The Carter Family

Catch up!

(Monday night)      I'm sitting at my desk with a whole pile of work to do and a list a mile long that I'm behind on, but hubby is away, kids are asleep, and the house is quiet, so I thought I'd make a long over-due family blog post.  I didn't even realize until I got on here that I haven't posted since January!  This makes me so sad b/c so much has happened since then.  Constantly the kids will say something, or do something, and I will try my best to "write" it into my brain so I can remember to write about it on here.  I've probably forgotten so much by now.  Moments lost to the past with no way now to remember them.   A big part of the problem I think is overcommitment.  I am over-committed and have been for a while.  I'm involved in MOPS, Bible studies, photography, working in Austin's class, working in Sydney's class, client meetings, small group, accountability group, training for my first 5K, date nights with my hubby (not often enough), photographer's guild meetings, travel.....is that it?  Is that all?  No wonder I'm behind on all my family memory projects - our photo books (2 years behind), putting our home videos on DVD (2 years behind), this blog...on and on.  The school year is almost done....I'm praying I can get through the summer with both kids home and lots of trips planned....and then next year, I'm shaving off some of the extras (a lot hopefully).  None of what I listed is bad or pointless even, it's just too much. 

ANYWAY - I did not plan on blogging all those thoughts.  Now back to moments I want to remember.  March was a crazy busy month with Sydney's 6th birthday, Spring Break to Pensacola, and two weekend retreats for Tom and I that were life changing.  For Syd's birthday this year - she FINALLY got to go hog hunting with Daddy.  She's been waiting for this for 3 years (Tom always told her she had to be 6).  So to run with that theme, we did a pink camo birthday cake, complete with truck, handmade toothpick dog box, and hog and dog on top.  Uncle John and Aunt Jenny wanted to be there for Sydney's first hunt, so they came in from Texas the weekend of her birthday.  That meant so much to all of us!  They caught a 100lb pig that night and Sydney was very happy.  

The gang ready to go (and yes, Tom is wearing shorts under his pants). Sydney is holding the little piggy Uncle John and Aunt Jenny gave her as an early birthday present.

The catch...

Sydney LOVED riding up front with Daddy scouting for more hogs.

We also let her take 1 friend to Chuck-E-cheese on a Friday afternoon after school.  Aubrey is her new BFF, so we had a lot of fun with her playing and eating pizza.  

As another added bonus during the week leading up to all the festivities and visitors, my cousin Richard from Michigan was in Florida on vacation with a friend.  He came to Lakeland for a Detroit Tigers game (their spring training is here).  He came to our house after the game and we went to dinner.  Here he is helping Sydney with her puzzles at Carabba's...

He was kind enough to take our family's picture as well...

The week after Syd's birthday was spring break, so we spent around 4 days in Pensacola to attend a friend of mine's wedding and celebrate Sydney's birthday AGAIN with all of my family.  The weather was perfect while we were there.  We spent time with Aunt Kathy & Uncle Trey, played the Wii, and went to the beach.  I almost hated to come home to our regular schedules.

Waiting for the wedding to start...

Enjoying the beach...

I think this was Sydney's 5th birthday celebration....

While we were in Pensacola, Tom was attending the Men's Tres Dias retreat with a few other guys from our church and other churches in the Central Florida area.  He came back a changed man.  The week after flew by as we got back into the routine of school and activities.  Then I had the privilege to go on the Women's Tres Dias retreat the next weekend.  It was 3 1/2 days with no TV, internet, or phones - learning about how much God REALLY loves us.  I can't even describe what it was like - but it was one of the most amazing weekends of my life.  

Only two weeks after that and it was Easter weekend!  We spent part of Friday at Legoland as a family.  Sydney spent the night with a friend that night.  Then Saturday we made Easter egg cakes and cupcakes, and decorated eggs with the most adorable little kits sent by Aunt Jenny & Uncle John.  Last year the Easter bunny left clues in the eggs to create a scavenger hunt for Sydney to find her Easter basket.  Well, she remembered.  She had told Austin all week - "The Easter bunny's going to bring us a scavenger hunt! You're going to have to help me with the clues!".  So sure enough, there was a scavenger hunt first thing Sunday morning all in and around the house.  Sydney and Austin worked together this year and found the basket and some goodies in the bathtub at the end of the hunt. :) I video taped the whole thing but totally forgot to take pictures.  Oh well!  We went to church, had the Easter Egg hunt there, and then Tom's parents joined us for steaks on the grill for lunch.  It turned out to be a much needed, relaxing, family day for us.

Ready for the egg hunt!

I wanted to mention a few other things about the kids that I just don't want to forget.  Sydney is still doing great in school.  Her only glitch is talking too much with her BFF.  For a while she was coming home with lined paper with her name written over and over again.  I thought "Man, her teacher must really want them to know how to write their names well!".  Turns out the teacher forgot to communicate to me that these paper represent Sydney talking too much in class.  Good to know!  She is getting so much faster at reading now, I'm really proud of her.  She actually likes to read some of her books to Austin, and he loves it just as much.  Austin is also changing right before my eyes.  He has started to enjoy drawing (just like his big sister at his age).  He draws all kinds of "cars, boats, race cars, rockets".  Sometimes you can tell what it is, sometimes not. But I love that that sort of activity is finally holding his attention.  Sydney received her first set of Legos for her birthday, and Austin has played with them almost non-stop for the past month.  We may have a Lego birthday for him in a couple of weeks!  Also, something cute that he says these days...if you tell him "Thank you" for doing something, he responds with "I'm welcome!".  I guess it makes sense when he tells me thank you and I always say "You're welcome".  He's really taken it to heart that "he's welcome!".  :) So funny.  For several months we were having major issues with Austin absolutely wanting NOTHING to do with Tom.  He was MEAN about it - "I don't want you Daddy" when Tom would get home from work.  "I want Mommy!" When Tom would try to get him out of bed in the morning.  The list goes on.  It was exhausting for me, and really hurtful for Tom.  But praise God he's past that now!! He loves being with Daddy just as much as me now.  Hopefully that phase will NOT come around again.

They even napped together on the couch one Sunday afternoon - they both fell asleep watching tv and stayed this way for 2 hours!

Ok - I think that's it for now.  If you're still reading, thanks for sticking it out - there was a lot to catch up on! 

 

Conversation with Austin

Austin:  Mommy, did God make me?

Me: Yes he did Buddy.

Austin: Did he make you, and Sydney, and Daddy?

Me: Yes he did!

Austin: Where does God live?

Me: He's in Heaven.

Austin: Is that way far away?

Me: Um...yes, it's up in the sky.  But even though that's his home, he is always where we are, in our bedrooms, our kitchen, the car....

Austin: Does God talk?

Me: Yes he does.

Sydney (from another room): If he talks, why don't I ever hear him?

Me: Well...when we pray, we're talking to God.  While we're praying, we should take time to listen quietly.  Sometimes you may hear a little thought in your head and that is God talking to you.   Austin, did you know that Jesus lives in our hearts?

Austin: What?!  In my heart?  (Looks down at his belly)

Me: Yes, if you let Jesus live in your heart, then someday you get to go live with God in Heaven.  Do you want to live in Heaven someday?

Sydney: I do! 

Austin: Me too!

*My phone rings*

Austin: Is that God? Or Daddy?  :)

Wow - such big questions from a little boy!  I need to go read up on how to answer some of this stuff better...I was stumbling, but it was a really fun conversation. :)

My New Year's card

I am sad to admit that for the first time in 11 years of marriage, I did not send out a Christmas or New Years card or family letter.  I worked on it for several days after all the holiday excitement was over, and I just couldn't get my act together or come up with a card I liked.  So this year I will write our "letter" here on the blog, and will post some of the pictures I was playing around with and couldn't really decide on.

2011 was a year of big family events.  It began in April with my sister Kathy marrying the man of her dreams...Trey.  It was a beautiful, formal, black and white wedding in the Pensacola area.  I was the maid of honor, Sydney was a flower girl, and Austin was a ring bearer.  I went to Pensacola a couple of times leading up to the wedding for a bridal shower and a bridal portrait session with Kathy.   The whole event was so exciting and we are so happy to have Trey as a part of our family!

