Let Freedom Ring-a Ding Ding!

As I've said before, today is my favorite holiday because it is so easy and fun. Everything's free and there's no three weeks of prep involved...just grill some chicken, make a fruit salad, serve popsicles and voila! The 4th of July! We celebrated today by returning to Cave Spring for our annual slice of Americana pie by watching the parade. Last year was our first year going to the parade; this year I found out that it was actually started twenty-something years ago by Christa and her little boys on a dreary 4th and has turned into a town spectacle. Everything she touches turns to gold, I swear. And of course it was cute as can be and my kids loved it.

Waiting for it to get started. This picture below is an instant favorite.

The walkers come first, then there are wagons and motorcycles and 4-wheelers and horses and tractors and floats and finally the fire engines bring up the tail end. I didn't want to take a whole lot of pictures, but here's Rebeckah walking with Annmarie and one of my old fourth-grade students from waaaayyyyy back in the day, Ivy. Ivy was the one who told me as I was silently flipping out the Thursday before my wedding that maybe I should just go home. She and her brother were some of my favorite students.

Tom on his motorcycle. This one's for you, Katie. ;)

Then we went over to Tom's house to swim and eat some chicken and other yummy stuff. We have been blessed with really cool overcast weather the past few days, but the sun did start to peek out, so I ventured into the pool. Joan took these pics for me since I have no pictures of Ben swimming because he likes me to get in the pool with him. But he is a great swimmer and he likes to jump off the side and kick by himself, and now I've got pictures to prove it in case he changes his mind next year.

Where there's food, there's Ben.

Tonight we're hitting the fireworks show, so if I take pictures, I'll put them up tomorrow. Luke is working today, which is weird, because even though he used to work all the time, he always got to take the 4th off. Now he hardly works at all, but he's missing today. We're not complaining though...he gets holiday pay, which I think is even better than overtime, and we need it! Plus, I know he's secretly hoping some drunk redneck sets their backyard on fire with bottle rockets tonight so they can see a little bit of action.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Family Portrait

Yesterday the kiddies and I went to Jim's house for a cook-out and to see Scott and Jennifer and their crew, who are in town for a couple of weeks. This was the one and only time (for a least a year or so) that all of Grandma's great-grandchildren were in the same place with her, so naturally we had to take a picture...and naturally, one of my children had to make it difficult...

I'm not exactly sure what Ben's problem was, but as soon as he saw all the cameras, he started high-tailing it down the driveway and was not happy to be caught and brought back. Session #1 (on the steps) did not go so well. Then somebody had to the good idea to give him candy and all was right in the world again. Except for the fact that it was 900 degrees outside and as we stood taking these pictures, we all started melting into little puddles in the pine straw.

Back row: Ashlyn holding Skylar, Haley, Grandma
Front row: Ben, Mary Kate, Owen and Patrick

Yes, this is really the best we could do. Jennifer and Brian and Pam were also snapping pictures, so maybe they got a better one. I'm just happy you can see everyone's face. Anyway, I'm glad we took the picture. Grandma and seven beautiful great-grandkids--she's a lucky lady!

29 in 29

Inspired by Mandy, on my last day of 29:

1. Became friends with my second child.
2. Got bangs.
3. Became a walker.
4. Traded in Dora for Diego.
5. Caught the biggest fish.
6. Discovered the miracle of ceramic flatirons.
7. Potty trained my child...with mixed results.
8. Joined the 21st century and bought something off of eBay.
9. Wore my Christmas clothes at Easter time.
10. Went head-to-head with the Big D...and lost.
11. Gained 7 pounds.
12. Lost them all, plus 8 more.
13. Spent too much money on the dog.
14. Became a fan of beatboxing.
15. Reinforced my suspicions that I don't like Keifer Sutherland, but I will watch him if there's a chance that Ricky Schroder will show up.
16. Updated the flip-flop collection.
17. Honed my green thumb.
18. Learned to cut my kids' hair.
19. Unleashed a newfound love for Mediterranean food.
20. Learned to accept charity without guilt.
21. Woke up one morning next to the man of my dreams.
22. Tried out Kashi, pilates and yoga. Only the Kashi stuck.
23. Read a grown-up book instead of chick-lit. Don't expect that to stick.
24. Enrolled my son in elementary school.
25. Put up my first fake tree.
26. Realized the concept of "Waste not, want not".
27. Embraced sunscreen...and (gasp!) still got a tan.
28. Finally got results from eating black-eyed peas and turnip greens on New Year's Day.
29. Learned to happily accept me for me, and just in the nick of time.

