Just a few things

Just a few things really quickly.

1.  you know the watermelon lie?  Where I told John that the watermelon on his plate was candy.  Well, since then, he is eating any fruit he can get his hands on.  Why oh why did I wait so long to lie to my son ;)

2.  Ada has recently roped John into playing barbies with her.  Which would be bad news, except that John's barbie is always a monster, and the only thing it does is roar really loudly and attack Ada's barbie.  And Ada just says in a really high pitched voice, "oh no, the monster is coming..."  So different from the way my sisters and I played barbies.

3.  Today, I spent all morning long deep cleaning our bedroom--dusting everything in sight, cleaning base boards, vacuuming under the dresser.  I mean, really satisfying deep cleaning.  I came out of the bedroom to find toys covering every square inch of the rest of the house.  It was insane.  All that satisfaction of cleaning my bedroom was gone just like that. 

4.  I am watching the Olympics as I type this.  I am loving the Olympics, are you?  One of my favorite parts is watching the moms in the audience watch their children succeed.  Love it.

5.  I think that's it.  The bed is calling my name.

(a big birthday party this weekend.  Ada is counting down the days.  For some reason age 5 is making me really sentimental.  Maybe because she is so not a baby anymore?)

Thankful and listing it

Obviously, it's Tuesday, but I am jumping in anyway.  It's been a long time since I have done this, but I want to get back to listing my blessings--the thousands of things in any given day that I am so thankful for if I only take the time to notice.  I am just going to number from week to week, rather than trying to keep up with actually listing 1000 things.  It's a lot easier that way, meaning I am more likely to to list ;)

1.  Aldi--filling up my cart with fresh produce, all while staying well under the grocery budget.

2.  John eating that produce--hallelujah!  He and Ada are currently enjoying an afternoon snack of strawberries (first written earlier today)

3.  speaking of food--John ate LOTS of dinner last night--broccoli and pasta and chicken.  Miracle!!

4.  sunshine and pouring rain--both such gifts

5.  our van--I remain amazed that it is even ours.  God works in such seemingly crazy ways.

6.  count down to the beach.  Pinch me--are we really going?

7.  Diet coke and netflix with Scott.  My absolute favorite way to end the day.

8.  Really easy and comfortable friendships.

9.  Almost 5 years with my precious Ada. 

10.  Air conditioning, and my shower, and my dishwasher, and I could go on and on--all the conveniences of my home.

Birthdays, ballet, school's coming, and such

All of a sudden I feel like summer is on fast forward, and I am not sure what we have done with our summer.  Other than the big dramatics like the car catching on fire and John choking, it's been a very uneventful summer, and it sort of seems like it hasn't even happened.

We have done our fair share of the pool (thank you, Jessica!) and what else?!!!  Not much.  I am afraid that I am getting a little too used to an empty schedule as the school year looms ahead.  With no tutoring and no school and no real schedule of any sort, we have been able to sit down to dinner as a family every single night with no really worries about if it's late or not.  We have been going to the gym in the afternoons, which has made it no big deal if Scott gets home late, and it's been nice.  Plus, Scott and I have got a nice system going where after dinner, he bathes the kids, and I clean up the kitchen, and then we get the kids in bed.  In other words, it's been relatively stress-free.  I guess I am just a little nervous about getting back to the school schedule. 

Now, obviously, our school schedule is very laid back, since I home school and Ada is only going to be in kindergarten (but that feels like a BIG deal--she's officially school age.  No more preschool.  And here is where I feel sentimental and say that she is growing up so fast).  But the whole world is on the school schedule--tutoring starts back, and Ada starts ballet, and the church schedule gets busier.  Summer is just laid back by nature, and I don't know if I am ready to give that up.  But, like it or not, summer is coming to an end.

The main reason I know that summer is coming to an end?  I am in full speed ahead planning mode for Ada's birthday party.  Her birthday will always mark the end of summer to me, as did my own birthday when I was growing up (exactly a week after Ada's)  She has opted to once again have a princess party.  Surely next year we can move on to something different?  I am trying to come up with new ideas that we didn't already do last year, but what can you do?  And two little boys will be invited, so I am also pulling in a bit of a knight theme (and I use the word theme loosely--have you seen the craziness of birthday parties on pinterest.  It's out of control, I do believe).  So far, "guests" will be coloring some princess/cars stickers (there were no knight stickers) when they arrive, the girls will then get their finger nails painted while the boys decorate a shield, and then everyone is going to decorate cookies shaped like crowns.  You know, cookies, just in case the kids weren't already going to get enough sugar with the cupcakes and ice cream.  I am trying to think of "unisex" activities.  The party is only going to last for an hour and a half, so does that seem like enough activities?  Does anyone have any really great, but inexpensive ideas for a princess/knight party?  Party planning is not my gift.  The main goal is that Ada feel really special and excited, but that we keep things reasonable as to not raise expectations too high for future parties--if that makes sense.  There has been talk of pin the crown on the princess, with my friend Jessica drawing a picture of a princess for me...

On the birthday note, I spent my entire Saturday afternoon driving around McDonough looking for a classic pink ballet leotard and tights, which will be Ada's birthday gift.  There were none to be found.  I was frustrated to say the least.  Ada will be starting ballet with a new teacher in a few weeks, and I want to give her the ballet "gear" for her birthday.  I have the shoes, but I cannot find a leotard.  I might have to order it online.  Does anyone know a good website to order from?  How sizing works on things like this?  I don't know what size to order her...  Or does anyone local know where to look for a pink leotard and tights?  Should it really be this hard?

I know, this post is beyond exciting. 

