This year we spent Father's Day at Mindi & Bishop's home, but not with them because they are out of town. They have so graciously allowed us to stay in their home until we get our own home situation figured out here in Vegas. We've made ourselves quite comfortable in their home and are very grateful for their hospitality.
Sunday morning we got up and the girls gave Jonathan their cards and gifts.
The herd coming down the stairs.
Showing daddy their cards.
The girls picked out this "#1 Dad" chocolate medal, and he wore it with pride. The sweet thing is they didn't even know it was chocolate when they picked it out and bought it with Grammy's help, so they got it because of what it said, not what it was.
Opening his new watch. It is in a butterfly Fossil tin can...Ava picked it out.
Sweet love from Juliet.
Daddy and his princesses.
After getting ready, we began our church hunting adventure. I'll spare you the boring details except for we do it every time we move and we pray that we find a wonderful church here as quick as we did in Panama City. The kids made Jonathan cards at church and afterwards, we headed to Rubio's for lunch. Not only is is great to be back out west to be near family, but to be near great restaurants they don't have down south. I will admit the kids do miss Chick Fil A.
After naps, the girls helped make a special dinner for Jonathan. The only thing they wanted to make for him was "mac & cheese". Since I felt he deserved a little more, we had steak, shrimp, salad and a good ol' box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. I would have made a better recipe, but my recipe book is packed and I didn't want to search online to attempt to find a good recipe.
Ava is helping me take the stems off the mushrooms. She popped them off quite well!
She really wanted to use a big knife to help slice them so I let her give them a few schwacks.
Kylie is sauteing the onions, peppers and onions for the steaks.
Now I'm not a huge fan of the south. I'm a California girl to the core! The weather is muggy and we can only open our house for a few weeks in the spring and fall. Our AC bill goes through the roof in the summer (I know, not like it'll be any better in Vegas...but its DRY heat) and this town has a STINKY smell every now and then depending upon which way the winds blow. However, I do absolutely love our proximity to the BEACH and when we are stuck in the desert again in a few weeks, we won't have that luxury. I know we'll squeeze in as many trips as we can in these next few weeks, and last week was our first beach run of the season. We went with Candace and her crew of 3 girls as well as Kelly and her little one Emily. It wasn't a "chillin' in a chair sippin' on a nice cool beverage" kind of day, but it was still fun and the kids loved it!
Here's my awesome friend Candace, no kidding, wrestling with her 15 month old twins Taryn and Ashlyn. These girls wanted nothing to do with the fence Candace toted down to the beach. Instead they raced off to the water and had the time of their lives!
Ava likes to go off by herself and enjoy the waves crashing on the shore. She's done it every summer we've lived here.
Juliet trying to fight off 2 little girls who truly know how to hold their own!
A quick smile, and a soggy diaper.
Look at them hold hands. Again, their sweet moments are few and far between.
Ava is doing phenomenal with her school work. I'm really seeing a big jump in her reading skills. She has memorized some words and no longer needs to sound them out, the words she does need to sound out she figured out quickly what the word is, and her handwriting is greatly improving. She enjoys her school work and usually asks me to do more when I make her stop.
Since I'm not hard core with certain curriculum yet, Ava just gets to do a nice variety of work book pages or things I've printed off the internet. Here is a 1st grade work book I picked up at Sam's Club. On the page on the left, she had to read the sentences to me and then had to figure out which word to put in the blank, and write it neatly. On the page on the right, she had to read the sentence and draw a line to the correct animal it was describing. I'll say it again, there is nothing like seeing something "click" with your child right in front of your eyes.
Juliet didn't quite make it through "Bee Movie" last weekend. She snored her little heart out and drooled all over her bean bag.
I had to take her to the beginning part of a baby shower I co-hosted last weekend and she thought she was cool stuff sitting in the front seat of daddy's truck.
Oh yeah, Juliet's new talent is fake sleeping. It is so hilarious! Jonathan got suckered into it a few days ago. He turned to me when we got home and opened the van door to get her out and whispered "she's sleeping". I whispered back "she's faking it". He quietly turned back to her and said "are you fake sleeping" and she cracked a big smile and opened her eyes.