Just 2 weeks after Kathy's wedding, we drove up to Atlanta to help Tom's Grandmother celebrate her 90th birthday.  The whole family was able to be there, so we had a blast with the entire Georgia gang.  We got home from that trip on Sunday and then flew to Texas on Thursday for Tom's brother's wedding.  John and Jenny's wedding could not have been more different than Kathy's - just picture John riding in on horseback, Jenny being rowed in on a canoe by Tom and his dad, and a BBQ reception.  So fun!  Sydney was a flower girl and played her role well for a second time.  We love Jenny and are so glad to have her as a sister.

Over the summer, Sydney went to Pensacola for the first time by herself for over a week.  She loved having all the attention to herself, and I enjoyed having some down time with Austin.  The next month we went to Gatlinburg with my family for a week, followed by a week in Virginia visiting my Aunt, Uncle and Grandparents.  I'm so glad we were able to make that trip, because my Grandfather went to be with the Lord just 1 week after his 86th birthday at the beginning of November.  My last memories of him are seeing him in his recliner watching Sydney play Tinkerbell bingo, and watching him watch the movie Cars with Austin in his apartment.  He will be greatly missed.

This fall we did our usual trip to Blue Ridge for Thanksgiving and went to Pensacola for Christmas.  Kathy and I threw my mom a surprise 60th birthday party the week before Christmas, so it was an extra special time with family and friends.  But after all those travels, it is great to be home and back in a routine!

Sydney has had a very eventful year herself!  She turned 5 last March (which means now she is almost 6!).  She graduated preschool in June and started Kindergarten in August.  She is doing so well in her class and can read by herself now.  She has become such a social little girl and has made many new friends at her school...which is conveniently within walking distance from our house.  We took her to Disney for the first time in September (she rode Space Mountain 3 times in a row!). And over Christmas she lost her first tooth! She is turning into a very sweet, caring, and affectionate daughter, sister, and friend.

Austin also had big milestones this year.  He turned 2 last May and is now extremely articulate when he speaks.  He started preschool just 2 mornings a week in the fall and really enjoys it.  I love the school we found and just adore his teachers.  He'll actually have the same teachers next year when he moves up to the 3 year old class 3 mornings a week...which will be great for him.  He remains obsessed with all things transportation related- cars, trains, trucks, or planes. 

Tom and I stay busy with work, church, kids, and hunting.  His job is still going well and provides a lot of fulfillment for him.  He also enjoys hog hunting most weekends with friends.  My business is busier than ever for which I am very grateful.  I joined Mothers of Preschoolers again this year and have been enjoying the adult interaction and Bible Study it provides.  I also just helped facilitate a Beth Moore study at our church while Tom is leading the Men's Fraternity study that is still ongoing.  

I know for a lot of people 2011 was not an easy year.  Even our own was filled with highs and lows as we welcomed 2 new family members and said goodbye to another.  So my prayer for 2012 is for God to pour out His blessings, as well as give strength when strength is needed and to those that ask.

Here are some pictures I pulled that are favorites from throughout the year. Enjoy!

Pensacola Beach in February...

My favorite image of Sydney from her 5 year session...

Flower girl and ring bearer at Kathy's wedding...

Our family at John's wedding...

Goofy girl...

See what I mean about the cars? Everywhere we go!

Gatlinberg, TN...

Our family - October 2011...

Having fun in Blue Ridge, GA...

Happy New Year everyone!

 

Thankful

In honor of Thanksgiving, a lot of my friends have been posting on facebook what they are thankful for every day during the month of November.  I have loved reading all the big and little things people are thankful for, so I'd like to do the same in this post.

I AM THANKFUL FOR (in no particular order):

Family - On November 1st, my grandfather, John Pesco, passed away one week after his 86th birthday.  He was the only grandpa I've ever known.  The things I'll always remember about him are his stories of working for Continental Can as an HR manager.  He loved golf and travel.  Every time we went to visit him and my grandmother in Hendersonville, NC, he would always take my mom's car to be washed and filled up with gas before we headed home.  In 8th grade I did a project on World War 2.  I asked him to share some stories of his experiences in the war.  He sent me 8 hand written pages of fascinating stories...I still have them.  He was a bit of a photography buff. For many years in a row, we went to visit them in the month of October.  Not once did we time it to see the leaves change colors at their peak.  So one year, the week after we left, he went around and took pictures for me and sent me a whole album of beautiful fall foliage.  That was something we could always talk about even in recent visits...he always asked about my photography.  And instead of the phrase, "Say cheese!", he always said "Say whisky!" when taking our family group shots.  I am sad that he won't get to see my kids grow up and they won't really know him. But I am thankful that the rest of my family is close enough that we were all there for the funeral and were able to have a fun time together despite the circumstances.

