Eleven Years...again...

I purchased a Brighton wallet at Parisian at Phipps Plaza when we lived in Atlanta. Yes, 11 years ago. I have had a couple of people poke fun at my "old" wallet. I guess I just never thought I should buy another one when this one is in perfectly fine shape, right? Well, it met its demise today. The zipper pull & zipper came right off of the wallet. So, I will have to retire this one and finally get another one. I hope the new one will last as long or longer than this one. That would put me well into my 40's before I would have to buy another wallet.

Holly, this post is for you!!!!

Summer of Swimming

We are swimming like crazy this summer. Not today though. We had other errands to run and take care of this afternoon. We went to one of the Auburn pools yesterday to swim. E has been wearing swim "wings" to swim - last year and now this year. Prior to today, they have allowed her to use the wings and the Auburn city pools, but not yesterday - nor going forward. We tried a life jacket, no good - flipped her over on her back. Then we put on a suit that has the floating 'stuff' inside of the suit - that didn't work, made her roll over too. So, I had to hold her most of the time. Until she decided that wasn't good enough, she wanted to swim. So, off she went. Blowing in the water and swimming. After an hour and a half of being there, she was pushing away from me and swimming. Face down in the water, kicking her feet and using her "ice cream scoops" [hands with fingers together and not separated] to swim. I won't let her get far from me, for quite some time but she is doing a good job so far. Maybe by the end of this summer she will be swimming really well. Hope everyone is handling the heat as well as you can. I hear for those of us in AL we should have some relief later this week with cooler temperatures in the lower 90's.

Eleven Years

...ago today I was getting ready to marry my wonderful husband. We had a such a fun wedding and reception with so many of our friends and family there. It has been the best 11 years of my life!!!

7:30 - Two days in a Row

I have made it to work for two days at or before 7:30 am! Yay me! Today I had to take B & E to their daytime locations b/c Mark is out of town today - in Tuscaloosa. I left at 7:00 took B to Sullivan's house and then E to daycare. I did have to park at a meter, but I made it to my desk before 7:30. This isn't a big deal to anyone but me. But I am happy I have done it both days so far.

On another note, I forgot to register B for summer camp for 2 weeks with the parks and rec department. So, I called yesterday to check on availability and guess what - full! I had a moment of panic yesterday when I realized that is two weeks I have no where for him to go. I think we have it figured out, but it was a bad feeling when I hung up the phone.

It was nice to leave work at 1:30 and pick him up from the Britnell's. We had an ice cream treat before getting E from daycare. I know I sound like an awful mom leaving her there instead of enjoying ice cream with us - BUT, she is allergic to ice cream (milk) and she was still napping at her daycare. :)

A Friend in Honduras

I have a friend, Hope Judd, who will be in Honduras working with an Orphanage for 5 weeks. She just graduated from high school a week ago. If you want to follow her journey, the link is at the right or right here:

http://www.hopehonduras.blogspot.com/

A Beach and A Farm

We went to Calloway Garden's beach on Friday with the Cannon's. We had a wonderful time. THANKS again for letting us go with you all!! Here are a few photos from yesterday:

So, not long after getting there, I dropped my camera in the sand. :( The camera looks fine but not the lens. I am sending it to Nikon this week to have it looked at to see if it can be repaired. If it can, yeah!! If not, I will save for another one. Note to self: always keep the camera around your neck with the "neck" strap!!! I knew that the sand was a dangerous place for the camera. Lesson learned.

We returned, B had a shower and I took him to his friend Camden's house. He was going to attempt to spend the night. He made it to 10:30 pm and Mrs. Amy brought him home. I have made my kids this way not having them stay anywhere overnight. The only other time we attempted this, I had to pick him up in the wee hours of the morning. I think he will grow out of this, right?

This morning B and I went to the Randle Farm http://www.randlefarms.com/. The Randles are such a wonderful family. We met them through church at Auburn First Baptist. Today B and I picked new or red potatoes with Mr. Frank. We picked a few white potatoes and then a few onions. They have a community co-op that I hope we can join in the fall. This family grows everything that they eat - vegetables & meat. Mrs. Pat makes their bread. I am just fascinated by what they do. B wants to go out there again and do more things on the farm. He witnessed Omar and friends (from the Sudan) butchering sheep. A first for me too. There were some sheep on the trailer ready for sale, and we went into the rabbit house where they keep very large rabbits - remember they grow all of their food! We will go back in a few weeks for blueberries. It is just a neat experience.

