Summer: Week One Ends

Today, we got a slip-n-slide for the boys. We also got a bucket of chicken and had a picnic on the screened porch with Daddy. Then, we ended the day with ice cream cones!

I guess after our chipwich incident ice cream sessions with Preston are proving to be interesting. I mean the kid can't figure out how to slide down the slip-n-slide on his belly, but he's never been shown how to bite into an ice cream cone and he figured that out quick! He's hilarious!

Paul was so good to push him down and give him a boost though!

Jackson figured it out in no time! He really enjoyed it! I will say we are headed to Walmart now though to return it. :( It came with a hole, but Paul reluctantly patched it thinking that would work. Which that part held up, but then the whole side busted out after only a few hours of play! :( So, we're going to get another one for next week!

See you for week two!

Hayley Graduates!

Saturday we went to Hayley's graduation party at the Stockbridge Garden Club.
They had a pinata, too! A new experience for my kids! They had fun with that!

Hayley's boyfriend, Drew, busted it finally. Preston was thrilled to find lollipops! Jackson stuffed his bag full of his favorite, tootsie rolls!

I helped Paul by making the cake. (although here the 9 sure looks like it's falling!) Hayley loved it which is what matters most! She is a very quiet person. But, thankfully she did give a little heartfelt speech at the party. So did her mom, Paula. They were both sweet and brought tears to my eyes.

Hayley has really helped us out alot this year watching the boys. We appreciate her so much! And, we are so proud of her!

Week One: High Falls Water Park

Thursday we headed down to High Falls Water Park! It was so much fun! Not very busy and really different from last year when Preston was still small and I had to heave my big rear down the small, tiny slides you see above! This time I could sunbathe and watch! I am not a lazy parent as you know, but I will admit it was a nice change. They were having so much fun I didn't feel guilty at all!

See how much fun Preston is having? Jackson's fun got off to a slower start because he fell early on from running and scraped his knee up and his ankle pretty bad. Poor guy. I felt sorry for him, but he was quite overdramatic at the time that made me want to hang him by his toes. :)

As you can see though he still managed to have fun!

We took a break for ice cream, and my kindred spirit, Jackson, opted for a simple bowl of ice cream. Preston on the other hand chose a chipwich. He's had one before, but ate it with a spoon. This time he refused the spoon. As you can imagine, the whole incident was very humorous. I really could do a single slideshow post consisting only of him eating his ice cream. Here's just a small part...

Check out that belly!

I mean he had it everywhere! His hands..his belly. When it dripped on his belly, he'd just rub it in like sunscreen. It was so odd. He usually freaks if "his hands are full." Which to him means they are dirty. Not today!

Needless to say they both had a blast. And, I love it when their faces and noses become sunkissed with that hint of summer sun!

Yesterday, Preston asked to go back. And, we are headed back Monday!

Week One: Pump It Up!

Tuesday we started summer break by Maw Maw taking the kids to the baby gym to open gym playtime. Bree, John Michael, and Aunt Malia joined them. (Paul and I were at work.) I don't have photos from this, but I did want to mention it because I think it is important to say MAW MAW ROCKS! Thanks, Maw Maw, for a fun-filled day!
Wednesday we went to Pump It Up! It was amazing to see how much Preston has grown in the past few months and how he can do the big slides now all by himself. He had alot of fun. Jackson had even more than Preston! Preston enjoys the jumping place, but it tires him out! Since the baby gym is more for him (although Jackson still loves it for some reason!) I thought we'd let Wednesday be Jackson's day.

Of course, Preston is in heaven there because they have a cozy coupe. Also, this is where I booked a room for Jackson's 5th birthday. So, Jackson was loving checking out the party room and all that.
We were all good and tired when we left, but we had a blast!

A Not So Lazy Summer

I love summertime. I always did, but when I had children and as they got older I saw how much fun they added to it, it really became a favorite time of year for me. Now with Jackson in school our life feels more traditional where we actually celebrate summer break like the "big kids." :) I am really big as you know if you know me well on kind of trying to make the boys' childhood similar to my own. My dad was a bigtime "doer" and "goer" (is that a word?) In other words, we were always busy and had something to look forward to. It may not have been more than a trip to look at an old car for sale, but it still was a family roadtrip. Jackson is JUST like me in that aspect, and every night he asks "what's tomorrow?" Paul says I have ruined him keeping him so active, but honestly it is just as much for me as it is for him! My dad has always said I "keep the roads hot" since I got my license 14 years ago. It is true. I cannot deny it. But, one thing is for sure the memories I have of all my own "roadtrips" are irreplaceable! So, as you will see as you read my blog this summer, we will be quite active and trust me no children were harmed during the filming of all of these activities. :) HAHA! And, I am not as smart as Erica, so I will have to do multiple posts because I only know how to fit 5 photos per post. AND, I still don't have the right hookup for my video camera for this new computer, so there won't be any videos. Sorry. But, sit back and enjoy our summer with us. I know it will be a blast. Week one already has been!

