happy birthday, cale!

yummy birthday cake pancakes...

for this sweet birthday boy!

how is this possible? it seems like just yesterday. time flies, doesn't it?

happy 6th birthday to my favorite boy in the whole wide world.     i love you to the moon and back, one millionbazillionkajillion times. 

putt-putt... putt-putt...

for all who know that i always have a plan... how's this for spontaneous??? it was actually my idea to head out for a little game of miniature golf, last minute.

thank you. not part of the plans for tonight, i know. sometimes things work out just as they should, not as i have planned. i even walked away from the freshly-cut grass all over my house (the inside of my house) for this. worth it, you ask? you bet those sweet little bottoms it was. 

question? do you have any idea how hard it is to play and wait, play and wait, play and wait, play and wait, play and wait, and play and wait behind the SLOWEST family on the planet? thank heavens someone in their group lost a ball in the "pond", which gave us a tiny window to "play through". I don't even really know what that means but, after tonight, i like it. 

it was soooo funny when  they realized that on the 18th hole, their ball was gone forever. it only took one ball for them to figure that out and then it was a mad scramble to keep any more from getting close and disappearing forever. no more time for putt-putt... the bellies were growling.

there's no more golfing... only time for one more picture.

so i said it once this week, and i'll say it again...
i'm a very blessed girl. 

third grade, here she comes!

third grade. third. grade. that sounds so big. third grade means a new building. third graders have lockers. third grade requires colored pencils. third grade just suits her.

kick me?

today, this was kinda funny. someday it will be funny to lily. in between those times, gracie had better look out. that little one, she's pretty feisty. not sure gracie realizes that she's messing with the wrong girl. 

what i love...

do you know what i love? 

i love a beautiful sunrise and round bales of hay...

i love a painted sunset enveloped in storm clouds...

i love these sweet babies (and their silly faces) that God has entrusted me with. they are my heart...

and i love this man who loves me and the wonderful, crazy, whirlwind life we live.

these are the things i am so grateful that God has blessed me with. sometimes i get so lost in the tasks in front of me  i forget what is truly important. i forget how gracious my heavenly Father was and continually is to allow me to live and relate on a daily basis with this precious family. i am blessed to be His daughter, i am blessed to be Kyle's wife, i am blessed to be the mama that God chose for my babies, i am blessed to have the family i have... i am blessed.

saturday morning cale says 

"hey mom, we did auditions at school yesterday!"

what???

"what kind of auditions?"

"you know, mom, auditions... like audition and subtraction!"

ahhhhh... addition. got it. i didn't have the heart to correct him.

 it was too cute. 

then he says, "and i used my ruler. i find one number 

and then count to the other to get the right answer." 

clever. 

"did mrs. blackburn teach you how to do that little trick with your ruler?"

"no, mom, i did that myself!" 

later in the day he asked for us to write down some

 "auditions" for him to work on. so we did. 

and he worked. 

 i asked if he used his ruler trick this time, but he said he didn't.

"i didn't need my ruler, but i did use my brain just a little."

glad to hear it, you brilliant little man.

CCS first day of school 2013

whew... what a day. 

new uniforms, new shoes, new routines...

new school, new backpacks, new supplies...

(no, that's not his backpack. he offered to carry lilybugs naptime stuff. chivalry lives on!!!)

new pencils, new skills...

new desks, new friends...

same sweet boy.

the "statue"

the harborwalk in destin is a crowded place. especially on the 4th of july. apparently a crowded holiday is also a good time for the creepy toga-wearing, painted lady to show up and pretend to be a statue. 

why would someone do that? 

because people pay money to take a picture with her. 

who the heck would pay money to take a picture with her?

ummm, well...

creepy statue lady shook hands with gracie and fist-bumped cale with the "bam" at the end. poppy tried to get lily to touch the creepy statue... yeah, she wasn't having any part of that. the best part though, was when creepy statue lady got down packed up her stand and started to walk away. lily's eyes were HUGE, and she says "ohmygosh... she's real?!?!?!?!" 

and people say a dollar won't buy much these days...

bucka-what?

beach vacation travel: day 2

look closely at the middle of that screenshot and you'll see a tiny dot on that map called "Buckatunna." real place... promise... hence the map for proof. back to my point... in Buckatuna, Mississippi they have a little convenience store right on I-45 called the Buckatunna grocery (see below). and in that little store is a deli... sort of. it's a deli in the southern sense that every item on the menu is fried... and it comes with sweet tea. oh, sweet mama... the chicken tenders were (i'm pretty sure) real fried chicken tenders like a little grannie makes, the fries were seasoned to perfection, the roll was just plain yummy, and the sweet tea tasted like it was homemade. oh, and that was the kids meal.

