Wild Weekend

Friday kicked off a wild, whirlwind of a weekend.

It was definitely a morning for red cowgirl boots...

It was field trip day. And red boots + a field trip = some kind of excitement! Towns' class took a short bus ride to Cook's Natural Science Museum. It's the first field trip I've missed, but blondie assured me she'd survive just fine without me. She kept reiterating just how fine she'd be which led me to reiterate that I'm her mother, always will be, and it's perfectly ok if I want to be right up under her. Hello.

It was a big day for Cate, too. Her teacher, Mrs. Connie, is about to have a new baby and it was her last day at school. The second Cate and I walked in the classroom Friday morning the tears started flowing. Mrs. Connie was Towns' first mother's day out teacher when she was a year old. A couple of years after that she was Cate's first teacher. Then this year we were fortunate enough to have her again. She's been with us for what seems like forever, and it was bittersweet to see her go. Cate sure does love her...
And we'll definitely miss her!
She's promised to bring baby Matthew to visit, so we let her off easy. After the girls were out of school we ran a few quick errands before we picked Bebs up from school. We had to whisk her away to meet her grandmother at 5:00 in Birmingham. That's a smooth trip under normal circumstances which usually gets us home before 7. I didn't pull into the driveway until 9:20 that night. We had been in the car since 2:30. If you do the math, that's a 7 hour trip that should usually only take a little over 3. What genius plans construction on I-65 smack dab in the middle of spring and at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon? At one point on our way home the interstate was completey shut down and traffic was being directed through a small town that's not equipped to handle it. That's when we took our own detour to a gas station that I thought was hidden from the crowd. Not so. It was like a block party when we pulled in! Obviously plenty of other people had my same idea. I broke all parenting rules that night. We bought Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew and lots of candy. Usually we don't do caffeine anywhere near bed time. I didn't have any fight left in me...which led to dropping $14 on two pink mini Beanie Baby monkeys with eyes that look they're about to pop out of their heads. They were so ugly that they were cute. Maybe I was just delirious. And I was so wound tight that I couldn't say no. Nor did I even care to. J called me every five minutes to check on our progress, and my poor husband got an ear full every time. It went a little something like this...
"if I got hold of the head of the ALDOT he wouldn't have a single hair left on that head"
or...
"whoever planned all this blasted construction on the interstate during the busiest time of year is not exactly setting the intellectual woods on fire"
or...
Well, you get the picture. All he could do was laugh hysterically at me. He looked online to see what the hold up was...cue the major guilt. Apparently there had been a fatal accident on the interstate which is why we'd been re-routed. I wanted to sit in the middle of all that traffic and cry. I'd run off at the mouth over what I thought was stupid construction (which some of it was) only to learn the truth about it. Goodness, I felt horrible. That's a good lesson in using self control even when my nerves and lack of patience suggest otherwise. We found a minivan that had Ratatouille playing in their DVD player, and as long as stayed next to that van so they could watch it through the window the girls were as happy as clams. So that's just what we did. And then we spotted this with a for sale sign in the window that sparked a 15 minute conversation...
Towns decided that the tiny green car was not very reasonable for our family at all. She said, "I mean, you can't even go on a vacation in it." So true. Then she proceeded to say, "well, you and Daddy could go on a trip together but then that would mean that we'd stay home and that would not be fair at all so you'd have to buy a different car that would hold us all so that we could all go and not leave anyone out (it went on and on and on)." The Mt. Dew was in full effect. She was one long run-on sentence all the way home. Cate was fine with the prolonged trip except for the fact that she was convinced J would never see us again. That brought lots of tears, and I assured her that even if she fell asleep in the car I'd let him wake her up when we got home. Neither of them fell asleep, though. So when the alarm clock went off early Saturday morning, it wasn't pretty! But it was the day of Towns' last cheer competition so we hit the ground running. It rained and rained, but nothing was going to spoil the fun. Towns put on her uniform one last time, and in less than ten minutes she went from this...
To this...
Dad of the year here even got Buggy all glittered up...He'll probably kill me for that one. Once everyone was dressed and made up I told J I'd take a picture of him with the girls if he'd kindly return the favor...Somehow I always get the short end of the stick...He despises a camera and even more so despises taking pictures. It's the thought that counts, right? I'm sure one day I'll appreciate these candids way more than normal pictures where everyone is looking at the camera and not jumping around, in mid-step, or what have you.
We watched a few of the mini cheer squads and then it was time for the Monster Minis to take the floor...
Keeping them contained is somewhat like keeping a bucking bull calm and collected in a pen at a rodeo. Except in this scenario there are 16 bulls. They were chomping at the bit and when they finally got the go ahead, they took off! They all got in their spots and were ready to roll...
They did fantastic...especially given the fact that their routine had been changed several times in last few weeks. I was one proud psycho cheer mom. But I must confess that we're all glad it's over. Even Towns is excited to have a break from it. After their performance, everyone gathered for the awards ceremony. That many cheerleaders in such a small place has to be a noise violation of some sort. :)
It was a tad bit emotional saying goodbye to Towns' coaches Hannah and Evin...
Now here's where the real fun begins. You might remember that Towns got her ears pierced last summer. When she started cheering, she had to take them out for cheer competitions which got to be more painful than anything to try to get them back in. So we didn't try after that and her holes grew up. She's been really begging to get them pierced again, but her daddy told her she had to wait until her cheer commitment was over. She took that quite literally, and after the competition Saturday we sought out a Claire's...
She chose to have both ears done at the same time. Smart chick. The two girls who pierced her ears were extremely colorful (seriously - see the blue hair?). They made her laugh and took her mind off of it. She's always such a champ when it comes to ear piercing, though.
And she proudly carried her little bag on her shoulder for everyone to see...
The first thing she wanted to do after she was finished was call Bethany to tell her...
Such sweet sisters!
After a big day, all we could do after church Sunday morning was get comfy and cozy up on the couch to ride out the cold, blah day. Sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered!

