overheard

** warning. i'm just telling y'all, there may be a little offensive language in this post. cover your eyes and ears if you can't hang!!

conversations with C this week:

getting out of the tub: "mama, if you don't hurry up and hand me a towel my nuts are going to freeze off!"
"buddy, where'd you hear THAT?"
"____ (name deleted to protect the not really innocent) said it on the playground yesterday. i bought died laughing."
"yeah well, if you're going to say that word make sure you say it only to other boys and not to little kids or girls, okay?"
"sure mama".  (dies laughing again.)

reading a book: "P.D. ***man- is that the author's name?"
"that would be P.D. EASTman".


in the car with a bunch of kids who are not all mine: "you know what my friend _____ says all the time? CRAP. he says it a lot."
"hey bud- remember that rule we have about not saying words you hear unless you ask me first about it? because that's not a very nice word."
"oh yeah. that rule. i'll try to remember next time, okay mama?".
"okay buddy" (praying that my friend doesn't call me to say thanks for teaching her kids the word CRAP. and also thanking God he didn't say he heard it from me or his daddy.)

Dear Caleb, I'm Sorry

Dear Caleb,

I'm really sorry about today. I try very hard to be a good mom and keep things organized in our family but sometimes I mess up. Here are the things I'm sorry for:

1. Laboring under the delusion that yesterday was Saturday because you were out of school for weather and letting you play outside till bath time and forgetting you had homework and then making you do it at 6:30 this morning.

2. Forgetting to put your water bottle in your backpack for snack. I think the homework thing messed me up.

3. Being 10 minutes late to eat lunch with you today because people lose their minds in the rain and in the drive thru at chic fil a and when you combine both it will make you 10 minutes late.

4. For throwing your sprite away after lunch, I had no idea how desperately you would want it after school.

5. For telling you I'd get in the car rider line early and then being late (again). Well, I wasn't late but I wasn't early.

6. I'm sorry that I taught you your car rider number was two fifty-six because I thought it would be easy and then when they call 2-5-6 or two hundred fifty-six you're not sure if that's your number.

7. And finally, I'm really really sorry that your Daddy took your car rider sign out of my car and left it in his truck so that when I went to pick you up today I had to park and go inside with your half naked and shoeless brother who has two pink toenails. It was the walk of shame for sure. (yes, even former teachers have to follow the rules)

I'm sorry buddy. I love you very much and I hope that Tuesday is much better. Thank you for being so sweet and patient and for always forgiving me and for not pitching a fit. It does make me feel worse that you are so sweet, but I guess I can't fault you for that :)

Love,

Mama

First day of first

Well, we made it!! C said he wasn't really nervous at all, he had a good time and got to see some of his buds on the playground. (Which is about all you're going to get information-wise out of him!)
His teacher has an instagram feed so I got to "see" him doing various activities throughout the day. Love that, what a neat idea!!
Here's a pic of my men on the way to school this morning (you can barely tell it but Collin has a shiner he got in the play place at chicfila- he did actually cry but he was too busy playing to actually need comforting)
And also one of c's homework this evening. Love that little feller so much :) So very proud of him!!

Twas the Night Before First Grade

.... and the title's where the creativity ends. Ha! Everything's ready, C's not a bit nervous (yet, but maybe he won't be), I'm a little bit nervous (but I'm always nervous about anything new!).
It's not scared nervous as much as it is excited nervous :)
I'm just thankful that he's even getting to go- he was SO sick last week with pneumonia. He got 3 rocepherin shots over the weekend and he's still limpin' a little bit- but I knew when he attempted to bungie jump off his bunk beds with some waistband elastic this afternoon he was going to be JUST FINE.
I'm praying for all the mamas and their babies starting preschool, kindergarten, junior high, high school, and college (homeschool friends- you are included!) It's like my friend Shelley said, there's only a few pity parties- but mostly celebrating! Here's to a great year ladies.

First Grade, here we come!

We went this morning to meet Caleb's teacher- who just so happens to be my favorite (and the one that I prayed he would get)!! She and I team taught a lot in first grade and I knew she would be great for him.
He loved getting to explore her topically organized library and of course play on the iPad (thank you PTO and RCSD for providing several of these for each classroom!). Thankfully I've not been nearly as stressed about sending him this year as last- it's an easy transition. We've got our school supplies, cool new under armour backpack, haircut, first day clothes... I think we're ready!

and just as a side note- i hate that my posts have been so heavy the last few days. i just felt like what should have been as simple as a) a man who owns a restaurant stating his beliefs and b) people eating at and supporting said restaurant should not have been turned into the mud-slinging fest i saw on fb. it was hard to watch. anyway, enough about that :) 

interview with the 6 year old almost kindergarten graduate

because i couldn't help myself, i added some commentary. 

1.what's your fave color? red

2. who's your best friend? cruise and walker

3. who do you love best, me or your daddy? (eye roll) both!
-- yeah, we know he loves me best :)


4. where's your favorite place to eat? chick-fil-a

5. what's your favorite toy? DS

6. what did you learn to do this year? ride my bike and play baseball

7. where do you like to go? wal-mart, toys r us, bass pro
-- walmart, what the hay?!