Lovakin and Bear

Saturday we originally had planned on going to High Falls Water Park, but if you live in GA or really anywhere in the southeast right now, you understand why we didn't make it. So, instead I had some errands to run at the mall and decided to get those done. I took the kids over to Stonecrest where we rode the train, got cookies, and ate Burger King. All of our usual mall treats. But...this time...we did something different! We went to Build-A-Bear! I had been waiting to do this on a special occasion, but I think we all had the blues about the water park being closed, so I thought we'd let the beginning of summer vacation be our special occasion! And, really it wasn't any more expensive than going to the water park.

The boys chose doggies as the animal to "stuff." I had hoped they wouldn't choose duplicates, but lately they do everything the same so that's how it ended up. The dogs are really cute. They put noisemakers in them, too. Thankfully, the worker was smart enough to put them in different paws for each child so we can tell them apart. Here are the boys getting ready to finish stuffing the doggies.
The machine was quite loud and startled them when we first got there. Then, Jackson realized he got to use the foot pedal and was all about it! Preston pushed the foot pedal however and heard the noise and took off running! The worker then found the hand controller for him which for some reason he found hilarious. He would hit it in spurts and giggle in between. It took FOREVER to stuff his dog. I am thinking the lady was ready to strangle us. :)

The finished product like I said was adorable. They remind me of Scrappy from Scooby Doo. Too bad the kids have never even seen Scooby Doo. They placed hearts in them and gave them huge hugs after they stuffed them. If you know Preston, you know he isn't much on stuffed animals. So, I was shocked he even wanted to participate in this. He even hugged it!

While we didn't get all the bells and whistles (I thought if we got clothes and stuff, Daddy would think they were more like dolls and want to kill me...:)), we did print them a birth certificate. If you know me, you know I am really all about letting the kids' projects be their own work. I wanted them to work the computers themselves. Alot of the prompts were like "push the blue triangle" and so forth. Jackson did pretty good considering the letters on the keys were a weird font. Preston on the other hand just as I had expected wanted to rush through it and try out all the keys. :) Trust me, every eye in that place was staring at us. That would mean them and me, the crazy, loud mother working hard to simultaneously take them from step to step together giving them instructions. This part was difficult on my nerves, I will admit. :)

They even got to bathe the doggies before taking them home. This was really cute. Preston scrubbed the doggie hard. Jackson kept saying something about getting all the mud off! :) They are so cute...the dogs and the kids! They each named their dogs. Jackson chose "Lovakin." (don't ask...why?...because I have no idea) Preston chose "Bear." Which I loved because Paul had a dog named Bear when he was little. Then, it was like a lightbulb went off in Preston's head like he suddenly realized he made a dog and not a bear, and he said, "No, I name it Dog." Needless to say I encouraged him to leave it Bear. :)

Whew! It is getting harder to take them out by myself to undertake projects like this. That is the first time I have typed or "said" that out loud. I will finally admit it. I am often in over my head. :) But, it is so worth it! I wouldn't have taken anything for those moments as hectic as they may have been. And, you can tell in the pictures even though they may have been thinking, "Mom's nuts. Wonder why she is so frustrated and stressed?," they had a blast! Even though we had a leaky diaper (thank goodness I had a change of clothes), rain to deal with, a few temper tantrums (theirs and mine :)), and plans for the day gone awry...it was a blessed day. One of the ones I will remember for years to come.


**in case you cannot tell, I walked out without my camera so these were taken with my cell phone...sorry some are blurry :)**

Such a Trooper!

My little Preston has been dragged all over the country this school year and most especially this past week. He is such a trooper when activities come up for Jackson that we have to attend, and he always makes the best of them and makes them fun for himself, too. He wants to go to school SO bad, and loves playing in Jackson's classroom. From the 80 hour long baseball banquet to the beach party today, I would like to brag on my little Preston. Today he helped me set up the food table, set the tables up (I mean he put out napkins and placecards and everything!). He didn't even pitch a fit when like a dummy I only took 12 lollipops to school and forgot to grab him one. So, he didn't have one. He also held my pocket in the parking lot when my hands were too full to hold his hand and never let go! Yes, even when he fell. I was definitely mooning any passerbys because my pants fell d0wn with him. :o And, after he fell he realized he scraped his knee, cried a little, but when I said baby, mommy's hands are full it's okay..let's just try to make it inside. Then, I followed with you have a boo-boo just like Jackson. He then began laughing and all was well. (I really cannot figure out who wants to be more like who...Jackson like Preston or Preston like Jackson.)

