The Slow Down

Well,after last week and the weekend, I finally have time to post again. Last week I spent most of time driving and I think I passes myself a few times. Now that drama is over for Hannah, I can relax a little and get into a good afterschool routine. Since school started back in July, Hannah has had drama practice 3 days a week. I REALLY questioned whether this was worth it, but after seeing the performance of Alice in Wonderland this past weekend, I am sure it was. She loved performing, and we loved watching. Corey wanted to see it again, so I'm trying to talk him into doing it next year. I will try to post a short video clip later, but I can't figure out how to view it on my computer, so I'm working on that. If anyone has any techie advice, I would appreciate it. I videoed it using my Kodak camera, if that helps anyone. For now, here are the pictures.

Giving the grand tour of backstage.


Getting makeup done


The cutest little doormouse in all of Alice in Wonderland history.

Stay at home mom?

Yesterday I
dropped off Allie at school
went to Walmart
dropped off Jon Tyler at his MaMaw's
volunteered at the kids school
got a haircut
picked up Jon Tyler
dropped off some stuff at a friend's house
picked Allie up
came home for lunch and naps (theirs, of course, not mine)
picked up the kids
paid the phone bill
dropped off my carpool kid
came home for snack
took Hannah to drama
ran through Wendy's drive thru
came home for supper
went to church
left to pick Hannah up from drama
went to Fred's because they ran over
went back to Wendy's for her supper
went back to church for everyone else
came home for bed.

Today I
need to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things
need to go to CVS because they shorted me on Monday
will make a casserole and take to church
want to pick up my nephew to play with Allie
have to pick up kids
will take Hannah to drama
have to drop off carpool kid
will come home for supper
have to pick Hannah up from drama.

Who coined the phrase "stay at home mom"? We really need to talk.

Wordless Wednesday - Wishful Thinking

February 27, 2004

Whew! That Was Close!

A few weeks ago I applied for a job at the library. Part time children's services, which is what I want to be when I grow up, so it seemed perfect. I interviewed and was offered the job. So I took it, set a start date of August 24, and proceeded to lie sleepless for large portions of the next two nights. I realized that I would have no time with Jon Tyler, which is what I've been waiting for. I would have to work every day that Allie is in school and so his "mommy time" would be nil. Everyone else had "mommy time" and he would be deprived of his. I would have to find childcare for my older two during breaks. Essentially, I realized I was crazy and went to see Ms. Beth, whom my family loves dearly after many years of crashing attending storytime, to tell her I'd changed my mind. I have a perfect job, so why would I want to change it? There will be plenty of time for a career change later on, but for now, my world feels back in order. Perhaps with Allie in school my house will be a little cleaner (stop snickering!), my suppers will be prepared a little more on time, my coupons will be organzied, my closets will get cleaned. Perhaps not. At any rate, I will get to spend my mornings with this little guy. He is completely worth it. Whew, that was close!


May the force be with you!

First Day for Allie-Cat!

Today was Allie's first day of preschool. She was very excited since we'd been playing this up for weeks. She picked out her "cherry dress" to wear and showed not one bit of nervousness. Since she's never been in a school setting before, I was a little afraid she would be.

The morning went smoothly, if you take in to account that we dropped our van off for some work yesterday so we had to get the older two to school, Donnie to Bojangles and work before getting Allie to school on time. Oh, yeah, and some lame brain (that being me) somehow turned the alarm off so we overslept. Thankfully, it all went off without a hitch, unless you count the fact that I forgot my camera. Just a typical day around here,actually.

We always take pictures of each kid on the first day of school every year and Allie got the same treatment.


My sister came to the rescue and snapped a few pictures with her camera phone. Here she is outside her classroom.


Her favorite thing from open house and she went straight to it this morning also.



I think she's in for a great year. Thankfully she only goes 3 days a week so we'll still have some fun days at home, too.

Catchin' up ~ part 3

Our last hurrah of the summer was a day trip to Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock near Brevard, NC. I had been there on a trip in high school and wanted to go back. I found out it's not but a couple of hours from here so we (the six of us and my inlaws - thank God for SUVs) left earlyish Saturday morning. (That means as early as our slow tails can drag ourselves out, but not as early as some people.) We drove up and found it with no problems. We stopped off at Looking Glass Falls first. It turns out that Looking Glass is one of the few waterfalls you don't have to hike to get to. This is essential with 4 smaller children.

When I went back in high school, I remember my grandmother telling us about this waterfall that she climbed down these bunch of stairs once to get to. Then she almost didn't make it back up. She swore she'd never go down it again. Well, on our trip back then, she climbed down and when she headed back up, she realized that she was at that same falls. I have fond memories of that trip with them.

