11 is Heaven!!!

Another Birthday to celebrate!

Today Reese is 11!

WOW!

Born on LABOR DAY weekend 11 whole years ago.

She was in a hurry to get here- 45 minutes of labor with no epidural (not good for me).

Fast and Furious with lots of pain but she turned out to be the sweetest baby.

She still can cause me lots of pain- especially when she fights with her sister (we all know which one!) but for the most part she is still sweet! 

I hope you have a super duper 11th birthday and a stupendous 11th year!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSS!

Naughty-ker

(this photo says it all)

I was calling Whitaker the other day and he refused to respond. After several attempts I asked him why he wasn't answering me. 

He said:

"My name is not Whitaker"

I said:

"Well, what is your name?"

He said:

"My name is NAUGHTY-KER"

How fitting!

Another One Bites the Dust

Yes, another MONTH has come and gone. As I flipped the family calendar it was an

"Out with the old,  In with the new" kind-of feeling. 

 SEPTEMBER! 

FALL!

FOOTBALL!

COOLER TEMPERATURES!

I was SOOOOOO excited!

Until I looked at SEPTEMBER.

I thought I was going to PUKE!

Here is why:

My calendar is already FULL and it is only September 1st!

It is so full I needed to add that little secondary calendar for stuff that wouldn't fit on the main calendar!

And while all this is going on at home I am anxiously awaiting a phone call from Kalyn telling me it is "GO TIME" for baby. At which point I will throw my calendar out the window and drive like a madwomen to get to NC to witness the birth of one very special little boy!

I am soooooo excited. 

He is due on the 13th and for the past few days every time the phone rings I run to see if the number on caller id is Kalyn. No call yet but it is only a matter of days now. YIPPEE! A new baby to cuddle and love without having to go through labor myself!

Wish me luck in surviving September!

Lucky 13!!!

It happened.

Without my permission.

She did it.

She turned into a

TEENAGER!!!

Why do they do that?

Where is that curly-haired pixie with the sleeping beauty gown on?

Where are the days of baby dolls and dress-up,

play dates and trips to the McDonald's maze?

They have been replaced with school, soccer, drama and friends. 

Both are good but different. 

Both are a chapter in the Book of Life.

No one wants to re-read the same chapter over and over so the pages in the book have to be turned.

 As much as we may fight it as a parent we have to let them grow up.

It is hard to except that they don't need or often times want us as much as they used to.

It is hard to except that they are not as "cute" as they once were especially when they talk back, have attitudes and generally think you were put on earth to make their lives miserable.

Gone are the days when you could bribe them to "behave" with a pack of Skittles.

Life is definitely more complicated but the rewards are exponential as you witness your child becoming a productive and worthy member of society.

I know that Carson is destined for great things. I do miss her cute 2 year old self but I truly enjoy her as a smart, sweet, loving, capable 13 year old. I know it won't be all "peaches and cream" for this next chapter in her life but I am looking forward to watching and hopefully participating (if she'll tolerate it) in her growth as a person.

I love you so much and I am so proud of the person you are today.

Happy 13th Birthday, Snookie!

(not the one from "Jersey Shore"- a nickname Kevin gave her when she was little)

Out of the Mouths of Babes?

Kids say funny things!

While eating dinner one night Brett chimed in:

"Mom, you know what you have to try? Tilapia! It is delicious."

Really? Tilapia? How many 6 year olds know what Tilapia is let alone think it is delicious?

This weekend Griffin was giving Brett a hard time about something and Brett starting crying.

We told him to ignore Griffin and to not be so sensitive. Brett stated:

"I can't help it because Griffin keeps ANTAGONIZING me!"

He didn't say bugging, bothering or even annoying he said ANTAGONIZING!

I think he is ready for the SAT!

No Can Do, Mom!

This is the pin to hold up our porch umbrella but Whit thinks it is his "Captain Hook" hook- ARRGH!

(photos by Carson)

Whit definitely has a mind of his own. I often ask him to do little tasks like:

Whit, can you pick up your shoes?

Whit can you get in your seat?

Whit can you come here so I can brush your teeth?

Whit can you come here so I can help you get your pants back on?

Whit can you open the door for me?

Whit can you come get in the tub?

(You get the idea)

Well, lately he has decided to answer with the following statement:

No Can Do, Mom!

I just LOVE a sassy 3 year old!

Back to Home?

These 2 are not officially among the back to school crowd but I couldn't leave them out. If they are willing I am able to take a picture or two. You know what they say-

"Strike while the irons hot"

so if they are going to cooperate I am going to shoot away because you never know when the mood will strike again for them!