Uptown Girl & the Army

I never would have guessed it, but the girls are closeted Billy Joel fans. I have Uptown Girl on a CD and they've started asking to hear it all the time. This morning after we dropped Towns off at school Cate asked what an uptown girl was, so I told her. Then she wanted to get dressed up like one and dance to the song...

That's the number one reason I love that she's home with me two mornings a week. The girl makes me laugh. She woke up this morning with one thing on her mind. Pets. I always hold her for a few minutes when she first wakes up...that's the way we both have to start our day. For some reason, it makes for interesting conversation. Here's the way it went this morning...
Cate: Where the pet store?
Me: There's one by Target. Why?
Cate: I want a pet.
Me: A pet rock?
Cate: {15 seconds of thinking hard followed by} Oh yes, yes, yes. That's what I want. Do they don't bite?

Last night after church all the girls and I curled up on the couch for a little TV time. Remember when I told you that Bethany and Towns are always right up under each other while Cate's perfectly content to be on her own? These two were at one end of the couch...
While Buggy was at the other end...I have to remind myself that that's the way she likes it or else I'd start feeling bad. She's an independent little thing unless I'm around. And then she becomes a permanent attachment. I wouldn't have it any other way, though!

I love finding little gems like this in the folder Towns brings home from school...
You have to sound it out just right to know that if she were president she would fight in the army. An army of girls with boot cut jeans, pink shirts, and flat-ironed hair. That's girl power folks. Gaddafi would be shaking in his boots at the sight of this, I'm sure.

Out of Hibernation

I totally understand why bears hibernate and skip winter all together. If I could, I'd do the same. We've been locked indoors long enough, and highly celebrated the first weekend of Spring! This past weekend was perfect for it. Perfect for strolling babies...

Perfect for drinking a big ol' cherry limeade...
Perfect for an afternoon at the park and befriending a half bulldog/half Dachshund...
An interesting mating choice, but nevertheless Cate loved it...
And perfect for gathering "tormadoes"...
Ok, ok. You caught me. We didn't grow the tomatoes. Someone at the farmers co-op gave them to J. But I'd like to think that one day we'd have a good spot to have our own little garden. And Cate's word choice is a cross between tornado and tomato. She interchanges that one word for both terms. She's got her own dictionary and you'd have to live with her to understand it. :)

We definitely got a day's worth of house and yard work out of Saturday. In the midst of it, Bethany decided to spend some time with Towns teaching her to ride her bike without training wheels...
Buggy did a little bike riding of her own...

Sunday after church my camera put in major overtime...
I say this all the time, but it seems that every picture I have of the three girls Bethany is steadily smiling and the younger two are acting like clowns. Case in point...
Don't let these pictures of Buggy and Bebs deceive you. They have a unique relationship. When they're on, they're on. But when Bug's in a mood, you can hang it up. I don't know if I can quite put my finger on it, but it goes a little something like this...
Cate: Can I have one of your M&Ms, Bethany?
Bethany: Sure you can if you promise to be nice to me for the rest of the day.
Cate: Welllll, I think I'll just go get my own.
True story. Happened Friday afternoon. Don't tell me the child doesn't know she's a mess!
Now these two, they're stuck like glue...
Towns worships the ground her Bebby walks on!
While Cate's perfectly content doing her own thing right by herself...
That afternoon Bethany and I walked a couple of miles and solved the world's problems. We had a plan for world peace before Obama went and ruined it. Kidding. After we got our exercise on, J took Bebs fishing and I took the munchkins to the park (for the tenth time in one weekend). The girls were dead set on walking, so we opted for the park at the Presbyterian church a block over. Towns got her iPod going and totally took over my role as mom...
It's a good thing they love the park so much...
You can't beat free entertainment these days!

