Mother/Daughter Time

Mom and I went out to lunch at The Apple Cake Tea Room today. It is a very "girly" restaurant, although I did see a few brave men dining with women they must love very much! Lunch was delicious! We both had the Tea Room Medley, which is chicken salad, banana bread and cream cheese sandwiches, chips and glazed fruit. We also had spiced tea, that reminded me of Russian tea that my Granny used to make. After lunch, we went shopping (of course!). We went to a couple of shops that have neat "stuff" for the home. We did not buy much, but it was nice just to be together. We topped off our afternoon with a treat from Starbucks. I love being with my mom!!!

Daddy's Here!

Yesterday morning, I met Mamaw (Mark's mom) in Morristown, which is about half way between her house and my parents' house. We ate at Cracker Barrel, and then Isaac and Bailey went with to spend the night with Mamaw. They were very excited. They both love the attention, and Mamaw loves having them. It is a bit hard for me not to have all four of my little cuties with me, but I am glad they get to go.

Olivia was not too happy that she did not get to go. I asked her what special thing that she wanted to do while they were gone, and she said, "Maybe go to Walmart?" We decided to go to the mall instead. There is a little playground that she and Anna Grace enjoyed playing on. We looked around in the Disney store and then ate lunch at the food court. I am amazed at people that can take their small children to the mall and enjoy the shopping experience (Connie is a wonder woman at this!). Olivia and Anna Grace did OK, but I was very ready to head for the van! We took a nap (yeah!) and had fun with sidewalk chalk. At bedtime, I asked Olivia to tell me a story. She said, "There was a little girl who missed her daddy, and he came home." Her story came true after she went to sleep!

Mark's plane was originally supposed to arrive at 10:15 PM, but he called me in the afternoon to let me know it was behind schedule. I got to the airport at about 11:30, and his plane came in about 12:15. I enjoyed watching people as relatives and friends came to pick up their loved ones. The airport is a great place for people watching! I was very happy to see Mark!

When Olivia woke up this morning, she heard some snoring. At first, she thought it was Isaac making the noise. Then she realized it was Daddy. She said, "Daddy is burping!" She and Anna Grace were both very excited to see their Daddy!

Dad's Birthday Part 2

We had a great day! We went on a "mountain adventure" with my dad. We drove through Townsend, to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We stopped at a wide place in the river, known as the "Y", and the children and I went wading. There has not been much rain here lately, so the water was a bit down. It was just right for my four adventurers. They all enjoyed splashing and throwing rocks into the river. Anna Grace even tried eating the rocks, but decided the texture was not to her liking! Grand-Bob and Isaac found a crawdad (crawfish if you are in Louisiana). When Isaac first saw it, he said, "Look, there is a lobster!" Isaac carried it around for a while and then threw it back. The water was very cold, but it felt great in the heat!

We continued on our adventure and headed to Cades Cove. We bought hotdogs and ice cream at their camp store. The children thought it was a perfect lunch! We were able to see four deer (there my have been two deer that did some moving around, but we are counting them as four!). Olivia had hoped to see a bear. She had already decided that when we saw one, she would say, "No, no bear, do not grab us!" I was glad she did not have the chance to use her little speech!

We topped off the day with a birthday dinner for Dad. My brother Bo and his girlfriend Lindley joined us for steak and baked potatoes. What a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's/Grand-Bob's 60th birthday. I am so glad that we get to spend the day with him! He is taking the day off, and we are planning to go for a drive through the Smokies. We are getting ready to fix him a special breakfast. Isaac has already blown up thirteen balloons all by himself (except for the tying). Happy Birthday Dad! I am so thankful for you!!!

Grandma, Mamaw, Nanna, Grandpa???

The "What am I going to be called?" process started right after Mark and I were married. Someone asked my dad what Mark was going to call him (Bob, Mr. Jones, etc.). My dad responded, "Grandpa." A year and a half later, when Isaac was born, the grandparents began choosing names. Mom wanted to be called Nanna. Mark's mom chose Mamaw, like her mother. Mark's dad chose Grandpa (Pa for short). He said Papaw sounded too much like a fruit. My dad said Isaac would choose what he would be called. Somehow, Isaac started calling him Grand-Bob, and the name stuck. Anna Grace is currently calling him "B-Bob." My children called my grandfather, "Great" (short for Great-Granpa).