Kylie is great at helping out around the house. Her newest chore is feeding the animals and emptying the bathroom trash. She's great at getting down cereal bowls and pouring breakfast for her and her sisters. We just haven't mastered the gallon of milk quite yet....well we haven't let her try.
These sweet sisterly moments happen, but they are usually few and far between these days.
Those were Jonathan's exact words yesterday. This is the first year we've ever really done anything for the girls for Valentine's Day. Last year I was visiting Jonathan who was in Vegas and the girls were with Mr. Joey and Miss Krissy for the weekend, and prior to they they were too young to understand, or even care. Before church, the girls each woke up to a goodie bag from me, and then to Jonathan giving each of them a card and a bouquet of tulips (I also got roses). I made cinnamon rolls and the girls' sweet indulgence followed at church with a bunch of candy! For dinner that evening, I unwillingly stepped out of the kitchen (I even left the house for a bit) while Jonathan made us all a fabulous dinner! He did an awesome job on our steamed mussels (yes, the girls ate them...they loved them!) and pasta in a garlic wine sauce and a salad to go with it. I know the girls would have also enjoyed the chocolate fondue we ate had we made it while they were awake.
Getting into their bags.
Gel window clings. They loved them!
Juliet snuggling on daddy with her card and tulips.
Ava gets her card and tulips.
And Kylie get her card and tulips.
Enjoying breakfast on their new heart plates. They also got some stuff from Grammy and Grandpa about a week or so ago...one being these place mats they've been using at each and every meal.
On our way out the door in the dresses Nama and Bopa got them for V Day.
After we moved to PC back in July of 2007, God provided us with a wonderful church family at First Baptist Church Lynn Haven. We've made some wonderful friends through our Sunday School class, and our girls have gained surrogate grandparents during our time here. Miss Krissy was the only one who could calm down Ava in the nursery, who was at the time 20 months old and didn't really like people. I never dropped her off in nursery, rather Jonathan did, and that kinda minimized her crying. We also attended our first ever Sunday school class at FBCLH. Someone told us to look for Joey Ramsey as he would be the one teaching our age group's class, and we soon found out he was married to Miss Krissy. Joey was our teacher, Krissy was Ava's and our relationship with them just kinda fell into place. Over our last 2 1/2 years here, they have kept the girls on numerous occasions for us. They kept all 3 girls when Juliet was 4 months old...the first time we ever left her and had our first date as parents to 3 kids. Joey would rock Juliet to sleep because he didn't like to hear her cry. Last month I picked the girls up around 930pm and Juliet was asleep on Joey, who was also asleep in his chair. She drooled all over him! I've dropped the girls (and my van) off with Krissy and have taken her car instead, and she'll drive my girls home, get them ready for bed, put them down and stay with them until I get home. Last year when Jonathan was at Weapons School, she even kept the girls for a long weekend so I could go visit him in Vegas over Valentine's Day weekend. Who does that, really, if they aren't family? Two weeks ago Krissy took the girls for the day and one of the things she did with them was take them to Build-A-Bear. They absolutely love their animals and have to sleep with them every night. Those girls adore Miss Krissy and Mr. Joey and its going to be sad for everyone when we have to leave. Its like I'm yanking the girls away from their grandparents! We can't thank them enough not only for what they've done for us, but they love they have for our girls like they are their own grandchildren. Thank you Lord for Joey and Krissy and all they've done for our family.
Tonight Ava went on her first date with daddy. It works out well for both Jonathan and I because I get to spend time with just her by taking her shopping for new clothes and accessories, and then just the 2 of them get to go out and spend time together. She picked out everything she wore, and today I did her hair, painted her finger nails and toe nails and even let her wear a touch of makeup and perfume. Jonathan took her to see a movie, out to dinner, then to Starbucks for dessert and their last leg of the trip to a book store got interrupted by her bowels. Jonathan doesn't take the girls to the bathroom in public (I won't let him and he'd rather not take her into a nasty men's room) so they came home. They were gone for 4 hours! The weather was icky today so her curls didn't last very long, but I don't think she cared one bit. She had been talking about her date all day and had a fabulous time with her daddy.
Here they are at the theater. Ava had a coke (yowzas!), popcorn and gummy bears.
Can you tell she's excited??
Mmmmm, Bonefish!
Ava had one Bang Bang shrimp and that was all she could stand. She did however enjoy her chicken with goat cheese and spinach, broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes.
