Water Babies

One of my favorite things about summer is knowing that in a day's time I've worn my children out so much they'll sleep like babies every night.  It usually means that they're ready and willing to fall asleep by 7 if they get still enough.  Between the dance recital hoopla and going south to visit my mom, there have only been a couple of days that have been the perfect opportunity to do just that.  We're always on the go, so when we get some down time during the summer we fill it with swimming, friends, early dinners and nightly bike rides around the neighborhood that end with kiddos passed out on the couch in .5 seconds.  These are the days that I love.  Nowhere to be, nothing pressing to do.  That all changes as we start VBS this coming week which we're super excited about.  It's always one of our favorite weeks of the summer!

We've only hit Pt. Mallard once so far, but we hit it hard...

Every summer I have to re-explain myself to my dear husband about why I make our children wear hair bows when they swim. It's simple.  It makes them easy to spot among the other kids, because I assure you they're the only ones with pink ribbons in their hair!  The funny thing about it is that they don't think they're fully dressed and ready for the pool unless they have a huge bow.  It's like second nature now, and as long as they don't complain I'll keep right on doing it.

 

Buggy just knew she was going to get to go down the slide in her float, but no such luck...

The hunky lifeguard told her she had to hold on to it instead.  She was not so happy about that.

This is her telling me just what he said to her...

If you tied the child's hands behind her back she wouldn't be able to talk!  She's slightly animated like that. The duck pond (kid's area) is getting to be a bore to Towns.  After cartwheeling in the shallow water a hundred times, each time splashing me a little more than the last to let me know she was ready to move on to something else, I agreed to take her to the diving boards.  She loved jumping off and swimming to the side last summer so I just knew that she'd have more tricks up her sleeve now that she was a year older and a year wiser.  Think again, mama.  She stood on the end of the diving board shedding crocodile tears because she was too petrified to jump...

Meanwhile, everyone in line behind her was getting impatient and probably would have pushed her off before she would have jumped on her own.  I made her do it, though.  Is that bad?  Oh well.  What's done is done.

What's that I see?  An actual smile on her face as she's coming up?  Imagine that...

  She had so much fun she decided to do it a dozen more times. Maybe mama does know best after all.  

We ran into Towns' friend Sydni who cheered with her last season...

They hit the water slides together and had a big time.  Cate's not quite big enough for the slides, so she got cozy in her green float and kicked her little self around the pool like she'd been doing it all her life...

 

After we'd done all the damage we could do at the water park that day, we fed the loveys and put them on bicycles to wear them out even more.  We rode several miles just before dark.  Those are some of my favorite times as a family.  We barely got them back in the door before they were both like this...

Mission accomplished!  Poor Towns has got to learn to use her foot brakes on her bike, though.  She tries to stop by putting her feet down and ended up with no skin left on her toes.  She took it like a champ, but it made me hurt just looking at it.  Bless her.

That night my friend Lila called and invited us to swim with them the next day.  I didn't tell the girls our plan until right before it was time to go.  They dearly love Lila's children and I knew I'd be asked 746 times when we'd be leaving to meet them.  It was a nice little surprise when I got their bathing suits out about ten minutes before we needed to walk out the door!

Towns, Madelyn, Ella and Cate...

Surprisingly, we didn't plan the matching ensemble.  Poor Braxton was out numbered by the four girls and went off to do his own thing.  Maybe if he had matching swim trunks he'd be more apt to play with the girls.  Kidding.
I can't leave Ridge out. Cate absolutely smothers him with love...

 He's the happiest baby I've ever been in around in my life.  What a cutie!
The older girls are fun to watch because they're so giggly and silly...

And these two, well, we'll be doing good just to keep them out of trouble...

Just like the bows the girls wear when they swim, all the girls had matching floats so we could keep up with them.  Lila and I are the same (that would be OCD, anal retentive, and whatever else you'd like to call it) when it comes to our kids being around water.  Mainly because none of them have a fear of it.  We kept count of these four pink floats every two minutes...

You don't get a second chance when it comes to water, so I'm perfectly fine with being a little psycho about making sure everyone is present and accounted for.
Towns worked on her swimming a little...

And the little ones kicked around hand-in-hand...