Look how big he looks sitting in the classroom floor! It almost looks like he is big enough to belong there! Yikes! I even got him today to cooperate without dumping so much stuff out, and if he chose to he had to clean up the first tote before dumping out a second. And, he obeyed! Seriously!

Maybe it was the cupcakes. Maybe it was the cookies (all four of them.) Maybe it was because he likes school so much. Maybe it was because he loves me.

I like to think it's just because he's that awesome.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Today was Jackson's end of the year party, and seriously I think every child in there was terrified. All those moms and teachers bawling like big babies. At one point when it was really teary, Jackson said "I want to go home." :) I think they were overwhelmed and confused. They probably think they never get to go back to school again or never see Mrs. Cheryl and Mrs. Melissa again. Above I posted a picture of Mrs. Cheryl presenting Jackson with his rather large goodie bag from his teachers. What an awesome beach bag! It was full of a sand bucket, sand toys, playdoh, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and more! With each child, she made a little speech about their experience that year, and while I don't remember word for word what she said about Jackson (I've got to replay the video camera) I remember her commenting on how he was a rule-follower, a big helper, etc. (Note: I won't post about Jackson not quite fitting that wonderful description she gave today verbally or the one she wrote on his report card about what a joy he was because he had a big time "off" day. :( I have no idea what that was about. Even the director asked me who I had in time out, and when I said Jackson, she retorted, "Why is HE in timeout?" Trust me, the kid you might see comfortable at home IS not the kid they get. He only gives them his best all the time. He is his mother's child. Totally.) Needless to say though, Cheryl's words brought tears to my eyes. Because no matter how today went, I know he was a great kid this school year. Better than I could have ever expected or imagined. I am SO proud of him.

His report card was awesome! He knows all his letters but V and Y. I plan to work on those this summer and try to start teaching him what a sentence is and maybe begin to teach him to read.

The theme of today was a beach party. Although it was raining and we had it indoors. The kids knew no different. They got to make cool visors.

Eat yummy treats...

And enjoy one last day with their friends. I am thrilled several of the children from this year will again be in next year's class. How awesome for Jackson to see familiar faces on the first day?

Can you tell I love The Sharon School? If you are looking for a preschool in our area, I highly recommend it!

Celebrating Our Teachers

I think I have made it pretty clear how much I have loved having Jackson's two teachers this year. I cannot describe how thankful for them I am. God sent them to us. Really. Alot of people don't "get" Jackson. Those who do love him and cannot get enough of him. And, both of them fall in that category. They made this year enjoyable, a breeze, and fun for my entire family. I am really going to miss them next year. But, at least I had such a great experience for my "first year" as a school mom. And, I truly feel because of them Jackson's idea of school is permanently a good one and positive, too. Today he told me he is sad it is summer because he dosen't want to stop going to school. He said he misses Mrs. Cheryl and Mrs. Melissa already. :(

This week we worked on our gifts for them. We got them a pedicure gift certificate to Scarlett's Retreat (that Jackson told them was for their toes and their nails when they opened it.:)) We also made them something crafty...

It was our first attempt at the whole butterfly/caterpillar craft, but I thought it turned out really well. I am a big stickler for Jackson's crafty gifts to be solely his own work as much as it can be. I think he did an awesome job!

He also picked the flowers that went in them (he loves doing that!) It was so sweet! He told everyone at the nursery who they were for. He would say stuff like, "Mrs. Cheryl LOVES pink!" So cute!!! Then, he "planted" them!

The teachers really liked their presents! They were a hit!

Jackson was very excited to present them, too!

I cannot believe today was our last day with these phenomenal women. All I can pray and hope for is that for many years to come, Jackson's future teachers are able to fill these shoes. I have a feeling I might be expecting a bit too much. :)

Drawing the Season to a Close...

This past Monday night was Jackson's baseball celebration service/banquet whatever you call it. I call it a disaster. No, seriously. I hate to be harsh. I am so proud of Jackson and loved seeing his pride as he brought home a trophy AND a gold medal! He kept saying how he couldn't believe he got BOTH! A trophy AND a gold medal! However, the whole thing other than seeing my baby so proud and excited left a lot to be desired. Where do I begin?

