Coleman's B-day (late)

OOOPs.....this is out of order but wanted to say a little about Coleman's b-day. He is excited it is one more step b4 10 (as my heart contracts). We decorated the house a little the day b4 so when he came home from school he was excited and had his family party the night b4 so me (dumb me) didn't decorate anymore.....right? When he got up he rushed through the house and sadly looked at me and said it's the same?? I thought you decorated more ( which is the tradition...when they wake up the house is BlAM tacky bday decorations everywhere ) ....which I could have put up the crepe paper/ more balloons but said OH, I was gonna decorate more for you while u were at school so when you came home for your party you'd be super excited....so I did (guilty mom complex) and it looked like balloons and crepe paper threw up in my house and not only b/c my 3 yr old was yielding tape and a roll of crepe paper. Note to self....they do notice and don't think it's not a big deal next time. He got the special plate for his bday dinner ( which somehow observant Liv memory of elephant announces that SHE didn't get the special plate at her bday and WHy not.......really you didn't? hmmmm, well there is always next year and a reminder for mommy wouldn't hurt. ) We went around all said things we liked about/apprec about Coleman. I love the look on his face (and the other kids) when we do this.

Reading Sweet Liv's card

Several things were he is a great big brother, patient, kind, helps others if they are feeling left out, sticks up for people being picked on, artistic with drawing and clay, athletic, funny, great reader, makes the best mac/cheese sauce. great balance. awesome fort builder. makes me laugh. thoughtful. The boys built a fort, went to a movie, b-ball in the basement, slept in the fort (which apparently was the coolest thing) stayed up till 2......I think since I went to sleep at 12:30~yawn. The last thing that struck terror in my heart..someone asked me a question and I said "oh in 10 yrs maybe we'll do that" and Coleman piped up and said "but mom, I"ll be in college"...fear and tears is all i can say. Happy 9th Bday to my first born...sorry for all the mistakes but love you and pray that you will grow continually with your Heavenly Father and have a desire to know Him, Godly wisdom as you begin making decisions, spirit of excellence, humility, discernment from good/evil, respect for authority, have outstanding character, and that He surrounds you with wise, encouraging friends. Wheww.....now to pray those things for me

Misc St. George

A couple of thing I want to remember....riding bikes on the bike path with the ocean as our view. I told the kids..not to many places you can ride your bike right by the ocean. Alot of snowbirds were down there and they and my kids enjoyed interacting with each other. Walker was not keeping up on the training wheel bike so I ending up renting a bike with a carrier. He had a blast! He would say hello to the people we passed. Although , at one interesection, there were 3 snowbirds and I said hello as I slowed and went by them and Walker starts to speak with me not worried in the least what he was going to say until I hear " SO Long SUCKAS!" As I looked back...they were not amused! I apologized as I'm pedaling away....saying "Walker ...you can't say that to strangers! It's disrespectful! It's OK to joke around with your family /liv and coleman" Meanwhile I'm laughing b/c it cracks me up. Walker said he was sorry and on the way back was crouching down saying he was hiding from those people and was't going to talk with them.

Coleman loved riding my bike and the freedom I gave him to ride his bike inside the gated community. Olivia still doesn't love the beach...somehow the ocean water stings her legs and she break out in bumps but enjoyed her sitting in my lap at the beach/ buying us matching rings, shopping with Coleman and Olivia in Apalachicola with Nana and Aunt Cathy. The kids all working together to build a sand castle. Meeting the dog "Teddy" that looked like black bear. (a Bouvier) Wish I had gotten a pic of him with the kids. Walker started yelling "its a bear...it's a black bear" and talking to his owner who lives on the beach and has a house in Atlanta while his wife lives in N.J and child is in boarding school-different lifestyle but he was very kind and told my Aunt Cathy he was impressed with the kids' behaviour so that was nice. We looked forward to Teddy coming out for his walks- he was HUGE!

me waiting for Walker on the beach as a runs yellong "wait for me mommy....tanks mommy, will you hold my hand " (Ugh, I'm such a sap but hate the day he won't want to do it...makes up for all the times I"m at my wit's end )and he held my hand walking on the beach by ourselves for it seemed like a mile.


I feel like we needed this quiet time to get away..the kids and I....to just recover , have fun, and be with each other. I feel like I've been on survival mode since July. Every experience is "new" and the "first time" which sometimes is overwhelmingly heartbreaking and sad but in a Hallmark quirky way I feel like God is whispering "see, you guys are going to be OK. You can do this". So all the walks, bike rides, watching the kids play, watching the dolphins, the waves were therapeutic in a way...life goes on....just in a different way. So I'm packing up to go home-back to reality with the hopes I have a clearer head and the memories to help with the upcoming hard times. St. George is always great...I have been there as a teenager in college, newly married, and now yearly with my kids and hopefully I'd love to bring my grandkids here.

st george part 3

This is when it's worth the packing, the 7 hr drive....to see the THAT bridge that I've seen for 16 years, drive the last 30 min right by the ocean (although it was dark this time but I know it was there, the smell of the ocean) to wake up and drink coffee looking at the sunrise and the beach/ocean. Ahhhhhhhhhh, I disengage from my life....the stress, work, schedule and the biggest decisions are how much coffee to drink, to walk to the beach or ride bikes, let the kids eat ice cream b4 dinner?-sure, and to spend time with the kids/family/ and play. Playing games, collecting shells, riding bikes, visiting with other family down here, great food...and for some reason I'm going to bed early...usually asleep b4 10 and up by 7..not sure why but it works. But regular life contin with time outs...as I speak all 4 kids are in time out -haha and I've cleaned up explosive d from chest-toe in his crib from Caleb and cleaned up Coleman's throw up Wed. morning at 6 (strange virus...hadn't thrown up since Sun). but wouldn't change a thing minus the virus :)

st george island part 2-way down

trip down:

Coleman had been throwing up/and big d prior to leaving so I dramamined him up b/c he gets car sick and in hopes he could sleep and not throw up in the car. Mission accomplished ....however and this is where the blog is just for my memory and not the for others b/c it's gross. Walker soon says south of Atlanta "mommy, I have water in my poopy in my underwear" which I say "When?, not now? right?" and he says "right now" Pull over in a toys r us parking lot to change him and as i pull down his pants and he cries I'm pooping again as explosive fire hydrant D flies out and covers the parking lot next to the van. I'm trying to stand to block anyone seeing him hoping they don't call the police. Thus begins about 10 more x on the way down with the children immodium packed somewhere but other than that it was uneventful :)

caleb turns 2

Better without the hat on

Well as my baby is 2...never thought I was going to be sad about that but for some reason I'm a little melancholy. As my sister-in-law says "he's not a baby anymore" I've been looking back at the other kids pics from this age and it's like everyone says.."it goes so fast" Couple of things I want to remember about Caleb at this age...crosses if and mf to show he's 2. says "O-kay" like forest gump when you say let's do...... "tank u mommy "or whoever hands him something. Likes for you to say "run" and he runs a circle around the house and waits for you to say run again. loves his "pappy" and ask for it "pappy?" all the time and then says "no pappy'" love that he is a cuddler, love to sit in my lap "wap. mommy?" comes over and give a hug. Loves his bed and although will say "no nite nite" when he is ready waves good-nite to everyone, wants to hold hands to say prayers and mumbles along with me and then says "AMEN" , lies down on his pillow and I cover him with his blanket. When he is in trouble or not getting what he wants starts a full blown wail with tears and wraps his arms around my legs and buries his head b/t my knees and cries as if his heart is breaking . (while I laugh ;) Loves to talk to strangers and engage them and talk and talk in jarble. In general, a very good baby with a bright agreeable disposition. very blonde/white hair and very blue eyes. Ok but has some fits/screaming jags with multiple timeouts over and over and sometimes when I say you are going to time out he will say "o-kay and go put himself in time out).

Made peace with the bday hat..school bus calms anyone

Eats alot..call it the caleb eating fund....oatmeal, applesauce, ice cream, pudding, fruit, ok pretty much everything except green veggies. He can eat 2 hot dogs, peaches, applesauce. watching christmas shows and when saw santa says "ho, ho ho"...random but at least it's down for the record..pretty good for the 4th child.

And best present of the night.....a flashlight ...now he doesn't have to "borrow"/steal his older siblings

st george island part 1

Packing for a trip for a week at the beach (well to anywhere) for 4 kids is a practice in psychic ability of what they might possibly need since there isn't a Wal-mart for 2 hrs. I've become the person who needs some huge plastic thing that attaches to the top/back of the mini-van to fit all our stuff. Thankfully, my mom/dad had extra space in their mini-van. We had a snowstorm hit north Georgia on Fri Feb 12th which cut into my errands/packing by 3pm the snow was coming down in huge flakes, yards were covered, and the roads were getting slick. We (mom, me, aunt cathy) parked at the top of my hill and I cautiously walked down the hill to get my dad and pack my stuff for a sleepover at my moms. Which was a fun idea but I had loads to accomplish Friday from errands, finishing all my work, packing at my house but the lure of a fire, snowed in with my family won out. Our eating out turned into a quick drive thru Taco Bell. My parents live on a narrow road with a one lane wooden bridge so helped my Dad sand the driveway and curled up to watch the Olympics. Time well spent esp with my Aunt Cathy visiting.

valentine's day

I love all things holiday....esp with the kids. My mom was laughing that I decorated for V day soon after Christmas decorations came down. I love the kids get excited and we discuss the holiday. My friend came over and said "You sure like decorating for Vday" Yes, window clings, doormats, love and v-day signs, table decoration, heart shaped food for breakfast and for the kids' lunches at school all makes me happy. So in my effort to have a little teaching, Bible study life lesson with the kids we were discussing 1 cor 13 and how difficult it is to love fully with patience, kindness etc and love is choice sometimes that we do even though we don't feel like it..meanwhile Walker is making his faces, antsing around on the bed and I was fed up with behaviour and many warnings and to his surprise flicked him on the head (not in love :) ) Liv later on said, "geez, mom you might have had more patience with Walker to show love" So , I had to admit to her and apologize to Walker that he needed to have self control but I should have demon discipline with love and not in my frustration to have a teaching moment. Of course, did the extra decorations for actual Valentine's Day and their faces are so shiny and excited when they see it. I wrote in their cards this year and it seemed a touch Liv liked...she read hers and smiled and read the younger boys their cards. And, they got a kick out of doughnuts and candy for bfast although the mom healthy gene twitched a little inside me I think they will remember eating candy vs eating heathy that morning. :) They are healthy, happy, and safe....and loved