A Patriotic Performance

All 5 kindergarten classes at Kate's school put on a Patriotic Performance yesterday. Words fail me (I know that is a rare event, but it's true) as I try to describe just how amazing the performance was. Every one of those kids learned each word to the six songs that they performed and one of the songs was even done in sign language! One boy in Kate's class recently had his father leave for a 14 month tour in Iraq. They dedicated the event to him and those kids sang their little hearts out. I am pretty sure that there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium!

The first clip is of Kate leading the Pledge of Allegiance and the second is of the signing song. The quality isn't great because we were using my camera but you'll get the idea.

Father and Sons Campout

A week ago, Jackson and I went on the annual Church Father and Sons campout up in Lake Alatoona, which is about 45 min north of Atlanta. Unfortunately, it started by getting lost and driving around for an extra 90 min but wefinally made it.

We had plenty of time to cook our hot dogs and chow down on some s'mores (a lot of s'mores). Jackson had never had one before and his first was not his last. After a short program by the Church leadership, we headed off to our luxurious two man tent for bed. I realized that when camping, an 8 year old's clock gets kind of messed up as Jackson stayed awake until at least midnight (probably longer, but I drifted off). At 3 a.m., it started raining very heavily. This, of course, woke Jackson up, who then woke me up to tell me that he was awake and it was raining. After an hour of heavy rain, we both went back to bed, only to wake up again as soon as their was daylight at 5:45 (did I mention an 8 year old's clock get kind of messed up?). We headed to breakfast, which consisted of eggs, pancakes, bacon and cereal. After the whole evening, we were pretty exhausted (okay, at least I was pretty exhausted).

Still, Jackson said, 'Dad, this was one of the best days of my life.' While, sleep derived, I could only say the truth, 'Me too, buddy.' I wouldn't have it any other way.

My Buddy

This blog is not about bragging. It is merely an expression of awe over my 3rd child. I am by no means declaring her my favorite mind you, but she has been the easiest of my three, hands down! When Jackson and Kate were 3 years old, both they and I were ready for a few days of preschool each week. Against my better judgement, I enrolled Ava in preschool this year and then withdrew her when one month I realized that I'd paid a month's tuition and only taken her twice. I'd only taken her twice because she slept until 9am every morning and was then much fun that I hated to part with her.

One day last week, Ava and I went to a Mommy and Me swim class, followed by a trip to the gym and then we rounded out our afternoon by sharing a salad on the patio at Chipotle. (That's right, she even likes to eat salad for lunch - sounds too good to be true doesn't it?) My other children would have complained about my lunch selection ad nauseum, until I finally caved and went next door for some chicken nuggets but not Ava. As I sat on the patio chatting with her, I realized that I couldn't have asked for a more perfectly suited little buddy. Her good natured temperment allows her to go with the flow and tolerate so much of the running around that we do. I just love that she is happy to hang with me and I am so lucky to be able to spend most days enjoying her company. I am especially grateful to have the mornings with her because once Jackson and Kate get home from school she often has to take a backseat to them and their activities. I know that if I have more children there is no chance to duplicate this little spirit so I am going to enjoy every minute I still have her at home with me. From experience, I've seen that the time goes by WAY too quickly!

Lest I forget, here are a few things that I have recently thought, "I love it when she does that".
* She says, "I snuggle you", when she wants me to hold her.
* Answers "Sure" or "I help you" and smiles whenever I ask her to come help me with a chore.
* She loves to cuddle up and read a story.
* She howls like a wolf (will add a video clip of this soon) when she wakes up in the morning and giggles when we howl back. For the life of us, we have no idea where she got this from!
* She sucks her thumb and rubs her "lovie's" ear when she needs comfort. I know that I should care that she is still sucking her thumb but I really don't.
* She greets me with an ear to ear smile when I open her door after she gets up.
* She can tell when I'm tired or sick and suggests that we "go sleep".

Evolution of Dance

This is such a fun one. Hang in there for the first minute, it gets funnier by the second!

Whoo-Hoo!!!

