August 31, 2009

Our last day of Summer was a rainy one, at least in the afternoon. We managed to get in some fun before the rain, though. I took the kids out to Beef O'Brady's and they played in the arcade and enjoyed their curly fries. After that we went to the playground and they played for almost an hour when the clouds started rolling in. We made a quick stop by Publix to get doughnuts, which is what they want for their back-to-school breakfast tomorrow, and then headed home for the rest of the afternoon.

Jamie's cheerleading practice was rained out, and I was secretly cheering about that. Vic brought home a pizza for the kids, and I made a healthy shrimp stir fry for us. Did I mention he has lost 25 pounds now? I am trying to step up my diet plan to catch up with him!

Caleb was excited today because his Skechers Hot Lights shoes arrived in the mail. Skechers does an incredible job with marketing. My three year old asked for these shoes by name. He also told me how they "Light up the night", per the ad. So, he's been wanting these for months and I promised that when it was time to buy back to school shoes, he would have his Skechers. Today was the day. The first thing he did was turn out all the lights, put them on and run around. "They do light up the night, Mommy!" I'm glad they made him happy. :)

The Third Grader, Kindergartener, and the little guy are all in their beds. We are all ready for the big day tomorrow. Uniforms are laid out, supplies are labeled and packed, and I'm about to go pack what I can of their lunches and snacks. I'll post pictures tomorrow!

Back to school countdown . . . 0 days!!

August 29, 2009

The kids all had a fun day today. This morning I took Jamie to a friend's birthday party. It was a pool party, so she spent the morning in the pool. She only came out for pizza, cake and ice cream. It was such a nice morning for a pool party. Not too cold, not too hot. I especially appreciated that since I spent most of the three hours in a lounge chair by the pool.

While we were at the party, Vic took the boys to the Flying Frogs(it's like Chuck E Cheese but less awful). They had a good time eating pizza, playing games and playing in the playground area. Carson was very proud that they won 200 tickets with only 20 tokens. :)

After the pool party Jamie and I went to Walmart. We had to go get more school supplies since the list I got from Carson's teacher was a little different than the one on the school's website. This happens every year, so you'd think I'd get used to it. It's still annoying, though. Just when you think you have everything ready. . . Well, we will be ready after tonight. I have a few more things to label and a couple of more folders to put paper in and then he is ready for 3rd grade, at least supply wise. I don't think he's very excited about third grade at all and would just as soon continue summer break forever.

Last night we got to meet the kids' teachers. We started out in the K hall, where Jamie didn't get the teacher she really wanted (the one who taught Carson), but she did get a very nice teacher and she has a few friends in her class. She is so excited about starting Kindergarten. She keeps asking me if she gets to go tomorrow.

Then we moved on to the 3rd grade hall, where Carson got to meet his new teacher, who also seems very nice. Carson only spoke about two words and didn't even try to seem excited about 3rd grade. Oh well, he definitely didn't seem to be the only kid who was less than thrilled about school starting.

Caleb got to hang out with Grammy at the library while we met the teachers, so we picked him up and headed to Applebee's for some takeout to celebrate the new school year.

Time for me to finish getting those school supplies ready!

Back to school countdown . . . 2 more days!!

August 27, 2009

All three little bundles of energy went to spend the night with Grammy and Grampy last night. Woohoo! Vic and I finally went out to eat for our anniversary.

We went to Ruth's Chris steak house. It was very good, but one of those places where you pay $35 for just a steak. No potato, no salad, just a piece of steak. So, not exactly the kind of place we usually go. I did spring for the $9 sweet potato casserole to go with mine. It was yummy, but not as yummy as the one my MawMaw and my mom make. The waitress told us that they broil the steak at 1800 degrees and then serve the steak on a 500 degree plate. I found out they weren't kidding when I tried to move my plate, momentarily forgetting about the 500 degree thing - ouch! I very much enjoyed our nice night out, burned finger and all. They even brought us champagne on the house for our anniversary. I thought that was nice.