Friday Randomness

Is randomness even a word?
Never mind...

Towns is about a month shy of turning six. Surprisingly enough, I haven't been an emotional wreck about the upcoming birthday. Turning five hit me like a ton of bricks. I suppose since she's in kindergarten and I've had no choice but to be ok with it, I've become a little less of a sap. But she even acts more growny these days, which I do have a problem with. So every once in a while I need to go overboard with silliness just to keep her in check. The other night I was snuggling with her before she went to bed, and I asked her if I could make up a new nickname for her. I said, "can I call you sugar pie, apple dumplin', blueberry muffin, angel love, doll face?" which really got her giggle box turned over. Then in the most serious tone she said, "no, that's too long of a name - just call me Brittany." What?! And the other day the two of us were telling Cate that she didn't need the old pacifier she happened to find tucked away in her room. She reverted back to baby mode and started in the the whining and fake crying like she used to do when she needed a paci. So Towns proceeded to tell her that she should leave that old paci out for Santa this coming Christmas. I asked her if it was so that he could give it to another little girl who needed one. She said, "no, so he can recycle it and make a new toy out of it for Buggy." Clearly, her mind is working for the environment. She makes me laugh.

Last week her class celebrated Dr. Seuss. They had silly assignments every day of the week. Monday she had to wear mismatched clothes. Not a problem. She just put on what she would normally pick out of I let her dress herself...
Tuesday was silly hat day...
Mrs. Pace and Mrs. Lindsay really got creative with their attire...
They're such good sports!
Wednesday was her favorite...
She had to wear her clothes backwards!
Thursday she got to take her favorite drink to school to have with the green eggs and ham they made...
Her choice? Milo's sweet tea, naturally. Friday we were out of towns so she missed wearing animal print from head to toe. Boy could we have gone to town with that one!

After eating from sun up 'til sun down all weekend long at the beach, I came home and told Bethany I needed a boot camp. Let me tell you, if you need a good workout she's your girl. She gathered all her exercises from the teen magazines she reads and put together a little something for me. Complete with a guide that she printed out for me in case she's not here to see me through it. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't walking like I just got thrown off of a bucking bronco. I've never felt pain like this before...that's a sign it's got to be working. Right?! Speaking of Bebby, the poor thing had to get a round of shots yesterday. Her sisters were there to hold her hand and get her through it...
She's petrified of shots, needles, etc. and needed all the moral support she could get. But the second B jokingly told Cate she had to get shots too, the girl was gone...
She meant she was getting as far away from the line of fire as she could! Towns wasn't budging, though. B did fantastic, and even though she was a little light headed afterwards it was nothing a trip to Target and Panera Bread coudn't cure.

Did you wear green yesterday? I didn't. And all three girls didn't let me forget it. Yesterday when Towns got to school she was ever so excited to see that she and Emma matched...
Lucky the Leprechaun had totally and completely ransacked their classroom, had Mrs. Lindsay's iPod playing the craziest songs, and left the silliest notes all around the room. The kids thought it was so cool. If you saw my house right now you'd swear Lucky had done some damage here. No such luck...pun intended.

Wednesday night at church Cate and Brock were in rare form. I just so happened to have my camera with me...
If you think those two aren't t-r-o-u-b-l-e together, you've got another thing coming. I've never in my life seen anything like it. Throw their other friend Ella in the mix and it's a sight! Their Mother's Day Out teacher calls them the triplets. Different mothers, same children. When I pick her up from school her teachers never give me a report that she's been in any trouble. But you can bet that Cate will tell on herself. The other night J was getting the girls in bed when Buggy decided to tell him that she had to go to Mrs. Mandy's desk that day. That's a step above time out in the world of preschool. She told him why she got in trouble and then said, "let's don't tell Mommy just yet." J told her that she definitely was going to tell me and she said, "ok, just now right now." I overheard the whole thing. I immediately texted my friend Mandy so she could give me the scoop, and it turns out that in fact Buggy was in trouble just as she'd said. If this is what we're dealing with at age three, I'm in trouble. Raising her is so different from raising this one...
I still haven't figured out why those two are like night and day. Towns is scared to death to break even the slightest rule. She's a sweetheart. Cate, on the other hand, makes a mockery of rules but is hands down the funniest person I know. And even more than that, she's my baby. Light bulb. I just figured out exactly why she is the way she is. Ha! And I love her to pieces regardless. We'll just have to work harder on staying out of time out.

Word on the street is that it's supposed to be 80 degrees today. I've gotten all my work done for the day, so you won't find us indoors. We definitely are in full Spring mode. We found a mini Easter tree at Target that the girls have already weighted down with eggs...
I always hesitate to fix things like that so that all the eggs aren't in one spot. Something just won't let me. It's perfect just the way it is!

Happy sunny, warm, and gorgeous Friday!