It's all good . . .

A Day at the Atlanta Temple

We have been trying for almost six months to take a trip to the temple.  Our awesome friends, John and Victoria, offered to come with us and watch our kids, but it was pretty hard to work out our schedules.  Finally, we found the perfect day to do it - and even though we had to leave by 4:30 am to get there in time, and amidst gas shortages in Atlanta, we did it - and it was a fantastic day.

The Good List:

*Getting to be with Kevin in the temple :).

*Going to the Atlanta Temple for the first time.  (Wouldn't it be cool to visit all the temples?   There are so many now, I don't think it is possible.)

*Going to a church bookstore and a distribution center - a very rare experience in the South.

*Having the kids be awesome all day.  In fact, when I woke them up at 4:15 am, both of them thanked me, and then stayed up happily chatting the entire 4 hour drive.  (I did have to keep reminding them not to wake up John and Victoria, but luckily they didn't succeed in their attempts.)

*Watching the kids run and play on the big hill outside the temple while John and Victoria did their session.  Being in super flat Savannah, the kids never see hills, and had a blast.  (It would be a prefect ice-blocking hill, although the temple grounds really wouldn't be an appropriate place for it.)

*Getting cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory- yum!  I had the Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake - heavenly!!  Derek ate most of Kevin's Peanut-butter Cup Fudge Ripple, and then finished off John's Carmel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake - he he!  Pretty funny.

*Going to Costco - which just happened to be a few blocks from the temple.  Ahh, Costco.

*Getting my burrito at Chipotle.  (It has been 3 years, but I still miss you Chipotle.) 

*Driving home talking to Victoria, while John and Kevin played Guitar Hero in the back of the van.

What a wonderful day!!

Kevin's New Golfing Buddy

So, on Friday when Kevin was walking out the door to go play golf, he just could not resist Derek.  Derek, who stood at the door asking for his "golfing shoes" so he could go golfing with daddy.  So instead of playing 18 holes alone, he pushed a jogging stroller around and only played 9 holes. 

Derek had been to the driving range since he was an infant, but had never actually been out on the golf course.  He was so excited, and very well behaved, according to Kevin.  Both Kevin and Derek had a great time, and so I am sure this is the first of many adventures to come.

 
NOTE: Hopefully soon I will get the pictures of Kevin's Ryder Cup adventure off of his laptop, so I can post about that.  Hmm, I also realized that the pictures of Lily and Kevin's golfing adventure are on his laptop as well.  I had better get on that :).

Friends - What would I do without them?

Yesterday I picked Kevin up from the airport, as he had been gone for almost a week playing with his dad at the Ryder Cup, but that is a story for a different post.  What we do while he was away is always an adventure, and this time it is packed full with friends who helped me out.  Almost every single day he was away, someone stepped in to make it possible for me to do what had to be done.  Here's our story . . .

Wednesday- Kevin flew out, and my amazing friends, John and Victoria, came over to put the kids to bed and watch them so I could go to my Young Womens presidency meeting and our activity.  And then they even stayed and talked to me for a while when I got home.  I am so grateful to them!!  (Oh, and this isn't the first time.  Victoria actually comes over almost every week so I can go to YW, but usually I try to have the kids in bed first.)

Thursday- I started out the day with a mini-enrichment class at my house.  I taught everyone how to do the blanket stitch on a fleece blanket.  It was a small group of us, and was so much fun.  Derek played with other little kids while we worked.

Then later, my amazing friend and neighbor, Marilyn, watched Derek, so I could take Lily to an appointment.  It was something Derek couldn't come to, and she saved me.  Then she came over that night, helped me get the kids to bed, and then talked to me for a while - helping me deal with the stress of Lily's teacher calling to talk to me about her behavior problems.  I was so discouraged, and her ideas and support were just what I needed.

Friday - I had a great talk with my sister Holly, and a few other friends.  Lily had her second soccer practice, and Derek and I had a great time running around the field together while she had a blast with her team.  Being outside in our now beautiful 70-80 degree weather really helped all three of us feel better.

