A Trip Home

Well, well, well.  Turns out we didn't flee the country.  I can't imagine that anyone missed us for the two weeks I skipped out on the blog.  On the off chance that you did (totally kidding), Instagram might be the solution.  It's all I do.  Or so says my husband!  I've found that it's much quicker and easier than blogging and it makes me happy.
It's a win/win!

We made it through recital after recital as well as the last week of school.  I'm still recovering from a zillion sob fests, and my camera is still recovering from being overworked.  After that, we treated ourselves to a weekend on the river with my family.  Perfect timing.  We needed a little break!  My parents just got a new boat that was calling my name.  We left at 4 a.m. Saturday to avoid Memorial Day traffic.  Who wants to waste a whole day by being on the road?  Not us! We pulled into Andalusia at 9 on the dot, just as I told my mother we would. I love going home.  I think more than anything, I just adore childhood.  I had a great one there with more memories than I can count.  It's important to me that my children experience it, too.  That's why I couldn't wait to spend a little time at Granny's house.  I've been wanting this picture for a long time now, and I am beyond excited that I finally got it...

I can't tell you how many hours I spent on the swing that used to be there (that's now at our house), riding a bicycle up and down that sidewalk, and dragging my baby dolls out that front door to set up a "house" on the porch.  Goodness, the memories.  So naturally, I wanted a picture with my babies on that same front porch with my grandmother.  If only my Pop were in it, it would be perfection.  They would have absolutely adored him.  And I have a feeling that he would have been wrapped around those little fingers like crazy!  They played in the pantry where there are lots of little trinkets and treasures to be found, set up an office in the living room just like I used to do, and had the best time exploring every nook and cranny.  

Towns sat down to the piano I learned to play on and showed Granny what she could play...

My grandmother plays by ear, and I think Towns might follow in her footsteps.

It was just what I'd imagined it would be.  I can't tell you how I'd been waiting for them to be old enough to enjoy that. We left with some priceless things that all have a story.  Like my grandmother's measuring cups and a picture of her three girls that I snagged (I'll catch it from my mother and my aunts for sure)...

I got eight of these perfect little dishes that are begging for a scoop of ice cream...
This might be my favorite, though...

It's the lamp from my grandmother's desk that she used for the 20+ years she was a bookkeeper.  With some paint and a little TLC it will be perfect for a certain blonde school girl to do homework under.

We convinced Granny to go the river with us later that morning.  She was reluctant, but she was captive in my front seat so she didn't have much of a choice!  We spent hours upon hours on this bad boy...

Inner tubes have come a long way since my days of growing up on the river.  Big Bubba was like a loveseat on water!  It was a blast, that's for sure...

Towns couldn't wait to ride with Anna Grace and her friend...

And Max wasn't going to rest until he got me on it with him.  He told me that he was a "devil" (dare devil) and to be prepared to get thrown out.  He wasn't joking.  I spent most of the time doing this...

He told me I was pathetic and that I screamed like a girl!

I was relieved when our friend Morgen decided she'd have a turn...

Her hat lasted .5 seconds before it blew off thanks to Steve's tricks.
He was a pro at slinging us all over that river.  I think he sort of likes his new toy!

Cate enjoyed being in the captain's chair more than anything.  That was more her speed...

She spent a good amount of time in YaYa's lap, too.  My mother nearly broke her back tubing the day before we got there, so she had a free pass to strictly be a spectator!
My loves and me on the boat...

I learned something about them over the two days that we were there.  They absolutely love swimming in that muddy, nasty water more than anything we did all weekend long...

They'd beg Pappy to stop the boat just to let them swim...

And when we'd give the boat a break, they'd spend their time on the pier... 

 

Or jumping off of it, rather...

I'm already hatching a plan to go back soon.  Two days was hardly enough!

Madness

I'm battling the craziness that is the end of the school year and losing by the day.  This morning at 7 o'clock we were all still in bed and the thought of removing myself from mine made me want to cry.  The girls went to sleep hours after their normal bedtime thanks to dance recital rehearsal.  Y'all.  I've taught dance my fair share of dance in the last few years and never has a dance recital done me in like this one has!  And we've only survived two days of it.  Three more to go, then three recitals this weekend.  I think I can, I think I can.  Not to mention that we're throwing in a field trip to the zoo tomorrow, field day on Friday, and putting our house on the market Monday.  If you don't hear from me soon, you'll know I've lost the fight!  Ha!  All I've got to say is that I'm heavily caffeinated this morning and not ashamed to admit it.  I think I secretly like the madness.  I like to tell myself that I don't, but who am I kidding?!  The more chaos, the better.

