School's Out.... FOR SUMMER!

I know that most parents are dreading having their children home all summer, but not me. Don't get me wrong, I know there will be days that they are bouncing off the walls and I am going bonkers, BUT for today, I am excited! I am pretty sure that I am the only crazy mom who picked her kids up early from the last day of school. I am also pretty sure that I was the last one to drop them off...however that is nothing new. I use to rush around like a crazy person trying to get out the door, (sometimes I still do) and I just decided that this year, with having a new baby, that it was not worth it. So what if I am 15 minutes late? It just cuts into my me time more than anything. I might as well enjoy it now because I can't really be late when they start "BIG" school. SIGH!
We have a few traditions on our way to school. Besides checking out where all the kids (goats), cows, and horses are, and wondering why the bulldozer that has been in the same spot in the middle of the field for months is taking such a LONG nap, and squealing and clapping for the same train track that we go over every day, and counting how many tractors and lawnmowers we see, and pointing out friend's neighborhoods, and our old Dr's office, and ballet, and my office, and count the school buses....So besides those things, we say a prayer for their day, and then we go down the BIG hill if the trailer is out of the way. We sometimes break the rules, and go UP the Big Hill if it is clear....sshhhh.
These are sweet precious times together, but I am looking forward to even more sweet precious times together this summer. Hopefully I will have time to sit and read them a book at breakfast, or do fun arts and crafts, or just play outside without really having to get dressed and ready. We can stay up late and hopefully(prayerfully)sleep in.
I am so thankful for our wonderful MDO program and for all that my children have learned this year. I am thankful for teachers who have gone above and beyond in teaching my children. I love them like my family and have become quite attached to them. (They will probably be glad to not have to deal with this scatterbrained momma, but I am super sad to be leaving them.) I am thankful for teachers who love on my children and think that that are as sweet, funny, and smart as I do. Well...even if they don't REALLY think that, they make me think that, and with that I am AOK! :)
Here are my kiddos and their teachers on the last day of school: sniff!
Lila and Miss Rachell

"I good for Miss Fawis!"

Chicken nugget????

**Note: WARNING...do not read if a discussion of bodily functions grosses you out or if you do not like the term "Poopy"**
G: Lila, what are you doing?
L: Im trying to get my poop out Graham. Here, let's sing Push it out. Ready...Push it out push it out...WAY out. (To the tune of the cheer, push em back.)
ALL together now several times. Push it out PUsh it out...WAAAYY out.
L: YAY, I got it out! Good job Graham. Good job Buddy. We sang Push it out and my poopy came out.
G: What kind of poopy is it Lila? Is is Chicken Nugget Poopy?
L: I don't know Graham, I can't see it yet.
G: Do we eat the chicken nugget poopy?
L: No Graham! it's poopy. We don't eat it. Mommy...what kind of poopy do I have? Graham and I sang Push it out and my poopy came out!

Lord help me. I went to grab my video camera just to record their conversation, so I missed part of it, but REALLY!?!?! My kids have been obsessed with naming their waste lately. So far we have ice cream poopy, chicken nugget poopy, green bean poopy. Oh, I can't even think of them all. I just know that this momma has had to deal with more poopy than I care for!

I know yall are lovin' the fact that I haven't posted in months and that this is what I start back with!

Today

For months, I have been saying, I need to post this, blog about that, etc. etc., and obviously, it just never happens. I spend too much time trying to make sure I get the right pictures and come up with the perfect story, that I end up not posting at all. So, instead of trying to constantly backtrack and never get anywhere, I am just going to wing it and start with this morning. Speaking of pictures...does anyone know a faster way to upload photos on here? I guess with the resolution on my camera being high, it takes forever....yet another excuse as to why I haven't blogged. HELP!

