Memorial Day Weekend

What a fabulous weekend!  We lucked out on weather - no rain and "warm enough" for swimming.  Friday night we went out for pizza, and Saturday was spent at the pool followed by grilling out burgers (I didn't say we had a fabulously healthy eating weekend  :)).  On Sunday we went to a pool party, and the kids thought it was great that a dj was out there leading games of limbo, tug of war, hula hoop and dance contests, and giving out prizes for pool games. 

Tyler's dance moves were a hit with everyone there (he spent most of the time dancing) and he even incorporated them during the hula hoop competition!  Katie was practicing swimming and enjoying the pool, she may not know how to swim yet, but she certainly is fish-like with her love of being in the water.  In the evening we went up to the official "beach bash" and visited with friends and enjoyed the band, while the kids ran around the course and played until the fantastic fireworks show began (Tyler thought it was cool, but way too loud and Katie said they were awesome). 

Today we went to the pool, again!  They had a slide out today, and the kids played hard.  Katie coerced Lance to throw her in the pool about one hundred times, and Tyler was content to "chillax."  Someone he respects obviously said that around him recently, because he has been, in his words, "just chillaxing" a lot this weekend.

This evening we went to a friend's house for a barbecue.  They live on the river, and some of our friends have older children so the kids were in heaven playing in the river with big kids while we enjoyed hanging out for a bit.  We have school tomorrow (this is the last week) so we headed home fairly early (still late for them), and called it a night.  They are already asleep (even though bedtime is 8:00 it is usually well past then before they are asleep) and had to have been exhausted!  It was a big weekend, and super fun.  It is times like these that I really wish I could enjoy the summer with the kiddos.  I know every day wouldn't be nearly as idyllic, but these last few days have been pretty near perfect and ones that I hope can be repeated in the months to come! 

My kids...

My kids are pretty funny.  They really crack me up these days.  Tyler and I had a 30 minute conversation today about whether or not he can be a pirate when he grows up, and the conclusion was that he can search for treasure, but not steal.  It took a long, long time to get to that point!  Katie's funny moment of the day was coming in to our room at 6:00 AM in her bathing suit, asking me how many times she had to count to 100 before it would be time to go (to the pool that opened today), and ultimately deciding it would be a better idea to "count in my mind."  The pool didn't open until 10:00! We had a great day at the pool on opening day!  Tomorrow is a beach bash and fireworks that should be fun, and hopefully Lance can be with us tomorrow so we can get more swimming practice in.  They both wanted to work on swimming without floaties, but I am not entirely comfortable two on one with no floaties just yet!  I did let them use the kickboards and ring with no floaties when my friend was there with her little boy as a bit of back-up, but they both still have a long way to go before they are proficient swimmers! 

We opted not to go to the celebration of life service for Katie's classmate.  I was on the fence, anyway, and gave them the option and they chose not to go.  Tyler asked to pray about it, and we had some good discussions, but I think they will be fine not going.  I think it would have been good if we had gone to the service, as it would provide some closure and an opportunity to say goodbye and support the family, but I also don't think it is the worst thing in the world to let them process it on their own terms and for me to make sure I am ready and willing to answer any questions they may have but let them dictate how they want to handle this grieving process.  It is such a heartbreaking situation, and I, for sure, have spent the last few days since the devastating news holding on to the kiddos a little tighter, hugging longer, and giving in to reading one more book a bit more often! I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend a day like today with my kids!   

Field Day

Yesterday was Field Day, and Tyler said it was "one of the best days ever."  It was unlike any field day that I remember, since there was no competition and included bounce houses, bubbles, and dancing instead of relays and tug-of-war, but the kids thought it was great.

The weekend was busy, but fun.  Katie, especially, had a great time.  She scored (and her team won) in her first soccer game, she then had a gymnastics recital where she got a medal and some flowers from So-So and Ray Ray (she wanted to take both the flowers and medal onto the field with her for her second game), then had another game, and then her soccer party where she got a trophy that she wanted to sleep with (she likes trophies and shiny things a lot).  She was giddy the whole day, and then was worn out when she got home!  She went upstairs to put her trophies in a special place (she wanted to put her flowers in "her" room that she still doesn't sleep in but we talked her in to a vase downstairs), and never came down.  I went up to check on her and found her cuddled up in my bed - that is so unlike her that you know she had to be exhausted!  She really enjoyed soccer this year and of course, still loves gymnastics.  We'll probably try to figure out how to do some kind of gymnastics this school year and soccer again in the Spring - but we are taking the summer off, for sure!

