Summer's here!

School has only been out for a week and already we have a routine established! Wake up - and Laurel has been sleeping late which is a bonus - run the errands I need to, then pool for a couple of hours, then naps, then dinner and ball. After practices and games, we usually hang out at the park for another couple of hours and let the boys play and the adults just chat, then baths and bed. So far it has been really relaxing. Just what we needed!
The pool is great! I do not like that it opens at noon, since it would be better for us to get there earlier, but on Saturday we had some friends join us and Laurel actually napped there. We stayed for almost six hours! Carter and John Michael are already super tan, even though I apply sunscreen like crazy on them.
Carter made the all star baseball team and those games start in a couple of weeks. Davis is the coach and there has been big drama about who is going to pick to be his assistants. Thankfully, that was settled tonight. I am going to order the team trophies tomorrow for our parties this weekend. We are going to have a make your own sundae party. Any unusual topping ideas are recommended! I have about 100 to do both parties and hope that I have enough.
I found a parakeet the other day outside the house too. I caught it and it now lives with our neighbor who was very excited to have it.
Other than that, it is just the same old same old here. Nothing new! Although Laurel does have a new word - nasty. And you can tell her to make and ugly face and she scrunches up her nose and frowns and grrs at you..... too funny!She also has a new trick where she plays "jockey" and stands on her riding zebra. And John Michael got to play in the coach pitch game the other night. He cried when I asked if he wanted to, then asked to speak to me in the bathroom and said he wanted to. He did great! He hit it every time (although he did get out since he hit it right down the first base line.) Big boy! They saw Up tonight with Wa Wa and had a blast. They have big plans to try and tie balloons to our house tomorrow to see if it can float.
Gotta go find Kitty Lover Baby.... I hear a cat fight! She is definitely not a lover, but a fighter.....

Splash!

Today went exactly like I liked it to go. Everyone woke up in a decent mood - in fact, the baby didn't get up until almost 9! Then we lazed around for a little while and headed to the pool. Carter and John Michael had the best time with their friends. This is the first year we have joined the neighborhood pool and I am already feeling like it was totally worth the money. All the kids (all ages) played together so well. They just ran as a pack. It was a lot of fun to watch how truly all inclusive they were. John Michael just ran and jumped right off the diving board and hung right in there with the older kids as well. Very impressed with him! Carter, of course, never wanted to leave, but we took a short break this afternoon for the small ones to take a nap, and then went back for a little while when Davis got home from work.
Laurel did amazingly well also. I am a little apprehensive about the baby pool area because they have a toy play section, which is great, but they also have chairs and all she wants to do is climb on them! It wouldn't be a big deal except for the concrete.
And we literally know everyone there. Davis walked in and all the kids started screaming "Coach Davis!" Of course, they scream when anyone walks in so it is like you are personally announced each time you walk in the door.
We all got a little too much sun, and I have never seen Laurel eat as much as she did tonight for dinner. I imagine my grocery bill is about to double!
The boys are winding down with a little wii now and Davis is mowing the yard. Shockingly, it never rained here like they said it would. A few sprinkles and it looked ominous at times, but overall, it turned out to be a beautiful day!

Last day of school!!!

While technically, Carter has two make up days next week because of school being closed for swine flu, I am not going to make him attend and watch movies all day. John Michael's last day was also today and we are rejoicing because we don't have to pay for preschool for another couple of years! yeah! Carter finished the year with all A's and is promoted to third grade.
Today I am going to work at a wedding with my friend and be her lackey in carrying flowers. Tomorrow is the Alabama Jubilee (www.alabamajubilee.net) and we will wake up super early to check out the hot air balloons. Back to the wedding again and hopefully, we can hit the pool for the first time on Sunday!
Laurel was a great help this morning in picking up the house. We have had that play vacuum forever! Remember when Carter would love to vacuum and it was a treat for him?
I don't know, I just feel lazy today and slow. I am reading the best novel (American Wife) and would love to just sit outside all afternoon reading today. The boys are at the movie with WaWa, but I imagine they will be home soon. Everyone is ready for a break!

Sleepy heads

John Michael ended up in my bed this morning - how did that happen because I don't remember it at all! And Davis woke up on the couch - also not remembering how that occurred! On to gymnastics and then awards day for Carter. He got a ribbon for all A's, perfect attendance (be impressed - at one point this winter there were only 7 kids in his class, all the rest were out sick) and the creative thinker award. It was sweet though because he smiled and waved and loved on me. This is rare at school where he is usually too cool!
Now everyone is quiet and getting ready for this evening. We have our first swim practice tonight for swim team and Carter has a game at 7:30. And while Laurel has not been in the best mood, she is cooperating at least and napping now to be fresh for later!
It is a beautiful day here today. I dread the weekend - rain again! I can't believe this is the last full week of school and we are already half way through it. Time is just flying for me. Before I know it, it will be fall again and then Christmas. Right now though, I am ready for it to be HOT!

