Overheard . . .

The bigs were playing out back today and Jeff called them in for naptime.
(Sidenote: They don't usually nap, but Jeff & I are going to a movie tonight and they want to stay up until we get home, so they had to take a nap)
Well, coming in from playing was NOT what Molly had in mind. Here's how the conversation went.
Jeff: Come on in you guys! It's time to lay down.
Molly: No, i don't want to!!!!!!!
Jeff: You can nap now or when Mommy gets home! (sidenote: i was getting my hair cut and colored)
Molly: RAAAAARAAAAAAARAAAAAA I HATE YOU I HATE YOU YOU ARE A MEAN DADDY I HATE YOU!!!
Jeff: Let's go Molly . . . upstairs. (Molly stomped all the way up)
(She climbed up in her bed and looked over at jeff).
Molly: HEY! Get over here daddy! I need some hugs and kisses for naptime!
Jeff: I thought you hated me?
Molly: I do, but i STILL need hugs and kisses so i can go to sleep!

Report Cards!!!

I can't believe i forgot to write about this . . . . SO PROUD!!!

On the last day of school, Griffin and Molly brought home two BEAUTIFUL report cards! Griffin earned ALL A's!! Molly earned all E's and S's!! And, now, if you've stayed in my home for any period of time, you'll be a pleased as pudding too - - - - they BOTH received E's in conduct ALL YEAR!! Yes, ALL YEAR!

Honestly, i am a firm believer in good grades and doing whatever it takes to make those good grades. Thankfully, thus far, grades have come easy to my kids. I know it will get harder. BUT, more importantly than grades, is my expectation for my kids to BEHAVE! LONG AGO, when i was pregnant with Griffin, i made the mistake during prayer one day to say, "Lord, i don't care what he's like at home, please just make him behave and be polite in public!" Well, it is a mistake in a lot of ways, as i protected everyone else but myself from harm haha! But, it has paid off. My kids aren't the MOST polite, but they are polite and they most often behave. Not sure if they are fearful of the principal's office (because every so often i mention how horrible coming home would be if they ever went there for behavior) or if they just are GOOD!! Regardless, i'm grateful to have 2 well behaved kids. Time will tell if Camden is even able to make S's in conduct. . . he's quite the ham already!

But for summer kick-off, we were PLEASED AS PIE to see all those A's and E's on our report cards this 9 weeks! Way to go Griffin and Molly! You make being a mom so easy!

My Baby's Missing a Tooth!

Molly has had four front teeth loose for a really long time - - going on 5 months. The last time we were at the dentist, the hygenist told us the roots were completely dissolved already. While the Hinderakers were here, Alex lost a tooth, and that made Molly even MORE eager to be like the big girls. So she started wiggling and wiggling and wiggling. Yesterday i took this picture just before she started asking for us to try to pull it - My last picture of my baby girl with a full mouth of baby teeth. . .

It started aching last night from all the tugging, so Molly decided to give it up for the night. But tonight . . . she decided to be very brave and try again. So tonight - May 25, 2009 - Molly let Jeff pull her first wiggly-front baby tooth. She'll never have that baby face again. That is one thing this mommy always sheds tears over. They never look quite the same - innocent, sweet, babyface - as they do before those baby teeth start falling out. Here are the post-loss pictures. Molly was VERY brave, and eager to match what Alex had done last night!

She thought it was really funny that her tongue could kind of poke through the gap where the tooth was supposed to be!

Congratulations, Molly! We hope the tooth fairy is very good to you!

Our New Backyard!

Jeff and I decided that it was time to spend some time and money on our backyard so that we can enjoy it. We have three kids that LOVE spending time outside, and we invested in the new swingset. Jeff also hung a "jungle swing" that is always a favorite among the kids - big and small.

This weekend, while our Florida friends were here, there was nothing different. The "jungle swing" was a huge hit. Notice the LINE for swinging! There were also times that we truly had to draw straws so it would be fair who was going to be the first to get to swing.