I haven't been downtown in a while and remembered why when we were driving round and round looking for parking. On the way back to the car, we passed the valet parking for the restaurant. Too bad we didn't see that before spending 15 minutes touring downtown. Well, at least it is pretty downtown.

This morning, Grammy and Grampy took all the kids to the Flying Frogs. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Grammy and Grampy? There were some people there from my MOPS group and a couple from the kids' school, so they had friends to play with and had a great time. I had a nice and very quiet morning at home. No one was fighting, no crying, no yelling, no one trying to run inside, or scattering toys. It was weird. It is going to be even weirder when they are all in school very soon!

This afternoon, they came back home in full force. They weren't too bad, really. Carson played outside with friends, and Caleb and Jamie mostly stayed in except for going out to play in the water for a while. They were too tired to fight, I think. That was nice.

Time to go tackle those dishes and get some rest!

Back to school countdown . . . 4 more days!!

August 25, 2009

The kids were somewhat calmer today. That was nice. They weren't very calm, though. I think they are getting excited about school starting and that is somehow causing them to not be able to pass within 3 feet of each other without one of them knocking another one in the head.

I took all three to Publix today. Good times. If there had been a big bowl of eggnog there, I would have been drinking it like Clark W. Griswold on Christmas Eve. In fact, maybe I should just keep a big bowl of eggnog around here until school starts.

We picked up some ice cream and some toppings at Publix and made ice cream Sundaes after lunch. I enjoyed a nice ice cream sundae with hot fudge, pecans and a cherry on top. It wasn't exactly good for my diet, but it's not like the diet is doing any good anyway. Might as well eat ice cream. The kids enjoyed it too, and ended up very, very sticky and happy.

Tonight I got to go to a baby shower for a friend from MOPS who is having twins. It was fun, and it was good to get out for a while with no kids.

Earlier, Jamie was talking non-stop, telling me story after story after story. I said, "Wow, you sure do have a lot of stories." She replied, "Well, I've got to clear out all of my stories from pre-k so that I can make room in my head for Kindergarten stories!"

Back to school countdown . . . 6 more days!

Some random pictures from the last week or so

Here are some pictures from the last week or two:

Caleb taking a picture of himself. This one cracks me up.


Caleb with his army guys




Caleb and Jamie playing stuffed animal beauty shop:



Caleb and Carson with their remote-controlled airplane. This thing was much fun, but lasted exactly one day.



A photo Caleb took of me and Jamie. Not bad for a three year old.


Carson after making his first "A" on Dance Dance Revolution.

August 24, 2009

Today, the kids spent the day fighting, making messes, and getting in trouble. I took them to lunch at McDonald's and even took along a book thinking I could read while they played in the play area. It didn't work out quite as well as I hoped, but I did get a chapter read, and they didn't fight.

Back at home this afternoon, there was more fighting and fussing, the frog escaped from his tank twice, some extra kids came over, I found out Carson and a friend had stuffed a neighbor's mailbox with walnuts, and I got to go spend an hour and a half at cheerleading practice with an over-tired toddler. Actually, the over-tired toddler was a little angel all of practice until we ran into the para pro from Jamie's class last year. Then he turned into devil child. That was right after she remarked that she hoped he'd get to be in her class when he's in pre-k. I bet she's re-thinking that now. Oh, and Jamie is supposed to be cheering out in Rincon this Saturday for the practice game. Thank goodness she has already RSVPed to attend a birthday party Saturday morning. Rincon is a bit far of a drive to go shake some pom poms. I hope the regular games will be here on the island or in Savannah. It would be great if we got a schedule.

On a positive note, Carson was invited to stay at William's house for dinner while I went with the little ones to cheer practice. Also, it was announced that Wednesday cheer practice is cancelled for U8 cheerleaders and probably will be also for U10. Jamie is on the U10 squad(they are divided according to the team for which they will be cheering, not by age), so here's hoping that they cancel too. I think they will.

Vic brought home pizza tonight. That means no dishes before bed - yay! So, I'm off to get some rest. Here's hoping the frog stays in the tank all night. I have no idea how he's getting out, but if he gets out during the night he's on his own.