Another yuck day

So, it's raining again and chilly this time to boot. However, Davis forged ahead and is taking the gutters off the house. Since they were so old and trashy, they were completely useless anyway. But, it was discovered in the process, half of our TV wiring went through them so now that has to be reworked. We'll save that project for another day though.
The boys made jewelry with Carter's rocks from his rock tumbler. Can I tell you how much I love it when boys wear chains? He's way cool now! And to add to this, he is also wearing his Dale, Jr cap. He begged me to drink a Mt. Dew today to honor his man.
Then we made bread. John Michael was a super kneader and did it great for almost 10 minutes. Now, and for the past few hours, they have been playing wall ball. This is a favorite game among the boys at the park. And they keep throwing them on the roof since I kicked them outside after one too many "oops! MOMMY! We knocked over the _________!"
Laurel has spent her afternoon running around with a recorder and blowing into it constantly making "music." It's been really loud here today. All this is coupled with the incessant banging on the house. I'm acting like this is something new, but really, it's always this loud!
And while I would like it to be toned down just a tad, whenever it is too quiet here, I miss it. And I know I will miss it when they are not here breathing all this energy into our home. So, in the meantime, I will try and relish it a little more than I do now.
Our bread is getting ready to be punched down now and this is the part I know the boys will love.....

Pathetic

We have a mess here today. Laurel's head and eye are banged up from falling on two separate occasions, then she fell asleep in her high chair eating lunch and almost choked on an apple doing that. John Michael slammed his finger in the door (on his own) and now won't stop crying. I mean, this has gone on for about an hour now and continues on even after I gave him the coveted purple flavor ice. And look at this pathetic cat! He wants to be held like a baby! They all are pitiful! The whole lot of them!

John Michael's big day

We mastered turns this morning! Yea! And let me tell you, he takes them sharp too. So John Michael is officially a bicycle rider. I can't tell you how much easier that makes things for the school run. Instead of dragging their feet home, we can now ride bikes again. Then he had a big tball game and hit a whopper. Then we had his preschool program where they literally sang for about an hour.... it was absolutely cute and precious for about two songs then excruciating! JM even started yawning. Then a slide show, then an artwork tour, then a classroom tour and refreshments. I have to say that his preschool really goes all out and I have been so pleased with them. Much better than the one Carter went to! Laurel hung in there but only because I held her the entire time. My arms are so tired! Davis had to go back up to the park to pick the all star team - he is the coach this year. Those practices start up soon and the games are after our regular season, but usually only last about a week. I am exhausted tonight. Laurel is so difficult and I don't know if it is because I don't remember the others being this way or if it is her or if it is because with Carter and JM I didn't have to haul them to all these places. But shew! She did look sweet clapping for the performance though. I am going to bed!!!

The next contestant on Dancing with the Stars?

We rented Space Chimps from the library on Saturday and in it, one of the chimps is a dancing fool. Carter looked up the song Axel F and started dancing all day. He made me signs to judge him as well. It was a riot. Then he made John Michael make up routines with him to do. Yesterday, we also worked with John Michael on riding his bike without training wheels. He did GREAT! Except, he has a problem with turns. It turns out, (ha ha,) that he just lets go of the handlebars. We will keep working on it, but I know it will be no time before he is flying like Carter. We also joined the local pool here and the boys are thinking about doing swim team. I know Carter would love it since he is literally part fish. And while John Michael is a great swimmer, I think swimming the length of the pool might intimidate him. We'll see! I have a parent meeting about it next week. They don't have practice until 10 so we could do that, go home and eat lunch, let Laurel nap, then go back for the rest of the afternoon. And they only have 4 swiming meets, so it doesn't last that long. They are also taking gymnastics on Tuesdays and Thursdays this summer. Gotta stay busy! Enjoy the videos!

Why am I am reading this?

I have always loved musicals and really wanted to see "Wicked." So, since I don't get to go anywhere, I read the book instead. It was SO hard to slog through it but kind of interesting as well. So I made it through that book although didn't really want to finish it but with my OCD, had to. That said, I am now reading "Son of a Witch" which is the sequel to the first book. Why? Why???? I absolutely do not like it. It's hard to read, blah blah blah.... I mean really Shawna, just let it go already!

