So Much Fun!

We had an awesome holiday spending time together on a farm for our Christmas celebration with my mom's side of the family.  We played "Dirty Santa," sat by the outdoor fire, and went to an amazing lights show at Callaway Gardens (ALL of us)!  Leaving time came too soon, but we did manage to get a family picture and we even got one of our little family (which is really hard to get these days). 

Before Christmas we found time to make gingerbread houses with So So and the Nashville cousin! 

Christmas day was wonderful.  Present opening time was really fun this year since the kids could read the boxes to know what was in it and really be excited that Santa "remembered."  They loved their gifts, but also really enjoyed the days off of school (and us working) to play with toys new and old (Lance's grandfather made blocks for his children and eventually Lance and his brothers to play with and they were passed down to the kids this year and they played with them nonstop)!  We had a blast at So So's on Christmas Eve and with more of Lance's family on Christmas Day.  Despite suffering a real loss this year and really missing Ray Ray, this holiday was certainly one to be remembered - so fun and not even done!  This week we go to Gatlinburg (and our first visit to Dollywood) to spend some time with my Dad and family.  Should be even more fun times! 

Our other big, exciting happening in December was Tyler's loose tooth finally falling out.  Since then he has lost another and has yet another loose one, but that top one held on for a while and it was pretty big news when he could finally wait for a visit from the Tooth Fairy! 

We are waiting for them to finally go to sleep (yes, it IS almost 11:00 - hopefully we can get back on a schedule once school starts - even though we do make them go to bed at a reasonable hour, unfortunately can't make them go to sleep) so we can make sure the Tooth Fairy visits again tonight.

We decided against letting Katie join the gymnastics "pre-team" she was invited to - just too much commitment at this point.  Basketball starts soon and soccer will follow right behind that and we will see if she has any interest in anything other than gymnastics before we let it take up so much of our time and attention.  Competitive gymnastics can be very expensive and time consuming and we aren't opposed to it eventually if it is what she loves, but for now we think she should be exposed to other things in case she likes them more.  They both really loved the basketball camps they did over break and we would love to have a basketball goal at our house for them to play on - which was just one teeny, tiny reason we also made an offer on a house today - eek!    We were really nervous earlier in the day just after the offer was submitted but since we haven't heard back at all (it is for sale by owner before going on the market) we are thinking it isn't good news.  He had multiple people interested in the house and even though it is a great house for us and the first one to prompt us to make an offer since buying this one 7 years ago, we know that if it doesn't work out we are fine right where we are, too!  We really do like our house and neighborhood, but there were so many pluses in favor of this one for what we want and where we would like to be when the kids get older, that we had to give it a go.  If it doesn't work out I will probably be very glad that we don't have to keep the house in shape to show with two royal mess-makers, not to mention the hassle of packing and moving, and new school districts, etc., etc....

Christmas!

Well, it has been a while for an update but for good reason - we have been busy, busy, busy!  We had a great Thanksgiving - traveled to Alabama to see my family, and spent Thanksgiving Day with Lance's family.  After our Thanksgiving meal the kids spent time with their Uncle Matthew and So So playing charades and going on a scavenger hunt with a candy prize orchestrated by Matt that they thought was just "awesome!"

We also went to see The Rockettes with So So in early December.  It was a fantastic show and the kids had a blast!

The Rockettes show was on the same day as our annual visit with Santa as part of the Mandy Johnson Photography event.  I thought their outfits were cute, although white kind of washes them out so the pictures weren't as good as in other years - but I still love them!  Katie always gets so shy and want say a word to Santa, and Tyler always starts telling Santa he wants all of these random things that he has never mentioned before!  It is a fun way to do the Santa visit!

After that the kids both came down with a sickness, but it hit Tyler worst of all.  He missed three days of school and had scary high temperatures along with an ear infection, but they both seem to be on the mend just in time for our Christmas celebration with my family this upcoming weekend.  Should be fun, even if the weather is being uncooperative (raining and cold - but no snow).

We are on the countdown to Christmas Eve around our house - the kids are so excited!  We (meaning mostly Tyler) are also anxiously awaiting the loss of Tyler's first front tooth.  It is very, very loose and I thought it would fall out when he was playing with it incessantly while home sick - we'll have to see if it will be missing in our family picture to be taken this weekend!  

Overscheduled?

