Will's big boy bed

When the kids returned from their weekend with Matt's parents, we had a little surprise for Will...his bed was converted into a toddler bed. We had contemplated the transition for months primarily because he had jumped out of his bed once and I had caught him multiple times attempting it again. So, despite my reservations of allowing him free range in his room at night, it was better than the alternative - an injury from falling out of the baby bed.I wish I could say the transition went smoothly, but it didn't. Perhaps it was because he had been away from home a few nights and had trouble sleeping in his bed, but I doubt it. As soon as he awoke during the night, he was pulling on the gate we installed and screaming. Against better judgment, I responded to his whimpers which meant this little routine went on for several nights. Finally, I had enough interrupted sleep and let him cry it out as suggested by my husband. Once his tantrum ceased and I knew he was asleep, I went to his door to peep in on him. I expected to find him on the floor by the door, but instead he had hopped back into his bed. I guess he figured he wouldn't try to prove a point by sleeping on the floor but instead enjoyed the comforts of his own bed. As in the past (why do I ever give in to the cries to begin with?), one night of crying took care of it and now he is such a big boy who sleeps in his bed all night long! When morning comes, I hear him get out of bed and in a few moments, he's at his door saying, "Momma...Momma".

All good things come to an end...

...and today was the last day of ballet with Mrs. Joselyn. After ballet bootcamp was over, Mrs. Joselyn decided to offer a ballet class for the little girls who were interested. Caroline and her buddy Abby jumped at the chance to dance with Mrs. Joselyn, and it provided a perfect time for Tamah and I to work out while Will stayed in the nursery. I guess you could say he ended up with the short stick in the deal, but the nursery was full of fun toys and his babysitters were precious! We hope that Mrs. Joselyn returns to teaching again soon because we sure will miss her. Until then, we wish Mrs. Joselyn good luck in finishing up her degree and pray that her husband returns from Iraq safely and soon!

1st day of playschool

Today was the kids' first day at playschool (aka Mother's Morning Out...but we fondly refer to it as playschool because it sounds like so much more fun). We decided to try out a new program this year and so far all three of us are thrilled. I'm relieved, especially since I got up at 4:30 a.m. to wait in line just to get our names on the list last spring. Rumor was that this program was top notch, and so far I couldn't agree more.

Last week, there was a parent night and the following day, there was "Meet the teacher". Caroline and Will both had so much fun meeting their teachers that neither really wanted to leave. Last night, I put them both to bed early, something we haven't done all summer. I was a little apprehensive as to how this morning would go since we had to actually be at the school at the time they normally get up. However, both hopped out of bed somewhat cheerfully and gladly got ready for their big day.
On our way to school, Caroline informed me that she would like to take her little brother to his room. I obliged and once we saw he was going to be okay, we headed to her room. However, just as we rounded the corner, we both heard him start to whimper. Caroline looked up at me and said, "I think that's Will crying." I agreed and said, "I'm sure if they can't get him to stop crying, they will come get you to help calm him down." Anticipating his separation anxiety, I grabbed my chance at a photo with Will's teacher, Mrs. Natalie, at "meet the teacher night". As it turns out, we already knew Mrs. Natalie because she takes her little ones to story time at the library as well. In fact, she was one of the ladies who talked me into trying this program!

Although a little apprehensive and nervous (she kept playing with the button on her dress), Caroline did great when I dropped her off. She posed for a quick picture with her teachers, Mrs. Michelle and Mrs. Brooks, and then headed off to play. Mommy then headed off to play as well...a game of tennis that is!
When I picked them up, their teachers all bragged on both of them and said they did so well on the first day. They also told me how sweet they were to one another with they saw each other in the hall going to and from recess. According to Mrs. Michelle, they gave each other a quick hug and then got back into their line to go with their classes. Oh, my precious little angels!

Catching up

A couple of weekends ago, the kids went to Lousisiana to spend the weekend with Matt's parents before the summer was over and school got started again. While I didn't get all of the details from the weekend, Aunt Erin kindly sent me some pictures recapping some of the fun things they did. She also called to harass me about not getting them on the blog in a timely manner. (I'll give you my excuse in a minute.)