First, I was disappointed Paul had to work that night, so I had asked my dear, sweet, wonderful mother-in-law to attend with me. I remember my exact words. "I don't really NEED help per se, but I just would like to have an extra set of hands so I can video tape it all for Paul since he is missing it." Uh, well, only part of that is true. I did NEED help, and I mean need help. I did videotape the whole thing (thanks to Connie's help) only to be disappointed in nearly 95 percent of it. And, without the extra set of hands I would have had to call it quits and walk out.

It was in the church sanctuary...where there wasn't enough seating for everyone (thankfully these smart women arrived very early...but remember how Preston was feeling by the end since he arrived early with us)...and I promise you the air was NOT on for a while...and when they turned it on it was too late to tell. Plus, you dropped off your player to wait outside with the coach to walk in where they would then sit with their coach the entire time. Have I mentioned what entire time means yet? It started at 6:30 and lasted until after 8pm. Now if you have taken two toddlers to church chances are they didn't sit in a church sanctuary for that long. Yes, imagine it (and I don't mean the museum!)

While they did introduce the teams (all seven hundred of them..and that night was only ages 3-4 and 5-6) and the cheering and the emotion when the director said for us to make them feel "10 feet tall" did bring tears to my eyes, I could barely see my little man even walking in. I felt so far away from him and desperately wanted to be WITH him during this important time. Little did I know he had fallen outside (yes, running even though the coach told him to stop...come on he's a kid who waiting outdoors for 40 minutes!) and had skinned knees. So, the little man I couldn't see was really a sad little man. I finally caught his attention to show my excitement and wave, and the poor child lost it when he saw me. I felt trapped. He wasn't supposed to sit with me, and I didn't want to make a scene. But, he was bawling for me. I was just rude or whatever you call it and went right over there. I held him in the aisle while he cried. He barely knows his coach. It's not like it's his teacher at school. Plus, it's a man. They should have never left those kids with him that long outside. :( Thankfully, cheering was still going on so we didn't make a scene. I finally got him calmed down. (Note: Imagine how this would have gone if Connie would not have been there to sit with Preston.)

Then..they played a DVD slideshow of the season. If you know me, you are thinking right up my alley, right? No. Not a single picture of our team. I was told later it was "thrown together at the last minute." Seriously? There's NO reason why someone could not have contacted the coaches or team moms to ask for our pictures we had taken to be included. VERY disappointed. And, I was videotaping the whole thing for Paul all at the expense of Preston whining for me. :(

THEN...(drum roll, please) we sat through a very long magic show. Yes, you heard me. Magic show. Granted, at the END there was an invitation and a magic trick showing us about our life with Christ and it's importance. Although it was over kids those ages heads, I still agree it should have been done because who knows what parents it reached. But...you remember this is Monday, right? A school night? A night period. These kids didn't need to sit through a magic show that late at night!

Finally, we were released to go upstairs to our rooms for our teams parties. Well, I wouldn't call it a party at bedtime. Anyhow, Connie could not make her way to the downstairs bathroom due to the crowd to change Preston's diaper so she followed us upstairs. There are children's rooms all over the place, so we figured she could find a bathroom suitable. Nope. She changed a 2-year old's poopy diaper standing up. I've NEVER done that. Kudos to her. She said Preston took it all in stride and laughed. As I enter the room, I discover that noone brought any decorations or tableclothes but me..and I only got one. The person who was supposed to bring the cups didn't bring any. The only drinks they had were sodas. These kids are 3 and 4! Juice? Water? Seriously. Tea even! I had to hike to a water fountain. I suddenly became the sole cake cutter when it was clear I had my hands full while other parents were sitting down and enjoying their pizza and cake and drinks. I didn't have any pizza, any cake, and managed to get a sip of diet coke at the end using the very last cup someone finally found around the church.

All this after as I am trying to take my own child's picture getting his trophy holding two cameras, other moms are approaching me to take their kids picture too because the battery on their camera is dead. Well, maybe you should have went to Wal-mart and bought the cups you were supposed to bring and the batteries that you needed, too! Sorry. Meanwhile, another kid is stealing Preston's snack, drinking out of Preston's sippy cup (poor Connie tried to block them...and said kid's mother is the same mother mentioned above..battery and cup lacking mother.) Then, Jackson decides to pose on the floor for a picture probably because it's 9pm by now, and someone steps on his fingers. The same person just had Preston in a corner shoved between a file cabinet and the wall. All the while it is 100 degrees because someone keeps shutting the door (if you know my kids, you know they do not behave well when overheated.) Oh, and I forgot to mention. I am now being asked to email the picture used in the coach's plaque (by the "team mom") and for business cards and website for my "cake business"???????