Saturday - A sweet new girl in our ward, Krystal, watched my kids Saturday morning so I could take Ariel's senior pictures.  Ariel, who is one of my YW, and I had a blast wandering around downtown Savannah and finding awesome places to take pictures.  They turned out gorgeous!  And then when I got home, Krystal refused money.  I was so touched that this freshman in college would be at my house at 7:30am, and then refuse payment.

Here are two of my favorites from the photo shoot.  To see all my favs, go to my photography site.

 
While Derek took his nap, Lily really wanted to make "cookie bites," something she came up with, and so I made chocolate chip cookie dough and we places a Reese's peanut butter cup chip in the center of each tiny ball.  She shaped them all herself too.  They were delicious :).

That evening, my friends, the Cardiff family came over.  We had bacon pasta, the boys played with my kids, and September and I had a blast talking.  Then later, when most of them had to go to the youth dance, Hayden and Taz stayed behind and helped me put the kids to bed.  It was such a fun night, and an amazing blessing!

Sunday - Like they do every week in Kevin's absence (He has to work Sundays right now.), Cayman and Hayden sat with me and helped me contain Derek's running away.  It is such a life saver, and helps me actually have a peaceful experience at church, rather than being super angry at Derek.

After church, Marilyn and her family had us over for dinner, and then she put my kids to bed and stayed with them so I could go the Youth fireside.  I was so glad I was able to go there and share that with my girls, and it would not have been possible without her help.

Monday - Kevin flew in, like I said before.  We are so happy to have him home, and he is so happy to have come home to a wife and children that were truly taken care of while he was gone.  I really cannot tell you how grateful I am for all those amazing friends who helped me - most of the time without even being asked.  Thank you!!

Lily - The Soccer Girl

Monday opened a new chapter of our lives - a chapter of teams and games and competitive sports.  You see, Lily had her first soccer practice :).  She was really looking forward to it - counting down the days, figuring out what she would wear, and talking about it non-stop.  In one of our conversations she went on and on ab out how excited she was to be a goalie.  He he!

For me, it brought back memories of Little League baseball and YMCA basketball practices as a kids.  I loved playing sports, as I know Kevin does, and so it will be interesting to see if Lily loves the whole experience too.

Well, Kevin got off from work just in time to join us, and the whole family joined Lily in the almost 100 degree heat for her practice.  Here are the highlights . . .

• Lily picking up the ball anytime someone got close to her.
• Watching her practice all her cool moves.
• The fact that her coaches are two girls who play college soccer - they are so cute and fun!
• Having Derek sneak away from us into Lily's practice or swipe balls from other practicing teams.
• When Lily hid in the goal with her ball because she knew nobody could steal it from her there.  (The lady behind me kept laughing and telling everyone about it too.  Lily tends to make an impression - he he!)
• Being very relieved that I remembered to bring water for Lily and Derek (although I forgot some for me - oops.)
• Kevin trying to convince Derek to play football with him, when all he wanted was to steal  soccer balls.

Here's a video of the adventure - it is a little long, but so funny :).

Tonight is her second practice, and she is even more pumped up, because she gets to wear the shin guards and cleats I got from a friend.  Fun times!

Simple Pleasures . . .

So some of you are going to think I am a crazy person because of what I am about to admit to you all, but on Wednesday I was so happy I almost cried - and all because of Little Caesars Pizza :).  They just opened up a Little Caesars in Savannah, and it is awesome!  It even has a drive through window!  Imagine that - $5 hot and ready pizza, and you don't even have to get out of your car. 

And so, as we drove away, with me cradling our two pizzas knowing that we would never have to go Richmond Hill for our LC fix ever again, I was overwhelmingly happy.  Silly, I know.  Kevin even turned to me and said, "You're going to cry, aren't you?"  I didn't, but I was that happy.

Note:  This was how we felt when they finally opened a Chili's in Seaside, CA when we lived there.  Of course, by the time they finally did that we were about to move away.  So maybe the fact that we finally got our Little Caesars is an omen that our days in Savannah are numbered.  We'll have to see :).

