We rested!

We finally rested on our seventh day! After a full week of big girl bedtime, working in the yard, on the computer, and at the gym we took a day to rest at the lake. The kids splashed at the edge of the lake and Dylan even ventured out into the deeper water to test out those newly acquired swimming skills. We visited with a bunch of family (two Aunties, a couple of papaws and a few others too), ate, relaxed and had some over all fun. Shane attempted to teach Ella to give a “wedgie” which turned into a full moon on Aunt Wendy and lots of laughs for the rest of us. Dylan swam to the pontoon on his own and spent the rest of the day trying to get Ella to go past the waters edge. We had some fun, got some sun and enjoyed our seventh day.

Ella and Aunt Wendy

 

Aunt Cari, Dyaln and Ella

 

After the lake we took our kids to Amaw’s house for our rest time. If all goes well, they will spend the next three days there and I may get caught up on that yard work, house work, work work and maybe some fun work too. What ever will I do with myself…Ha!

Big Girl Bed!

 

 

Well, at almost 3 Ella has been sleeping in her toddler bed for almost a year now. We thought it about time she graduated. So last night she spent her first night in her big girl bed. She did really well and I can only hope that continues. She has always been a good night sleeper,despite the fact that she has not been taking a nap for over a year now. Dylan still naps most every day, just like his dad in more than just his looks. I think she is enjoying it so far, she might not in her later years when she finds out it is the same bed I spent most of my youth in. Dylan is a bit on the jealous side, he wants to “spend the night” with her…Anyway, exciting news for Ella!

   

Big Kid Choices

I found a bit of humor and a bit of inspiration in my children yesterday. Our early morning routine involves them coming into our bedroom where Dylan automatically asks; “What we have today?” Which is his way of finding out what is planned for the day and what kind of fun things he can anticipate. Now yesterday I had no big plans so I decided to let them pick what they wanted. I gave them three options:

Stay home and play in the yard while I did yard work

Go to the YMCA and play on the playground while I worked out (they only go to the playground on Tue. and Thurs.)

Or go to story time at the libaray  

And you know what? They chose the library!  Can you believe a 4 year old boy and an almost 3 year old girl decided they wanted to go somewhere they had to be quiet for almost an hour? I was shocked! It did get me out of a workout though (haha, I did work in the yard later). Apparently it was a popular choice in our small town, as there were over 30 preschool aged kids there. Just goes to show you how little there is to do for young kids in our little town. They enjoyed every minute of it and even got to see some friends from Dylan’s school and make a caterpillar and butterfly. Maybe that’s it, the crafts. I used to be crafty, but now when I need it most all craft inspiration has left me. I have even checked out Rosie’s new book Crafty U from the library. I don’t know what it is but all I see when I think of crafts is mess… I guess I’ll have to get over that.

Anyway, I was truly impressed with there grown up choice and how well they did at story time. We will continue to go. I also signed them both up for session number two of swim lessons today. Yep that’s right Ella will hit the big 3 during this session so she gets to start too! She is very excited and Dylan thinks some monumental growth has occurred (because last session we told him she wasn’t big enough yet).     

 

On the Seventh Day…

So another crazy weekend of wood hauling, birthday party attending, yard working, hard playing fun. Wait a minute that doesn’t sound all fun…Well, it wasn’t, but the hard parts make the fun parts better… right? When did the weekend become code for more time to work? What ever happened to reflecting on the seventh day? In a southern state that concept really hits home. Nothing is open, the world just seems to move slower on Sundays, down here. This weekend I learned to truly appreciated that. It is rare that my husband has two days off in a row (and truth be told the only reason he did was because his best friend’s son had a birthday and the party was Saturday night). So my loving, hard working husband thinks of this time as a chance to get even more work done…Well I can tell you one thing for sure I am ready for a weekend from my weekend. We did squeeze in a trip to the Y for some family swim time and a pizza dinner after, but had it not been for Auntie Cari we probably wouldn’t even have done that.

I realized this weekend that the kids and I need a day to rest and reflect. They get cranky, I get cranky, and life just gets harder when you don’t. I am always the one to tell other people you have to take care of yourself to be able to take care of others…Well, I guess I just meant; do as I say, not as I do. With the hectic schedules of everyone now a days it is hard to fit that time in. Whether its time to reflect on the week, how you can serve God, or what your going to serve for dinner…everyone needs a moment of peace. So, if you take it in a church, or you take it in a national park, or you take it in a hot shower, my message today, to myself and everyone who reads this is; take a moment to reflect and breath.

This was mine…

 

   

Joy!

Well after a not so good day in motherhood yesterday I experienced pure joy for my son today! What 4 year old doesn’t know how to ride a bike (at least with training wheels)? Well, ours of course! He has faught it and faught it.He loves riding Ella’s tricycle, so its not that he couldn’t he just wouldn’t. Well, today he DID!!!! After sitting there collecting dust and rust for two years, today Dylan decided he wanted to ride his bike. After going to get air in the tires and raising the seat he made his first solo laps around the driveway. It was joy seeing him strike out on his own terms and do it when he was ready. Sometimes you do just have to leave them alone and let them decide when the time is right.   

Update!

Update! Update! Update!

After getting out in my yard and doing some actual yard work (yeah I know funny huh!). I feel much better! It is amazing what seeing a tangible accomplishment can do for my day! Yeah me, and I didn’t even have to wait for tomorrow! And the kids had fun too!

