My Best Buddy

Oh, how I hate Mondays! I feel that everything I do is not right or not good enough, and it is very hard for me to just jump back into the groove of things! :(  Things will be better tomorrow I am sure!


The weekend was nice and uneventful. Saturday morning, Cody headed to get a nice surprise for the "kids." I am certain that it was only for them! ;)  Anyway, he purchased a Polaris Ranger. The kids were excited about it, and Mallory calls it the "Power Ranger." You won't hear me correct her...I think that it is TOO cute.


One development over the last couple of days is our taking notice of how differently the kids are interacting with each other. For the most part, they have always gotten along. They've played nicely together and never competed for each other's attention. Now, they are battling for a "best buddy." Mallory is usually the one that goes back and forth between the twins. She is either Faith's best buddy or Cameron's.....and anything can make her change her mind and go from one to the other. For Faith, the thought of not having Mallory on her side means little to nothing. However, she uses it to torment Cameron when Mallory is on her side. Cameron, my soft hearted one, gets his heart broken. For now, I have just let them work it out as it arises. I am interested to see how it plays out....and I may just have to intervene sooner or later. ;)


Cam will never be alone, however....he has Charles, of course (his imaginary friend). Yes, Charles is still around, and he is still quite the character. He goes from young to old....alive to deceased. He even has a dad name "Kenneth." He continues to teach Cameron things that are less than appropriate, and he just told me that he called him at school....but Cam was busy talking to Miss Emily. :)

Comings and Goings

I can't believe that I have not posted since APRIL!!! That's just WRONG!!! There have been plenty of things that I have wanted to jot down so that I remember them forever, and I often find myself saying, "That's blog-worthy," but I never find myself sitting down at the computer to follow-through. A few weeks ago, I took one of those silly quizzes online about what profession you are truly made for. Guess what I got?! A writer!!! I took that as a sign that I should get back to blogging! This is sad, but it took me a couple of tries to remember my password on here, but, when I did get it right, I read some of my last posts. They made me smile about things that I had already forgotten that my sweet babies have said or done! So, back to blogging....and trying to hold on to those memories for a lifetime! ;)

SOOOO much has happened since April, so I will use this post to play catch-up (it may be a bit boring). That's your WARNING.

SUMMER FUN, SUMMER LOVE

We had a great time this summer. We rarely stayed home. We spent much needed time with family, swam to our hearts' content, and had no regards to a schedule, diet, or bedtime! It was great!

The kids...yes, all three....were in a wedding. I stressed about this and how they would perform, but, as they always do, they pulled through! They were just gorgeous, and it left us very proud.  At weddings, love is in the air, and it hit Cam HARD! Kate Merritt was also in the wedding....and she and my boy shared a KISS. Cameron later told me, "Momma, you know when I fell in lub with Kate? When she kissed me." I am in for SO. MUCH. TROUBLE. He has also told me that when he gets scared at night, he just thinks. I asked him WHAT he thinks about. He said, "Kate." OH. MY.

We also had a great vacation. We went with YaYa, Pat, and Ray-Ray this year. The destination was Panama City Beach. The kiddos were pretty awesome...each year it gets easier....and each year I look more forward to it. Let's face it...in years past, vacation was NOT a vacation. It was more like torture. ;)

I'm Moving On

I've had a fairly big change in my life, as well. I accepted a new job at Lake Oconee Academy. It was a hard decision, but a decision that I knew that I would make at some point. I have always wanted to be closer to home, and I want the best educational opportunities for my own babies. Very torn between what I had considered my "home," for seven years and this new opportunity, I ultimately made the decision to move on...and it was primarily because I knew that it would be the best decision for my family. It always interests me how interested OTHERS are about this change....and let's be honest....it's mainly for information about specific schools and school systems. All I can say is this....I feel very blessed that God has chosen to use me at the current school that I am at. I have always been amongst SUPERIOR teachers in the past and present....and I will continue to try my very best in the position that I am in. Right now, I am co-teaching in first grade. The kids are great, and I am adjusting and enjoying being back in a homeroom setting! I am excited to have all of my babies with me at LOA next year!