As for our trip, we made it up and down the stairs with no problems. The kids got out to splash around and even us big kids waded around. We attempted to go down to the falls, but chickened out when we felt our lower extremities growing numb. We really enjoyed ourselves. It was just perfect.

After our stop at the falls we ate a picnic lunch, which was at a nice little roadside park and then went to Sliding Rock. It was quite an adventure. I remember sliding down it before and thinking I would surely die from hypothermia. This time I experienced that same insanity exhilaration all the while trying to keep 2 of my children from drowning. It was fun and scary all at once. My flip flop nearly became a victim of the slide as I lost it about half way down (better known as 4 seconds after I sat on the rock and hurled by large butt down it), but it floated between two boulders and I was able to grab it.

We left there and stopped in Gaffney to visit with my sister in law and her family before we headed home. It was one of the best trips we've had thus far and I hope we get to go back many more times.

To quote Mastercard: Gas to NC - $35, Admission to Sliding Rock - $5, making end of summer memories - PRICELESS!

Looking Glass Falls


MaMaw & PaPaw with the kids


Jon Tyler along for the ride - the story of his life


Hannah wading around


Do you think Donnie's cold by the look on his face? I think those people who ventured all the way down to the falls were crazy Canadian.


Corey thoroughly enjoyed himself


Allie taking a break.


Corey fell in right before I snapped this shot.


A rare shot of me with the monkeys. I don't like relinguishing control of the camera.

Catchin' up is hard to do! (part 2)

Another short trip we took was to visit my Dad and stepmom at the beginning of July. Dad had terrible back trouble due to a herniated disk and had surgery a few weeks before our visit, so we took it slow and had a nice, relaxing visit. We were able to stay from Sunday to Wednesday, and returned home just in time for school orientation. The kids enjoyed their "time in the country."

A picture with PaPa



Wait for me! (What my kids always want to do when we're there)


I loved this shot of all of them.


Ganny bought them a kiddie pool while were there, too!


Jon Tyler might not be old enough to ride the golf cart, but nobody else can fit in Ganny's cabinets!

Countdown

In exactly one month, this little guy will turn 1. I am going to spend the month in mourning, unable to believe that in 31 short days, we will never again have a baby in this house. (Unless God sees otherwise in which case He will need to revert back to some New Testament stuff where He appears to the father of the child to smooth things over assure the father that this is all part of His plan.) At any rate, it is unlikely that there will be any more babies and I can't bear to think about this. I realize that I'm being dramatic and that he will not morph into some big kid between Sept. 18 and Sept. 19. I just want to go on record as saying I don't believe it's fair that they should have to grow up, particularly when they'll always be "the baby."


As a side note, here is proof that 4th children must not only learn to feed and cloth themselves before their 1st birthday, they must get their own snacks.

Wordless Wednesday - Why I love triple coupons

$40.53

50 Years ~ June 20, 2009

A week after we got back from the beach, my in-laws celebrated their 50th anniversary. We hosted a reception for them and it was an absolute blast! (Of course, there's not much in this family that isn't fun.) Donnie's great aunt Lib, (my mother-in-law's aunt) had a special gift for writing and wrote poems to commemorate a lot of events. She passed away several years ago, and for several years, literally, I've been trying to write a poem for my in-law's anniversary. Leave it to me to have YEARS to complete a task and literally finish it hours before the reception. I thought I would share it and a few pictures as a tribute to them and their love that stands the test of time with 4 children and 12 grandchildren. I'm really thankful that God's grace has allowed us to celebrate this with them.

Fifty Years

It was fifty years ago today
When the wedding march began to play,
And Doris and Jim exchanged their vows.
Then Preacher Buckner said, “You may kiss your bride now. “

That's not exactly where the story begins.
See back in high school they were friends,
And they dated a few times off and on.
Then Jim joined the service and to Maine he was gone.

There Jim was ready to see the world.
He had his eye on another girl,
And Doris went to work when she finished school.
It wasn't long before Jim realized she was a jewel.

Along came June of 1959
When Jim knew he had to walk the line.
He was a little late for the ceremony to start,
But that didn't stop Doris from giving him her heart.

They set out on their honeymoon
But it turns out there some extras in the room.
Namely Jim's aunt and his mother.
Boy, did that make a story like no other!

They settled into an apartment on Walker Street.
They didn't have much, but Doris kept it neat.
She wasn't much of a cook as a beginner,
But Jim thought her cakes were a real winner.

It wasn't long before they moved to Marwood Drive,
And there the young family began to thrive.
First there was Ricky, a blonde haired boy,
He was his parents first pride and joy.

