July and then some.

At the beginning of the summer I was so worried about how long and difficult it was going to be. How in the world was I going to entertain, educate and nurture three kids during the long hot days without going nuts! It really wasn't that bad. We kept busy and had a lot of fun.

We swam a lot. Aiden and Max both love jumping off the diving board. Jenna-grace mostly likes playing with the water hose.

We went to the YMCA a lot. We have a great YMCA with classes for me and the kids. I got in some good exercising while the kids were having fun.

Aiden went to quite a few fun summer camps including: safety city, zoo camp, and pirate camp.

We also played with our neighbors. We live in the best neighborhood, full of young kids. I even bought this great sign for the street because we were out in the front yard so much. The kids know that they are not allowed in the street, but this helps keep the cars aware and slower. I love it!

During the summer months Max's hair got long and curly.

His hair was so adorable I really thought about just leaving it long.

And then it got so long that it started to get into his eyes. I had a choice. I could cut the bangs and keep the curls in the back. Then I ran the risk of giving him a mullet, which I didn't want. I even thought about putting a barrette in his hair, just to keep it out of his eyes, but knew that Eric would kill me. And so would Max in the future.

Even though I was sad to finally cut all his beautiful curls off, I knew that cleaning him off after dinner would have to be easier.

Yes that is his bowl on top of his head. For some reason, he puts it there every night when he is done eating. To him, it just makes sense.

Aiden is now 6!

For his birthday he wanted a superhero party. I wanted to have it anywhere but at the house, so I convinced him to have it at the sprinkler park. We all love the sprinkler park. What I didn't know is that on his birthday it would be 111 degrees outside. No kidding. The weatherman confirmed that the heat index for that day was 111 degrees. Add in that we had never been to the sprinkler park on a Saturday before and severely underestimated how crowded it would be. It was quite miserable for the adults, but I think the kids didn't care about any of that. They seemed to really have fun.

I wanted to make cupcakes instead of a cake, so it would be easier to transport. But then I went overboard on decorating the cupcakes. The buildings are make out of sugar cookies with lolly pop sticks to hold them up. My sister Christie did an amazing job decorating the cookies. But it was sooo hot that everything turned into mush. The icing on the cupcakes started sliding off and the buildings were all falling over. It worked great in my air conditioned kitchen. But at the park it looked like super-town after a major earth quake. But again, the kids didn't care. It still tasted great. Eric had the camera that day so I only have a few pictures.

Aiden's First Day of School!!!

After I took his picture, I ran Jenna-grace and Max to our neighbors house and sent Aiden on to the bus stop ahead of me. But by the time I was approaching the corner, the bus was already there and this next picture was all that I got to see. I quickly jumped in my van and followed him to school with his giant bag of school supplies. (As was the plan) But I was sad to not have taken a better picture of him getting on his first bus ride, after he has been looking forward to it for so long.

Jenna-grace and Max are going to a great little preschool a couple days a week.

They both really love it!

Now that the summer is over and I might be able to find a few more moments for myself, I am setting two goals. One: to increase, and improve my scripture study and Two: to blog more frequently, so I can keep all of my wonderful friends and family involved in our crazy, wonderful amazing little life. Love you all!!

Guest Book

Hi to all. An update is due and will come when I have more than a moment to sit down. I wanted to highlight the new addition to our blog. I am asking for all who visit this blog to take a small moment and sign the guest book located in the right column. I am trying to figure out who my audience is. Who reads this silly stuff that I write? Not that I plan on changing anything. I am just a little curious. Thank you!

Bunny's Bowl

For lunch Jenna-grace insisted that Bunny get his own bowl.

And he must have a purple spoon, "like mine." And a bib too.

She then explained that even though bunny is a boy he likes pink puppies on his bib.

Tag!

Warning!

The following Post is long and contains entirely too much information.


I have been tagged by Catherine.

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog.

