Saturday, June 29, 2013

Had to Show Off





Yep. Had to show you some pictures that a very dear and talented friend took for me. I have this frame and a huge wall in my den. I needed the right picture. Now I'm having a hard time deciding which one to frame.

Mountains of Memories






"So we loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly...Hills that is...."
The Beverly Hillbillies, one of my favorite shows. We used to watch it when I was a kid. Fast forward 15 years and I found out that right down the road from our place in the mountains "Jane" from the show had a mountain retreat. Just icing on the cake for a place I already thought was fantastic.
The kids and I just returned from a week in the mountains with Grandaddy. Brandon was able to come up and stay for a night and we took the kids to Tweetsie. Braxton already thinks the place ranks up there with Disney World (poor kid!) but the girl loved it. She squealed with delight as we came up over the hill and she saw the train. We had to board it as soon as we got there. Never mind it didn't leave for another 30 minutes. They both had a grand time. Thank goodness You Tube has a Mouse Mine video someone took!
The week was nice. We weren't rushed or pressed for time. We were in a good routine by mid-week. Strange feeling this week though. I found myself thinking about the times I was a kid and would go up there. I could picture my sister and brother and I doing some of the exact things that we did this week. I enjoyed telling my children about some of the fun times I have had up there and look forward to creating the same memories for them. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

It's Summertime!!






We heard about  a local theater that showed $1 movies Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. They also had $1 popcorn and $1 drinks. Even better is that adults are free and children under 2 are free also. Its first come, first served. I detest events like this. I loaded the kids up, we were dressed, and they were PUMPED up and by golly I wanted them to see the movie. Luckily we made it with a few minutes to spare and after we had our seats I went back out and got them both a pop corn and drink. We were all set! They both ate their entire box of popcorn and Mckinley only had to leave once for a diaper change. Once she was back in the theater she slept for the last 20 minutes of the show. That was her nap for the day.
We've had a great start to our summer together!!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Party Time







This big brother celebrated his 6th birthday today. All day he'd ask "Mama are you sad cause I'm turning 6?" It's funny because I'm not sad he's turning 6. I'm sad that the years have flown by. I get sad when I think about the past and all that we laughed about with him when he was really little. But I'm so proud of who he is becoming. I certainly don't want the years to fly by but I look forward to watching him grow up. I know he's going to be just fine. (And every once in a while I do ask him if he'll ALWAYS love me. To which he replies "yes!")
We often talk about how fast time goes by. I try really hard to live in the moment. Not to worry so much about what's going to happen but play and laugh, stop to look, sit and talk, and soak up every moment that we're together. Look at him. 6 years ago this very night he was just a little thing. He's grown up so fast. And I love him so much. He's brought so much joy and purpose to our lives. Life before him is just unimaginable.

And by the way the theme for this years birthday was "camouflage". Who knew they made a camo cake?

Friday, June 7, 2013

Just in the Blink....


And just like that it's over. You look, you blink, and it's gone. In the past. History.
Today Braxton had his kindergarten celebration. And what a wonderful celebration it was. I sat there and thought about the first time we entered into the classroom. How big it looked and how little Braxton seemed. He was shy and timid. Every night we had this awful, painful, pitiful, routine we'd go through. Right before bedtime it'd start and as soon as his feet hit the floor it continued. Question after question. Worry after worry. And then one day it just stopped. Something clicked and he was ok. If you knew his teachers you'd know why. We couldn't have picked a better set of teachers for him. I told dad this morning that whatever prayer I prayed last year for him I was going to begin it again this summer. He had a fabulous year and I can not believe that just like that. It's over.
On the way down to get Mckinley tonight Braxton was talking to me about his day. He was singing songs he'd learned and telling me "The Top Ten Reasons to Love Kindergarten" and he started to ask me about his birthday. I shared with him that when we found out we were having a baby, we were told not to make any plans for the beginning of June and that June 7 was his official "due date". Six years ago it was the day before the last day of school. I still remember how upset I woke up June 7, 2007 STILL pregnant. I just knew my baby was going to be early. I remember how sad I was when I went to bed that night STILL pregnant. I never stopped to think about all the June 7's to come when I would have something to celebrate. Although my sweet baby boy chose his own day to make his arrival, I think it's ironic that he graduated Kindergarten on this day, the day we were "expecting" him.
 Braxton never meets our expectations. He exceeds them.