We had a big game last night against the other civic team and lost. It was such a hard loss though because we were down by two with two outs and two runners on the bases. It's coach pitch so Davis was pitching and who came up? Carter. Carter who usually swings at everything he is thrown and swung at nothing the first four times (they get five pitches.) On the last pitch, he had to swing and my sweet little choker who got so nervous and excited, threw him a pitch that landed on the ground right in front of Carter, who diligently swung anyway. So, we ended up losing and I don't think Davis will ever let it go! He lamented all night long and finally said he was done talking about it. Mind you, he said talking, not thinking! Carter and I then had a big discussion on the word fallible and how Daddy is a person and just wanted him to do so well he got too excited and did not mean to strike him out. Oh well! It really was a great game to watch.

Tonight both boys are playing although at different parks so it's rush rush. If it is anything like last time I will end up missing John Michael's game.

On to a different story. Carter exchanged names with a boy at school last week and was going to have to sit out for some of field day today (a whole issue unto itself.) Well, he went to remind the PE teacher who then told him to go ahead and play and the other PE teacher told him he was in even more trouble and had to sit out all next week PE for disobeying their earlier orders! Instead of correcting her and not wanting to be deemed as "sassy" he just said "yes ma'am." So, I guess Mama is going to be making a trip to the school on Monday to figure out the situation. I also guess it is a good thing both teachers and I know each other really well so I don't come across as overbearing. He's just so sad about it and didn't know how to handle that whole situation. Poor guy!

Have a wonderful Mother's day out there to all my mama friends - and my own mother! We will (hopefully) be putting some time in the yard - if it doesn't rain. A big IF.

The pictures are of what my children are doing right now. This is why my life is not a reality show.

Volunteering

As many of you know, I am on the PTA board and have to be at the school a lot. This week happens to be teacher appreciation week and last year I worked my fingers to the bone to make it great! This year, I swore up and down that I would have nothing to do with it. However, you all know me and I can't just let things go, and well, who's been at the school again cleaning up the food and goodies every day? I also made a cold veggie pizza with crescent rolls - Thanks Polly for the idea! They all really liked it and were appreciative of it being somewhat healthy since every teacher there is on weight watchers. It's also the half off book fair which I am working tomorrow and Friday is field day!

Speaking of Field day - it is not the field day of our time when there were races and you competed with one another. Now it is moon bounces and parachutes, dancing and just rambling around the playground. And snacks. I have to say I think it is pretty chaotic and am glad I am not a teacher on that day. The kids just wander around.

So, busy week. Add baseball to the mix and we are really busy! However, our late games may be cancelled this week since the lights on the field were hit by lightening - and it is supposed to rain even MORE tomorrow! Apparently there is a short in the lights now that is causing some sort of electrical current on the fence making it shock you. Just what we need - fried babies!

I just saw on the yahoo homepage about something called a derecho. It looked really cool, although it could cause tons of damage. And another random thing - they have a movie coming out in November called 2012 about the end of the Mayan Calendar. I love a good disaster movie!

The picture is of John Michael wiggle worming and refusing to go to sleep, slightly unusual for him since he is the one who falls asleep first.

I'm building the Ark

The boys have been home from school since last Wednesday because of the swine flu. NO, they don't have it, but one person in Madison county has been confirmed and nine more probably, so they closed all schools. I am just glad that they will go back tomorrow - unlike some other systems around here.

However, that said, it has done nothing but RAIN, rain, rain since Friday. It made our work in the yard plans shot and finally, today, I sent all the boys outside, even though it was pouring. They like to take our recycling and make them into boats and race them down the sides of the street - with Davis, of course. Then they chase them all the way down and start over.

Carter has discovered a love of sausage biscuits and that is all he asks for anymore. I finally gave in tonight and made them for dinner. I'm obviously a gourmet!

I also entered Laurel into the parents magazine baby cover contest, along with 37,000 other people. Think we have shot at winning? I only did it because the winner gets to go to New York in August for a photo shoot. Although I don't know how fun that would be with a baby. I'm thinking I need to get away. I can not tell you the last time Davis and I were alone just to be on a date, (maybe January?) or the last time we were alone more than 15 hours when I wasn't having another baby. I think it was about four years ago when we went whitewater rafting with John and Amoi. Geez Louise!

Right now I would love to just go to some all-inclusive resort for 4 days/3 nights - enough time to settle down and relax, but not too long to get anxious. I do not want to tour anywhere, feel obligated to see anything since I am traveling, or cook anything - just sleep and lay out in the sun. Ah, to dream!

Laurel is alseep now and the boys are watching the movie "son of the mask" and about to fall asleep themselves on our bed. It's really been a long couple of days.....