Next to the day you give birth and maybe the day your child graduates from high school, I think that there are few other days that give you as much joy as the day your child is potty trained!
Ava decided in the last 3 days that she wanted to wear Dora underwear and has been doing great ever since. She is basically accident free and even gives me advance notice that she has to go. Those of you without children can laugh all you want, but I feel like it is a little miracle to see my toddler embrace this new found life skill. It feels like a miracle because I had absolutely NO control over her desire or time frame for this process. I am just jumping for joy that she has decided to and that I don't have to change any more stinky diapers though!

Now, what should I spend that extra $50 a month on....

Ava, Ava, Ava

I forgot about this story but was reminded when I downloaded the pictures from my camera. Because Kate was admitted to the hospital on Jason's birthday we weren't able to celebrate as a family on the 29th. By the time things settled down it was a few days later and we decided to just wait until Aunt Kristine was in town. While Jason was at a church meeting the kids helped us bake the cake. I frosted it while they were sleeping and we planned to decorate it the next day before his party.

Well, we woke up and got ready for church. I called to Ava to come upstairs and get her dress on but she kept saying no. When I finally walked downstairs to get her, this was what I saw.

In a few minutes time Ava had licked around the entire cake and poked dozens of holes in the top nearly taking all of the icing off. When she saw my open jaw stare she promptly said, "Sorry, Mom". But in truth, I don't think the girl felt bad at all. I think that Jason won't soon forget his was birthday cake masterpiece - compliments of Ava. Pretty fancy wouldn't you say?

Good Day Gone Bad

Today was a perfect spring day in Atlanta. We had blue, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70's. The kids are on spring break so the day began very leisurely. After hanging out we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the train park. We had the best time all together. Jackson and I tore it up with the aerobie for over an hour. Then he played on the swings until his legs were all worn out. Ava and Kate spent quite a bit of time in the sandbox and followed it up with swinging. I had a Zen moment in the park, watching my kids playing so happily and full of pure joy. Do you know what I mean - when the moment feels perfect?

Almost immediately after that perfect moment, I felt a flicker of worry. Kate complained that she was cold and then kept rubbing her arms. Toward the end of our time there she laid down on our picnic blanket and rolled herself up in it. She said that she wasn't feeling sick and she didn't feel warm to me (probably because I was sweating) so I didn't press it and just let her relax while the other kids finished playing. After a fun 3 hours we headed home for naps. Kate requested a nap (which further concerned me but I pushed it out of my mind). When I checked on sleeping Kate, I noticed that she was breathing very rapidly - 48 times a minute. I busted out the thermometer and she was at 104 degrees! Ughhhh. The moment I read that temp all of those serene feelings dissolved and were promptly replaced with anxiety.

Kate was much more upset this time too. (I mean the poor girl just left the hospital 9 days ago!) She even cried on the way to the hospital and told me that she just wanted to be at home. My eyes too, filled with tears for her sadness.
So here we are again. Kate's ANC is 430 and she has a fever so we're in the hospital for at least 2 days. Hopefully the blood cultures will come up negative in the next 2 days and they'll let us go. This is most decidely not the way to spend spring break!

Mo Willems

I don't know about your kids, but mine LOVE Mo Willems. I have a hard time reading these books aloud because I can hardly keep from laughing outloud. There is something so basically hilarious about his writing and illustrations that I can't help it.

My friend Angela called yesterday and told me that Mo himself, was going to be at a local bookstore signing books and promoting his new book, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. (This book is as great as his previous ones).

So Angela grabbed Jackson and Kate and took them with her boys to meet Mo. They had a lot of fun and were way excited to meet "a real live author". Thanks Angela!

Budding Photgrapher?

When I went to download the latest pictures from my camera, I found a whole ton by Kate. Here are a few of my favorite comments by Kate on her photos.

Me: "Why did you take this picture?"

Kate: "So we could see what show was on."

Me: "Why did you take this picture?"

Kate: Giggle...giggle... "Look, those are my knees". (Look carefully at the bottom of the photo).

Me: Why did you take this picture?

Kate: "I wanted to take a picture of her and then cut it out and put it in a picture frame. Then I wanted to hang it on my wall."

Me: Why did you take this picture?

Kate: "Because I knew Ava would love it."

