Princess Tea

Yesterday was a fancy day. Well, fancy for us - which is to say not very fancy.

Up at the crack of dawn getting my oldest little man out the door. I can't call him that much longer because he's not so little. He'll always be my little man. Look at that, my conversational ADD spills over into my blogging even. So sad. Wait, what were we talking about? Oh yes, my morning. Ok, Aidan is off to school at this point(he carpools) and in comes my Izzie/Princess P/Molasses/Bug. What can I say? She is so presh that she has many names! Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she wants to make cupcakes for a tea party that I promised her. Not just any cupcakes though - these are magical princess cupcakes. In other words, chocolate on chocolate. She doesn't feel that her attire is perfect for the cupcake making occasion though and wants to don her cinderella dress(complete with hoop underneath) and heels. I explain that the cupcake batter will probably drip on her dress because the girl is the best official batter taster ever. She will officially taste her way to an empty bowl. There is no deterring her and she WILL wear the beautiful dress. We had cupcakes made by 8am.

We continued prepping for this special occasion with china, candles, and tea(in the fancy teapot - also known as Fiesta ware). Two handsome Prince Charmings stumbled in around 9 and were permitted to join us. As this was a fancy occasion, we all dressed accordingly(except Noah who wore diaper only while being attacked by his cupcake). Originally it was a girls only situation, but Princess Isabelle decided that she wanted King Daddy and Prince Noah in attendance. I promised James that no picture would be posted, but I am working on that. It was a fun time with our Princess! We even held our pinkies out...

Farewell Allie-girl

Yesterday was a sad day at our house. At least for James and I...the kids were unaffected. We said goodbye to our dog, Allie. It was so tough, but she had a great run. She was 14-15 years old. We will miss her lots - she was such a sweet dog. She was a first for James and I in many ways. We made the decision to adopt her eleven years ago. She was our first "child" and a great friend, companion, and at one time, protector. She had been settling into old age for the last two years so we knew this day was coming. I wish I could say that it made it easier, but that's not the truth.

Rest in peace, Allie dog. Now you are free to run, hear again, and bark as much as you want.

I am reminded as we change seasons in our personal lives of this verse that I love from Ecclesiastes 3.

A Time for Everything

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

What a weekend and other musings.

I am a little delayed in posting about this weekend, but it was definitely post-worthy.
Aidan was supposed to have a baseball game, but we elected to skip it as he is getting over a cold and was coughing and running fever as of late Friday. Fast forward to Saturday morning and a semi-miraculous recovery had taken place. So, we did the responsible thing and spent the day outside. Why not? The weather was SO gorgeous it would have been awful not to enjoy it. Besides, I am convinced that sunshine can heal lots of things.

We went to downtown Farmersville for an Old Time festival. Fun! James had a friend in the "shootout" which was cool - or at least they said it was - Noah and I had to divert our attention elsewhere because the gunshots were really loud and scary to a small person. Noah HATES loud sounds and has since birth. We got to check out some pretty cool looking old cars. I'm a little scared because now James thinks he might like to get an old truck to remodel or whatever it is you do to them. I will admit they were very cool and nostalgic, but I just see dollar signs and lots of repairs.Of course what festival is complete without snow cones? I love little kids with blue lips and tongues. Noah chowed on it like it was the best thing he'd ever eaten.

We came home afterward and didn't even make it in the door. I'm telling you - like 75 degree weather that doesn't happen very often in Texas. We literally spent 3-4 hours playing outside and teaching Aidan to ride his bike without training wheels. He isn't a pro yet, but soon he will be flying like a crazy man.

Please, God, make out weather stay this way forever!

Claussen pickles are life changing.

Claussen pickles are life changing.

I had zero clever or catchy ideas for a title and I'm eating a Claussen pickle. Well, it's better than no title at all - right? And they really are the best pickles EVER. By the way, just to clear this up because anytime a woman gravites towards a pickle an image of a new bouncing baby boy or girl is conjured up...I AM NOT in anyway preparing for number four. It is highly unlikely that there will be a number four! I say unlikely because I know that even if I think I am done, God has a sense of humor and reminds me that I am not in charge.

Anyways, that was a roadtrip to too much information. Population:1

My oldest little man is under the weather. Poor kid has missed 2 days of school(he is not upset about that in the slightest). I have enjoyed having him home and have "homeschooled" him for both days. He is begging to never go back or if he has to, just for recess. He is a very bright, sweet, and always entertaining kid.

Aidan did the cutest thing tonight. So, I'm a sucker for slumber parties with my little people. They know that when Daddy is on shift, they can sleep in our room. Aidan crashes on the floor and Izzie and Noah with me. They love it! We lay there and watch Food Network and drift off to dream land with the latest recipe on the brain. Anyways, when one of them has a bad dream I have a remedy that seems to work well. I pretend that I am magically casting out the bad dreams by saying, "Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away - Good dreams, good dreams, here to stay." I say it a few times and voila - no bad dreams. Aidan was laying on his bed in the floor all snuggled up with his eyes scrunched tightly closed and was saying, "Bad dreams, bad dreams, get out of my brain - good dreams, good dreams, get into my brain." It's nice to have moments every now and then when he is still very much a little kid - melts my heart.

Izzie has actually talked an sang so much today that I question the ability for my ears to hear another sound. I am presently sitting in complete silence. Or maybe it's not and my ears are suffering from extreme exhaustion and can't possibly hear another sound. She claims to be shy, but I don't buy it. For the record, she has tons to say. Oh well, I really do love listening to her. She has a HUGE imagination.

Izzie and I have continued Robinson Preschool this week with much success. She has learned all about the letter A, the color blue, the triangle, and is working on memorizing Little Bo Peep. We had lots of fun stamping with apples and learning about where apples come from. It took some convincing, but she finally believed that they didn't come from Tom Thumb or Target.