When it was time to part ways, they all begged to go home with one another.  It happens every time, and we get a kick out of how much they love each other.  Somehow I managed to come home with only my two children, but it wasn't easy...

I've got summer figured out. As long as those chicks stay busy like they have the past couple of weeks, they just might not kill each other after all.  And my favorite part of it all?  No matter how many baths they take, I can still smell a hint of sunscreen on them.  Life is good! 

Dance Recital '11

We're a few weeks into summer and haven't slowed down a bit.  If anything, it seems like there's more going on now than when we were in the middle of the school year.  How does that happen?  Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday were spent getting ready for the girls' dance recital.  It was Cate's first year on stage and Towns' third year.  In theory, being in a dance recital sounded good to Buggy.  In reality, it wasn't really her thing.  I spent the few minutes leading up to her debut coaxing her into going on stage and actually doing her dance without crying and screaming.  It's always nice to have a good stage presence that doesn't include mascara streaks down your face.  In an act of desperation I threw out the "name one thing you want and I'll get it for you after this is over if you'll just go out there and look like you're enjoying yourself" card.  That's a knife in the heart to a dance teaching mama.  All she cared about was going to sit in the audience with her daddy and Bethany and eating popcorn.  Period.  But once she got out there she looked like she was having the best time.  She was grinning from ear to ear.  When the lights went down and the audience applauded, she wanted her daddy again.  On the flip side, my Townsy could have been in every dance in the recital and still wanted more.  It amazes me how different two children can be!

Thursday afternoon was spent at the church getting pictures made.  Somehow, I subconsciously dress in the same colors lately...

I never realize it until someone comments on it and then I get embarrassed.  It looks like I intentionally match us to be able to keep everyone rounded up better or something.  Actually, that's not a bad idea given the fact that for the whole dress rehearsal at the Princess I barely saw Cate.  She ran around like she owned the place.  Not surprising in the least if you know her!

While we were there, the girls wanted a picture with Ellie who is in my tap and jazz classes...

 

She's so incredibly sweet to them and they adore her!

In the middle of her ripping and romping around the Princess on Friday, Cate made a new friend...

 

Cami was in a class of mine last year and is just precious.  Cate called her Sammy and Kimmie (and rarely Cami), but she didn't mind.  She stuck close to her and the other big girls...

That's them watching Towns' tap class rehearse.  They danced to Selah's "Deep Way Down" which was so much fun to watch.  Mrs. Valerie was the best teacher we could have asked for...

 

She begins every class with Scripture and prayer.  This day and age, you really can't beat that!

After spending 5 hours at rehearsal on Friday afternoon, Saturday finally rolled around.  Couldn't let the night go by without this...

 

And this one...

Being a dance teacher and a parent of dancers is tricky.  It's hard to juggle both around recital time.  Thankfully, I had sweet friends in the audience who took pictures for me.  Otherwise, every picture I have from the show is from the wings...

That's Towns getting ready to take the stage with the other dancers.  They were holding hands and patiently waiting their turn.  So sweet!

It was definitely a toe tapping number.  One that makes it difficult to sit still in your seat.  It's hard to tell from this one, but the girls were having a ball...

 

Cate's class and their dance were hysterical.  Any time you get little ones on stage, it's sure to entertain...

 She's the first bumble bee on the left.  See that smile?!  Girlfriend knows she loves it deep down.

I couldn't help but take several a ridiculous amount of pictures since it was her first dance recital...

 

I missed taking many of Towns' jazz dance, but did get a couple of her ballet dance...

 

After the show, the girls got pretty pink flowers...

 

As we made our way to the lobby to find the rest of the family, we spotted Miss Elle...

 

If our girls turn out to be dancers with even half of her talent, I'd be so proud.  She's amazing!

The fabulous four...

You may or may not be able to tell that they were all ready to get out of there because it was after 9 o'clock.  The only thing that could possibly make them stick around was the promise of cake and lemonade at the reception.  Why not?  If sugar is the reward for a successful night, then so be it!

