Open for Business

If you would have stopped by the house last last Friday you would have probably found an Open for Business sign on the front door. I can honestly say this was one of the best summer days we have had so far! It had been a non stop week so Friday morning came and we tackled one of the summer bucket things we wrote down…to play upstairs all morning together, non stop until lunch time. Well upstairs quickly transformed to a restaurant as I was finishing the breakfast dishes. I came upstairs to this sight which made me laugh

But once I got past this I was ushered to my reserved table to a gourmet meal, centerpiece included. I love to see their ideas and creativity come out full force and pull all of the things throughout our house together…my order was quickly taken. Carter took his job very seriously as the "dish washer" and only got yelled at once or twice by the other staff.

After the meal was served and the dishes thrown in the washing machine compartment the restaurant quickly became yesterday's venture and these business operators moved on to their next endeavor...


                                                                       PET SHOP

I especially love the flowers on each pet "cage" I heart little girl touches!

 

This was not just any Pet Shop...this was like the Wal Mart of Pet Shops...all in one since they not only offered many different pets BUT they had their very own veterinarian right on property. The giggliest veterinarian I have ever seen but very good at diagnosing the problem, writing a prescription and sending you with your pet right NEXT DOOR to the pharmacy.

Another favorite part was the Fish Only Room. Wish I got a picture of the sign but Brooklyn took great time with this fish aquarium set up...one fish bowl vase, one blue plush fish, matching blue necklace for decoration and just the right girly touch plus decorative rocks from my vases for the bottom of the fish bowl. And you bet this had real water in it. I think our fish just finally dried out yesterday!

 

What did I tell you all in one, one STOP shop pet store. And because it was Friday and I was a returning customer my pets were FREE but they did "take credit cards too mommy!"

And this little man just wanted the water from the tea pot...can you tell by the strained look on his face! Don't worry honey we followed this up by playing lots of cars and trains, no fear!

 

These are the days we smile more, laugh more, give grace more, and I am aware and present more…they don’t happen as often as we would like but when they do come around and last awhile we are that much more appreciative of them!

Fashion Diva Returns

I guess I wasn't the only one taking some time off this summer :)...Brooklyn has continued to put outfits together daily but none had quite the flair she was known for. Nothing out of the ordinary mostly matching outfits with the bows which she takes very seriously right now. Well today she proved this summer slacker fashion diva is BACK. Just in time for some back to school browsing and shopping. She literally walked downstairs like this, not a one little bit of encouragement from management.

The girls were showing Tim and I some bunk beds - remember this POST- and we turned around and Carter was not right beside us. I walked right around the corner and this is how I found him...

Literally all covered up in the "cap-pila" toddler bed. Cap-pila is Carter term for Caterpillar which just so happens to be a book we read about 5 times a day and when he caught sight of it the bed must have looked way too inviting to pass up. Too funny. Had it been my first child I would have been mortified to find him snuggled up but since it's Carter and my third we laughed and I grabbed my camera. He did not want to leave this bed...and what did his big sister B say, "well mom, he likes it so much we better just buy it for him!" We didn't buy the bed or the bedding we will settle for the worn book we have at home for our hungry cap-pila love right now!

On Your Mark Get Set Go!

One morning we rode our bikes up to the pond and we actually saw a duck there...this would be the same pond HERE. The kids packed some stuff to do once we got there but AFTER a race around the pond. I love that Carter is already sitting because he starts off with such energy such gumption and then about 20 seconds into the race he tanks, holds his hands up and starts whining "up mommy, upppp!" So at this point you would have seen Kennedy more than half way around the pond turning back around looking at us like, really?? Brooklyn doing some sort of run, leap, skip, twist routine and me trying desperately to look like I can run with a BIG toddler boy on my hip. No such luck.

We did eventually settle down for some sketching (K's idea and of course Carter copied along). And Brooklyn was determined to have mommy finish one of the chapters of this cute little Beverly Cleary book we found at the library. It is perfect for her. She thinks she is reading a chapter book like big sis but the stories are short and simple and she loved it. All was well until we realized we grabbed the gatorade but missed the snack...at that point Carter wasn't the only one that was whining!

Just one of our little summer adventures...ending perfectly with mommy trying to ride her bike home pulling the trailer with the two younger ones and realizing my tire was not just in need of a little air but pretty much F-L-A-T. Brilliant just brilliant. And at that point I pretty much sat on the ground and started whining. Not really but I did think about it!

Same Day Different Smile

She woke up yesterday morning looking this beautiful...

But when all was said and done she looked THIS beautiful!

She had one request that morning...to PLEAZZZZZE have one last Tootsie Roll. So I let her have two for breakfast! She enjoyed every bite.

Not only do they start ortho stuff earlier and earlier these days as compared to the "old days" or my old days but they have come so far. I STILL remember having that bright shiny evil key that turned and cranked my retainer every day to make room for my mouth full of teeth. So yesterday morning bright and early our girl got her first metal. She was very excited at first (aren't we all) and then after her first bouts of soreness and getting the list of all the forbidden foods and asking me in her knowing voice but yet still questioning "do I really have to sleep in these mom?" she wanted to reverse her morning. This is when I feel like she is still so young and I feel bad BUT I knew when I had babes that if their mouths were anything at all like their mama's genetics we would all be in for it.

