I Promise it's the Last One!....

Today marks the end of the August Birthday Bazaar at our house! Of course it couldn't be the end without having one final celebration right? So Happy Birthday Brian!! I'm so glad that we get to celebrate your getting older (36 in case you were wondering)! It's fabulous that you will always be older than me, and that your hair is turning gray first! We love you and hope that your birthday is extra super spectacular.....even though you have to work!! Happy Birthday!!!!!

Are We All In This Together?....

High School Musical, it's the stuff dreams are made of! Unless you are in your 80's or have been living in a cave on a deserted island you know about this fabulous Disney work! It's everywhere...we can't get away from it. Walmart sells it, the mall is loaded with it even the local jiffy store has candy with Troy Bolton's picture on it. What is this world coming to? Now because I have two young girls in my house we are forced to watch anything remotely related to the High School Musical craze, we even have the karaoke CD! What I want to know most is where do you find this kind of high school....I might stop homeschooling my kids if I knew they could have perfect skin, perfect clothes and break into perfectly choreographed song and dance in the middle of chemistry class! How fabulous would that be?! I don't remember this from my days at Lake Weir High! I have always considered myself mostly perfect, but the song and dance part would have been "OFF THE HOOK"!!
So when will this craze end? Is there going to be a third installment of SharPey's antics and will my kids stuffed animals be forever named Gabriella and Troy? And more importantly, who names their kid SharPey...isn't that a scrunchy faced chinese dog? We are waiting on pins and needles for answers to these all important questions! In the meantime I have discovered that spelling words are written with a little more enthusiasm with a pink pencil covered with the Wildcats emblem!

Baby Boy....

Another birthday celebration is on the schedule for today! Josh turns 6 today and lets just say I'm not as excited about it as he is! That may seem terrible for a mother to say, but I can't help it. When I look at him, I see my baby boy....the last of my offspring and I want him to stay that way. Oh I know he will always be the baby, but it's not the same when they are older. Just last night as we were eating dinner he referred to himself as a man. I must admit it was very cute, but also made me realize that he is growing up. Josh keeps me laughing....all the time! From putting fish in inappropriate places to giving daily rock concerts (he has another one planned for his birthday party) there is always something exciting happening in his life! He is animated, passionate, impulsive and adorable! The joy he brings to our family is indescribable! This is the child who spends hours coming up with elaborate traps for wild animals that might venture into his room, and then tells me he couldn't possibly clean it up because it's his army base. He's very creative in his avoiding chores and he frequently gets away with it by flashing his dimples! His laugh is infectious and there's no way you can avoid smiling when you hear it. He is a priceless gift to our family and we love him dearly! Happy Birthday baby boy...as you would say "I think you're better than a pickle on a stick!"

This and That....

Blogging has been slow here lately. There just hasn't been much to say. I think the bajillion degree heat has just gotten to me! I don't feel like doing much of anything. Of course this can be a problem if you are the mother of four children who always feel like doing something!
This past week has been busy as usual despite my lazy feeling. Meghan and Josh went camping for a week with Nana. Camping with Nana is always an adventure and the kids look forward to it with major excitement! Nana is fun! She leads them on adventures that I would shake my head at. They spend hours in the creek catching salamanders and crawfish and building little slides to ride down on their tubes. They go in search of wildlife. I think they saw 7 bears, a whole bunch of deer and some really cool owls! When they get tired of the creek they go to the dollar store where there is all manner of high quality toys available for purchase and yes, Nana is very accommodating! The best thing about this is the memories they are creating together! One day the kids are going to look back and remember this as one of the best times of their lives! I'm so grateful that they have a Nana who loves them deeply and wants to spend time with them. That kind of commitment to family is irreplaceable. I never have to worry when they are with her. I know that she takes perfect care of them and always does what is best for them, like giving them doughnuts for breakfast only after they have finished all of their Fruit Loops!
What were the rest of us doing while those two were off adventuring in the wilderness? School! It's that time of year again and we got some serious studying in. It was nice to be able to focus on two at a time. Of course the week wasn't all work and no play. Katy and I did manage to fit in a pedicure and Tyler hung out with the youth group at Splash Country, but other than that it was all work....I promise!

How Do I Love Thee?....

Today is Brian and I's 15th Anniversary! Seems so very hard to believe! There have been times when I wasn't sure we would make it this far, but we have definitely been blessed! I love you honey.....Happy Anniversary!

Another One....

Dear Tyler,

Today is your 14th birthday! Where have the years gone? What a privilege it is to be your mother! It is such a joy to watch you grow into the man you are becoming! My heart is so full of love for you that it would very likely burst open if it could! You mean so much to us! I love to watch you think and create. I love it when you know things that I don't and how you act like it's no big deal! I love the way you look like your father! I love the way you care for your siblings even though at times you would like to strangle them! I love that you aren't too cool to hug me or kiss me in front of your peers! I love your spirit! You are handsome, caring and articulate. You possess so many qualities that a mother dreams her child will have.

I can't wait for the next 14 years! I can't wait to see you become an adult, to finish your education and to launch yourself into the future! I am so proud of you!

Happy Birthday!

All Fishes Go to Heaven....

Tragedy struck our house today. Josh's "famous" fish went to live in the big toothbrush holder in the sky. We aren't sure how this happened, one minute he was swimming in his little bowl and the next.....well he wasn't. Normally I would suggest that we flush a dead fish, but this was so traumatic that we actually needed a fishy funeral. So Tyler took Josh outside and they gave the fish a semi-permanent resting place in the flower bed. I say semi-permanent because Josh keeps digging up his fish to show it to unsuspecting mourners. I know it seems rather morbid, but I guess when you are five the attention you get from showing off your dead fish to anyone who can stomach it is better than shedding tears of sorrow over your bereaved pet. One day I'm sure he will learn to properly grieve; until then beware the kid with the shovel scrounging around in the backyard!

K K K Katy, Beautiful Katy....

Today is Katy's 11th birthday! And thus begins the August birthday bazaar at our house!
It does not seem possible for her to be 11 already. Sometimes it feels like they just handed her to me and othertimes it feels like she's been here forever! Katy has brought so much spice into our lives. She is "super fun funky fresh" as I like to tell her! I remember when they did hand her to me and we immediately dubbed her "Katy Bug". She was so tiny with giant eyeballs and the nickname just seemed to fit! My sister thought she needed a little help getting started, so in her Sunday School class she asked for prayer that Katy's bottom would grow. One day she will probably be blamed for Katy's figure problems! Her size didn't stop her from getting what she wanted.... that's for sure! That girl has her some powerful lungs even to this day!
I can't imagine what our lives would be like without Katy! She has so much personality and spunk and brings us so much joy!

K is for Kingdom (the one we figure she will be running one day)
A is for Accepting (she is always accepting of others, regardless of their differences)
T is for Terrific (I totally think she is)
Y is for Youthful (something I hope she always stays)

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! I love you!....

leave a comment wishing Katy a happy b-day...she would love it........