And believe me, there's plenty to go around.

J left this morning before daylight going to Destin for work.  Poor, pitiful thing.  I tried to get him to pack us in his suitcase.  Then I remembered the zillions of dollars we have in recital costumes so that thought was fleeting.  There's so much going on that he'll miss and he's the kind of dad who'd rather be at home than anywhere else.  I love that about him.  Yesterday he was tied up at work and couldn't make it to the Disney Dazzle program Towns was in at school.  Never fear...Bebby to the rescue!  She's such a smarty pants and got to exempt all her exams, so she's basically done with school.  We made a little deal that if she got to check out early, she'd come to watch blondie.  Towns had no idea and couldn't have been more surprised when the curtain opened and there sat Bebs next to me!
The sweet kids sang their hearts out and did a fab job...

They all had a little speaking part...

Do you think she was just a tad bit excited her big sister was there?!

They love each other madly!

A few girls from her class...

I love this one of Emma and Towns...

They're pretty much permanently joined at the hip.

This next one makes me laugh...

I'm always wrestling Cate.  That's an all day, every day job.  You'd think I'd be in shape since I carry a 30 lb. weight around everywhere I go!
A couple more just because I'm putting off productivity for as long as possible...
 Cate, Towns and Ella were all smiles at dance practice yesterday.  Sweet girls!
 And here you have Cate trying to convince me that these shoes were a perfect fit yesterday...
We might be busy, but we've always got time for shoe shopping!  She told me that her foot wasn't "too far" from the end which meant she needed them.  We bought them for Bethany, but Cate has already claimed them as hand-me-downs one day.

Dance Your Shoes Off is tonight (not sure how I've failed to mention that yet?!) and I absolutely cannot wait.  Read about this great mission project here!  It's one of the most fun projects I've been involved with.  And it's for a great cause so it's a win/win!

Mother's Day Love

I've always loved Mother's Day.  I'm so fortunate to have a wonderful mother, and I know I don't tell her that nearly as often as I should.  I think J would probably say the same thing about his precious mother.  Not to mention our grandmothers that we love so dearly.  Now that I'm a mom, the day is even more special.  To say that I am blessed doesn't even come close to what I really feel.

It doesn't seem adequate enough a word.  The day was spent with my little loves...

I so wish that Bethany was in this picture and that it wasn't so blurry.  It's all I have from yesterday which isn't like me at all!  I got this from Towns...

Along with a Shrinky Dinks necklace she made at school with my initials and a picture she drew of sweet face.  Talk about a treasure!  I love that the card instructs me to call and text her when she gets a phone.  I'm sure she knows I'll be lighting her phone up all the time if and when she ever gets one!

I've come to the conclusion that when you have children, every day is Mother's Day!

Deep Thoughts

Towns informed me yesterday over frozen yogurt that she had her life figured out.  Deep thinking.  Soul searching. I was intrigued. I didn't have a clue what she was about to say, but I knew it would be good.  And I knew one thing for sure.  It had been planned to the hilt and she'd thought it over a whole lot.  That's just her.  She proceeded to tell me that she knows exactly where she wants to go to college.  I just knew the answer would be Auburn.  Of course it would be.  As much as we talk about it, what other choice is there?  She said, "I'm going to get a degree from Education Connection {as she sang those two words like they're sung on the commercial}.
Wait, what?!
I was a little confused.  I asked her what in the world Education Connection was to see if in fact she even knew.  The response was music to my ears and proved she knew exactly what she was talking about.  "Everyone knows that it's online college, Mommy.  That way I'll never have to leave home!"
Yessssss.
Wrap that one up and it's Happy Mother's Day to me!

I know just how to keep Cate here forever, too.  As long as we keep a 4-legged furry friend on hand at all times, she's game.  She's like putty in our hands and their paws...

They absolutely love each other.  They're two peas in a pod.
Wild, a little bit crazy, and two the most loving things I've ever seen in my life.

Happy Mother's Day to all you sweet mamas out there!

Instagram, Etc.