Double Stuffed Oreos

A potty trained 2 year old

The way my kids make me laugh - Yesterday I was reading a book to Austin.  I usually lick my finger when turning the pages.  Next thing I know he was licking the finger on his right hand and turning pages with his left.  Sydney used to do the same thing when she was 2. Adorable!

2 vehicles that are paid for

A husband that is more of a penny pincher than I am (and I am a penny pincher!)

Being comforted by a 2 year old - today Austin got a hair cut.  It is really short and made me very sad.  I almost cried putting him back in the car and told him how sad I was that his hair was all gone.  Austin said, "Don't worry Mommy, it'll come back."  I got in the front and was driving home when he said, "Ah!  See, it's growing already!".  Love him!

Having 2 jobs that I absolutely love (even though they both stress me out from time to time)

The fact that Sydney is so smart and loves bugs - After being so worried about her starting Kindergarten this year, I'm very thankful for how much she loves school and her new friends, how social she is, the fact that she's already learned all her sight words for the entire year, her fascination for creepy critters (especially with spiders), and her desire to collect random things to display on her dresser.  So far she has shells, an empty tiny turtle shell, a collection of rocks, and a deer antler.  She is her father's daughter!

An amazing small group with awesome friends

My son's obsession with cars....he's literally played with matchcars every day since he turned 1 and never gets tired of them!

Sydney learning to read...Green Eggs and Ham is her first official book!

The way Austin grabs my hair as soon as I pick him up

That Sydney survived a really bad case of hives this week...she was covered head to toe, in her ears, mouth, on her eyes.  Poor baby looked horrible and we have no idea what caused it!

For awesome neighbors - who will get the mail for us when we're out of town, will occassionally bring us a home cooked meal because they "had too much", will watch my kids for me if I ask.  So many times the people around me will teach me what it's really like to be generous and servant minded even though those are traits I should possess myself.

For a hubby that loves to hunt... a couple weekends ago he took Austin on a ride on a new piece of property he got permission to hunt on.  He ended up shooting 2 hogs with Austin sitting in the back of the truck (little buddy's first hunt!).  That night Tom and his buddies caught 8 more.  A new record for sure!

For our church...it's growing! Our ladies group just finished up Beth Moore's study of Esther which was amazing. 

For a new brother-in-law and sister-in-law this year...my sister and Tom's brother both got married in 2011.  What an eventul year!

For so many more material, physical, emotional, and spiritual blessings in this life.  God is good...all the time. 

Amen

One more thing....

Ok, two really. Two more things I want to journal about so I won't forget.  Austin has been in such a cute mood lately.  He's constantly making little "jokes" and laughing to himself about them.  He's obsessed with bodily functions...burping, farting, spitting, snorting, and pretending to choke. Both kids find it hilarious.  The other day, I taught him all about street lights, what red, yellow and green mean and what we're supposed to do for each color.  Now I have an obnoxious (but cute) little 2 year old back seat driver.  "It's red mommy...stop! Where's yellow? I want yellow! Not green, I want red!  Ooo! It's green, go Mommy!".  His other new big boy thing is wanting to go potty "by. my. self."  So the other day I took his pants off in the kitchen,  Sydney turned on the bathroom light for him, and he proceeded to go in the bathroom, lock the door, do his business, drop some tp in the potty (not used), flush, unlock the door, and walk out to say "I done!".  He's 2 people! 

Ok, that was really like 3 or 4 things...but I'm done now. :)

School

This is a post I've been writing in my head for the past three weeks.  Sydney started Kindergarten and Austin started Preschool!!  I hate that it has taken me this long to have time to write it because now they have been in school for 3 whole weeks!  But let me back up and start at the beginning.

