Camping for everyone

Over the weekend we took the kids on our second family camping trip. Our neighbors invited us to join them at their campsite at Inks Lake State Park. It was so much fun! The weather was beautiful and we discovered that camping with friends is even more fun than camping by yourselves! The kids always had someone to play with and the adults always had someone to talk to. Or eat with. Whatever.

As soon as we got there we broke out the peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. Because nothing says camping like peanut butter. After lunch we headed straight for the lake and jumped in our neighbors canoe that they rented. This was Emma Mae's first time in a canoe and she loved it. She also enjoyed swimming in the lake. For some reason Jake wasn't so sure about this adventure. He was scared to get in the canoe at first even though he had done it before and he was scared to get in the water even though he is a fish. I'm gonna chalk it up to being tired from Kindergarten. Eventually everyone got in and had a good time. Mike even took our neighbor's older daughter and her friend to go jump off some rocks called Devil's Hole. Because nothing says responsible adult like taking kids to jump to their death. I kid. They were perfectly safe. And they had a blast. Of course my camera was nowhere in sight.

We made some burgers for dinner and had brownies for desert. Then the kids loaded themselves down with glow sticks and played while the older crowd sat around the camp fire and played Catch Phrase. So. Much. Fun.

The next morning we got up, made pancakes, packed up camp and headed out for a hike before leaving the park. Jake is like a spider monkey. Or Spider man. He is obsessed with climbing things and finally I had to just stop watching him and trust that Mike wouldn't let him fall. The kid makes my anxiety levels reach new heights every day. Also, he broke the towel rack in his bathroom last night hanging from it like Spiderman. Totally unrelated to the trip but it had to be said. Anyway, we can't wait to go on our next camping adventure. Only 72 more state parks in Texas to go!

Dolly's and Piggy's

This morning Emma Mae and I got to watch my friend's little girl, Dolly. We had so much fun! It was nice to catch up with my girl Eva also. Emma Mae thought it was great to have someone a little bit younger here that she could try to boss around. Dolly wasn't really having it though.

Jake decided he wanted to ride the bus home from school today. He ran off the bus carrying a backpack I didn't recognize screaming "that was so much fun!" As soon as he got in the house I started questioning him about the class snack time today. It was our turn to bring snack and you can bet I wasn't going to do the purple grape thing again. But I also didn't want to go out and buy Goldfish crackers or anything. They don't really fit into my vision of us not eating processed food right now. So yesterday I decided to make mini muffins for the kids. And yes, sugar and white flour are processed, but Rome wasn't built in a day. This is a work in progress. Plus, I don't know how to make things taste good without sugar. Anyhow, yesterday I baked three different types of mini muffins. I knew the kids would probably like the banana chocolate chip and the blueberry ones. But I wasn't sure if they would give the pumpkin oat bran muffins a chance. Because those muffins were ugly with a capital UG. So I told Jake to talk them up and I wrote the teacher a note assuring her that they were really good.

Well. When I asked Jake if the muffins were a hit at snacktime he said "well, there was one person who liked the pumpkin ones." And I was like "only one?" And he said "yes." And I said, "was it you?" And he said it was his friend Cason. Cason totally rocks. You know I couldn't let it go. So I asked him if everybody else liked the other muffins. And he was like "my favorite color is green." Or something like that. He totally changed the subject. So then I asked him if the kids at least liked the cute little monster baggies I put the muffins in and he said "oh yeah!" So, in short, I'm glad I was so caught up in providing a semi-healthy non highly processed snack for the children today that I spent hours of my time yesterday baking up a storm. Also, when am I going to get it through my head that Kindergarten is not about me already? Still, sometimes I really wish I could go to school with Jake for a day so I could see what's really going on up there. Maybe I could put a hidden camera in Jake's backpack. But that would probably violate someones civil rights. Or maybe I could go ahead and get my own life now.