We are definitely in activity overload right now!  Katie was moved up another level in gymnastics and after talking to a former gymnast/friend that was watching the girls in class yesterday - she said to be prepared for them to ask Katie to join the pre-team which means practice two nights a week at minimum.  We are going to see how basketball, and then soccer goes to see which she likes better.  She is so competitive though (I wonder where she gets that), that I bet this achievement level thing will motivate her to want to stick with gymnastics even if it isn't her favorite.  She was as proud as a peacock yesterday when the coaches told me in front of the whole class that she needed to move up. She likes gymnastics, but she is so active and physical that I really think a sport with more constant movement and activity will be better for her. It will be her call, though, and she really did have fun at her basketball clinic last week (even if she did do a few round-offs before practicing lay-ups), and games are sure to be even more exciting for her (she really liked the competition of soccer games).  

In the meantime, it seems like everything is happening NOW and I just can't get my little brain around it all.  Work is so busy for me that I feel like I am going in a million directions.  Basketball season starts for both of them next week, sign ups are happening for soccer and baseball and Tyler has chosen baseball, but really wants to play soccer too, which means Katie thinks she should be allowed to play softball AND soccer (we are debating since they do overlap and will likely be a scheduling nightmare and the Spring is when Lance and I actually get to play our sports too).  Summer camp sign ups are also happening in December and we haven't decided if we are going to let them do an overnight camp this year, if we are going to do day camp like last year, if we are going to try to do sports camps instead, etc.  I hate having to decide now, but if we don't - we don't get in!

It also looks like I am going to be a basketball coach for a team of six and seven year old girls.  It has been so long since I have done much of anything with a basketball that I am kind of nervous, but they needed a coach for Katie's team and our neighbor is the league coordinator and I couldn't say no.  Lance is going to help, but he will primarily be watching Tyler during Katie's (our) games and getting Tyler to his games and practices if they conflict.  I ended up running some of Tyler's soccer practices last year and it wasn't too bad, but I don't like being responsible for teaching fundamentals!  Since none of the other parents on the team stepped up when they put out a call for help, though, I don't think they get to complain too much!  The kids went to a basketball clinic last weekend, and are going to another this weekend and I will for sure be watching the drills they do more closely this week!  I am sure all will be fine, but Katie actually listening to me as her coach may be another story - ha!  

I know that it isn't imperative that they do all of these activities, especially when we have all we can handle with school work for the two of them each week, but Lance and I both really loved sports and it seems like they do too, and I think it is good for them to be active and involved in something other than homework and television watching!   I recognize, though, that the most daunting thing of it all, besides trying to schedule and get to everything, is the staggering expense.  If all of these things were more affordable the decision would be easy - we would absolutely find a way to get them to activities they enjoy and send them to camps that will teach life and outdoor skills that they can't get anywhere else.  But, if Katie actually does want to really concentrate on gymnastics we will be looking at astronomical costs that I just don't know are feasible, compounded by life stuff that seems to crop up at the worst times.  My broken seatbelt (that is in the back seat and used by the kids so has to be fixed ASAP) and windshield in my car, rotting back door on the house that had to be fixed, a growth and cold spurt that meant all new clothes and shoes for both kiddos, etc., etc.,  makes it hard to commit to extracurricular activities and especially ridiculously expensive summer camps so far in advance.

Maybe I am just chafing at the notion that all of these organizations won't allow me to procrastinate, though  :).  Just like I had good intentions to buy Christmas presents well in advance to defray December expenses (and now have exactly 0 gifts), and intended to buy winter school clothes in a size up when they were on sale and never did it, I am sure that if they didn't have deadlines so far in advance I would be even more frantic and stressed when I actually got around to planning out the rest of the school year and summer.  I must admit that it will be kind of a relief to know in January what the Spring and Summer holds, for the most part, in terms of activities and childcare for the kids.   It will likely give extra motivation to both of us at work, too - knowing that our commissions and paychecks are already committed  :)!      

Fun Fall!

We have had a lot going on these last few weeks.  I am crazy busy at work, and the kids school schedule has been pretty wild too - which is a probably a good thing since it helps distract everyone from sadness about Ray Ray.

The Hound Dog run was a really fun day.  The kids ran a mile with us cheering them on, and then we spent the evening at a carnival/festival at the school, which they loved.  They really like for us to come to school events these days because they want us to meet their friends, and in the case of Katie - want to introduce me to the parents of her friends to try to coerce us into sleepovers and play dates (she had me talk to the mom of one of her friends last night at their music performance to convince me that it is time for a slumber party).  I am actually okay with a sleepover/slumber party in theory - but will not allow Katie to do it until she can stay in bed and not yell down to us for hours after bedtime - she knows that, too, but hasn't been able to accomplish it yet!

