Up In The Air

As I have mentioned, Jamie and I have a big anniversary coming up. I had wanted to be gone for our actual anniversary date, but school is back in session that week so we pushed our trip back a week or so. Everything is falling into place and just yesterday we booked a HUGE part of the adventure.

While in Key West, we will travel by seaplane to Fort Jefferson.

It's 70 miles off the coast of the Keys and provides some of the most spectacular snorkeling around (or so we're told). Most people choose to head out to the fort on a boat, but we have decided to arrive via seaplane. It's something neither of us has ever experienced. That's what we really looked for in settling on an anniversary trip. We wanted somewhere new to explore together. And explore we shall.....

Book It

My girls love books. I am thrilled with this of course, but lest I get too cocky, they remind me that they still love a good Hannah Montana marathon on the Disney Channel. This week we went to the bestest used bookstore in town. I've been going since I was their age and the books are still displayed in crates just like they were back then. People literally line up at the doors and wait for it to open like they are giving out free chocolate or something.

We took a bunch of old DVDs to trade in and ended up with more than $40 in trade credit. I could do a lot of damage with $42 at McKay's. But now I have three kids who had already picked out $64 worth of reading materials before they were even able to process our order. I managed to whittle the stack down so I could get two books for myself. "It's okay mom, I don't need this interesting book about cats."

This influx of new pages means the girls' room was in serious need of a new bookcase. No Kindles here, no siree. Just piles and piles of books. Fortunately Nana and Granddad had a bookcase or two leftover from their move. We just put the bookcase in their room and already....it's full! Guess we're going to need to look for another one soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Like a Cruise Ship, But With Less Water

We've had a great summer so far. We've been busy with vacation and VBS and other fun day trips in between. As a result, my children wake up every day with one thing on their lips, "Mom, what do you have planned for us today?"

I will be the first to admit that I like a good schedule. A nice calendar of events to helps me plan and prepare. But having all three girls home this summer has turned me into Caroline the Cruise Director. Yesterday we were on the road to the used book store by 8:29 a.m. Today we had to wait for the cable guy to come to the house so there were no "real" activities planned. Rest assured tomorrow will have something fun and exciting in store...even if that only means a trip to the park and the library. Or perhaps we'll have a Shuffleboard Tournament out on the deck.

Just Keep Running

You know that fish Dory from Finding Nemo? The one who sings, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." I'm channeling her this week. I am just really struggling to get my miles in. I don't know if it is the heat or my insanely busy schedule now that all three girls are home and constantly wanting an activity scheduled. It's hard for me to remember that 6 short months ago I was running a marathon and a half marathon. In. One. Weekend. 39.3 miles in just two days.

But here the calendar sits on June 28th and for the month I have logged a measly 20 miles. For the entire month!!! I know this because a.) I am weird like that and b.) I keep an online running log at MarathonGuide. I'm thankful that I am not injured and am able to run at all, but I really wish I could squeeze in a few more miles. I'm getting a jogging stroller tonight (used, of course) and my hope is that once the older girls start back to school Allie and I can go for runs in the morning. I typically see running as "my time" but I've learned that running with a stroller will be far better than not running at all. I'm actually excited about it. Allie enjoys being out an about so as long as I pack her snacks, I figure she'll be good for 5 or 6 miles.

In the meantime, I'm just channeling Dory and reading the quote below daily. It's posted in front of my treadmill and it's becoming my mantra.

"Success does not come to the most righteous or rigorously disciplined but to those who continue running." -Amby Burfoot

My Little Trooper

Allie likes to go for walks. On Saturday after dinner, no one else wanted to venture out in the heat and humidity, but Allie was game. Of course, she had to bring along five Barbies, but still...she wanted to go.

I always let her walk for a while and throw rocks off the bridge on the greenway. Unfortunately she likes to run (wonder where she gets that?) and she fell....tearing most of the skin off her left knee. It started bleeding like crazy so I asked her if she wanted to go home and get a Band-aid. "No, more wocks." So we kept going. It's like nothing phases her!