Two years later, Kathy came along.
Little did they know she would fill their house with song.
Doris stayed at home and tended to those two.
Jim worked hard to provide for his crew.

They left Marwood for Saluda Street
Into a nice house, now that was a treat.
As with every family, there was some sadness along the way.
Some folks passed on that they miss to this day.

First there was Donald, Doris' older brother, in '62
And Jim's father died that year, too.
Doris' father died in 1968,
Yet through it all they held on to their faith.

When Kathy was six years old,
She got a new baby brother to hold.
Donnie was his name, after Doris' brother,
And I think he's like no other.

Then when Donnie was six as Kathy had been,
They added to their family again.
Michael was born, one final son.
And quickly his parent's (and sister's) hearts he won.

Life was busy but they were blessed.
Faith and family and values were stressed.
Ricky was in Demolay, Kathy played piano.
Donnie liked Little League and Michael played tennis like a pro.

It wasn't long before Ricky graduated.
He went on to get better educated.
First to North Greenville, then Baptist College.
He met his wife Laura while getting some knowledge.

Kathy was next to leave the nest.
She followed Ricky and said goodbye to the rest.
At Baptist College she met Jay Harvey
And before they knew it, he was part of this family.

Next began the grandparent phase.
For each one they gave God praise.
Erin, Shannon, Jennifer and Amy – four sweet little girls
They were the center of their parents' world.

Kaitlyn and Elizabeth made a half dozen.
Life was good with six little girl cousins
They lived in North Carolina, not far apart.
The girls were close, right from the start.

Granny died in 93 and Gina in 2003.
These were more sad times, you see.
But even though their bodies failed,
Their legacies have always prevailed.

Meanwhile Donnie and Michael finished school,
And they decided to play it cool,
Went off together like Ricky and Kathy had done.
At Charleston Southern they learned a lot and had fun.

They were roommates there and shared so much.
Now those two are always in touch
Donnie married Tracy while at CSU
Michael met Jamie and they were wed, too.

Soon more grandchildren were on the way
First came Hannah and cousin AJ
Then was Corey, Hannah's little brother and friend
And when Jacob came he made grandchild number ten.

Just when everyone thought they were through
Donnie and Tracy added another two.
Allie and Jon Tyler made an even dozen,
And there sure is a lot of love among those cousins.

So, a lot has happened in 50 years.
Some things brought laughter and some brought tears.
But through it all their love has grown,
And the faithfulness of God has surely shown.

Then...


...and now.

What 50 years will get you... We all got together a few weeks before the reception to have pictures made. They were phenomenal and I've never had so much fun taking pictures in all my life. A big thanks to Angel Gerbers for these!

I thought this was sweet of my nieces trying to pin the boutineer on their grandfather.



Cutting the cake.


One of the big surprises of the reception. Doris's cousin from Florida came up for the big event.



The day after we were at their house for Father's Day and my father in law told us that the reception was one of the highlights of their marriage. I think it only gives a small thing back for all they've given to us.

Catchin' up is hard to do!

After a lengthy time away, I am back to blogging on a (hopefully) regular basis. Our summer break was glorious, albeit short. The kids attend a year round school and have been back in school for 5 weeks now, half way to fall break (hooray!!). I missed blogging about quite a bit of our last few months, so I'll try to hit the highlights. We had our annual family vacation to Myrtle Beach back in June, my inlaws 50th anniversary, our trips to the free movie, swimming, a trip to Walterboro and a day trip to Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock. Not bad for cramming a whole summer into 5 weeks. I am actually a huge fan of the year round schedule. The summer has its downside, like the fact that many of our friends are still livin' up the carefree days of swimming and playing while we slave over schedules and homework. However, I don't recall hearing anyone even utter that they were bored, and lets face it, September around here is much nicer than July/August. But I digress. I guess the best way to catch everyone is to post a few pics at a time of our summer. So for today, beach pictures...


Allie preferred the sand, but I got her in the ocean long enough for a few cute shots!


Hannah's best purchase and favorite beach activity was the boogie board.


Corey could have stayed in the waves the entire time, I think. I absolutely LOVE this shot, because it so him.


Krispy Kremes are a MUST at the beach!





Jon Tyler spent his first evening of his first vacation at urgent care, because of a 102 degree fever when we got there. He had and ear infection and probable strep since I'd had it the week before, so we got our antibiotic and were happily on our way. He had his love/hate moments at the beach as you can see, but overall did well.


Our last night we went to the pier down from us for dancing. Hannah and Allie absolutely loved it! Allie even won a prize for making it pretty far in the limbo. I think that fact that she's under 4 feet might have helped. Corey slept through pretty much all of it.



There's more summer shots to come...