Oh. Let's get back to the extra backpack that Jake was carrying when he ran off the bus. He got chosen by his PE teacher today (for good behavior!) to bring home a backpack with a special stuffed pig and a bunch of games and activities Jake is supposed to do with this pig over the weekend. Then we have to record all of the fun in a journal and give everything back on Monday. They also said that pictures of the student with the pig would be great. So, Jake comes out of his room tonight with this poor little pink toy pig stuffed all the way down his pants with just it's head poking out over the top. And he wants me to take his picture. For the journal. And I was like "honey, I don't think that's the kind of picture your teacher was talking about." Now, let's take the pig out of your pants. And possibly give it a bath. Then he posed for a more appropriate picture of him with Piggy Wiggy.

We're going camping tomorrow for one night and we will be taking Piggy with us. Hopefully we can get some pictures of them together with Jake fully clothed.

I'm all out of lame post titles

Well, it's been forever since I wrote. I have a huge headache so I think I'll just do a list to catch up on things.

1.) I've been replaced by another woman in my son's life. And although I'm glad he loves his Kindergarten teacher I about came unglued last week when he told me that he has learned more from Mrs. Ware in three weeks than he ever learned from me. Really? Did she teach you how to, oh I don't know, talk? Go to the bathroom in something other than a diaper? Sing your ABC's? Use the word regenerate correctly in a sentence? That killer whales are really a big dolphin? Not that I'm bitter or anything.

2.) I can't let it go. He also told me that Mrs. Ware didn't think anything about him was crazy when I informed him the striped shirt and camoflauge shorts he picked out to wear last week looked crazy together. Whatever.

3.) On the bright side he did tell me that I was a "kind woman" when I got him some water the other day. I'll always have that.

4.) I don't remember the exact conversation but a few days ago Emma Mae came up to me and said we needed "to do some investigating." So proud of her and her five syllable words.

5.) Awkward moment number one: As we were driving home last week Jake said from the back seat "mama? I wanna know what love is." I was all "okay, love is the way you feel when you want someone else to be happy and you would do anything in the world to make them happy." And he goes "I want you to show me." And I go "well, when we give you hugs that is showing love." And he goes "I want to feel what love is". And I was all "you feel love when you do nice things for other people or when they do nice things for you." And he was all "I know you can show me." And then I realized that Foreigner was playing on the radio singing that old classic "I want to know what love is" and Jake was just repeating the words. I was slightly relieved because the conversation was starting to turn a little bit creepy.

6.) Awkward moment number two: Yesterday morning on the way to school Emma Mae and I were listening to the local Christian station. I heard the DJ say something about lots of money and then something about being the 17th caller. So I figured they were having a contest to give away money. We happened to be stopped in traffic so I called in. And I got through on the first try! And the guy that answered started taking all my info down. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to find out how much I had won. Then he asked me if he could put me down to give $29 a month or did I want to give more than that each month? And I was all "oh, uh, yeah, uh, can you hold on a minute?" Click. I so hung up on the Christian DJ guy. Turns out they were taking donations for some cause or another NOT giving money away. I totally froze and hung up on the guy. I felt like I was back in elementary school. Only back then we used to stay up late at night and call and talk to the DJ's for hours after we requested our favorite song. Probably some Air Supply or Journey or Foreigner. And looking back on it that also has a creepy factor to it.

Blue skies, purple stars

Today Emma Mae and I went up to the school for my monthly planning meeting. We put Jake on the bus to Kinder and I couldn't wait to hear about all the fun I was sure he had at school later. Today was rainbow day and that boy loves him some rainbows.

Mike picked him up from school today and when they walked through the door Mike said "tell mama what color your clip was on today." I was waiting for him to shout out that he had achieved the much sought after red star leader. Instead I got a downcast look and some mumbling about the color purple. You may remember he slipped to blue a few days ago for noise making. Well. The day after that happened his clip stayed on green meaning "ready to learn". The next day his clip moved up for the first time to yellow which means "Way to go!" We were so proud of him. I asked him what he had done to move up in the world but he didn't seem to know.

