extra merry

I intended to blog about Disney. I have lots of cute pictures and stories to tell because it was truly a magical trip. But it's probably not going to happen.  At least not anytime soon.  I'm exhausted, friends.

Because apparently growing a human is really hard for me.

We've known since October so sorry you're a bit late to the party.  Reese is over the moon about "our baby."  And every single time he says our baby I get weepy.  I blame the hormones.

Also blaming the hormones for the all day nausea which turns into hours of vomiting each night.  And the splitting headaches.  Ouch.  I was sick with Reese, but it has been nothing compared to this go round.  I'm on my second medicine regime and these meds basically knock me out.  So yeah, my options are either vomit or sleep.  I'm a lot of fun to hang out with.

We are most certainly not complaining, though.  This pregnancy didn't come as easy as Reese, so we are going to happily vomit as long as it lasts.  I think Lofton would agree it was a longer and harder journey than we anticipated, but also a really great one for us.  We've learned so much in the last year about God's timing and God's plan.  Let's just say sometimes it's different than ours.

Right now I'm trying to balance work with rest with being a mama and a wife and oh yeah Christmas.  I'm overwhelmed and ready for this week to be over.  I need some Reese time.  I'm increasingly aware that our days as a duo are coming to an end and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxious.  But he really is so excited. He told me tonight that he's going to practice his ballet because if our baby is a girl she'll need me to teach her.

So I'm going to leave you with that.  My five year old teaching himself ballet on the off-chance he has a sister!  Happy news and happy holidays!

soccer and pumpkins

We leave for Disney in a few days.  I knew that would be a blog worthy post, so I thought I might should get to recapping the last month before I get too far behind.

Our October has been dominated by soccer.

With Lofton as the coach I am, by default, team mom.  I take my role very seriously.  Just kidding. I do attend all the games, though.

And I also got in a minor {okay, major} verbal altercation with an opposing team's coach.  She was cheating. And insulting my husband.  It was ugly. I may have used the phrase "pot calling the kettle black" and told her to get back on her side of the field.  Not my finest moment.  But funny in hindsight.

Tomorrow night we play our last game and I am not sad.  Not one bit.  Although the kiddos are pretty adorable.  They are also unbeaten.  See that blond little boy on the left?  That's Warner.  He's a beast on the soccer field.

Last weekend we carved our pumpkin.  Reese was so excited... until he realized what is actually inside the pumpkin.  Evidently pumpkin guts aren't his thing.

So basically Lofton and I spent two hours carving pumpkins while Reese played football in the yard.  They looked phenomenal-- mine had polka dots and Lofton carved a Mickey Mouse vampire into the other-- but I didn't get a picture because the heat got them after approximately one night.  Bummer.  Wednesday was the big trick or treating night in Opelika.  Reese went to five houses.  At the first house {friends of ours we attend church with} Reese burst into tears when he got four feet from the door.  The pressure of ringing the doorbell was too much.  So we did it together.  And after five houses, all people we knew, he was done.  Lesson learned?  Halloween is not our jam.

And with that November has arrived and Mickey Mouse awaits.  

We are beyond excited.

happenings

We had Reese's birthday party the Saturday before last.

It was perfect weather for jumping in the bounce house and celebrating our favorite boy.

We surprised Reese before the party with a little gift...  A trip to DISNEY!  It's hard to say who's more excited-- him or me.  We've been planning the trip since the Spring, so it's nice to be able to actually talk about it now.  There's been a lot of spelling of d-i-s-n-e-y.  Our trip is in early November and the countdown calendar is displayed prominently on the fridge.

I'm literally giddy with excitement.  My parents are going to join us if my dad will go to the doctor and get his knee examined.  Hi Daddy-- I know you read my blog.  Take your tail to the doctor because we aren't wheeling you around Disney in a wheelchair.  Love you! I actually received our Magic Bands in the mail from Disney today.  We are testing them as part of a new program for Disney World.  Awesome?  Umm, yes.  

In other happenings, Reese came home with a horribly high fever Tuesday afternoon.  We wasted an hour of our time {and forty dollars} at the pediatric clinic before coming home to snuggle on the couch.  Wednesday was spent doing the same.  Unfortunately for Reese it was his birthday.  Luckily he loves watching movies on the couch with his mama.  And me?  Perfectly content to stay home and snuggle with my baby on his actual birthday.  I still can't believe he's five.  And evidently neither can he because he says that all the time.  He also asked if he could go ahead and start kindergarten.  Like Thursday.  Oh the disappointment when I explained he would have to finish the year in preschool first.

Friday we sent him to school fever free for his pumpkin patch field trip.  I was leery as our first trip to the pumpkin patch didn't go so well.  Petting zoos are not Reese's jam.  He was also nervous about riding a school bus.  I was equally as nervous about him riding a school bus, but off he went.  When I picked him up from school he was full of stories.  The best of which involved him explaining the pumpkin patch rules.

Let me just tell you the punkin patch rules, Mama.  Rule one: Whatever punkin you pick, you have to carry.  So if you pick the giant punkin you have to carry it all day long until we get back to the school bus.  And so my punkin is small Mama, because there was no way I was going to carry a big ole punkin around all day.

Small it is.  Tiny, in fact.  Well worth the eight dollars I paid.

From school we headed to get our flu shot.  Let me just tell you, I will not be taking him alone next year.  It took two nurses to hold him down.  Lovely.

And that about sums up our first week of being five.

five

Dear Reese,

Today you are five.  FIVE.  It sounds so big and so old.  My heart just can't comprehend that five years ago today we welcomed you into our arms.