Luke's Day in the Sun

Today Luke graduated from fire fighter rookie school. We started celebrating last night with a surprise party for him at the ball game. A very generous acquaintance of mine gave us her tickets for the night--she has a suite at the ballpark. You know, one of those really nice spots at the top of the stadium where the tickets cost more than my car. Seriously, they do. Anyway, it was great because the kids could run around and we didn't have to worry about watching them too closely or keeping them in their seats, and everybody had a good time.

Patrick hung with his girlfriend/next-door neighbor, Riley. I was glad to have Riley's mom Michelle there with me, since baseball starts to bore me after about five innings. Luke loves it, though...he's very attentive to his beloved team...which lost AGAIN, by the way.

When you're in the suites, you get special attention by the staff because they think you're rich, and that includes Patrick's BFF the mascot. He came to hang out for a while and after the two swapped war stories for a little bit, I was able to get them to pose for a picture. Ben wasn't too sure about the blue fuzzy dude, but we shoved him in anyway because he's cute.

He was much happier hanging out with Rebeckah all night, because she would give him food and was therefore invaluable to his master agenda to eat nonstop. Frozen lemonade? Check. Sprite? Check. Dippin Dots? Check. Luke's celebratory cake? Check. Tummy ache? Check check check!!!

And today we got to the really important stuff--Luke's graduation! As I was driving up this morning, I was thinking that I honestly have not been this excited and thrilled since our wedding day. I feel like we've both been waiting for this day for a long time...much longer than since last year when he decided to pursue this career. I used to wonder when we would get to a point where Luke would be really happy to go to work, and be happy about what he was doing with his talents, and now I know that he's there. This is what he's been working towards all this time, even if we didn't always know it.

The new recruits, all looking very handsome!

Luke and his adoring boys after the ceremony. Patrick was so proud.

I must admit, I was proud too--incredibly proud! It takes a lot of guts to overhaul your life when you're closing in on 30 with a wife and two kids depending on your success. I am so glad Luke didn't balk at the challenge. He faced it with a positive attitude and his hard work and perseverance has paid off. I'm lucky to have a husband like him.

And as long as everyone's reading, I should let you all know that we could not have done it alone. We've had a lot of support since Luke undertook this endeavor. First and foremost are his parents, who really picked up the pieces of our finances since Luke had to quit his weekend job in order to go to school. We'd be living in a box if it wasn't for them! Also to Tom for sharing his office with Luke and giving him a place to unwind during lunches and breaks over the past ten weeks--also to my parents for all their emotional support and encouraging words, and to my boss Stephanie for her encouragement and patience with my seemingly endless unavailablity at work. It was all for a higher purpose, and it became a reality today!!!

Congratulations Luke! You're my hero!

Fathers Day is All Wet

For Fathers Day, we had gotten Luke tickets to the South Atlantic League All-Star game, which was hosted by our team last night. And even though the skies had opened up earlier yesterday afternoon, they were bound and determined to have that game. But I must admit, they pulled out some pretty cool stops. They had F-16 fighter jets for the national anthem, which is pretty standard, but after that, while the players were warming up, the pilots did tricks just above the stadium rooftop, which was amazing. There was such a low layer of clouds that they had to fly really close to the ground, and even then, we would only catch them flying out of a cloud and entering another one. One of the pilots circled the lights around the outfield and I thought my kids were going to die from excitement. It was awesome.

So we sat in the rain--sometimes just drizzling and sometimes a steady shower--for about four innings, and then it pretty much cleared up and we were able to enjoy the game. It was pretty non-eventful, except our pitcher from our team gave up three runs in the third, which ended up costing our division the game. Oh well. For the seventh inning stretch, they brought the F-16 pilots and their families out onto the dugouts and sang "God Bless America". It was neat, but Patrick was royally ticked that we didn't sing "Take me out to the ball game". He was also ticked that this time he got no special attention from the cameras, the girls that pass out free ice cream, or even those inconsiderate players that wouldn't hit a foul ball straight to him. I guess he got spoiled at the last two games we went to.