I knew when I heard purple that it was bad news. Purple is one step down from blue and only one step away from the dreaded phone call home to your mama. Further questioning ensued. At first he told me that he was trying to be funny just like I've told him NOT to do in class and then he got in trouble. So I asked him specifically what he had done. Then he told me that he was running around the room flapping his arms trying to fly. Like a superhero. Only I don't think superheroes flap. Birds flap. Superheroes just take off. Anyhow. He was definitely doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. And then he did it or something similar to it again. Because his clip got moved down to blue before it got moved down to purple. His consequence was not being able to watch a movie with the class at the end of the day. He had to sit out in the hallway all alone. I think he felt pretty bad about it. I hope he can express his remorse to Mrs. Ware on Monday when I make him go apologize and beg for forgiveness.

Oh, the boy. It is so hard for those boys to sit still. Anywhere. I know learning self control is important for them, but I truly think it is harder for them than it is for little girls. They are the embodiment of the word "movement." My child is the kid on the street who is constantly running around and before you know it he has climbed to the top of the nearest STOP sign. Just because he can. I loved reading the book "Wild Things" that so perfectly explained and captured the heart of the boy. One of my favorite things the authors say is that "whenever boys are in the equation, you may have to broaden your definition of normal." So true. I think every parent/teacher of a boy should read it. I just imagine that every day when Jake wakes up he is thinking the famous line from "Where the wild things are." Hey world! "Let the wild rumpus start!"  Anyone for flying around the classroom?

Blue stars

This morning Jake told me that he really missed Emma Mae when he's away at school. Then he asked me if I could bring Emma to the school today to eat lunch with him. So I said yes. Then he asked if I would also bring his daddy. So I said yes. Then he asked me if I would take him to school instead of sending him on the bus. So I said no. He can't have everything he wants in life, right?

We had the best time at lunch. I got to chat with some more of the kids in his class. Jake and Emma got to hug and kiss each other while they ate Schlotzky's pizza. And I got to quiz Jake about his behavior at school. You see yesterday to quote Jake he had "some sad news for me." Like all elementary schools these days his class has a behavior chart they follow every day. Everyone gets to start the day on a green star. That means they are ready to learn. During the day you have the opportunity to move up to a yellow, orange or the ever so special, elite red star. Red means you are a star leader. But what goes up must come down. If your behavior isn't, well, good? acceptable? normal? your star goes down to blue, or purple or heaven forbid pink. The dreaded pink means you get a phone call home to your parents.

Well, Jake's clip went down to the blue star yesterday. He told me it all started when he was making this noise that Mrs. Ware didn't like. So I asked him to demonstrate. And I could see why Mrs. Ware wouldn't like the noise he was making. It was somewhere between an ambulance siren and a howler monkey. So anyway Mrs. Ware asked him to stop making that noise and he did. But then later he made the same noise in the hallway and his clip moved down to blue. So sad. I think there may be a bit more to the story than what he told me however because upon looking at his behavior folder when we got home I saw what Mrs. Ware had written on his chart for the day. It said "making noises continuously today." Welcome to my world Mrs. Ware. Welcome to my world. I have a feeling the monkey was howling more than just two times yesterday. As of lunchtime today, he was still on green. So I'm hoping he can make it through the rest of the day without moving down. The really sad part was that the night before the blue star Jake was telling me how much he wanted to get to the red star. He thinks it would be really awesome to have a red star. So he asked me what I thought he had to do to get there. I told him follow the rules. He said he aleady did that. So I told him to ask his teacher for some advice. I'm pretty sure he forgot to do that part. I'm pretty sure he thought maybe he could impress her with his noise prowess and she would hand him that red star out of sheer admiration. Hard lesson learned.

Sesame seeds, snacks and sugar

Have you ever watched a three year old pick every single sesame seed off of her bun and then eat them all at once in one huge gulp out of her hand? I have.

Have you ever listened to a three year old lisp her way through a "reading" of Do Kangaroos Have Mother's Too? I have. It was adorable.

Have you ever had to buy purple grapes for 22 kids for a Kindergarten snack? I have. Seriously, this snack cost us $14. Tomorrow is Jake's day to take snack for his class. Parents were supposed to sign up for snack at meet the teacher night. By the time I made my way over to that table all of the good, inexpensive "easy" snacks had been snagged. My choices were either purple grapes individually packaged for 22 kids or rainbow fruit kabobs for 22 kids. I think we all know I chose the grapes. It was time consuming enough plucking 15 grapes off their stems and stashing them into 22 different baggies. I tried to get Jake to help me. He lasted halfway through his first bag. He kept losing count and asking me how many grapes were in his sack. So finally I just took over. Which I suspect was his master plan all along.

