Parents Night Out

Our church hosted a parents night out last weekend. It's a win-win for everyone involved. We get a night off, the kids play with their friends and the college students earn money for mission trips. We hosted some friends for a pot-luck at the house, complete with a fire in the fireplace and Christmas music in the background...so fun.

Our kids also had fun. The college students looked worn out by the time we arrived at 8:30. Of course, I think the evening involved much wrestling and playing. There were lots of boys in the older room. Somehow, the workers in the nursery didn't look so tired. :)

But the funniest part was the ride home. Scott piped up from the backseat that he was still hungry. The one piece of pizza that he found time to eat (between play) was not sufficient. He asked what we had for dinner. I answered...chicken, salad, bread, dessert. Immediately, in a longing voice, he replied, "Oh, can I please have some salad when I get home." Andrew said, "Me too, please." And Amanda started chanting "Salad...apple...salad...apple."

So at 8:45 on Saturday evening, we all sat by the fire with our apples and salad feast. How could I say no to such requests?

Amanda...where are you?

Amanda is at that age where I never know where she will be in five minutes...or just one minute. And there are times in the day where I just have to leave her alone for a second. Like to switch laundry or take something out of the oven.

Here are some places I've found her this week...

Playing with Andrew...


hmmmm...not sure where she is in this picture. I just stopped to take a picture of Andrew and his parking lot. Then, I was off to search for Amanda.

whew...safely in her bedroom reading books to her baby.

Halloween

Halloween was fun...

...at the firestation on Saturday afteroon

...at our church "Trunk or Treat" on Sunday night...



BUT, even more fun was the 75% off sale at Walmart on Wednesday. That's when everyone was what they really wanted. I haven't seen the Mad Scientist, Batman or the fairy since Oct. 31, but I see Elmo and my two Ninjas often.

Election Day

Today is Election Day and, in our county, that equals "Day off from School." Scott asked me earlier this week, "What holiday are we celebrating on Tuesday, so that we get the day off?" I told him it's not really a holiday, but I guess they want the schools empty so they can use them as polling centers?

Regardless, I have high hopes for this day. I have lots of plans and am very excited about spending the day at home with all three. Our main fun project is to READ. Yes, Scott loves to read in my lap. The books that he can read bore him and we are in the middle of several big books - Rocks & Minerals, ASK (a science magazine), and Junie B. Jones. My goal is to spend lots of snuggle time on the couch with these books.

We'll see if that happens, though. Amanda is not as much of a fan of sitting still and is a much bigger fan of getting into trouble. Her latest is to change her babies' diapers on TOP of her changing table. That means she climbs the shelves and sits on her changing pad and proceeds to dump powder all over her babies. I caught her last week just before she got into the Desitin. She has also mastered getting out of her crib. I think we'll be rearranging her room fairly soon.

Andrew is in the middle. He will read for a while and then prefers to play superhero (or just about anything with a sword and cape.) He had some funny Andrewisms yesterday:

*On the way home from school, we passed a yellow Mayfield Dairy truck. Amanda thought it was a school bus (everything yellow is a school bus.) I said I thought it was an icecream truck.

Andrew - "Mom, we haven't had ice cream in a while."

Me - "Yes, I was just thinking the same thing."

Andrew - "Do you think I can not have a cake at my 10-year old birthday party and have ice cream instead?"

I chuckled inside...here is Andrew willing to wait six years for ice cream and I was thinking we should buy some next time we were at the store!

*Then, last night the delay tactic for going to bed.

Derrick - "Andrew, why are you up?"

Andrew - "I need to clean my toenails."

That's a first!

weekend update

It was a good weekend. For me one that really marked the arrival of fall - soccer games, our local fall festival, pumpkin farm, camping, cooler weather. We even turned the oven to 500 degrees (something that is NOT allowed in the summer) to make pizza for dinner on Sunday - yum!

You can see pictures from our local fall festival and pumpkin farm all around the blog. Here are a few more pictures and stories.

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I love our local fall festival. It is full of local craft booths, a 4-H exhibit, and lots of good food. I always see people I know and enjoy catching up with them. I also get great sewing ideas. The kids have a great time as well.