I've finally jumped on the Instagram bandwagon.  Talk about showing up late to the party.  I didn't know what I was missing!  Bethany turned me on to it and like my friend Darby said the other day, I may never blog again.  The downside to enjoying it so much is that I never pick up my camera anymore.  It's all iPhone pics, all the time.  Maybe when the new wears off of Instagram I'll go back to the Canon.

Maybe...

Things have been pretty laid back here lately.  It's kind of like the girls when it gets really quiet around here.  I know to prepare myself because something is brewing.  This is bound to be the calm before the storm.  For the next two weeks straight there will be some sort of program, field trip, field day, awards day, dress rehearsal, dance recital, etc. and we'll all wonder if our heads are about to spin off of our bodies.  It's a sure sign that the end of the school year is near.  It's usually such a blur that I don't even have time to think about how sad I am that it's all over and done.  I won't get on that soap box right now, but trust me, it's coming.  I can feel it!

The girls and I have had some good ol' quality time together lately which makes me one happy lady.  I'm sure I'm the only mother in the continental United States who's been known to resort to bribery.  I'm fine with it.  I can be easily bribed myself.  Saturday morning I told Towns I'd take her to Cracker Barrel in exchange for her going to gymnastics.  On a pretty morning, it's hard to tear her away from playing outside but she's missed so many classes lately for one reason or another and we've got a ton to make up.  What that baby loves more than anything is fried shrimp with mac and cheese, so to gymnastics we went!  I kept my word and afterwards we hit Cracker Barrel.
When we got there, we saw these feisty things walking down the sidewalk...

 

The girls couldn't understand why they couldn't catch those ducks to bring home.  Last time I checked, ducks aren't keen on living in a house and being treated like they're a kitten.  The funny part is that they were sure they'd just stopped by for lunch and I wasn't about to convince them otherwise!
Since we had no place to be, I gave the girls a lesson in checkers for a while...

 

A trip to the park was next on the agenda..
Have I mentioned she's a preschool drop-out?  God love her.  She loved her class and her teachers, and I loved a chance to get things accomplished while knowing she was in good hands.  But I've finally come to terms with the fact that she's happiest when she's at home right up under yours truly.  J has been telling me that for months.  So I gave in and she's been as snug as a bug at home with me ever since.  I get next to nothing done around here, that's for sure.  It's worth it.  She's my baby and she's only young once.  To be honest, I don't feel nearly as guilty as I know should.

We'll pick back up with 4K next school year, so it's all good!

Of course, we couldn't let the afternoon get by us without seeing how Bebs was faring at work...

We took her a cherry limeade from Sonic which was just a good excuse for us to drop by.  The girls decided they wanted to play an impromptu round of putt-putt.  I couldn't say no to that, naturally!

I told you it was coming.  Don't say I didn't warn you!  One of the reasons I'm not ready for the school year to end is because it's definitely going to be hard to say goodbye to Mrs. Propst.  I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again...she's beyond wonderful in every way imaginable.  Yesterday she took Towns and Emma with her for a little play date after school for finally reaching their goal for AR points.  They went to Zen Beri, Hobby Lobby, and then back to her house.  If you know my child, you are aware that there's nothing in the world she'd rather do.  And no one else she'd rather go with other than her precious teacher!  When I went to pick her up yesterday afternoon she informed me that she wasn't ready and needed to stay an hour or two longer.  I have no doubt that Mrs. Propst would have let her had I agreed to it.  I almost told her to keep her for the night and I'd just pick her up after school today.  That would have been the definition of wearing out our welcome, though!

They had a ball running through her gorgeous flower garden which led to a group shot...

Love the wad of bubble gum in blondie's cheek?!

We stood in the drive way talking for a while which is what happens when you put us all together.  Then out of nowhere J came riding up on Towns' pink scooter.  That's the beauty of living two streets over.  He knew she'd been dying to show it Mrs. Propst and she wasted no time doing just that...

It still nearly gives me a heart attack to see the two of them on that thing!

We should be at the Birmingham Zoo right now for a field trip had the rain not ruined it for us.  Towns burst into tears when I got that automated phone call at 7:30 this morning informing us it had been cancelled.  She screamed field trip from head to toe (including the backpack on her back filled with things fun things to do on the bus) and had been looking forward to it for weeks.  I assured her it would be rescheduled and that a trip to the zoo in the rain would be no fun for anyone.  She went on to school sporting her field trip shirt and puffy red eyes from crying so hard.  Don't even think we didn't stop at McDonald's for a sweet tea to take to school with her.  For a southern girl, sweet tea makes everything better!  Cate wasn't happy about not getting to go to the zoo either.

