First Days of School

The past month has past us by in a whirlwind and I have a feeling the rest of the fall may just be at the same pace.  Allison and Jack have started school and also their fall activities.  It is a steady busy pace but it seems to me that we are finding a pretty good rhythm to our days. 
The first day of school was exciting for everyone!  After a few anxious moments making sure that Allison was actually registered and assigned a teacher, she was able to fully participate in Meet and Greet.  Mrs. Grohovsky and her class have welcomed Allison with open arms.  The class was together last year in kindergarten and Mrs. G looped up with them and added six more students in the first grade.  Allison had her outfit picked out at least three weeks before the first day of school and was incredibly excited to ride the bus.

 Allison love school and all that it entails.  She loves the independence, buying her own lunch, computer labs and library books.  She gets especially excited when her Daddy is able to walk her to the bus stop!  Of course Daddy was there for her first day!

 Off she went onto the bus with hardly a look back over her shoulder.  Last year she waved the entire time the bus was pulling away.  This year I had to search for that purple headband through the bus window to know where she was sitting.  She was too busy making friends with her seatmates.  I suppose I should be happy that it the way it is now, but I still need her to miss us a little bit!

 Jack is such a little man and was ready to go for his first day of 4 year old pre-k.  He wore one of his favorite colors for his first day.  His teacher is Mrs. Nekrasas and her assistant is Mrs. Devine.  Thank goodness they go by Mrs. N and Mrs. Maddie!  

 Jack has a pretty strong obsession with Puss in Boots and anything with sword fighting, so he made sure I got an action shot of him with his sword!

 Daddy was able to be there for Jack's first day of school as well.  Jack was able to find his name and hang his bag up, check himself in, find his book and get started on pre-k!  Jack merely looked up and waved as we said goodbye.  He is maturing so quickly and really gaining confidence.  I am proud that he can be so independent but still want him to kiss his mommy goodbye!

Jack now has me drop him off in the carpool line and is able to get to class on his own.  He talks non stop about letters, songs and the friends he is making in his classroom.  I am so excited to see what the year brings!

Getting back into the groove...

It has been a long time since I sat at the computer to write.  I have not found the inspiration to do so and when I think I have a great idea,  I get called away by a crying baby or distracted by insightful ramblings from another blog.  We have been undergoing a massive upheaval and resettling.  We ramped up the search for a new house in the Marietta area and lucked up on a great big home in the school system that I was most excited about.  We proceeded directly to frantic packing and organizing to move for the second time in six months. 
My sweet baby Emma has now lived in three homes before her first birthday!  Our master plan is that this house is our forever home.  Meaning that we will live here until the last child graduates from high school.  Good plan right?! Since God laughs at plans I am hopeful we will be here for more years than I have fingers.
My mom had surgery and I have traveled back and forth to help her out.  Emma came with me the second time once she was home and recovering.  A baby's presence has miraculous healing powers.  She put a smile on everyone's face and was a source of entertainment.  When you lose your mobility it is certainly nice to have a sweet baby girl putting on a show at your feet, completely content with a five foot square play area!

We have vacationed with our fantastic friends and came home kissed from the sun at New Smyrna Beach.  Our wonderful friend, Dena took more fantastic pictures of Emma and the kids.  Emma woke up at sunrise so we headed to the beach for an early morning photo shoot.  I giggle a little every time I look at the pictures because I know one day she is going to hate seeing her sweet little tush hanging as artwork in our home. 

We also went down to the beach later in the week to get a picture of all three kids together.  After bribes of lollipops and candy, a complete meltdown and recovery, lots of high jinx and silly faces, we achieved the perfect picture...everyone looking and smiling!

We are finally back at home and things are slowing down.  We are settling in and the picture frames are slowly finding their places on our walls.  I am enjoying the pace of summer.  We are doing swim lessons for the older kids, piano for Allison and Mimi has a daily craft project for them to complete. Emma has decided that she will become more mobile and is crawling and pulling up.  The baby gates have gone in and babyproofing is nearing its final stage.  I am hopeful that I will be returning to regular posts and updates with a few pictures to share what is going on.  We have one more month of summer before school begins, so lots of pool time, outings and family fun are sure to be on the agenda!