Back to school countdown: 7 more days!!

August 20, 2009

Carson spent the night with Grammy and Grampy last night, so I took the opportunity this morning to go grocery shopping with just two kids. That would have been great if someone would hurry up and install dividers in those little race car carts. They just couldn't stop picking at each other. I think all the kids are bored with Summer now. They can't seem to find anything to do but fight with each other.

This afternoon, they played with friends and I did laundry. I sent the last extra kid home tonight at 7:15, when our chicken stir fry was ready. This is the third chicken stir fry I have made this week(different recipes). I have figured out that Vic and two out of the three kids will eat some vegetables if I stir them around with some chicken. So I've been sticking to that. Tonight Vic suggested that I maybe cook some shrimp next time. Guess he's had enough chicken. So tomorrow night Shrimp stir fry!

I took a few pictures yesterday and today. I'll try and post them tomorrow. Right now it's time for bed!

Oh, and sorry for the lack of blogs lately. I have been putting a lot of time into getting ready for the new MOPS year. I am in charge of a couple of different areas this year, so there's a lot of work getting everything ready. Hopefully I'll have more time for writing after the new school year stars - 11 more days!!

August 17, 2009

Today is Grampy's birthday, so I let the kids chose what they wanted to get him. Caleb chose doughnuts, Jamie chose "those mints that are white and shaped like doughnuts", aka Lifesaver mints, and Carson chose Reese's Peanut Butter cups. They also suggested a Sonic gift card, so we got that too. Then, we got to take Grampy his gifts, along with the cards the kids had made for him. We enjoyed visiting Grampy, and he was so nice to share his gifts with the kids. :)

We spent the afternoon at home. I worked on MOPS stuff, Jamie and Carson played with friends, and Caleb took a nap.

Later, we headed out for Jamie's cheerleading practice. On the way there, she cheerfully told me that she has a make up practice this Saturday. I reminded her that she already had her make up practice last Saturday. She said, "No, that was just cheerleading practice. We didn't put on any makeup at all! " lol.

August 15, 2009

I went to a five-hour MOPS planning meeting this morning, and Vic stayed with the kids. He took them all to Jamie's cheerleading practice and then took them to McDonalds and let them eat and play for an hour. I think they had a good time. Caleb was asleep on the couch when I got home, and the other two were playing quietly. There were no extra kids in the house, either. I should really go out for the day more often!

We had more rain this afternoon, which was nice. It was a quiet afternoon, even after the kids' friends came over, and I got a lot of MOPS stuff done. Vic decided not to drive to the office after I got home from my meeting because of the rain, so it was nice to have him around all day.

The neighbors across the street got a new car today, and their 9 year old daughter was over this afternoon and told me that she hated the new car and loved the old one and that she cried and cried when they traded in the old one. So, I guess Jamie isn't the only one who gets overly emotional over cars. Maybe it is a little girl thing. Good to know.

Time to finish the dishes and get some sleep!

August 12, 2009

I dropped Carson off with Grammy this morning, and the little kids and I headed to Target for a morning of shopping fun. After Target, I completely blew my diet as soon as I saw the DQ sign. I remembered that they have Tagalong blizzards now. That's right. Tagalongs and ice cream. Mixed together. So, I enjoyed every bite of the Blizzard and called it lunch.

This afternoon brought thunderstorms. We got an email from the football coaches that practice was still on. He said the showers looked scattered, so we'd hope for the best. I thought that was nuts, since it had been raining and thundering and lightning for at least an hour and showed no signs of stopping. Then I got an email from the cheerleading coaches that cheerleading practice was cancelled even though football practice was still on. Thank goodness. I didn't want her to miss practice, but I wasn't going to take her to practice in the lightning.

Caleb fell asleep tonight at 5:00 and woke up at 7:00. I thought he would never go back to sleep. He threw a fit for about half an hour in his bed because he wanted to play with play dough right then in his bed. He's finally out and I'm ready for bed myself!

