Happy Birthday KK!

I am a day late and a dollar short on posting this, but I figure she'll forgive me just this once! Besides, the kids did call and sing the sweetest rendition of Happy Birthday to her for her big day. KK, we hope you had a great birthday and wish you many more to come! We can't wait to come see you and welcome your new little bundle of joy to the family!

Latest project

Since it seems we are wrapping up with the garden, I finally got back behind the sewing machine. I could hardly wait to make something cute for Caroline out of this precious patchwork fabric. She loves her new dress and it was super easy to make. I was a little concerned that she won't have long to wear it since we're almost halfway through the summer, but I don't think this dreadful heat is leaving us anytime soon.

All in a day's work

Yes, my 3-year old nicely folded and stacked this laundry.

This just in....

The CDC has determined that the Swine Flu has hit our household.Fortunately, everyone is expected to make a full recovery thanks to the very competent medical professionals caring for them.

A lesson learned

I've debated as to whether or not I should post this story because let's face it...no one really wants to tell everyone any of the "not so proud parenting moments". Then you have to admit that yes, you are that child's parents and no, you did not teach her to do that but are in fact trying to instill good values and characteristics...I digress.

Anyway, a few weeks ago (I told you I've been debating about posting this) Matt took the kids to Kroger to get a few items. I was pulling out my hair from all the energy they had all week and needed a break, so he decided to brave the store alone with both of them. Keep in mind that he never does this and this is probably only the 2nd time he's been to the grocery store since we've been here. (Well, it may be trip #5...but it's only been a handful.)

Anyway, when they returned, he came in the house and left the kids in the car. He told me that I could get them out. I replied, "was there a problem?" To which he responded, "Well, let's just say that Caroline did not appreciate having to return the gum she stole." WHAT??? Yes, my darling 3-year old swiped a pack of gum.

When I asked the sobbing accused of what had happened, she said, "Daddy wouldn't get me any gum so I stoled it (no, that is not a spelling error...that is her pronunciation)." For a full version of the story I turned to her Daddy who informed me that at the checkout line she asked for gum and he denied her request. So, when they got to the car, he noticed her pulling out a pack of gum from under her shirt. According to him, she was just hiding the gum from him and didn't realize she was actually stealing. While that did make me feel a little better, she does know she is not to hide stuff from us.

Anyway, Matt made her go back inside and return her treasured item all the while crying. She of course faced repercussions for her actions. After all had settled down at our house and Caroline had plenty of time to think of her recent shopping experience, I went in and explained to her about the Ten Commandments and the fact that stealing is actually breaking the law. To ensure that she fully got the extent of how serious an offense she committed, I also informed her that the police arrest (and take to jail) people who steal. Well, that did it for her and I am pretty positive that this won't be happening again. Especially considering that when we saw some "popo" as she calls them at Chick-fil-A the following day, she ran over to me and held on tight. I realized then that she thought they were going to get her for what she had done. I assured her that since she had returned the gum and vowed to never do it again, that they would let her off the hook this time.

For our family and friends that we visit frequently...hopefully since now she more fully understands the concept of not taking things that don't belong to you...you will not have to pat her down as we leave to ensure we are not leaving with anything we didn't bring!

Deep thoughts by Caroline

Lately, Caroline has been asking a lot of questions about God, Jesus and heaven. She also has been making a few cute statements about them as well. Here's a few:

When Will was spraying water out of the water hose toward the sky, she said, "Mommy, look...Will is spraying God."

Then there are the many guesses as to what God looks like. She saw a statue in someone's yard and asked, "Is that what God looks like?"

And probably my favorite was our ride home from Philly late one night. Out of the blue she said, "I know how we can get to heaven...we can go on a plane."

Don't you just love a 3-year old's imagination? She may not fully understand our Awesome God, but I am so proud that she knows she has a Heavenly Father who loves her.

RED, WHITE &

BLUE.

This 4th of July we opted to stay a little closer to home to enjoy the holiday. Since Matt was off (woohoo....a new concept for my bean counter who has always had to work the 4th holiday in years past), we began our holiday by working in the garden. Then we joined the rest of the Mississippi on Friday at Geyser Falls. Don't you just love our picture in the parking lot? I decided not to have to keep up with my camera this time! Despite the crowd, we had a great time. It was his first trip, and since Caroline and Will are veteran waterpark babies, they were excited to show their Daddy the lay of the land.