   

One of those Weekends

So Thursday night when I went to sleep, I was so excited for Friday.  You see, Kevin and Derek and I were going up to Hilton Head, SC because my old roommate and best friend Pamela was there for a few days.  It had been over 2 years since the last time I had seen her, and I couldn't wait. 

Well, Friday morning I woke up with some tummy problems, but after taking some medicine, I thought it would all be fine.  I was not going to let being dizzy and sick to my stomach stop me from seeing Pamela.  So after dropping Lily off at school, we headed out for HH.

It was so very exciting to see her, and although I was weak, we had a great time talking over brunch (which I was only able to eat a few bites of).  Then we decided to go mini-golfing, and although I was a bit nervous about it, I wasn't too worried.  It was mini-golf for goodness sake :).

And then on the 8th hole I sat down and knew that if I moved I would either pass out or lose my breakfast.  I felt like such a loser - ruining this time with my friend, but Pamela, being the sweetheart she is, stayed behind and sat with me until I could walk a few more holes now and then. 

Everyone kept playing, and they still had a good time, despite me.  Derek was especially cute, as he would place his ball 4 inches from the hole, and then nicely putt it in.  I was just glad he didn't take advantage of my immobility to run away or jump in the alligator infested creek :).

Eventually I made it to the car, but lost it a few times, both on the way to their hotel and the drive home.  Thank goodness for plastic bags.  I proceeded to spend the next two days sleeping off and on, feeling miserable.  My poor kids, as they were stuck home with a sick mommy at home  and daddy at work all weekend. 

I am very grateful for great friends who took my kids for a hour or two to give them a break from being trapped in our house.  I also had some friends, not even knowing that I was sick, call or come over, and totally cheer me up.  And Kevin was wonderful, as usual.  He always takes good care of me when I am sick. 

So, things might not always turn out like you had planned, but it all ends up working out anyway.  And hey, even though I felt awful, how often do you get to sleep and read all day long?   And as long as we are looking for silver linings, I even finished the book I was reading.

The One Where I Finally Cry

This morning as Lily hopped out of the van and headed to her classroom, like it was second nature to her, I found myself fighting back the tears that never came the first day of school.  Things have been really crazy these past two weeks - school, homework, a very strict routine so we can fit it all in, plus doctor's appointments, etc. 

Not to mention the fact that Lily is struggling with her behavior, and there is so little I can do to help while she is gone.  (This morning as she said our family prayer, it nearly broke my heart as she asked for help "not to push people" and "to get a smiley face, and not a frowny face.)  And as overwhelming as it all is, I realized what was really bothering me - I miss my baby girl. 

We have so little downtime together now, and I miss that.  I miss just being with her.  It really made me think of a talk by Elder Oaks from last October Conference, "Good, Better, Best".  It is amazing to me, that my daughter is only in kindergarten, and yet it is already a struggle to find time with her.  It just makes those car rides, talks at dinner, and books before bedtime all the more important.

And just so this post isn't too serious, I thought you all might enjoy looking at some before and after pictures of Lily yesterday -

how I sent her to school,
and how she came home :). 
I just love how her hair shows what a crazy day she had.  So cute!

Firsts and Other New Adventures

This past week has been full of new adventures, albeit, some a little more exciting than others.  So, I thought I would share with you all the firsts and the new things life has brought us . . .

FIRSTS

Homework - Whoever thought it was a good idea to give kindergartners homework needs to come have a chat with me.

Piano Lessons - Lily had her very first lesson this morning, and she did very well.  She on ly lost focus a few times.  Her teacher, Maria, is magic :). Hopefully I can tap into that when I try and get her to practice - he he!

 

Detention - I guess Lily is not going to follow after the example of her mother (I never had detention in all my years of school.).  Twice this week Lily has had to stay in from recess.  Once for running in the classroom, and once for being too loud (Okay, so she got that one from me - he he!).  The funniest was when she told us, "She starts the timer over if you are too loud."  Then she added, "She only had to do it a few times."  Pretty funny.

Pick up and drop off lines - Wow, I wish I could avoid this craziness in the car and the time waiting in those lines, but such is life.  If we lived a few blocks closer, I would walk it, but it is too much to ask Lily to walk that after a long day of school.  One benefit of driving, however, is the conversation time with Lily.  This is the only real time she tells me about her day, because once we get home, there is too much going on.