8. what do you like to do at school? talk to george and a new friend caleb in the car rider line
-- i'm glad out of everything he does at school, the 10 minutes he sits in the car rider line is the highlight!!!
 

9. what do you like to do with momma? crafts, go outside, go fun places
-- awww.


10. what do you like to do with daddy? hunt, go in the woods, go to bass pro, ride the four wheeler

11. what do you like to do with collin? i have no idea.
-- this makes me laugh.


12. what do you want to be when you grow up? a hunter and a logger

13. how do you know i love you? because your my MOM.

14. how do you know daddy loves you? because he's my daddy!

15. what's your favorite tv show? phineas and ferb, wild kratts

16. what's your favorite animal? rhino and a snake

17. what's your favorite thing to eat? carrots and ranch dip
-- so help me, i never, ever thought i would see this day. those of you who've been reading a while will know why i say this!

he's been six for a month AND he finishes kindergarten next week. it's true what they say: the days are long but the years are short.

bowl-a-rama 6

six year cool

so i may have mentioned that caleb turned six week before last. when we were planning his party he told me he wanted it at a "COOL" place. i said, "define cool", and we ended up at the bowling alley- so there ya go :) here are his top things on the "cool" list at the moment (just in case you wanted to be cool too).


parachute cord necklaces/bracelets. apparently these are AWEsomely cool. and yes, he does have the bama one. ha ha, in yo face daddy!! (daddy's an msu grad for those of you who didn't know)


the grandparents gave caleb one of these for his birthday. it's AWEsome to be able to say, "if you're not in bed in 5 minutes i'm putting your ds in time-out". let me just tell y'all, the ds is a d-lite.


tie dye shirts. i guess maybe these are always cool? i dunno, but my six year old would wear his every other day if i let him.




bass pro shop. i've mentioned before about my convo with c about us maybe going to disney world sometime, to which he replied, "i really don't care about going to disney world. i'd rather y'all just take me to bass pro shop." famous last words buddy!



under armour anything. shoes, backpacks, shirts, shorts, socks. that stuff is not cheap either. why can't they like jordache and cherokee and whatever else brand you can buy at the walmarts? wait, scratch that, i hate walmarts. whatever you can buy at the tar-jay!


his fave super hero (still).



he got a real compound bow a while back and he's just now learning to shoot it. i really think he'll have his own tv show one day, but then again i'm his mama :) the child is, however, fairly obsessed with bow hunting.


his other love at the moment is baseball. really, he loves any sport- but baseball's what he's playing at the moment. he's not the fastest, or the best catcher (all though he really pays attention and does try hard- we think he'll get it soon. he's definitely a kid who sticks his mind to things and doesn't stop), he is becoming a great hitter. three base hits last week!!

so there you have it friends. a glimpse into my little six year old's world. next up- birthday party pics and an interview with the little man himself!

caleb can: (10 things)

1. read a dr. seuss book.

2. (almost) ride his bike without training wheels (his bike's a little big so he needs help getting started)

3. count money

4. name several states on the map

5. shoot a real bow and arrow with pretty doggone good accuracy.

6. add numbers in his head

7. tell you a crazy long list of animal facts (his teacher says they call him the "fact king")

8. hit a baseball

9. beat you at any game on the wii

10. climb like spiderman

we're so proud of his big 6-year-old-in-three-week-self.

trick or treat

you would know that after letting collin play in his PRECIOUS dinosaur costume that his meme made umpteen gillion times that he would refuse to wear it on the day he was supposed to. oh well. i slapped some camo on him just to get a pic. he loved carrying this pumpkin around, he thought he was big ole stuff.

poor buddy ran fever the night before, so he stayed home with daddy to pass out candy. keith said he was beyond thrilled to open the door and pass out goodies, so i don't feel too bad :) me and the dawg headed over to our friends the smith's to trick or treat with them.

little miss cowgirl (avery), green lantern, and buzz lightyear (grady) ready to trick or treat.


mr. ashley was good so we let him ride in the wagon. nut. it was a fun time had by all!

edited to add: at the end of the night caleb wanted to walk to our front door and trick or treat. he wanted me to hide around the corner to see if his daddy would know who he was. when keith opened the door he said, "hello little boy! why don't you come in for a while?". i walked around the house and we all laughed. a lady and her kids came up and she said that she was about to come and snatch caleb away from keith. she didn't realize keith was his daddy and her mama bear instincts had come out. she said, "your husband said, 'why don't you come in?' and i was all 'oh no you don't mister!'". ha! thank goodness for protective mamas!

the school fall party: it rocked.

can i tell you how much i love being a room mom? it's fun. different being on the parent side of things, but i'm enjoying it. it's all worth it seeing this little face.

crazy kids.

mrs. mills and her favorite boys. shhh! don't tell anybody :)

me and one of my favorite boys.

funky field trip

c and his class went on a field trip to martin farms a few weeks ago.


c's favorite part was jumping on the hay bales. his sweet teacher, mrs. mills is in the background. we <3 her so much.


after we left the farm we went to a local park to have lunch. if i told you they did this on their own- no posing- would you believe me? they did.

when i look at this picture i start singing "funky cole medina". break it down for me y'all!

things to be thankful for (now that the first week of school is over):

this week, as stressful as it's been for me, has really been filled with blessings.
1. cdawg adjusted so quickly to school, it was almost like a non-adjustment. actually, i think it was more of an adjustment for me than him.