People are constantly asking me what we have been doing. Honestly, I don't know.
What I DO know is that we stay super busy, even if I don't have a lot to show for it.
Right now, the big kids have thrown all the pillows in the floor and are jumping off of the couch. Lila is the Grandmother and Graham is playing Pop Pop! I love their imagination.
Little G is hanging out in the floor occasionaly playing with a toy, but mainly has his eyes fixed on his older siblings.
I am thankful that things are going much smoother now, because about 1 hour ago, my three year old was acting...well 3! She really is a sweet girl who for the most part does what I asks. However, last night and this morning have been a different story. I am chalking it up to not enough sleep. She is like her momma and VERY emotional and quite a bear after going so long without good rest. After several bouts of her trying to tell mommy what to do(another way she is like her momma...UHOH!), I decided she needed to have some quiet time in her room by herself and she was not to get out of her bed. We discussed that this week especially, we are to show our love for each other and not argue. I told her once again that if her feet were to touch the carpet and that I found she got out of her bed, she would get a spanking. Let's just say that what I am going to tell you that happened next, made me FEAR the teenage years! I brought her door almost all the way closed, but I could still see the through the crack. I watched her sit up and grab her comforter. I thought she was going to cover herself up. Nope. She took it and slid it off the bed and made it go out as far as it would onto the floor. She then slid herself down and walked only on the comforter. LORD help me!!!
I stood there frozen with my mouth wide open. Part of me wanted to grab my video camera and I admit, I actually kind of chuckled. Instead, I calmly walked back in and unfortunately had to give her her spank. I am hoping that I can look back and laugh at this! For now, let's just go get through the rest of the day! :)

A boy and his daddy

What can I say...Graham LOVES his daddy! At night and weekends when Michael is home also seems to be the time when the kids tend to act the worst. They are all over him and Graham just wants his daddy to hold him. He says things like: "Give Garrison to Mommy. Hold me!" "Put Garrison in the swing." Mainly it consists of him handing Michael is blankie and then holding up his arms saying, "HOLD ME!"
He also cries for him in the mornings until I have finally convinced him that "daddy's gone to work", as he says. Lately, he has been wanting to wear or do whatever it is Michael is wearing or doing. Michael had on some warm up pants this morning and Graham was so excited to wear his too, "Like you daddy, like you!"
He was also quick to go get his hat and have us put it on him after seeing Michael with his on. Michael had taken his own hat off and put it on the counter. Before he left he walked in the kitchen to find this:

We thought that Graham and Lila were just in Lila's room playing. Apparently, G had seen his daddy's hat on the counter and put his beside it. This about made both Michael and me cry.
Speaking of Graham and his hat...check out this hair!!

Think it is time for a cut????

Conversation

As I am sitting here nursing I just have to share a quick conversation that I overheard between my 3 year old and 5 month old. As you guessed, it was just a one sided convo!
I am in the bathroom getting ready and this is what I hear:
"You can do it COWBOYAH! Take it off. No don't do that. That can be Very dangerous!"
This totally cracked me up and I knew I had to jot it down before I forgot.
I looked in and she was undressing him out of his sleeper blanket. I'm sill not sure what could be so dangerous???

Great Expectations

My dear sweet wonderful husband has learned that once my mind is made up, then it is best to let me just do my thang. (Speaking of "THANG"...little miss THANG asked her daddy the other day, "How do you spell thang?" Oh dear....)
Ok, back on track!
I get these big ideas in my head...REALLY BIG! Sometimes I forget that my 3,2, and 4 month old are well..3,2, and 4 months.
We had a great visit to Atlanta this week. Michael had a work conference, and we got to visit my sister. That is all in another post. Needless to say...I pushed the kids to the max. No naps and late late late bedtime and early rise and shine time.
SOOOO....of course I thought it would be a great idea to travel out of our way to visit a state park and go hiking. It was a gorgeous Fall day afterall!
After arriving WAY past lunch time and well into naptime, we decided to picnic and go for "a little short hike."
1 hour and 45 minutes later, we were back.
I was hoping that our hike would be something like this...ALL SMILES!


Instead it was more like this:

AND THIS:


Thank goodness for this precious one. He was the happiest camper of them all!


Lila did manage to squeeze out a little smile after her head bump. I will totally give her credit, because even after about 6 falls, she was a trooper!! She is going to be our little hiker...one day!

Did I mention that Graham did THIS the whole time:

No wonder the smallest child we saw on the hike was Lila's size and in a hiking back pack.
No wonder every person that passed us had a hiking stick and just shook their head and made comments like, "Oh my, you have your hands full." and "You sure are brave." No people, that would just be DUMB! Plain ole' DUMB!
Michael finally sweetly suggested that we should probably just turn around after a boy scout leader told us we had about another 45 minutes of switchbacks uphill before we got to the outer loop.
Honestly, it is too exhausting to go into the all the details. What I remember from this trip is lots of screaming and crying and a large pump knot and a scratched face!
Of course...all I am thinking is:
When are we going back!

Wordless Wednesday