Saturday we had fun just hanging out at our house and then had the Whites over for dinner. As you can see, these three are like peas in a pod. Hmm...perhaps I'm getting a little too much time in the garden. After dinner we headed to Liberty Park and watched all the fancy fireworks. When we got back home, Daddy thought it would be a good idea to get the homemade ice cream back out for a little late night snack. Of course the rest of the herd joined him at the trough and devoured the treat in a matter of seconds.

Like Father...like son

I wondered how long it would take Will to figure out that he could help his Daddy mow the yard. Well, not long because the other evening when he saw Matt mowing, he ran into the garage, got his lawnmower and started following him around the yard.

I think I can...I think I can...

he did it!After numerous nights of trying to teetee in the potty before bath time, Will was finally successful. He tries to do everything his big sister does, so naturally when she goes to the potty, he thinks he should as well. Since he was interested, I thought why not? Well, now it appears that I will have to commit myself to teaching a 20-month old to potty. He seems pretty excited about it since Caroline and I taught him the "teetee in the potty, teetee in the potty" dance and gave him M&Ms. Heck, he tried to get back on the potty to go some more just so we would repeat our congratulations. Unfortunately, he's seen his sister and I go to the potty more than he's seen his Daddy, so we may have some work to do in teaching him how to use the potty like a big boy instead of a big girl!

Will's John Deere Jeep

Pop Buddy is always fixing something it seems and his latest project was a HUGE hit with the kids. He got his hands on an old Barbie Jeep and quickly turned it into a John Deere Jeep for Will since it seems all he has had to drive is something pink. To say they liked it would be a major understatement. Don't you just love Will's very excited smile? We actually had to unhook the battery so that we could stop them long enough to try and pry Will's hands off of the steering wheel. When Caroline found out we would not be taking it home she quickly informed me that we would not need to bring suitcases at our next visit to the farm so that there would be plenty of room for us to take it home. She obviously shared this plan with her Sunday School teacher because when we picked her up Sunday, her teacher told her, "I hope you get to bring your tractor home soon". How funny!The only disappointing this about the whole deal was that I forgot to get a picture with Pop Buddy. But...I'm sure we'll be back on the farm to ride again real soon and can get one then!

Man, it's hot!

This past weekend we didn't just party with Mimi, but also managed to get some work in on Pappaw and Mammaw's garden.
The kids have really enjoyed watching the garden grow and now everything is ready for the pickin'. They also enjoy hiding in all of the green bushy stuff...where did they go?Of course, pickin' peas, corn, squash, zucchini, beans and blueberries means you are probably going to get a little hot. So when Caroline got through pickin' these...
I quickly found her messing around with this:Which lead to this...followed quickly by this...and then of course this...Not to worry, though, I've heard from Nana plenty of times about the amount of lead found in garden hoses, so I quickly took my pictures and then carried them inside to get some "filtered" water. My only question is where was the filtered water when I was a kid?

Surprise, surprise!

On Saturday, Mimi celebrated her 40th birthday.Since she is always doing so much for us, we decided we would return the favor with a surprise birthday party. In the works for a couple of months, we were hoping it would really be a surprise for her. Granted, this was a big deal for me and my Dad because neither of us are very good at keeping secrets. We tend to tell everything we know. Anyway, the plan for the big day was for Daddy to take Mimi to the movies, me to go to Ye Ol' Deli early to set everything up, all the guests to arrive before 4, and then Daddy to bring her by at 4 to what she thinks is a little party for one of Daddy's friends. On Saturday morning, we packed everything up and headed to Mommaw and Pappaw's so we could work in the garden and then I could finish some of the appetizers I was making for the party. During lunch, Will managed to spill an entire coke on himself and when I asked Matt to get our suitcase out of the car so I could change him, he informed me that there was no suitcase in the car? WHAT? You mean we left everything to get ready for the party at our house? So, off Matt went to Madison so that we could hopefully make it in time for the party. Thank goodness Will made a mess so that we realized our mistake in time. Naturally, this little glitch left me in a real bind considering I was to get everything ready for the party. Fortunatley, Mrs. Nancy, Mimi's mom, came through for us and picked everything up from me so that she could get it set up at the party. And thankfully, Matt made it back in time for us to get to the party before Mimi and Pop didn't so that we didn't miss the surprise entrance.

Despite our major booboo, the party was a hit. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and Mimi was truly caught off guard. Caroline and Will enjoyed getting in on the surprise as well and also had fun playing with all of the other little people who came to the party.

By far one of the biggest hits of the party were Mr. George's milkshakes. As you can see, Caroline guarded her milkshake as best she could so that Daddy couldn't get a sip. Happy birthday, Mimi! We hope you had a good one and have many more to come.