The Simple Life Gets Busy!

It's been crazy around here since school started. I told Daniel I wish I wanted to homeschool just so we wouldn't have to get up so early! Avery has been doing so well at school. She is completely exhausted all the time, but you gotta learn sometime! We drop Avery off at school at about 7:45 and Colt and I will sometimes stay in Fayetteville and play. One thing I like about living in a small town is how close things are. I can park at the library and stroll him about a mile to the park to play for a while, then stroll back and play at the library. One morning we strolled from the library up to see if the donut shop was open. It wasn't so we snuck into Walgreens for a snack. When we came back outside it was pouring! I had to run with a non-jogging stroller a mile back to our car. Always an adventure.

Colty loves the park, and he is getting so good at climbing onto the structures. Not so good with walking though...he falls a lot. I'm even surprised he went down this slide by himself.

 

Every once in a while he will bring me a book to read to him at the library, but most of the time he is glued to the train station. Fine by me...gives me a chance to read a grown-up book. As you can see, the paci is still a fixture on his face. I pick my battles...

 

A couple of Sundays ago I signed up for a running event in Huntsville. It was sponsored by the local running store, and it was free....score. It also happened to be held in Hampton Cove where my dad lives...double score. My dad and A watched the kids while I ran as far as I could in an hour....5.5 miles. There were some serious runners there and I don't even want to know what the most mileage was.

 

I had fun and was super grateful for the free babysitting service. I also got a free t-shirt. Could the day get any better??

 

Last week Avery started dance! She is doing tap and ballet on Friday nights at a little studio in Fayetteville. We barely know anyone in town, but Avery knew three girls in her class. She had so much fun the first night, and hopefully she will be a natural and have a dancer's body instead of inheriting our genes.

 

Couldn't you just eat her up?

 

Avery brings home worksheets and artwork from school everyday. They have been practicing writing their letters. You can tell Avery tires easily. They start out strong, then it looks like she's drunk writing. One day she brought home a picture she drew. I asked her if it was a picture of a monster because she and Mamaw love to draw monsters.

 

"No, Mommy, it's me." Oops. Maybe I should stick to, "Tell me about your picture."

 

I cook maybe once a week because the kids eat nothing and I hate paying for groceries. If my groceries were free, I'd cook every night. One night Daniel and I cooked breakfast for dinner. I can't do it myself because I don't know how to time everything, and I never passed bacon cooking class.

 

This is one meal Avery will actually eat. Here she is making a bacon boat. It's bacon with eggs on top. She is definitely her daddy's daughter.

 

 



And Colt ate syrup for dinner...

 

One of the many days it rained (and rained and rained) Avery and I decided to teach Colt how to play Candy Land.

 

 

It didn't last very long, and Avery just shook her head.

 

My baby sister, Sarah Grace, is a senior at Madison Academy. I can't believe it! She is a volleyball superstar, and the kids and I went to her first game of the season.

 

That's her in the middle. I'm really excited because I think she's taller than I am!! I made a dress for Avery and a shirt for Colt, and they were a big hit!

 

Colt was in a foul mood, and I didn't get to see as much of the game as I would have liked. I do know that those girls are crazy good! I don't think my reaction time is good enough to play such a fast-paced game. But they were killing it!

That face...

 

We caught Sarah Grace after the game and was able to snap a picture with the non-cranky child. We can't wait to cheer her on again!!

 

Whew, I'm tired just thinking about all we have done lately. I am enjoying staying busy, and can't wait to see what the fall brings.

 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

 

Avery Starts School!

I can't believe it's time for my baby Avery to start PreK! She's still so tiny, and there's no way she's already four! We have been so blessed to go to Stone Bridge Academy in Fayetteville. It is funded by the Tennessee lottery, and it's completely free for the families of Lincoln County. Back in the spring Avery got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Michelle. She is so sweet, and I know we will have an amazing year. Now I just have to figure out what to do with a 2 year old while Avery is at school everyday.

I thought it would be a major struggle to get everyone up and going every morning, but so far we are doing well. We'll see how it goes when it's the pitch black of winter. Look at how stinkin cute my girl is. Such a big girl. This wasn't her actual first day of school, though. The school eases them into the schedule, and she had been a couple of half days before this with only some of her classmates. This was her first full day with the whole class.

 

 

So....funny story. I don't know if I blogged about it last fall, but when we got back from Indianapolis we had some little visitors....mice! It was absolutely terrifying, but Mr. Bug Man nipped that in the bud real quick. A couple weeks ago I began hearing things in the kitchen at night when Daniel was at work. I would wake up in the morning and our tomatoes on the counter were gnawed through. I wasn't even thinking mice, and we thought it was a possum. So Daniel bought this nice catch and release trap.