When I was learning to talk, my Granny was trying to teach me to say her name. She would break it into syllables and say, "Gran-Nee." I caught on to the second syllable, and she was called "Nee" for years.

A couple of years ago, Isaac started calling Mark's mom Grandma instead of Mamaw. Now she signs her cards Mamaw/Grandma!

No matter what they are called, grandparents are special people!

A myth about young children

"Anna Grace is up late tonight, hopefully she will sleep late in the morning." This thought has gone through my mind many times, despite the fact that it hardly ever happens. My thought should be, "Anna Grace is up late tonight, she will get up at about normal time, and be a little grouchy later in the morning! Anna Grace usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00, and wakes up around 6:00, give or take a half an hour. I like for my children to go to bed by about 8:00, I start to twitch a bit if they are up much past that. I tend to be a bit of a morning person, so I do not mind if they get up early.

Take last night, for example. We were up until almost 10:30. The children were excited about being at their grandparents' house, and it took a while to get them to sleep. I was tired after driving, and I was hoping to get to sleep late. It would stand to reason, that since Anna Grace went to bed about two and a half hours late, that she would should sleep two and a half hours late (Ha! Ha!). She started making noise at 6:37, and I got her out of her bed at 6:51 this morning. She is a cutie pie, and she smiled her sweet smile, so I could not be frustrated! Maybe she just wants to make sure that I do not waste my day sleeping! What a thoughtful girl!

We made it!

We (Nanna, the children and I) made the journey from Baton Rouge to Knoxville today. We pulled out of the Exxon on Highland Road and I-10 (I had to have my coffee!) at 7:00 AM and pulled in to my parents' house at 5:15 PM. It usually takes us between eleven and twelve hours, so it was nice to shave a few minutes off! The trip is approximately 675 miles.

The children were great travelers! Our portable dvd player really helps on these trips. I used to think thoughts like, "Our children do not need to watch television in the car. They can enjoy looking out the window!" I have eaten those words! We cut about an hour off of our trip when we finally broke down and bought that precious equipment! I discovered that Anna Grace likes the Wiggles! She was getting fussy when we were still several miles from Meridian, but she calmed right down when we put in the "Yummy! Yummy!" DVD.

We made our usual stop in Meridian, Mississippi for lunch at McDonald's. It has an indoor playground, which provides a welcome stretch for little legs. We also stopped at a rest area and a gas station. Everyone was ready to get out of the van when we arrived in Knoxville! Grand-Bob (my dad) was very happy to see us!

Fun With Nanna!

My mom flew down on Tuesday, and we have loved having her here! I love having the company and the help (Nanna is quite a housekeeper and an awesome babysitter!), and the children love being with their Nanna! She has a couple of little traditions that she does with the children. One of their favorites is having a "tea party." Nanna buys some treats (cookies, trail mix, etc.) and some special napkins, and we break out the fine china. Instead of tea, they guzzle apple juice in china cups. Usually, within a few minutes of her arrival, someone asks, "When can we have our tea party?"

We have also been to Chik-fil-a, the donut store and the Chinese buffet near our house. I guess that part of bonding with grandparents revolves around food! Nanna always brings a treat in her bag for them, and carries "break" (breath) mints in her purse. More than any of the treats, the children just love being with their Nanna. They get that extra dose of attention that I do not always have time to give them. Praise God for grandparents!

Eight Wonderful Years!

Mark and I celebrated our eight year anniversary tonight. Our actual anniversary was last Tuesday, but we waited to go out until my Mom was here to babysit. We ate dinner at Louisiana Lagniappe (DELICIOUS!) and then had coffee and dessert at Starbucks.