The Family Room

Slowly but surely is my motto, as far as decorating goes. I am working on it a little here and a little there because if I try to tackle it all at once I get stressed out. We are getting there though and this is the latest update- our family room mantle.

I love the painting that a friend, Cathy, helped me find and so I kind of worked around that. I recently purchased the doors for the walls from Pottery Barn (we had planned built-ins there originally but ran out of $ building) and found the vases and Pussy Willows at Pier 1. (I especially like the Pussy Willows.) Our kitchen, on the other side of the room, has very dark cherry cabinets so I think that the doors and picture frame help to balance out the room. Now I want to get our flatscreen hung up on the wall and work on that wall!

For a Limited Time

You can donate to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!! Well okay, not really. You can always donate but I am only going to run one more marathon this year (I swear) so for a limited time you can donate through me.
Clicking on THIS will get you directly to my webpage. From there all you need is a credit card and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others (laying it on kind of thick aren't I?). Seriously, Team in Training is hoping to cross the billion dollar fundraising mark this year and we need your help to do it! Thanks for considering the cause. We love you!

2 Little Mamas - Shout Out

One of my good friends, Sarah, is an amazingly creative woman. (For those of you that know Carly, she is the Atlanta version of her) :)
Sarah recently started an Etsy shop called 2 Little Mamas with her sister and you should definitely check this site out. If I can be so bold, I would also recommend that you return often to see what fun new things she has created. One of my favorite inventions is her Baby Bundle - wipes and diaper holder. It is way cute! Let me know what you think.
While I am on the subject of tres talented friends, you should also check out Carly's Etsy site - Chuckles and Grins. You will be very impressed, I have no doubt.

I'm Sheepish

I had a hard time coming up with a title for this blog. These were also contenders:

1) I Hate People Who Jump to Conclusions

2) Me Judgemental? No Way!

3) Can 2 Year Olds Really Be Considered Bad People?

If you are confused, first read this where somebody "stole" my phone. In order to create balance in the universe I knew that I had to post part 2 of the missing cell phone story. On Monday morning I decided to go to TJ Maxx one last time to see if somebody had turned in the phone before I headed to AT&T to buy a new Blackberry. On the way to the store I said a little prayer asking that my phone (or at the very least, my Sim card) would be there. As I was walking into the store a thought popped into my head. The thought was this, "Ava was holding a pink Kitty bag when you were shopping". This is very typical for me. I'll let her hold something that she wants so that she's entertained during the shopping but I have absolutely no intention of actually purchasing it. At the end of the night she pitched a huge fit about putting the bag back and I was frazzled leaving the store. Hmmm, perhaps there was a reason that she made such a fuss about having to put the bag back....

After that thought I raced to the back of store and opened the first pink Kitty bag I saw. Guess what I found inside - an empty fruit snack wrapper and my Blackberry!!! As it turns out, Ava is the "thief" of my phone but she is definitely not a bad person and she is decidedly not a litter bug. :)

PS - I have repented of all of those bad thoughts I had and said many grateful prayers of thanks. Sometimes there are happy endings. :)

Happy Easter

Is it only my children or does anybody else have kids that freak out when you try to take their picture and the sun is shining? I'm not talking about having them looking directly into the sun either, I mean if the sun happens to be out at all!

It took me about 15 minutes of cajoling and still this was the best picture that I could get of these three! Can't you see the pained look on Kate's face? For sure this wasn't our best Easter picture (we had a hair bow drama too - couldn't find any of our 8 white hair bows) but we'll have great memories nonetheless!

Looking at Ava tonight made me realize how much they've grown in the last few years. I was also telling Jackson some stories tonight about when he was a baby and it made me tear up. Perhaps that is the reason for my nostalgia but I couldn't help looking back over the past 2 years at their Easter pictures. Time goes by too quickly!

This picture was taken last year, just a few weeks before Kate was diagnosed with leukemia. Could you tell that she was sick by looking at this picture? Ava was still as bald as could be too.