You are the perfect combination of funny and smart, sassy and sweet. You asked me recently if I would marry you and move to Canada.  Without hesitation I said yes.

Watching you grow into a little boy with questions and ideas of your own fascinates me.  I love seeing your mind at work-- processing life in your brain and reasoning all on your own.  Recently we were talking about heaven and you said that you were so happy Granny, Mrs. Krista's dad, and Deuce {Mamie and Paw Paw's dog} could all be together as friends.  I pray you hold on to that childlike faith for many more years.

Speaking of prayers we have so many for you. I pray for you more than anyone, or anything else, because growing up is hard.  But above all we are just thankful to God for creating you just as you are.  You are our greatest blessing and your Daddy and I love you so much.  To the moon and back again and again.

Happy 5th Birthday, baby boy,
love, Mama

settling in

Can you believe it's almost Fall?  

This time of year is always hectic for us.  The start of school {times 2 this year}, the start of soccer {Lofton is coaching again}, and Reese's birthday.  If I think too hard about my baby turning five in two weeks, I'll cry.

For once, though, I think we feel really settled.  Although work is busy for us both, it's finally a good busy. Teaching is stressful, sure, but the parts of my job that have been so overwhelming in the past few years, are no longer so.  The change is pretty amazing.  Lofton is insanely busy at work, but that's wonderful.  When you work in the building industry as a salesman, busy is always good.  

Reese is doing well in school and adjusting to a new routine.  I won't say it hasn't had challenges {we had a parent conference--that we requested-- yesterday}, but I think he's really enjoying being at a bigger school.  I'm constantly amazed when he tells me all he's learned during the day.  Our conference concerns were behavior related, but they basically stemmed from a lack of clear communication from his teacher.  Now that we are more informed I feel much, much better.  And much more confident that we have a bright, funny, sweet little boy who loves to learn.

As we left our small group Sunday night and were driving home, I told Lofton how nice it feels to be settled.  Super content in the life we are living.  Content with ourselves and each other, our house, and our jobs. Things haven't always been that way, and I'm not sure if getting older has helped us, or if living through life's ups and downs the past few years has brought a fresh perspective.

Regardless, it feels really nice.

schooled

As expected, Reese has taken to school fairly well.  He was a bundle of nerves Monday, but by Tuesday had decided he didn't need Lofton to park and walk him inside.  Mr. Independent. And yes, I'm still insisting he be walked inside.  At least for a few more weeks.

He's been full of stories about his teachers, other kids, and lunchtime.  Evidently eating in the cafeteria is really exciting.  I can't say that I feel the same way!

This week in PE they learned to hula hoop.  Reese was excited to share that he told his entire PE group about Emo's amazing hula hooping ability,  I think they signed her up as entertainment for Grandparent's Day.

The only downside, if you can call it that, is that poor buddy has been slap worn out.  I could tell on Wednesday night we were starting to hit a wall and told Lofton as we were getting ready for bed to be prepared.  I know when things are about to get ugly. Thursday was a little worse and by Friday morning Reese had come unglued.  I emailed his teacher to let her know we'd had a rough morning and she let me know that she suspected something was up.  Reese is accustomed to napping most every day.  He can go without a nap, but not for five days in a row.  They do have "rest time" but I think by the time he gets settled to sleep, it's time to wake up.  

We've been putting him to bed around 7:30, and I'm hoping after another week or so he's body will adjust to the more hectic pace.

Speaking of tired, I've been going to bed a little earlier myself.  The first week of school wears me out.  So much of me having to talk, and organize, and instruct the kiddos about every little thing.  It takes a lot out of you!  But I will say that I've had a peace about the start of this school year that I haven't had in a long time.  It's been really amazing.  

I'm excited to have Labor Day just around the corner and preparations are underway for my favorite little boy's fifth birthday party.  Can you believe it?  Friday night football starts this week and Auburn plays Saturday so we are officially ready for Fall!

big school

Today Reese starts big school.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad.  I've been desperately trying to grasp the days as they fly by.

Big school feels really big.  A drop off circle, a cafeteria, walking down the hallway for music and art.  Big changes for this mama's heart.

When I was a little girl I always got really nervous before the first day of school.  Buck would always give me a big pep talk, and always, ALWAYS it made me feel better.  I'm not the one taking Reese to school, probably a good thing!  I have my own boys and girls to welcome.  But I know Lofton will do a great job of easing Reese's worries-- because let's be honest, Reese is like his mama... he worries.

I've prayed a lot for Reese's future friends.  That they'll be boys and girls with big hearts, who love their mamas and daddies just like him.  I've prayed for his teacher, too.  That she'll love him like I love my boys and girls.  That she'll encourage him and guide him through this year of learning.  Reese is strong willed but sweet.  So funny and so smart.  I pray she sees all of that.

Since Reese was a baby I've prayed this verse for him-- Luke 2:40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

It literally feels like I blinked and he became a little boy. Like just yesterday we were rocking and bottle feeding and pacing the halls at three in the morning.  

But here we are.  And I think you go to jail if you keep your kid locked in the house forever?!? Ready, set, go-- right?

lasts

I read an article this morning about lasts in parenting.  It was a really great reminder to me to appreciate the fleeting moments that I sometimes get annoyed by.

The article talked about all the firsts we document in our children's lives-- first steps, first smile, first bike ride, but went on to say that lots of things are lasts and we never really know they're coming.  Do I remember the date Reese took his last bottle?  The last time he used his beloved pacifier?  The last time he called Lofton "Daddio" instead of Daddy?