The rest of today we are resting. We have had such a full & busy week this week. Tomorrow we will go to a friends swimming birthday party. Then on Monday, the new summer work schedule will start for me. For the next two weeks, B will be staying at a friends house.

Already a Change of Plans

Mr. Frank called and they are harvesting oats tomorrow, so B won't be able to go to the farm tomorrow after all. They have to get parts early in the morning for the combine (spelled correctly??) to complete the job. It is 9:00 pm and he just came in for the day. I am intrigued with the life of a farmer. I hope to learn more about what they do myself. So, anyway, we are going to the farm on Saturday. He told me that B will be digging potatoes. He will get very dirty digging in the dirt. Now I have to find some long pants that fit him and aren't too short. Maybe we have some hand me downs from Davis hanging in the closet that will fit. He also suggested boots, he said for obvious reasons, like snakes! Oh dear, what am I doing? I will keep that tid bit of info to myself and not share that part with B.

We are going to join the summer camp group from his daycare at a ropes course at the university. Which should be fun too! We have to be there by 8:15, so an early start tomorrow. We have been lazy so far this week, taking our time getting started each day.

Summer Break

I took this week off from work as it is B's first week of summer break. I have had such a fun week so far. On Monday the kids & I went to swim with our friends, the Cannons. We returned to swim with them on Tuesday. They are so gracious to welcome us to their neighborhood pool. The kids got their first sunburn on Monday. I re-applied sunscreen and they still burned. I was using a new kind. I feel awful about it. For 6 years I have kept B from getting burned and 3 years for E. Oh well....the pain isn't as bad today as Monday and Tuesday evenings. Today we had a friend from B's class over to play. They ran and played on the slip-n-slide, played golf, basketball, video games, star wars and anything else. They seemed to have a fun time together. I had a surpirse today to find out that a dear friend, Sonda, from Mobile (Citronelle) reads my blog. To be honest, I had forgotten that I sent out the link to friends near and far. I was so happy to know that she stops by from time to time. I miss her....I wish I saw her at least once a year, but I haven't seen her in several years. Maybe this will be the year. It reminds me that Amy - who I know from Mobile, but lives here now - reads from time to time too.

Tomorrow B and I are going to the Randle Farm to work. B has always taken to the Randle family. I am not sure what Mr. Frank has for B to do, but he told Mark that he has a special job for B to do. It will be a fun day, I am excited about it and so is B. E will be at her "school" aka daycare.

Then on Friday, we will join the Cannons again. We are all (the moms & kids - dads are working) loading up to go to the "beach" at Callaway Gardens. I am also excited about that.

Beginning next week, my work schedule will change, and I will work from 7:30 am - 1:30 pm. I hope it allows for more fun things with the kids in the afternoons. B will be staying with his friend Sullivan for 4 weeks, going to his new school for camp for 2 weeks, and Auburn Recreation camp 1 week, to Mobile with Mark for 1 week and we will all go to the beach for one week with Mark's family in August. This trip will be the week before school starts. We are all anxiously marking off the days until the beach week arrives.

So, this is how our summer break should pan out. I am sure there will be hiccups along the way and maybe a few changes here and there. But for the planner that I am, I hope it stays on track. HAPPY SUMMER!!

Last Day of Kindergarten

WOW! This has flown by, I say that all of the time. B had his last day of kindergarten today. I was sad - his teacher was wonderful, he loved her and school, and the class was a fun class. The two photos below are on the first and last days of school...

I can't believe he will start first grade in 11 weeks!

First Day...walking in!

Last Day...walking out!

HUMIDITY!!!!!!!!!!!

It has arrived. Oh my. My clothes felt damp when I got to the office this morning. I can't imagine snow in the winter, but I could leave the humidity of Alabama in the summer...

Family Photos Taken

We had them taken yesterday at a garden here and the arboretum. We had a great time. Some of you have already gotten an email about the link, but for those who didn't I want to show them off here too.

http://www.ensepiaphotography.com/galleries.html
We are at the bottom right. User/password = wilson/accounting

First Loose Tooth!