And 2 years ago these were our 3 little guys. I absolutely love this picture, even though I vividly recall Kate and Jackson complaining about the sun that day too. Darn those blue eyes! :)

I Hate Bad People

So my cell phone was stolen tonight. Nope, not lost - stolen! Ava and I were in TJ Maxx this evening and I repeatedly took my Blackberry from her. At one point, I gave up and just let her hold it. Big mistake, big, huge. She left it in the dressing room and when I went back 20 minutes later to retrieve it the attendent said it was gone. Right! I also know that it was stolen because the phone was fully charged (I had just been talking to CJ on it) and yet when I call it goes straight to voice mail.
I just don't understand how somebody can take what doesn't belong to them. Who can pick up a shiny phone, which they didn't purchase, and promptly put it in their pocket? I am too mad right now because a part of me hopes that the universe repays the thief in some fitting way.
Worse than having to buy a new cell phone (as if that isn't bad enough) is having to gather everyone's phone numbers again. So basically everyone I know will need to email me their contact information again because it is all on that tiny little Sim card inside my phone which a bad person is carrying around in their pocket.
Oh, and if you get a call from my cell phone but it isn't me on the other end, please give the thief an earful from me!

A Few Bits of Writing

*Note* - This entry is mostly for the Grandmas.

Jackson's strengths are definitely math and science. Getting him to sit down and write is usually a struggle but once he gets started he does very well. I was kind of worried about his writing level until recently when his teacher told us that he is an uncommonly good writer (especially for a boy). When we told Jackson that his teacher said he was a good writer he responded, "I still like math and science better". Oh, well.

This is an example of his weekly writing assignments. Each Monday Jackson has to choose at least 10 of his spelling words and create a story. This one is titled The True Blue Hero.

This is a "persuasion" piece of writing. While at school last week he was apparently told to write about something that he wanted and to try and convince the reader to give it to him or to see his point of view. My favorite part about this story is that Jackson actually expected it to work! He very seriously handed me the letter after school and told me "Just take your time and think about it. Okay?" I had to fight to hold back a smile. When I finished reading his letter he looked at me and asked for an answer. When I told him that we didn't have any trees in our back yard that were suitable for a treehouse he responded, "All that work for nothing!" It took all I had to not laugh.

For Jason

Tru' dat! I miss you already...

Silly Ava

I am so in love with this crazy girl! She is always doing or saying something to crack me up! Here is an Ava funny from the other day. I was driving down the road and must have accelerated around the corner because I hear from the backseat, "Whoa Mommy. Slow down. Okay?" She is 99% pure joy and recently 1% stinker. I am sure that as she approaches 3 years old we'll have more of the stinker but for now, everyone is our family is enjoying her fun spirit.

Pinewood Derby

Well this year wasn't quite as successful for Jackson. He and another little boy were neck in neck for last place in their den. :( This was quite different for Jackson as last year he was one of the best in his den. Jason's idea was to let Jackson design the car and do nearly everything. Anyone who's ever been to the Pinewood Derby knows that no parents truly let the kids do all of their own work. Some of those cars are seriously professional! We offered more help last year and by the looks of things we should have offered a little bit more?

It is a difficult line to navigate if you ask me. Whether we are talking about school work, household chores or activities like this, how much do you help and how much do you let them figure out for themselves? When Jackson's car was coming in last and he was so upset, I can tell you that I wished we'd done more but only because it was hard to see my child disappointed. After the races I asked Jackson if he enjoyed making the car and he told me that he had had a lot of fun. Once he thought about that he began to recover and thankfully had a great day despite the loss. He even told me that he wanted to keep the car forever!

Horseback Riding

Our friend Marlene invited us to ride her horses last Monday and we jumped at the chance. She was so sweet with the kids! She showed them how to clean the horses, saddle them, feed them and lastly we rode for a bit.

Ava rode the little pony named Rocky. This riding hat is about the cutest thing I've ever seen. The most difficult part for her was waiting her turn to ride! That and not running around the horses. (Ummm, trying to keep a 2 year old from running for 3 hours was no small challenge for this Mom!)

Kate rode Rocky and then later had a chance to ride the bigger horse. She very quickly grasped the concepts of turning and had a blast!

Jackson was pretty natural too. He rode a bigger horse named Sheik who was very gentle and obedient. We finished the afternoon off with a picnic. What a great way to spend a day!