I'm guilty.  Guilty of wishing away some of these moments in anticipation of what's to come.  And this summer I've been guilty of being irritated at Reese's inconsistent naps. Sometimes he naps, but more often he doesn't.  And no nap means that he's usually planted in my lap instead. And four year old's talk A LOT.  At least mine does.  I really loved naptime for the break it gave me to recharge a little.

Yesterday I heard the patter of flat feet coming down the hallway and he climbed in my lap.  I told him we had to be really quiet for a little while even if we weren't actually asleep.  He asked me to rub his back like a spider.  I wasn't really sure what that entailed, but I gave it my best shot.

And I'm so glad I did.  Because what if this summer is it for snuggling and I don't even realize it?  Surely there is soon to come a day when he doesn't want to run around the house in his underwear, when he won't snuggle next to me on the couch because sitting by himself is so lonely, and when he won't tell me every night that he loves me "so, so much to the moon and back when the moon is out and the sun and back when the sun is out."

So I'm changing my tune.  Maybe I'm just feeling a little winsome that summer is slipping away?  Less than two weeks to soak up some last snuggles.

july

I was online ordering Reese some long sleeve shirts for Fall when I realized if I didn't blog a little this morning it might actually be Fall before I remembered.

July has been full.

We spent every morning last week in Art class, and although I'm skeptical that he learned anything about art, he had lots of fun seeing his friends every morning.  This week I've had to work.  I spent Monday morning getting ready for work, Tuesday and Wednesday at work, and yesterday recovering.  With that my week is gone.

I will say that I left work Wednesday afternoon with a renewed spirit.  The last few work years have been rough.  And although I never doubted my calling to be a teacher, I did doubt my placement.  Things have changed, though, and I'm excited to start the new year.  Not ready-- and certainly sad that August will be here before we know it-- but not full of dread either.  It's a nice feeling to have.

While we're on the subject of school, I took Reese Monday morning to meet his new principal and take a little tour of the building.  He got to feed the school fish, see where he'll eat lunch, and look into lots of classrooms.  We also saw the playground.  His principal is sweet as she can be and could probably sense that he was little apprehensive.  She told me we could come back as many times as we needed to before August 19th.  As we walked out of the building I asked Reese what he thought and he told me in a firm, but sweet, voice that the school was too big, he has no friends there, and so he's never going back.

It would appear we have a problem on our hands.

To be honest, it is a big school.  Especially for a little boy who has spent the last four plus years at one small school.  And he really doesn't have any friends going there, but I'm certain he will make lots.  I'm also thankful, for once, that Lofton is the one that takes him to school.

We've begun the process of buying school supplies-- maybe a new backpack, lunch box, and nap blanket will help?

Finally, t-Ball has continued and will continue for two more weeks.  I'm over it, y'all.  Three games a week is exhausting.  Coach Lofton agrees with me.  It cuts into my cooking dinner time and my wine drinking.

Boo on both accounts.  

i can't stand the rain

Did anyone get my Missy Elliot reference?  It's been raining for what seems like forty days and forty nights. Seriously, I haven't seen the sun since last Tuesday.

But the fourth of July was celebrated regardless with our usual trip to the lake.  All my family peeps headed this way Wednesday.  Despite the rain, we had lots of laughs and wine and food and fun.

This annual gathering started four years ago and it's really become quite the tradition.

We rented a boat this year which turned into a little of a busted plan.  But we took a rainy ride and then when the rain slacked up a longer drier ride.  The teens did some tubing which involved Lofton driving the pontoon boat as if he stole it.  Good times.

But the best times involved the sing along.  Every year Sally asks Buck to bring his guitar and this year he finally obliged.  With printed song lyrics.  I don't sing {and really, everyone is thankful for that}, but Lofton was happy to lead.  He sounds a bit like an opera singer impersonating Kermit the Frog.  I laughed.  Really hard.

These two are trouble.  

I think next year I'll make the play list.  And it won't include Bob Dylan.  Not to be outdone, Reese wanted to show off his dance skills Friday night.

He thinks he's Usher from the Voice.

lime

I love my husband.  Probably more than most.  He's handy, and helpful, and handsome.  You know, all the H things.  

But then sometimes he does things that make absolutely no sense to me at all.  Case in point, this morning I woke up to find him spreading hydrated lime all over our backyard because apparently someone told him this would help eliminate the smell of dog pee.

When he came in to wash his hands I asked him if the lime was safe for the dogs.  I'm not sure, he says, as he walks out the door for work. So I google it and come up with a whole host of reasons why Lofton should not have spread lime on our entire backyard.  It's extremely caustic and can burn your skin,  it shouldn't be applied in summer-- only in between fall and winter when the grass is dying for the season,  it definitely needs water to help dissolve it {the chance of rain today is 10%}.

Awesome. {Except the opposite.}

So I call Lofton at work and very nicely explain that I've spent the last thirty minutes researching lime on the Internet.  And while some types of lime are not unsafe for animals and are not designed to burn the grass, the type he choose to smother our grass with is.

He laughed and said my life wouldn't be near as fun if he was the kind of husband who researched things before doing them.

And then he came home and is now outside watering our grass.

four year old problems

We spent this morning at the doctor because my sidekick has decided to make a snack of his toenails.  Yep.  His toenails. He's pretty much given himself an ingrown toenail which combined with tball cleats makes for a nasty combination.

Four year old boys are gross, y'all.

Stinky and dirty, but still full of hugs and snuggles.  It's an endearing mix, I suppose.

While at the doctor we discussed sleeping issues.  Specifically the lack of sleep we've been receiving.  Last night Reese was up-- for various reasons-- until 11:00.  Then he was awake for the day at 5:15.  A wake up time somewhere between five fifteen and five thirty has been the norm all summer.  I'm exhausted today.  And my buddy needs some sleep.