List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.
Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


3 Joys:
1. Eric. When I was 19 or so I made a list of all the great things I wanted to do in my life. One of them was to fall madly in love with someone who was madly in love with me. There are not many things on that list that I can already check off. But this one is definitely checked. There are only rare moments when I can’t say without doubt that I am madly in love with that crazy man. And most of the time I believe he feels the same, which is why I call him crazy.
2. Aiden, Jenna-grace and Max. I know… of course. They drive me nuts, but they make me laugh almost everyday. I really didn’t know much about the world until they came along to teach me.
3. Friends. There is so much in this life that makes you want to cry. Being a girl is one tuff job. Between trying to take care of every living thing around me and dealing with my crazy hormones, I am not sure what I would do with out my friends. I am quite a talker, as I am sure you know well. Most of the time I have trouble saying the right thing or saying way too much. But, you, my amazing friends are always there with loving ears to hear the good and filter out the stuff you know I don’t mean. I honestly love you guys!

3 Fears:
1. Heights. I don’t mean like afraid of being on a roof or up in a tree. I mean going hiking in the mountains and looking over the edge of a cliff! I can’t do it. I don’t even like to think about other people doing it. I have nightmares about it. Eric used to love to go hiking. Too bad.
2. Being a bad mom. I am afraid of missing some great need of my kids. I don’t mean like food. I mean like not noticing when they need some encouragement or love because I am too busy making sure they are clean and fed. I think this is a fear all mothers have. I feel like I am finally coming out a crazy patch where all I could do was keep my head above water. Life was all about babies. I use to pray that Aiden didn’t feel left behind. My greatest wish is that my kids always feel loved. But I think that fear never goes away.
3. Hornets, wasps, or any other flying stinging insect that will come after you. When I was a teenager I was using a weed-eater and clipped the top of a hornet nest that had been built underground. I had several stings before I even knew what was happening. They swarmed out and as I began to run they chased me and stung me on my backside. They were still stinging me by the time I made it to the house (about half a football field away), but the front door was locked …, and the side door was locked. When I finally made it to the back door I was screaming so hysterically that my mom thought I was laughing. She came outside to see what was so funny. At this point I could barely talk, but there were still hornets attached to my shoelaces and stinging my shoes. I tore off my outer layer of clothes and shoes and my mom threw me into the shallow end of the pool. I was glad to go. The best part of that day was that I got out of doing any more weed eating.

3 Goals:
1. Become a Runner. Eric and I are planning on running a 5K on September 1, and another in October. You should join us! You don’t have to run the whole time, or even run at all if you don’t want to. But the events are great fun. I feel more involved in the community after being at a fundraiser like any 5k. On September 1st is the Chick-fil-A 5K, benefiting Junior Achievement, http://www.chickfila5k.com/ and the one in October is Race for the Cure. www.komenmemphis.org/index.php
2. Get organized. A never ending cycle of getting organized and then needing to reorganize. My life is very much like my house. There is always some part of it that is a mess.
3. To Ravish my scriptures the way I did on my mission. I feel like my life is full of good things. Very busy things! But not enough time is dedicated to scripture study. And the time that is spent in the scriptures isn’t as focused and meaningful as it used to be. It is my never ending goal to improve in this area.

3 Current obsessions:
1. Exercise
2. So you think you can Dance! The first few seasons I thought it was rather dumb. Just another reality type talent show. But now I think it is really inspiring. Especially watching the dancers try different types of dance each week. It is so inclusive of all different cultures and styles. Dance can be just like music in the way that it unifies people who can’t find any other common ground. Besides it is really entertaining! Go team Chelsie!
3. Getting Ready for Aiden’s Super Hero Birthday Party!

3 Random or surprising facts about yourself:
1. I have to have the radio on every minute of the day, or I have a small part of the last song I heard running through my head over and over again. It makes me kind of crazy. For instance right now it is “Stop and stare. You think you’re moving, but you’re going no were. Something, something, something, Stop and stare…”
2. I have a heart condition called Wolf-Parkinsons-White (WPW or a form of Super Ventricular Tachycardia) I had heart surgery when I was 20. I had to take serious medicine everyday from the time I was two, until my surgery. I don’t think I would have been able to go on a mission, or even have my babies because of the stress on my heart. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for the miracle of modern medicine.
3. I am a ninth generation Mississippian. I can’t stand fake southern accents, or people who talk bad about the South. Eric says that I can’t spell because I went to school in Mississippi. He is probably right. But I am very proud of the South and get rather unnerved when people move here only to complain about it. On a side note, there is a wonderful article from the Ensign about the Mississippi Saints who went west. Click here to check it out. One of the many great things it talks about is how the Mississippi saints “introduced a certain chivalry and elegance into the social life of their communities, and added dignity to the political and business life of Utah, California, and Arizona.”