Pre-K

Faith and Cameron were not accepted into LOA this year. So, they are attending Lakeview Academy's Bright from the Start PreK program. At the last minute, a spot opened for Mallory, too! So, all of my babies are in one spot. We had to say goodbye to Granny B....which was hard to do. Goodbye did not last long, however. After a rough week at school, I decided that I couldn't handle it ALL. So, Granny B comes on Fridays to help at the house. She keeps the kids for a couple of hours until I can get home, as well. I think that she is SUPER excited to continue to be a part of our lives...we know that we are happy to have her!

The kids are liking school okay...I would not say that they are LOVING it. They are not excited about going, but it seems that they have a good time when they get there. They HATE homework....and I can foresee a LONG road ahead of me/them in that capacity. Mallory is having the hardest time. She cannot understand that Faith and Cam are in the same class, but she is left alone in hers. After much talking, I convinced that that her going their class would be IMPOSSIBLE...so she had finally opened up in her classroom and has began talking SOME.

Things to come

We are looking forward to our fall breaks....although our fall breaks do not align with each other. I think that we are all in need of a break. On October 7th, please be in prayer for our Ray-Ray. She will have a brain tumor removed. It will be a LONG surgery, but the doctors are very optimistic. Please be in prayer for not only Ray-Ray but her doctor's and family, as well!

I think that's it! I am sure that there will be funny stories to come SOON!

Happy Birthday to "Mawee"

I may be a month late with Mallory's birthday post, but that doesn't mean it was any less special! It's hard to believe that my babies are not so much like babies anymore! MALLORY IS NOW THREE!


Mallory's birthday always falls during my spring break, which is wonderful. I was able to take cupcakes to her class. She was so excited! Her entire birthday week was great...we had a picnic in the park, a trip to Chuck E Cheese, and lunches out with ice cream. Mallory's party was at the end of the week, and, luckily, I had done much of the party prep before Thursday evening...because that's when catastrophe hit. The virus got Cameron first. Friday was a day full of baking. For some reason, I thought that I could get all crafty and mother-of-the-yearish and do most of it myself. Needless to say, I ended up running to Wal Mart last minute because I didn't like the way my cupcakes looked. Saturday...party day....I knew that I was next. I felt terrible and it hit mid-party! Mallory still had a fabulous time, however, and we are so grateful to have such great family and friends to share her day. Unfortunately, Faith became sick on Sunday. :( My birthday girl remained STRONG...she didn't have time for a virus! She and Cody were the lucky ones.

 The birthday party was at the church. Mallory wanted a Little Mermaid them. I tried to save some money and make the directions myself. :) NEVER. AGAIN.

We also had a bounce house. Because we rented one, we wanted to make sure the kids got as much time having fun as possible. So, we saved to presents for home. Here is one pic....Mallory loved her "Frozen" book!

 

 



To my birthday girl, who keeps me guessing and working for that beautiful smile, I feel truly blessed to have such a special girl. Your strong will is admirable...if not frustrating. ;)  Those eyes could melt anyone's heart, and you have definitely won mine. I know that I say this each year, but God really knew what He was doing when he placed you here with us. A friend told me just this week (in reference to other things), "God's timing is everything." She is definitely right. Never did I imagine that we would welcome another bundle fourteen months after having twins.  We didn't know how much we needed you here to complete our chaotic, little world. It was all in His timing, for sure! We love you baby girl!

Popcorn Trees and Playground Hair

I can not believe how quickly this year is moving along. We JUST celebrated Faith and Cam's birthday, and, here I am, about to plan Mallory's THIRD birthday...wow! I've really done a bad job keeping up with posts, but the kids loved the snow/ice. However, the warmer weather that we've been having has definitely made us ready for SPRING. Cameron could live outside!

We have had quite the busy weeks and weekends lately. Cody has been out of town twice, and I have had to take a trip for work, as well. On all occasions, we both realized how much better things flow when we are both here....and it  makes us extremely thankful for the other. :) We've had great support, of course, with family chipping in when available!

