Athens Photo Shoot

Today we had family pictures made in Athens. I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited about them!!! I've been thinking for a while that since I'm a Kindergarten teacher...I want a portrait of each of our children when they are in Kindergarten. Well...since our son's last day of Kindergarten was this past Friday, we had to get busy! The photographer was awesome, and the kids had a great time! We got pictures of our son, our daughter, and our family. Here's a preview of the day with pics from my camera showing how our day ended!!

SOAKING WET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Great Day...for so many reasons

Today was a great day for so many reasons:

1. It's my sister's 37 birthday! Happy Birthday E!

2. It's Memorial Day-thanks to all who serve! And thanks for a day with no school and work!

3. My good friend, Christy, started her own blog--check her out on my "spend some time here" section--she's "Just Being Christy."

4. We spent some great family time together today in the mud! The kids wanted to ride the tandem bike, and then it started raining. We played in the rain, and we got some planting done too. Check it out:

Here are the kids wet and muddy...and Fluff Cat too! Hubby was working hard planting and trenching-whew!

The mud may have led to Fluff Cat's demise! Yuck Fluff!

Our son made a "river" in the landscaping trench Hubby dug. He put the sprinkler at the top of the yard, went along with his hands to help dig out the trench, and had his sister go to the bottom of the yard where the water was collecting.

Here's our daughter walking along the trench to check her brother's status.

I added 3 plants to our mailbox area and 2 plants to a planter on the side of the house. Hubby planted 3 new hostas, 1 watermelon plant, and 1 tomato plant.

The watermelon plant--wonder if the bunnies that visit our yard like watermelon? Our son picked the watermelon plant.

Our tomato plant--picked out by our daughter

3 new hostas--Hubby is making this bed larger. He'll clear out the grass beyond the trench.

All good things must come to an end. The kids got cleaned off with the hose before heading inside for showers, dinner, and bed! A fun day indeed! Hope you had a happy Memorial Day!

A New Chapter

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter. Our daughter's last day of preschool at her church preschool was today. My good friend Christy's babies--her twins--had their last day of high school today. For both of us as mothers, it's sad in ways--but happy and exciting in other ways--a new chapter in both of our lives and our children's lives.

Also...Our son will be going into 1st grade? Where did the year go? Where did the 6 years go since he was born? And the 4 years since our daughter was born?

Yesterday Christy and I were standing outside the bathroom doors at school waiting on our students to line up after lunch. My son went in the bathroom as we were waiting, and then a teenage boy came right out of the bathroom. Christy said..."see that...that's how fast it happens...your son went in and came out a teenager--you turn around, and just like that...they're grown!"
Signing off, Happy and Sad Mama

Not even one toe tap

Well-Tonight was our daughter's dance recital, and NOTHING--not even one toe tap on stage! Here are some pics:

On Stage dancing...no wait...on stage chewing her glove

After the recital with one of her bouquets.

With her "E" with more of her bouquets

With her "DoDo" and "EJ"

Holding all of her bouquets--Her "EJ" said that she would have danced if she knew she was going to get all those flowers!

She said she wasn't going to dance...and well...she didn't!

Our girl with her Daddy

I promised a pic of the tandem bike. Well...here's a video of our girl riding with her Daddy...

She loves it! Do you see that hill? Whew--that's exactly why the Daddy is in charge of the tandem bike...oh...and I don't have a bike...that too!

Bikes, Ball games, Bad Weather, and more

We had a busy, fun weekend! It started Friday after school with the kids taking turns riding on the tandem bike with Hubby. It's a bike with one wheel that you connect to an adult bike. Then the kids pedal with you or just ride as you pedal. They have loved it! I'll have to get a pic to post of them actually riding.

Then Saturday it was 2 ball games (the final games of the season), a local festival, and a party for our Sunday School class. Fun times!

On Sunday, we went to Sunday School and then had plans to see the Braves game--but the rain won out. So...we hit the Varsity!

Really-how cute is that? She could be a poster-girl for the V! Oh wait...she doesn't eat hot dogs or hamburgers...that might rule her out!

Here's our son in his Braves gear. This pic reminds me that I really don't know what color to call our son's eyes-they're bluish, greenish, hazelish? Aunt T--what color are your eyes? I'm thinking he got your eyes. This pic also reminds me...that boy needs a hair cut!

OK after lunch at the Varsity...it was on to Ikea for some shopping (but no purchasing). We were thinking that the rain may stop while we shopped...no such luck! But, Ikea is like a free children's play land. The kids have so much fun there...so it was still a great day!