Menu Memo

Another fun project inspired by Pinterest. This one is a simple dry erase memo board.

I'm using mine to display our daily dinner menu. All you need is a frame (with glass). Instead of a photograph, place a sheet of scrapbook paper...whatever design you want...under the glass and frame it. Then write on the glass with a dry erase marker. It wipes off with a paper towel. The kids love it and like knowing what we are having each night.

Craft Inspiration

My latest obsession is Pinterest. It's an amazing site where I have found inspiration for SO many things. My friend invited me to the site to help me get ideas for Allie's birthday, but I have found so much more.

One of my pin boards is cool craft ideas. Like this one....

We came back from the beach with about 648 seashells. I never even thought to paint them!

Simple, easy and FUN!

This Sums Up How I Feel Today

Vacation Bible School

This week has been a great week. We had Vacation Bible School at church! My poor, deprived kids have never been to VBS. Since I have always worked, it just wasn't something we were able to do so I'm glad they finally got to experience it. VBS holds some of my favorite childhood memories and now it does the same for my girls. I co-taught the 3 year-old class so Allie hung out in the nursery.

Each day started out with an assembly in the Parish Hall. The kids learned songs (complete with motions!) and had SO much fun. I must admit the grown-ups got into the songs too. The theme was "PandaMania" (God's Wild About You!)

After songs one of our pastors would sit the kids down for the day's bible story and a prayer.

Once story time was over, the classes were dismissed to their next activity. The morning was divided into twenty-minute blocks with five minutes of travel time between each activity. My class had snack first and then returned to our classroom for free play and a daily video. Then we met up with the 4's for music time. That meant Ainsley and I got to do that together.

It was SO much fun! After music my kids went to craft time. The crafts we made all week were SO creative and awesome. I snuck away from my class to grab some shots of Anastasia at craft time.

My class was the youngest of the VBS kids and sometimes I wondered if they were getting anything out of it. The, one morning....one of the boys high-five the Jesus statue in the hallway. I guess he got the idea after all.

It was such a wonderful week. I'm so thankful to have been able to become more involved in my church and meet more of my church family. There was a closing ceremony tonight, but I had to work. Jamie, Anna and Chris took the girls. Sounds like it went well. To wrap up the week the kids will perform for the worship service on Sunday. I'll try to video that!

Wordless Wednesday

First Day of Summer

It has been summer here in Tennessee for well over a month, only now the calendar actually matches the weather we're having. Summer means many wonderful things and, as the girls found out recently, lightning bugs.

Over the weekend we let them creep out into the yard to track the tiny floating lanterns, beckoning them with their blinks. The girls were quite knowledgeable about the fireflies. According to them, the girl lightning bugs are the ones near the grass and the boy lightning bugs are the ones higher up into the air. The boys have a distinct pattern of blinking (seriously, watching my girls imitate the "blinks" of a male lightning bug was the highlight of my weekend) and they talk to the girls down below.

The girls did catch a few but immediately released them into the yard. It was a fun evening and I've promised to let them chase bugs again soon.

Blogger's Note: I swear it was almost dark when I took them out into the yard. The photos above were taken at 9 p.m. My camera was obviously picking up ALL the light left in the western sky that night. Because from the looks of it, I was trying to get my kids to chase lightning bugs in the mid-afternoon!

Pipe Dreams and Playrooms

Am I the only one who wishes that their playroom looked like this?

Artwork displayed so neatly and perfectly. Labeled bins where everything has a place. Not a Barbie shoe or Littlest Pet Shop rabbit to be found. (Not to mention the perfectly groomed children with darling little art smocks on.) But then I remind myself that no one's playroom looks like that and it's only a pipe dream. Because this is what our playroom looks like.

Seriously, that's it. In all it's hideousness.

Toys and books strewn everywhere. No one can find anything! And any time I need to use the treadmill I have to shove aside train tracks and Lincoln Logs.

But it is a playroom that is well-loved and well-used. My dad would say that Anna and I kept a playroom in the exact same condition when we were kids. Imagination flows there and for that I am grateful. If only it flowed a little more neatly.