So...bringing us up to this week....

I was the first to bring home "the cold." It's a hard one to shake and it lingers. Cody soon got it....and you know how it goes. I knew that it was only a matter of time before all three kiddos would need to go to the doctor...colds around here usually develop into ear infections, but I was still hopeful. Needless to say, after a night of a screaming Mallory, we needed a trip to the pediatrician on Friday. Although Faith and Cameron were not complaining of their ears, why not let them take a look, too?
Mallory has what the doctor called, "A screaming ear infection," while Faith has fluid. Cameron thinks he is tough since he checked out ok. :)

My doctor's visits never disappoint in regards to excitement or catastrophe. Since I had to get home from Putnam and to Athens in about one hour and thirty minutes, I decided to not call on help from dad in such a short time frame...BIG. MISTAKE. As soon as we entered the office with Mallory on my shoulder, the poor baby puked all over my back and in the waiting room. Talk about stares...lol. Poor Mallory walked all over the pharmacy with her little puke bag. Faith and Cameron yelled at me the whole way home about how "Mommy stinks." Note to self: I need a change of clothes in the diaper bag, too. The bad news is that kiddos are STILL just as congested as ever. This cold is ROUGH!


On a cute note, Cameron has been saying some of the most hilarious things. While I was talking to them about the pretty trees that are blooming with white flowers, he tells me that they are "popcorn trees." How cute is THAT? They kinda' DO look like popcorn!!! When he came down the slide at Chick-fil-A with his hair standing straight up, he said that he had "playground hair." That kid. Love him. Finally, he told Cody that all of the girls "love" him at school. They all want to kiss him. One of the girls with "white hair," wants to marry him. This kid! Love him!

Mallory not-so happy Friday. I got a lot of looks, and she told me, "Don't bodda me." LOL.

He Just told the Pediatrician WHAT?!

Note to self: When your child will not speak to the pediatrician, be happy. Who cares?  Let it be. REALLY.






Cameron, Faith, and Mallory refuse to speak to the pediatrician....specifically Cameron. He will often not respond to the doctor in ANY way. Not a nod. Not a blink. Not an open mouth to check the teeth. Nothing. Just a blank stare. This leaves mommy frustrated. I have said, "You need to be nice to the doctor. She is nice to you. She wants to keep you well. She is going to think that you CAN'T talk!!!"  Why, oh WHY did I really care? I was taught such a valuable lesson today.






Faith and Cam had their well visit today. So, I started in with the pep talks early. "Kids, you really need to talk to the doctor. It's very important."  Well, little did I know that Cameron would give us ALL an ear FULL very soon. It started with the kids doing an excellent job with the eye chart. They covered one eye on cue and actually SPOKE, telling the nurse the names of the objects. YES!!!  Then, I learned that they had to urinate in a cup....I mean, that's hard enough for any ADULT. Great...this should be quite the adventure. Once we accomplished that task with considerable ease, I thought, "Well, we've got this. This is going well." Cameron even began to loosen up after the doctor came in....after he gave her a few blank stares. He even plopped down in my lap and gave her a little smile. I didn't know that it was the smile of a little devil.




I was so boastful when the doctor asked, "So do they have good imaginations?" I went on and on about their great imaginations and about how they have imaginary friends....BIG. MISTAKE.  This is how it went:




Me: Cam, tell Dr. A about your imaginary friend.
Cam: Wyatt, Cooper, and Mason
Me: No, honey. Those are your school friends. What about Charles?
Cam: Charles has a girlfriend. (I am getting nervous because I know where this is going.)
Dr. A: Wow. Charles has a girlfriend?
Cam: Yeah. Charles shot her (I'M DYING...I wanted to pinch him, but I honestly didn't know what to do).
Dr A: He shot her?
Cam: Yeah. She turned into a bear, and he shot her.
Me: Yes. We've been watching the Disney movie Brave (this is a scenario in that movie).
Dr. A: Nods and smiles.




