Counting

Everyone likes to think that their child is super smart. Mine are always proving me otherwise. As we were reading our Junie B. Jones books this evening, Sweet Pea wanted to count the footsteps on one of the pages. It went something like this...
SP:1...28, 29, 20
Me: 30
SP: ...38, 39, 20
Me: 40
SP:...48, 49, 20
Me: 50
SP:...58, 59, 20
Me: Child, when are you going to catch on that it ain't 20!
Sweet Pea and Pumpkin Pie bust out laughing and I'm left wandering if either of my kids can count past 20. (It must come from their dad!!!)

An Ode to Mrs. B

As we were shopping today, we came across a sign that I had to purchase (you will be receiving it soon). The sign reminded me so much of Mrs. B that we had to get it. It is confirmation that you are now officially a southern redneck!

Dollywood

As many of you know, school starts back this week. It will also mean that my youngest starts Kindergarten. Each year we get a gift for the kids as a "have a good school year" and we love them kind of present. This year, I probably did a lot more than usual because it has been a rough few months (ok, maybe a rough whole year). We took the kids to Dollywood today and I obviously caught this picture of Matt attempting to stop a car with no brakes. He can be such a dork! The girls had a great time and my mom joined us for the trip, which allowed for more rides with the girls individually since mom could be with the one we were not riding with. Sweet Pea rode Dare Devil Falls for the first time this year. I thought she would be terrified but she was ready to go again. We had the traditional funnel cake and went by a store on the way home because it was the only store that had the one thing that Sweet Pea really wanted as a gift.

So, for the gifts... 1. trip to Dollywood, 2. a silver bracelet, 3. a monogrammed heart charm and necklace and another silver necklace with a charm that says "Daddy's Girl", 4. the newest Junie B. Jones book, which happens to be an activity book about going to school (because we adore June B. in our house), 5. Sweet Pea got a new computer game and Pumpkin Pie got a new DS game, and finally 6. Sweet Pea got a ring with a flower (the thing she really wanted) on it and she added to her collection of stuffed pigs today. We spent the same amount of money on the girls even though the number of gifts are not even. I know that some people get hung up on that issue but the girls understand the concept.

Here are a couple of pictures...the ring and the Junie B. Jones book and the pig-





Just for the record, I am having a really hard time with Sweet Pea starting school. Although we plan to have more children, health concerns are putting that on the back burner. That leaves me with feeling like it may be my last one to go off to school. I do cry every year when Pumpkin Pie goes to school for the first day, just for the record. But anyway, it is a sad thing for your youngest to go off to school and makes me dread Pumpkin Pie's teenage years rapidly approaching. Although it is still several years away, it seems to be coming at me like a freight train.
I also thought that I would show off the girls backpacks. Sweet Pea insisted on having two backpacks this year (polka dots from Gymboree and black/white Damask print that her cousin was able to get for us). She actually wanted more but I insisted that two was more than she could carry at one time. Pumpkin Pie has three backpacks that she has accumulated over the past few years that have proven to withstand HER. We typically have to purchase at least two backpacks per year (and we are not talking cheap backpacks) because she is so hard on them that they fall apart. These have managed to outlast her, although the Limited Two backpack is giving in.

Breaking it Down

I know it has been a little bit but I will make up for it over the next few days. I will try to break this up into a couple of smaller posts so it may make more sense. I can be a little random in my thoughts right now.
So, for starters...just a picture to show off how much Bailey is growing. He is really into stuffed toys and squeaky toys right now. We are trying to teach him how to play fetch but he may have ADHD. He can only fetch about three to four times in a row before he gets distracted. Who knows...maybe that is normal for a 5 1/2 month old puppy!

Sweet Pea's joke of the week

Sweet Pea has recently started telling jokes. This is her new one this week:

What is a 9k?

A dog running backwards.

Updates

Matt and I have both been working overtime recently. Matt's company is rolling out a new system and my company is starting some new services (which I've been fortunate enough to be a part of). The girls have been having a great summer. We have spent time playing on the slip n slide, the kiddie pools, at my best friend's pool, hanging out with my other best friend, trips to Dollywood, and so much more. Needless to say, I am looking forward to a break.
Bailey is growing like crazy. He is about 5lb. and has had one haircut. Matt trims his nails every other week and he gets bathed weekly. He doesn't care much for the nail trimmings but he really enjoys bath time. He is so loving and sweet, but sure likes to chew on some fingers. He is losing his teeth right now and is a typical kid with the teething (tired, runny poop, chews and slobbers, etc.).
I have been going through some of my own stuff but that is another issue. Just keep me in your prayers. I am also starting to feel the pending sadness that goes along with my youngest child starting school this year. I look back and think, "where did the years go?" It seems like yesterday that she was learning to walk and talk. I feel like I have missed so much and now my baby girl is going off to Kindergarten. My oldest child is the typical, prepubescent smarty pants so I feel certain that I will not miss this phase of her life. Just teasing- she is a bundle of fun too. I never know what smartellic comment she will come out with next and I honestly do look forward to some of them because it shows so much of her personality. I am truly thankful that she feels comfortable enough to tell me what she thinks because this has definitely been an issue with her in the past. She acts more and more like me all of the time. Poor Sweet Pea was destined to be like me anyway so Matt has a lot of struggles with three females around. Bailey seems to have sided with the girls too so Matt doesn't even have that in his favor. Super Mario (our beta fish) couldn't care less.
Well, it is off to another week. Lots to do and no time to do it in. We have three very special birthdays coming up at the end of the month and then a bunch more for the remainder of the year (at least three per month until December). I am also starting to think about Christmas time so I am looking forward to shopping and goody ideas.

So much fun

I thought I would share a couple of new pictures of Bailey since he is growing so much. He looks so fat with all of that fur. However, he looks like a drowned rat in the bath. We had a wonderful week last week. We went to Dollywood on Tuesday and Friday. We had dinner with a couple of friends on Thursday night and went to another very dear friends house on Friday evening for my birthday dinner, which was delicious (ribs, grilled chicken, fried chicken, baked potatoes, the works...yummy). I slept in Saturday morning and was awoken with a sweet breakfast in bed. My husband can be very sweet at times. I guess it makes up for the times that I think that he is being a jerk. Then, we got to visit with my best friend from college and her husband and daughter on Sunday. I am so thankful to have so many wonderful friends and wish that I got to spend more time with each one of them. We have another busy week, as usual. I hope everyone else has a great week and remember that Father's Day is coming up. I guess that means that I have to do something sweet for my husband!