Our journey to Kindergarten was at times an emotional roller coaster for me.  It started last summer (2010) before Sydney started VPK.  I was really pondering the idea of homeschooling her for elementary.  There is a huge homeschooling community in our town and I have so many friends that do it....it is far from a foreign idea to me.  Ideally I love the thought of homeschooling.  Knowing that you are your child's main influence on a daily basis, having complete control over what they learn and how they learn, keeping them sheltered from the scarey world we live in, the list goes on.  But my two hesitations were my photography business and Austin - two huge stumbling blocks to focus and productivity. :) So off to VPK she went last year.  And I realized that Sydney is not me as a child.  She is very social and very smart.  She doesn't have much fear and makes new friends very easily.  I was a very shy child, and she is just the opposite.  She loved going to school 5 days a week.  And then this summer (2011), she got very bored being home every day. I tried to keep us busy, but it was too hot to do much outside.  And trying to do activities (art or eductional) inside was difficult because Austin is almost always in seak and destroy mode.  They fought all summer, hit each other stole each other's toys, etc, etc.  It was a very long summer.   During this time Tom and I were struggling with where to send her to school (homeschool is not the answer for us at this stage of life).  After many months, we finally decided she would attend the brand new elementary school we are zoned for.  It is a very nice school with all the latest technology and it's within walking distance of our house.

All that to say, Sydney started Kindergarten this year.  Ahh!! How is this possible? A couple weeks before school started we had a fun shopping trip with Grandmommy to buy school supplies and uniforms.  Then I came home and packed her backpack and set up a new section of her closet for white/navy/hunter green tops (quite different from all the pink!).  Finally the first day had arrived.  We got up early and I packed her a lunch.  Austin stayed home with Tom and we drove off to her new BIG school.  I walked in with her and waited in the hallway for the bell to ring (I think I was more anxious than she was).  Then I went into her class with her to help her find her cubby and her desk.  By the time she sat in her seat, she started to get scared. When I told her I had to leave, she started to cry.  I had overstayed my welcome.  Luckily the teacher said it only lasted a couple of minutes after I was gone.  When we picked her up in the car line (which took 45 minutes the first day!), she hopped in the car and said "I LOVE kindergarten!".  Thank you God!  She quickly adapted to her new environment and has loved it every day so far.  Here's how the next few days and weeks went:

Day 2: Austin and I walked her to her hallway.  Upon entering her hallway she said "I know where my class is, I can find it from here". 

Day 3: First time dropping off in the car line.  She was worried about getting lost, so one of the patrols helped her find her way.

Day 5: "I'm going to try to find my way by myself today Mommy!" Ok...and she did.

Week 2, Day 1: Left Austin at home with Tom again.  Car line was long, so we parked on the street and walked together to the school.  I planned to walk her to the gate by her classroom, but as soon as we got to the front of the building she said "I want to try to find it by myself Mommy.  Please stay here". Hugs and kisses and she walked away from me, with her backpack almost as big as she is.  (sniff, sniff)

Week 2, Day 3: They built a sidewalk from the street to the school.  I said, "Sydney, one of these days I could probably park here on the street and you could walk down that sidewalk to school by yourself." Sydney said, "I think today would be a good day to try it."  Really?!  So I pulled over and she walked down the big, long sidewalk all by herself.  And that's what we've done ever since!

Austin also started school this year.  All of last year I was involved with a couple of different Bible studys during the week, which meant he spent time in church nurseries two mornings a week.  So we decided to put him in preschool just two mornings a week so he would have a more structured setting.  The preschool that Sydney attened no longer has part time options.  So we found a great little school that I really love so far.  The really cool thing is his teacher has been good friends with Tom's parents for over 20 years.  So it's very special having Austin in her class. 

He really enjoyed the student open house we went to the day before his first day.  He loved all the toys he found.  His actually first day, he was less than thrilled.  Most of the 12 other 2 year olds in his class were in tears, so he started to cry when I handed him to the teacher.  But I stuck around and peaked through the door after a few minutes to check on him.  He was sitting quietly in his chair looking around at all his upset little friends.  Such a sweet heart!  On day 2, we got there a little early and his teacher wasn't ready for him yet.  When she stuck her head out and said it was time to come in, he jumped off my lap and said "It's time to go Mommy!".  He put his backpack by his black crayon name tag, put his snack in the snack bucket, and walked right in to find his seat.  Every time we drive to his school, he asks to go home, but he never cries when I drop him off.  And yesterday was the first time he told me how much fun he had while he was there!  Yay!