I am tagging:

1. Becky
2. Sarah
3. Missy
4. Christy
5. Amber

June

I figured I would title this post June because it seems like I haven't posted anything that happened during the last month. And actually, as I went through some of my pictures to see what I wanted to share, a lot of them are from May. So, I did not miss my calling as a news reporter. But, I do have the most adorable kids, who happen to keep me incredibly busy. I think I have the best job ever.

Last month our friends the Martins invited all the little princesses in our ward over to their castle for a Princess Party. There were somewhere around 10 little girls who all dressed up in their finest ball gowns and accessories. I had to miss the fun and stay with Aiden and Max. But Jenna-grace came home with stories about the fun she had. Below is a picture of her before she left for the party in her favorite purple princess dress.

Before the weather got too hot the kids and I loved going to the zoo. Jenna-grace loved the big cats. Aiden wanted to see the spider house and the seals. But I think Max loved the monkeys! One day we went and all the animals were out and about. The monkeys especially were putting on a show. This little guy below was teasing the kids through the glass. Max loved it!

Aiden is playing baseball this summer. I think he enjoys it a bit more than soccer. He is pretty good too. It is coach pitch/t-ball. In other words the coach pitches three times and then if you didn't hit it, you get to hit it off the T. He has only been playing a few weeks and he hits it most of the time. Mostly (although he doesn't look like it in this picture) I think he is really having fun playing.

This next picture is a few months old. But I just had to say that I think my husband is the most handsome man in the world.

Every morning at about 6am Jenna-grace comes into our room and says in her happiest loud voice, "Mommy, Daddy it is good morning time!" Usually we tell her in our sleepy quiet voice, "Please go back to bed." It rarely works, but still we try. One morning after we asked her to let us sleep please, she really did go back to bed (or so we thought) and so we relished the quiet for a bit longer. About twenty or so minutes later Jenna-grace was back, but this time she had a pot full of pasta noodles and a wooden spoon. "Could you put some water in my pot please?"

What? Why do you have a pot? Where did you get the pasta? Where is the rest of the Pasta? What have you been doing? .... So I got up of course. There was crunched pasta all up and down the stairs and all over the front room where Jenna-grace had been stepping on it and getting ready to cook it. So, although we were always mindful to close the gate at the top of the stairs before, now we have a new reason to double check before we go to bed.

Now my little chef wants to help me every time I am in the kitchen. She loves to mix what ever it is that I am making. And everything must have flour in it!

Max is our little Si chef. (is that how you spell that? Sue chef?) He loves to carry ingredients back and forth from the shelf to the counter for us. Especially if it is the chocolate chips.

This was the first year in quite a few that we dared to go to any big holiday celebration with the kids. In the past, I was either pregnant or just plain exhausted. This 4th of July was so much fun. Germantown has a great big festive with little carnival rides for the kids, a symphony orchestra that plays in the park and fireworks! Although Jenna-grace really enjoyed watching the fireworks, she was frightened of the sounds. She asks me every other day if we can go see the fireworks again. Probably because she missed most of them having her eyes shut tight.

Last week Aiden lost another tooth. But he was devastated because he swallowed it! It came out during dinner and went down with the milk. He was mostly upset because his dad told him that the tooth fairy has to have the tooth in trade for any money he might get. No tooth, No money. Aiden came to me all upset, Eric just giggling away. So I convinced him to try to write a note to the tooth fairy and explain what happened. He included this picture of himself pointing at the place where the tooth used to be. The tooth fairy decided to give him a half advance on his next lost tooth. Eric is such a meanie.

Albino Raccoon!!

This is a Raccoon!!

My neighbor told us when we moved in that there was an albino raccoon living in the woods behind our house. I honestly thought that she had seen a possum and didn't know the difference. I feel bad now, because this is most definitely an albino raccoon!