The post-game "fireworks spectacular" more than made up for it, though. They put on a very good show, as you can see by the look on Patrick's face. All in all, it was a very fun night, even with a little rain. As I sat there getting wet, I thought "This still beats freezing my butt off."

Tribute to Dad

I could wax poetic all day about Luke's daddy skills and it wouldn't even be the tip of the iceberg on how wonderful he is to our family. Since the day Patrick was born, he's done nothing but work hard and play hard to ensure that our kids have gotten all that they need and a good time too. But a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll just shut up already and let you see for yourself.

"Our Father the Hero"

We love you Daddy--
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY 2007!

Progress

First of all, I gave my kids a bath last night--I know, very progressive of me--and second, Patrick has literally been making leaps and bounds in his pool activities this year. He's never been one to cave easily to pressure, or to do anything just because someone else is doing it...which is fine by me. But sometimes it's hard to talk him into trying something new. But I guess he's getting brave, because this is the first year he's jumped off the side of the pool into nothing but the great blue abyss. In the past he has required someone's ready-and-waiting arms to take the plunge...notsomuch anymore! Progress is good.

Splish Splash...

...this is our bath. Yes, I'm one of those moms. I can't remember the last time my kids had a bath. Or should I say, it hasn't been in the past four days, so the statute of limitations on my memory has expired for this particular event. It may have been four days and one hour ago, but that is too far back. Can't remember it. But we have been swimming, and chlorine is very clean, so don't judge me.

Today we went to Joan's house to swim with Rebeckah and Jenny and Mary Kate. Good times were had by all. Rebeckah is an awesome swimmer and Patrick does great in the water as long as he's got his wings on. The water was chilly at first, so MK preferred to hang in the baby pool, but notice how coordinated she is? Even her toys match! Ben did well--he liked the boat and he actually likes to float around by himself with water wings on--until he started pitching a manic fit. I thought he was cold, so I got out with him and sat him on my lap and started to wrap him up in a towel...and then discovered why he was so upset. I'll give you three hints: it was yellow, it was stinky and it was in my lap. As I said, good times were had by all. ;)

**I should add that Jenny moved VERY quickly to help me get cleaned up. Thanks Jenny! Those swim diapers can't be trusted!!!

This and That

A couple weeks ago, I took the boys to have their picture taken together. I got to see the proofs today and I was pretty pleased. Of course, as I pointed out, who is ever disappointed with pictures of their own adorable tots? Photographing kiddies is a surefire way to make money, I think. Anyway, I ordered some larger pictures from the proofs, but I thought these two were cute--but not cute enough for a big copy, so I just bought the proofs.

And to everyone who told me I just had to let Patrick see Cars (yes, I'm talking to you, you and you), thank you so much for my pleasant evening tonight. Lest we forget, this is the child who got scared when I took him to see Curious George, can't make it past the first scene in Finding Nemo and is terrified of Spongebob, for crying out loud!

So Patrick crashed in his bedroom this afternoon, and since that meant he'd be up late anyway, we went down to the old Kroger kiosk and rented it for a buck...and boy am I glad I only spent a buck, because Patrick didn't even make it to Radiator Springs before he was burying his head in my lap and howling in fear. And I'm not exaggerating. He cried for Daddy, he kicked, he screamed, he chewed on his blanket...and when Lightning McQueen had his over-the-top 20-minute wreck, that was the last straw for my sensitive little viewer. He eagerly volunteered to go to bed, rather than stay downstairs with me and watch this horrifying tale. So I finished watching it myself, and it wasn't that great. I only laughed out loud once, and now I don't even remember what the joke was. Of course, what did I expect? It's a movie about Nascar. How entertaining could it possibly be?

So the trip to the beach was really great! There's not much to say...we played, we got tans, we rode bikes and swam...yadda yadda yadda...it was really fun. Here are a few of my favorite pics:

When the tide went out, it left massive tide pools that got really warm and were great for the kids to play in. So they spent most of their time in there, greatly reducing my worry time about sharks and stingrays...which we did see both of, so you can never be too careful, right?

