Old MacPanties

Jack isn't the only one in this family to say funny things. Tonight after Lily's bath, she was squirming around naked and being silly and started singing Old MacDonald. It turned into Old MacPanties had a farm, Old MacPanties on a bike, Old MacPanties on that back, bad old panties on that back, and finally, Old Miss Grammy had a farm. She was giggling so hard, she could hardly catch her breath.

Just when I think I am going to go completely nuts with all the chaos around here, one of the kids finds the perfect moment to say or do something that makes me grateful for the chaos. I know there will come a day when my house is quiet, and I'll miss the noise.

Oops, Lily is whining again. Jack is jumping up and down hollering.

Message to self: be grateful for the chaos, be grateful for the chaos . . . .

Pillow World & Other Stuff

The kids have been making "Pillow World" for years. They lay every pillow in the house (except for a couple of "Mom will strangle you if you jump on that pillow" pillows) on the floor and pounce and play on them. Sometimes a blanket tent covers Pillow World. When they did it over the weekend, we let Abbie and Jack secretly sleep there without Lily suspecting a thing. We'd love to have Lily join the slumber party, but we know that doesn't work very well just yet.

The most fun thing about Pillow World is to take a running start, then leap into the air and land on the pillows. Jack wanted Kenny and me to do it. I went first. Then Kenny almost broke his wrist doing it and gave up. But not SOO-PER MOM! I took a few more not-so-graceful dives, yelling "AAAHHH!" or "Geronimo!" Jack's eyes about popped out of his head. He laughed so hard. He said Kenny and I should be on "America's Funniest Home Videos."

We also had fun Saturday night at a festival at Lily's preschool -- or pretty school, as she calls it. It was almost identical to the St. Mary Autumnfest back home. What a great time! The kids played lots of games and won prizes. The girls got their faces painted. Kenny got a hole-in-one in a putting game and got to play for a chance at $50,000 (no luck that time). I forgot my camera, but took these shots when we got home.

It was quite a busy weekend. We had 2 volleyball games, church, and a Bible study group in addition to other stuff I won't bore you with. By Sunday night, we were pooped. Thank you, Papa John's Pizza, for the $16 special! Some days were made for delivery.

Familypalooza & First Day of School

I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day. We took the kids to "Familypalooza," a carnival of sorts that our church hosted. They had lots of games and fun things for the kids to do. The lines were so long, it felt like we were at Holiday World. We're not used to such big crowds at these things!

Here is Lily playing in some gray water at the end of a water slide.

The water was pretty yucky, but it kept her cool and happy.

Pony rides!

I'm trying to figure out how to post a funny video of Jack and Abbie boxing with gigantic gloves. Short on time right now, but I'll try to get it to you soon.

Our bigger news is that Abbie and Jack had their first day of school today! They had an opening ceremony with bagpipes and a big pipe organ. Both kids loved their first day. Jack said this is the best school he's ever been to (he's had such a long school career). Abbie loves her teacher, and is making new friends.

I just LOVE the kids in their uniforms!

Now if that doesn't put a little grin on your face, you just can't be human.

Legacy

Have you ever known someone who left a legacy when they passed on? I couldn't let today go by without mentioning my dear grandparents, whom I refer to as Mimie and Papa. Nine years ago today, they died together in a car accident. And my, what a legacy they left.

Mimie and Papa were a wonderful example to me. They lived their lives for God, and as a result, they exemplified kindness, generosity, patience, humility, forgiveness, strength, work ethic, faithfulness, and so much more. They only got to meet one of my precious children (Abbie) and she was the light of their lives. They adored her, and I was so blessed to have gotten to see them with her. They died when Abbie was 2 years old.

Papa once told me when I was pregnant that he had a dream that I was having a red-headed, blue-eyed boy. It's funny how Jack came along and fulfilled that "prophecy." Jack is a lot like Papa, and I know they would have been crazy about each other.

I will forever hold close to my heart the memories of Mimie telling her childhood stories, and Papa doing silly things like sticking his dentures out at strangers in public. I can still feel their hands in mine and smell Mimie's perfume and Papa's Old Spice.

I only hope I can live a life that my children and hopefully grandchildren someday will be proud of. I have made many mistakes, but I can try my best to be a better person. There are many other people in my life that also lead a wonderful example for me (I hope you know who you are).

What kind of legacy will you leave? You will be remembered. How you will be remembered is still up to you.

Crazy Days

When I started this blog, I swore I would not be one of those people who put out a bunch of posts in the first couple of weeks, then dropped it. Well -- work, school, birthday parties, volleyball, family time, etc. tend to take precedence over blog posting. I'll do what I can.

