My Babies

My Babies

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Last Week-end roundup

This was the last week-end before school starts up early tomorrow morning.  We had a very relaxing one with lots of swimming. a sleepover and ended with a birthday dinner for my daddy.  Summer is not officially over but when school starts it is just a few weeks away.  I am looking forward to some Fall things though.  I love pumpkin patches, leaves turning, football, chicken stews, Autumn festivals and the like.  Since this was my official last weekend of freedom I took a zillion pictures....I will only share a few!!!




Early mornings on the swing set after a sleepover at Mimi's house



Savannah wants just one more slide, please



Swimming is one of their favorite pastimes...I am so glad!!



Piper learned to swim with no swimmies and is learning to use a mask and snorkel!


Make-shift tents with old quilts on the driveway.  Playing is one of the best ways to spend your time!


Eating oreos...one after the other...only to find just plain cookies with no cream in the middle inside the tent on the driveway....Savannah???



These two sweet ladies....I truly love my daughters as adults and have a lot of respect for these two girls too!



Piper sitting on her daddy's shoulders at Grammy's pool...deep end here we come!



These two are just waiting on Kyra to make her appearance.  So ready to be parents!


My daddy and all his girls...except the little ones.  they were still swimming!  Poor daddy is hidden amongst the females!  Happy Birthday Daddy!



Monday, August 18, 2014

I feel like crying a little bit...

This is the last week before school officially starts next Monday.  I had a staff meeting all day today and I go back Thursday for good.  This summer has just went way too fast and it makes me kind of sad.  The older I get the faster time goes.  When I was a young girl the summers seemed to last forever.  When the end of August rolled around I was nervous and excited about school starting and sort of ready to start a new year.  Make new friends.  Catch up with old friends.  Learn new subjects.  Get new textbooks.  New teachers.  the whole thing with school was exciting.  I do sort of dread school starting back this year because I truly love being home.  I am never bored and I always have stuff to do.  I love spending the days with my grand babies and my daughters.  I enjoy spending time with my parents and friends.  But....duty and bills are calling my name and shouting, "You need to go to work!!!"  Why can't I be independently wealthy is what I want to shout back.  Come Monday morning I will see all those sweet little faces.  Eager to start the new year just like I was many years ago.  I will get to see all the teachers and catch up on their lives.  Once again I will make my tear off book of days starting with 180 and rip on off the stack each day.  Before i know it autumn will be here and then before I know it my first and new little grandson will be here.  then it will be Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then the long, dark days of January and February.  Spring will creep in so slowly like it always does in the south.  Then will come the warmer days and the longer days and then before I know it school will be out again.  Summer will be back in a blink of an eye and all next summer we will be getting Piper ready for school.  What????  School?  How can that be?  She was just born.  Now I feel like crying.... a lot.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Shower time!

On Saturday we gave Brittany her baby shower.  We had tons of food and tons of guests too!  This all made for a very fun shower.  We had it at my mother's home which did make for some crowded times but it was a great day.  Brittany had several friends from high school come and we got some good group pictures.  We also had several members of our family present and got to take a pretty good four generation picture.  A couple of aunts were not here and several cousins but we got a good portion of them.  Brittany is getting so excited about her baby and her nursery is going to be so pretty.


We set up a yogurt bar with vanilla Greek yogurt and fresh fruits, nuts, chocolate chips, coconut and granola for toppings.  We had vanilla mini cupcakes and pink lemonade instead of punch.  Everything was really yummy!



Here are the little mommies to be!  Erica is 26 weeks and Brittany is 36 weeks.  They are both coming right along!


Brittany and one of her childhood best friend Taryn.  she is due three days after Brittany with her second little boy.  They both are just glowing.  I just love mommies!!!




Her high school friends.  Jennifer, Megan, Brittany, Taryn, Melissa and Amanda.  I still talk with my best friend in high school to this day.  Friendships are bonds for life!


Piper and Savannah were Brittany's big helpers for the day.  They had so much fun!!



She really had a very nice shower and got so many wonderful gifts.


Part of my family.  I told you we were big on girls!  Erica is having one of the few boys ever born in my extended family and the first one in my immediate family in 74 years!




The sweet parents to be.....they are both just so excited to meet little Kyra.  Me too!!


Thursday, August 7, 2014

VBS Worker or Prison Warden???