{various reasons being that he was hot, needed medicine on his two week old bug bites, wanted to clarify that I was safely across the hall, was hot again, and then he needed someone to snuggle- I said no}

Our new plan is bedtime around 7:45.  That obviously won't work on nights when we have tball at 7:00, but all other nights it should.   His school year bedtime is 8:00, but we've been somewhat lax this summer and let him stay up until 8:30.  Evidently we are in a sleep drought and it's time for some rain. I'm willing to offer gifts of ninja turtles and cash, if necessary.

will of steel

Swimming is over.  Cue the celebration choir.

Thursday's lesson was a disaster of epic proportions.  In fact, had I not witnessed it with my own eyes I would never have believed the screams I heard were from Reese.  Reese is many things, but screamer is not one of them.  Until Thursday when he had to swim where he couldn't touch. 

It was bad, y'all.  And so we reassessed and Friday didn't push so hard.  After lessons Friday, Reese and I met Haley {intern extraordinaire} at her dad's house so Reese could swim in his pool.  Little Nemo was perfectly content to swim and splash were he could touch, barely leaving the safety of the stairs.

Sigh.

Saturday we went to the lake for Sally's birthday.  Reese had already told us that he didn't care if Brenan and Analee were swimming in the deep {with life jackets, of course}, he wasn't going to.  And for the first half of the day he didn't.  He played right were he could touch.  But as the afternoon went on he slowly got braver and began inching into deeper water.  Anytime he swam deeper, we told him he was brave, but we kind of left it at that.

The other kiddos were jumping off the dock and as the day wore on Reese decided he would, too.  It took a long time.  Full of lots of walking onto the dock and changing his mind.  But finally he jumped.  And then he didn't want to stop.

The lesson in all of this is that Reese has to do things in his own time, when he wants to.  No amount of bribery or peer pressure works.  We learned that last year at the dentist, too.  And with riding his bike.  Which actually he decided last week he was ready to ride.  And so he did.  Eight months after we gave it to him.  

This child of mine, I love him so.

swimming progress

This morning we head for our fourth day of swim lessons.  I would definitely characterize Reese as progressing. He rocked lessons Monday and Tuesday, but once he had to venture into deeper water yesterday he slammed on the brakes.

Evidently he doesn't ever want to swim in water where he can't touch the bottom.  Which would be fine if we were taking swim lessons for fun, but we're not.

Lofton and I are firmly in the camp of swim lessons are for survival skills, not for fun.  We want to know that if Reese were to fall in a pool, or off the dock at the lake {even though he still wears his life jacket 24/7 at the lake}, that he could swim to the side.  

With that in mind, practicing his skills in the deeper part of the water in a necessity.  So he got a little frustrated yesterday.  And the maddening thing about our child is that it's almost impossible to convince him to do something he doesn't want to do.  He is so strong willed.  And not in an annoying pitch a fit way, more in a silent but resolved way.  Remember the dentist?

But I think {maybe I hope} that when we explained to him yesterday why we needed him to practice in deeper water that he understood.  And this morning he told me he would try really hard four times.  

We shall see...

strep throat and swim lessons

You know what's really great about the summer?  You aren't living for the weekend.  And if your weekend is a bust because you have a horrible case of strep throat it isn't the end of the world because work on Monday is a non-issue.

That's me.  The girl with strep throat.  And my tango with this hellacious infection probably wouldn't have been so bad if I had gone to the doctor Thursday afternoon when my throat started hurting.  Or even Friday at some point.  But that didn't happen.  Thursday I convinced myself that it was my allergies, and Friday morning Reese and I had eight million errands to accomplish, and so late Friday afternoon I was ready to concede that I was dying but no doctor was open.

And Friday night was long.  And full of feverish tears, sweatshirts, and pain.  And Lofton suggested we go to the pediatric clinic and ask them to see me.  Which in hindsight is kind of funny, but at the time was not funny at all.

Saturday morning Lofton had to work, so Reese and I managed to make it to urgent care in Auburn.  Where it took all of five minutes for the doctor to conclude I had a very severe case of strep throat.  I got an extremely large shot in my hip, which Reese found to be highly entertaining, and a lecture from the doctor on the dangers of letting strep throat go untreated.  Thanks Doc, the fact that I can't swallow or talk due to the swelling was my first indication that maybe I misjudged my allergy issue.

And then I took Reese to the lumber yard to stay with Lofton and went home to bed.  Where I stayed all day.  And the boys brought me a Chick Fil A milkshake and horse sized antibiotic pills.  Yesterday was marginally better.  And by marginally I mean I didn't entertain thoughts of death and I moved from the bed to the couch.

But this morning I feel almost normal.  Kind of like my throat hurts from my allergies.

That's good news because we have swim lessons this week.  Every single day.  And a plan of action.  This year Mama is going to sit in the car.  I think that will help things to go a little smoother.  For some reason I bring out Reese's dramatic side. 

And because, as you know, we believe in incentives there is a pet goldfish waiting at the end of the swimming lesson rainbow.  Reese wants a pet fish and we told him he'd have to earn it.  By being a fish himself.

See how clever we are? We basically could write a parenting book.

t ball

Our first t ball practice was yesterday.  One in the bag, eight thousand more to go.  Pardon my negative attitude, but I don't believe t ball is my jam.

Truthfully, we weren't certain Reese was going to play.  We vacillated back and forth over whether we were going to let him because of his allergies, but those seem to be in control for now.  Then he wasn't really sure he wanted to play because he likes soccer so much better.  In the end, though, I paid the forty five dollars.  

