Bedtime Conversation with Asa

Here's a part of a conversation I had with Asa at bedtime tonight....
Me: Avery is going to Carlie's house to play tomorrow and Mommy is taking you and Brynn to the Highlands (pool).
Asa: (trying to spell the way he says it) Avee's go to Collie's house. I go to da Highlands.
Me: That's right!
Asa: Bwynn's go to Emmie's house.
Me: Emmie IS Brynn's friend, but Brynn's not going to Emmie's house tomorrow. Who is ASA's friend? Whose house would YOU like to go to for a playdate one day?
Asa: Asa needs stay with MOMMY!!

That's right, baby! You just keep saying that! I'll keep you as LONG as you'll let me!

Sesame Street LIVE

What a fun family outing....going to see Sesame Street LIVE at the Centreplex. The five of us went with Grandmommy, Grandma Shirley, and Carson. Great show! Good times!

Kick Off to Summer!

HOORAY!! It's summertime, and I can hardly wait! Vacations at the beach, days at the pool, sleeping in, no deadlines, family field trips, going to the movies, summer camps, Xtreme Week, crafts, playing in the sprinkler, watermelon....ooooh, these are just some of my favorite things about summer! We kicked off the break by going with Shirley and Al and Shawn and Ash and all of the kids to St. Simons for Memorial Day weekend. It was a great trip - the 7 cousins played great together and had so much fun on the beach. I am so thankful for a place we can go together like Myra's house at SSI. What a blessing!

Asa making mud pies in the sand.

Baylor and Avery playing in the waves.

The girls taking a break from the water to rest on the rocks.

Avery's 5K Graduation

I can't believe that my baby has completed kindergarten. What a fun and exciting year it has been! Avery has loved going to school every single day, and Mrs. Kitchens has been the BEST teacher in the world! For graduation, the kids performed an adorable play about Old MacDonald's Garden coming to life. Avery was a sunflower. Every child had to learn their lines, and they did such a fantastic job. The costumes, the motions, the lines, the songs, were all just perfect. They also showed a memory DVD of the year, and it made us all get teary eyed to see how much our little ones had grown up over the course of the year. Avery is already excited about becoming a big 1st grader!

Asa in a BIG BOY BED...finally!

Well, tonight Asa spent his first night in his big boy bed. It's funny how different things are for that 3rd child. Avery was in hers by 20 months, Brynn by 18 months, and here Asa is 2 and a half and was still sleeping in his crib. He had only started climbing out of it regularly in the last month or 2, so I really haven't been in a rush. He was fairly excited about it (not nearly as over the top as my other 2 drama queens), and he fell right to sleep. My baby boy is growing up WAY TOO FAST!

So proud of his new bed!


Getting ready to say prayers.


Goodnight Asa!


Sleep Tight!

Our Little Tumble Queen

Brynn took gymnastics this year at Sportz Quest. When trying to decide between ballet or gymnastics, we decided that Brynn would rather tumble and climb than twirl and plie! I think it turned out to be a good decision, and she was actually pretty good at it. She loved her little class and her teacher, Ms. Margarita. On the last day of class (last Thursday), she got a medal and a certificate. She was proud of herself!

End of the Year Parties

The last weeks of school are always busy with end of the year parties for the kids. Asa's was on Friday, May 7. I went to hear him sing some songs in his classroom, and then we had a picnic lunch outside. Asa absolutely LOVES his teachers, and on days that he does not have school, he cries, "I wanna see my TEACHERS!" Mrs. Dianne, Mrs. Amber and Mrs. Connie have been such a blessing in his life!

Brynn's 3K Hoe Down was on May 12. We had a country breakfast, the kids sang, we went back to the room for some presentations, and then she got to rotate to the activity stations. It has been a wonderful year as a Fantastic Fish in Mrs. Chrissie and Ms. Kimberly's class. Brynn has loved every day that she got to go to school at Ingleside!

Avery's class party was a swimming party on Friday, May 14. She enjoyed playing in the pool with all of her friends. Mrs. Kitchens and Mrs. Parrish have been GREAT this year, and I couldn't ask for better teachers to make her Kindergarten experience a special one!

Mother's Day

We had a great Mother's Day yesterday...went to church, got some pics with the kids, took them to the fair (with Nonna, Granddad and Uncle Jeff), and then cooked Mother's Day dinner for the 2 Shirleys (my mom and Bryan's mom), Papa and Al. It was a fun filled day of enjoying my own children and being thankful for the wonderful Moms that God put in my life. I am truly blessed!

Silly Face!

Asa's first time at the fair...a big hit!

I'm FIRING the Tooth Fairy!