First after braces meal request...none other than smoothies!

It's always special to have a moment when both Tim and I are there with just one of our kids!

A definite highlight for her was teaching Carter how to swish and spit salt water. This is his "spicy" face. Anytime anything is sour he calls it spicy. These two were giggling and spitting for awhile!

Summer Obessions (June)

It's funny because we hold our breathe for summer so we can relax, make lists of all the things we want to do with the "extra time" not spent shuttling around, playing on a team, dance class, gymnastics class and SCHOOL. Well it's summer and it's going too fast and it freaks me out that the backpack catalogs are arriving and Target is already doning their shelves with every kind of pen, pencil, marker, binder and notebook you can imagine. Yes, we go and drool but I am SO NOT READY for that yet. But back to the holding the breathe part...I am STILL WAITING to start all my lists of things I wanted to accomplish this summer one being getting caught up on this blog.

I may not have attemped to catch up on blogs but we have managed to throw in some summer obsessions...so far...meaning we will squeeze every last day of summer and more obsessions until the first school bell rings. Let's just hope I am not in denial and my kids have their backpacks come August!

We have been trying to tackle our summer bucket so if you peeked into "our summer" this is what you would find

Riding lawnmowers at the local home improvement store! A definite favorite.

 

Summer swimming and bbq with some friends we missed for a long time!

 

Showing off her mad monkey bars skills after a bike ride to the park.

 

Lil sis is NEVER far behind.

 

Neither is lil brother...he absolutely ADORES her and walks around the house all day long looking for her and if he can't find her right away comes to me with his hands in the air and says, "where'd titi go?" with the cutest little confused look on his face.

 

Rode on a donkey during VBS week at church.

 

Made sure we had plenty of shades for all our time outdoors.

 

Trying one of our many smoothie recipes, bound to find a favorite. And I just think we did, thank you Miss Martha Stewart! Delish!

 

Playtime, Cribtime....oh how I will miss these days!

Grocery shopping at the "local" market...one who only carried cliff bars this day

 

Many, many, many popsicles.

 

And enjoying anything that can squirt water at one another...especially these cool squirters from Poppy & Judy.

My Girl & Her Bake Sale

The idea came from the Food Channel last summer when the girls saw it advertised while watching their favorite, Paula Deen. Kennedy quickly made it her own and decided to make it a party by inviting some friends/neighbors to help and there became the first bake sale last summer. This year as the school year ended and the summer ideas started flowing...the ones we liked from last year and wanted to repeat, the ones we could forget and some new ones added, Kennedy was more persistent on one thing...When could she have her Bake Sale? I put her off the first few weeks with VBS stuff and friends coming into town but she did not let a day go by without letting me forget that "as soon as all this other stuff is over Mom, you promised." So sure enough when we had a free week the wheels started in motion and the lists became top priority. K and I sat down on Monday afternoon and she made list after list...who she was going to invite, what she was going to bake, a grocery list and any other lists she could think of...My heart was full and I beamed with pride...why?? well yes the bake sale and the fact that it was going to charity was huge but my pride came simply from watching my girl make LISTS. Who doesn't love lists! In fact if I didn't like lists so much I would probably get more done because I spend too much time making list after list because I either just want to make a new list or most likely lose one!

Anyways, she got busy calling her friends, inviting and explaining that she was holding a Bake Sale for charity. The money would be going to Share Our Strength for their No Kid Hungry in Summer Campaign. She was excited, she was proud and she talked about it daily. The poster board was bought, the flyers were made and the minute we picked Nonie up at the airport on Thursday she was quickly whisked to what was transformed from kitchen to the Studdert Bakery that afternoon & evening. We baker chics made more muffins, brownies, rice krispies, and cookies than this kitchen had seen in awhile. We had a blast and I was so glad my mom got to see Kennedy do something she was so excited about. She went to bed that night saying she didn't know if she could sleep and then the next morning couldn't eat much breakfast, "because mom, my stomach is too excited to eat!"

Clock watching became top priority until the friends started arriving. It was a fun morning and one I feel so blessed to have watched and been a part of. I loved that my mom was here to take Carter on a date so I could be present with my girls and Kennedy's plan. I loved that I got to sit and talk to her friends while waiting patiently for cars to see the posters and stop to buy some treats. I loved that I watched my girl not sit down once or let a car pass without shaking her neon poster at their window and yelling Bake Sale for Charity. I loved that with a last minute email to friends around here that they showed up with all their kiddos in tow and bought and donated and ate and talked...that made me SMILE big. I just loved the morning and I just LOVE her heart even more. So proud of you sweet pea and I know you are already planning next summer!

Carter even made a sign and decided to show it off

 

After some hard work, the heat, and lots of selling the girls headed back for some swim time and some pizza! Kennedy claimed that "it was one of the best days of my life!"