Which was a joke in itself.

Silly me thought forty five dollars would be the extent of our commitment.  Nope.  One trip to Academy for a bat, glove, ball, pants, cleats, and a helmet did that assumption in.  And now Lofton tells me we need a tee for the yard.

All that to say, our first practice was last night.  And it should be noted that with the exception of the thirty minutes we spent in the yard practicing Monday, Reese has never played t ball in his life.  This would not be true of approximately half his team.  In fact, I heard one mother mention professional batting lessons last night.  

Yep.  She really did.  

And another mama wanted to argue about the height of the tee because her child is short.  To be fair, our preacher is our coach {and Lofton is the assistant} and he's really great.  As are his two boys.  But the fact remains that parents can be crazy.  I know this because I teach the children of these crazy baseball fanatics.  The ones who can't do homework because of baseball practice. 

And so it's possible at some point this season we might need to have a dose of perspective on Team Bats. Because, dang it, if I'm going to spend three days a week at the ball field this is going to be fun. 

And also dirty.  Reese had nasty dirt sweat dripping down his face last night.  Cue the laundry.

bookworm

Last week we made our first trip to the public library for this summer.

We went last summer, as well, but I primarily picked his books.  The bookmobile visited Reese's class at school on weekly basis this year, though, so he was extra excited to check out books himself and bring them home. 

I had asked a friend for a suggestion on introductory chapter books to read this summer.  I wanted a book series, not just picture books, so Reese could follow a character progression over the summer.  I know, I'm a teacher.  At her suggestion, we chose to start with Henry and Mudge.  It's a series about a dog, Mudge, and his owner, Henry, by Cynthia Rylant.  She writes some of my favorite picture books of all time.  I read The Relatives Came on the first day of school every year.  

We picked two to read together and home we went.  That was Wednesday.

By Thursday he had them memorized.  I know this because I took "artistic license" to change a few words or cut some time and Reese immediately stopped me and told me I read the page wrong.  I naively said something like oh I did to which he replied yes the page says.... and he repeated the whole thing word for word. Shoot.

Today we went back and checked out four more.  There are only twenty so at this rate I'll need a new plan in a few weeks.  I'm open to suggestions, if you have any!

open arms

We are welcoming summer with open arms in this house.  How about you?

May was a pretty crummy month.

There was standardized testing at school, Reese's first battle with strep throat which led to missing my favorite little girl's birthday party, and my grandmother passed away.  And our refrigerator is semi-dead and I have a leaking tire.  That combined with end of the year third grade craziness and Reese's graduation from school has left us exhausted..  And kind of out of blog worthy posts.

But our month has ended on a positive, as we've just returned from vacationing at the beach with Lofton's parents.  And my favorite friends just relocated from Augusta to Birmingham.  And it's summer.  Duh.  Swim lessons, library mornings, art class, and lunch dates are about to become the norm around here.

And t-ball.  Oh t-ball.  Not my first choice of activities for Reese, but I was overruled.  

Plus, Thursday our super fancy new fridge will be delivered.

So there you are.  May in a nutshell.

home again home again

We zipped down 65 Friday afternoon to spend a little time at Emo and Buck's house.

Let's quickly gloss over the ride, shall we?  It wasn't fun.  Reese wasn't pleasant, I was coming off a week of feeling awful, the weather was yucky.  We stopped approximately five times because Reese had to potty.

Our plan was to head to the beach Saturday morning, but it was beyond cold.  And this is coming from a girl who used to lay out in February.  Finally, we headed out after lunch.  It was maybe 65 degrees.  With gale force winds.

I was thankful to have on long sleeves.

Quickly Lofton and I were reminded that four year olds don't get cold.  Reese immediately wanted to swim.  Lofton distracted him with digging, long walks for shells, and dolphin watching for a bit.  Reese was not to be deterred from his goal though so he laid down on the surf line and let the frigid water wash over him.

He swore-- blue lips and all-- that he wasn't cold.

We had dinner at the beach last night to celebrate Bridget, my brother's girlfriend, turning the big 1-8.  Lofton and I entertained the young couple with stories of our courtship.

Dinner was late-- and my little dolphin hadn't napped-- so he fell fast asleep in my lap.  He woke long enough to eat and then curled right back up.

Today we headed home to errands, laundry, and a long week of standardized testing.

Three more Mondays....

zipping along

The work days are long right now, friends.  And I'm 100% certain I've said that before.  It's just that time of year.

And while the weeks are dragging by, my favorite child's days at school are flying at warp speed.  Don't even ask how I'm going to get through his pre-k graduation on May 17th.  Because I'm not.  I'm going to sob through the whole thing.  And his last day at Milestone on May 24th?  I cried when I told them that was the official date.  Like wept.

And yes, he'll do pre-k again next year.  At a different school.  And then graduate again.  And no, we aren't sure where.  Lots of decisions coming down the pike, kids.  LOTS.

But through all of that, there has been lots of laughter this week.  Reese is 100% my child in most every aspect except two-- he's hysterically funny and completely accident prone.  Those things have Lofton written all over them.

I signed my eight billionth accident report Thursday.  Reese took a tumble down the sidewalk.  He is just so clumsy.  Maybe the giant feet?  I'm not sure.  Regardless there was bleed. And apparently when you're four, bleed is fine when your mama isn't around but as soon as she shows up it's reason to fall apart.  Tears, requests to be held, band aids constantly applied, and gummy bears.  Because, duh, gummy bears heal the world.  What you can't see is the healing knee.  Yes, I signed an accident report last week also.  