I left out that I was NOT team mom. Although I checked the box that I would be. I was notified early on someone else was though. Although wait. That person brought NOTHING to the party except maybe ice??? That's the only thing I don't know who brought it. AND, I told that person I would PRICE a plaque for the coach. Only at the next game, I was approached with a wad full of money and informed, "I don't even know how much it is." What did I get to do? Take a group picture, rush to get it developed, and go to the trophy store to order and later pick up the coach's plaque. Are you as confused as I am by now?

Long breath...

Ok! I'm done! I really needed that! Thanks!!! All I can say is I still haven't gotten the courage to contact someone to ask for a comments form or survey because if we play again, I don't want everyone to "hate" me and my kid. But, if I do play again, I will skip the celebration. I will pick up their trophies early, and do my own party at home. Or at least only join the team in the room. Or maybe be team mom (since I was this year anyway) and arrange our own team party outside of the church.

All that matters though is THIS...


I still get warm fuzzies when I see this, so that's what counts right? He had such a good time playing, and I really am loving this age. It is great all the firsts and the new stuff we are getting to experience with Jackson. I cannot wait to introduce it all to Preston, too.

I am one proud Mom!

And even though Daddy couldn't come he is also equally proud (and ticked about how it all went down at the banquet. :))

This face says it all. This was Jackson "watching" the magic show. He doesn't look too miserable, huh? Just really red-faced and hot. :) I love this little man. And, I will endure anything for him.

Jackson's 3K Spring Program!

My little man had his 3K spring program Tuesday night, and I tell you it was amazing to compare how he did for this one to the Christmas one last year. It was easy to see how much he had matured and grown this year during school. It probably also helped that I told him to put on a good show for us! I told him last time (Christmas) he didn't sing a lot. He said, "Mom, I told you I had stage fright, but you wouldn't listen!" :) So, this time...he put on a show for sure! He sang the loudest and then had everyone else singing loud along with him! Uh-oh, I thought. Paul's going to kill me because he's probably embarassed. Paul instead thought it was hilarious and cute! The teacher later told me she also had told them to sing loud. So...being that children take things so literally all of the encouragement made for an interesting, entertaining night! I hope to upload some video of his "performance" later today.

We were very blessed to have Paw Paw and Maw Maw Mitchell come to watch, too. And, then we got to go eat dinner with them afterwards as well. The boys loved that! Preston did such a good job watching the show. He sat there like it was a movie or something.

Paw Paw Bell came, too! And, he even got there on time! :) He and Preston enjoyed sharing a bag of cheez-its for a program snack. I am not sure who is the bigger kid...my dad or Preston. :)

See the concentration on Jackson's face? :) He went through all the motions and did them with such grandeur! (notice I didn't say grace.) :) They did "Goin' on a Bear Hunt," which is one of my favorite songs they do at school, too! Yankee Doodle, Grand Ole' Flag were some of the other songs they sang as well.

I honestly cannot believe the end of the school year is approaching. 3K went so fast! If they all go like this, he'll be graduating college before I blink an eye! I have loved every minute of his first year of school and only have good memories. I am really going to miss his teachers next year, and I feel so blessed by God to have had such great role models as his first teachers. They are two strong Christian women who have really loved Jackson for who he is the whole year. Sometimes like me I feel Jackson can be misunderstood, but from the beginning these two women have understood him and accepted him and I know he has been well taken care of. He has had SO much fun! I bet he is going to be asking about when school starts back again all summer long!

TBall---My New Favorite Activity

I don't watch sports on TV. I've never been to the Braves stadium (what's it even called???) since the new one was built. And, when I went to the old one it was for concerts. I am not a baseball girl. Or really any type of sports girl. I never imagined I would enjoy seeing my sons play baseball and really thought Paul would be the one that urged them to play.

However, after only a first season of 3-4 TBall, all that has changed! I guess my little boys can make me like anything if they are a part of it! I LOVE watching Jackson play. I can honestly say it has been one of my favorite memories of raising them so far!

Thankfully, Maw Maw Mitchell has come to alot of his games to help out with Preston so we can go on the field if we are needed. That has made it so much more enjoyable for Jackson and us. So, thank you so much for that, Maw Maw!

And, as you can see, Jackson enjoys it, too! I think he really has found his sport. He says he still wants to play soccer again (which he should since what he "played" before wasn't really games.) I want to expose him to all of the sports so he can best choose what fits him. Although I will save contact sports like football until he's older. I mean we JUST got over the pushing stage at age 3 everyone goes through. Why would I want to encourage that? :)

Here they all are! Minus a few who were sick. They are all such a great group of kids. I have really had so much fun watching all of them!

Go, Mud Hens!