Wordless Wednesday {I totally HEART these pictures!!}

All in One Day {Emmitt}

One day last week, the Master of Disaster {Emmitt}, made his presence known.

All in ONE day, he accomplished the following:

First off was the Vanilla Wafers... 

Next the drawer full of hotel samples.  Russ travels often and always brings these little samples back.  We have great intentions of our "guests" using them, but guests have been few and far between here in Mid Mo.

He was having so much fun!

As I was returning the samples to their drawer, I rounded the corner to find him with this mess in his bedroom... he is fast, I tell ya.

Later that afternoon was the kitchen cabinet. It has a lock on it, mind you.

And in closing for the night, he demolished Lawson's art desk.  He got out of the tub first and as I was getting Lawson out and drying him off, I heard the mess occurring on the other side of the wall.  I knew immediately what was happening. 

This is the most frustrating of all of his messes.  I have started locking Lawson's bedroom door to prevent this mess.  And you can bet your bottom dollar that if the door is open, he will wipe the markers out like a tornado coming through.  Once he so happily has them scattered on the floor he then eats them, colors the carpet, walls, chair, desk, you name it.  Thank goodness they are washable.  I have no idea how he manages to do this so quickly before we even realize he's gone.  I know this will pass... soon, I hope.

Another blogging Tennessee friend mentioned that her older son didn't get into as much as her youngest simply because there wasn't as much to get into.  I totally agree.  :)

Lawson is so patiently waiting to be dried off...

All cleaned up and ready for bed... and yes, that is what he wore to bed.  Everything else was dirty and these two pieces were at the bottom of the drawer so this is what he wore to bed.  I'm sure that some of you understand.  :)  Whatever works when it comes to getting them to bed.

And I will also mention that this desk is probably his favorite and most used gift he received for Christmas last year; he uses it almost every day, and loves it!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your weekend!

Tuggin' at my heart strings

August marks month number eleven of my stay-home-mom career.  I can't believe it.  Once again, I ask myself, "where has the time gone?" 

Rarely do I think about the stress that my teacher friends, and other teachers for that matter, are enduring.  (Teaching school is not for the faint at heart.)  I am currently living the "in your sport shorts/t-shirt with socks and tennis shoes wardrobe, no make-up, hair in pony-tail, sleeping til 7:30ish because there is no schedule" stay-home-mom life style.  It isn't easy, I must say.  And as a matter of fact, there are days when I think that being at school, and the boys at daycare would be so much easier.  However, it has become the norm and the stresses of my day involve the never ending mess of the kitchen, as well as the living room floor, and the mountains of laundry (both clean and dirty), the fussy children in the afternoons who fight over every toy in the toy box, and the inability to completely clean my house in one day, amongst others.  Those things stress me.  My OCD tendencies are so far in the past that I can't even see them, but there are days when I really do miss them.  Sounds trivial to some I'm sure, but some days the continuous mess is annoyingly stressful. 

The rest of that is for another post; back to my heart strings...

A week or two ago, I was at Target browsing around, (which is why my buggy always ends up fuller than planned), when I turned the corner, and BAM! the school supply section slapped me square in the chest.  It took my breath away.  It made my stomach knot up.  I felt weak in my knees.  Tears were going to well up in my eyes if I didn't leave the area.  Where had I been?  Why hadn't I realized that the school supplies were on the shelves?  Was time passing so quickly that I had missed this exciting time of the year when I am usually working so hard preparing to meet my new students?  I L.O.V.E. this time of the year.  I couldn't bring myself to browse the aisles of supplies.  The smell of the crayons was enough.  I knew I needed to head to the shoes or jewelry or even the toys.  My heart was sad.  The school supply section tugged at my heart strings.  It tugged really hard as a matter of fact.