Have you ever thought about cutting sugar and white flour from your diet? I have. I am loving this blog right now. She has so many great ideas about meals and snacks that are "real" food instead of highly processed. I've been feeling for awhile that even though I love to bake and eat sugary things my body just can't handle them as well anymore. Plus, I am always so tired in the afternoons now. And sometimes the mornings. And also the evenings.

So I wonder if cutting sugar and white flour out for awhile would make a difference. I asked my beloved hubby if he would do this for ten days with me. He lovingly said no. So I asked him if he wanted to think about it. And he said no. He has stuck with me through my wanting to buy organic fruits and veggies and even meat when we can. He didn't make fun of me on Saturday when I made homemade whole wheat poptarts for the kiddos. He has supported me in all of my little house on the prairie ideas so far. But he is drawing a line in the sugar about my latest whim. Well. I may have to do it without him. Won't he feel silly when I have all this extra energy and he just wants to go take a nap?

Speaking of organic. There was no way I could afford to buy organic grapes for Jake's class snack. But I did spend ten cents a pound more for these beautiful purple grapes in these big plastic containers. As I was rinsing them off this afternoon I saw on the package that they had been sprayed with sulfur dioxide as a preservative. I felt so bad. I never would have bought them if I had seen that at the store. I don't know if sulfur dioxide is bad for you, but it sounds like it might be. I went to college on a small campus with a sulfur pit right next to it. There is nothing like waking up in the morning to the smell of rotten eggs wafting in through your dorm room patio door. Probably explains my inability to make good grades my freshman year. Anyhow, I hope the children enjoy their $14 sulfur coated snack at Kinder tomorrow. I'm already planning what sugarless, white flourless, probably tasteless snack I can bring for them next month to make up for it.

First time for everything

Be still my heart. Jake started riding the bus to school today. That seems very grown up. But he still wants me to pick him up so I'm all right.

 

 

We have heard some rumors that the bus driver on our route was a little, well, mean. Someone may have even said that it seems as though he hates his job. So Jake and I were both a little anxious about him. When I asked Jake how the bus ride went this morning he said it was "so cool!" Then he said that the bus driver had a mad look on his face the whole time. I asked him to demonstrate. This is what I got.

It reminds of last summer when Jake told me there was a mean girl in his Sunday school class. I asked him what was so mean about her and he said "she has angry eyebrows." Sometimes a look is worth a thousand words. Emma Mae and I had our first day of Pre-K this year.

She hates that cute pink flower headband we tried to make her wear. As soon as we took it off the smiles came out again. She is impossible.

She had a great day at school though. We are so blessed that she has two very nice, fun teachers. Ms. Mandy is a rock star around here. Jake still talks about her and she was his teacher three years ago! I had a good but exhausting day hanging out with our eight little one year olds. We're all looking forward to a great year. And we're all hoping angry bus driver man will put on his happy face at some point.

Summing up

Whew! So glad this first week of Kindergarten and Mike starting back to school is over. I think we are all exhausted. Let me just say that waking up to an alarm clock is not my most favorite thing in the world. Also, having pre made pancake, waffle and biscuit mixes in the freezer totally saved me at breakfast time this week. I just didn't have to think that hard about how to feed everyone without using a bunch of processed stuff that we're trying to avoid right now. We are all looking forward to the three day weekend coming up!

I was looking back at some summer picture and realized I never finished documenting our adventures! I know! How exciting! This last one was one of my favorites. Amy and I took our kids out to Wimberley to Blue Hole. It's basically just a swimming hole. But it is so beautiful and peaceful. We loved it! We will definitely make this a summer trip from now on. The water is a little on the cold side so we left when the kids lips started turning blue.

Last but not least, my parents were able to make a quick drip down to see us right before school started. We always love having them here and the kids are both already asking me when we can go see MeMaw and PePaw again. Emma Mae just loves her MeMaw.