So imagine our excitement that Friday was the trikeathon.  Reese raised $53.00 in pledges for a special needs school in the Valley.  Thanks grands and Cassie & Hugh! Although Reese refused to ride his bicycle-- still won't touch it-- he did ride his scooter.  I literally couldn't breath between nine and ten Friday morning.  I was just waiting for my I think Reese broke his arm call.

But he rocked it out.  And according to him he won! Lofton and I were unaware the trikeathon was a competitive event, but whatever....

And then Daddy brought home a turtle--

Murtle was saved by my non-boyscout husband.  She spent the day riding in his truck.  We set her free in the backyard and hopefully Murtle found a good safe home.  Also I sold a car.  My parents have been trying, unsuccessfully, to sell Jackson's truck.  He needs something more gas-friendly to zip around town in.  I casually mentioned to a friend at school that the truck was for sale and wouldn't you know, it was exactly what her teenage son was wanting.  That's me-- making dreams come true for kids of all ages.  It's probably the first and last truck I'll ever sell, but I'm pretty impressed with myself.  My dad's dad, Granddaddy Buck, would have been proud of me, too.  He really wanted my dad to be a car salesman instead of a teacher.  And look at me!  Best of both worlds. 

Six more Mondays, peeps! Then we'll be drinking margaritas with our toes in the sand...

easter

There was egg dying, a fun egg hunt with friends, and of course, a visit from the easter bunny.

The poor easter bunny had to venture last minute to Target because our favorite four year old mentioned twice that he really hoped he got some bubble in his easter basket.  Stinker.

little boys

Yesterday we were finally, FINALLY able to get outside and play.

We did all things boy.  Dig in the dirt, run laps around the yard, tell stories about dinosaurs, and pretend to fight with swords.

And I kind of wondered what mama's of girls do?  We didn't teach Reese about sword fighting or superheroes and we never showed him how to dig in the dirt for buried treasure.  He just does those things.

When we were pregnant with Reese we never had a gender preference.  In fact, I kind of think people who do are silly.  But now that I'm a boy mama I just can't imagine what the other side would have been like.

Because life with this guy is pretty perfect.  

break time

Spring Break is in full force and we are loving it.  I am on the tail end of some nasty sinus junk, so it really couldn't have come at a better time.  I could do without the ever changing weather, though.  Freeze warning the last week of March?  Boo to that.

We spent yesterday morning at the allergist mapping out a new {and hopefully} effective plan for Reese.  I was very impressed at the doctor's thoroughness-- because you know I had a lot of questions.

A little later today we are headed for a preschool interview.  Fingers crossed that when Reese has to demonstrate his scissor skills he uses paper, not his pants.

The rest of the week we have plans to work on hallway projects, purge old magazines {why is throwing them away so hard?}, and clean out Reese's closet.  It's a mess in there.  His closet is large, which is fabulous, but that means there's been a lot of room for pushing too small clothes to the side.

Mama picked up some school clothes for him this weekend to add to the shorts I've ordered from Old Navy.  I like to spread out my purchases for him and that I also have two categories for his clothes: school and non-school.  His bottoms fall into both categories, but his shirts not so much.  Over the last month or so I've picked up some shirts from mini-boden {love them and the quality!} and crewcuts {jcrew kid's line--on super sale because I'm not crazy}, plus some polo's scored at tjmaxx.  But those all are non-school shirts.  Belk usually disappoints me in the limited boys options, but Saturday we hit the jackpot.  And most of it was 55% off.

Reese also thinks we are going to camp outside {he's mistaken} and practice hunting eggs {see above on freeze warning}.  I also promised him a trip to the cupcake store and a lunch date with his Daddy.  

This morning I enjoyed my cartoon snuggler, while sipping my coffee, and vowed to start every morning this week the exact same way.  Time passes in a blink, y'all.

springy

Allergies are a bear at our house.

The sneezing, Allegra taking, and Nasonex snorting is never ending. And the cough?  So over it already.

But being outside is just so stinking fun.

We've been cooped up in the house going on four days now.  Reese spent Sunday feeling crummy and running fever, Monday at the pediatrician's office being tested for the flu {he was SO not a fan of having a swab rammed up his nose}, and yesterday at the ENT.  Not to mention the every four hours nebulizer treatments.

Having a sick kid is just no fun.  Balancing medicine schedules, work schedules, and the stress that comes from all that makes for one cranky family.

But we started a round of antibiotics late yesterday for what we now believe is a sinus infection.  Too much yucky in his head with nowhere to go but into his chest.  Poor buddy.  Antibiotics combined with the steroids seem to be helping tremendously, though, so it's back to school for both of us tomorrow.

I guess this means I need to soak up this day of snuggling, cartoon watching, and Pinterest surfing.

home project:: hallway

Project renovate our yucky hallway started yesterday.

Our hallway is really long.  And dark with a tint of yellow.  Attractive, right? We live a ranch style house so every room opens into the hallway.   Currently, the hallway has three separate cased doorways; one from the family room into the actual hall, one midway down, and it ends at the back bedroom. There are seven additional doors that also open into it and two sets of closets.

Here is a picture from before we purchased the house:

We painted it a light tan when we first bought the house, and although I love the color in the family room {Sherwin Williams Rice Grain}, in the hall it looks yellow. It's primarily due to the lack of light.

Lofton and I sat down a few weeks ago and made a list of projects for freshening the hall-- recessed lights, painting the ceiling and attic fan, crown molding, wainscoting, and a new wall paint color. 