Father's Day Weekend

Father's Day weekend has come and gone. I can't really comment as to the "goodness" of the holiday as it is not one designed for me, but I hope the fathers and grandfathers in our lives know how much we love them.

On Saturday I got to spend time with my dad. We went over to Nana and Granddad's house for a cookout and to give him his gifts. His gift from Nana was a new hammock. (Back story....My mom really HATES the old nasty, moldy hammock he has so this gift was really for her so she would not have to see that old ratty fabric-that had been gnawed on by a critter and patched- swaying in the breeze anymore, but I digress.) The hammock was to be set up outside, but of course it rained buckets. We went with Plan B and set it up on their screened in porch. It has an awesome pillow.

I think the girls were just as excited about it as Granddaddy was.

They wasted no time climbing in and enjoying it.

When Allie got up from her nap, she joined them on the hammock.

Today was kind of crazy because we had the kickoff for VBS and I had to go to work early, but hopefully Jamie enjoyed his Father's Day. I made homemade mashed potatoes along with the Pioneer Woman's Meatballs (totally to die for!!) and we enjoyed a big lunch as a family. The girls got Jamie and new swanky electric shaver and a DVD. They also gave him beautiful cards and artwork.

I hope he knows how much we love and appreciate all he does for our family. And that the love and appreciation we have for him has nothing to do with the fact that he can break boards with his fist (although that does help.)

Happy Father's Day!

Blogger's Note: I am a terrible wife/mother/human being as we totally forgot to get a picture of the girls with their daddy before I left for work. Well...I did remember, but only after Allie fell asleep. The picture above is from our trip though and quite recent so it will have to suffice.

Fresh from the Farm

In an effort to let Jamie sleep in on Father's Day weekend I took the kids to the Farmer's Market bright and early this morning. We arrived before the bell rang which made my girls anxious. I think they thought someone was going to steal the raspberries right out from under them.

To their credit, the raspberries were amazing! We also found some giant blackberries.

We still had a few bucks left so we bought a tomato (I'm the only one who actually eats them) and some beautiful flowers.

It was a great day to be out. There was a bluegrass band playing and tons of people out milling around.

We can't wait to see what next Saturday's harvest brings!

Hermit Drama

So as I blogged about earlier in the week, we purchased two hermit crabs while we were in North Carolina. Sadly, Ainsley's crab didn't make it. Monday night at work, my phone rang. My caller ID told me it was Jamie. "Hey," I said. "Hey," he replied. It was his serious Hey. Not the "Hey the baby just did something cute or Ainsley wants to say hi." It was the "Someone's dead" hey. I immediately went through the list of people it could be when he said, "I think Ainsley's crab is dead." I was torn between relief, sadness, and a comic hysteria. We conversed and he decided (after reading our crab materials) that perhaps we needed to treat the water for the hermit crab. He loaded the kids in the car and went to the pet store.

Despite our best efforts, the crab didn't make it. Truth be told, he was never as active as Anastasia's crab so perhaps he was already sick when we yanked him from his coastal home to our land-locked abode. I know that I am a blogger and I pride myself on sharing photos and stories. Trust me on this one, the crab was dead. I actually considered taking a picture, but dang...that thing was nasty. Suffice it to say, he is now enjoying that great expanse of sand in the sky.

So on Thursday I loaded up the kids and we went back to the pet store....where Ainsley picked out a brand-new crab. Its shell isn't adorned with a red white and blue butterfly, but this crab is awesome. He (she??) immediately began exploring its new home.

He (she??) seems happy with Anastasia's crab and loves to crawl.

They are happily at home on the book shelf in the girls' room. And the best part about the new crab? He (she??) came with a 14-day guarantee!

Vacation Celebration: Part 7

Friday, the 10th was our last day at the beach. Determined to get the most out of the day...we were all up and on the sand by 8 a.m. It was a beautiful day.

We found some awesome shells that had been deposited by the tide and just enjoyed ourselves.

Some enjoyed the water more than others...

I love this shot of them holding hands.

