It's been awhile, I guess. We have just been busy with the end of summer and getting ready for school. T starts Kindergarten next week. I can hardly believe it! We get to go meet his teacher tomorrow morning. He is excited about that. We have to cart his pile of school supplies with us tomorrow. I don't remember having this much stuff when I was in school. I still want to know what they are going to be doing with FIVE packs of 8 count cranyons AND a 24 count pack of crayons?? My son just doesn't like to color that much.
Anyway, we went on a little camping trip a couple of weekends ago. It was a nice relaxing time. Except for baby K. She didn't enjoy not getting to sleep in her own bed. She was a pretty good sport about everything else. She absolutely loved being outside and playing with T.


On the way to the campsite, we stopped to see this:
It was really pretty. The campsite was called "Hidden Valley" and it was truly hidden way out in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of Virginia. We woke up to deer eating out in the field beside the campgrounds every morning, which was really neat to see. We went on a little hike to this swinging bridge that crosses the river close to the campground. T had a great time playing on that. I did not. I don't like heights too much and I don't care for bridges of any kind too much either.
That's about all I am motivated to write this evening. This whole "practicing getting up early for school" thing sucks. I never did like getting up for school-just ask my mom.

These are pics from last week:


Can you see the difference? He is NOT wearing a life jacket this time! He is so proud that he can "swim underwater now"! C says it is more like drowning with style, but hey, he's trying at least! SO proud of him!

And here is our little fishie. She LOOOOOVES the water! Any time she sees T in the pool, she tries to jump out of my arms & in with him.

I've had a cold for several days now so C has been taking her in and she loves every minute of it!
That's about all that is going on here. Getting ready for school to start. T starts Kindergarten in about a month or a little less. I can hardly believe it! He is ready and so am I. It will be a good thing for both of us, I think.

T-man had some big boy moments and now K has her big girl moment too! I got these this afternoon.

She's a total cutie, even if I do say so myself! I can't believe she will be 6 months old this weekend! It seems like I just had her yesterday! She is scooting across the floor to get what she wants, which is usually something that is not hers. She kicks her feet like a frog swimming and pulls with her arms to move herself forward. I am sooo NOT ready for her to be mobile yet! It won't be long before she is zooming all over the place. T will get a fast lesson on keeping his toys put away and out of her reach! Guess I need to buy those baby gates for the stairs sometime soon and get all the cabinets locked up. She is so bad about putting things in her mouth. T almost never put anything in his mouth, other than the teething toys he had, but she puts EVERYTHING in hers. She is one determined baby. She sees what she wants and starts scooting toward it, then fusses because she still can't reach it, then keeps scootin' until she gets there! I better start resting up because she is going to be into everything!! lol

T-man had not 1, but TWO big boy moments today. First, we had this:

Then, we had this:




I'm probably most excited about the swimming moment since he has been soooo scared of the pool for the last 2 summers. He would always refuse to get in and when we did manage to drag him in, he would hold onto our necks so tightly we could barely breathe. But today, he put on his life jacket and after a little protest (and a big push off from C), he was on his own. Once he realized the jacket really would keep him up, he started to relax and enjoy it. He is already talking about swimming again tomorrow. I am so proud of him! Great job, T-man!!

of the kiddos. They happened to be dressed in coordinating outfits so I grabbed the camera for a photo shoot. Baby K has not figured out how to "work" the camera yet. Her big brother has, obviously. He is such a camera hog! lol







And then I made this altered cd case for dh to put on his desk with these 2 photos, as well as the individual ones I took. It was cute and he didn't seem to mind that it was a "crafty" kind of thing.

from Susan. hahaha

What Becky Means

You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I was inspired by Susan's list earlier this week so I created this layout. It only took me 3 days to get it done. lol I miss just being able to sit down and scrap for hours on end. I guess I have to give up something (partly) to enjoy this little bundle of goodness.

I am going to do one for T as well, but I have to get some pics of him first. I have been pretty busy this week, running around. His last day of preschool is next Wednesday. He starts Kindergarten in the fall! Kindergarten!! It seems like she was just born yesterday and he was born the day before. Time flies when they are little. I am trying to remember to embrace the miracles of everyday because they only happen once and time is too short.

ps-Susan, I got the magazine! Thanks! I paid it forward by offering to watch my friend's daughter while she took her other daughter to the doctor.