Going Gray

I am aging.  It is a fact of life.  However recently there have been some pretty significant reminders that I am getting older.  That my outside self is starting to show some wear and tear.  First of all, I have gray hairs.  Can I get a shocked gasp and a proclamation of "NO! You are WAY too young for gray hair!"? No...oh well, a girl can fish right?!  I haven't colored my hair since before my latest pregnancy and this time around some white coarse friends have sprouted at the front of my hairline.  They wave to me in the morning and remind me that yes, I am old enough for gray hair.  I refuse to pluck them, I have very little hair and need to keep what I have no matter the color.  But I will cover them up as soon as I start generating my own disposable income.
I have recently invested in some rather expensive face cream.  At the risk of sounding like a spokesperson, I do feel a difference in the texture of my skin but I still have those thin lines that are deepening around my eyes and mouth.  Maybe in a couple weeks I will look like the "after" picture.   I may never inject toxin into my face, but it sure does get tempting.  My logical brain is proud of my smile lines.  It means that I have smiled easily and often in my life.  I am not so proud of my frown lines that have come from years of habitually crinkling my brow while studying and in the most recent years from scolding my children by giving them "the look".  You know "the look", the one that gives mommy wrinkles!   
Not so long ago at a company party, I was approached by a man.  In previous years this man has told me how beautiful I am and that I should model.  I haven't suggested an eye exam to him, I only look forward to this annual boost to my ego.  However, this year it was my haircut.  As I primped when he approached awaiting the gushing compliments I was sure to come, I tried not to appear deflated when he talked about my chic wedge bob.  The haircut that I and all of my other mom friends have in our effort to have a quick morning routine and still be able to look hot.  Oh goodness, I have some work to do!
The other day I was wrestling with my little man.  He is three and loves that rough play that boys need to release their energy.  Plus all the parenting articles state that boys show and receive affection better through physical interaction.  Hence, I was wrestling and I was LOSING!  I was losing to my three year old.  I was transported back in time to the days I would fight with my brother.  I started recruiting some of my long dormant defensive maneuvers to keep Jack from hurting me.  I felt every inch of this thirty something year old body and got totally dominated by a preschooler.  He actually stopped and asked me to quit putting my hands up in front of my face.  I obliged and proceeded directly to being tackled.
I am old enough to have three children.  Three!  I have brought three beautiful humans into the world.  My body is worse for the wear, but when I think back on the last six years of being either pregnant or nursing I am floored at the awesomeness of this achievement.  It is a gift that I do not take for granted.  Many days I wonder whether it is really me who is living this life or am I in a Freaky Friday situation.  Am I dreaming or do I really have a great husband who loves me and three rug rats who make me laugh and want to pull out my hair all in a matter of minutes.  I am getting older and I am pleased beyond words that this is my life!
I will likely hold on to many things that make me feel young.  You may call them guilty indulgences.  I do realize that when I am dancing in Zumba I am no longer the cute girl with some great moves,  I am the mom trying to shake off some of these birthing hips.  I don't keep up the way that I used to and I think if I attempted a high kick I may end up on crutches.  Reality is a tough pill to swallow.  I fry my brain with mindless reality television.  I have not missed an episode of the Bachelor, ever, since it started.  Yes, I mean since the very first episode when I was a college student piled on a sectional sofa with my sorority sisters laughing and making catty comments about twenty five women vying for the attention of one man.  Add that to the Twilight series and dance shows and you could say my interests are on par with any teenager immersed in pop culture. 
Inside my mind I am still young and spry.  I feel like I could step onto a soccer field and still be able to compete.  I can imagine dancing on stage and executing a perfect pirouette.   I feel put together and then I glimpse this frumpy woman in the mirror and realize that I still have some baby weight to work off.   Tonight I am jamming to some Justin Beiber.  His song is blasting from the toothbrush my five year old is using to brush her teeth.  Today I was responsible for the livelihood of three little people, one of whom relies on me for her nourishment and every need.  Today I worked for my family and also started a new job.  Today I probably got another gray hair.  I am all grown up.  I have a family.  I have the life I always dreamed of.  Tomorrow I will wake up another day older, wiser, more experienced.  I am meshing my internal self with my external one.  I will cherish every kiss from my children, every new experience because I know how fleeting these moments are.  My age doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, it is how I feel.  I feel young and I feel thankful. I am a Mommy and I think that gray hairs are all part of the deal.