And I'm pretty sure that Jake would trade us all in for PePaw any day of the week. They had a great time playing pirates this trip. Emma Mae and I start back to school next week so I feel like summer is finally over. Now if only the summer weather would leave us too. I'm ready for cool, crisp air and the smell of apples and pumpkin baking in the house. And a little football. Can't wait!

More on Kinder

I hope to be able to stop posting about Jake entering Kindergarten soon. I hope to, but I'm not gonna promise anything. This is sort of a life consuming event I'm discovering. I forgot to mention the best thing about dropping him off on Monday. He let me hold his hand until we got inside the building. Then he dropped it and strode ever so confidently to his classroom with the rest of us tagging behind. He went right into that classroom (he was the third kid there), dropped his backpack on the floor and said very cheerfully "Hi, Mrs. Ware!" I could tell she was pleasantly surprised. She showed him where to put his backpack and lunchbox and then he found his desk and sat down to see what was in his pencil box. Then Mike made me leave. I really wanted to hang around a bit and make sure Jake was okay and see if the teacher had any words for the parents. But my hubby looked at me and said "time to cut the strings mama" and made me leave. Looking back, I think it was probably for the best because I didn't have time to work up an ugly cry or even a pretty cry. I didn't have time to cry at all. And the day was supposed to be about Jake and not about me right?

The second day of school I had the brilliant idea for all of us to go up to the school and have lunch with little man. So we did. Jake didn't know we were coming so he was so surprised and happy to see us. Lunch went well. I tried to introduce him to some of his little classmates because he said he didn't know anyone's name yet. He said he played by himself because there are so many kids there that it is just "too confusing." Well, of course mama bear has to try to fix that. When will I learn? I asked the three cute little girls sitting closest to us what their names were and then I said "hey! do you know Jake?" And they were all like "yes." And I was all "okay! hey Jake this is so and so and so and so!" And he was all "okay." He could care less what their names are. He just wanted to eat his pirate booty. Someday I'm going to learn how to let them make their own way and butt out of their lives. But it probably won't happen any time soon. I still have Emma Mae to humiliate on her second day of Kinder.

Well, all good lunch times must come to an end. We got up to leave and I gave Jake a hug and told him to have a good day. Then we started walking away. I happened to look back at him and saw him watching us with just the saddest look on his face. So I smiled really big and gave him a thumbs up and left. At pick up time he climbed into the car and we had our daily "what did you do today?" conversation. He told me he had a good day but he cried two times. The first was when we left after lunch. I felt so bad! The second was when his teacher told him they were halfway through the day and one of his classmates said no, we're not! He said that made him sad because he really needed to be halfway done with the day. So I gave him some great advice and told him from now on to only listen to his teacher. Those other kids don't know what they are talking about.

Also, I had my ugly cry at home later on the second day when he told me he wanted me to come eat lunch with him every day so he wouldn't miss me so much. Then he hugged me. Big sobbing cry but it only lasted for three seconds so hey, not that bad.

I'm hoping day three went better for him. I hope he didn't miss us as much as I missed him. I'm not gonna lie. It just feels like something's missing when he's not home every day! Although Emma Mae and I are having some good girl time. Girl likes to shop. I'm gonna have to get another job to support the habit. Here she is in Jake's class the first day of school. Let's end this with a little cuteness!

1st Day!

Jake was a little bit excited to go to Kindergarten this morning. And you know what? I was excited for him. I would have been more excited if I had gotten more than two hours of sleep last night but that's okay. I kept waking up thinking "is it time yet?" We did learn that we're gonna have to wake up earlier the rest of the week. It was a little stressful getting everyone to eat their chocolate chip pancakes and get dressed and take pictures and then get out the door. He wants to ride the bus next week and I'm thinking that may be a good plan.