I am personally loving our new structured schedule.  Obviously it's great having a little bit of time to myself on Tues and Thurs mornings.  Austin and Sydney are getting along great now that they have some time away from each other.  Each day when we pick up Sydney,  Austin asks, "Sydney, did you have fun today?".  It's so adorable. :)  When we get home they usually just play all afternoon until Tom gets home.  No more sitting in front of the tv all the time, no more screaming/biting/fighting with each other (for the most part).  It's great!  Homeschool is still a possibility in the future - especially middle school - but for now I have a great peace that we're doing exactly what we should be doing.

Here are some pictures of Sydney's first day of school. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted the pictures of Austin's first day before I downloaded them off my camera. 

All ready to go!

 

Waiting in the hallway for the bell to ring...

 

Finding her cubby...

 

At her desk...starting to look scared because she knows I'm about to leave. :(

 

 

 

Summer is almost over!

It's so hard for me to believe, but this summer is almost over. It's been a busy one, but has gone by extremely fast. I'll probably find myself saying that every year now that Sydney will be in school and the summer will really feel like summer (as opposed to the days streaming together as they do when your children are toddlers and don't really have a set schedule). 

We've had a lot of "firsts" for the kids the past few months.  Sydney graduated preschool at the beginning of June, complete with cap and gown even!  My parents were able to come down so she had all grandparents in attendance.  Between me and our moms, she had her own row of mamarazzi. :)  She actually missed her last week of school because my folks wanted to take her home to Pensacola with them after graduation.  This was her first trip to their house by herself. She was hesitant at first when I asked if she wanted to go, but when I told her she'd get a whole week without Austin, she was very excited.  They had way too much fun - my sister and her new husband included!  They made several beach trips, went to the naval museum, went to Chuck-E-Cheese for the first time, made an erupting volcano (Sydney's request), had a tea party, and played with my old lego sets.   Mom brought her back down and spent an extra few days here in Lakeland before heading home to start her summer break. 

Also at the beginning of the summer, I decided to test out potty training with Austin.  I was worried how it was going to go because I've heard horror stories about boys being stubborn and resistant.  We brought the little potty out of the attic and put it in the bathroom.  He tried it for the first time with success and that was pretty much it!  He still had a few accidents here and there, and started getting lazy (or maybe I was getting lazy), so we did a course adjustment with marshmallow rewards for a while, but he pretty much picked it up right away. #2 is still a little bit of a challenge, but I couldn't be happier with how easy the transition was to big boy underwear!

In May a friend had sent me a link to a mom's blog about doing the ABC's of Summer with her children. For each letter of the alphabet you think of something to do during the summer. I loved the idea and decided to try it out with my own kids.  Also around that time I had heard the fabulous Gwen Diaz share with our MOPS group about being very purposeful with your kids in the summertime...setting physical and spiritual goals for them depending on their needs and personalities.  I loved this too.  So I bought a binder and made my lists and filled in all the days for the calendars of June, July and August.  Sydney designed an adorable cover and loved drawing pictures for each letter of things we did or saw.  I would love to say we stayed on task, completed every page and every item on our list, and had the most amazingly meaningful and educational summer ever.  But then I'd be lying. :) We were doing well until I came down with strep throat after Sydney got back from Pensacola.  That derailed us for about a week.  And then a couple weeks after that we went on vacation.  *Big sigh* We've done bits and pieces of our list and we completed some but not all of our goals.  Oh well, maybe next year!

In July was our family's big vacation.  We stayed in Gatlinburg for a week with my family.  On our way up we stayed a night with Tom's cousin and his family in Atlanta, followed the next day by a lunch with his Aunt, Uncle and Grandmama before driving on to Tennessee.  Gatlinburg was a blast - we hiked and swam and shopped and played putt putt.   The kids shared a room for the first time and did really well with it!   We saw lots of dear and a mother bear with her cubs on one of our hikes.  At the end of the week, my dad and Tom went home while my mom, myself, and the kids went on to Virginia to visit my Aunt and grandparents for another week. We had several play dates with my uncle's daughter and grandkids, and spent some time with my grandparents as well.  Sydney and Austin loved riding on their walkers up and down the hallways. It was pretty funny. We even played Tinker Bell bingo with my grandmother.   We don't see them often enough so I really enjoyed our time with them.