Bryan pulled Avery's 2nd tooth yesterday, and once again, the Tooth Fairy called and told Avery she'd be dropping by. Well.....this morning, Avery walked into my room with this downcast look on her face.
Me: What's wrong, baby?
Avery: (Holds out her tooth) She didn't leave me ANYTHING!
Me: (Panicking) Oh no, sweetheart, she must've been sooooo busy last night with all the children who lost teeth. Maybe she'll come tomorrow.
Avery: But she SAID she was going to come last night! (She's now about to cry, and it's KILLING me!)
Me: (desperate at this point!) Why don't you run get your milk out of the fridge, and then I'll go help you look around your room. (Avery leaves....Mommy improvises.....QUICK!) I go back to Avery's room.
Me: Avery, lets look and see if she left a note explaining why she didn't leave you anything. You know sometimes, she will let you keep your TOOTH, but she'll leave you a note nearby with your money in it. (AMAZINGLY, there is a folded note right beside the bed).
Avery: What's this? She opens it up and finds a golden dollar and reads the note that explains, "You can KEEP this tooth!"
Mystery solved; Avery is thrilled! It's a good thing because I was about ready to FIRE the Tooth Fairy! Whew....that was a CLOSE one!

Field Day Fun

Avery had Field Day at school yesterday. She had such a fun time participating in all of the events with her friends. Her favorite one was tug-o-war. I took Brynn and Asa with me to watch and just let them run around the football field. When Brynn realized that she could find LOTS of ladybugs in the grass, she was entertained for a while (my little entomologist)! She took Asa with her on her bug hunting excursions and ended up catching 4 of them! They were so cute walking the field together looking for them. I took lots of pictures, and Bryan got it on film because sometimes we have to remind ourselves of these moments when our kids are so sweet to each other! I owed Tattnall big time that night, because all 3 kids were ZONKED by bedtime!

Soccer Relay

Obstacle Course

Water break before the Tug 0 War.

She was really into this!

Mrs. Kitchens' class is proud of their ribbons!

Bug Hunt....so sweet!

Avery Lost Her First Tooth!

My "baby" Avery lost her first tooth yesterday! Mrs. Kitchens pulled it at school while all of her friends looked on. She was so proud and couldn't wait to put it under her pillow last night! The Tooth Fairy called her to tell her that she would be paying a visit, and lo and behold, this morning, there was a golden dollar in place of her tooth!

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

Last week at Ingleside, Brynn's class had "Muffins with Mom." Mrs. Chrissie read this poem, and I just had to share it. The author is unknown.

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her that....
She has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook,
("101 Things to Do With A Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse....
That is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer....
And hang up!
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her...
That she was going to have a cup.
And chances are....
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it!

Sound like anyone else's life besides mine?

Avery and Brynn's Fancy Birthday Soiree (That's French for party.)

Today, we had a double birthday party for the girls....Fancy Nancy style. If you are familiar with this eccentric children's book character, then you know that "more is definitely more," and that was exactly what we did. Elaborate costumes, wonderful accessories, trendy manicures, sparkly makeup, and sassy hairdos were all a part of getting the girls ready for a Fancy Fashion Show at the end of the party. Throw in some French vocabulary lessons, fine dining, and unwrapping gifts, and voila, you have a PARTY EXTRAORDINAIRE! The pictures tell the story....

Before the guests arrived, Avery and Brynn assessed themselves and decided that they WERE indeed FANCY and not plain!

Daddy and I even joined in the fun, proving that we don't need lessons in FANCY!

For a craft, we decorated hand mirrors and sunglasses with bling (a fancy word for sparkly jewels.)

Reading the Fancy Nancy Book gave the girls a lesson in French vocabulary and learning the difference between plain and fancy. They were captivated (that's a fancy way of saying really interested.)

At the Boutique, the girls picked out accessories (which is fancy extra stuff like tutus, boas, wings, tiaras, or shoes), had their makeup and hair done, and got a manicure (which is a fancy way of saying had their fingernails painted). My wonderful sister, Chrissy, sat there painting nails for almost 2 hours, and all of the girls LOVED how they turned out!

For hors deurves (which is French for snacks), we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with frilly toothpicks (they taste much better that way), and zebra striped petit fours (which is French for little bitty cakes), and parfaits (which is French for ice cream with sprinkles). The girls practiced eating with their pinkies up like ALL fancy people do and enjoyed being served by Daddy, the butler.

The birthday cakes (compliments of my friend, Michelle, who also made the petit fours) had Avery and Brynn's monogram on them (which is a fancy way to show that something belongs to you alone.) They were decorated with papillions (French for butterflies).

Ooh la la! Avery and Brynn were simply elated (that's fancy for really happy) over their birthday gifts!

At the end of the party, the parents came back to watch our Fancy Fashion show. The kids were proud to show us all they'd learned about being fancy. Daddy was the MC, introducing each girl and commenting on her keen sense of fashion. He did a great job!

Here is our fabulous crew of Fancy Fashionistas! Don't they look MAAAvelous, Dahling?

It was a great party! Tonight Brynn asked me, "Mommy what are we doing for our NEXT party?" Is she her mother's daughter or what?