The Sweetest Six Year Old In The World!

Yesterday we celebrated K's 6th birthday! It was a great day and filled with fun. We celebrated with her at a local jumping establishment and many of her friends came for her party. We (well,..THEY) jumped, giggled, ate pizza and cake, and opened presents. Fun was had by all.









She still holds her claim to sweetest and prettiest six year old in the world. (I am her mom so I can say that). That and the fact that it's my blog....and the fact that it is true.

Happy Birthday sweet K. You are master snuggler, queen of kindness, entertainer of young brother, friend to older sister, and princess of the family. We love you so very much.

First Kiss

They grow up too fast. Plain and simple. While I feel like I am on auto pilot most days, I think my kids are on fast forward. My sweet K, who is in kindergarten this year, proved my theory correct the other day.

When the kids got into my car after school they were saying, "Teller kissed K! Teller kissed K!" K had a sheepish grin on her face, but held her chin low as so not to make real eye contact with me. Later that night my husband and I questioned her about THE KISS. We asked, "In the mouth?" K replied, "Ugh, No. ON the mouth." Ok, good. I think I asked that wrong in the first place. Good to know it wasn't IN the mouth, just ON. I then asked, "You didn't like it did you?" She looked at her Daddy looking at her and she shook her head No. With that her Daddy gave her a big hug. She looked at me while peering over his shoulder, still in the embrace, and with a huge grin she mouthed to me, "I really did though".

Fast forward I tell ya. Could someone grab that remote and put us in slow motion for just a while? Mainly so that her Daddy can have time to get prepared!

One Week Down

Last week it was back to school and back to routine. Everything went pretty good, although there were some occasional resistance to going to bed before it was even dark and having to come in early from playing to get baths. It was an adjustment for all of us.

Toward the end of the week sweet K didn't want to get out of bed in the mornings. As a matter of fact on Friday morning as I woke her up she declared that she didn't want to go to school and she had decided she didn't like it anymore. She proceeded to pull the covers back over her head and I told her she must, in fact, go to school.
"Why?" she asked in a very cranky tone.
In which I replied, "So that you can learn things, be smart, and grow up to be anthing that you want to be."
"I don't WANT to be ANYTHING," she came back with quickly.
Brief Silence/Pause
and then she said, "On second thought, I do want to be something. I want to be a SLEEPER!" With that she once again pulled the comforter back over her head as I laughed out loud at her response.
If only you got paid for sleeping, because I want to change jobs if that's the case!

On Wednesday afternoon we visited cousins in their new neighborhood. M and her cousin were playing on the scooters outside and M took a dive on the pavement and has a pretty serious injury from it. She basically has road rash and the top layer of skin peeled away from her leg. Ewwwww...I KNOW! After a trip (or four) to CVS and about $75 later I now could run a small infirmary. Not really, because I have to use all that to clean her wound and change her bandage twice a day!
(A small diversion here....Why in the world when I was at Ga Southern preparing for nursing school did I have to take Field Biology? Seriously...No amount of bird watching or bug collecting prepared me for anything nurse related! And I must say that I am so glad that I decided to go in to teaching instead of nursing because if this wasn't my daughter then I would pass out at the sight of this leg! )
The wound seems to be healing rather nicely, but having to change the bandage on it in the mornings before school means we have to wake up 10 minutes earlier and I'm not a big fan of losing my one and only snooze!

Hopefully this week, the second week of school, will be free from injuries and we will get a better sense of our new sleeping routine. Here's to being a mommy!

And here are pictures of the road rash
(I have to say that it looks a lot better on this picture than in person!)


And my excellent bandage..Aren't you proud?

Everytime I have changed M's bandage, she has looked at me and said, "Mommy, I love you."
It's always nice to know someone is there to care for you, isn't it?

Kindergarten!

Today I will choke back my tears all day. Today I will miss my chance to sit and hug on you whenever I feel like it. Today I will miss fixing your lunch. Today I will miss hearing you and your little brother play. Today I will miss being asked 1.000 totally random questions. Today I will miss the frequent interruptions while I work. Today I will miss my sweet, black-haired angel. Today is your first day of kindergarten.

I left you so excited at school this morning ready to take on the world, make new friends, and learn so much. You have become so very independent lately and have seem to have grown a foot over the summer alone! I am so happy that you are so excited about going to kindergarten, even though I will miss you being here with me all day.

Today you will be missed, but I am excited about your new adventure sweet K!

Steeplechase Fun

We try to go to the Steeplechase when we can. I always have fun making the girls hats and they have a great day spent in the spring weather (which felt more like summer this year) watching all the people and events on this fun day. They love having free cokes, sprites, waters and an endless table full of goodies and sweets. They also love spending time with their grandparents while we are there.

This year proved to be just as fun and memorable. We had 2 beautiful girls in cute hats:

We watched as sky divers plummeted to Earth and landed safely.


We enjoyed many cokes (and perhaps a few other beverages by the adults).