It's time for the countdown to the first day of school: 19 more days!!

Wow - I have been away from the blog a long time! We had such a nice time on our vacation.

I learned a few things:

1) Three rowdy kids + a hotel room = a big headache

2) Caleb very much enjoys slinging the door open while I'm using the bathroom at the Theme park.

3) Someone could make a whole lot of money by making car divider walls to put between kids on long drives. Apparently poking at each other is much more fun (and much louder) than any of the car fun activities I painstakingly packed in each of their bags.

4) The radio does not drown out the sound of Caleb and Jamie fighting. It only adds to the headache.

5) God bless the inventor of the Nintendo DS. I hope this person is ridiculously wealthy. The DS is worth way more than what I paid for it. Carson was great in the car.

6) Never pack a swimsuit for my five year old with criss-cross straps to change into at the water park. It is almost impossible to get the straps untwisted when changing in a rustic, small "family bathroom" with exposed pipes in the ceiling when it is in the 90s and humid. Oh, and especially after she looks up at the ceiling and yells "RAT!!! MOMMY DID YOU SEE IT? A RAAAATTTT!!"

7) Always take note of where you park the van, especially in a 7-story parking garage. Actually, Vic learned that one. I think he also learned to appreciate the relative peace of his job.

8) Gas station bathrooms are still gross, but not as bad as they once were I think. I should know because I visited approximately 332 of them while traveling with the kids. We stopped about every half an hour and as soon as we were on the road again after a stop, one of them had to go again. Every time. Once we even pulled over on the entrance ramp to the Highway to let Caleb pee. This was right after we pulled out of the gas station. Once, I tried letting Caleb use an empty water bottle while we were driving. That went all kinds of wrong.

It was a ton of fun. We enjoyed Carowinds, and I think Vic and I have seen enough of the park for a while. We have been there about 12 times in the last 3 years. The kids would probably never get sick of it, though.

After leaving Charlotte, we had a fantastic time visiting with Poppa and Nana. The kids loved playing Whirl Ball in the basement with Nana, watching the rabbits and chipmunk outside, visiting the aquarium, picking tomatoes from the garden, and playing with Pappa Jim who stopped by with Aunt Gayle on Saturday morning. They enjoyed every minute of it, and so did we!

I have put some pictures from our vacation up in our web album. If you are on facebook, they are the same pictures I posted there.

Today, Vic and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. After Jamie's cheerleading practice tonight, it was late and I was trying to decide what I could cook for dinner that would be really fast. He walked in and surprised me with flowers and my favorite Indian food! :) He got me a very nice card, too. We will go out by ourselves and celebrate again soon. Maybe this weekend.

August 2, 2009

We got a call as we were getting ready for church this morning from Vic's parents that his Nanny passed away this morning. She had been quite sick for a while now, and she got to go home from the hospital before she died, which was what she wanted. So, we are sad but glad that she got her wish. There won't be a funeral since she didn't want one, so we are going ahead with our planned trip for next week.

Vic took the kids to Sunday school, except for Caleb who had been up since the crack of dawn and was tired and grumpy. Caleb and I stayed home and did laundry and worked on getting ready for the trip.

Jamie and I joined the crowds at Walmart this afternoon to shop for school supplies. They don't start school for another month, but I wanted to get all the supplies on tax-free weekend. Then we got caught in a downpour and had to run to the van, which was all the way on the other side of the parking lot. I was in heels and she was in a dress and "jelly" type shoes, so we were quite a sight. I'm just glad that I have the supplies done now. I still need a rolling backpack for Carson and some primary pencils for Jamie.

It was gloomy and rainy most of the rest of the afternoon. Carson was over at a friend's house, and Jamie and Caleb watched a Bob the Builder video and we baked cookies. I also got a lot of packing done. I can get a lot done on rainy days since there is less doorbell ringing and kids running in and out of the house.

I just have a little more packing to do and a little more straightening to do around the house and we are ready to roll. I will try to write from Charlotte, but if not I'll be back in a week!