A Regular Day

A regular old Wednesday in pictures ...

A new breakfast favorite

Unicorn tea parties

Campfires in the family room

And another visit from our snack bowl and cup poltergeist (who just happens to be three years old too - hmmmm)

Happy Wednesday!

Picture of the Week - January 28

Square dancin' the cold weather away ...

Kidspeak

During craft time (which is all day, every day in our house recently) ...

And don't go thinking I'm all crafty. "Crafting" is defined very loosely in this house and usually just consists of paper, crayons, and tape, which inevitably end up in 1,457 tiny shards on the floor.

Peyton: "Mom, watch this!"

Me: "What are you doing?"

Peyton: "I'm gonna take this piece of paper, see? And then I'm going to start rolling it and rolling it up like this!"

Me: "Awesome."

Peyton: "Yeah, Mom. This is how I roll!"


What, what? Yeah, dawg. This is how we roll.

Snowbirds

This past long weekend we got the opportunity to visit one of our favorite summer spots in the dead of winter. Though it's so much fun to head to the beach in the summers, we've found it's equally as enjoyable to go in the winter too. We were able to do things we may not have time for when faced with endless miles of sand, sun, and waves during the warmer months. Plus, it's always so gratifying to slip away with our core family of six and enjoy each others company removed from the pressures of the recent holidays. I've learned that smelling the salt air is just as cathartic in January as it is in July. It's funny how simple things like a saltwater breeze, seashells, and sand between you toes can renew one's soul. In my case, you can take the girl out of Florida, but you can't take the Florida out of the girl.

Our view ...

It was so nice to see the sun after four days of solid rain and dreariness at home.

We spent some time retracing a little family history and went to see the Citadel parade of cadets at "Bogey's college", something that Matt used to do as a little boy. I love taking my kids to places and doing things that I (or Matt) experienced as a child. Showing my children their history is so much more fun than just telling them about it.

We got up close and personal with airplanes, aircraft carriers, and submarines when we visited the Maritime Museum in the harbor. Lots of little boys (and girls) dreams came to life over those few hours spent on board.

We spent a lot of time relaxing and did "beachy" things like getting ice cream, building sand castles, and even went swimming (in a heated - but still pretty cold - pool). The kids even got a chance to try out the fishing poles they got for Christmas. We literally had to drag them away from the marina after our fishing adventure ... they couldn't get enough! I have a feeling I know where Matt will be spending his Saturdays in the spring and it starts with an "L" and ends with an "A.K.E." Good thing we have one nearby!

We enjoyed our time so much, it was hard to say goodbye. We brought home a few souvenirs (in the form of 458 seashells) to get us through the next several months until we have a chance to go back. I'm already dreaming of drip castles and suntan lotion and it's only January! For now, it's back to the grind. Don't worry though, I've stored those memories up nice and tight and will be relying on them over the next few months to get me through the grind. I hope everyone had just as enjoyable weekend as we did!

Picture of the Week - January 20

I'm not trying to fool anyone with these pictures, they were taken last weekend. Lots of rain, some snow, and cold temperatures have moved in since then. Hopefully we'll be doing this again soon!

Wait For It

Peyton and Adah got to experience one of their much anticipated "firsts" this past week ... their first ballet class. They were in awe. Running around a large room lit by rays of early morning sun with a group of girls all clad in matching pink tights and black leotards. It was special and magical, everything they had dreamed it would be. They have been begging us for dance lessons for over a year now, and while we're all for letting them try new things, we decided to wait on this request. We felt like taking ballet at age 3 or 4 wasn't right for our girls. We decided to wait until they were a bit older and able to understand what was being taught. And, truthfully, I wanted them to have to wait. Wait for something that they truly desired and wanted to have.

In my opinion, the way our culture is structured nowadays seems to tend towards instant gratification. Posting pictures a moment after they happen, texting back and forth, receiving something as soon as you ask for it ... these are all things that seem commonplace in today's world (and things I am guilty of myself!). I still think it's important that we value things like patience, gratitude, and respect. And I also believe that some things can only be taught by living them. What better way to learn to wait for something than to be forced to actually wait for it? So, we made them wait. They begged and begged for lessons, which let us know that they truly did want them. And, after what seemed like a lifetime to them, they turned 5, which was our prescribed "dance lesson age."

The joy on their faces when we walked into that studio Saturday morning made my heart feel like it was going to explode (mostly because I was worried their hearts were going to explode!). Their appreciation and wonder at the entire event was being fed by their waiting. Fed by the months they'd been dreaming, pretending, and reading about attending a dance class of their own. That class could have been held in a dark, dank basement with no piano player and no one in the class but the two of them and I think they would have been just as happy. The joy was in the anticipation, in the dreaming of the event that was now, finally, transpiring before their eyes. They got to live their dream, and is there anything in the world that is sweeter than that?