Note to you - it was double the fun when Kendall was a trooper and pushed them as high as humanly possible! Kendall is a TON of fun!! Our kids have always said he's their favorite! He's a big kid at heart and always makes outside time much more fun!

Guitar Hero Competition!!

Last night proved to be lots of fun. . . we are all guitar HEROS!!! Tons of laughter, a few bad words. . . who was the best??? You can ask everyone . . . i won't gloat!

Here are a few pictures of the fun . . . Kendall and Jeff were hilarious. Jeff JUMPED up onto the footstool prior to this shot (and multiple times throughout the night). . . and he wasn't quite sure why his legs were hurting this morning!

Kendall looks like he was trying to play with the drink in his hand, but i think this was in between "sets!"

A GREAT Weekend!

Is there anything better than a weekend spent with old friends? The hindudoctors have been visiting us this weekend . . . just kidding . . . their real name is Hinderaker, but years ago, Griffin referred to them as the hindudoctors, so they remain the hindudoctors. They arrived late Friday night and it's been pure fun ever since. Friends for mom and dad, friends for Grif, Molly and Camden!! F-U-N, fun!

We are about to fire up the wii and start a VERY competitive game of guitar hero . . . watch out world! And note to all . . .the KIDS are in bed, this is all fun for the grown-ups! Note the picture below and you'll see how much fun it really will be.

Another note - you KNOW these are good friends when you allow them to help you look under furniture and and in the cushions for the wii remote that is missing so you all can play. However, again, refer to the picture below, that i am much more "relaxed" than i have been in weeks!

Jeff and I bought tortuga 151 proof rum on our honeymoon in 1998. This is Kendall tasting it . . .

We threw it out after Kendall made this face!
This is why we're having so much fun: My mother's day present . . .
On a more sobering note. . . we have done some really fun things. . . the aquarium (along with 50,000 other atlanta visitors), the new "Night Under the Museum," girls lunch out for mexican, all-star baseball practice, dinner at the OK cafe, and plenty of playground and yard fun. . . oh yes, and let's not forget the indoor game of hide and seek today while it rained! LOTS of fun!! The "hindudoctors" are true friends . . .the kind that you treasure forever, that no matter how far away they are, we'll make sure we get to see them periodically. They were our first neighbors ever and about 4 years ago, were relocated for work, to Jacksonville. True friends, that when you see each other for the first time in 18 months, you just pick right up where you left off! I am sad that Tuesday will be here all too soon and they'll have to return "home" and leave us! What i would give for them to live next door again!

We're D-O-N-E, Done!!

We're done, it's over, i can go to sleep at a reasonable hour!! What a relief. Truly like a weight has been lifted! Since my last post (9 days ago) we have: sent multiple birthday cards, helped prepare for a luncheon, attended 2 preschool graduations, hosted a preschool picnic at the park, attended 2 board meetings for PTA, attended 3 (maybe 4 don't really remember) baseball games, attended 1 soccer game and 1 soccer party, celebrated 1 family birthday, worked (my real job) 2 full days and attended one luncheon, been at Duncan Creek ummmm, waaaaay too many hours to count and NONE of which am i paid to be there, quelched several "unhappy" parent concerns, said umpteen cuss words about "unhappy" parents, popped 20 full-size brown paper bags worth of popcorn, written about $30,000 in checks for PTA, gotten grass sprayed in my backyard AND sod laid in my backyard, had a cookout, planned a calendar for next year (2 really), volunteered to teach summer sunday school, grilled some burgers and corn to celebrate the last day of school, cleaned 2 bedrooms (that were downright scary) and embroidered WAY too many items to even begin to count - let's just say the business account has more money in it than it has had in a long time thanks to all the end-of-year teacher gifts i made for friends and acquaintances and friends of friends (not really, i took half the cash and just handed it over to the babysitter, who i LOVE and love to pay, so i could enjoy all those baseball games), oh yea, and my own teacher and PTA volutnteers!! Let me not forget the 4 hours i spent at school during post-planning yesterday - putting names and addresses on envelopes to mail messed up/correction yearbook pages. How many teachers asked me WHY i was there??? Yes, i'm here, you're here, the difference??? YOU'RE GETTING PAID!!!
BUT, again, that's not why i do what i do. Just in case anyone anyone of any importance at Duncan Creek reads this . . . i do what i do so my babies are well-watched-over at the school :-) I'll just put it right out there!