Anyway, here are some pics of my little runners!  They have been working hard to be able to run a mile and did so good!!!

And at the Festival.  Most of the Festival was outside and featured bounce houses, arts and crafts areas, and games and seemingly EVERY SINGLE KID was wearing the exact same shirt, in the dark - chaos!

Last weekend we decided to enjoy the weather and took the kids camping. It wasn't too cold, no rain (good thing since the piece that holds our rain guard on the tent has gone missing), and a beautiful spot about an hour and half away on Center Hill lake.  We had a blast roasting hot dogs, making smores, telling ghost stories (more of the haunted hamburger who variety - courtesy of Tyler - rather than super scary), and just spending time together without any distractions.  I would love to go camping more often, but rarely is it the perfect combination of not too hot and not too cold!  I swear they wear things other than that Hound Dog Run shirt - it just so happened that we left from school on a Friday when they are allowed to wear the shirt to school instead of uniforms!

Tonight is Halloween.  The weather looks pretty nasty - cold, windy, rainy - but not as bad as last year when we had storms!  The kids already enjoyed a neighborhood Fall party and the opportunity to wear their costumes.  They wore them again last night at the music performance (don't have any great pictures because they were on opposite sides of the stage and I hesitate to put up pictures with so many kids other than mine), and tonight will be the main event!  Tyler selected the "cool guy" that he wanted to be a while back and talked Katie into matching as a Pink Lady.  They are really having fun with it, even saying they are glad they aren't something that everyone else is but I know Katie kind of wishes she could have something sparkly or princess-like (or from Frozen) similar to most of her friends.  I bet, though, that they will both be glad for the warmth of their costumes tonight!

Our neighbor did a great job face painting.  It was so fun for the kids to be able to play and not have to wait in line for their turn and then get to pick anything they wanted!

Fall Break!

We had an amazing trip to the beach for Fall Break.  Perfect weather, fun family time chillaxing on the beach, great food, and attended a beautiful wedding to end a much needed vacation.

While the vacation was awesome, the actual drive home was harrowing, with tornado warnings, torrential downpours, and really strong winds - and bad weather continued throughout the night cancelling the baseball game that was scheduled for the next day.  The baseball cancellation meant that Tyler got to go to his first Boy Scout meeting of the year. He liked it, but surprisingly said he wished his game hadn't been cancelled - he is really enjoying playing!  The game is rescheduled for Thursday and the last game of the year is Saturday.  It will be a long wait until Spring season, but I am sure we will appreciate a little schedule freedom in the upcoming months. 

Life was in full swing the minute we got back.  My work is ramping up, it's time (way past time actually) to get serious about school and all of this reading and homework that is expected of us, and  it is Hound Dog run, Spirit week at school, so lots of festivities!  The kids had a field trip today, and the run and family night is later this week. Poor Tyler has had a horrible ear ache since we got back and we took him in to the doctor today so hopefully he will be on the mend soon.  He was kind of grumpy at the wedding and end of the trip, which I now suspect was because of the ear pain.  He didn't even complain until we asked him why he didn't eat his banana (he is practically a monkey and would normally eat a whole bunch of bananas if we let him) and he said it hurt to chew.  Fall is hard on him with a new round of allergies, and swimming for a week doesn't help.  The weather sure is turning Fall-like, though - which I love.  The kids, for a change, chose Halloween costumes that wont be too hot or too cold regardless of the weather (they are a Pink Lady and T-Bird from Grease), but I always like when Halloween is a little cooler!  It may be Halloween until I find time to post again, but I'll try to check-in and update sooner! 

Sad Days

I was considering stopping writing this blog, since the main fan of news of the kids was their grandfather.  He sadly and unexpectedly passed away last week and we are all devastated.  As I was reading back through some of the posts, though, I realized that this is a place of lots of good memories of time spent with Ray Ray, and just as I appreciate that now - there may come a time in the future that I will look for words and memories and thoughts from these years too.  So, I will skip over the last couple of weeks that I will likely never forgot for how sad and shocked and heartbroken we all have been and jump right in to the last couple of days!

This weekend we went with So-So to see Frozen, Disney on Ice.  Fabulous show, and even more fun than watching the kids try to recreate the theatrics once we got home - backyard version, which was pretty hilarious.  I can't explain the fanatical love of the movie by every child I know, but I do admit that it is a pretty good movie and was fun to watch on ice.  It is a very different experience nowadays than when we went to ice shows and circuses and performances when they were younger.  Back then they were probably more in awe, but now they truly get what is going on and can enjoy all aspects of the performance.  Big thank you to So So for braving ridiculous traffic and it being super cold inside of the arena, to treat us to a fantastic afternoon. 