Last year I learned that the best way for us to limit our budget, but not have to say "no" all the time is to give the kids a spending limit. We set the limit at $5.00. In typical fashion, Scott (our frugal child) was hesitant to spend any money...that is, until he came to the table with fossils and rocks. He and Derrick spent at least 30 minutes pouring over the rocks and he emerged with three new fossils - a 28 million year old shark vertebra, a 150 million year old piece of petrified wood and a 5 million year old fish skull. They are pretty cool.

Andrew, on the other hand, was ready to spend his money from the moment he walked in the door. He was so sad that he could not find anything to buy. Finally, as we were leaving, I suggested cotton candy. In typical fashion, his first response (our impulsive, yet generous child) was to ask if he could give some to Scott. I'd say it was a good use of money. What do you think?




Amanda did not get any money to spend, but she sure did enjoy the boiled peanuts we bought to share. (We were listening to live music from a local band and enjoying a little snack. The weather was beautiful.)

Yes, the easiest way to get into a boiled peanut is to eat the shell.

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We left the festival and went home to take naps. In the afternoon, we met some friends at a local pumpkin patch to choose our pumpkin. The kids had fun running through the fields selecting their fresh-from-the-vine pumpkin.

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You know, when I filled out my census form in the spring, I had a hard time accepting that we live in a rural county. But now I love it. I love driving by cows on my way to church. I love seeing people I know at every large event I attend. I love the small festivals and parades. I love that we have exactly zero traffic lights between here and Scott's school.

And, I love that we have a Kohl's and Target down the street, with a Trader Joes opening in just a few weeks. I love that we are so convenient to the great arts and sports at the University and just a little further to Atlanta. All in all, I'd say this is a great town.

PS - for those of you who are wondering, the camping adventure went really well on Saturday. They stayed out all night. Amanda and I were making oatmeal when their little faces appeared at the back door. I patted their heads as they walked in and their hair was wet with dew. But, there were smiles on their faces and they are ready for the real thing this weekend.

This new cub scout...


Has a new tent. And the first campout is next weekend. So, what are my three boys doing right now? Why they are testing it out. The boys are thrilled. Derrick thinks it is better to come inside at 2AM here than next weekend when they are 45 minutes away from home. This is the test to see if they can make it all night.

About thirty minutes ago, they hauled all their gear to the tent. Well, actually Derrick hauled the gear. He remarked that it is a sign of what is to come next weekend. :)




They used their flashlight to make their way into the depths of our yard (just behind the swing set and soccer goal).


One final goodnight from Scott.


And now I'm heading to my soft, comfortable bed with clean (flannel) sheets. Ahhh...I think I'll leave the camping to them.

Family Day activities

After a week of being apart and out of town, we are having a family fun day. We began the day by sleeping late and eating pancakes. The boys decided to work on their science kit and we had bubbles galore! Even Amanda and Daddy got in on the action. Now Amanda is asleep and the boys are helping Derrick build cannons for the pirate ship. Later we'll watch a movie and have popcorn for dinner. I love days like today. (Oh, and we are also unpacking, running laundry, unloading the dishwasher, etc.)

weekend fun

I did not think it was possible to pack so much fun and love into 36 hours. We spent Friday and Saturday in NC - first visiting good friends and then having a great time at a family reunion at my cousin's house.

The boys collected nuts and practiced their aim with the slingshot.



Meanwhile, the girls thought the trampoline looked like fun. Amanda's hair went everywhere!

First it was just the two little girls. I thought that was fine.

Then, Bethany joined in on the fun. She was so careful and protective of the little ones.

It didn't take long for the boys to want to join in. So, while the girls bounced and flipped, the boys had a sword fight. It was wild and made my heart flutter. Nobody wanted to get off.



But I eventually convinced the girls to play something a little closer to the ground.






Isn't Bethany beautiful? And so smart. Once the rope that she was pulling broke, she figured out how to tie it to her tricycle and pull the wagon that way.


The newest member of the family is little Caroline Rose. She was a little baby doll.


The boys loved Joseph's toys. Here Andrew is learning how to play Battleship and Scott has found some Lego's.



Best buddies...


All seven - it sure does make a big crowd on the steps.

Andrewisms

Andrew: The North Carolina Tarheels are my favorite team.

Me: Yes, mine too. But we can also cheer for the Texas A&M Aggies...gig 'em Aggies!

A: Mom, what's an Aggie? Is it a type of animal?

Me: No, it is a made up word, just like Tarheel is a made up word.

