Big Day Tomorrow

Well, the official first day of third grade is tomorrow. Where exactly did the nine weeks of summer go?? I have been looking for them everywhere!! I love helping Michael pick out what he is going to wear to school on the first day. I am thinking this is probably the last year for that. He is getting to the point where my opinion means zilch, oh, and I don't know how to do anything either. I remember going through this with my parents only I was a bit older. We all know when we were young.....wondering how our parents made it through the rigors of day to day activity seeing as dumb as they were. (Sarcasm is being laid pretty thick here). Oh well, he will realize that his dad and I are fairly with it in about 10-12 years. It will just fly by!
Switching gears....Michael and I are so excited because we finished Lego Indiana Jones on the Wii. After I got him to stop bossing me around on what to do and where to go (see previously mentioned comment) we actually worked as a team and finished it. I know this is not very important stuff but our family is fairly boring. I am sure my life will gear back up since soccer and baseball are revving up and Marshall's birthday party will begin is initial planning stages.
After that I have Cougar Run which is the big fund raiser for Michael's school. They raise over 50 thousand annually with this thing. I am the official photographer for the entire event! I am soooo excited. I love taking pictures and being a part of something so important for the school.
adios.

Last Day of Freedom

I cannot believe this is the last free week day for Michael. School starts full throttle on Monday. Where did the summer go and how did I get a third grader already?
To commemorate this last day, Michael and I met my cousin at a water park in McMinnville. Of course, after several days of blistering hot summer days..this day had to be different. When we got to the park it was cloudy, drizzly and the temp was 67 degrees. This was at 10 o'clock in the morning! Gina and I spent 4 hours in cold, drizzly weather under a covered area and watched the kids swim. They are either immune or oblivious to cold pool water. Michael was having a ball and decided to emulate his cousins performing front flips off of the high dive. For those of you who know my son personally...daredevil is not a typical word you hear as a description of my son! So...Michael performs his first front flip off the high dive but actually does a flip and a half landing flat on his face.....literally. He came up to me crying and holding his face and mouth. This is the norm with Michael whenever he tries something a bit off the wall. After he recovered, we went to the snack bar and devoured some healthy tortilla chips covered in a spicy, cheese type substance. YUMMY!! Michael's parting words were "I guess next time I decide to do a flip off the high dive, I should figure out how to end it first!!" No truer words have ever been spoken!!

Uncanny Knack

Some people say that babies/toddlers cannot understand or do not know what is going on most of the time because they are BABIES. Well, I say these are people who have never had kids or have not spent a lot of time around them. I think babies/toddlers use more intuition than understanding language to get a feel for the room. This would be their only defense. When Michael was a baby, he would always have this knack to wake up from his nap just as I was sitting down to enjoy some quiet sustenance. This happened way too many times to be coincidence. I just think it was his way of saying....I know you are trying to take care of yourself and I will have none of that!!
With Marshall it is not the eating intuition (which, by the way, makes no sense because he could eat 24/7) it is the sleeping intuition. Marshall will sleep in on the days I work. I am talking past 7 0'clock on some occasions. He is sleeping through Mike and I getting ready for work.....TV blaring, shower running, hair dryer, teeth brushing, etc. BUT...on the days I do not work...when the house is ghostly quiet...Little Man will get up at 6, religiously. I cut my hours this summer to 30 so I could spend some time with Michael and did not get to sleep in on any of those extra days! Once again, this happened EVERY WEEKEND so it could not be coincidence! Quite frankly, I would rather my eating get interrupted than my sleep. I can always eat with one hand and hold a child in the other. Sleeping on the other hand while holding an awake baby......not a good idea!

Catch Up For The Week

I don't have much to write about. This week has been nice and quiet. Michael had church camp all week during the day. We went swimming on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday, Michael and I went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D. It was a great family movie...no cussing or gratuitous making out. It was based around the Jules Verne classic..duh..and I was hoping Michael would ask about the book they kept showing. This was to no avail. I don't think he is going to be a literary but neither are most men.

Today, when Mike dropped Michael off at camp, he also dropped off his bike. I rode my bike to work today and on the way home I came by the church and picked him up. We rode our bikes home together. It was so fun but I must admit I was worried. Not about Michael's ability but of the crazy drivers texting, talking on the phone and anything else they can do besides paying attention to the road. I rode behind Michael on the way home. I felt that if a driver wasn't paying attention..they would hit me first and hopefully come to their senses before hitting my child. Luckily, this was never to be!