So it's nothing but me, Buggy, board games and a baton today while we watch it pour down outside...

If you can't go to the zoo, might as well live in one!

Spring Break & A Working Girl

Our Spring Break last week has to go down in history as the most uneventful week we could have possibly had.  And for that, I'm thankful!  It's just what we needed and wanted.  We'd almost forgotten what a week of being at home with no commitments, lessons, classes, etc. was like.  It gave us a little taste of summer which might have been dangerous for a mom who's ready to give the roads a rest.  Seems like we burn 'em up during the school year.  Can anyone relate?!  After last week, I might close up shop, forget the last 3 weeks of school, and head to the beach 'til mid-August.  I'm kidding, I'm kidding...

One day last week we ventured to Bridge Street for an appointment at the Apple store.  I've been through enough iPhones to know that the last one I bought was going in an Otter Box the minute it was purchased and wasn't coming out for love nor money.  I opted for the smaller, less bulky case which was fine and dandy until I dropped it face down on the concrete shattering the screen beyond belief...something the smaller Otter Box doesn't really protect.  I'd almost gone a full year without any catastrophes, so it was bound to happen eventually.  I could live with a cracked screen had it not been impossible to read emails or really even tell what time it was.  It was that bad.  And being that my phone is my life line to my business, well, that's a problem.  I ended up telling them to forget me paying an arm and a leg to get their screen.  I knew I could get it fixed cheaper here in town which is just what I did.  The irony?  Less than two hours after I got the new screen, it fell out of my hand (as I was trying to help Towns in a hula hoop contest, no less) and cracked again.  Surprising?  Hardly.  I wanted to cry.  The good news is that I can still see everything perfectly fine, so until it bothers me bad enough I'll live with it.  All that to say we made a few of our favorite stops while we were at Bridge Street so the trip wouldn't be a complete waste of time...

I think those two could take up residence at the cookie store if it were allowed.  They were not happy that the lady inside was late opening the doors.  When cookies are on the line, they mean business!  I persuaded them to join me at the fountain to make a few wishes while we waited...

Blondie's nothing if not barefoot...

Tuesday night at Ben Davis Open House she shed her shoes and ran around the school without them.  I wanted to dig a hole and crawl in it...only to come out to sanitize those feet.  Heaven help me.

One penny wasn't enough for Cate...

 

I caught her digging through my wallet looking for more!  And she sure did ask if her wish would come true if she threw in a check card since it was obviously worth more than a penny.

I think Towns was excited about making a birthday wish since her big day was the next day...

 

After they'd drained my coin purse dry, we got our cookies and called it a morning.

Next up?  A trip to see our favorite new working girl and throw a little business her way!  Bethany totally and completely wowed us when she went out and found a job all on her own.  Huge thanks to my friend Stephanie for giving her not one, but two jobs in one day!  She's now a part time employee of Eloise & Henry and Funland Mini Golf.  She struck gold when it comes to a teenager working in Decatur.  It just doesn't get much better than that!  She was looking ever so cute and ready for her 8 hour work day, let me tell you.  And the girls absolutely could not wait to get there and see their Bebby at her new job!  I'm not going to try to act like I didn't have a little tear in my eye seeing her behind that counter.  Can't believe she's old enough to have her very own job.  Goodness!
We handed over our cash for a round of 18 holes and got down to business...

 It was extremely windy that day...can you tell?!
Everything with those two is an adventure, and putt-putt was no different. This was both girls' first time to play.  Towns surprised me and got most every hole knocked out in 2 strokes.  Cate didn't like that very much, and after her 2+ attempts to get the ball in each hole, this is what she did...

She picked her ball up and would throw it as hard as she could at whoever or whatever.  We had to have a talk about it being all in fun and not something that should be taken so seriously.
She's something else!
They had me in stitches the whole time.  Not sure what this one is about, but after I'd collected balls, putters, score sheets, pencils, drinks, shoes, sunglasses and purses from the previous hole this is how I found them...
So much for their nice white tops!
That's also the hole where Cate was determined to find out just how the ball got to the other side...
Once she understood how it worked, they spent the rest of the time making up their own tricky obstacles...
I didn't want to embarrass Bethany, so I didn't ask her for a picture behind the counter.  But I did manage to get her in the background of this one on the sly as the girls celebrated victory on the last hole...

