The First Field Trip

Is my baby really old enough to go on a field trip? Okay, okay...I had to drive him to the farm and was with him every minute so I suppose it should be called something other than a field trip. We went to Sweetwater Farm with the preschool from First Baptist where we enjoyed a maze, a hayride to a pumpkin patch, and a petting farm. Watson loved feeding the pigs and the goats despite the fact that he kept gagging from the smells! It was soooo cold and we couldn't feel our toes when we left.

Oh Crap!

Being a parent is such a growth process. I am realizing that little children pay attention to everything which is making me so much more aware of what I say and do. Today, we went to Provino's after church. It was a quiet place so everything Watson said could be heard across the room. He had brought Benny the tractor in for entertainment and we realized today that Benny's scoop is magnetized. I pointed out the magnet feature and Watson says, "Yeah, maggot. Him has a maggot." I did my best to correct him, but he spent the rest of lunch referring to his maggot. While we were waiting on our food, he says, just out of the blue, "Oh crap." Loudly. So loud that I heard the table behind me laugh. I suppose it could have been a much worse word, but holy crap, where did he learn that? Ohhhh, from me perhaps? Then some new folks came in and Watson watched them get settled at a table and announced that "him is big, Mom." It turns out that he was referring to the elementary aged boy but I was ready to crawl under the table thinking that he was talking about a rather large man. What did I learn today? To watch what I say and do around my kids and plan my exit route out of a restaurant just in case I need to bolt quickly from embarrassment!

I'm Back

How did you like my little break /vacation / sabbatical / leave of absence from blogging? I have no excuse except that I am Mom, and I can do these things because I said so. (I actually caught myself saying that to Watson the other day to answer his question, "Why?") Scary. Anyway, needless to say, we have had a very busy summer since we talked last. I have worked plenty but have found the time to squeeze in a few trips here and there. I will give you the highlights and promise to be a better blogger in the future. Check back for photos.

Happy 4th of July
We spent a fun weekend at Lake Martin with friends to celebrate the 4th. Watson had to wear his new Scooby Doo life jacket on the boat and he was not happy about it at all...until he figured out that he could float around without Mommy's or Daddy's help. We missed the fireworks because of the rain. Oh well, Watson and I sacked out early anyway. We were tired puppies. All that floating...

Nothing Like a Week at the Beach
In July we spent a fabulous week at the beach with six other families. Whew, what a crew! We had 14 kids in our group, but I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or the parents. We swam, played in the sand, took a boat ride to Crab Island and through the harbor (special thanks to Mark), had a sleepover, looked for treasure, ate some really great food, talked a lot of smack, and just enjoyed fellowship with great friends. I felt like a kid myself the morning we left. You know that feeling you get on the last day of summer camp? Giddy because you had so much fun, but sad to see your friends go? There is always next year...and I am already looking forward to it.



Reunion Time
Mom, the kids and I took a trip to Florida to visit family in Jacksonville and Fruitland Park. Staying in a hotel with two kids was somewhat challenging. I am quite certain that we were the loudest guests there and everyone was happy to see us go! We wandered over to the Landing for dinner and ate on the water. Watson loved the boats and was thrilled to see a train go by on a bridge over the water. He is still talking about it! There was a fountain that you could walk through and he was itching to play in the water. So, I stripped him down to his diaper and let him go. He eventually found my umbrella in the stroller and played some more. He was laughing and having so much fun, that passersby were stopping to look at him. While in Jacksonville, we attended church with my uncle and aunts and cousins and we had the opportunity to hear my cousin preach. Great message, cuz! I was sad to leave because I had such a great time visiting with everyone. I so wish that we all lived closer. My Uncle Lewis let Watson take home a firetruck from his grandkid toy chest and the firetruck didn't leave Watson's side the rest of the trip. We even had to sleep with it. If you ask Watson about the firetruck, he tells you, "Unca Yewis gave it to me." My biggest news is that Sophia started crawling while we were at my uncle's house! Although she wouldn't crawl very far because she had to stay very, very close to me. No surprise there from a mama's girl. We journeyed on to stay with my Aunt Martha and Uncle Joe. I was so glad to get there because it felt like home - no more hotels. We ate well and relaxed and just enjoyed good company. Our weather was not so great since a hurricane was on its way, but who says you can't swim in the rain? We had rubber duckie wars. Uncle Joe and Watson and I went to lunch and to a park one afternoon and Watson ran himself ragged on the playground. While we were there, it started pouring and we were soaked by the time we made it to the car. Pretty funny.