Well, I am off to do laundry and pick of the house a bit. The housekeeper was just here 2 days ago and you would think she had never been here. How does a house destruct that quickly? To leave on a positive note...here is picture of Marshall wearing the 3D glasses we brought home from the movie. Mike took the picture and said Marshall would have worn them all day. Michael wore his the entire time he was eating breakfast.....too funny!!

The Swing Set Savior

Today is Monday and has been a pretty unadventurous day...in a good way. I cooked supper this morning before I went to work so I could take the boys swimming as soon as I got off. We went to the pool for a couple of hours and the boys had a great time. Usually the evening is Marshall's witching hour. As soon as we get home it is Whiny City....have a told you how much I hate this place but I am forced to visit it every night. Today was different...praise the Lord!!
My savior was the swing set....yes, I know, no false gods and all that stuff but let me defend myself. I am not worshipping the swing set.....just admiring it from afar due to all its magical entertainment powers. It even trumped swimming. Marshall started to chant 'swing' as soon as we pulled into the driveway. I have attached my maiden video, using Michael's little digital camera, of the boys playing on my new love!!! i.e. the swing set!!! p.s. I lost my bet...Mike and I did not have one fight during the assembly of the swing set. I am sure this is a sign of maturity, or something like that!

Bad Words and Bathtub Bubbles

What is the deal with toddlers learning to talk and a lot of what they say sounds like an expletive! I mentioned a couple of posts back about how Marshall says 'sit'! You can imagine what is sounds like...just add an 'h' in the appropriate place! The new alleged cuss word was introduced yesterday. It all started with the swing set! I had separated and marked the wood yesterday afternoon while Mike was at work and Marshall was taking a 3 hour power nap (God Bless the Power Nap). While I was out there, I had my ipod in its dock listening to some tunes but had turned it off before Mike got out there. So, here we are in the beginnings of swing set assembly and Marshall looks at me and says 'bullshi*t". I looked at Mike extremely alarmed.

Me: Did he say what I think he said?

Mike: Sounds to me like he said bullsh*t.

Me: Oh my gosh, I know we cuss sometimes but do we use that word a lot.

Mike: I didn't think so.

Keep in mind, the entire time this banter is taking place between Mike and I the word bullsh*t has been said at least 100 times by Marshall. Think Rainman on one of his ramblings. However, we were so busy listening to Marshall's auditory cues that we were not paying attention to his visual cues. The entire time he is saying his 'word', he is pointing at my ipod dock. Come to find out he was saying 'music' not the previously stated expletive!! Boy were we relieved. I turned the ipod on and Marshall got his groove on and never said another word. He is the funniest little dancer. Whenever I feel like figuring it out...I will put a family dance night video on my post minus the adults!

Now, let us turn 180 degrees and mention briefly, bubbles. I think it is hilarious how entertaining bubbles are to children. The ones you blow in the wind and the ones in the tub (not the man made kind!). I wish that was all it took to entertain me! This afternoon I put both kids in the tub, filled it all the way up, added bubble gel, and turned on the jets. Instant entertainment for about 25 cents. For those of you that don't know...if you turn on whirlpool jets after you add bubbles it agitates it to such a level that you will actually have overflowing bubbles. The most fun ever for an 8 and 2 year old! Hopefully you can reclaim your youth just a bit as you gaze at my little guys having the 'cheapest time of their lives!' Everybody have a great work week!

The Big Day

Well, tomorrow is the big day. We are going to tackle the swing set. Holy cow....all 30,000 pieces!! It smells like a cedar forest in my garage! Nice smell, but I know what that smell means for me....HELL!!! This monstrosity will be put together in under 8 hours as far as I am concerned. That is my prediction. I am also predicting at the very least.....4 fights between Mike and I during its assembly. What can I say..nothing says married home improvement without a few fights. Just as a note...I am the analytical mind....I usually win construction fights! But, in my husband's defense...he wins the math and half of the common sense fights!!
As I am writing this blog..Marshall is in the $12 Walmart pool on the patio fully clothed. He has been in and out of it since 4 o'clock when I brought him home. It is now 6:30p.m. Michael and I cheated and spent the entire day at a water park in McMinville, TN. Yes, I am a bad mommy. I dropped Marshall off at his daycare and Michael and I spent 5 hours at a waterpark. Do I feel guilty...maybe a little..but not too much to do it again!! Babies and waterparks mix like oil and water. Marshall will get his fair chance at the water park when he gets older. It is a priveledge!!!
We are cooking hamburgers tonight...so....see ya later!! Here are some pics of Little Man in the baby pool fully clothed!