Playing in the "girls room" at Ikea

Tonight at dinner we were discussing what we liked best about the day. After we named a few events of the day, our daughter said..."I know something that wasn't fun...when (a classmate) ate the frosting off my cupcake." A few months ago...our daughter was talking at her table holding her cupcake in her hand. As she was talking, another student licked the frosting off her cupcake. Hope you had a fun weekend with no "friends-licking-your-frosting" events!

Field Day

Today was field day at our daughter's preschool. She was so excited that I took the day off to be with her! The kids are always excited about field day, but the main thing they look forward to is the sponge fight! There were 9 events, snack, and the infamous sponge fight. The kids get sponges out of a bucket of water and then get their friends and teachers wet-soaking wet!
Here;s our daughter below with a classmate hugging a beach ball, walking sideways around a cone, and back to the starting point. All the kids did a great job with this event--not one pair dropped the ball!

The Infamous Sponge Fight--wet--soaking wet:

Next week is our son's field day at our school. More end of the year fun!

Team Photo Take 2

Our daughter's team got together for a team photo this week. Here's the team with some of the daddies:

Here's our girl posing for an outfield shot:

2 games...5 hits

Woo-hoo!!! Our son and daughter both got hits each time he/she was at bat this morning for their games--2 hits for our daughter (3-4 league) and 3 hits for our son (5-6 league)! Everything is more fun when you're doing well. It makes me think about tonight when my daughter and I were playing games that she was making up. After the "game," she'd point her finger at herself and then point at me--who ever ended up getting pointed at was "the winner" of the made-up game. She said something like "You can win this time Mommy." Hubby chuckled because he knows I like to win. Well really--who likes to lose? You deal with it, you show good sportsmanship...but who likes it? Everything is more fun when you're doing well. Sometimes Hubby lets the kids win at games...tic-tac-toe, board games, etc., but NOT me...I tell him...how will they learn strategies, problem solving, higher-level thinking skills if I let them win? Teach your thinking process--meta cognition (great word from college)--think/talk out how you think. Plus...how much better to you feel about a win when you know you earned it?

Muffins for Moms x2

This week was Muffins for Moms times two--once in my son's class and once in my daughter's class. Here are some pics:

Mom Portrait with statements about mom from our son:

My mom is 15 years old.

My mom weighs 13 pounds.

My mom is as pretty as roses.

My mom is special because she loves me.

My mom is funny when she tickles me.

Here's our daughter and me this morning. She made a flower pot with fingerprint flowers. It has a flower-pen in the pot. She also made a hand print heart tray. Cute!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms!

Faux Picture Day

The kids' ball teams are not having professional pictures this year....which is probably better for our "pocketbook" (that's what my dad always called his wallet--whenever we wanted money as kids---he'd say "go and get my pocketbook"). So...back to the story...this weekend our son's team got together for some team and individual pics. Here are some from the day that I took:

The team with the Truett's cow:

Our kids and hubby--LOVE this pic!

Our daughter's team hasn't gotten together to officially take team pictures, but here are a couple of her from the season:

"Hey batter, batter" Our daughter's coach always tells the kids to "talk to the batter" to get the kids to focus on the ball coming their way.

Post-game snack...can you see all the dirt on her head and hands??--she was covered head to toe!

I love a good bargain!

I love yard sale season-hubby...not so much! But, I did go with our daughter today to a neighborhood sale, and found a few treasures. It's so interesting to see what people have for sale at yard sales, and what's even more interesting is the variation in pricing. Some people think a lot of their "junk" while others are ready to get rid of it. We stopped at about 4 houses before we found these treasures:

tabletop Christmas tree in cute, ceramic, red pot=$1

4 new pumpkin carving kits=$1; 2 new pumpkin scoops with serrated edges=$2--Christy--I'm ready for pumpkin carving with the buddy class next school year!

I did pick up a few advertising ideas today to use at our upcoming neighborhood yard sale. #1 Get about a dozen balloons-have 3 tied on the mailbox and tie the others to bricks-1 balloon per brick--then scatter around the front yard. I said..."Man...they must have something we need with all those fun balloons at their house." Turned out...they didn't have anything for us--but I was impressed that the man said everything was 1/2 off (it was only noon).

#2 The house where I found the treasures above had a purple, blow-up alien tied on their mailbox with a sign around his neck that said "yard sale." Again...we HAD to stop there...they must have something we need! Turned out they had a lot of party-store-type stuff, but I tried to keep it under $5 for our adventure.