She's gettin' a education folks!

See this little tiny girl? The one in the picture above? The little one with a backpack and a jacket? Can you see the little tiny girlie pie with blonde hair and ponytails? Do you see her little scared face? Can you see her little pink dress? Wait… wait a minute… are we looking at the same girl? Does this college girl look at all like my little tiny Kid2? Well, she might not to YOU, but she does to me. This first day of college girl looks just like my little tiny second child, the one who was responsible for inducting me into the "I have a daughter" hall of fame. 

I can't believe she's a college girl now. She loves it, she loves every bit of it, thank goodness. So big, so so big… 

Summer stories- the ER diaries

Poor baby. She has had pneumonia for WEEKS… I took her in the first time and it was just teething, I felt so silly! This was not my first baby, shouldn't I know what teething looks like by now? Then we found ourselves in the ER again and I was positive that she must have an ear infection… nope. They said she must have gas and a fever from teething… It must be me, I must be totally overreacting! We went a third time because I was just sure that this time it was an ear infection… no fever but she was so so fussy. Strike three, she's fine, of course! At this point, I am left to really doubt my parenting judgments… ONE MORE time I take her because this time she has 103 temperature and I go in knowing that I am going to push them to really look harder… … she had pneumonia all along. I felt so sad for her and had to remind myself that I need to trust my judgment as a mom. 

Summer stories- little faces

Let me tell you something about this little gorgeous girl!

She got an extra helping or two of personality when she was created!

She makes me laugh every single day!

This little beauty is a gift in every sense of the word.

I am honored to be able to raise her. 

Summer stories- Zzzzzzzz

nar·co·lep·sy/ˈnärkəˌlepsē/

Noun:

A condition characterized by an extreme tendency to fall asleep whenever in relaxing surroundings.

This little beauty is being tested for narcolepsy. We have more tests to do and it will probably take months but I have to admit, she does sleep ANYWHERE! Isn't she the cutest?!

Summer stories- the tattoo diaries :/

LAST summer my son (kid1) texted me while I was out on a lovely dinner date and said "I got a tattoo" and I replied, "you better be kidding" as I was no longer hungry. The conversation via text was much longer, as you can imagine, than those two texts and I have since wondered why it bothered me so much. Was it the lack of control? Was it that he was growing up? Was it that it's permanent and he's so young…? What if he changes his mind? I'm not like adamantly against tattoo's, Mr. B. has some, but this was my baby boy.

I can tell you that I didn't ask to see it, when I did actually see it, I didn't look closely, I wasn't thrilled to say the least. I never thought much about it, I just knew I didn't like it. Let me give you a few facts about his first tattoo.

1. he got it on a whim
2. he got it in someone's BATHROOM
3. it's a Harry Potter tattoo (enough said)
4. He didn't have a job and was relying on me for money
5. He was living at home and didn't ask my permission

THIS summer, my son (kid1) got several tattoo's and this time I really wanted to look deeply into how I really felt about this. First, I didn't really know what to say, how to feel or how I should react. I just knew that I didn't react well last summer and things are different so I needed to act accordingly.

Here are a few facts about this summers tattoo's

1. He had them drawn out and saved for them
2. He was at a professional and reputable tattoo establishment
3. It WASN'T a Harry Potter tattoo
4. He has a full time job and pays for his own entertainment and bills
5. He doesn't live at home anymore, and doesn't need to ask my permission

These facts made the tattoo's this summer easier on my mind, but there had to be more. Why, why was this easier? After some very serious thought about it, here's what I think: my son is my baby, he'll always be my baby, even when he's all grown. I have spent 20 years (so far) protecting him in a thousand ways. I have put sunscreen on him to protect his skin, he's worn shoes, coats, hats to protect him, he's taken medicine, eaten healthy and worn a seat belt… obviously this is a very short list of things. I have worked so hard to protect him and its strange to let go, to say "okay, your body is yours to do with what you want"…. and hope for the best. Is a tattoo a terrible thing? Not at all! Can it be a shocking thing to a mom? Yes, certainly it can. It's a change, it's a statement, its permanent! Is he still the same good hearted kid who will always be my little boy? Absolutely!

Raising kids is hard, having them grow up and enter the real world is hard. Life isn't always easy, I want to try as hard as I can to step back and not judge my kids decisions. I want to step back and remember to look past their appearances and attitudes and remember their hearts are good and they will always be my babies.

AS FOR MY DAUGHTERS…. 

THAT'S A DIFFERENT STORY. 

Summer stories- road trips

This HOT HOT summer we made many trips down south to see Bat Girl. We saw lots of neat things on the way but this is my favorite. This great giant pig is in South Georgia at a cool little store. The girls were thrilled to see it and I was thrilled to see a clean bathroom! 

Summer stories- boot camp graduation

I have to admit, it was weird to see him after so long. I wasn't nervous to see him, but I was nervous to see the new things about him. I don't know what I was even thinking because a clean closet, a made bed and clean clothes is just nothing to be nervous about. He looked great, He felt confident and I was so proud. Congrats my boy, you accomplished yet another great thing!

The best thing about the whole trip? 

Having ALL my babies together again!

I love it when we're all together!

Summer stories- a lovely gift

These lucky girls were the proud recipients of a new swing set this summer, thanks to Bat Girl! They have loved it. One of the most important things for Kid4 to do is swing. It sort of resets her, grounds her, unscrambles her. When she is feeling frustrated or crazy, she heads over to our sweet neighbors to swing. It's so nice to have a swing set in our own yard so I can watch her more closely. Obviously Kid5 loves it too, just look at that face! 

Summer stories- VBS

 This Summer I was in charge of crafts at VBS and let me tell you what I planned and planned and PLANNED but at the last minute I changed it all and ended up loving it! We did this cross string art for ages 1st through high school and they loved it! 

We made camel masks and they were a big hit.

We did a service project and the kids sewed these washcloths and put a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap in the pockets for homeless people and to donate to shelters. ALL the kids enjoyed sewing, I was really surprised. 

They made tye dye shirts with alcohol and sharpies and they came out GREAT!

We also painted crushed cans to recycle and delivered them to the nursing home to hang on doors and cupboards. All in all VBS was a big hit and we all LOVED IT!

Sunday Sunday

Today, Mr. B. and I decided to re-do our room. It's time, and we have had a really hard few years and need to take a little time and give a little love to our room. We used only things we already had and this whole project was free. I am so happy with it… what do you think?