Thursday night and again today are clean and re-organize days. I am SOOOOO excited as our friends from Florida arrive tonight! They will be here ALL weekend and on the agenda are two things, maybe 3 . . . .TALK, and go to the aquarium. That's it. MAYBE a pedicure for anyone who is female, but TALK and aquarium. That's it. On my agenda, is also have a few drinks, but it will be up to the other of-age adults if they would like to participate in that part of my weekend . . . i'm sure they will!

Remind me in a few days how excited i was today . . .school is OUT!! I can rest. There is more news to share, but i won't make this post any longer. There will be PLENTY of time for more posts in the coming days and weeks! Enjoy your weekend! I KNOW I WILL!!!

So Much To Tell . . .

It's Wednesday, only 5 more days of school left! What a relief! But so much is going on in our world.
The excitement in our house revolves around two things. . . the NEW workroom for the business is underway. The sheetrock is in and painted ---LIME green --- and is ready for light fixtures and fan and the floor to be painted. It is very exciting to think about having a pleasant place to work, not the dungeon as i have referred to the basement for the previous two years.
Excitement #2 is that we're about to have a beautiful backyard. We have waited 2 1/2 years to get this! Our backyard has been a hodge-podge of weeds and sprigs of grass and not so pretty. We have finished the new playground area, designated a spot for the trampoline, and have hired a hydroseeder to give us grass. The grass-man as i like to call him has been here all day tilling up the backyard. IT is DIRT waiting to be seeded. He will be back to spray/plant the grass tomorrow. We have a pallet of sod coming as well to provide a "path" to the trampoline and the playground until the new grass grows. I am so excited that we will have a pleasant place to play and a beautiful scene to look out on from the deck. FINALLY! I'll take pictures and post . . . just as soon as school is over.
In the meantime. . . things that have been happening. . . Carnival closeout, teacher appreciation . . . 5 days of it to be exact (and who knew that PTA was so involved in that??), end of the year meeting plans and gift plans, teacher gift orders out the WAZOOOOO, trophy orders, t-shirt orders, more teacher gift orders, friends begging to do more teacher gifts for them, and of course, the end of the year slideshows for preschool, graduations, luncheon for teachers and end of year meeting for PTA. A LOT to have going on. But it is all seemingly, running smoothly. I'm sure i'm going to drop one of the juggling balls and come crashing down, but it seems to be running smoothly. I'm scared about how calm i am that all this is going on. Weird to feel this way. But, like i said, 5 days left! That is SO do-able.
Now, to tell the whole truth. . . i did have to ask the lady that cleans for me to NOT come this week. You know how, if you've ever had a cleaning lady, you have to clean-up the house before the cleaner can come. Well, if you could see my bedroom, you would know that it was
WAY too messy to even think about a 5 minute clean up. Ugh. BUT, Ms Patty agreed to come NEXT Friday - the day my company arrives for memorial day weekend, instead! How much do i love her???? What a lifesaver. I can live with dirty for 5 more days.
Little Camden has been a bundle of fun through all the craziness these past few weeks. He had his 15 month checkup on Monday. . . got two shots, and had grown a ton. He is still in the 25% for weight, 50% for height, and 90% for head size . . . ummmm, lots of brains or big ego???? Hopefully just a little of each :-)
Hope all of you are surviving the fun of these last few days or weeks of school. I am so ready for summer! What a change it will be to not have to rush to get dressed every morning!

Field Day #2!