A: No, a Tarheel is an animal. See (points to the picture of Ramses on my shirt), a Tarheel is kind of like a goat. It has horns, so it is an animal. Go Tarheels.

I think my Godfather, Ben, will be proud, but I hope that when Andrew learns "G" in school and his teacher holds up a picture of a goat, he doesn't announce, "That's wrong. That Tarheel starts with a T, not a G."

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We took a walk the other evening as a whole family. Derrick bent down to tie his shoe and his hat fell off. Andrew said, "Mommy, when Daddy takes off his hat, I can see his brain."

almost two!

It is hard to believe that my baby is almost two. She dressed herself this morning and was ready to go with her babies (and their carrier) this morning to take big brother to preschool. We got many comments this morning about the boots! She loves them.

Half Birthday

Today is Andrew's official half-birthday. I've never been one to celebrate half birthdays, but I'm always up for a celebration...especially if it involves cupcakes.

Andrew has been excited about turning four and a half since one of his friends announced he was already that age. We've been counting down the days and it has finally arrived. In the picture, Andrew is demonstrating how to hold four and a half fingers in the air.

potty training

As you can see, we need to work a little on our technique. But, Amanda is really excited about her new potty seat that Nana brought over.

She says..."Nanny brought potty. Oh boy!"

a new dress

What do you do with a t-shirt that has a huge stain on the front?

My solution was to turn it into a dress.


I cut the bottom of the shirt and attached some cute fabric that I found at Hancock's. Here is the happy owner of the new dress (along with some sort of bug bite on her eye.)




It was complete with a big white bow (a little too big for Derrick's tastes. I'll have to figure out something different for future dresses.)

Then, I took some of the scrap shirt fabric and turned it into a bow for her hair.



Not bad for a "nap time" project.

23 on the 23rd

Yesterday, August 23rd, Amanda was officially 23 months old. I love the symmetry of that event. And I also love the way it lends itself to a little reflection.

23 months...on the verge of two

As I filled a work request today at the utility department, Amanda charmed the women behind the counter. One said, "She must be two." It shocked me to look at Amanda...my baby...and realize that she really looks two. She is quickly approaching toddlerhood. More and more (actually most of the time) she wants "down. walk. walk." She climbs up the slide and races down it again. "No" is a common word. And, she loves her brothers.

Here is a picture of her taken on the 23rd while we were at Andrew's soccer practice. She loves to be outside and really enjoyed exploring the mud.

girls day

When all the boys are away, the girls play and play. I've never had a "girls play day" at my house, but it was full of dolls, squeals and dress-up. These girls are not yet two, but they still managed to play like girls. The hardest part for Amanda was sharing her dolls. That's generally not a toy she has to share with her brothers!


Oh, and they loved the pigtails!

Farley was the only boy around, but they both loved playing with him. Elizabeth just laughed when Amanda threw the toy for Farley to fetch. That made Amanda laugh and do it again.

We had a wonderful day!

Andrew school = more adjustments

After a week and a half of waiting (plus two years of watching Scott go to school), Andrew finally had his turn for "first day of school." For him, it was a true first day of school. He already LOVES it! He said his favorite part of school this week was playing with the Transformers, but he has spent most of his time talking about who is fastest on the playground. School is so fun at age 4 and he can't imagine that Scott's classroom doesn't have toys. After all, that is how he spends the majority of his time in the classroom.


Miss Chris greets him at the door.


And, Miss Lisa is also there to say hello.

So, now for nine hours a week, it's just Amanda and me. She "helped" me haul recycling on Monday. Notice how she is just wearing one boot. It's all she can manage to put on by herself.

As a funny note, I have to share a story from yesterday. As we left the library, we walked past a big bulldog statue (like Chicago has cows, we have bulldogs all over town.) Andrew asked if that was once a living bulldog.

Confused, I answered, "No, it is a statue. That's kind of like a painting, but 3-D"

"Well, when I grow up, I want to be a scientist who digs old bulldogs out of football fields."

I paused a second and then it was all I could do not to laugh. Scott wants to be a paleontologist (hence the digging up bones reference) and Andrew just assumes that bulldogs roam on every football field in America. I guess that's what you get for growing up in Georgia Bulldog country. :)

Then, he told me that he really wanted to be an astronaut and that was also a scientist.