Dream on, sweet girls.

Picture of the Week - January 13

The girls have been waiting for this day for approximately 5 years and 22 days ... the first day of ballet class.

New Thoughts For A New Year

Stream of consciousness, bullet style ... here we go.

• Adah has developed a southern accent. I know we live in the south and this shouldn't be weird. However, it IS weird because she has developed an extremely exaggerated form of a southern accent and she is completely doing it ON PURPOSE. She'll be talking normally and then she's all, "Hey Ma, whuch ya doin' over they-are?" And I'm wondering if I turned on old reruns of the Andy Griffith show for a few moments until I realize that it's her speaking. It's at completely random times too (which is kinda Adah's M.O., the randomness part of it), so it always throws me for a loop.
• We are in the process of choosing an elementary school for the triplets next year and it is completely consuming me. Too much so, in fact. I almost wish that we didn't have a choice and we just had to send them to a set place. Don't get me wrong, I like that we get to choose, but it's driving me bonkers. I'll be glad once it's decided.
• Luke asks me daily to smell his body in various places. Sometimes it makes sense (smell his mouth after he brushes his teeth to see if it smells clean, smell hands after washing them, etc.), but some are completely odd. I drew the line yesterday when he wanted me to smell his feet. I also drew the line when he wanted me to smell his booty because he has just recently learned to pass gas on demand. The boys think it's hilarious (and by that I mean ALL the boys in the house), I do not.
• My kids are obsessed with tape. They spend hours every day making things out of paper, scissors, and tape. This morning before school they had all cut out and taped together karate belts and karate badges (?) to wear. They then proceeded to tape the belts and badges to their clothes with 567 pieces of tape. They don't really get the "less is more" concept. We had  a tutorial the other day about how it IS physically possible to hang a picture on the wall with just TWO pieces of tape. This was after I had to hand peel twelve pictures off the hallway walls the other day that were perma-sealed to the paint with an entire roll of tape per picture. The ten rolls that Santa brought are already gone. This year it would serve you well to buy stock in Scotch Brand.
• I finally made this banana ice cream for the kids the other day and it was awesome! You need to try it. I have been eying it for a while and when one of my friends (thanks Michelle!) made it and said it was good, I had to try it. Awesome and the easiest thing ever.
• Today I am going to wear my slippers to school to pick up the kids. I have probably been wanting to do this for about three months but I always chicken out because I'm petrified that the one day I do it I will have to get out of my car for some reason. I really don't want to be that lady with four kids standing on the side of the road when her car battery dies, so I'm crossing my fingers that this will be an uneventful trip. Pray for me.

Picture of the Week - January 6

Warm enough to enjoy some time in the playhouse today!

Christmas in Photos

Take four Christmas celebrations in five days and add in three birthdays as well and we are one celebrated-out family. Although we had such a wonderful Christmas, it all really seems to run together. We enjoyed time with family in North Carolina and in Florida while continuing our own Christmas traditions at home with our family of six. God is good, family is wonderful, and this time of year is always magical. Here's just a sampling of all the fun we've had these past couple weeks.

I can't believe it's come and gone already. The kids are already counting down to next year ... only 355 days to go!

Last Days of Advent

We're back from Christmas vacation and it's time to get some memories down before I forget them! Let's back up to the several days before Christmas so I can recount how we celebrated the last few days of Advent.

The last few days of Advent we just tried to lay low and do things together as a family. We went for our traditional drive around town to see Christmas lights. It was pouring, but we were able to make out the lights anyway. The kids liked the lights as well, but only after they polished off strawberry milkshakes that we let them enjoy during the ride! We also enjoyed watching some of our favorite Christmas movies like the Polar Express and the Grinch (the latter of which we enjoyed with hot chocolate!).

We also had an early Christmas with Mimi filled with a trip to the park, baking cookies, and a special birthday celebration.

The kids made some special cookies to leave for Santa and delivered some goodies to our wonderful neighbors as well. We continued our Christmas Eve tradition of family church service, followed by our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of making our own pizzas. The toppings were flying this year as we added all sorts of fun things to our creations.

We had such a great Advent season leading up to Christmas and Jesus' birthday. We upheld many of our old traditions and added a few new ones into the mix as well. Next year we hope to add even more service activities and acts of kindness as the kids grow and get older. More Christmas to come!