This morning, as I was trying to get my and the kids schedules straight in my mind for the next month - lots going on with the end of baseball (which Tyler still absolutely loves) season, school activities, holidays, school breaks, etc. - I realized that we will not have an opportunity to go to any of the Fall festivals or pumpkin patches any weekends before Halloween.  Fall activities like that are some of my favorite things and I really love that Nashville has so many fun things to do once Autumn arrives, and I didn't want to miss out this year!  So, today, we made a trek out to Lucky Ladd Farms.  It is about an hour away, but the farm we usually go to was visited by the kids on a school field trip just a week ago, so we wanted to check out somewhere new.  It was awesome!  Lots to do, perfect weather, and definitely worth the drive.  The friendliest animals ever in the petting zoo, good ole fashioned farm activities like tire swings, playing in the corn, hay rides, and sack slides, topped off with candy apples and fresh squeezed lemonade - made for a great day!

6 Year Olds!

Yikes - it's been a while!  School stuff, hours (literally - I can't wait until reading the directions isn't as laborious) of homework, baseball and gymnastics, and Boy Scouts and Book Fairs thrown in,  make it difficult to keep up! The kids seemingly had a great birthday.  They got lots of fun presents (so sorry that we have not sent thank you notes yet - harder than you would think to find the time to do them), and had a really good time at Dave and Buster's and playing at the pool on the last day (Labor Day) that it was open.

Tyler was obsessed with Switch and Go dinosaurs before this birthday (and still loves them), but this is definitely the year of Pokemon for him.  He spent all of his birthday money on Pokemon cards, and reads his Pokemon books (one gifted to him by my sister and one purchased at the book fair) nightly.  I am actually good with him having the books since I hope it encourages reading (my philosophy is that the topic doesn't matter as much as the inclination to read for fun), but the cards are crazy.  He memorizes each card and all of the characteristics and loves to talk about his Pokemon cards and what he can trade them for and what they can do, and why he won't trade that particular one (beware)! Katie  is reminding me daily what it was like to be a little girl.  I feel like she is hitting these stages sooner than me, but it is all definitely familiar.  She loves her password journal that writes in invisible ink, she struggles with deep down really enjoying outdoor, active toys more than dolls and "girl" things, and she is a big fan of bling, and sparkles and anything fashion oriented.  She is the girliest tomboy ever and kind of stuck between the two right now.  Only time will tell which way she will go - I hope she doesn't have to choose! 

The kids are looking like such big kids to me these days!  What's crazy is that they actually ARE big kids.  First grade is no joke!  We've realized that the kids are both doing really great learning to read and as importantly, to be good students in the classroom.  Unfortunately, I have also recognized that Katie has picked up my complete ineptness with math (Lance is going to try to help her "get" it because I am not getting through) and that Tyler really has a very hard time sitting still and concentrating to do his work to the best of his ability.  We both want to try to avoid the likely ADHD diagnosis and subsequent medication recommendations likely to come for him, though - so we are hoping that we can keep him active enough (even at the expense of doing homework perfectly) to offset the time he spends regimented in the classroom.  I spoke with his teacher and she had a conversation with him, and since then things have seemed a lot better.  Fingers crossed that he is back on track with liking school.  He still definitely struggles with friends and fitting in (or rather has a harder time than Katie - my only comparison), but he doesn't seem to dread going to school each day anymore - great news! 

Hard to believe but Fall Break is almost here!  We are going to the beach for a couple of days instead of paying exorbitant daily childcare fees for the week, and I am really looking forward to a break, even if it does seem very close to the start of school!  The weekend before we leave should be really fun, too.  Tyler has a baseball game (he seems to really enjoy baseball - much more than soccer) and he does great at practice (he is more distracted at games but likes those the best for the icee he gets as snack afterwards), and then they will both go to Disney on Ice - Frozen.  That is still their favorite movie, and I think they are the perfect age to really appreciate the show.  We need to fit in Boy Scouts Jamboree that weekend, too - probably Sunday and then will leave mid-week for the break.  Hopefully I can find more time to update in the weeks ahead.  Especially since we are entering Fall in Nashville, my absolute favorite season here!  I just love all of the Festivals, and the weather, and football, and most of all getting to spend some really fun time with the kids.