We have had an eventful eight years! When we got married, Mark was in grad school and I was teaching at an inner city elementary school. During our first few months, I had Mono and Shingles. A few months later, I was pregnant with Isaac. Our little guy was born while Mark was trying to finish up his dissertation (major stress!). We were just shy of our second anniversary when we moved to Baton Rouge (which felt like the other end of the world!). We have now had three more little cuties added to our family. We have had some sad times -- Mark's father, my grandfather, both of my grandmothers, and Mark's Uncle Walmar have all gone to be with the Lord. We have lived in one apartment and two houses. We endured the scary times here in Baton Rouge following Hurricane Katrina. Through it all, God has been faithful. He placed us in a loving church family and surrounded us with wonderful friends when we were missing our family so very much. Our children have a very strong relationship with their grandparents, despite the miles between us.

A lot has happened in eight years! I am so thankful that I am blessed with such a wonderful husband! I love you Mark!

THE BEACH!!!

We headed to Orange Beach, Alabama last Thursday and spent the weekend playing on the beach and at the pool, eating (A LOT), shopping at the outlets, and visiting with friends. We stayed in a condo with Roger, Chemaine and Shepard, and our good friend Rob was able to join us for a couple of days.

Isaac and Bailey had a great time splashing in and out of the waves. Olivia was more timid, but she enjoyed being held in the water. Anna Grace preferred digging in the sand. She tried a few bites of sand, but decided it was more fun to play with it than eat it.

We went to eat at Lambert's, Home of the "Throwed Roll", (once for lunch and once for breakfast) and The Original Oyster House. We also snuck in some Godfather's Pizza (yummy). It was a good (not healthy) eating weekend!

Mark and Roger took charge of the children on Friday so that Chemaine and I could go Outlet shopping and have a manicure and pedicure. It was a very relaxing afternoon! I love outlet shopping! It is almost as nice as garage sales, and I do not have to get up as early!

I really enjoy being at the beach. I think that it is one of those places where God's creation is especially amazing. Over the weekend, I thought about how difficult it would be to see the beautiful ocean water, the amazing variety of shells, the sunsets, the sandy beaches, the way the tides work, and not believe that it was created. God is an amazing God!

Our Summer Begins

Our summer is off to a busy start, even though it is not officially summer! I have not written much in the past week, so I am going to recap the last couple of weeks!

Isaac's baseball season ended on a good note. His team was finally victorious in their next to the last game! It was a close game, and Isaac was able to score one of the final runs. It is amazing how excited a group of adults can get! Healing Place (the church that sponsors the league) put on a great season finale, complete with free food and games and a great fireworks display. Mark took Isaac, Bailey and Olivia (what a great Dad!) and they had a good time. Isaac was happy with the medal that he received, and Mark and I are a bit happy that the season is over! We are very proud of all the progress Isaac made!

We started our summer swimming last Wednesday. Ms. Sam and Mr. Ray, a wonderful couple from our church, open their home on Wednesdays for families to come and swim. I was a bit apprehensive about taking the four of them, but I think that we have gotten into a good routine. Isaac is fairly independent on his own, and Bailey and Olivia have float suits that keep them above water. I chase Anna Grace around and keep her supplied with snacks while keeping an eye on the other three. Thankfully, I have the other moms to help. We stayed for about four hours yesterday, and we all slept well last night!

We have quite a bit planned over the next month. I am going to the Texas Home School Convention in Houston with three other ladies. We are leaving in the morning and coming back on Saturday night. Mark is going to take care of our four cuties. What a man! Next Thursday we are heading to the beach for a long weekend. We will return on Monday and my mom is flying in on Tuesday. The children and I are going to drive home with her the following Sunday and stay for a couple of weeks. Mark will join us for the second week. The first half of our summer is packed, and then we have nothing planned for the second half of July and all of August.

I am tentatively planning on starting school with Isaac and Bailey on July 16. I started early last summer, and it was really nice to have the flexibility to take off when I wanted during the year.

Testing! Testing!

I am testing out a new blog. I have really enjoyed blogging with homeschool blogger, but I have had a few problems with it, so I am trying out a new "home". I am going to write a few posts and see if blogspot is better for me.
Kim