We put a tomato in it, and Daniel left for work. It was my job to carry it outside once the animal was trapped. Seriously the most terrifying night of my life. I sat in the living room just waiting...then I heard it. I heard the door close and some squeaking. I slowly rounded the corner to the kitchen and saw the biggest mouse you can imagine in this cage. He was absolutely freaking out. Do you see how small the holes in the cage are? This huge mouse almost fit through them. I decided I couldn't take it outside, and at 9:30 at night, my life-saving neighbor, Mr. Bruce, came to my rescue. I will never forget that crazy mouse trying his hardest to escape that cage. Mr. Bug Man came and set more traps, and luckily we seem to be mice free. But the day Mr. Bug Man was coming I knew there was a mouse in a big cereal box near the refrigerator. I was so scared that when I picked Avery up from school we headed straight to Sonic for lunch just so I wouldn't have to see it at home.

 

We are keeping Sonic in business this summer. I can't keep count of how many slushes we have had. Last summer I was obsessed with the Miami Sunrise slush. I was sad to see it left off the menu this year. But I have replaced it with a good ol' lime slush.

 

I have to pick Avery up from school right in the middle of Colt's usual nap, and this is what he did our first day after not having a nap.

 

 

In other news, I picked a watermelon and cantaloupe from the garden and cut them up. The cantaloupe was delicious; the watermelon not so much.

 

The watermelon would have been ok if not for the millions of seeds. Next year we will have to find a seedless variety.

 

This isn't even a quarter of the seeds that were in this tiny watermelon. So not worth it.

 

Yesterday Daniel's cousin Jimmie and his family were in town from Texas and we went over to Aunt B's to swim and visit.

 

That's Avery and Wyatt eating lunch. They also have a little boy, Tristan, who is Avery's age. We all had fun swimming and playing.

 

The whole crew.

 

One the way home we stopped for, wait for it.....slushes! Avery got orange and Colt got green apple. Their tongues don't lie!

 

 

This afternoon Peepaw, A, and Sarah Grace are babysitting while I do a group run....should be interesting!



I Need a Nap!

I consider myself to be a low-energy kind of person. Yes, I run, but other than that I'm just content to hang around the house and typically don't stay very busy. This weekend has thrown me for a loop! I left Friday morning for Birmingham because my cousin and his wife were having their baby shower on Saturday. The kids stayed in Fayetteville, so apparently I tried to squeeze anything I could into these two child-free days. I didn't get too many pictures, but it was a fun weekend.

On my way in on Friday morning I stopped by my old work, North Shelby Family Health. I love seeing all my sweet friends there, and I usually bring them a treat. This time was no exception. I loaded them down with pickles, tomatoes, and chips. They were so grateful, and I love seeing people excited about my gifts. I wish I had gotten some pictures!

After that I went for a noon run (in August in Birmingham...what was I thinking?!?) then it was off to an eye doctor appointment where I got fussed at and lectured and I told you so(ed) by the eye doctor for not changing out my contacts like I'm supposed to. The highlight of my weekend...

I was meeting some of my girlfriends for dinner so I just stayed in the area and shopped around. I'm glad I moved to a town that has nowhere to shop, because I just spend money if I'm tempted. Christmas Tree Shops is especially dangerous.

I met my dear friends Ashley, Lisa, and Karen for dinner at Baumhower's, and we had so much fun catching up and eating good food. I miss them so much, and I  miss adult conversation! Again, I wish I had gotten pictures!

A while ago I had signed up for a 5k in Homewood for Saturday. Unfortunately, no one else did and it got cancelled. Luckily, though, my old co-worker Melissa told me about another one in Uptown. So after a fun night catching up with friends and eating way too much, I got my booty up at 5:00 Saturday morning to get to Uptown and register for the 5k. Whew, 5am is early! Oh, and Starbucks wasn't open yet....bummer.

Uptown is this relatively new area in Birmingham by the BJCC. They have really cute restaurants and it's just a pretty area. It was a beautiful day, and I had plenty of time before the run to explore a bit. The run was for the Crisis Center in Birmingham. Seems like a really good organization and resource for the city. They did a great job organizing it, and there were amazing snacks and even a beer truck!

 

The starting line from the second floor of the complex. The run had some beautiful teal porta pottys, but I got lucky and found the Uptown bathrooms. I talked to a man before the run who said the course was pretty flat, and I also heard a runner tell her friend there was one hill at the half mile mark, but the end was "stupid" fast. I took note of this.

 

This was a very small race, so I was at the front when it started. I wanted my time to be as close to the official clock as I could, even though the results were posted "stupid" fast. :o) I was running by myself, so this is my version of a selfie. The gun went off, and so did I. It was kind of funny how many people passed me in that first bit. I guess I felt like I had to keep up and ended up running my first mile in 9:28 which is almost a minute faster than my usual time. I was kind of running by myself for most of the race, and I kept looking behind me to make sure I wasn't dead last. The man and the runner before the race were liars. There were four up hills. I don't do hills well, so I ended up walking several times. But I remembered what the runner said about the finish so I ran like Forrest Gump down the hill to the finish line. I was hoping for a sub-30 minutes but I got a PR with 31:40. My previous PR was from my very first 5k five and a half years ago, and I beat it on Saturday by almost 4 minutes!