He then went on to tell me that he "pooted" on me (in front of her...and BOY DID HE!).  He then got down from my lap and continued to "poot," and randomly said words that were as equally as embarrassing. Sweet Dr. A laughed it off and commented, "That's how boys are."  She told Cam, "Cameron, I have two boys at home, so no word that you say will surprise me." His response???...this beats it all...."What about HINEY?!"  He got up, turned around, and said, "This is my hiney dance."


I was mortified...and I think that the look on my face said it all.  The pediatrician was awesome and was thrilled that he even talked to her. So, I guess that was a positive way at looking at it.  I left the appointment not knowing their height or weight...I forgot to ask. Since it wasn't mentioned, I imagine that it wasn't a concern.  The poor babies left after four shots, and, although, Cameron's behavior wasn't treat worthy, his bravery for the shots (he didn't cry at all) was deserving of an ice cream afterwards. :)

"You My CuTiE Pie"

It makes you feel so good to have the kids smile at you when they wake up. Many times, they ask me, "Who's gonna' be here when I wake up?" THAT makes me sad, but at least I know that if I can't be here, we have a sitter that loves them like a mother. :) ANYWAY, what I wanted to jot down, is that Cameron snuggled with me lots this morning. I love snuggle time, because my kids are not big snugglers. They are WAY to busy to have time for that. However, Cam was in a snuggle mood and I said, "I love seeing you in the mornings. We can snuggle." He said (and this melts my heart), "I know. You my cutie pie." Needless to say, he got some MAJOR cuddles after that comment.


I also wanted to post that we went to see Frozen on MLK day. I LOVED, LOVED it. I think that it may be one of my favorite Disney movies....and it takes A LOT to replace Tangledl for me. The kids loved it just as much, and we made it through the entire thing. I had Ziploc bags on hand with candy and to fill with popcorn. It was so nice, although I got countless stares from people....never ceases to amaze me how many stares I get....and I'm like, "Yeah. Don't ask. They are ALL mine....and aren't you jealous?!" LOL.


Since seeing Frozen, the kids like to pretend that they ARE the characters OR that they know them. They also beg me to sing the songs from the movie...but I prefer to watch them on YouTube...you have not heard me sing.  The other night, Cam announced, "I have a gulfriend." I was a little surprised so I asked who it was. He matter-of-factly said, "Ana." That's one of the characters. So funny.


This week is expected to be another cold one...with possible snow (so I hear). I really don't want to make up anymore days at school, but I would love for these kiddos to see some snow. THEN, we can really make a snowman...not just sing about it. ;)

It's Their Birfday!

I can't believe my babies are FOUR!!! As slow as some days have been (particularly the days that were spent pacing the floor and bouncing), the years have seemed to fly by. WOW. My babies are not babies anymore.

On to the big day...

I decided to take Faith and Cam's birthday off from work. Last year, I didn't, and I REALLY hated myself for it. So, I got to take them to school, bring cupcakes, AND meet Cody for lunch at the all favorite Chick-fil-a. Faith and Cameron were SO excited and happy. Poor Mallory. She didn't quite understand why Faith and Cameron both had birthdays when she didn't.  So, she had to get a small gift, too. Bless her heart. The day ended with spaghetti for dinner.  IF they HAD to choose, spaghetti would probably be their most favorite dinner...but none of them are big eaters....unless you are offering cake and cookies.

Faith and Cameron tearing into gifts before school. Cam got a Ninja Turtles game, REAL pressure washer (haha), and a watch. Faith received Rapunzel dolls, My Little Ponies, and a watch.

Mallory with her watch. :)

 



Thinking back four years ago, I can recall sitting in the hospital with a big smile thinking, "Who wants one baby when you can have TWO?!" Although there have been trying times (times when I didn't know what TO DO with TWO), we've never lost that perspective. How blessed we have been and how full our hearts have become!!!  Although I am saddened that I can now only see glimpses of the babies that they once were, I am overjoyed to foresee the beautiful individuals that I am sure that they will become.