Nothing Real Exciting

I am so sorry about not having a post for almost a week. Our lives have not had any huge occurrences or even small occurrences for that matter. Marshall is starting to talk like a madman. Yesterday, the young lady at the day care pulled me aside and told me Marshall has been saying 'shit' all day. I thought, I know I cuss but I have cut down immensely and found it hard to believe. After we talked for a minute I figured out he was saying 'sit'. Boy, what a relief! I can just see a huge uprising at the daycare against the horrible mom who has let her child bring such language into the place! In Marshall's defense, he does have a little bit of a lisp (hopefully this will go away on its own) so 'sit' could essentially sound like 'shit'. Oh, the implications of that as he gets older!!!
Later in the evening I was going to meet some friends to celebrate my birthday. These were a few girls who were not able to make it last week. I had a particular sundress in mind but I had not worn it since before I was pregnant with Marshall. I did not want the surprise that I could not fit in it right before I left for dinner so I drug Little Guy upstairs to the closet so I could try it on. After I put it on, I rhetorically asked Marshall:
Me: "How do I look"
Marshall: "Pretty"
At this point, understand, I was in shock!
Me: "Did you say Mommy was pretty?"
Marshall: "Pretty Mommy"
I could not believe that we actually had a little miniature conversation. Even though he is such a handful, times like that just melt my heart and make it all worth it.

On a different note, the swing set we got Marshall is on its way and will be delivered to the house this evening. Over the next few days if you feel the Earth shake or think you hear a long line of expletives during the usually din of the evening.....that will be Mike and I putting together a damn swing set!!!! It is monstrous.......I am scared!!!!

Happy Fourth...It's Almost My Birthday

My mom always reminds me how miserable she was come the 4th of July thirty-five++ some odd years ago!!! When she was pregnant...I decided to be 2 weeks late. You see, even in utero, it was all about me! This was a mere precursor of things to come! You know...egocentric, self-centered, all about me, etc, etc.......
Now, Mom does not mention the pregnancy in a belabored way, I think it is more of a bittersweet life's passage. My birthday is actually on the 6th and seeing as I have had two summer babies....I assure you I have major sympathy for my mother! Add in the fact I was a baby creeping upon 9 pounds for a 5'2" woman who would barely break 110 pounds soaking wet!
Since there was a birthday, girls night out ensued. Any excuse will do and my birthday is just as good as excuse as anything else! We went to Crawdaddy's for my birthday. As the name implies, this is an homage to Cajun food and a mighty good stab at it if I do say so myself. I had the Shrimp 'n Grits with a side of fried okra. Please do not curl your nose at grits. It is not just for breakfast anymore! This dish is sinful....but I may be a little bias because, after all, I am southern belle! This is our little group...I am first on the right...oh, I mean the prettiest one there!!!! We had a great time and too much to drink!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July. Remember why we celebrate it!!

Finally, A Birthday Present

I have been majorly stressing over what to get Marshall for his birthday. Yes, we have a virtual Toys 'R Us in our house as most people do. But, even though he could get hand me downs...how fair is that? Yes, I also know he does not know the difference...but I do! I want my second child to feel special not feel like the second child!!
We have decided on a big boy swing set. I know this is not really supposed to happen before you are three years old. But, before I start being judged by a gaggle of moms with their hands on their hips...I say this.....You do not know my child, he is nine to nothing, in your face, pedal to the metal kind of kid. He is also incredibly agile and astute for his age and I do feel I am being objective! He has climbed up 3 separate big boy playground swing sets without so much as a hiccup! He looks at the Little Tikes get up he got for his birthday as if to say, "Who is the baby that plays on this!"
On another note, Michael and his Dad played 9 holes of golf at the country club today. Michael had a great time and a great attitude while playing (we are not sure were this great attitude during sporting events came from!) This was followed by a couple of hours at the country club pool. I love this pool. It has a 1 foot section just perfect for Marshall. We are topping off the night with filet mignon and shrimp on the grill. YUMMY!!

This Is How You Feed Ducks

Yesterday, I decided to take the kids to the park to feed the ducks. I rode my bike to work again, so we get out a little later than I had anticipated. Marshall loves ducks and does a quite convincing duck imitation but he has never seen a real, live duck. As soon as we got there, he started to yell...duckies....duckies over and over again. I got out a bun for Michael and one for me and Marshall to share. However, he had a different agenda. He reached for the bag and I thought..wow, he is going to do this on his own...he is sooooo smart! Apparently not sooooo smart, just soooo hungry!! He preceded to take a squat and eat his hot dog bun. Don't worry we did not use moldy bread so I just let him eat it. This is how you feed the ducks, I suppose. Note to self: Feed child before you feed the ducks!!!