We posed for a few pictures and forced a smile, even though we were hot and worn out:


Oh, and we did see some horses and some horse races!




Next year maybe little J will be able to attend the horse races, but for this year, I left him safely behind with a babysitter knowing that if I hadn't HE would have somehow climbed the fence and ended up on the race track just as the horses were making the turn!

Maybe We Have Watched The Wizard Of Oz One Too Many Times!

Last Friday we had bad weather in our area along with some tornadoes. Since we live in a typical brick ranch house with no basement, our "tornado place" is in my daughter's closet that happens to be in the center of our house. Luckily, that Friday my husband had come home early from work because he was sick. I was thankful, and so were the kids, that he was there. It just made us feel safer somehow.

As the storm got worse the kids and I got into my daughter's room/closet and listened to the radio. J, oblivious to the situation, couldn't care less. As a matter of fact he thought it was fun being all together in a tiny space like that. M was a drama queen that just kept saying, " I KNOW we are going to have a tornado! I just KNOW it!," then she would add, "I'm totally freakin' out, Mom...totally freakin' out here." K was very quiet for the most part but you could just tell that her wheels were spinning in her head. After a while, K asked me in a soft, quiet voice (and quite calmly), "Mom, will other people land where I land?"

"What K?" I asked back, confused.

"You know mom, when the tornado picks me up and drops me, will I land where anyone else lands." she explained carefully.

I explained to her that although technically a tornado has done that and is capable of doing that, that hopefully that would not be our situation and that we were safe inside our house and people could rescue us here if in fact a tornado hit our house.

I just couldn't get over the differences in my girls thought processes. My oldest "freakin' out" and my youngest worried if she would "land where anyone else landed." She is such a deep thinker, but what's more amazing than that is that she has such a calm spirit. And if anyone is wondering which personality type I am...Well, that would be daughter #1. I was "FREAKIN' OUT" myself.. I have just learned to stay quiet in front of my kids so I don't make matters worse. It's hard though, REAL hard!

Proud Momma

In the kid interview that I did with my girls, I couldn't help but get stuck on the questions that asked, "How are you and your mom alike?" and "How are you and your mom different?" It made me think of what my answer would be to how they are or are not like me really examining it in my own mind. So here are my answers to my girls as to how we are alike and different:

My beautiful M, We are both alike and different , both of which make me very happy and proud of you. We are similar in that we are both passionate, outspoken, argumentative, yet kind, loving and caring. Physically we both have brown hair, freckles and a warm smile. We both like to laugh, and to make people laugh. We are also different in some ways, and in the ways that make you uniquely YOU. You enjoy being the center of attention, you stand out in a crowd, you will initiate conversations with anyone. I on the other hand, like to blend in to the crowd, and although I love to talk, I don't necessarily have the confidence that you do to initiate it with someone I don't even know. You are the first born, and I am the baby in my family. We look different too in some ways. You have this curly, curly, ringlet hair and mine is neither curly or straight..just slightly wavy (enough to get on my nerves, actually). You have beautiful eyes that are twice the size of mine and they are set off with long black eyelashes. I on the other hand do everything I can to make my eyes look bigger and my eyelashes longer. I am so proud of how you are like me, but I am equally as proud of our differences because they make you who you are. I am proud of you and who you are becoming.

My sweet baby K, we too, have our similarities and differences as mother and daughter. Even at only 6 years old I can already see some of these things. I can see a lot of physical likeness with you. You have my shape face, green eyes, and smile however, your black hair and olive complexion make you more like Daddy. Your personality is extremely special. You are so content with everything, very even keel, never one to get restless or agitated. You always seem calm and reserved, careful in your actions and words. This my dear child, is a very valuable quality to have, and one I wish I possessed myself. I tend to get easily irritated in situations, restless and often wish I could take back something I said, not really ever being STILL enough to be calmed, soothed, at peace the way you do. I have a lot to learn from you in this way. You are like me in that you too do not love to be the center of attention, but you always polite and secure with your surroundings, always willing to talk to someone if spoken to. I hope you continue to grow with these wonderful qualities and characteristics which make you very unique. I am so proud of you.

Of course I am biased about my girls, but I have the right to be, don't I? A few months ago it was really nice to get an email from a new friend that recently met my daughters as they were the flower girls in her son's wedding (who was marrying our cousin) and after only being with them a few times over the weekend I think she did a really good job of summing up their personalities. I have printed and saved the email that she sent because I think it would be nice for the girls to read as they get older. Here is what she said about my girls:

"M-such confidence -such presence-a darling "Diva" who quickly adapts to "center stage" with such grace. Beautiful manners, in no way bold or cheeky but with that indescribable, incredible, confidence of a wee person who just "does" because she "can" and has been called to "do"! Long may that stay with her, the upcoming teen years can be cruel and confidence is a marvelous shield...