My No-Man has another tooth. That's seven! He is a speedy cruiser too:) I watched him let go and take about a half step before he realized what he was doing and sat down. Mission aborted! His happy place these days is outside. We spend hours outside playing and enjoying the awesome Fall weather. He climbs in and out of his red two seater car looking pretty cool sticking his head out the sunroof. Chicks dig that stuff.

Goodnight and sweet dreams!

Fall is in the air

Well, not really. It's still ridiculously hot, BUT the promise of all things fall is definitely in the air. I LOVE everything about this time of year. It's like a pathway to the holiday season. Today I am hitting up Hobby Lobby, or as my niece used to say, Lobby Lobby. I am in need of Fall decor in a bad way. Hmmm...what to get?

Aidan is in the throes of baseball season and is such a talented little player. He hits and fields very well. He definitely gets his athleticism from his dad and not me! His team is the Riverdogs - cuteness! I was a little worried about the fact that he practices twice a week for at least an hour and a half, but it seems to be working out well. James helps out with the practices and games - so great to see my two big boys playing together. James is a great ball player and is passing that on to Aidan.

Aidan is busy adjusting to life as a first grader at Advantage Academy. His school is a charter school and does things a little differently than a regular public school. It has a much smaller feel to it and is sort of a cross between private and public school. He is thrilled to be in class with two kindergarten friends from First Baptist School. He has just started carpooling with his friend, Hope. They are a riot together!

Izzie and I have created "Robinson Preschool" so that she can have some learning time. That girl is as smart as a whip and will be reading in no time! She loves all the things we do while Aidan is at school. Some days it's less learning and more Barbie time(or shopping, or dolls...). Either way, we love our girly time.

Noah, or No-Man as he is affectionately called, is changing daily. He is cruising all over the house and is standing on his own. His favorite thing is playing trucks or cars. It is the most stinkin' cute thing EVER! He makes car noises and everything. He takes a nap in the morning so that Izzie and I can do our thing. I mostly love his precious grin. He totally lights up when he sees big brother or sister:)

By this afternoon, my house will be decked out in fall decor. And now I must go outside and peg something at the squirrels in my pecan tree. I hate them! They climb up there and eat all the pecans and drop them all over our vehicles. Cute and cuddly, I think NOT.

Goodbye, Summer!

Well, another summer has come and gone. We have spent lots of time sleeping, playing, and sweating. I would love to say that we traveled to some place exotic, but we haven't made it more than 60 miles from home. That's ok, we still had a good summer! We are making plans to go on a vacation later in the fall. Basically, we are not summer people. I hate hot Texas summers!

Aidan is getting ready for 1st grade. Initially, we were planning to homeschool, but after some careful consideration we opted to send him to school. Public school was NOT ever in my plans, as I have always generally had a disdain for all things public school. However, my best laid plans did NOT intersect with God's plans and we are going to give it a go. I am just praying my heart out that this is successful for Aidan and our family. I am positive that it will be. Thus far, everything has been a rather pleasant surprise. I am glad that we happen to be in a very good school district, with lots of great resources.

I am going back to school and will be starting Monday. I am hopeful that I can somehow juggle college with my already hectic life. I will have to learn to study with a squirmy baby on my hip and a preschooler that wants to play Barbies. Hopefully, I can study and do homework at some point while Aidan is at school.

Izzie has lots of plans for ballet, gymnastics, and art classes this fall. I am looking forward to girly things. I love my precious time with her! She often tells me about all of her life plans for when she is big like me. She tells us that she is going to be a firefighter and plans to be Daddy's partner. She loves wearing her bunker gear around the house. Izzie is sporting a new hairdo that she gave herself. It is something like a mullet, but more fashionable. She cut her bangs to the scalp on one side and refuses to help in my efforts to try and cover the bald spot. Oh, well...it's just hair right?

Noah is crawling ALL over the place, pulling up on anything that will sit still for 2 seconds(including Phoenix) and cruising already. All of this from an 8 month old. He has 6 teeth and is working on number 7. He has a precious smile and a gruff little laugh. He makes all kinds of amazing noises that I am convinced only little boys can make. He adores his big brother and sister. He loves nothing more that to be carried around by a doting Aidan or pulled by his feet by big sissy. He just laughs!

Back into the swing of things bright and early Monday!

Round 7 and our poor old girl

Lynsey had brain surgery number 7 this past week. Her tumor came back and needed to be removed once again. She came through like a champ. I desperately want this thing to go away and never return. I pray and pray for God to give her a miracle, but sometimes it just feels like I am beating my head against a brick wall. I am hopeful though and know that God has a perfect plan in all of this. Lyns was released on Wednesday(she was in and out in two days)which is amazingly speedy. She had to go back for testing and re-hydration today as she has been throwing up non-stop. She just keeps her chin up and pushes through it. Tomorrow, I will be taking her a Frappuccino! She is my hero!

Our dog, Allie, is very old and frail. She is not doing too well these days. She has a very large tumor that is getting worse every day. She is also blind and deaf. Today she fell and couldn't get up. She just looked up at me with her legs all sprawled out with this look that said "please help, I just can't". I just lost it. I cried and helped her find a spot on her blanket to lay down. I have a giant rug spread out on the tile so she doesn't fall anymore. I really thought I was tougher than this, but I guess not. She has always been so sweet, but very detached(and a pain in the butt sometimes). I am finding that it is taking more of a toll than I thought. James and I adopted her 10 years ago. She was our first major decision together.She has been with us through the birth of 3 kids. She has tolerated being climbed on and more. Poor old girl. I wish she would just pass in her sleep so that we don't have to make this decision.