Since we've been home, we've had several play dates with friends and are trying to enjoy the last few days of being lazy and staying in our jammies all day if we want to.  Today I took Sydney to kindergarten orientation.  I can't believe it's time for her already!  I stressed most of the spring about where to send her...I applied for a charter school but she's #135 on the list to get in.  We also tried to request a transfer to another neighborhood public school that has a great reputation, but the school board decided to crack down on transfer requests this year, so that was going to be more trouble that it was worth.  So she'll be going to the school we're zoned for.  It's brand new and state of the art, really a beautiful school.  I prayed a lot about it and realized even the best private schools are not perfect, and I need to just trust God to protect her and maybe even use her as a light to some classmates that may not have the best home lives or may not know God.  She is so social (unlike me as a child) and smart and has a very strong moral compass, so I think she will excel no matter where she goes. 

Austin will also be starting preschool for the first time the day after Sydney starts kindergarten.  We found a great little coop school that's only 2 mornings a week...just enough!  And I get to be in the classroom once a month which I love - I love knowing what their day looks like and helping out and being more involved.  It'll be a whole new reality for our family starting next week!

Two more firsts I wanted to mention.  Sydney just finished up her first VBS last week.  She had sooo much fun and was very sad to hear their won't be another one until next year.  Also one night last week was Austin's first night sleeping in the bunk beds.  He took a nap there that day as well.  He never tried to get out.  Since then he has asked to sleep in his crib every time.  We may just need to put away the crib so he doesn't have an option.  But we're not rushing it. I must say though that I can't wait to decorate his room for the big boy that he is and put away all the baby/nursery decor. 

Times - they are a'changin.  Good changes though....good changes.

2 1/2 years ago during one of my unborn baby's ultrasounds, the doctor discovered a blocked kidney. Scarey words were brought up like surgery, cancer, transplants, etc. When Austin was born, they had to do a dye test to see just how bad the blockage was. Thankfully it was not bad enough to need any immediate action and we were sent home. Over the course of the first year of his life, he had 3 more ultrasounds, each showing "marked improvement" in the kidney. Monday of this week he had another ultrasound. I received the call today that his kidney function is completely normal and there will be no more further tests. Praise God for answered prayers!

3 trips, 3 states, 3 weeks

Two weeks ago we got back from our final of three trips in three states in three weeks.  What a whirlwind of events!  Here are some picture highlights with a few thoughts about each trip....

Kathy & Trey's wedding - what I loved:

Loved the time spent with out of town family...

 

So happy that it was finally Kathy's turn for her dream wedding, she waited a long time...

 

Loved that my kids were in the wedding with me...

 

 

 

 

All the details were so beautiful, especially the icing filled cookies with milk...

 

It was like a youth group reunion with so many childhood friends at the wedding...

 

Kathy and Dad's dance was hilarious, a slow song that turned into the jitterbug (no picture unfortunately!)....

The surprise messages from loved ones that weren't able to attend had all us Laguens women crying, what an amazing idea...

It melted my heart to watch Tom and Sydney dancing together, I couldn't help but imagine them on her wedding day in the future...

 

There was nothing better than watching my sister marry such a Godly and carring man as Trey...

 

Grandmama Dot's 90th birthday in Atlanta - what I loved:

Watching Sydney and Dylan share a room, so cute...

Realizing my kids are not babies anymore and can actually handle a road trip without too much stress...

Spending time with family...

 
 

Watching this woman of 90 years make jokes and laugh about her age at dinner...

 

Watching her with her great-grandchildren, even sharing her birthday cake with them...

 

 
 

 

My favorite part of the weekend...when Dot told me "You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be miserable. I have plenty of things I could cry about, but I choose to be happy."  I hope I have that outlook when I'm 90!

 

 

John & Jenny's wedding - what I loved:

Planes, trains, and buses...a traveling adventure that the kids actually enjoyed...

 

Our family stayed in 1 hotel room together for the first time, and it went well!  We even had a family wrestling match one night before bed...

Loved watching and listening to the kids entertain each other.  They pretended to be dinasours in the hotel room and Sydney made up songs to sing to Austin anytime he started to get upset...

Loved the surprise of John coming to the wedding on horseback and Jenny arriving in a canoe...