We have a very excited 6 year old in our house right now. He never thought his teeth would get loose and now the first one is wiggling. He is so happy. He told me that it "popped" yesterday which grossed me out a little and then it started to move. I was thinking this morning that it will be sad to me when he loses the first one. He will not longer have all of the teeth he started with as a baby (I know, obviously) and will begin to get the teeth that always look too big for a kid's mouth until they are older. He thought it would fall out as soon as it was loose, but I had to break the news to him that it will be several weeks before it comes all of the way out. Until then, it will be a long time for me and Mark with his questions of "when". I should take a photo now with all of his teeth in to remember it just as it is now right before it falls out.

This week's Musings

Let's see....I have had a block this week on what to write about. I have had many emotions this week. The expected post from me on Mother's Day or the week following would most likely be about my mom and my missing her. The sense of loss is so random now that it has been 15 plus years since she died. As I have mentioned before, her absence is most often brought up by my children who are trying to figure out their world. For some reason, this past Sunday was more about me and my selfish nature than about her. Of course I thought of her and how I wish she were here to spend the weekend at my house and with my children running around her in the back yard. But, that isn't to be. Mark made lunch for me. It was a wonderful shrimp and crab pasta dish. He commented that it wasn't that great, but it really was. I think he sensed my disappointment in the day and thought it was over his lunch efforts. It wasn't. Mark secured a baby sitter that evening. We went to Books a Million, bought 3 magazines and a coffee and the two of us sat there reading - enjoying each other's company without much talking. We did this often when we were dating and before we had B. It was a fun evening. Rewind to the afternoon, I slept for 2.5 hours. For those of you who know me, know that I hate naps. I don't like the way I feel when I wake up. I also hate when others take a nap when I am awake doing things. Just unnerves me.

The week so far has had a feeling of summertime for me. I am not sure why. In my mind B is already done with school for the year and he isn't for another week. I don't know where the feeling of "done" comes from, but it is there. He will finish his kindergarten year next Friday. I can't believe he will be in first grade in 3 short months, but that is reality isn't it?

The weather here has been amazing and beautiful. Very low humidity and even cool mornings until today. It was more humid this morning, but there are storms on the horizon in the west coming our way today. So, by this afternoon we could have severe storms.

I am really rambling in this post today. Not sure how any of this ties together but it does. Oh and Mrs. B, if you are reading this, I am trying to talk to you on the phone!!!! I have an update on our trip in June but you will not be happy. BUT, on a brighter note, I need to find a weekend that works for both of us b/c I plan to come for a visit alone!! Call me!!!

WOW, what a strange post today...

Baby Bird

There is a bird nest in the Crepe Myrtle outside of our bedroom window. Yesterday morning, Mark and E were watching the momma bird carry things to the nest. We actually thought there were tiny babies in the nest that she was feeding. Now we think she must have been taking twigs and such to secure and make a stronger nest for her eggs. Mark and E stood in and at the window for quite some time whispering to one another about the bird and her nest. It was so sweet to watch the two of them.

Fastforward to last night. Mark and I went to Books a Million, had coffee and read a while. A friend of ours, Brenda, came over to watch the kids. Anyway, when we came back home I was stopped on the sidewalk at the horrible sight! One of the bird eggs had fallen out of the nest!!!! Splat, it was on the sidewalk. We had a really windy day here and I am sure it fell out during a big wind. It made me so sad. I am sure that birds do not have feelings like humans, but any animal that loses its babies would be sad. I am still sad that this momma bird was probably out of the nest looking for twigs and came back to find an egg, maybe the only one, missing.....

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

We can officially celebrate now that it is past midnight and is now the 5th of May!! I don't normally celebrate this day but since B's class is having a parade, I thought I would join the celebration. ha ha I found this cake online and thought it would fit right in. Since I don't want a dull life, I try to make cakes such as this. I am happy with the way it turned out. I have no idea how I am going to get it to his school in one piece in the morning, but I will figure that out then.

I hear footsteps upstairs, so this may not get completed before someone is coming down here...

Before (it is a confetti cake mix - the reason it looks like a Christmas fruit cake)

After

With Curly Lines requested by B: