Pop-N-Tot

So. Yesterday was unexpectedly emotional. Not really sure where it came from, cause I've been so excited for today to come, and Beth is SO ready for Pre-K. But, for some reason (aka Karen!) I had a rough day yesterday. Not surprisingly, Beth did not. Which made me super proud of her, and made me realize that she is growing up.

Last Friday, Beth stayed with Karen. It was very obvious to me when I picked up Beth, that Karen was having a hard time with telling Beth bye. To avoid getting emotional myself, I simply reminded her that Beth was going to be at Pop N Tot on Tuesday and Wednesday since she wasn't going to have Pre-K those days. That seemed to help, but this set in motion in my mind how much we love our Pop N Tot teachers.

Yesterday was Beth's last day at Pop N Tot. (Don't tell, but she didn't want to go.) She is ready for the next chapter of her life, and that is Pre-K! She has already made several new friends, and loves her teacher, Ms. Ray. I am super excited for her, and am thoroughly enjoying all of her firsts with her at 'big school.'
BUT - - I wasn't quite ready to tell her wonderful preschool teachers good bye yesterday. ME! Beth was fine, but I was a mess!! We have fallen in love with those two wonderful ladies, and they are truly a part of our family. Beth and I don't take that lightly, either. It takes quite a bit to call someone family, and words can not express our deep attachment to these two.

It all started with a special little package in Beth's backpack yesterday. It was a wonderful little picture frame with some very special rocks glued on it. There is a story with those rocks...
Beth has been collecting rocks for Ms. Karen's hubby, Kenny, for the last 2 years. I found out a couple weeks ago that they have been saving these rocks. Yesterday, I found out why. Adorable!!
In the picture frame is a lovely picture of Ms. Karen and Kenny, with a little poem to go with it. Beth LOVED it!! She took it right home and put it on her cabinet, next to her bed, so she can see it everyday. How special!!

Ms. Karen and Ms. Mary, you have made the last two years do able for me and Beth. I can't imagine our lives without you. There is no way to repay you for all you have done for the two of us, but I hope you know that you are family.

Lots of love and warmest hugs,
Amber and Beth

Summertime

This summer has gone by so fast, and we've had so much going on, I'm not sure where to begin!

Our highlight of the summer was our trip to Florida. 1 week is simply not long enough. It was super special to spend this amazing vacation with Meme, Popa, Nana, and PawPaw. I took tons of pictures, none of which I have taken the time to download from my camera, and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
Some of our favorites: airplane ride, meeting the characters and princesses, Beth seeing 'her' castle and being treated like a princess, seeing the Lion King play, and riding rides and roller coasters. The kids have all asked when we are going back. Hmmm... if money only grew on trees!!

The boys spent the rest of the summer with Acme and Summer Playground. They had their days filled with games, science experiments, and field trips. And their field trips were awesome!! Zoo, Frontier City, Botanical Gardens, Science Museum, Airport and Air Museum, Red Hawks baseball game, and Braums factory to name a few. They were BUSY!
Beth spent the summer with Pop N Tot, where she had some great adventures of her own. She also stayed with Jessica West, who has become a part of our family. Jessica has just left for her mission, and will be GREATLY missed. I foresee a lot of Beth letters headed to California!

Add in two family reunions, 4th of July fun, piano lessons, gymnastic practice, Bountiful Baskets, Family fun day, and some park trips, and we have had a fun filled summer.
The last two weeks we have been prepping for school to start and all three kids have been super excited. Meet the teacher night was great, and all three love their teachers. (And I do too!) All three will be going to Acme ASP (After School Program) and are excited to be together. (Me too!)

I'm sure things won't slow down any, and I have decided that this is just our new normal. And, I am ok with that! As long as we keep our family time, and get to spend time together!

Counting down

With school winding down, most people are counting down to summer. I've seen tons of posts on facebook about when school is getting out, how many days till summer vacation, and how long before the pool opens. I totally get this. It doesn't seem like that long ago, when I was one of these 'looking forward to summer' people.

However, in our house, we are counting down for other things. We currently have several countdowns:

The shortest count down is for the summer reading kick-off party. There are no mixed feelings between me and the kids about books and reading. We love both!! One of the biggest highlights of every summer is the public library's reading program. Who doesn't like to get prizes for something you already do ALL the time?! I have two little book worms, and another in the making (who thinks she can read already, lol.) So, of course, we are super excited about the kick-off party at the library on Wednesday.

Something the kids have been waiting impatiently for months is our vacation trip to Florida this summer. We are now down to 7 days for Adam and Zack, and 8 days for the rest of us. I can't even begin to tell you how many times in the last two months I have heard "I'm going to see the princesses." Poor Miss Mary! I'm sure she is as tired of hearing it. And, I know it will be much worse when we come back! Oh, well. At least she's excited.
We have been planning this trip to Florida for a couple years now. So, I totally get their excitement. Disney, Animal Kingdom, Sea World. Who wouldn't be excited?!

Ok. Despite all the exciting fun stuff, I am mostly counting down the time (just under 3 months) for school to START! I'm not usually a fan of wishing the time away. But this has been weighing so heavy on me, I can't seem to help it. I am so super ready for Beth to start school, for life to even out, and for some of the drama and stress to subside!
With that being said, I do need to give a little credit. I am so super grateful for all the wonderful teachers we've had this year, and in some cases, the last two years. Zack's teacher was Nick's teacher last year, and we have grown to love Ms. Beaver. She is so wonderful, and has helped both boys prepare for 2nd grade and all that that big change brings. Beth asked me last week if that was going to be her teacher when she starts big school. I told her maybe in a couple years...
I can't even begin to express my love for our Pop N Tot teachers. They are so much more than teachers, they have both become very good friends of mine, and I love them to pieces! If it wasn't for them, I don't think there is any way I could have gone back to work. They have truly made the last two years possible. Beth has grown so much within her time with them. And, they have truly become part of our family.

So, THANK YOU, to all the teachers, Acme counselors, and people that have helped this year and in the years past. As we finish our countdowns, we are looking forward to a fun summer, and an exciting year next year, filled with new count downs.

Get it together!

There are so many ways that Beth and I are different. She is so stinkin' girly! I'm not really sure where this came from... must have been an Aunt Sheen, Aunt Beena, or Aunt Audrey. ;-) Anyway, it certainly didn't come from me!!
Can you guess her favorite color? Anyone who knows anything about her, knows it's pink. Pink!! And, the earrings and bows! She picks out new earrings and a bow for her hair every morning. Speaking of bows... I am quickly learning, probably not to successfully, how to do 'girl' hair. I had no idea there were so many kinds of ponys your hair can be in. I'm tellin' ya, I'm sooo in over my head!! Thankfully, we haven't attempted braids in a long while. She will quickly tell you that "Momma doesn't do that. We save those special hair dos for Aunt Sheen. She's the best!!"

There are some mornings, I just don't know how we are related.

Then, there are days like yesterday. (Back to that in a minute.)

Despite our differences, and my aversion to pink, we are alike in more ways than we are different. We are both a little, or maybe a lot, of a perfectionist. We know where things go, and how things need to be done. There's nothing wrong with that... right?
We both love to eat. There isn't much either one of us won't eat or at least try. She gets as excited as I do about baskets, and is ready to pounce when I come through the door with our crate of fruits and veggies. First question - What do we get to eat first? She is becoming quite the helper in the kitchen too, and shares my love of baking.
Even though we don't agree on our favorite Disney movie, we so enjoy watching them together. And, both agree that Frozen is fantabulous! There isn't a day that goes by, right now, that we don't talk about our upcoming Disney World trip, and what princesses we are going to see. So excited!!

A big similarity was discovered yesterday. I already knew that she loves to be active, and is very athletic because of gymnastics. But, last night at Blast Ball was an event! Since she had never played, and I didn't really know how this was going to pan out, we talked about it in the van on the way to the gym. She was super excited and seemed to be ready to go. Well, that was certainly true. She did so good.
The funny thing was on the way home. I asked her if she had a good time and she was a little slow to answer. Finally she said yes, but... "Those other boys need to get it together! That boy next me needs to quit dancing and pay attention and watch the ball!!"

Oh no. I've created a monster - - again!

Spring is here!

Spring is my favorite time of the year! So many exciting things happen in the spring time.
I used to love spring for only the warm weather and baseball. Now, I have expanded my love of this wonderful time of the year. Although, warmer weather is still at the top of the list!

Soccer season started two weeks ago. Which, for our family, is our first sign of spring in our house. Nick is our only soccer player this year, and I am so ok with that! This is his last season of U8, which means in the fall, he will move up with the bigger kids. I am SO not ready for that!! Beth has also been talking about soccer. She will finally be old enough to play next fall in the U6 group. Not sure if I am ready for that either. She has been kicking the ball around since she was big enough to walk, though, so I better get ready. Looks like we are shaping up for a very busy fall.

Anyway, back to spring. And warmer weather. And jacket weather. And playing outside. And things turning green. And blooming flowers. And...Oh! I could go on all day!

Another great thing about spring is Zack and Beth's birthdays! I am extra excited about them this year. Not sure why. Maybe because they don't want to share birthdays this year, so we get to have 2 parties instead of 1. Which, is really 4 parties, since they are all in school. I love getting to visit them in school on their special days. It makes it extra neat when birthdays fall on a weekday. Then they can have a party at school, and a big party at home during the weekend. So neat!

With Nick being in scouts now, another thing Spring brings is Pinewood Derby. Eeep! He is so excited for his first derby car. It is a batman car, and it has been a joint effort by him, Adam, and Popa. He gets to go to OKC on Saturday for the big race. How fun! Good luck Batman!!

Now, I know that Spring also brings about plants and gardens. And, you know, per a previous post, that I don't do well with these things. However, trying my best to be a supportive mom, I am working with the kids on a few plants to put in our flower bed off the front porch. They have much higher hopes than I do. I will keep you posted on the progress... or, more likely, how fast they shrivel up this year.

Despite the fact that I can't usually grow them, I do love to plant and tree watch. We have some beautiful trees and flowers in our neighborhood. The kids and I love to walk in the evenings and notice their progress on the blooms and scents. Which, is another thing I love about spring - - family walks. It is so great to enjoy nature with my kiddos. They notice EVERYTHING!!

Yay for Spring!

Phrases in our house

There are many ways to describe my life with three active kiddos. A few phrases that are commonly heard by people describing a common day in our house:

• "Never a dull moment,"
• "Don't know what's going to happen next,"
• "An adventure around every corner,"
• "The crazy thing we call life."

Then there are the those phrases that you are amazed that they came from your mouth...

• "Keep your spit to yourself."
• "Stop tickling your brother, he can't breath!"
• "Stay in the bathroom until you have clothes on."
• "Don't lick the ___."
• "Please stop singing We wish you a Merry Christmas, it's March."
• "If you lick someone else, you will be grounded."
• "No, you can not have fourths. Three plates of dinner is enough."
• "Yes, you can have an apple instead of cake."
• "Cheesy green beans (aka asparagus) are my favorite to have with dinner too."
• "No, we have to have white pancakes, I don't have any spinach to make green ones."

Apparently, we talk a lot about spit and food.

Lately, though, it is the things that come out of Beth's mouth that have been the most entertaining. I truly never know what she will say next. For instance -
Last week, I had been waiting for a YLEO order to arrive. When we got home on Friday, I had Beth open the front door to see if a box was out there. She comes back in, shaking her head, with her hands on her hips. I say "I guess our box isn't here yet. Maybe tomorrow." And her reply was "That mailman!! He is taking forever! I'm going to turn him upside down and stick him in the trash can!"

Oh, boy, we are in trouble with this one... Makes me leery of taking her anywhere. Most days, I feel like I am paying for Michael's raising with the boys. But with Beth, I am certainly paying for mine!

Fruits and Veggies

A large part of the food that I have always eaten has been fruits and veggies. I remember growing up and there always being two veggies with dinner and always an assortment of fruit on the counter and in the fridge. And it wasn't just the apples and bananas, we had all different kinds. I can also remember almost always having a garden growing up, with lots of ready-to-eat produce just calling my name.

Somehow, the green thumb, that seems to run in our family, missed me. I  just don't seem to grow plants. The plants that I've tried to "garden" either don't grow at all, or die before it is time for them to produce. Even non-produce plants don't survive in my care. There have been several times, over the years, that a thoughtful person has given me a plant. Every time, I take it graciously, all the while thinking - "Oh, poor plant, it doesn't know what it's in for." It will suffer along for a while, then eventually shrivels up. I have one plant at the office. If it wasn't for my wonderful co-worker, it would have been tossed ages ago.

So, for many years, I just bought produce, like many others, at the store. Now, I am probably one of the most produce picky people out there. Maybe, it's from growing up with such wonderful fruits and veggies readily available. I'm not sure. But, I am one of those people you see in the produce section, inspecting every tomato before putting it in the bag, and searching through the bananas to find the "just right" ones.

Four years ago, my sister-in-law was so kind to tell me about this wonderful co-op that she participates in every week. It sounded so great to get a variety of produce for a fraction of what it costs in the store, and so much better quality. I was super excited. Then, upon investigation, there was no branch of the co-op in Oklahoma. Thanks for getting my hopes up. What a bummer!
Then, just a couple short months later, she called me again. There was a site that opened up a little over an hour away. Whoo Hoo! I participated at the first chance I got, and was hooked on that very first experience. I began training right away, and was the second site in Oklahoma to open up. I've been enjoying our site here in Clinton for almost three years now. It is such a blessing to fill my kids with such a variety of good produce. We enjoy the experimenting with trying new recipes and new ideas with common items, and the search for suggestions on the rarity of something new that we've not had before. I've discovered that my favorite fruit is persimmons, something I had never had before the co-op. And, it is still amazing to me that my oldest asks every time I come home with our haul if we got spinach to make green pancakes. What kid does that? Apparently, mine!

The best thing about our experience over the last three years, by far, has been the wonderful people that I have met! From that first experience with the coordinator in Altus, to our awesome volunteers and participants here in Clinton, I love you all! We have a great time socializing over fruits and veggies every other Saturday, and I wouldn't trade it!! **A huge thank you to all my awesome volunteers, whom I couldn't live without!! I appreciate you SO much!!**

As I prep for another basket weekend, I am like a little kid on Christmas morning. The excitement of the surprises of what we are going to get, what friends I will get to see, and what new friends I will make, makes my heart happy. And, the look on the kids' faces when I get home, is priceless. Thank you, Bountiful Baskets, for helping this black thumbed mom bring affordable, wonderful, healthy produce to our table!

For more information on Bountiful Baskets, to participate, or to find a location near you, please visit: www.bountifulbaskets.org

Pumpkin Pie

Beth and I have a little canter that we have been doing since before she was even born. I tell her "I love you" followed by a nick-name, and she responds. We do this many times a day, and a lot of the times the nick-name and responses are different.

For the first two years, the nick-names varied with Bethy, Bethy Sue, Boo Boo, Sister Lou, and Sis, to name a few. And the responses varied from her with Mommy, Mommy boo, Mommy Sue, and so forth. Sometimes, we'd get silly and call each other funny names like silly goose, goober, and other funny titles. She'd like to repeat the silly name with Mommy added at the end.

Many months ago, I started calling her pumpkin. I have fond memories of my mom calling me pumpkin, and it just so easily rolls off of my tongue with Beth. Around Thanksgiving, Beth discovered that my favorite pie is pumpkin. So, she has decided that is now her favorite as well. Now Mommy has a new nick-name, pumpkin pie. I LOVE IT!

As I have been spending more one-on-one time with each kiddo, it has really struck me how much I take for granted the little things. This is one of my favorites with Beth. I hope, when she is a mommy, she can look back and  remember and have fond memories of being called pumpkin.

"I love you pumpkin!" "I love you pumpkin pie!"

Date with Boo

Beth and I started having wonderful little "dates" on Friday afternoons a couple months back, and it is wonderful!!

Since I get off from work early on Fridays, I am able to pick Beth up from school. This has been awesome Mommy-Daughter time and we have both enjoyed it so much! Usually, we go to Sonic for Happy Hour, and Beth gets a slushy.

However, this Friday, it was cold, and she already had a sucker from school (two actually, thanks Miss Karen!) So, instead we decided to go to the library. It has been a good while since we had been to the public library, and oh, what fun! After playing in the play area, she picked out books, a Play-Away movie, and we picked out both boys a chapter book. (Oh, and I picked out a book while she was playing.) As we were checking out, Beth spotted the TV with pictures rotating on it, and found herself and her class. She was so excited! "There I am with my friends and MS.KATHY!!" It was so cute!!

It is so great that she loves to 'read' already, and it made me so grateful for all of the librarians that the kids have had over the last several years. They have all played a huge part in their love for books. I so LOVE that the kids have a love for books like I do. It is so great to read with them and discuss the plot and all the details.

I look forward to many more "dates" with each of my children, and to enjoying many more books with them as well!

New Year, New Goals

The start of 2014 has been great! The kids have been pretty healthy; they are excited to go back to school and are counting down till Monday; they are playing pretty nicely with each other and seem to love each other again. Work has been very relaxed and stress free this week. Even my day in Elk City was pleasant, with no yelling/angry customers. I've been able to work out twice already this year, and it's only the 3rd.

So, with all the positives going on, I decided I should document some goals for this year:

• First, personal goals:
• Double the 500 mile challenge, making it 1000 miles in 2014
• Consistently work out 2 times a week
• Eat healthier snacks
• Blog once a week
• Journal more consistently
• Read daily
• Finish Beth's baby book and 2011-2013 family albums (digital scrap booking)
• Have a me date and a hubby date, both at least once a week
• And, family goals:
• Spend individual time with each of the kids, every day, even if it's just a few minutes
• Have a date with each kid, at least once a month
• Work with Nick on his scouting activities
• Consistently have story time every night
• Limit our eating out to once a pay period
• Let the kids spend more time in the kitchen helping out
• Increase our fruit and veggie eating to eat two BBFC baskets a cycle
• Learn more about essential oils to help keep us all healthier

Hopefully, I will have more motivation to accomplish more this year. Looking back over the list, it appears that consistency is going to be the key.
What are your goals, resolutions, or dreams for 2014?