 

4 Hands Please?

Sometimes mothers are just not meant to spend a day alone with her kids. Today was one of those days. On our ride to the YMCA this morning I had to pull the car over twice. Thus making the normally 10 minute ride at least 18 minutes. This is the second day in a row this has happened. I’m driving down the road trying to pay complete attention to what I’m doing (which is just a joke as you can guess with two kids under 4 in the back seat) when an absolute blood curdling scream emanates from the youngest of my two progeny. I look back, while trying to change gears in my ”get out of debt, live the life style you can afford, cash only car” (which is code for a P.O.S.) to see my daughter half out of her seat, practically in her brothers lap pointing at “a bug, a bug, a bug!”  Which to my surprise is actually a bug (not just fuzz or an innocent little, do no harm creature), it is to my surprise some form of bee. So with the history of highlyallergic people in our famliy I quickly pull the car over get out walk around to shew the bee away. Of course when I get to the other side of the car the bee is now nowhere to be seen, out the window I hoped. Not two minutes later…here we go again, that bee has it out for my daughter I think. I just have to tell myself he likes her because she is sooo sweet. Yeah right! 

After the joyousride to the Y the kids got some play time and I got my workout in and then we were off to our next adventure of the morning. The Walmart toy department! My kids are so backwords Dylan is always to one to ride in the cart and Ella walks along “helping” me push. We face Walmart together as a threesome often (although its been a while since Dylan has been in school and I would go with just Ella). If I had to wait for Shane to be home to go I’d never get anything done, and it is our closest grocery store and definitely the closest store for all that other “stuff” you just have to have. So this is not a rare occurence in our household, although I typically avoid the toy department like the plague. Today we had to get a toy for the birthday of a friends son, which meant I had to venture into the dreaded toy zone.

Can I have this? Can I have that? Why? Why? Please? What can I have? I just want to hold it! Please? Can I? Can I ? Can I? Please! Please, Please, Please!

That was it the whole time…now my kids love toys but are very understanding that they do not get everything they want and never will. Today though, was a different story, they were in rare form today. Boy I could have used an extra pair of hands today. You mothers that have 3, 4, 5 kids…I just don’t know how you do it, sometimes I can barely make it with the two  I have. My day is only half over…say a prayer for me, I know I’ll be saying a few today aswell. Tomorrow is always better…Tomorrow will be better…Tomorrow will be better…

Sorry for my rant today but sometimes you just have let it out and let it go…

         

Father’s Day

Well,  it was fathers day (or as it’s called in our house “Daddy’s Day”). Per our normal holiday routine we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off all weekend. My kiddo’s and I made breakfast for our Daddy,  Sunday morning. This was a major feat because my wonderful husband traditionally gets up and fixes breakfast for all of us every Sunday. Then we ran off to Nana Peggy’s for lunch with the immediate family. For those of you who don’t know, for the Graham’s that means 24 people. Dylan and Ella had fun playing with their cousins especially “Baby Kayden.” I have a sneaking suspicion he will even be “Baby Kayden” when he is 20. Then we had Papaw Dean (Shane’s dad) over for dinner. So needless to say it was NOT a good day for my diet plan. It is always hard to find healthy foods in a big southern meal and the alternatives are always so good and so tempting! Anyway I will work extra hard all week at the gym to pay for it. 

 My big moment of levity came Saturday morning when my son came into our bedroom first thing in the morning and proceeded to serenade his father and me. He strapped on his play(although still loud and annoying, thanks Aunt Cari!) guitar and shouted, “Lets Rock!” He then sang (at the top of his lungs) his best rock version of his favorite song…Jesus Loves Me! Just picture with the head banging, guitar waving…”Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so!” over and over and over again (mainly because that is the only line of the song he knows). 

Anyway, that was our weekend. My dad is the best and we missed having him close by this weekend but thought of him often. He is a major reason I am who I am today and I know I wouldn’t be the same without him. So thank you Dad! Also, a big thank you to all the dads out there who take responsibility, care for, and shape their kids into mature, responsible adults. In this day and age when so few do not those of you that do are a great blessing. 

   

Swim Baby Swim!

Dylan started taking swim lessons last week. Now my personal swimming experience is limited to this: I think I was 8 maybe 10 (am I right Mom?), anyway I was old enough that I remember it. It was my first lesson ever, on my way to the pool I stepped on a thumb tack. Then they threw me in a group of kids my age and told me to jump in the water and swim to the other side under water(now keep in mind this is my frist ever lesson). Are you kidding me I said and spent the rest of the day splashing in the kiddie pool. I never went back. Now in my later years I spent my summers at the community pool getting sun burnt and hanging out in the shallow end. I was probably 11 the time my neighbor shoved me into the deep end. The long and short of it is, water is not my friend. I have grown beter in recent years out of sheer need for survival skills. My husband is a waterbaby, he has had to have water near at all times. Even when we lived in Co (completely land locked for those of you geographically challenged) we had a boat and regularly toted it to the nearest lake.  He knew his kids would have to be okay with water and so did I. So when we got our YMCA membership swimming lessons were tops on my list.

Dylan has taken one set so far and will continue through the program until he “graduates”, as my husband did when he was younger. Ella will start in Aug. after she turns 3 and is eligible. Today was boat safety day, yes they actually put a canoe in the indoor pool at the YMCA and teach them to sit still, wear their life jackets and not to lean over too far.  Dylan did well with this, having been on boats almost his whole life. He is also jumping off into the deep end (with a float belt on) and swimming the length of the pool already. Four lessons and this is where he is, I guess there is a little dad in him after all. Maybe I’ll have to take up some of those “adult swim lessons.”   

 

 

A Bit of Video

I think I have figured this out. Here is some video from todays activities. The first is Dylan recieving his diploma and the second is him turning his tassel. Sorry the video is so bad I took it with my still camera and it didn’t work too well.