Work started yesterday!  And by work, I mean we spent an hour at Home Depot followed by three subsequent trips to pick up things Lofton forgot.  Regardless, the front part of the hallway is much brighter.  He added two recessed lights to that section and removed a fixture from 1958.  We have another fixture {bought on super clearance at Home Depot almost a year ago} ready to go, but the drywall had to be patched first. See the second photo below.

It's kind of amazing how much brighter things look with the two lights installed.  The back of the hall is next.

You can actually tell how yellow the back hall looks now compared to the front.

Then it will be molding time.  Lofton installed wainscoting in our dining room at the old house, so doing it down the hallway should be a fast process.  I've already agreed to be on paint duty for the attic fan.  

a week of grace

Lest you think when Reese turned four he became perfect, I thought we'd end February with a bang.  Or maybe I should say Reese has ended with a bang.

And this week?  This long, long week in the shortest month of the year has been an exercise in grace for this overworked Mama.

Let's start with saying that Reese wet the bed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.  Despite the fact that we got up with him at eleven all three nights for an extra potty time.  Reese's bed wetting issues aren't something I frequently blog about, but let's note that they are a very real and stressful part of our life.  After noting the timing and pattern of his episodes, we've determined that the bed wetting always starts after we've either been out of town as a family or Lofton and I have been gone for night {which happens once in a blue moon, but did happen a few weekends ago}.  It would appear that deviating from Reese's routine AT ALL causes the proverbial ball to start rolling.  It takes a few weeks to get back into a groove.  A few weeks and a lot of mama/daddy-o setting their alarm to take him to the bathroom.

So working with limited sleep, I pick Reese up from school on Monday and am greeted with my hug.  I ask him how his day went as I pack his bag.  "Umm good," is his response as he darted his eyes over toward his teacher.  I ask him if there's something he needs to tell me.  "Nope," is his reply as he again darts his eyes toward Michelle.  Finally, I tell him it's time to fess up.  Yep, time out for hitting someone in the eye with a toy he has thrown.  We go through the whole embarrassing display of me telling him in full view of his class that I'm sad he made a bad choice that hurt someone.  He does the walk of shame over to the child to apologize then promptly bursts into tears and cries, "Does this mean I can't have fruit snacks when we get home."  Yes, yes it does, because your mama is a teacher and she absolutely expects for you not to be that kid. You know what this stinker asks me in the car?  Do I at least get crackers and water?  Like we are going to tie him to the bed and never feed him again.

Fast forward to yesterday when he gets in timeout again for being a bad listener during circle time.  We go through all the motions again but this time I take away not only fruit snacks but his one afternoon cartoon.  I'm mean y'all.  And it's time to get serious about doing the right thing at school.  I know the dark path kids who don't listen travel down :) Lofton threatened to take away Chik Fil A Friday, but just between us Daddy isn't that tough.

We spent this afternoon at the doctor for the felon's allergy induced cough.  It's just another addition to Reese's bag of tricks that rob me of an uninterrupted night of sleep.  We are starting back the Nasonex tonight which should be loads of fun.

And all of these things are the reason I know that God intended motherhood to be an extended study of grace.  Grace for my words, grace for my heart, and grace for this curly headed blond boy.

full of life

I recently read an article about stopping the glorification of busy, so I'm not going to say that's what we've been. Nope, not busy.  But our days have been full of life.

This past weekend my parents came to keep Reese so that Lofton and I could go to Montgomery for a night out with friends.  Holland, a high school buddy of Lofton's, is a member of what we like to call a secret society.  Without going into a lot of details {because, duh, it's a secret}, we got dressed up and had a ball.

Why is putting on a pretty dress so much fun?  And my husband in a tux?  I was a smitten college freshman all over again.

Reese is keeping us on our toes.  All full of questions and stories.

How do ants build tunnels?  Can I be spiderman when I grow up?  No, I think I want to be an orange ninja turtle when I grow up. They are really fast. Will you read me a book?  What's for dinner? Did you know that a penny is worth one and a quarter is worth twenty five?

It goes on and on.

He's also sounding out words like a champ.  Since teaching is my day job, I'm trying to let this phonics thing progress on it's own.  He still has another year of pre-k to conquer, after all.  This weekend he spelled Emo without any help.

I really struggle with wanting to bottle him up.  I believe it was Cassie who coined the term "happysad" and that is what this stage of life is to me.  Lots of happy with a tinge of sad!

growing pains

It's a gloomy kind of Sunday.  The kind that makes you race home from church, put your pjs back on, and jump in bed for a nap.

Also, because your favorite little one woke up screaming with leg pains at 1:27am.  And then you tried to console him, to no avail, for at least twenty minutes until Daddy swooped in and got things under control.  And then at 4:00 he got up for good.  That's right, 4:00 in the morning.

So truthfully, by the time we got home from church and errands we had been up for seven hours.

Despite the early rising it's been a slow and easy kind of weekend here.  Yesterday Lofton ran in my sorority's annual philanthropy race.  Although he occasionally runs, it was his first timed race.  I'm pretty sure he's been bitten by the competitive bug and this won't be his last.  Reese and I had grand plans to walk, but it was so cold at 7:45 that we couldn't feel our toes.  Not my ideal conditions for exercise.  We hung out in the chapter room then booked it to the finish line to welcome our runner in.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning the yard {we had some giant trees cut down}, grocery shopping, and spray painting what is going to be a new coffee table.

And actually, Reese and I started our weekend a day early.  In addition to real growing pains, we've been dealing with some emotional ones as well.  Last Sunday night Reese decided he was really upset about the next day being a school day.  And as the week went on he became more upset with each passing day and night.  My mama heart was literally a mess.