What is exciting is that John has eaten both watermelon and strawberries today, and if you are friends with me on facebook, then you probably saw that John ate watermelon only after I told him it was candy.  In my defense, most of the time I know in my heart of hearts that if John would only taste something, then he would like it.  Half of the battle is getting him to take that first bite.  And it was watermelon.  Come on...who doesn't like watermelon?  And it worked, he tried it because he thought it was candy, and he loved it.  And then tonight, at a friends' house, he ate lots and lots of strawberries off the host's plate.  Whatever works, right?  I mean, when the strawberries were on his own plate, he didn't touch them, but another man's plate, sure...

Okay, I am off to do a little searching for pink ballet leotard...

Cousins

We are home sweet home again after a full week with cousins in Alabama. 

Oh goodness, all it takes is throwing two first born girls together for the sin nature to start showing it's ugly head.  Ada and Ellie gave us a run for our money with their arguing, but that's okay, it was still a fun week.  And, Ann and I fought like crazy growing up, and we laugh about it now--the ridiculous, selfish things we argued over--so it only makes sense that our daughters would argue too. 

But, really, it was a fun week, and it was good to be with family.  The good news is that it was also good to be home.  It's a relief to realize that this rental house definitely feels like home.  (wow, I used the word good a LOT, I need to work on my vocabulary, but not now at 9:45 when I am exhausted.  Good it is).  Now for a few photos...

the whole crew eating dinner.  Please notice that John is eating yogurt instead of the dinner that everyone is eating.  We have lots of dinner time battles at our house, which mostly consist of my putting a plate in front of John, and sometimes, if I'm lucky, his taking one bite and saying that he is done.  Then I try to explain that he can't have anything else to eat that night if he doesn't eat dinner, and he says no, mommy, all done!!!  in a very shrill voice.  So...I decided to take a vacation from that battle while I was in AL, and John mostly had yogurt (with pureed veggies in it, just to make me feel better) for dinner.

ha, look at those two, looking so BFF-like.

snack time at the splash park

and one afternoon, these two--Andrew, 3, and Ada--hung out at my mom's house while John slept, and they played their little hearts out.  They were sharing some laughs over fruit loops.

It was a fun week of building a few more memories into the cousin memory bank...

4th of July and other things...

Happy belated birthday, America!!

I have to say I am a sucker for large crowds parked in big open fields, local bands, and funnel cake.  It feels just the right amount of festive to me.  And Ada and John are suckers for large, inflatable, bouncy things.  And then of course, the big fireworks show at the end, way past the kids' bed time.  So, I would say that we properly celebrated our Nation's birthday.

In the middle of the fireworks, I leaned forward, explaining to Ada that this was like a birthday party for America.  Which, she then logically concluded that she should have fireworks at her birthday party.

In other big and exciting news, I got rid of a whole plastic tub of toys yesterday, and our toy shelves and Ada's play kitchen is much more organized.  There is a fine line in those toy bins between what actually qualify as toys and what is just pure junk.  Ada and I tend to disagree on that line ;)  Also, my children love a plain white sheet of paper and some crayons.  And throw in some kid size scissors, and Ada is in Heaven.  The problem is that little scraps of paper end up all over my house.  It drives me CRAZY.  (and Scott, it drives him crazy as well).  So, after my big toy overhaul yesterday, I put a manageable stack of paper on Ada's little table in the play room, put a shoe box full of crayons on top of the stack of paper, and officially made it a rule that all coloring and cutting had to be done while sitting at that table. So far, so good, but we are only one day in.

I even attempted to organize the bins of toys that are on the shelves.  I am sure that they will not stay organized, but maybe for a little while?  And I plan to do another overhaul in a month or two.  I can't get rid of too many unplayed with toys at once or my children start to notice and protest.

Again, Lord willing, we will be moving a year from now, and I want to get rid of much stuff as I can to make that move easier.  I know myself, and I know that starting a year from the move is probably for the best.  Organization is not really my "thing," which is an understatement of the highest degree, so I need to give myself plenty of time.  The book shelves are next on the list.

However, I am off to Scottsboro for a week to stay with the Barbers while Steve is out of town, so the books will have to wait.  It's going to be one big cousin camp, so to speak, and Ada is fired up. 

Memories, memories...

I was talking to a teenage friend of mine a while ago, telling her I was a little envious that she still had college ahead of her.  I told her that college was the one thing in life that fully lived up to my expectations.  And then some.

I am sure that in retrospect, I am only remembering the positive, and that my mom could quickly remind me of tearful phone calls home when I was stressed beyond belief, but I will just hold on to the blissful memories of fun, fun, fun with all the time in the world to just hang out.  And who was I doing all of this hanging out with?  The girls pictured above.  And a few others, who are scattered here and there, or busy with new babies and such.  There was a whole crew of us all piled into one house back in the glory days, known as my Auburn experience. 

And what a refreshing thing to be around women who have known me for a good long while, back when all of life was just one big possibility.

This past Saturday we all reunited in Auburn to celebrate a new baby on the way, and then we stayed way too long at a favorite restaurant (Amsterdam's, anyone?), remembering it all...and wondering how we got from there to here. 

And just like the old days, it was fun, fun, fun.  Love you, girlies, if you are reading this, and I am so thankful for these friendships!!

As for the here that I am talking about....

these two kiddos who made the long line at the tag office stressful to say the least.  (and we had to go to the tag office twice today!!!!)  That's why I corralled them under the counter while the lady tried to work out the details of my car tag; we're a long way from my Auburn days, ya'll ;)  (but I sure do love these stinkers)