Backsliding

I am tired of washing sheets and pants with pee on them.  No matter how carefully I fold the sheets and mattress pad together, I always manage to put my hand right on the pee spot as I am loading it into the washing machine.  Just now, as I got my little buddy undressed and ready for a midday bath I stepped back onto the pee soaked jeans he just napped in.  Awesome.  Kind of like the puddle of pee I discovered on the floor yesterday in the guest bathroom after I sat down on a very wet seat.  Lesson learned, natural light is not enough next time I will turn on the light.  I am beginning to smell wafts of piss in the air, like a sixth sense of mommyhood.
Our little man is backsliding in a big way in the potty department.  It started after Christmas and has snowballed since then.  He is sporadic with the gifts in the pull up in the morning and no bribe has been convincing enough to return to regular deposits in the potty.  He is peeing his pants again. The most common occurrence is while he is playing.  He just doesn't want to stop to take the potty break.  So you know, it is cool to pee your pants and just keep running.  He gets quite a bit more play time in the backyard before one of us notices that the front of his pants are soaked.  
The frustrating part is that he just doesn't care.  Ball of poop on his hiney, no biggie.  Wet pants in 60 degree weather while he is running outside, not a care.  If his shoe is squishy that gets his attention.  But he just asks for new shoes, not new pants.  Accident while napping, score a mid day bathtub party.  I wish I knew the key to this little boy's motivation.  He is the sweetest and most loving little person who is striving to keep some control in his little world.  I just wish bodily functions were not the way he has decided to retaliate against us, his parents. 
We brought home a new baby who has taken his place in Mommy's arms.  Poop in the pants for that one.  A new home in a new city, take that mom I'm peeing in my pants.  New school and having to make new friends, order up some pee on the floor for those strikes. 
One day Jack will read this and be mortified that I put out a narrative of his backsliding of potty training.  I deal daily in the business of poop and pee and as long as it is happening regularly, I am a happy mommy.  However, I want it regularly happening in the place it belongs.

Monster Jam!

My husband is an amazing father and sets aside special time with each one of the children.  For Allison it is "Daddy Dates" and for Jack it is "Man Time".  Well last night they had the ultimate "Man Time"!  Jason got tickets for them to go to Monster Jam.  After the tickets were initially bought, he also purchased ear phones for Jack to wear and started talking up what monster trucks were all about.  Jack wore the ear phones around the house for days which was humorous and frustrating at the same time since he couldn't hear me or himself speaking.
Jack was super excited for the Monster Jam!  Jason loaded him up and off they went to the Georgia Dome for a testosterone filled experience.

Fan favorite Grave Digger won the event, which was celebrating his 30 years of dominance.  Jack's favorite was the "doggie truck" pictured here.  And Jason reported that one of the best drivers happened to be the lone woman.  Her truck is pictured mid-jump.  I must say I am impressed.

Adventures in Atlanta

Since we moved up here to Atlanta, we have been itching to show the kids around the town.  Jason especially has been talking up all the exciting things we can do in the big city.  So last weekend we all piled into the van and headed downtown. 
Jack was in awe of the big buildings and would call out the shapes he saw on top of the tallest ones.  Now when I ask him to go with me somewhere he will ask if we can go by the "building with the triangle on top" or some other shape that he remembers seeing during our drive through downtown.  Allison was asking a million questions, attempting to wrap her head around what we were doing, where we were going, what was expected.  She gets a bit anxious and we reassured her that indeed this would be a fun day.
Our first stop was the Georgia Aquarium.  We had not been there since Allison was about three months old and she spent the day wide eyed and mouth agape at all the fish.  Turns out not much has changed in the last five years.