How thankful I am, however, for the opportunity to stay at home with our boys and for Russ' hard work that allows me to do so.  Our children are our most prized possessions in the whole wide world, and oh, my goodness, what others would do to stay home with their children.  I am so very thankful for the past 11 months.  I wouldn't change it for the world.  Our boys "know" each other, they "know" us, our expectations for them in certain areas is clearer than ever, we've been able to travel whenever we want, and when I doubt any of this or whether or not I'm doing a good job, I remember Mandy telling me that daycare is great, but there really is no better place for children than with their mama... (she lines up second best behind our family, however) and I trust her with my kids' lives.  So when things seem upsy-daisy with the chaos in our house, I always remember what she told me. 

And with all of that said, I do miss the classroom.  I miss the routine life style that goes with working outside the home.  This is the first August in eight years that I haven't prepared a classroom. Although it is a tiring and often a stressful way of life, it's what I believe I was "made" to do.  What God designed me to do.  I love the presence of school children and watching them learn and grow is extremely rewarding and satisfying.  Helping shape them into positive contributors in our society is exciting and heart-warming, too.  I believe I belong there, and believe that is why the school supplies at Target were tuggin' on my heart strings.  Loving what you do in life certainly holds a piece of your heart.  I hope to go back some day.  I hope for our boys to go back to school some day, too.  They need the interaction and educational pieces, as well. 

BUT... until then, when I see the school supplies, I will smile and remember the wonderful things about being at home with my calm boys and will look forward to those lovely school supplies when the time returns.  And I must say that I can't seem to get away from them... circulars in the mail, Michael's, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Hobby Lobby, T.V., the grocery... they are everywhere.  Some days I'm like, really?  Does everyone have to carry them?  Oh, well... it's really not about me.  It's about God and trusting that I am exactly where I need to be at this point in our life.  We will continue to pray that the daily chaos that goes on under our roof will not scar our boys for life. :)  And that God will guide us on a narrow path with His lamp beneath our feet as we move through each day.

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My friend, Elizabeth, never posts an entry without a picture, I decided I kind of like that idea so here you go...



Did you notice how much they love Miss Jones?

They are throwing her a surprise party... that's how much they love her!

And what does this indicate?

She must love them because love is reciprocated, and when children know that their teacher loves them they will move mountains.

Hats off to the great teachers in this world... from daycare and preschool all the way through college. 
They really do shape our future!

The 4th of July

Independence Day was a very nice day.

It is a special day for us as Americans to celebrate our independence and to recognize those who have and who continue to fight for our freedom. 

Independence Day also has a special meaning for me and Russ.

We were engaged on Independence Day in 2002. 

I love the 4th of July.

Each year, my mother's side of the family has a family reunion picnic so we began our day with them and unfortunately only stayed about 30 minutes before the storm sent us back to the van.

It was nice to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children.

It was fun to share our children, too.

With us living away, it is easy for me to forget about my distant family not "seeing" our boys.

 It is also easy for me to forget how proud it makes you feel to share your children with others.

Can you imagine how proud the moms and dads of those fighting for our country must be?
Wow.

After our visit with the Plunk Family, we went to visit with my Dad and Ms. Anita, and her family.  Lunch was delicious and Lawson and Emmitt enjoyed playing with Abby, Sullivan, and Cary Allen.  They were so good with them and oh, so patient.  Mama B and Daddy Denton were also there and it was great to visit with them, too.

Later that night, we had dinner at Mr. Richard and Mrs. Jane's.  We enjoyed hamburgers and hotdogs with the trimmings, and then homemade ice cream for dessert.  It was very good.  All of that food seems to taste better on the 4th... or is it just me?

The food was really good... all.day.long. :)

We closed the night with FIREWORKS! 

I really enjoy fireworks.  I have fond memories of my dad taking me and my sister to buy fireworks and then having a big time shooting them with my family and cousins.  Fireworks brought a lot of fun to our house when we were growing up.

My mom went with us and let Lawson pick out whatever he wanted, and Russ picked up a few others.  My mom and Ms. Jane Hudgins joined us at Russ' parents for the firework show and it was very enjoyable.  Lawson wasn't scared this year and Emmitt didn't seem bothered in the least.  I was glad about that.