We took some video too. I will try to get it posted as soon as I can figure it out.

babies no more

I recently took this picture of Jenna-grace and Max. While I was adding it to my computer collection, I discovered this other great picture of them on the day they met. It has only been about a year and a half. What a difference. They aren't babies any more!

Jenna-grace didn't know what to think about him then, but she sure loves him now. They are the best of friends!

Sprinkler Park!

How could we ever get through the summer without the Sprinkler Park?

Max needed a little encouraging to leave my lap. But once he got his feet wet, He loved it!

Somewhere in my gut I think I should be telling Jenna-grace not to be doing this. Who knows if it is fresh water or recycled, but it is so funny to watch. Yummy!

Paradise!

For our anniversary this year we went on a cruise to the Bahamas! I highly recommend that everyone take a cruise at some point in their life. This trip was truly a trip to paradise!

I have never really enjoyed going to the beach with its brown water and dirty, rocky sand. This beach was unlike any I have ever been to. It was so amazing and beautiful. I can imagine wanting to be a castaway here forever! We just need to bring more sunscreen next time. Do you see the funny spots? I used a spray-on sunscreen. Those are the only spots that got enough of the spray before the wind blew the rest away. Ooops! If you have never been parasailing, it is also a must try. I was scared to death. But, it was wonderful. It was so quiet and gentle. I felt like I was just floating on a cloud. So much fun! Eric's buddies John Forgie and Dave Peacock and their wives Whitney and Amber were also on the cruise. We all have our anniversaries with in a few weeks of each other.

This is our dolphin Tracy.

I think Eric is in love!

Long Time, No Blog!

So… It has been quite a while since my last post. Instead of making excuses for my tardiness, I will just jump into a brief catch-up session of the past few weeks and promise to be better in the future.
So much has been going on with our little family. Aiden is out of school for the summer, and is signed up for several exciting summer day-camps. Jenna-Grace and Max are growing like weeds. Eric is working hard at his new job with International Paper. And I am trying to keep everyone happy, healthy and busy, without going crazy myself.

Here is one of the things I wanted to blog about but didn’t.

April 19th was Water Valley's Founders Day, celebrating 150 years since the small town was established. My Mom recently moved to Water Valley and is turning her 30 acre patch of heaven into a learning farm and bakery. Fiddlin' Rooster Farm and Bakery will be a place where families and groups can go to learn about life on a real working farm. The bakery is more for my mom and my sisters and I to express some of our creative, sweets-loving ambitions. And Founders Day was our early opening. We set up a booth, sold cakes and candies, handed out brochures and talked ourselves horse. It was a great day! Not only did we sell out of the sweets we selling, but we also ran out of brochures to hand out. So many people were raving over my mom's cakes and my sisters sweets! We even had an lady from one of the local bakeries who was running a booth next to us come over and ask what we were doing to steer all of her customers toward our booth.



But the best part of the day came when Christie's Cake won the cake decorating contest. The theme was Water Valley, of course. So Christie made replicas of important buildings in town: The Piggly Wiggly, The Post Office, and the Drug Store. Then there was a train traveling around the cake passing familiar sights of Water Valley. The top of the cake is covered in Watermelons and giant numbers that look like they grew right out of the watermelon patch. (Water Valley has a watermelon festival in the summer.) It was an amazing cake that simply blew the competition out of the Water ..Valley. Hee! Hee!

Jenna-Grace a giant hot dog, and her cousin Morgan. What more could you need?

It was a pretty great day!

Breakfast

I have been trying to figure out how to upload a video for days. We have a new camera. The program that came with it doesn't seem to like the other programs on my computer. Anyway, yesterday was a rainy day. We weren't in any hurry to get dressed and out the door. So, after the kids had their breakfast and started watching some cartoons, I tried to take a minute on the computer. A few minutes later I realized there was a little too much giggling going on in the kitchen. Jenna-grace and Max were having a blast on top of the table. They had thrown all of the cereal dishes on the floor. (the ones I had procrastinated clearing myself) And they were teasing the dogs below with more and more cereal. So if I never get a video posted on my blog, I hope you will understand why.