Speaking of being careful, the latest threat on the beach is middle-aged men riding bikes, apparently. Patrick got mowed down by one on Tuesday. I didn't see it actually happen, just looked up from the big hole I was digging when I heard all the screaming...and saw Patrick lying on the ground with a bike on top of him. It was really scary--I was imagining broken ribs and punctured lungs--but he turned out just a little scraped up on his back. You can barely see the scar. And he got a bruise on his knee. And a phobia about bikes. But who's counting?

No really, he was fine, and he learned to look both ways before crossing the beach, which is always a good thing to know. But the rest of the time was really fun and now I'm glad to be home. I just gotta figure out what I'm doing for the rest of the summer...

Beach Week

Well, we're off to the beach again for a week and I'm not taking my computer, so it's time for a little blogging vacate! Have a great week everybody, and here's a little eye candy to keep you occupied while I'm gone. Yummy!

Preschool Days

Just now getting around to this, but last week was Patrick's last day of preschool. And I admit it, I cried. I have been very excited about him coming to "big kid" school with me next year, but I hadn't really considered that these days are over. Once we start school back up, there'll be no more short days, no more sleeping until we feel like it and going in late--school's going to be serious business next year! And I have no doubts whatsoever about putting him in full-time Pre-K because my school is the BEST, but it's hard to deal on those days that are designed to show you that your little preschooler is growing up. I'm really going to try to savor my time with the boys this summer--try being the key word there--because once August rolls around, things are going to change a lot, for the first time since Patrick was born four and a half years ago.

So anyways, his end-of-year party was fun for both my boys. They provided a lot of fun stuff for the kiddies, and even Patrick was bummed when he realized we were leaving and never coming back. He's since gotten over it, but it was still bittersweet. It's been a really good preschool for Patrick and I'm glad he got his time there.

Fun in the Sun

This morning we went to a fun-in-the-sun party at Jenny's house, which was an awesome way to spend this sunshiney May day! Jenny pulled out all the stops and provided a pool, slides, a giant sand box, a shaving cream table, the sprinkler, bubbles, and an art wall...and it was just TOO MUCH FUN for those kiddies! They all had a blast. Patrick was having so much fun, I couldn't really catch up to him to take a picture, but I did manage to get some of Ben. He was easy, in that he spent most of his time lurking around the food table.

Patrick doesn't nap often these days, but he couldn't stay awake when we got home. So Jenny, same time, same activities every day for the rest of the summer, right? I really enjoyed my afternoon off!

Team Brian

Today we went out to a nearby state park to hang out with Jenny and MK while Brian ran a marathon through the hills of NW Georgia. We've been having gorgeous weather and today was no different. Sunny and breezy, very springlike--a rare and all-too-brief season in our neck of the woods--it was perfect for being outside. So while Brian ran and ran and ran and RAN, we fed the ducks, played baseball, rented paddle boats, played on the playground, had a picnic lunch, and so on and so forth. Very fun times had by all...except maybe the runners. Ha! I kid, I kid...I know it is a major high to be able to run that far, and I am in awe of those that can do it.

We tried to explain it to Patrick ("Remember when you were watching Fireman Sam on TV this morning? THAT'S when Brian started running. And he's been running EVER SINCE.") But I'm still not sure he got it. He was however, very excited about seeing him finish, so he waited patiently at the finish line and clapped for everyone as they came down the home stretch. Even Ben got into the spirit of things...occasionally. For the most part, all three kids were really good and it was a fun day. I don't have any pictures of Brian running or after the race because for heaven's sake, he had been running since I got up this morning and I wasn't going to shove my camera in his face after that, but I am sure Jenny will have some on their blog soon enough.

Friday mornings are donut morning!

SSSSSMOKIN'!

Yes, this is my husband and yes, he is HOT AS FIRE!

Luke brings the hotness, Ben and Patrick bring the cuteness...

Be still my heart!