Tyler had his end of soccer season party, too and also got a trophy.  He took his to school to show his friends - he was so proud.  On Thursday, he got to go with me to a work event and meet the head football coach at Alabama, the gymnastics coach, and a dean from the school of Engineering (his favorite).  He was so well-behaved, and was one of the only kids there (and the only one in the VIP reception where he got to meet Saban), and I was very proud of how well he did, and how much fun he had even though it wasn't very kid-centric.  Sweet boy said that he wished Katie could have gone too, because he wanted her to have as much fun as him!  That lei has been around his neck (even at school) for the last two weeks and somehow made it with us to the event.  I don't know what the fascination is, but it looks festive so I'm not making a big deal out of it!

On a Monday...

We had a great weekend!  Friday was Book Character day for the kids at school and they had a lot of fun with that. Katie's Fancy Nancy outfit that she picked out when the day was originally scheduled (cancelled because of a "snow" day) was too small, so we decided on a ballerina from an easy reader book that she loves.  Tyler found a book specifically to go with his construction worker costume that he wanted to wear! 

We went to a yummy waterfront dinner Friday night, had soccer games Saturday (Katie scored a goal and Tyler's team won), actually made progress on getting the house in order by cleaning out the closet (literally 12 full bags of stuff donated to Goodwill), and then enjoyed a wonderful brunch Mother's Day morning with the in-town family followed by all of us spending time in the freshly mowed backyard  kicking soccer balls, and learning to bat. 

I should have had a clue that the fabulous weekend was taking a downward turn when we got a speeding ticket on the way home from brunch (in an area where the speed limit changes abruptly).  This evening took the cake, though.  After a typical Monday at work, and another day of trying to figure out how to pick the kids up with Lance having to show houses, and me trying to sneak out early - Katie tells me that her head itches really bad.  I reluctantly beckoned her out of her bunk bed to check out her hair and yep, lice.  Lance want to the store to get all that we needed, and then the next two hours were spent getting rid of those suckers.  I so hope they are all gone, but we will probably do another treatment tomorrow just in case.  Tyler was luckily fine, and with the time it took we were able to wash all of her bed stuff and stuffed animals, etc.  She told me that a little girl in her class was sent home today because of it (but she didn't tell her teacher that her head itched, too, because her teacher was "grumpy today"), and I let the teacher know that she had them, too, so hopefully they will check the other kids tomorrow to make sure the spread stops! I really hate those things, but this was much milder than the Disney experience last year, so hopefully we've got it under control!  

Feels like Summer!

We have enjoyed some beautiful days since the rain and storms, and we have been taking full advantage.  Lance and I played golf and tennis this weekend, the kids went to an outdoor birthday party, and every evening we have grilled out, played on the swingset and in the sprinklers and answered crazy questions from Tyler (why are lice and fleas at the bottom of the food chain if they have no predators - didn't think of monkeys in our explanation).  Poor Lance has tried to enjoy our family time each evening, only to be interrupted by almost constant work calls.  I love that business is picking up, I just hate that everyone seems to wait until the hours of 6:00-9:00 to need something "desperately."  He is considering hiring an assistant (there is just a lot of paperwork and details that need tending to in his job that are becoming difficult for him to take care of), and sadly we aren't in a position yet where I can become that assistant and give up the steady income of the family!  Especially since I am now considering private school for the kids sooner than later.  I am really disappointed in how common core is affecting the classroom environment, from the assignments and curriculum, to what interests and passions are being neglected in exchange for an emphasis on teaching to the tests.  Private schools do not use common core curriculum, and if the assignments (math in particular) continue in this vein, I know I am getting to want to get the kids as far away from it as possible.  I hate that my little boy who naturally does calculations, and is constantly adding and subtracting for fun, is now labeled bad at math and I fear it will only get worse.  I just have a suspicion that the common core academic environment is not one in which he will thrive, and I know that I will get incredibly frustrated that Tyler's particular brand of "smart" can easily be overlooked in a classroom whose primary goal is to ace the test. 

Since we opted to play this afternoon, instead of work on homework I guess I can't complain too much, though  :)! 