Hot Air Balloon Classic

To me, it's always been the "hot air balloon festival", but I stand corrected.  Apparently it's a classic and not a festival, however, the terminology is a moot point. Memorial Day weekend is always one of our favorites.  We've always stayed close to home to enjoy the hot air balloons at Pt. Mallard.  J's good friend and his family invited us to go to the beach with them this time around and we fully planned to go, but our wires got crossed on the dates so we ended up staying here.  Truth be told, when the girls found out we were missing the balloons they weren't happy about it - even if it meant missing them for a beach trip.  So they were excited our plans fell through.  However, I think Bethany would have gone on without us if she could have.  That girl won't pass up a trip to the beach!

Back in 2005, shortly after Towns was born, Bethany was with us for Memorial Day.  We were at the neighborhood park and spotted a hot air balloon.  We saw one, then another, and so on.  As newcomers to the area, we had no idea where they were coming from or where they were going but decided to hop in the car and follow them.  They led us to Pt. Mallard.  The bumper to bumper traffic should have tipped us off that there was something major happening.  I'll never forget it.  After we found a parking spot and walked a little ways down the street, there was a clearing in the trees that opened up to a field of hot air balloons for as far as we could see.  It was unbelievable.  We've been regulars every year since, and obviously it's become a habit we can't break.  Not even for a weekend at the coast!  Our favorite part is the balloon glow at dusk on Saturday night.  That along with a mini carnival and funnel cakes seals the deal every time.  Grandmommy and Pop joined us for the big event which made it all even more fun.  Usually we get there just in time to see the balloons and then hit the bouncies and such afterwards.  This year we did it backwards which worked out much better.  The girls weren't nearly as worn out and we were all in bed at a somewhat reasonable hour!

We found out the hard way that there was nothing but concrete to break your fall if you came down this slide too fast...

Don't be fooled...it was much higher than it looks!

The fear in their eyes says it all...

Thank goodness for a skort! Ha!

Towns got really brave and almost attempted a front flip from the top...

But that asphalt must have been in the back of her mind because she never followed through with it.

This little sissy wasn't even thinking about showing out.  She wanted her Bebby to catch her at the bottom...

Somewhere in the middle of it all, I took this picture which is currently my favorite of all time...

I could eat them alive.  Seriously.

I can't really explain how much I enjoy this chick...

She talked my ears off that night about everything under the sun.  She's something else, and I love that about her!  I also think this guy is pretty great...

Especially since he puts up with me and my blasted camera even when he'd much rather shove it (and maybe me too) in the nearest trash can.

Grandmommy and Pop with their girls...

!

When it was almost dark, we found a perfect spot in the grass and wondered why on earth we let J talk us out of bringing chairs...

B and I were twins in white skirts which doesn't mix well with planting yourself in the grass, but that's another story.  Look closely at that picture and you might just spot two clowns.  Or monkeys.  Whichever you prefer.

The view was pretty amazing...

It was even better when the balloons started "glowing"...

Pop spotted a huge dinosaur he wanted us to check out...

Huge is an understatement when you're standing right underneath it!

Cate very much preferred seeing the dinosaur from the comfort of Pop's arms...

Can't say that I blame her!

After a funnel cake or two we were ready to call it a night.  The next morning, all three girls headed south with J's parents.  When I said they're fantastic I wasn't kidding.  J and I enjoyed a relaxing rest of the long weekend with dinner, a movie, and the peacefulness of a quiet house.  It's nice for a day or two, but any longer than that and we're walking around in circles not knowing what to do with ourselves.  What can I say?  We function better as a whole.  And I don't think we'd have it any other way!

The Last of the Lasts

This is officially the last post of all the lasts...last days of school, last hoorahs, and what have you.  Hallelujah! We haven't slowed down much since last week. We're a few days into summer vacation, and I'm wondering why "vacation" is even part of that phrase  It doesn't make a bit of sense, but we'll roll with it. The good news is that we made it though last week without tons of tears and mourning. Ha! In all seriousness, all the "lasts" that go along with the end of the school year do make me sad that Towns is growing up so fast, however it also makes me that much more excited about what's to come. I loved elementary school, and being that Towny is my carbon copy I think she'll love it too. She already gets all giggly at the thought of eating in the cafeteria, having homework, school supply shopping, etc. that comes with going to "big school". Oh, and let's not forget about the mucho importante first day of school outfit that she's already started discussing. She is her mother's child. After all, there's something to be said for planning ahead...right?!