I have to wonder if Starbucks was more her idea or Jonathan's.
She didn't know how to drink her hot chocolate out of the lid on the first try. Her dress will be seeing some Spray & Wash when I do laundry this week.
The other 2 girls certainly weren't left out. Kylie was very excited for Ava to go and helped her put on her jewelry and gave her a big hug before she left. Juliet kept saying "Ava Daddy date" over and over. She's in the repetition phase of talking right now. The girls and I made cookies and home made pizzas and watch a movie. It was a fun night all around! Jonathan knows he's got it good in that he gets to take out 4 girls over the next however many years of life...that is until we pick their perfect husbands for them. :)
On that note, Kylie did tell Jonathan last week that she wanted to marry him. He had to tell her "no honey, I'm married to mommy". He did tell her she could, however, marry someone just like him. I wholeheartedly agree! I can only hope and pray that will be the case. Until then, he'll continue to show them how boys treat girls, and these dates are just one of the ways he does that. I love my husband and I love my little girls!
I got this email from a friend today. All us moms...we know this stuff. I will say the last paragraph is one I need to work on, especially when my Prince Charming is working late and I have to take care of my 3 princesses by myself. ___________________________________________________________________________________ How do you do it? How do you stay so calm with four young children?"
I need to work on things so I too can answer like this....
Part of it is just how God made me, I think. I am pretty calm with my children. And, honestly, often I stay calm even in the midst of chaos because, frankly, it's better than the alternative. A shrieking, freaking out mama is not going to make an already stressful situation any better. So, for the most part, I stay calm and try to be in the moment with my children. But how do I do it? There is one little bit of inspiration that literally descended upon me almost two years ago, while I was holding Nuggey in the bathroom, that has completely revolutionized my parenting. When I keep this truth in mind, I find it as easy as apple pie to stay calm in the midst of toddler chaos. I remember that I'm gonna miss this. This is my life on most days, and every day when Prince Charming is TDY...
It was dark, during the end of bath time, and Prince Charming was gone. I was doing dinner, baths and bedtime myself those days, as my husband worked late. It had been, undoubtedly, a long day with the kids. Big Mac was three, Nuggey was one and a half and Small Fry was a baby. It is as clear as day still, this memory. I was sitting on the toilet, drying MckNugget off after his bath. Small Fry, unable to roll, was sprawled on the floor of the bathroom on some towels, wearing nothing but a diaper and a grimace. Big Mac was still in the tub. He was squawking to get out and Small Fry was bellyaching for attention. But I slowly wrapped Nuggey up in his towel, determined to stay calm, and cuddled him in terrycloth. I slowly rocked him back and forth in my arms and sang Rock-a-bye Baby to my second born. As I wrapped up the song, I prepared to sit Nuggey up and attend to the chaos that was the other children. After all, there were baths to finish, teeth to brush, diapers to put on, jammies to find and beds to tuck children into. But as he sensed me about to right him, Nuggey tossed his wet head back in my arms and looked up at me. "Uh-gain!" So I sang Rock-a-bye Baby one more time, but I told him it would be the last. Yet when I finished, he begged again for more. Here's where I can relate the most....
I didn't want to do more. I didn't want to sing to him one more time. I was tired. Tired of children, tired of singing, tired of the day. I just wanted it to be over.
But then suddenly, as if fairy dust was sprinkled from the heavens right onto my tired head, the entire reality of my future set in. I'm gonna miss this. I looked down at little Nuggey, his damp eyelashes long and dark batting at me, his tiny bottom cradled in my hand, his soft, chubby legs thrown over my arm, his body entirely dependent on mine as I held him in my lap, and I could see the future. Nuggey, a grown boy, sporting a football jersey and facial hair, walked out of the bathroom. It was going to happen, and soon. And while I knew there would be joys with that time in my life, when our young children are teenagers and beyond, it struck me like a ton of bricks. When that time comes, I'm gonna miss this. When Nuggey comes home from college, barely speaks a word to me and hibernates in his bedroom all summer, I'm gonna miss this. As my mind fast forwarded to the future, I knew that at that moment, I would give anything for 20 year old Nuggey to be a toddler again, just for one more hour, so I could rock him and sing while I stroked his wet head.