K--you and T are lucky that you got to taker her home!! I'd have scooped her up in a heartbeat! I swear if you look up "sweet" in the dictionary, K's picture would be beside the word. Certainly quieter than her big sister but very "centered" with a serenity beyond her years-NO shrinking violet-very willing to engage in conversation and by the end of the weekend was quite willing to initiate the conversation... "

Now, that is a big compliment and one I treasure. (Thanks PW if you're reading!)

Interesting to see your children grow up and develop these unique personalities. I perhaps should come back and read this blog entry several times during their teenage years when I'm sure to not feel quite as warm and fuzzy about their personalities or their looks.

Welcome Spring!

We have been enjoying temperatures reaching 80 degrees and it is so welcomed. The grass has started to come up, flowers are budding and the birds are chirping. My toes are painted red and feeling free in their flip flops, saying "Goodbye" to the socks and the fuzz between toes. I absolutely love spring and the newness of everything it brings with it.

My girls enjoyed a picnic in the front yard with their dolls this weekend.

I hope they always remember and cherish these sweet sister, "girly" moments...

My little guy in his shorts! Awwww...I could just eat him up.

Here is J inside in his tent eating french fries. I have this tent in my living room. Although an eyesore for visitors, it sure does help keep him occupied while I do my work on the computer.

He has a nice little pad, huh..complete with animal print fur blanket.

Unfortunately, it will get cold again this weekend. Spring is always a big tease, but it's always well worth the wait. And I'll tell you one thing--my toes aren't willing to give up the freedom that they have recently discovered...cold or not!

Oink, Oink

Last night, getting the girls ready for bed, K said to me, "Mommy? This morning when I woke up I heard a pig noise."
"What? In your room?" I asked.
"Yes, it came from my mouth. A pig noise..sounded just like a pig," she replied.
"K, that was you snoring," I informed her.

That just cracked me up!

Embarrassed to say, she takes after her mommy! Maybe K and I should bunk together and saw a few logs together and my husband can get some rest in her bed!

Mondays Make Me Crazy

This is how I feel on Mondays:

This is K's drawing. At first, I thought it was a picture of her mommy when she wakes up in the morning, but after looking at the curly hair and the earrings (with the line drawn out sideways from the ear), I knew it was of her sister, M. Too cute and pretty accurate.

Just One of Those Days

I was very busy today, consumed with entirely too many bankruptcies to process and mounds of laundry that has yet to be done. On top of that, K stayed home from school today sick and I had to fit in a doctor's appointment for J, because HE IS SICK TOO! Ughh. You get the point?

As I was working feverishly on the computer today, I was interrupted quite a bit with the usual requests, "Could you please put on another movie?", or "Can you get me some juice?" (I know, I know..."ANOTHER movie"..but give me some leeway, I had a lot to get done!) At some point, the interruptions become a little annoying and they start running circles around me on the computer...tugging at my pants leg, grabbing at the mouse, striking the keyboard.

"Ok, listen guys. Mommy REALLY needs to get this work done. I have a lot of work to do today, Ok?" I pleaded with them as I herded them in the other room.

K responds back (slightly sassy tone) with, "I KNOW MOM, and I have a lot of t.v. to do!"

I think I will have to think of something a little more educational for her to do while I work from now on. On the flip side, because of ALL the t.v. she watches I get great presents, just like my SNUGGIE I got for Christmas this year. Oh, yes I did...I got the SNUGGIE! You know your jealous.

My Five Senses Tell Me This Week Is Going Good (so far)

I know it is only Tuesday, so I should probably hold my breath, but my week is going so good so far. Yesterday I had 11 bankruptcies to prepare, which normally could take close to 4 or 5 hours, but I completed all of them in 3 hours! The extra hour or so, gave to time to breathe, and therefore be productive in getting laundry done and spend some one on one time with the kids. On top of that, I actually managed to go to bed with no dishes in the sink last night...a big deal in my house because it always seems once I have started the dishwasher, someone comes along and puts a few dirty dishes in the sink.

Today, has also been a good day so far and I even found more extra time so I used it to exercise! (My husband probably just fainted after reading that one!) Honestly, I have been struggling with how to fit in time to exercise during my day without getting up at 5am (because I'd rather just be flabby than to get up in the middle of the night!) or without exercising after 8 pm when the kids go to bed (because, well, that's just to late to get adrenaline flowing!). So, to actually find the time in between today was not only needed but welcomed.

But by far the best part of this week so far would be what K just brought me home from school. She brought home her little book from pre-school titled "My Five Senses" where apparently she just recited her favorites to the teacher. I found each page cute and funny because she picked something pretty off the wall that was her favorite, but the funniest part is that on each page there is a picture cut out of a magazine and glued on it. You would THINK that the picture would correspond with the item she listed, but NO, it didn't AT ALL. I found humor (and a little confusion) in that so I was giggling my way through the book....that is until I came to the last page and that's when my laughter turned into sweet tears. Here is what the book says:





And the last and sweetest page:


That will probably remain the highlight of my week!! She is such a little sweet thing...or maybe she is just buttering me up for a new toy or something. Whatever...it's working!