 

Felt honored that Sydney and I played a special role for Jenny on her wedding day...

 

 

Realized that John really did find his perfect mate in Jenny...

 

Love my redneck family!

 

John & Jenny surprised their moms by showing up at our Mother's Day brunch.  It was also Austin's 2nd birthday.  A very fun breakfast...

 

Loved watching Austin sleep on the plane...such a big boy!

 

Loved that Sydney chose to watch Blue Planet documentaries (instead of Barbie) the entire time we were traveling.  She is her father's daughter!...

 

It wasn't easy, but I'm so glad we were able to participate in each of these major events for our loved ones. 

Catch up...

I realized today how long it has been since I've posted anything to our family blog.  This makes me very sad - the blog is my way to journal everything that goes on with our family from day to day.  It's my way of tracking all the sayings and milestones of our children.  It's my way of sharing all the latest happenings with out of town friends and relatives.  Unfortunately, I am on the computer a LOT doing things for my clients - working on THEIR pictures, working on THEIR blog posts (which I'm behind on as well), responding to THEIR emails.  So guess what, my personal projects take a back seat.  It's sad, but it's reality.

After what seemed like an incredibly slow beginning of the year, we have been going full speed professionally and personally since the end of February.  I've been very busy with work (thank you God!), and a lot has happened and will happen with our extended family members.  My sister got married last weekend, after having a long distance relationship for about 5 years.  Sydney, Austin and I were all in the wedding.  It was a pretty exhausting weekend but it was so fun too.  I could not be happier for her and Trey.  Haven't even taken the pictures off my camera to share from the wedding, but I can share these two shots I got of Kathy at her bridal session.

 
 

Such a beautiful bride!!

The next trip we have scheduled is to go to Atlanta to celebrate Tom's grandmother's 90th birthday.  She asked for a hot air balloon ride and she's gonna get one! Should be fun.  And the weekend after that Tom's brother John is getting married to Jenny - can't wait to have her as a sister-in-law. We will be flying to Texas for that event. 

Even though we're busy with all these travels, I just wanted to record a few thoughts and stories about the kids.  Sydney turned 5 in March and we're in the process of figuring out which school she'll be attending for kindergarden.  Crazy!  She also started soccer in March.  She had been asking to play for a while so we found a spring league to sign her up for.  It's been an interesting experience.  We now know that she is not much of a competitor.  After the first game and practice where she just stood on the field in tears from fear, she has come to really like practice and does NOT like the games against other teams.  She has all but given up on the games.  This will probably be our first and last season of soccer for her.

 Sydney is such a smart and sweet little girl.  Austin is so bad about hitting her for no reason and taking whatever toy or object she is playing with.  She's very patient with him and loves to "read" him books.  He is becoming quite attached to his big sister.  He asks for her first thing in the morning, he asks where she is if she's staying the night out with Tom's parents.  He used to call her tsee-tsee (sissy), but can say Sydney now.  He is a little parrot that repeats almost everything that comes out of her mouth - like "Oh my Gosh!".  It's adorable.

Austin is my little man. :) He is still pretty attached to me.  He loves to cuddle and walk in and out of my legs.  He will often grab my hand or arm or leg and say "C'on mommy" when he wants me to follow him.  He still has his difficult moments...he's very particular about things and if it's not just right, he'll slap himself in the face and throw a fit.  But mostly he's just cute with his shaggy blonde hair and big blue eyes. :)  He is talking in full sentences now and can recall things when I ask him about it (Where did you put McQueen?  What did you have for snack at church today?).  He amazes me almost daily.  We started talking about Preschool for him in the fall.  Sydney was two when she started a couple mornings a week.  Once we put her in, I knew it was the right thing to do and was so good for her and me.  I find myself hesitating again with him....probably because he's my last and I feel I should maybe keep him home longer.  But he's starting to not nap in the afternoons already, and I'm getting less and less time to get work done.  I know it will be a good thing for both of us, but it's kinda sad too.

One funny Austin story...Tom was walking around without a shirt the other day.  Austin stopped to look at him, pointed to Tom's chest and said "grass".  Tom said, "no - that's Daddy's chest hair, like your hair".  Austin said, "No daddy, grass". 

No pictures tonight, haven't downloaded any off my camera lately.  Hopefully the next post I'll be a little more caught up.