Monday (5.4.09) was Grif's field day and a bit more competitive than Molly :-) Born that way! But, to start with the bragging. . . Grif earned a 1st place ribbon in hurdles. . . who would've thought???
He was mad that the other 3 ribbons were 3rd places and 5th place, but hello???? A McCreary getting 1st place in hurdles??? WAY TO GO, Griffin!
I've got pictures . . .i know you miss the pictures . . . so do i. . . and when that May 21st date gets here, i promise i will download and add some, but it just can't happen now. -- see below --- i added pictures that i stole from Coleman's mom!!!
A little more info if you're interested in reading . . .
Field day was a rainy one, so it was ALL in the gym. NOISY. But still loads of fun. Mrs. Power's class has some really bright kids and some really athletic kids. Talk about getting the best of the best, because we also have a class full of parents that volunteer!! JACKPOT! But, if you know Mrs. Power, you know she deserves to have a class like this! She is THE BOMB! We love you, Ms. Power!

I totally stole these pictures from Coleman's mom because she is better at me when it comes to downloading pictures and hers just turned out better than mine!

As quoted from Andrea . . . "Partners in Crime". . .

Carnival update. . . it is OVER!! YAHOO!! And, really, it turned out to be a really fun day. CRAZY TIRING, but fun. AND, i managed to have a babysitter and get a dinner out with friends afterwards, so it doesn't get much better than that. But, side note, it does look like the carnival will have ended up on the positive side for making money instead of losing it or just breaking even, so we're all thankful for that. LOTS of hard work, but lots of fun in the end! That's why i do what i do!

Field Day!

Molly's field day was today . . . among about 100 other things. BUT, Jeff was there for the entire thing and she had a blast. She took 4th in the 50 yard dash, 4th in the 100 yard dash, and 5th in the sack race . . . after a fall. She loved it and had a ton of fun. Oh yea, did i mention there were only 5 kids competing in each race? :-) I LOVE my molly! She enjoyed every minute of it too and talked and talked about it tonight! She has the most perfect little spirit about her! She is truly a gift from God!
We also . . . shopped for PTA pizza parties, did carnival prep work, talked to 1000 people about carnival, checked out of school after field day and had lunch with friends, assembled silent auction gift baskets, moved/hauled a TON of stuff, molly went to a movie with a dear friend, attended Griffin's class play, but darn it, missed it so i could play hostess for the PTA pizza parties (but Jeff did see it), did more carnival prep, moved/hauled more stuff, set up tons of stuff, talked to 1000 more people about carnival, and made it home by 7:30pm. I have showered (and want to shower again because i was so hot and sweaty all day) and had a slice or two of pizza for dinner, and am taking some nyquil shortly so i can sleep through my stuffy nose, and will wake at 6:30 to be back at the school for more carnival by 7:50am.
If you haven't figured it out, although it was a very busy day, it was a good day! As i sit here thinking about it tonight, i could find a lot to complain about, but there are also some people i know out there going through a really rough time . . . about to lose a sister to cancer, so honestly, more than what i could complain about, i am thinking more about how THANKFUL i am to God for the gift of my life, my children, my incredible husband, my friends and all the people i will positively affect tomorrow by planning this event! I am so thankful for the many gifts i've been given. I know - to just wake each day and do these fun things is truly a gift from God! To be able to see my children enjoy each and every day is a gift! I hope you enjoy your gifts too!

VERY BRIEF Update!

The Carnival at Duncan Creek is Saturday. . . totally absorbed in pulling this off!!!! Hopefully i'll have lots of time to share all the fun (NOT) that we've been having. My poor kids have barely seen me this week! I keep promising that once Saturday is over, i will definitely have more time for THEM!
Anybody want some cotton candy??? Come to Duncan Creek on Saturday and i'll make some for you!!
It will be lots of fun. . . but also lots of WORK!
Enjoy your weekend!
OH - PS - one mom brag moment. . . Griffin played an AWESOME baseball game on Wednesday night. He caught for most of the game, and then when it was his turn in the outfield, he was doing his darndest to catch a pop-fly and it NAILED him in the chest! My boy doesn't usually cry much in crowds, but this one had him on his knees with the tears streaming!! Poor guy! He's fine now though.
PSS - Molly's field day is tomorrow morning . . . fun fun. She is most excited about the sack races! heehee I can't wait to take pictures of that!