On Saturday, Jake asked me if I would make him some apple dumplins. So I told him that I would make them and anything else he wanted on Sunday because we were going to have a special going to Kindergarten meal. So I asked him what he wanted for the main course and he said "how about lobster?" Because we eat so much lobster over here. Instead we got him a cheese pizza. And had apple dumplins for dessert. I took the kids for one last swim of the summer and our evening was really quite pleasant. I finally got both kids in bed at 8:15 and thought they would be worn out. However, Jake was just too excited to sleep. His teacher had even give the kids some "magic confetti" that was supposed to help them sleep so they would be well rested for the first day of school. Well around about 8:45 I hear him calling "mama!" So I said "yes baby?" He said "I can't sleep. I need you!" Now any other night this might have exasperated me a little bit. But last night I was all "What? You still need me? I'm on my way!" When I got in his room he was holding that package of magic confetti and he said very sadly "mama, I think this confetti is just regular. I'm still awake." So I told him sometimes it takes awhile for magic stuff to work. Then I got to spend the next fifteen minutes rubbing his back until he fell asleep. So sweet. Of course tonight the child better fall asleep already. Mama's tired.

 

 

After we dropped him off, Emma Mae and I met my friend Leslie at Chick fil A for breakfast. Leslie thought I might need a little consoling and she was right. It was nice to have someone distract me for awhile. After breakfast Emma and I went to Target for a little retail therapy. First stop, Starbucks. Em wanted to get a cake pop for herself and one for Jake in case he was hungry when he got home. I thought that was so sweet. Well, I was so tired today after lunch that I laid down in the playroom with her and she told me to close my eyes and she would take care of me. So I did and I fell asleep. When I woke up this is what was left of Jake's special cake pop. It seems Em got hungry while I was napping. She ate off all the frosting and left some of the cake for Jake. He really appreciated it.

 

He was so excited to see us at pickup and Mrs. Ware told me what a sweet boy he is. He said he had a very long great day which means I guess I will be taking him back tomorrow. I just hope he is as excited in the morning as he was today.

Pre Kinder jitters

As I sit here at my desk I am filled with anxiety and a really horrible feeling in the bottom of my stomach. You see tomorrow is our first born's first day of Kindergarten. Dramatic pause. Deep breaths.

This whole thing has really taken me by surprise. I never thought I would be one of "those" moms. You know the kind who cry and snivel and make a scene dropping their kids off for the first day of school? I mean really. This is a happy day! I always thought I would be the one with the big smile just cheering the child on to this new life adventure. And then I could go home and clean the house already.

But, I'm afraid I'm gonna cry. Big, ugly cry. And either scare Jake or embarrass the pants off of him. Is he too young to be embarrassed of me yet? Thankfully, today in church I was gently reminded that not everything is about me.

 And although I gave birth to this handsome boy child, his life is not my life. The song they played in church today says "turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace." It's time to dim my things on earth a little bit. It's time to pray that God will remove "me" from tomorrow morning and fill it up with Him and with Jake.

Speaking of Jake, he is sooo excited for Kindergarten. And he is ready to go. We went to the school Thursday night and met his teacher, Mrs. Ware. I had already heard from a neighbor of ours what a wonderful teacher Mrs. Ware is. She seems really nice and she is very pretty. I'm sure Jake will be crushing on her in no time. She also has three little boys of her own so I'm guessing she knows the mind of a boy. I will start praying for her now. I know having 22 five year olds coming to school for the first time is going to be hard on her. It's going to be hard on everyone. Not only will she have to deal with the kids, but she will have to deal with their mama's. I think all Kindergarten teachers should be required to have kids and send at least one away to kindergarten before they can teach that grade. It's the only way to understand the heart of that particular mama.

Dear Mrs. Ware,
I'm giving my boy over to you for seven hours a day five days a week. He will be spending more time with you and his classmates than he spends with me now. He's so little. Please be kind. But firm. You're gonna need to be firm. Here are some things you need to know about Jake:

1.) He's a dreamer. He spends more time in his imagination than he does in reality. I like this about him. Please don't kill it.

2.) He's loves animals-especially ocean animals. Please foster his interests.

3.) He loses focus easily unless actively engaged in something he enjoys. Please give him tools to do better.

4.) He is a superhero. Please help him to put away his super powers while at school but to know deep down that he still has them. Don't cut those spider webs just yet.

5.) He is sensitive. He may cry over something that nobody else would cry over. Please give him a quick hug and tell him to buck up.