When I asked Caroline to tell me what they did while visiting Mamaw Kat, Pappaw, and Aunt Erin, she told me that they made mud pies outside on the little pink stove...

went to their cousins', Ethan and Jenna, birthday party where there were all these fun ride things...stuffed little eggs...rode Aunt Erin's bicycle...
and learned how to make funny faces. When I asked her who taught her to make the faces she is continuing to make at home, she told me Aunt Erin did. Oh just wait until she has kids of her own!I'm assuming that since I didn't receive a picture of the kids with Mamaw Kat that she was the one taking all of the pictures. At least that how it goes around my house!

While the kids were away, Matt and I went for another bike ride down the Trace. This time, I lasted 20 miles. I must say that after mile 5, I forgot about my sore bottom and just enjoyed the ride. We also managed to go out to eat a lot and tried Mama Hamil's for the first time. Oh my goodness! I am not a buffet fan, but this place rocks!

In between eating and working out to get rid of all the extra calories we consumed, I played with my new toy...a serger! I am in love with this little machine; it makes finishing an outfit so much faster and it looks much more professional. It also is the reason why I haven't been keeping my blog up to date. Sewing has become one of my favorite hobbies and this little machine only added to my addiction. So much so that my husband is trying to convince me into starting a little business. I think his suggestion is hilarious because for years he kidded me about the sewing machine I received for Christmas that was just collecting dust in a closet. Anyway, while the kids were away, I did manage to sew Caroline and Will several outfits for the fall. Just check some of them out...

Look who's talking now

For a while I began wondering if Will was ever going to talk much or if he was just going to rely on his sister to do it for him (which she doesn't mind doing I might add). However, over the last few months he has begun to venture out and try new words.

His first sentence came a few weeks ago and was that of a typical male...."I don't know." The conversation went down as follows: Mommy asked, "Will, where are your shoes?" To which he replied, "I don't know." I was a little taken back by his response. Mainly because I have asked that question many times with no reply given whatsoever. Of course now he replies to a lot of my questions with his first and favorite sentence!
Will's second sentence came just as unexpectedly today while the three of us were reading a book before nap time. Caroline sweetly looked at her brother and said, "I love you buddy." Will responded so sweetly with, "I love you too." Caroline was just as shocked as I was and exclaimed, "Mommy, did you hear him say he loved me?" Priceless!

Afternoon stroll

During a recent play date with our friend Abby, the girls decided their babies needed a breath of fresh air. So, they packed their diaper bags, put their babies in their strollers and went outside for an afternoon stroll. Of course Will wanted to be included and thankfully the girls obliged. If you are wondering if he had a baby in his stroller, the answer is no. He decided to take Rover, his puppy dog instead.

Monsters of the Deep

So Nana, the kids and I decided to take a plunge into the deep blue sea to see Monsters of the Deep at the Museum of Natural Science. While it was not as impressive as last year's dinosaur exhibit, it still provided an afternoon of fun.

There were fossil puzzles to put together:Deer to pet:
Lots and lots of fish, snakes, and turtles to see:
Plus, a real life 2-headed snake:
Before the day was over, the kids got to ride on the back of a toad frog, which Will was obviously not thrilled with...and Caroline was swallowed alive by a shark!
When we were leaving, we couldn't help but notice St. Dominic just beyond the treeline. So, we decided to take a picture in front of it to let Daddy know we were thinking about him and that our fun day was made possible by his hard work!

What an imagination

Caroline likes to make up stories, and with an imagination like hers, you never know where the story is going. In the car the other day, she told me the following:

"Mommy, did I ever tell you about the time that mamingo (translation: flamingo) tickled me?" I replied, "well no, I don't think you did." "Well, one time a mamingo tickled me with its tongue. 1,000 times it tickled me with its tongue." "Oh my!" I replied.

Now where does she come up with that?

Aunt Erin came to town

Last week we were excited to have Aunt Erin visit us before the school year started up again. The kids loved playing with her and I enjoyed having an extra set of hands around, not to mention adult company during the day.We took her to our favorite snow cone stand. (Disclaimer: Will dressed himself.)


