Thursday, June 28, 2012

Boat day!

While the kids were at Camp Grammie for marketplace week, J and I had a boat day date! It was über relaxing and soooo needed! I love my boat captain!



Sweetness

Annie at Marketplace


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Are we there yet?

One trip to Target. Surely we can handle that. I mean, they're five, seven, and ten now, it won't be like it was 4 years ago, or even last year...right? I can do this. Surely we're there.

These were the thoughts that ran through my head yesterday, as I headed out the door for my first trip to Target this summer with all three.

I don't have a baby or a toddler to run wild anymore. I don't have to watch everyone like a hawk anymore, they can follow instructions...

I gave my speeches on the way: No begging for things, I'm only buying what's on my list, I expect good behavior, etc...

The first 20 minutes were fine. The kids were a little rambunctious, but ok. They were being silly, goofy, funny, and just a little too loud as they pretended to drink and eat the giant bright, colored signs of lemonade and hot dogs that dangled from the ceiling. They were actually making me laugh and I think I even had an, Awe, I love their fun imaginations!, moment. As we hit the last part of our list I was feeling pretty good, and the end was in sight.

The tide turned as we waited for a couple of minutes in the pharmacy line. The volume level increased and the playing turned to arguing.

ABORT ABORT, my brain screamed at me as I drove my cart to the checkout. Then the whining started...

Mom! Look at that shirt! I want to get that for Annie for her birthday! Please, Please, PLEASE! Why not? WHYYYYYY? You are SO MEAN! I just want to do something nice for Annie! You won't let me be a nice sister!

In my calm, public mommy voice I repeat, I said I'm sticking to my list and I meant it.

As I try to ignore Ellie's tears, pleas, and shouts of anger, Austin starts...

Mommy pwease pwease PWEASE, can I have this candy? Oooo, wook at dis car! PWEASE mommy!

No, son. It's not on mommy's list.

I hurriedly unload the cart, telling Ellie to calm down, while watching Austin to make sure he puts the candy back, then intercepting him about 17 times as he tries to sneak various items onto the conveyor belt.  Suddenly, I hear a frantic voice say, Oh sweetheart, PLEASE get down from there! and I turn to see Annie trying to use the top edge of the cart as a BALANCE BEAM.

What are you thinking??? My calm, public mommy voice goes out the window as I lower my acrobatic daughter to the floor. I load the bags into the cart and head for the exit, load everything and everyone in, climb into the car, and reach for the Excedrin migraine.

So yeah, we're not there yet.

Maybe next year.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Black and Blue

We have a wonderful tradition of going blueberry picking every year. However, an early extra warm spring threw a kink in our plans, and most of the blueberries were gone when we went! All was well though, because the blackberries were plentiful! Grammie joined our group again this year, and we had a wonderfully beautiful day.


We did have to get a pic with the blueberry sign, even though we didn't pick blueberries!

Our crazy, wonderful, group of kiddos!

Father's Day

Brunch (really cool ice sculptures!) and a Car Show at the Keeter Center, Movie date to see The Three Stooges with Grammie and Grandaddy, and a visit to Nana and Papa's house...Our Father's Day was fun!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Summer Dance

We just got home from Annie's first dance competition, and well.....wow.

I'm not sure what to think. It was exhausting, fun, annoying, exhilarating, confusing, exciting...

Two things I will do differently for next time: Leave the other two kids somewhere else, and get enough sleep the night before.  Going into this with 5 1/2 hours of sleep, after weeks of summer school, therapy appointments, multiple driving trips to spfld...it was just too much for this mama.  But enough of that, onto Annie!

She did pretty good for her first time in a competition. She was a little timid, a little unsure, but I was so proud of her for dancing on that big stage! No awards for us this time, but great experience.  This was a clogging only competition that both her cousins were a part of also.  It was in our town, so no traveling this time.  As crazy as I felt the whole time (mostly because of the other 2 kids!), I definitely want her to compete again! I loved seeing her face as she watched all the dances.  She really loves it.  This summer she's taking clogging (as is Ellie), ballet, and hip hop. She's also taking a special camp class that has some of everything in it for a few days. It's a lot of time at the dance studio, but she loves it!

Pictures!

On stage and ready to dance! 

Annie and Olivia! 

Annie and Aunt Michelle! 

Miss Sassy Pants

Annie and Grammie!

 Annie's official number and the program from the competition.

It was a learning experience for sure! :)

She's the wild one.

She did it! Annie really wanted to go down the crazy steep, crazy tall, crazy fast water slide...and she did it! She is one brave little girl!


Thursday, June 14, 2012

I should spend my summer wearing a black and white shirt.


I live my life in a state of confusion. I thought I went to college to study art. But no, apparently it was to become a referee. 

Sigh.

Siblings are an enigma to me.

Actually, traditional family dynamics are a bit of an enigma to me. 

I am an only child. I was a happy only child. I rarely wanted for anything. For 6 years I was the only child of a single mom. I was the apple of my mother's eye. My grandparents adored me. My mom taught me everything at a young age. I could answer the phone, sound very mature, and take messages when I was 8. I was cooking simple meals at 9. I cleaned her make-up mirrors for her before she left to do a Mary Kay class, Sure, I always thought it would be cool to have a little sister or brother, but overall, I led a pretty awesome life.

Fast forward to my life now. At some point I decided I loved little kids and had 3 of my own. Now I wonder...What was I thinking??

They fight ALL THE TIME. Or they're best friends. Who knows on any given day. I wish they had a meter on their heads to let me know what kind of mood they were in.  Green would be, I love my brother today! Yellow, I'm a little cranky and need some space, and Red would be, You might as well lock me in my room right now, 'cause I'm gonna make your life h#$$ today.

Wouldn't that be cool?

Instead, I'm on my own. No one in my extended family had 3 children close in age. No one has any helpful advice. Every morning I'm trying to gauge what the day will hold. Obviously Ellie's Asperger's changes things, but still, I'm basically trying to figure out who's-gonna-mess-with-who-today-and-how-long-til-I-need-excedrin-migraine? Every single day.

I love them. Really. But holy crap they wear me out! I mean really? We need to fight over how loud someone is breathing? Or how someone scrapes their teeth on the fork too loud? Or what size the water balloons need to be?


I used to think I would be the mom who helped her little darlings make a craft everyday. Instead, I'm the mom who throws craft supplies on the table and then backs away quickly as the fighting frenzy ensues over who gets what. Just praying that in the end no one does any permanent damage to anyone else.

Today is the last day of summer school.

2 months and 2 days until the next school year starts.

Not that I'm counting...

Monday, June 11, 2012

Ellie

Playing her keyboard, practicing for piano lessons in her beautiful, peaceful room.  And she has a great audiance.  :)



Tuesday, June 5, 2012

My heart.

Love these two...


Shelley

Monday, June 4, 2012

Recital 2012!

I love a good dance recital! The girls worked so hard all year, and I love getting to see them show their great results and dress up in their beautiful costumes!

They were in separate clogging classes, but for the recital the girls classes came together for one bigger dance number! It was so fun that they were both on stage together!

Annie's class stage front, Ellie's stage back!
Annie clogging!

Ellie clogging!

Sisters! With Grammie and Grandaddy and their beautiful flowers! And The girls with friend Langley and cousin Elaina!

Annie in her ballet and tap numbers!

Post recital pic with the cousins and friends.

The crazy brothers.
All the dancers did a wonderful job!