Wake up self! And here, years earlier, I was being given my wish. I was able to rock Nuggey, a nearly helpless babe in arms, one more time. Given a new perspective from which to see, I sang Rock-a-bye Baby as many times as Nuggey would let me that night. Eventually Small Fry found her hands and started admiring them, and Big Mac grabbed a new tub toy. And I relished that time with my son in my arms, knowing that soon enough he would be all grown, and my arms would ache to hold him like a baby again. I'm gonna miss this. My mind cannot help but wander to those parents who have lost children. What on earth would they not give to hold their children again, even for a moment. I bet they would not complain about having to sing Rock-a-bye Baby one more time. Rather, they would probably give their right arm to sing it ten million times until their voice was hoarse and their eyelids closed in slumber. And women with empty wombs who long and pray and ache for children? What honor am I doing them if I take for granted the fact that I have children, young children who are begging me to cuddle them, sing to them. I will love those women who long for a baby by loving my babies and not taking them for granted. And here is what I need to think more about each and every day!
So, I determined right there and then in the bathroom to try to be ever thankful for the moments I do have with my children. I will not wish away their young years, always hoping to get more laundry done or other children dried off. I will relish each kiss, hug and song. I will leave their childhood behind with no regrets, no "I love you" unsaid, no cheek unkissed, no request to "Cuddle wif' me!" turned down. Even as the macaroni flies and the Sharpie stains my table, even when there are midnight wailers and globs of Desitin under my fingernails, I know.
This story is out of order since it happened before I started my blogging adventure, but I just had to share.
So basically, we hate TDYs around here. Who doesn't, right? I mean we manage. We get into our groove and get things done, but usually at night when I've hit my limit and the kids are wound up, or starving, or need baths, or my house is totally trashed, that is usually when the "we miss daddy" comes out their darling little mouths. Sometimes I'm sweet and say "me too", or sometimes I'm not so sweet and I say to them "tell me about it!". When the girls were babies, it wasn't awful because usually I was the only one bummed out because they didn't quite get it. Not so much anymore.
We took Jonathan to the airport Monday and as we were saying goodbye at the van, Kylie proceeded to unbuckle and jump out of the door and had a death grip around his neck with her arms and his waist with her legs. He was trying to pry her off of him and there were some giggles exchanged, but I could tell she was being serious as she laughed. She didn't want him to go! She knew he was to be gone for 11 days and after a few minutes of him trying to pull her off of him, she said "you will NOT disobey me and you will be gone for only 1 night". When we were able to finally drive off, I asked her if she was upset and she said "yeah". Talk about a tear jerker.
Before he left town, we recently acquired a bunch of boxes that housed some of our new living room furniture. Jonathan turned these boxes into a castle that now takes priority over my van in the garage. Its a great distraction while I'm out on the treadmill and it gives the girls something to play with. They used to play with the lawnmower and old cans of paint, but now they have something safer to entertain them.
Isn't it a beauty?
The other day Kylie took some colored pom poms I use for school lessons and she poured them out on our coffee table. She proceeded to ask Juliet to hand her certain colors. I admit, I don't work with Juliet too often on her ABCs, numbers or colors. I'm too busy trying to teach kindergarten and preschool to her sisters. Well Kylie said "okay Juliet, hand me a purple one"...and she did it. I was quiet. Then Kylie said, okay Juliet, hand me a pink one"...and she did it! My eyes got really wide, but I was still quiet. Kylie asked her for one more color and she got it again! This time I shrieked and clapped and got very excited. After that, blue and green and yellow kinda got mixed up, but I didn't think she knew any of them so I was so happy with what I go. Kylie and Ava got excited for her too. So maybe the once a week I work with her really does stick, or maybe because pink and purple are girl colors she naturally just knows them. Regardless, yay Juliet for knowing some of her colors!
I got this!
Here is the "married girl" doing her math workbook.
Yes it is well after Christmas but they still play out the manger scene.
Yesterday I took the girls to the library and we picked up Charlotte's Web ("with real people" as the girls say) and we had a picnic dinner in the living room. As usual, Kylie watched the whole thing, Ava said "when is this moving going to be over" (if its not Barbie or Disney Princess, she loses interest) and Juliet was in and out of my lap the whole time. It was a great way to beat-the-not-heat 30 some odd degrees outside. Brr!