why do i tell you this? well for starters, i'm hungry and it still sounds good (a week later)... also because i just like sayin' "Buckatunna"... and cause it's good info in case you ever happen to find yourself just passing through Buckatunna, MS.

p.s... did you notice Vinegar Blend, AL? sometime i'd like to mosey through there and see what's going on. lemme know if you wanna tag along...

summer, summer, summertime!!!

three kids + one watermelon = a good summer night

**when you read the title, did you start singing dj jazzy jeff and the fresh prince in your head?
that'll take you back a little... or a lot.

... seven... eight... nine...

lily and i had a little detour to whole foods last friday evening, where she proceeded to talk me into some organic jelly beans. really? they're jelly beans. as if being organic makes that any better. anyway, we're in the car and she's begging for some so i hand her the bag. yes, the bag... but also with the stipulation that she can only have 10. ten. one-zero. got it? "yes, mama..."

lily: "one (chomp-chomp), two (chomp-chomp)... eight (chomp-chomp), nine (chomp-chomp), nine (chomp-chomp)... awwww, man!!!"
me: "what?"
lily: "mom, i lost what number i was on."
me: "well... (and then she cuts me off)"
lily: "it's ok mom, i'll just start again... one (chomp-chomp)..."

don't worry i took the bag away, but not before she made it to six... again!!!

somebody lost a tooth!

somebody lost a tooth... the first tooth. it's been flapping for days (hence the big boy tooth behind), but finally flipped out of his mouth when the caught it with a fuzzy on the towel while drying his face. 

he's elated... especially since gracie says "hey cale, the tooth fairy brought me five bucks when i lost my first tooth!" 

zip it, girl.

happy birthday lily!

happy, happy 4th birthday my little lilybug... 

you fill our days with sweet joy.

busy...

i know you're thinking, "man, months go by with nothing, and then... BAM!!! here she is again. what the..."  i have a confession... i've missed blogging. there i said it. i have. but i've been busy. it's kids and sports, dinner and laundry, work and church, and sleep. sweet sleep. mostly because when i've found time, i've also had to choose between blogging and sleep. not so much a choice here. i need sleep. i'm not a girl who can run on fumes for very long. i've got to get some zzzzz's. or else. and when else hits, it's usually not pretty. so for the sake of those precious people who have to live with me, i have chosen sleep...

however, i have recently decided to try to work it back in between being a wife and mom, laundry, t-ball, gymnastics, laundry, sunday's lesson plans, making lunches, cleaning, work, sleep, eating, laundry (did i mention that already? i feel like it's all consuming sometimes. it multiplies and i've not figured out how. i mean, how can 3 kids have that many dirty clothes?). ok, i'll move on... the real point is that i love blogging. it's a way for me to remember kid stuff and to have an outlet for whatever needs out... today i'm apparently on the laundry soapbox. laundry soapbox. get it? wahahahahahaha!!! that's funny. ok, sorry... apparently the cold medicine is kicking in... i'll take that as my exit cue... for now.

gardening anyone?

can i just tell you how fun it was to come home to a master gardener working on my flowerbeds... my poor, pitiful flowerbeds. even calling them flowerbeds is was a stretch. but not anymore! they're coming to life! there was not only work but education going on! the master gardener (m.g.) was teaching my children about planting, proper watering, discussions about spiders, and details about earthworms (or night crawlers... or whatever they are. you'd have to ask the m.g. what they are. all i know is that they're huge. i know they poop dirt. i know they come apart as a defense mechanism... or when you accidentally cut them in half with the shovel. and most importantly, i know they're great fishin' worms. but they're still worms... ewww.) anyway, back to the little gardeners. they picked the flowers, picked the spot they're in, and planted them there. i know they're proud of the great job they did. how do i know? well, they're ready to plant more. they really did a great job... and how awesome is it that the master gardener is their grandma! it makes the time sweeter and the flowers prettier. 

Good morning!!!!

what a beautiful way to start my morning... gorgeous sunrise, rooster crowing, and my hummingbirds are buzzing around.

we are so blessed to have a heavenly Father who paints the sky in the mornings just because it makes us smile.