But let's not put the cart before the horse. There's still several things about kindergarten I've yet to cover. Like the last day of school last Friday...

We had to get the infamous picture made in front of the FBC sign like we have every first and last day of school for the last 5 years...

I'm not sure she'd have room for one more thing dangling from her backpack. She's got Minnie, polka dot chap stick, hand sanitizer and the heart I gave her on the first day of school. I think I'll leave it just like it is when I put her backpack away for good.

Cate didn't want to be left out even though technically it wasn't her last day of school (Monday was)...
In a perfect world, they'd be that sweet to each other every second of the day at least two minutes out of the day. Like that would actually happen!!
We were early birds Friday, and so was Conner which made for a perfect opportunity for a snapshot...
I love that kid for a lot of reasons. They just don't come much sweeter than him. But perhaps one of my most favorite things about him is that he's fiercely protective of my girl.

Of course, we had to have one last picture of Mrs. Lindsay and Towns in the classroom...
And one last one of her sitting at her table working...
If only you could have seen the face she gave me after that. If it was translated into words it would read: get the camera out of my face and go about your merry way.
So I did.
Just like the first day of kindergarten, the last one seemed to go on forever. I kept watching the clock and trying to find things to do to keep me busy. Finally it was time to pick her up in carpool line one last time...
I had to compare that picture to this one from the first day of school...
Talk about night and day! Friday she couldn't have been more footloose and fancy free. She casually strolled to the car - barefoot with a sucker in her mouth - carrying a paper bag filled with everything of hers from her classroom (that I still can't bring myself to look at). Such a difference from the wide-eyed 5 year old who couldn't help but run to the car on the first day of school. Goodness.

The day before that, we went to Towns' friend Briar's birthday party at the park. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and the cherry on top was a goldfish as a party favor.
The girls hit this thing immediately every time we're there.  They must find it funny to give me heart palpitations...
Cate wanted to give it a go...
But the thing about Cate-Cate is that underneath that tough exterior, she's such a wimp. And I love that about her! She got a few feet off the ground and then hit panic mode.
That's when big sister tried to get behind her and give her a little pep talk...
It didn't work. She was ready to get down. And she was perfectly fine with being a sissy!

After a weekend full of cheer practice, stunt clinic, and a impromptu spend the night session with Grandmommy and Pop, it was time for the Kindergarten Rocks party and Cate's last day of school on Monday.  Towns' party didn't start until 9 o'clock, so she was pretty excited that she got to go with me to drop Buggy off.  What was not so exciting was more pictures...

 We've worn that FBC sign out lately! :)

The sun and clouds chased each other all morning which made for a nice, breezy day.  When the kids got too hot on the zip line, they'd get in the sprinkler or on the water slide.  Somewhere in the mix they all got to ride horses.  They topped it off with a picnic lunch, said their goodbyes, and that was all she wrote!
Sweet girls waiting their turn for the zip line...

Most everyone preferred to take it easy on the zip line, but Blondie here begged to get a really fast push from Mrs. Lindsay...


Emma and Towns were pretty pumped about the horses...

They waited a while to get a go at it, and almost decided that the wait wasn't worth it.  But then that all changed, naturally...


She enjoyed the horses, but she was most excited about get soaked...

Any time you mix water with grass, you get mud and nastiness.  But Towns thought it was hilarious to make herself go past the end of the slide and right onto the grass to see just how dirty she could get...

She was covered in grass from head to toe and didn't care a bit!

After a couple of hours of playing hard, the kiddos were hungry.  We spread out our wet towels and had lunch...

J called somewhere in the mix and told us he'd gotten Bethany and Cate from school and that they were headed to the Mex for lunch.  Nevermind the fact that Towns had already eaten...it's her all time favorite place, so she was all about it.  I don't think it hit her that when we hurried out we wouldn't be going back.  It was the last time she'd be with her class.  Tuesday night Towns was sitting at the counter while I was making dinner looking a picture of her class from Dr. Seuss week.  The poor baby burst into tears all of a sudden.  When I got her calmed down she told me she was sad because she missed her class.  I assured her we'd make sure they all saw each other again soon...

And with that, you have my word that I'll never blog about kindergarten again...until it's Buggy's turn in a few years!  Happy Memorial Day weekend!