Faith and Cameron, I have always thought of you as my miracle babies...simply amazing...and amaze us you continue to do. You two are full of life, full of joy, and glorious surprises.  Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back.

***We followed the kiddos birthday with a family bday party the following weekend! Faith and Cam chose separate cakes this year: Rapunzel and Ninja Turtles, so we really didn't have a theme.  It was like Christmas all over again, and I can not imagine any other toy that they could possibly need or get! We are all truly blessed!***

That Charles

Just a few things that I don't want to forget....ever. ;)




I do believe everyone now knows Charles...aka...Cam's best friend...aka....Cam's imaginary best friend. Charles has proven to be a bad influence as Cameron tends to blame any inappropriate behaviors on his bff.  Charles tends to teach Cameron bad language and mischievous acts (hahaha). However, I must give Charles credit when credit is due. He might not be such a bad guy/boy (Charles also has the power to be young one day and a "gwown up" the next) after all.  The kids have taken an interest in growing up and getting married. Faith and Cameron often say that they will grow up and marry each other.  However, one night at dinner, Cameron comes out with, "I'm gonna' marry Charles girlfriend." Hmmm. I go on to tell Cameron that it really doesn't work that way. We don't marry other people's girlfriends. Charles would be mad, of course! Cameron just looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, cocked his head to the side, and said, "Charles will share." That was that.  Now, Charles is a good friend, don't you think?! ;)




Mallory has taken to potty training!!! In all honesty, I was not planning on doing that until summer. SHE initiated the training, however, and I am game! Parents, this is the way to go! Why push your kids to potty train when they are not ready?! Mallory is doing great (for the most part), and I am not begging and pleading. WOOHOO. Go Mallory Jo! I am so proud of her....I will try to forget that moment when she told a teacher friend of mine that she (and I quote), "Did a bolda (boulder) in the potty...two of dem." Thanks, Cody for that terminology.


Faith and Cam's bday is today. I can't believe that they are FOUR!!! I will be posting about that soon!

"Happy Howidays is Oba"

"Happy Howidays is oba." Poor Malllory sounded so disappointed when she told me that the other night. We certainly DID have a great Christmas filled with lots of family and gathering after gathering. We began out Christmas on the 23rd and continued right through Christmas night! We were absolutely exhausted when it's all over and done, but I really wouldn't have it any other way.

So, here are some pictures of our "Happy Howiday":

 

 

 

The kids had their very first program!!! I took that day off because I certainly did not want to miss it!!! I had so much fun taking them to school...so precious. Anyway, Faith, Cam, and Mallory were not the most vocal in the program,  but they went up there, at least moved their mouths, and even did some motions! I was very proud. My mom was able to come, as well, and we celebrated with lunch at Chick-fil-a.

 

 

We did have an Elf on the Shelf. His name was Sam. I am not a fan of making your elf get into mischief. The whole purpose of an Elf on the Shelf is to keep YOUR children out of mischief, so WHY let your elf to all of these CRAZY things?! So normally, Sam just moved each night. Cody made it a little fun, though. He thought it would be super funny to find Sam a girlfriend. So, many mornings, we would find Sam with one of Faith and Mallory's barbies (see above). Leave it to Cody. :)

 

 

We did get a chance to make Christmas cookies! MeMe, Poppy, and Autumn joined us....thank goodness! We made quite the mess.

 

Here's Cam on Christmas morning! He loved his toy guns that Santa brought him. He got hunting stuff, trucks and trailers, and Ninja turtles, of course!

There's Mallory! She liked these little princesses that are in front of her. She also got a puppet theatre (she LOVES puppets), Sophia toys, and loads of Disney princess stuff.

 

Faith is checking out the bike! All of the kids got bikes, as well. Faith also received her Rapunzel dress and wig, Disney princess toys, and art supplies. Actually, the girls got very similar things, and Santa placed their stuff together so that they could just pick and choose which was theirs. :) It worked out nicely.

 



So, we were beyond blessed at Christmas...and we are each day.