Art Show

Last night was Tyler's debut at the Mayor's Art Show at the Frist Center.  He was so proud, and we were all proud of him!  He told Lance on the way home that he was so happy that "he is famous now."  Katie started to get a little jealous at that point, and sweet boy could tell so he started asking us "do you know who is really famous?"  The answer was always Katie! 

A less busy weekend than usual is upon us.  My tennis season (has been horrible performance-wise, but it is good to play) is ending and I am trying to get my last bit of tennis in for this round of USTA, so I will play Saturday and Sunday, but no soccer games!  We have two weeks left of soccer after this, and gymnastics is ending, too, so we will only have the kid's tennis lessons on the schedule, soon.  Things won't slow down much, though.  There seem to be a ton of things going on in this last month of school, and before we know it summer will be here.  I have been trying to secure camps for the kids (they are no longer eligible for the ones we registered for because they won't be six soon enough - it was originally entering 1st grade, but now it is 6 AND entering 1st).  We can get into camps at a Y that is farther away, and will probably do that.  The thing that sucks, though, is that since we were already registered at a different Y and weren't on the ball at this one - the best camps are full (wet and wild camp at the "waterpark" they have on site).  I just know that the kids will be sitting in their art camp or dance camp, and be very envious of the kids in the waterpark camp who get to swim and play all day.  They should get to swim, too, though - or at least they did during the Spring Break camp at the same place. 

I have been trying, though, to talk Lance into letting them go to a day camp that is nearby instead.  The pluses are that the bus picks them up at 7:45 and drops them off at 5:00 (so a full work day for a change), and of course, the big positive is that I think they would really enjoy a true camp experience (I loved camp and they seem to have my penchant for nature and outdoor fun).  The only real con is that it is more expensive than the Y camps (it is a Y day camp, too - just a real camp instead of themed camp weeks like dance, art, science, etc.).  They even have a week long session at the day camp that includes two overnights.  I think that is a great way to get kids used to camp!  It always amazed me that the five and six year-olds at the camp I used to work at would stay overnight for two or three weeks as required.  I am sure my kids would love to be overnight for that long and wouldn't miss us a bit, but I am not sure I am ready for them to be in a cabin with teenage chaperones and sporadic showers for that long.  The first camp experience is even more expensive, though!  Lance is hyper-aware of the expense because the Y is also who we have our aftercare booked through next year and it already shows all weeks for both kids on our account and when you add in camp for two kids for 8 weeks the total number is pretty scary!  We looked into sports camps at some of the private schools, and there are some really good ones, but the only full-day ones are booked.  Those will be great when the kids are older, and probably what we will do in the years to come. 

The funny thing is that things will probably seem easier in the summer once we get it squared away.  We have only had one week of not having the sitter and already the 3:00 pick-up is proving to be very difficult.  When you add in soccer, gymnastics, tennis (all things I know that are not mandatory and that we brought on ourselves), homework, and school stuff - things have been crazy busy!  In the summer we should have full-day care and not have as many outside obligations, other than making time for pool time - woohoo!  The thing I am most excited about with school almost being out, though, is that it is almost Beach Trip, time - can't wait!!! 

Goal!!!

Katie made her first (and second) goal today in her soccer game!  Of course, I missed this game to play tennis - but I could tell at other games and practice that she was close.  She is quite the little defensive player, but it seems that she might have figured out the offense part of the game, too - yay!  Tyler paid more attention this time (I made it to his game), and got better on defense, and almost made a goal - but he still isn't too sure about the physicality of the game and doesn't like to get in the  group (it is 4 and 5 year olds after all) going after the ball.  He is doing really great at dribbling and controlling the ball - but alas, that doesn't do him much good at this level - it will be a plus when he gets older though when it isn't so much about biggest and toughest!

This was after her goal - she was STILL grinning ear to ear anytime someone mentioned it hours later! 

After both soccer games, we went to Edwin Warner park where they have a "nature play" area - aka the "mud park."  We met up with a friend from preschool and all three of them had so much fun, and despite how dirty they were (nothing to change into to get into my car) I had a lot of fun too - just watching them play in the mud and in the creek, and just having fun like I remember growing up (mud pies and creek playing were on the agenda often for me)!

Mud Mountain!

 Collecting water from the creek, because they needed "more mud."

 Tyler was a mess - but he sure did like the mud slide he created.