6.) He is a leader. Watch how kids will follow him. Encourage that without giving him a big head.

7.) He is super fast. I'm sorry if he runs through the classroom with his new super fast tennis shoes on. Please make him stop, but maybe tell him that he'll probably be an Olympic runner someday.

8.) He is enthusiastic. Please teach him patience and humility without quenching his enthusiasm.

9.) He still says the "w" sound for most "l"s and "r"s. Please help him to learn to speak correctly even though a part of my mommy heart will break when he stops saying "I wuv you." And also, if anyone makes fun of the way he talks, go ahead and smack them upside the head.

10.) He is my heart. I don't know how it's going to feel to walk around every day with my heart outside of my body. Please protect him. But help him become independent. On the days you can't love him ask me why I love him. I'll fill you in on his good qualities. Please equip him to move on in life to first grade. I'll do my part here if you do your part there. Let's be partners. Oh and try to do the same for the other 21 kids in your class. (You seriously don't make enough money.)

Happenings and whereabouts

Mike's birthday was Friday. So I made him a poached egg. He turned 31. Pretty soon he'll be in his forties just like me! Wait a minute. When he's forty I'll be in my fifties. On second thought, let's not think about that. Maybe I'll stop having birthdays for awhile.

Later on he put on a shirt. So I baked him a cake. Three layers. Yum.

Earlier in the week we went on our last summer adventure. We drove to San Antonio to stay overnight at the Hyatt Hill Country. It was heavenly. I got a decent room rate so I was happy. The kids discovered they like resort life so they were happy. Emma Mae told me she wanted to live there forever and Jake told me every time we floated down the lazy river that this was the good life. I had to remind them both several times not to get too used to living that way.

We can't go to San Antonio without a trip to Sea World. Got to get the most out of those season passes!

Jake loved the sea lion show. This was a great way to finish off our summer! Now I'm going to go hide in my closet and eat some ice cream while I try to pretend that my first born child isn't really going to start Kindergarten in eight days. Wish me luck!

We're almost done with the summer adventures!

1.) Mike planned our weekly adventure last week and it was so much fun! Too bad we didn't take the camera to document things. We drove to San Marcos where he goes to school and met a buddy of his at the river. Then we spent about thirty minutes blowing up some tubes by mouth because our pump wouldn't work. After some mild hyperventilation we were ready to float the river! Jake went in his own tube this year and looked like such a big boy. Emma Mae rode with me in my tube. On my stomach the most of the way. Talk about an ab workout! My abs are still sore. Jake even went down a little waterfall with Mike at the end and jumped into the river from a rope swing. Good times.

2.) These little guys are my latest obsession. Little doves. They live in our front flower bed. They've been there for four or five days now. I have to physically restrain myself from setting out bird food and water for them. They already sit on our stoop while I water the flowers and listen to me talk. No fear. Until Jake and Emma Mae come running and screaming out of the house. Then my little birds find their wings and fly. I fear I'm going to be distraught when they leave me. Stay little birds, stay.

3.) It's funny that I've grown so attached to these birds. Because I'm really not a huge bird fan. Beady little eyes and all. Also, a bird accosted me at Petco last week. I went in to buy some crickets for the bearded dragon and the next thing I knew the sales clerk was looking up in fear with her hand clasped over her mouth. I was vaguely aware of a rustling sound above my head somewhere and then I felt claws spinning around in my hair trying to grip my head. Or tear it off , I'm not sure which. Anyway, I started screaming bloody murder and flailing my arms all over the place. When the dust settled, my hair was a mess and there was a green parrot or something sitting on the store floor. His owner came over and picked it up and started tickling its stomach. Didn't even apologize to me. He just told me that they had just had the birds wings clipped that morning. And I told him that I didn't think it worked very well. I left the store and ran to my car in case more birds appeared out of nowhere in attack mode. But I know my sweet little doves would never do anything like that, so they can stay.

4.) We're leaving for our final summer adventure tomorrow! Aren't you glad you won't have to read about any more adventures for awhile?! This is an over nighter and promises to be the best one yet. Can't wait!