Abbie has been busy with volleyball. She and I went to a college game, and she got to see how the big dogs play. Her skills are really improving.

Jack and Lily aren't very interested in watching volleyball. At Abbie's last game, they found other things to do like . . .

playing with action figures

and

attempting to steal a little girl's cheese.

Abbie and I also joined a mother-daughter Bible study that is hosted by my new friend, whose daughter is a new friend and classmate of Ab's. It's pretty much a study of Proverbs 31, emphasizing raising our daughters to be Godly women. Boy, I hope I can live up to that! I make mistakes all the time, but I try to set an example that's not too damaging!

Jack is enjoying his last days of summer. Lots of running free and wild. We were talking the other day, and he said, "We ain't city folk!" We all got belly aches from that one. A while back, he told us that he couldn't believe that none of his friends here listen to country music. Then he said, "I lived in C. . . for seven years, and I know my country."

I don't know where that boy got the notion that we are country bumpkins. Maybe it's because our kids don't wear bike helmets or shoes (Jack and Lily don't wear all their clothes half the time), and they ride around with their feet sticking out of our old SUV with no air conditioning. Then there is the peeing in the yard issue. Oh, and our kids' obsession with touching sheep and goats at the fair. OK, maybe I'm beginning to understand Jack's perception of our family.

Lily is still in love with preschool. She is so social, and can't wait to go see her new friends and teacher on school days. I have a sneaking suspicion that she spends her lunch time talking, because she isn't eating much out of her lunch box. When I asked her about it, she said, "I can't eat it all. Everybody leaves me." I'm sure she's too busy being queen of the table to eat.

I must go grab a cup of coffee and tackle an enormous pile of laundry now. I think I may have been a bit over-ambitious in thinking I could work full-time and have a clean house and pretty flowers in my yard. Wait a minute, my house wasn't any cleaner before I went back to work. But I did have pretty flowers. Such is life.

Big Girl!

My littlest love had her first day of preschool today. Lily is officially a big girl! She has been super excited about going to school like her big sister and brother. She will go 3 days a week.

The day couldn't have gone better. Lily walked right in like she owned the place. Her teacher was amazed. The preschool is part of a Catholic grade school, and we are very happy we got her in there. It is also almost next door to my work, so I can hop right over and pick her up after work (I get off earlier than most people), then swing by to pick up the other kids from their school.

I guess my baby isn't a baby anymore. I just need a little time for that to sink in. So hard to believe how fast these kids grow and change. It's a joy to watch.

Enjoy the pictures!

Fun at the Fair

I have returned. Aren't you excited? I know I am. I DO NOT like being away from my family. There has been a bit of travel involved with my new job in the beginning, but I shouldn't have to go anywhere else for a long time.

After I got home, we decided another trip on Saturday was not a great idea, and the kids actually preferred to go to the state fair instead of Balloonfest. Also, Abbie had another volleyball game Saturday that she didn't want to miss.

We had so much fun at the fair! We saw an acrobat show and a dog show that weren't very impressive, but the kids liked them. They got to sit in some military vehicles, as you see below. We might have some soldiers in the making!

The rides were fun!

To finish the day, we attended a Jeremy Camp concert. He's one of our favorite singers. The praise band from our church was the opening act.

You will never guess who was sitting across the aisle from us, so I shall tell you. Larry Birkhead. Doesn't ring a bell? He's the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby! Weird, huh? At first, lots of people thought he was Jeremy Camp. I knew he looked familiar, but thought, "I guess he's Jeremy Camp. Everybody's taking his picture." I coaxed Abbie down in front of him (Lily followed) and took some shots with him sitting up behind the girls. See him?

I was just about to take Abbie over and introduce ourselves when Kenny told me who the guy was! Then I decided I'd rather not. Abbie and I giggled all night about how I took her picture with him. I am a dork!

I'll leave you with one last glimpse into our day at the fair. When we were leaving after the concert, we walked by the "Mules & Jacks" exhibit. The kids wanted to see, so we stopped in, even though it had closed a half hour earlier. There was a guy standing at the entrance wearing a cowboy shirt, hat, and boots, and a gold chain (yes, a long gold chain). When we walked up, he said, "That's the best part of the fahr, right thar," and pointed to the mules. Kenny asked which one was his, thinking this fella was proud of his animal. Pseudo-cowboy said, "Naw, I don't have one. I jist like 'em." He was hanging out with the mules by himself after closing time. Makes one wonder. Welcome to the po-dunk fair! Heeeee hawwww!