Hand Appliqued Quilt Block - I overcame my fears and took on the challenge.  Although I have a long way to go until I do it as well as my mother-in-law, I was pretty happywith how it turned out.  One down, eleven more to go until I can finish the quilt :).

NEW

Nephew - My sister Heather had a baby boy, Daniel Clayton, on the 29th of August.  He was a big boy, at almost 9 pounds.  We are so happy for them, and hope we don't go too long before we get to meet the little guy.

Haircut - I got a haircut last week and I love it!  Thanks Kristi!!  I tried really hard to get a good picture of myself, but I have never been good with self portraits.  Here's the best I could do before church.   (And yes, I am all serious in the picture, but it was because I was focusing too hard on what I was doing, and even then the picture is all crooked - he he!)

 

Derek's Ewok Impression- This has got to be the funniest thing I have ever seen.  It is even better than his one of Darth Vader.  I wish I had captured it, but I was on the exercise bike.  Take my word for it though - it is priceless.

Favorite TV Show - Lily and Derek have been excited all week about the premier of  Imagination Movers on Playhouse Disney.  They are watching it right now, which is allowing me to post - he he!  (Periodically the kids run in the room to tell me about what is happening in the show - they crack me up.)

Playgroup - Our ward just started a playgroup, and it couldn't have come at a better time.  Poor Derek misses Lily so much, and so it is great for him to have a chance to play with kids his age.  And I get the bonus of talking to my friends while he plays.  (And Derek only escaped once, and luckily I had help from the other moms to catch the speedy little guy.)

Lily's Pioneer Bonnet - Lily has been asking for a pioneer bonnet for quite some time.  Knowing that I did not have the skills to make her one, Lily asked her Grandma Valerie. 
It arrived the first day of school and she has been wearing it everyday.  She especially likes to wear it with her now dubbed "pioneer apron."  So cute!

 

Hurricane Hanna?

**So, we got very lucky, and it looks like Tropical Storm Hanna is going to miss us, other than some extra rain and wind.  We are very relieved, and also happy that it got us to put our disaster plan firmly in place.  Now we are just keeping our eye on Hurricane Ike.  Ahh, the adventures of living on the Atlantic coast.

So, right now we are on alert, and are supposed to get ready for a possible evacuation, all due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna.  We are getting prepared, and even have a place to go, but are really hoping it will miss us or not get back to hurricane strength.  I thought I would let you know, just in case I am AWOL for a while.  Right now it looks like it might just miss us.  We'll have to see.

My Little Kindergartener

Yesterday was a momentous day in our family - Lily had her first day of kindergarten.  Although I have been prepared for quite some time, with her uniforms, backpack, lunch box, and school supplies purchased, mentally I have been in complete denial.  However, I made it through the day without crying, even though I was aching inside all day that my baby girl is growing up.

After a special breakfast and making sure we had everything together, we headed off.  Kevin was able to go into work late, and so the whole family took her into her class.  She was so happy and excited, and she even found the little girl she made friends with at the open house, which was perfect.  (Derek loved her classroom and was not happy that Lily got to stay and he had to go home.)

After spending a fun, yet very strange day without Lily, Derek and I got her a watermelon slush from Sonic for an after school treat, and went through the adventure of picking her up.  (I am glad I grabbed a book to read - it was a long wait.)  She was sitting with her group of other kindergarteners, looking exhausted, but very happy.

It was a little hard to get details out of her, but she was able to tell me all her classroom rules and that she hadn't met the music teacher yet.  My favorite tidbit was our conversation about her favorite part of the day . . .

Me: So what was your favorite part of your first day of school?

Lily: Playing on the playground.

Me:  That sounds like fun.  What was your second favorite thing you did today?

Lily:  Running.

Me:  Running?  Running where?

Lily:  To the playground, of course!

That's my girl.  I can't believe she is so grown up already.  Wasn't she just a baby?  Before I know it she will be all grown up and leaving home.  It definitely reminds me that I need to take advantage of everyday I have with her.