She's so cool in her Ray Bans and Funland shirt...I think she sort of likes the working world!
And we couldn't be more proud of her!

Happy Friday, y'all!

Seven is Heaven!

Birthdays are big around here.  I don't know why I love them so much.  Call me crazy, but it's just fun celebrating someone.  Wouldn't you agree?

This says it all...

Can I get an amen?

Last Wednesday night I was thinking about how it was the last night I'd have a six year old.  Why do I do that to myself?  One day I'll learn.  So, naturally I had to have one last picture of her before she turned a year older...

I wonder if she knows just how much I love her...
If she doesn't, it's not because I don't tell her 457 times a day!!

Thursday was birthday mania from sun up 'til sun down.  We let Towns pick the agenda.  A trip to the mall was definitely in order.  She had some birthday money that was burning a hole in her pocket, and she follows in her Bebby's footsteps when it comes to that!  But before we started our day, we had to have pink chocolate chip pancakes full of 7 blazing zebra candles as well as the special "birthday girl" cup...

She was up at the crack of dawn and ready to get the party started.  Bethany wasn't so ready at that early hour, so this is the best I could get of the two of them...

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have Cate who hits the ground running like you wouldn't believe...

She doesn't get that from yours truly, that's for sure!

Time to sing "Happy Birthday" which would be the first of several times throughout the day...
She always gets a little shy when she's being sung to...

That shyness quickly went out the window when it was time to tackle these...

She got the mother of all jewelry boxes which was organized in .5 seconds because she couldn't wait any longer...
And it was only fitting that she get this book since she's a toothless wonder now...

She and Junie B. have a thing or two in common...toothless and both in 1st grade to name a couple!

Little did she know, she had a pretty big surprise waiting on her.  Bebs covered her eyes and she patiently waited...

Sweet sisters!
She truly couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it...

The pinkest scooter in all the land was now hers and she was thrilled when Cate rode in on it...

This was all her daddy's idea!  And we took it straight outside at 7 a.m. to try it out...

The other girls weren't about to be left out...

To tell you the truth, we've all had fun with it!

And it's all we've done since last Thursday.  I'll be honest, though.  There have been a few casualties that have left her pretty beat up.  But she's just like J in that she gets up and goes right back for more!

A little later, all of us girls hit the mall in Huntsville while J got a little work done.  It was such a treat to have Bethany all to ourselves all day!  That could have been Towns' only birthday treat and she would have been beyond satisfied!!

Silly me forgot there was a Build-A-Bear front and center when we walked in.  Of course the girls wanted to go straight for it.  They got me.  I'm such a sucker!

We couldn't pass up jumping either.  It's always a must!  Do you think Towns was ready to call it quits with the camera?  Hmmm...

She wasted no time getting to down to business...

We've always tried to get Cate to figure out how to do a back flip, and she finally mastered it while we were there...

She was extremely proud of herself and (naturally) acted like it was no big thing...like she'd been doing it all her life.  Silly girl!

By this point in the day, she was all smiles and pretty sure it couldn't get any better...

 

Until a trip to the cookie store was mentioned and then it was all she wrote...

 

You can't put a limit on birthday fun, you know!

Speaking of limits, after her belly was full of sprinkled sugar cookies she'd just about reached hers...

 

But there's no time to waste when it's your day, so we got her moving again with talk of going home to ride her chariot!  And the cherry on top was that J was waiting on us when we got there...

 

That baby loves her daddy!

 

When Buggy hopped on the back of Towns' scooter and they rode off all I could think about is how it was a glimpse of what's to come in 9 more years...

 

Somebody might have to commit me when the time comes!  (If the arguments over Cate's outfit choices don't have me committed first...she wants to wear dance clothes everywhere, everyday.)

Happy girls...

 

It's not a party if J isn't doing something like this...

The birthday girl and her mama...

One might think the celebration would be winding down, but oh no!  A birthday wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Mex for dinner followed by loads of sweets...

 

We made good use of the Big Top Cupcake Wownsy got for her birthday last year.  Pair that with an ice cream cake, and voila...birthday perfection!

 

Make a wish...

 

After stuffing ourselves with cake and ice cream it was time to wrap it up.

What?  The party is over?!

 

Noooo!

The good news is that the next one in the fam is only one month and eighteen days away when someone special turns the big 3-5!  And he just might get me for that...