We, of course, tried to figure out why our usual school-lover was so unhappy, but he didn't offer much in the way of information.  He didn't nap on Tuesday {always a bad idea} and there was a day that his usual morning teacher wasn't there to greet him.  Other than those few things, though, I was stumped.

I decided after Thursday morning's tear-fest to take Friday off of work to try and give him a little undivided attention.  I am 100% a working mama.  And I work a job that demands a lot of time and attention.  I also think that we've been really busy with weddings, and sickness, and birthday parties, and house chores, and maybe we haven't spent as much time just focusing on Reese as we usually do.

So although lots of people probably think I'm crazy {ha!}, I took the day off to spend with my favorite little person.  I asked him what he wanted to do and all he requested was a trip through Chick Fil A so he could eat it in the buggy at Target.  Done.  He also took a nice, long nap.

I know tomorrow might bring another ocean of tears, but at least I've tried.  It's really important to me that Reese knows, for Lofton and I, nothing is more important than him.  He has always thrived, I believe, because Lofton and I heap love and attention on him.  It's what we feel grows a strong and confident and happy child.

So we shall see what tomorrow brings.  And we shall go to bed early tonight because I am oh so tired.

home project:: laundry room

I think when last we left the laundry room it was post-apocalypse.  As in the dogs had eaten through the drywall through to my bedroom.

It's been a long haul getting things back to functioning.  Mainly because my handsome, DIY husband also works a full time job.  And there was duck hunting season.  And Christmas.

But things are looking great.  And while I won't say I desire to do laundry {because if I did you should immediately have me committed}, I will say that the time I spend washing clothes is much more enjoyable now.

The room is small so taking pictures was a bit difficult.  Enjoy your tour::

- The floor was a cost effective substitute for the hex tile I originally wanted.  We used a greige grout.

- Lofton built the shelf to go above the washer using some corbels I had to have. The shelf holds my glass containers of laundry detergent, a basket with our bounce dryer bars plus other little things, and a picture of my favorite boy.

- The built in shelves at the end of the room didn't start that way.  There was a small alcove {it backs up to my closet} and Lofton framed it out to make it more symmetrical.  The green is actually a more olive toned color, although it didn't photograph that way.  I'm toying with buying a curtain to cover the shelves, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

- The wall color is a perfect blue/gray/green.  I love it.  We kept the original bead board ceiling.  The light fixtures were a super awesome Lowe's score.

I still need either some hooks, or a rack of some type, for hanging clean clothes.  There's an empty space next to the washer just waiting for me to make a decision.  And I need something on the walls.  But I'm not sure what type of art screams for the laundry room.  

I'm so happy to have a functioning washer and dryer again.  And I'm happy the drywall dust is no longer dirtying our floors.  And I can promise, with absolute certainty, that the dogs will never stay in here.  Ever.

birthday parties

{I promised you a funny video and then left you hanging.  My apologies.  I'll made good on my promise at the end of this rant.}

I'm not a fan of birthday parties.  There, I said it.  They give me anxiety.

Maybe it's the teacher in me that always wants to correct other children's behavior, or maybe it's the fact that some of the parties Reese has been to have been down right scary.  Case in point... In August Reese went to a campfire themed birthday party.  Complete with a real, minimally supervised fire and sticks wheedled into sharp points.  And the party was at night.  Then, last weekend, there was a party at mixed martial arts.  Lofton took one for the team and went along with Reese.  I begged off because I needed to go grocery shopping.  There was a game of dodge ball where a child got knocked off their feet and board breaking.  Hells bells, they are FOUR!

It's all too much for me. I just prefer a good, safe house party.  Play with some toys, open a few gifts, eat cake and head home.  Is it too much to ask?

And now, the video:

Yes that's my husband.  And the little one is my son.  What can I say?  Two peas they are.

hannah gets married

My sweet cousin Hannah got married Saturday afternoon. {prepare for picture overload}

It was a beautiful and festive few days, that for us, started with a ride through Narnia.

Reese and I thought the impromptu blizzard was fun and exciting.  Lofton, the driver, not so much.  Evidently icy roads are stressful and dangerous.

Regardless, we made it to my grandmother safely.  We had a short visit at the hospital, then regrouped and headed toward Madison.  Have I mentioned that Reese wants to live in a hotel?  Preferably one with a heated pool?  To say he was happy would be an understatement.

Thursday night we had dinner at my aunt's house and relaxed with the bride and groom.  We then headed back to the hotel where my mom and Reese engaged in a stinky sock fight.  Yes, you read that correctly.

Friday morning, mama and I hosted the bridesmaid brunch.  It was negative ten degrees outside and we arranged flowers in the car.  Otherwise, everything was perfect!

This girl was the happiest, most relaxed bride I've ever seen.  Makes my heart smile! Sweet Lofton flew solo while Mama and I spent the day helping with last minute wedding tasks.  Poor guy spent three hours in an over-chlorinated indoor pool.  

Friday night was the rehearsal.  Did I mention Reese was the ring bearer?  Yet another layer of excitement.  He almost burst.

buck taught him a new party trick

during her daddy's toast

And then it was wedding day! There was hair prep, makeup, and lots of pictures...

snapped this with my phone and it's seriously my favorite picture of her

The reception deserves a whole post to itself.  Mainly because I have a really entertaining video to share.  Stay tuned for that... 

And then it was over.  And yesterday we had to make the six hour drive home. With a child who spent most of the ride like this:

Exhausted and cranky from a jam packed weekend.  He fell asleep about the time we passed Exit 52, the Auburn exit.  Awesome.  I just transferred him to his bed and he napped until five.  So thankful we both had today off from school to rest and regroup.