It was a fun, yet calm day.  It was just right.

Thank you, God, for this great country and for its independence. 

May you continue to bless us, and may we continue to look for you in each day.

Lately

So, lots has been going on at our house lately...

Lawson has a new book that he can read all by himself... Blue Hat, Green Hat.  He is reading it to Emmitt.

It has like three words per page, but he loves to read it, and it is very funny.

He cleaned out one of the cabinets and decided to have a seat in this big pan.  It was thrown away later in the day as it was destroyed.  Imagine that.  :)

We met some friends from church at the park one morning and had a great time.  Emmitt had to sit in his stroller most of the time... :( not much longer, I hope!

It was a GREAT park for children, by the way!

This is the only pic I got that morning... and there was another little boy named Emmitt playing there.

-Song Leader Lawson-

His "glove" is in his "pocket"... :)

We discovered this "wall" not long after arriving home from Sam's with a large package of paper towels... we can't turn our back these days.

It quickly turned into this...

...and eventually, this...

Who knew paper towels could be so much fun?

I am working on "laughing" these days rather than having my feathers ruffled.

This was one time that I laughed, and am glad I did. :)

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It has been one HOT summer.  We've enjoyed the sprinkler on a few occasions.

:)

Bubbles make everyone smile, don't they?

We found the cutest fire-truck-bubble-blower at Marshall's, and they love it!

We got the chance to swim with friends one weekend while in Martin.

My best friend, Jennifer, and her husband have a pool at their new house and it was so refreshing and relaxing!

Mr. Emmitt

Taking a sucker break...

-Rhett-

He is quite the swimmer and so bravely jumps from the diving board!

Love this picture!

-We are in this crazy "cheeeeezze" stage-

Miss Ruby Claire... she is so sweet!!! Could you sop her up with a biscuit or what?!

She was like a little fish loving that swimming pool!

:)

It was a fun afternoon!

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Emmitt's first "part"...

Minute to Win It is back on for the summer so you can imagine what it is like the day or two after we watch it... he loves it, but his level of "playing" can be exhausting!  And coming up with activities for him to "win" as you count for one minute, and talk on the big speaker, and cheer him on... and then you try again... and then you clap and hug and jump up and down when he "wins". Over and over and over again.  Exhausting, but worth it, I suppose.  :)

In addition to Minute to Win It, America's Got Talent is also on... Tuesday night T.V. is great!!

America's Got Talent is my all-time favorite summer show. I can hardly wait for the next Tuesday night to roll around!

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He's into puzzles these days... he can do this one by himself.

And yes, the curtains are hung the wrong way.  Russ was out of town when they were purchased meaning they weren't hung until after he got back.  I mentioned it is HOT here, so I hung them sideways on three pant hangers and voila!  They at least covered up part of the hot afternoon sun. 

Sadly, I don't recall taking this picture, and maybe I didn't, but nonetheless, Emmitt must have had fun with the puzzle, too.

Lawson has enjoyed "camping out" in his tent a couple of nights over the past few weeks.

The goal is for him to SLEEP, so whatever works is good with us. 

He loves his tent that his Nana gave him last Christmas, and his sleeping bag that Daddy Bell and Ms. Anita gave him for his birthday.

This is a first... Emmitt fell asleep in his high chair while waiting for me to come clean him up.  Neither of them have ever done this.

With it being so hot out, I've been pulling new things out of the hat.  I had some water paints so we gave them a whirl and he had so much fun!

And he's about to get it...

And lastly, the heat seems to bring on the storms these days.  These clouds were beautiful the other afternoon.  The silver lining was so vibrant that I had to take a pic.

My big camera is in the shop for a cleaning as clarity has decreased over the past few months, so I am using my point and shoot which is not always as clear, but trust me... they were beautiful!

I believe that is all... as you can see, lots of memories have been made at our house lately.

Thanks for reading... I hope you enjoy your weekend!