But then we had some excitement. The father of a family seated to our left just down the beach spotted a shark. A shark that was feeding on a stingray. I do not have pictures of said shark excitement as I was too busy making sure that Jamie and the girls got the hell out of the water. I did see the ray being thrashed about several times, but was too far up on shore to see the actual shark. Needless to say it was toes only in the water after that.

We headed back to the house to escape the mid-day sun (we're all a little to fair-skinned for noontime sunbathing) and for lunch. Allie got to know our crabs a bit better while I fixed our meal. She loves to scream "Crabbie! Crabbie!" at them.

We all took naps and did some packing before ordering a pizza. We had it delivered and enjoyed our last meal at the house out on the screened in porch. It was a beautiful evening.


After dinner we went back to the beach.

I saw another stingray (no shark attached this time) so unfortunately the kids couldn't play in the waves like they wanted. We were still able to enjoy one more amazing night on the shore.
And just at the water's edge.

It was everything we could have asked for in our last evening at the beach.

We packed up early Saturday morning and after a great breakfast at a local cafe, we drove 10 hours home. It was a long day, but the girls were troopers and we made great time.

I am so thankful for our vacation. It was what we needed as a family to re-charge and relax. Jamie and I have decided it was our best family vacation to date. We feel very fortunate to have been able to share those 8 days with our girls. We made some very wonderful memories that won't soon be forgotten.

Allie Update: 21 Months

Allie turned 21 months old while we were on vacation. I feel like I needed to update on her latest goings on.

Her vocabulary continues to blow my mind on a daily basis. She has so many words, the latest of which are "No fair!" She used it on Sunday when I said, "Allie, it's time for nap." "No fair," she replied. She said it again when I told her she couldn't have my necklace because I was wearing it to work. She has also become fond of the word "sure." "Allie, do you want goldfish?" "No." "Do you want crackers?" "No." "Do you want yogurt?" "Sure!"

She likes to introduce herself to everyone now. When we were at the beach, a man was walking his dog near where we were playing. Allie got up, walked directly into his path and said, "Stop!" The man stopped dead in his tracks and Allie proceeded to say, "I, Allie." Then she introduced the rest of the family. I heard say "Name, Allie" to a kid at the park this week. She then waited until the kid told her his name.

The picture of her above is from the park on Wednesday. I've been trying to have at least one outing every day to keep the older girls from getting bored this summer. We visited a new park (well, new to us) and really enjoyed it. Allie was fake snoring when I took that picture.

So she's incredibly talkative and, in my opinion, brilliant. She's funny and friendly and opinionated. She won't keep shoes on for more than ten minutes and always pulls the rubber bands out of her hair until it flops in her face. She is very loving and has taken to hugging your neck. When one of her sisters is crying or upset, she will run over, grab them and say, "Happen? Happen?" She'll then hug them until the tears have dried. She's just a really cool kid. But unfortunately she has been smearing poop all over her crib lately. I guess you can't have everything.

Vacation Celebration: Part 6

Thursday morning brought another beautiful day. The wind was pretty strong, but it provided a buffer from the fire so we didn't mind at all. We spent an hour at the beach, but it got hot pretty quickly and we were worried about everyone getting burned. We put Allie down for an early nap because we needed to be at the Hatteras Lighthouse by 3 p.m. The girls worked all week to become Junior Rangers and as a part of that, you have to attend two programs. The heard one on Pirates on Tuesday and then we drove back to Buxton for a second program. Allie and I drove around the village and did some research for next year's trip while Jamie and the girls sat through an excellent program on sea turtles.

After the program's conclusion...they were sworn in as Junior Rangers.

They had so much fun and got a cool badge and patch for their efforts.

We did some shopping at our favorite spots and even ended up with two new pets. We are now the proud owners of two hermit crabs.

The girls love them. And in my favorite turn of events from the trip...we bought them before dinner so they had to come in with us...to the seafood restaurant. Ha! They sat on our table as we dined on shrimp. We closed Thursday just like we did every other day at the beach...with a dip in the hot tub. I assure you we miss it very much!