We got our pictures back from the fire department and as you can tell, I am very pleased! LOVE these pictures! I was a little worried because the lady who took the pictures was competing with numerous fire trucks entering and exiting the compound, but now I am impressed that she managed to get two shots with all three boys looking at the camera...and looking handsome as well! I *heart* my family!

P.S. Sorry for the bad quality of the pics...I guess I need to clean my scanner.

It's Mother's Day! Play Ball!

It's that wonderful day of the year again and Patrick celebrated by getting his hands on something far better than any old MOM, he landed a real authentic catcher's mask and mitt!!! I am not sure why Luke chose not to mention earlier that this was sitting out in his shed (I mean, it could've saved us a lot of embarrassment)...but for whatever reason, yesterday was the day he deemed appropriate to dig it out and make Patrick's young life even sweeter. Ma fixed the straps on the back and voila! Instant happy kid.

So as Patrick caressed and whispered sweet nothings to his new catcher's mask, my parents came up to spend Mother's Day with us. I can't even remember the last time my parents came up for a visit, so it was really good to have them over. My mom brought me some flowers to plant in my gardens and we took a long walk around the lake and then Luke hauled out the smoker and made his awesomely famous smoked pork tenderloin. It's like heaven on earth. Anyway, we were busy and I didn't think to snap pictures of all the fun (bad blogger that I've become), but I did remember to get one group shot before they left.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone--Mom, Luke's mom, Great-Grandma and my Grammy, Sandi, me and all my mommy friends. Hope you enjoyed your day as much as I did!

Summer Vacate

Today was Ben's last day of preschool for the year (BOO), so I had to take a picture of him with his ladies for posterity. On the left we have Ms. Phyllis and on the right is Ms. Donna. I have to admit, even though they were paid very handsomely for the eight hours a week of babysitting they provided, they were totally awesome to Ben. It wasn't easy putting my almost-new baby in the care of two strangers, but they really earned my confidence quickly. They saw him through a lot this year, from the times when he could barely glance at a baby swing without getting drowsy to giving up his paci to finally walking. They encouraged him every step of the way (no pun intended)...soothed him when he cried, cheered for him when he succeeded, taught him lots of great stuff and truly helped shape his personality. I know he really loves them. I just don't think he'll know how much he's going to miss them until three months from now when he's back in the toddler room next door and sees them again! At least they'll share a playground.

Have a great summer Ms. Phyllis and Ms. Donna! Thanks for everything!

Birthday Shout-out!

Today is the birthday of the one and only Katie, and since she's made it perfectly clear on her blog, I'll go ahead and reiterate that it's a biggie--it's her 30th birthday! Katie is awesome for many reasons, but today she is awesome because she was nice enough to turn 30 just before me, so she can try it out and tell me how it is. Like getting in the pool first. It's inevitable that we're both going to do it, but she can prepare me. You're awesome like that girl!!!

Anyway, here's a birthday shout-out from me and the boys that love you!!! We hope your birthday is the bomb!!! This day's all about you girl, so spend it like you mean it!!!! Happy Birthday!

An update

Not that there's too much to update you all on, unless you need to know the details of our family's diarrhea...no? Well, here's the watered-down version (pardon the pun). Patrick's Linda Blair-inspired moment on Friday night turned out to be the last of the throw up, but the mere tip of the stomach bug iceberg. Tuesday rolled around and he was still feeling the effects (as was our can of air freshener), but by Wednesday he felt well enough to go back to preschool...juuuust in time for Ben to start it up. Lucky me! But I prefer to look at the bright side: diapers are an excellent means of control for those little "surprises" that so often come with the runs. No carpet clean-up this time! :)

In unrelated news, Ben is getting to be very chit-chatty these days. I have enjoyed reliving the whole "learning to talk" experience with him...I had forgotten how cute it is. Patrick used to go to the bottom of any random staircase and yell "SCHELL!!!" (you'll have to ask Schell's mom about this), and now Ben is doing something similar. He goes to the top of the stairs and yells "AAAAAA-DA!!!" This is derived from our frequent calling for Savannah to come upstairs so we can drag her into the bathroom and give her heart palpitations by making her think it's bath time. Good cheap family fun.

So that's my last five days in a nutshell--diarrhea and AAAAA-DA. By all means, stay perched on the edges of your seats. There'll be more to come.