 

After the race I found my friend who told me about it. So at least I got one picture to document that I was there!

They had this cool thing where you could text your bib number and get your results. I don't know how many girls were in my age group...probably 6. And I don't know what that #23 is. I definitely wasn't 23rd. I'm glad I have a set time I can work toward beating!

 

I rushed home after the race to get ready for the baby shower. My cousin Wade and his wife Terri and having a little boy in a few weeks. We celebrated at my mom's church. The theme was a Rock a Bye Baby tour. They are really into music, especially rock, and Terri's friend made the cutest invitations that were like concert tickets! I made the cupcakes, which were super yummy. I bought a Cricut from a friend, so I got to make cute toppers and a banner!

 

Everything turned out super cute, and we had a fun afternoon celebrating Wade and Terri and baby Adrian.

 

I left to come home after the shower. When I got home Colt had a new trick which Mamaw swears he never did for her.

 

In real life it is ten times louder than that and the most highest pitch you've ever heard. But his fists were the funny part! He did it at least 20 times, and I had a monster headache the rest of the night.

 

I can't remember the last time I was that busy, but it was a super fun weekend. I'm excited to see what the fall brings for us, and to just get into a routine.

 

Coming soon...Avery starts PreK and ballet/tap

 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Colossians 3:23



Fun-Filled Weekend

It's kind of a double-edged sword living so far from a Target. I'm sad because I loooove Target, but if I can't go, I won't spend money. I was itching to browse, so I decided to make the trip on Friday. First, though, we met one of my oldest friends, Courtney, for a late breakfast. We had fun catching up, and decided on a pool party at her house on Saturday (more on that later). Then we headed to Target. I completely forgot what it's like to walk around Target without a care in the world (or two crazy kids). Colt is in a weird stage right now. He can't decide how he wants to travel through the store. Do you want to ride in the front of the buggy? No. Sit in the back? No. Walk? No. This was his final answer at Target...

This slowed our commute down a great deal. Luckily it didn't last very long because he caught sight of this...

 

It took some time (and maybe some bribery) to get him away from the dog. He did look adorable petting and talking to the dog, though.

 

I could visit every section of Target and probably buy something from each one. I always have to visit the entertainment section and ogle the books I never buy because they cost money and the library is free. Avery and Colt found some page-turners and were quickly engrossed.

 

I was a little jealous...I've been wanting to read the one Colt has. I'll have to ask him about it later. If you'll notice in the first picture Colt has his trusty blanket with him. We spent a very long time in Target since I knew it would be some time before we came back. We were almost home and it hit me...Colt didn't make it into the van with his blanket. With all our walking and wallering it had to have gotten left on the floor in some department. I waited a few hours and called. I told them we were missing a light blue and white blanket. The lady said, "It looks gray to us." AKA wash your nasty blanket. I had our niece pick it up, but we haven't been able to get it yet. I would forget about it but Colt keeps asking about his blanket at Target. That was the most eventful shopping trip!

 

Saturday the whole family drove to Athens where our friends Patrick and Courtney live. They have a sweet 2 year old, Vaughan, and a pool! Avery was able to practice her skills, and Colty shocked us with his! This child never wants to get in, and usually sticks by the stairs. But this is what he was showing off at Vaughan's...

 

 

I bet he jumped in fifty times, which was a great arm workout, but exhausting! I was tickled that he would actually do it! They both had so much fun!

 

Avery was spinning in the water. Notice, no floaties! Yay!

 

Avery had fun jumping in, too.

 

What a fun day spent with family and friends!

 

I had found a recipe on Pinterest for homemade tomato sauce. Since we planted 12 (yes, 12) tomato plants, we had ample. I bought all of the stuff and picked out the best 45 tomatoes to use. If I had known how disgusting blanching the tomatoes would be, I might have passed. You have to put them in boiling water for a couple minutes then immediately in ice water. Then comes the fun part. I got to peel and cut 45 tomatoes. For someone who doesn't even like them, it was rough.

 

The pretty before picture...

 

Gag me.

 

Luckily the night before I had my little helper help me with the bell pepper and spices. Hopefully she'll get the cooking gene.

 

 

Daniel got me a food processor for Christmas a couple years ago, and we got to break it out for this recipe. We made what can only be described as an onion slush. We added the onions, bell peppers, and some tomato paste to the tomatoes and let it simmer for a while.

 

As you can see, that boiler is filled to the brim. I ended up splitting it between two, but made this fun mess in the process...

 

After lots and lots of work, I have spaghetti sauce to get us through the winter. My recipe said it makes 4 quarts. It lied. Luckily I bought a bunch of jars because it made twice that much. I can't promise it's edible, but I made it with tomatoes grown in my own garden. I'd call that a success.

 

 

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food. And it was so."

Genesis 1:29-30