Jack was a little nervous to get close to the glass, which to his defense was a bit surreal.  You definitely feel like you are one inch away to being submerged with all the fish.

Allison needed an activity, something to keep her mind off the overwhelming sensory experience.  Thankfully the aquarium delivered with the fish card.  Essentially it is a look and find for all the different types of fish.  She loved it, and became less scared of the sharks and more excited about identifying grouper, sawfish, whale sharks and the rest.

During the dive show in front of the big tank, Allison raised her hand to ask a question.  We screened her question first, and approving of it, allowed her to ask it in front of the large crowd.  She was so confident and mature as she asked, "Why do the fish and shark tails go side to side and dolphin tails go up and down?"  I surely did not know the answer and neither did the gentlemen fielding the questions.  Referring to the diver who was on an underwater microphone, the expert was able to answer.  Turns out that mammal tails go up and down and fish go side to side.  It is a way to tell species apart.  I must admit I got teary with pride at the observation skills and intellect to ask such a good question of my little girl.   I definitely learned a new scientific fact that day. 

There are lots of crawl spaces and tunnels throughout the aquarium for the little ones to explore and get behind, in and go through the exhibits.  I went with them several times and had to swallow a bit of panic when trapped between throngs of children under the penguins.  Not my favorite, but with focus on the faces of my kids I was able to somewhat enjoy the experience.  Some of the crawl spaces were more forgiving and I was able to sit back and enjoy my children taking in what is certainly an awe inspiring underwater world.

Of course they wanted to stay the longest with the piranhas.  Little do they know what those fish are capable of.  Allison also got hold of the camera and I do believe I have a budding photographer on my hands.  There were over 148 pictures of fish and other scenes on the camera that were sorted through.  Some of them are actually quite good...like 5 or 6 of them. 

Next it was on to the World of Coke.  My family is full of Coca Cola drinkers.  There is never a Pepsi in sight.  I drink the real, full sugar kind preferring a good fountain Cherry Coke or a can of Vanilla Coke.   I like Coca Cola memorabilia and the museum has lots to offer in that regard.  My dad used to work for Coke and we would sport "Coke is It" shirts frequently.  I can't help but think those ratty shirts would be considered vintage now.

The characters that Coke brings out are animated better than any Disney character.  This polar bear was hilarious and could change his expressions and interact with us.  The kids were a bit scared of him due to his size, but he was definitely Mimi's favorite and got some genuine laughs from the adults.  Can you spy Emma in the picture?  Yep, she was there too!

Allison got to hold a real Olympic torch.  I thought that it was so cool!

This cheerleader is a character from their Super bowl ad.  She was funny too.  I think Coke has marketing geniuses.  

The finale was tasting Coke products from around the world.  It is definitely the highlight for me personally and we let the kids try them all too.  Now, they have had Sprite on special occasions but never the caramel colored stuff.  Allison dove right in and her favorite was the one that "tasted like marshmallows" i.e. Vanilla Coke.  Girl after my own heart!  The tastings rocked Jack's world.  His favorites were actually from Africa so we will be needing to make trips over there to ship back cases of that yellow soda.  He reacted to that sugar and carbonation hitting his bloodstream like a crazy man.  He was talking a mile a minute and jumping and dancing around.  He left with a soda mustache and a huge smile on his face. 

Our initial adventure in Atlanta was a huge success.  The kids had a wonderful day and we got to have a fun family experience. 

Can we call it sledding?

Our cousins, The Ponders, came from Birmingham for a quick morning visit.  Liza Jane and Martha had received some pretty sweet sledding discs for Christmas from their grandparents.  They had brought them to see if they would work on grass in addition to snow and wouldn't you know that they did!  The kids had a blast dragging, pushing and sliding each other down the hill.  Liza Jane and Martha were both gracious with their gifts, sharing their new toys with their cousins.  All four of them had a great time sledding and got up some speed going down the hill.  There were a few wipeout spills too, but everyone got up smiling and just dragged the disc back up the hill for another run.