring.  Last week I agreed to bring him in today with the thought that since it was a Tuesday, we would spend some fun time down by the lake feeding the ducks.  Well, in rained buckets today!! 

But, we were obligated to go, so we went and he did his study(although didn't finish because we ran out of two-year-old attention span!) and directly left.  I tried to salvage some of our day so I did stop at McDonald's on the way home - which is both kids' favorite, bleh! - and got them the delectable and oh-so-healthy Happy Meal!

S had dance this afternoon which left C and I had about an hour and a half to kill in the rain so we went to Loft to spend my $15 off birthday gift from them and then went next door to Barnes and Noble because it is just that awesome of a place!  Between the kids section with books and toys and Thomas the Tank Engine stuff galore coupled with Nooks with kids books on them, we had a great time!  It is amazing that at only two-years-old, C knows how to use the Nook and swipe his little finger across the screen to turn the page.  They learn so young and quick!!

Lowercase Letters

Last year S's k3 class emphasized uppercase letters and we've pretty much got the writing of these mastered.  This year, we are going to be working on her lowercase letters(not sure if this is the plan for her k4 class or not, but it makes sense since we are doing letters-of-the-week curriculum again that we don't do only uppercase again!).  So, today we went through the the entire grueling alphabet(S's idea, not mine) and I figured out which ones she kinda already knew how to write and which ones needed some work.  Now we'll go along with the letter she is learning each week at school and only concentrate on one letter a week - that is all about either of us will be able to handle I think!!:)  But, I should brag on her that she can write her first and last name now without have to ask me how to spell it and also knows mine and M's phone numbers and has our address memorized!!  So proud of her!

Soda Shop

A few days ago, the kids and I went to an old soda shop! The weather was amazing, we had a great lunch outside and the kids were able to sit at the counter and watch as their milkshakes were made! It was getting late by this time and I wanted to get C home for a nap, so I decided that we would take the milkshakes to go! Halfway home, C spills his all over himself and the carseat and is screaming! I have to pull off on the side of the exit, strip him down and clean the carseat. We may be going to the soda shop again but we will not be having any more milkshakes to go for quite a while!!!

Gigi Visits

Yesterday, Gigi made it up for a visit for a couple of days!  After having sick kids, it was a much-welcomed sight to see her pull up:)  She entertained the kids outside while I did..ummm... NOTHING!:)  Ahhh!  We put C down for a nap and Gigi and S had etiquette class and S learned how to properly set a table!  She was so proud and it was so cute!  After Little Man was up and about, we went letterboxing at Pelham Mill Historic Site.  It was pretty cool to see and C especially thought the waterfall was the best part.  S preferred to do her "treasure hunting" rather than take in the scenery.  To each their own:)

Today we took S to school and C got Gigi and Mommy all to himself at the park!  I think he relished in the fact that all attention was on him:)  We then went to Toys R Us and got the kids each a little "goody":)  Thank goodness for C's little goody because I had a hair appointment that he had to sit through for an hour.  And, wouldn't you know it, he played quietly by himself the entire time!  I was so proud of how good he was!  We went to pick S up from school and she was very excited to have Gigi there to tell about her day!

Thank you, Gigi, for special memories!!

Conductor

And the cutest conductor I ever did see:)

Together Tuesdays

The kids woke up feeling much better today!  YIPPEE!!

S still has a sore throat(but without the fever!) and C is still a little snotty, but I think we are going to make it!  HA!

I took them to the CAT Studio for Table Time and some messy arts and crafts:)  S is way more into it than C is, and she has been since she was even younger than him so I am kinda getting the feeling that he is not going to be an "arts-and-crafts-kind-of-kid"!  But, he did enjoy flirting with the older girls there who were doing their homeschool work there and also of course eating his snack! 

We all got messy and were covered in paint, so I'd call it a good morning!:)