Of course Caroline had to show her how well she is swimming these days. Come to find out, Aunt Erin used to teach swimming lessons. HELLO...where has she been all summer? So, we took advantage of our swimming instructor and went swimming twice on Friday. Her swimming boot camp obviously worked because Caroline is trying all sorts of new things now.We would like to wish Aunt Erin good luck as she teaches junior high science this year and coaches the jr. high cheerleaders. Matt and I still get a kick out of that one! We just hope she gets a break soon so she can come back again.

So our DVD/VCR bit the dust

I couldn't figure out why out of the clear blue our DVD/VCR player quit working. That was until I tried to fix it and pulled out this: Yes, we have been missing our remote for a few weeks, but knew it would show up sooner or later. The last time we saw it, it was in the hands of this little fellow:If he wasn't so cute, I'd be more upset about it. I was glad we found the remote, but not so happy that removing it didn't revive the DVD/VCR player. I guess it could be worse, though. He could have stuck it down the toilet and flooded the house. Wait, I better not utter those words in hopes he won't get any ideas, the little stinker.

When everyone is quiet...

I tend to think something is up. This applies even when Daddy is on duty watching the kids. So, when I found myself getting a lot done in the house, I decided it was time to check and see just what everyone else was up to. This is what I found:Did they forget they owned swimming suits? It was getting close to dark, so perhaps they were trying to save time?

It looked like so much fun that even Daddy joined in on the fun. I was told not to take his picture and definitely not put it on the blog, so we'll see if I can get away with it!

Cousins...cousins...cousins

This fair we got to see more cousins that usual because we spent the entire week at my grandparents. There were the usual cousins who visit routinely, those who come about once a year and then there was one little cute redhead that we met for the very first time.

Dusty, the son of my cousin Matt and his wife Tarah, lives in Louisiana. As a matter of fact, they live very close to Matt's parents. Will shared his jeep with Dusty, while Caroline showed him all their toys inside the house. We even invited them to go to the water park and fair with us, so it didn't take long before the kids started acted like they've known each other forever.Caroline really enjoyed getting to see our cousin Rachel who recently moved to Augusta, GA with her husband Claude. This week Caroline showed me how Rachel taught her to dress up her letters by putting little dots on the end of them. She was so proud of herself and thought the letters were so cute!
As with most things...all good things come to an end and before we knew it, the fair had come and gone. This year was perhaps the rainiest and muddiest I can ever remember, but nothing a pair of rain boots can't overcome. Since Will didn't have a pair, I had to take a trip in to town to see if Williams Brothers had some and of course they did. When he put them on, he went straight to the big mud hole I had been telling him not to get into because he didn't have on any boots. He was thrilled!So, I guess this will just about wrap up our own little version of Fair Times. Until next year...Happy Fair!

A playdate with Mommaw

Since the rain was pretty persistent during the fair, we spent a good bit of our time indoors. I found it very challenging to keep my kids entertained in a house that is not exactly kid proof. It has been decades since small children have routinely stayed at their house, so Caroline and Will are constantly finding things left around Mommaw and Pappaw's house that their little hands probably shouldn't touch. Though she may not can move around without help, my grandmother does a great job of letting me know when the kids are into something. She is also a good sport in helping them babysit their dolls and playing tea party. I cannot imagine my life without this wonderful lady and I'm so glad my kids can enjoy playing with her too!

Let's go for a hayride

One of the best things about the fair is getting to see family and friends from out of town. This year was no different as we got to spend the weekend with Susan, Andrew and Brianna (aka..."The Twins") and Stephanie. On Sunday during the fair, we had originally planned to take our fun cousins who were visiting from Tennessee and Georgia to Geyser Falls. But, the storm clouds kept us away...as it continued to do for the most part of the week I am saddened to say. So, instead of sitting around and doing nothing, we decided to get Ol' Red out of the shed, fill him up with hay and take a hayride around the farm.
Caroline and Will couldn't decided if they would rather sit in the back or ride in the little bucket seats in the extended cab that were the perfect size for them. It didn't take them long to make a game out of sticking their heads out the rear window.I think everyone really enjoyed our little outing except for maybe Matt. There were a few too many sticker bushes along the trail that ended up scratching his precious sidekick. At one point, I looked at him before we went through a gate and he said, "If we didn't have a truck full of out of town guests and it was just us, I'd turn Ol' Red around right now." Instead, he was a trooper and Ol' Red officially became a farm truck with a few scratches from the farm.