Labor Day Weekend
Well, I just had to squeeze in one more trip to the beach before the end of summer. My friend Cher and I had this trip planned for months and we were not going to let some illness (two kids with a stomach bug) and a hurricane (Gustav) stand in our way. Watson and I (Wes had some work commitments and stayed home with Sophia. I didn't even ask what he was going to do with her while I was gone!) drove down to Destin late Friday afternoon. We had a fabulous day at the beach on Saturday. I have never, not ever, seen the ocean so calm. You had to look hard to see one ripple in the water. Then the rain came. We stayed glued to to the weather channel as we debated whether or not to leave. Wes guilted me into coming home. Something about what if the hurricane veered 50 miles to the east and we were stuck at a condo with no power or running water and how was I going to take care of our son. I know he was right. But man, I really wanted to stay at the beach. So I spent Sunday evening on I-65 with the entire state of Louisianna. Thank heavens for portable DVD players and Bob the Builder.

First Day of Preschool

Watson started preschool at our church. He loves his teacher - she has babysit him since he was tiny. But for some reason, he always pitches a fit when I drop him off. The preschool director and his teacher tell me that he is fine as soon as I leave so I am convinced that he just knows how to play me like a fiddle. I am trying the ol' drop and go and I leave him crying on the floor, kicking and screaming. If Wes drops him off, he jumps out of the car, blows kisses and says, "Bye, Dad. See you later." What? That is sooooo not fair. Sometimes we pick up his friend Caz and he comes to play with us in the afternoon. One partly cloudy day as I am driving home from school, the two of them strike up a conversation. It went something like this:

Caz: Where did the sun go?

Watson: In the sky. Jesus up there Mom?

Me: Yes, Jesus is up there.

Caz: That airplane's up there.

Watson: Yeah, that's a big jet.

Caz: No, the Jet's are a football team.

So, we go from talking about the sun to Jesus to football. Rides home are always interesting with preschoolers.

Arkansas Baby

Since I hadn't been out of town enough over the summer (wink-wink), we took a road trip to visit the Henley's in Arkansas. I was dreading the drive. Anything over six hours in a car and I am not a pleasant person. Throw in two kids and I am just downright mean. But, I was pleasantly surprised. I lasted the whole 10 1/2 hours without cursing or throwing anything out the window. Arkansas turned out to be beautiful and was had so much fun with our friends. I am still amazed that they live in a community where you can walk to school. That never happens inmy neck of the woods. Watson and William learned to fist fight and Sophia had so much attention from Lauren and Grace that I thought I would never get her unspoiled. Poor Sophia had an ear infection while we were there (3rd one in six weeks) so I had to take her to the doctor and I missed a trip to the safari. Watson still talks about the parrot (do you see parrots on safaris?!). He imitates the parrot saying "hello" and 'bye-bye". We were lucky enough to not get the stomach bug which passed through the house, but I sure felt sorry for Bill and Jules and their kids. Depsite all of the illnesses, we had a great time. Please move back to VR guys! When we got home, Sophia had another milestone....she started sitting up from crawling. She could only flop on her belly the whole time we were in Arkansas. Then five minutes later she pulled up on the coffee table and stood there for the longest time. It took a minute for it to register in my mind that she had pulled herself up. I must have been brain dead from the 11 hour ride home. A whole new era has begun....

My Poor Ears

We finally made the trip to the ENT about Sophia's ears. She is now the proud owner of two new ear tubes and she seems much, much happier. She was so pitiful when they brought her back to us from the OR. Once she was awake, she cried for an hour and a half, which seemed like all day. We curled up on the couch when we got home and she finally dozed off, so we just hung out there for a few hours. She wanted to play around three in the afternoon and I was so relieved that she felt better. She did look cute in her itty bitty hospital gown.