This week has been VBS at my church.  In short that stands for Very Bad Situations...  I mean that too.  This is my 26th year with VBS and I am sad to say it will be my last for a while.  The disrespect of children today is unreal.  My group consists of 10 kids from the ages of rising second graders to rising fourth graders.  I have had to do nothing but fuss and correct every single minute of every single day so far.  My helper was so upset by the behavior of the kids today she is not coming tomorrow.  I don't blamer her one bit.  An example of their behavior:  Yesterday we asked one of the girls to come and join in the games and their playtime.  she has yet to participate in one.  She flat out refused.  She was asked eleven times.  11 TIMES.  That is 10 more than I would have asked my own children growing up.  Instead she just wanted to play with someones hair or do what ever she wanted to do.  We took her to the leader and ultimately she got exactly what she wanted.  She didn't have to play or participate in anything if she didn't want to.  That is what we are raising today.  Kids who get to do what they want.  No consequences no actions that may cause them to do something they choose not to do.  This drives me crazy.  On one hand we teach them that they are to respect and do what their teachers say but we do not enforce this at all.  All the kids in my group go to the daycare at my church and they are required to come to VBS.  I have never said stop running, stop touching all the decorations hanging from the ceiling, stop kicking the back of the pews, stop hitting, stop talking when we are praying.  I think I have said stop 17 million times in four days.  Either I am just too old or these children are just in desperate need of an old fashioned trip to the woodshed.  My little grand daughters are coming to our preschool VBS and I asked their teachers if they are listening.  At that age they are still trying so hard to please and really do listen.  Praise God for that.  Once they get into school is where they seem to go nuts.  My helper asked me today what in the world is wrong with these kids??  I told her that sadly most are dropped off at 6:30 in the morning and picked up at 6:30 at night.  they eat dinner in the car from a bag or eat in front of a TV or in their rooms.  Parents are on the computer, the phone, the Ipad or watching TV.  Some households this isn't the case but the majority.....it is.  I asked the children where do you eat supper?  Most said in the living room in front of the TV.  a couple in their rooms.  Why would your 8 year old kid eat in their bedroom?  Their behavior screams for discipline.  I am absolutely worn out after these past four days.  I am mad at myself on one hand for even thinking that I just can't stand another year at VBS but on the other I just think I do more harm than good.  I just think I am so mean because all I have done is correct and fuss and threaten and frown!!  I have spoken with many of the workers and they all feel the same way.  Especially the people of my age group.  We just did things different.  Please parents....wise up and do a better job at raising your children to be better listeners, be respectful and to respect places.  The kids are terrible to their surroundings.  They throw trash on the floor and leave it.  They stomp all over decorations.  They kick the back of the pews and just have no respect for the church building itself.    I know I sound really angry....and I suppose I am to some extent.  I should not really be mad at the kids but at their parents and the society we have created and allowed.  I don't like playing everyone is a winner and no body really loses.  Because in the real world we have all been a loser now and then and occasionally a winner too.  With all this ranting and raving I must sound like the warden at the local prison.....and today I sure feel like it!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Oh, To Be Four

Today my first Grand Daughter turned four.  I can hardly believe she is four years old!!1  Right now she is giggling under a blanket on the couch with her little sister.  They are so funny!  Bless their poor mommies heart.  she is having a minor surgery in the morning...can we say 5:45 in the a.m.  Very early.  I am taking the girls to VBS this week and their mommy will go home and take a long, well needed nap.  Back to being four.  So I do not forget here are a few things that Piper the Fantastic Four Year Old does:

You are very polite.  You thank your sister and family all the time.  Use Please, Excuse Me and your Ma'ams and Sirs respectfully.  You are a little shy with others but you are never rude.

You love your sister  with complete abandon.  You are so sweet and hug each other after naps and first thing each morning.  When you are apart you just kiss and hug and it just brings tears to my eyes.  I pray the two of you will always be as thick as thieves.  Just don't be thieves, please!

Your vocabulary is huge.  Seriously, you say the most amazing things.  Your aunt Megan constantly asks me if she and Erica were that smart.  Uh.....no.

You enjoy reading, coloring, playing on playgrounds, swimming, cooking and are a very good helper.  You are super organized and know exactly where everything goes.....this can be a little on the OCD side but I tend to stray to piling things and hoarding so we both have issues!

Your swimming skills have majorly improved this year.  You can basically swim without assistance and never want to use your floaties anymore.  By next summer you will have your head above water when you stand on the bottom.  You have even learned to sit on the bottom of the shallow end like an Indian.  So cool!

You love corn dogs, chicken and dumplings, pasta anything and most fruits. You are really not picky with foods and I am so glad about that.  Your favorite thing to drink is ice water.  I hope that sticks with you for good.

We had a "Frozen" Birthday Party this past Saturday and you had a great time.  We set up the water slide and everyone could swim in the big pool or the baby pool.  We had hot dogs, cake and ice cream.


You were very excited over your birthday cake.  You even blowed out all four candles with just a couple of breaths!


Your dear friend Emma came!  Even though she has a broken leg and had to ride around in a wagon!  You two really are crazy about each other!



This little monkey loves her some cake!!!



Erica gives a thumbs up to Lisa Frank stickers....you never get too old for stickers!


Swimming with Daddy like a big girl!



You can swim a really long ways under water.  You are just like a fish!




Some of the birthday crowd at the water slide.  I think everyone had a really good time!




I am so thankful for my little Piper.  God has just blessed my family with such a precious, sweet little girl.  I just pray you come to know Jesus early and serve Him throughout your days.  I love you, Piper.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Maternity Shots

This week has been a roller coaster ride with a couple of rails missing.  Poor Erica has been in the hospital for a few days with a fever and kidney infection.  they treated her with IV antibiotics and she came home yesterday with a prescription and surgery to replace her stint next week.  Thank God this did not hit her last week when we were on vacation.  But on Tuesday night I got the opportunity to take some maternity shots of my niece, Brittany.  she is such a pretty pregnant girl!  She is getting so excited about her baby coming and she really does just glow.  I think pregnant women are just gorgeous anyway.  It is the only time when you can really keep that baby from the outside world.  Protected and cuddled up with just your arms around him or her. So sweet!



Brittany thinks she is huge but she really isn't.  I think she looks beautiful.



Aaron and Brittany can't wait for baby Kyra to arrive.



In just a few short weeks Brittany will be able to hold her tiny baby in her arms for real.  What a joy!



Such a sweet and funny couple these two are.  He is super smart and serious and she is a bundle of fun.



Such a beauty.  How precious it is to carry a new life and then to be able to nurture and care that little life.


God is just that good to us.  He loans us these precious babies to care for and to love and to teach them about His love.  What a responsibility and honor.  Mommies are just the best!