2. i was worried that i wouldn't have enough time with c since he's not at home anymore all day (well, i mean he gets home at 2, it's not like he's there till midnight!). we've had some really, really good family time this week and keith and i both have had lots of individual time with him. it's been a little gift from the Lord i think :)

3. i got to meet some of the other room moms this week and they seem darling. i think it's going to be a fun year.

4. lots of good time with little buff this week. he starts MMO next week and i'm pretty sure he's going to like it. and if he doesn't he'll get over it because mama is going to like it very, very much. (does that seem awful to say? i kind of don't care) no seriously, i have enjoyed reading and playing with him. just lots of good mama time.

5. c has friends in his class. did i say that in the last post? friends who's families i know and think are awesome. this really makes me happy.

6. c's teachers- i knew they were great when i taught with them- but i appreciate their loving on my little one so much.

7. i ate lunch with caleb on friday and he was not all that impressed that i was there. i know, this should make me sad, but it's a good feeling that he's really okay without his mama

8. all the fun little snacks i've found on pinterest. i can't wait to make them for his class when it's my turn for fun friday snacks. i also can't wait to go read or do an art activity with them. it's going to be a GREAT year :) did i say that already? because it is.

it's back to school day- mama's thoughts

C with his sweet teacher, Mrs. Mills

we set out EARLY this morning to school, along with thousands (it seemed like) of other parents. C jumped out of bed when i told him it was time to get up, but didn't seem so enthusiastic about actually getting ready or eating breakfast. i think it was more just the fact that it was EARLY (like 6:15). by the time we got to school however he was all smiles and ready to go in.

i can't tell y'all how long i've worried that i would dread and make myself miserable over this day. does that make sense? i wasn't really worried about the day itself but how i would feel about it. well, i'm happy to report that i did NOT cry. i really wasn't all that anxious about it until right before bed when i remembered the one year when i was teaching that i overslept on the first day of school: i managed to get there like 2 minutes before the kids did with greasy hair and one earring. not the best first impression but i hope my teaching made up for it!

anyway, we both did great going into his classroom. he seemed a little hesitant a few times, but when i left he was fine- he's just a serious little fella. he has to think about things thoroughly before he makes up his mind. (and it doesn't hurt that three of his good buddies are in his class, they just hadn't made it yet. that'll help)

i'm SO ready to go get him and hear how his day went. i've been in like warp speed all day grocery shopping, cleaning, playing with collin... but the whole time i keep wondering if he's eaten lunch or played outside. i miss him bunches, but i know that he's great. i know he's great... i can hold on for another hour and 30 minutes, right?

summer snapshots

hi friends! i wanted to do a picture post and catch up a little. i really, really tried hard not to comment on every picture, but you know how that goes- i just couldn't stop myself.

the zoo:

little collin and keri checking out the sea turtles.



look at those pretty girls!

my two little "chickens". i'm honestly a little surprised about collin- he's always so fearless about everything.

mallory, chloe, and caleb

buff is a proficient little climber- he scaled up the top of our four-wheeler lickety split- and scared momma half to death in the process!

friendship park:

thank You God for chloe- she's the best little unpaid babysitter/helper around. i always call her when we have playdates because i know she'll help (and that way mama can actually talk to her friends)

she's got more energy than me: she can keep up with the little booger :)

splash pad:

this little punk was WILD, you hear me WILD at the splash pad. he was crazy about the one rinky dink little slide they have and did not really want to wait, but he pushed sneaked tried to wait his turn patiently. i posted on facebook how all the workers knew collin's name because i yelled it OVER and OVER. God bless him- it's a good thing he's cute...nobody seemed to mind him running into the concession stand; laying on their clean, dry towels; screaming at their children when they wouldn't let him get in front of them to the slide. and he's not even two yet folks.

this little doll, however stayed in one spot and played in one little puddle.

C and mere mere had a great time "fighting" with the water. wonder who's idea that was?

the backyard:

claire gave us her jumper she'd outgrown. the boys think we're livin' the high life now! (you can barely see it but there's a little fella in a batman costume in the back. he'd worn it all day- even to the kroger and library)

whoa- that's a lotta leg mama's showin'. maybe i should have cropped that part out?

i hope he falls asleep every night reading his bible.



before daddy drug our swimming pool out- they did this all on their own. necessity is the mother of invention!