Girls Weekend!

Well, James and I jetted off to St. George to have a girls weekend with my mother in  law, Mary Aldrich, my sisters in law, Laura and Susan and my sister Elizabeth.  We had a fun time.  There were 3 babies:  James, my baby, Samuel, Laura's baby, and Megan, Elizabeth's baby.  Sue brought Asa along.  He thoroughly beat me in a game of Wii bowling!   He is a fun kid.  

The flight out wasn't bad and James gave Grandpa Aldrich a hug as soon as he saw him, than leaped back into my arms.  (that was what he did all weekend!)  He was cute but clingy. We ate fabulously (thanks Grandpa) and had a fun time talking, laughing, shopping, doing a few craft projects and returning the things I bought!   (I am a horrible shopper!)   James was a little bit more of a bugger on the way home but still a good boy.  

For me the best part of the weekend was reconnecting with everyone.  With everyone living in different areas of the country, I cherish the moments we have together.  Thanks so much for sharing your home with us, Mom and allowing us to grow closer!  

 

Blue Eyes...

We were out playing on the swingset and the weather was beautiful. 

 And so were my children!  

I love their beautiful blue eyes!

James

Jared

Annie

Peter 

( I also love his red eyelashes and eyebrows!)

Kathleen

David

Carina

Sleeping....

There is nothing like the sweet faces of sleeping kids.  So I thought you'd like to see some recent pictures of my sleepers...

David and Jared

Always a favorite of mine.  Sleeping and eating in our high chair...

James sleeping on Mama

Sweet Sleeping James!

Jared's shoes

So Michael and I got each other these nice silicone oven mitts for Mother's/Father's Day, but apparently we weren't realizing their true potential which Jared is happy to show us!

Oven Mitt Shoes!

Well I got some pictures of James walking!  I can't upload a video... 

Our connection is too slow.  So enjoy the pictures!

Walking!

James walked across the living room today all by himself!  Whoo Hoo!  10 months old and walking!  Good job James!

Growing pains

This morning, Jared, James and I took the elementary school kids to the bus.  I had given Jared his own backpack yesterday.  He cheerfully put it on with the other kids and we all trotted out to the bus stop.  When the bus came, he happily started following them onto the bus.  He was rather mad at me for stopping him.  When the bus pulled away with the right children on it, he chased after it crying, "My turn, My turn!"  Oh it was so sad for him.  

New Additions

The University of West Georgia had a piano sale of their practice pianos, so Michael and I bit the bullet and bought a used piano!  We are so excited about this.  It took 2 weeks to arrive but it finally came today.  The kids love it and are all reenergized about practicing.  Peter wanted to know where to turn it off?  And how did it work?  I had to explain that it didn't have a plug and was not like our keyboard!  

We put the piano at the head of the stairs in this cute little alcove

The organ got moved over here by the kitchen where the keyboard used to be.

The other exciting piece of equipment in our house is our new kitchen faucet!  Our old one was dying so Michael installed this new one on Saturday.  I love the high clearance and the levers!  It is so lovely!  Carina actually said she was excited about washing dishes again since we got a new faucet.  Oh if we could always feel that way about the dishes!

Cooking!

Jared is VERY observant.  We just recently got direct TV and have been enjoying watching cooking shows.  Jared recently started cutting up everything and I couldn't figure out why he was doing it.  Than one day, he watched Emeril Lagasse cut up some herbs.  The next thing I know he ran to the kitchen, grabbed a butter knife and started cutting up his banana into cubes!  Bingo!  Jared is cooking! 

Wednesday night Michael made soup for dinner and Jared grabbed a wooden spoon and pulled a chair up to the stove and started helping.  He happily crushed ramen noodles and stirred.  He has always loved EATING everything and apparently he loves to cook also!  

Jared cutting up his sandwich into cubes!  

Independence

This has been a very interesting past few weeks for me.  I have been working on potty-training Jared.  This started out as a source of much frustration as he refused to cooperate with me. Bribery, begging, numerous stories, I tried it all!  I vented to my sisters and grandparents, but had to accept the fact that I could not convince Jared that he wanted to learn this new skill.  I felt completely inadequate as a mother and started to feel like Jared would wear diapers to kindergarten!

However, after a week of letting him run around naked and figure it out on his own...we are having successes and it is all Jared's triumph!  Not mine.  I can ask him to go and he won't. He is so proud of himself when he goes to toilet.   It is a big lesson to me that I have to let Jared learn things on his own time table and not mine.  

Jared has always been an independent lad and has done things his own way like getting his own snacks, no matter how well I hide them.  He can open ANYTHING... ANYWHERE!   So though it is hard, I'm glad I have Jared to help me grow as a mother.  Learning to let go with him is helping me let go with the other kids and encourage them to make their own decisions!  It is hard for me to shelve my ambitions for them!   So thanks Jared!  'keep up the good work on learning your new skill!  

Pretty Princess!

Our Jared is such a gentleman.  Carina was getting ready to go to a multi-stake dance with a Disney theme.  She wanted to be Cinderella, so she borrowed my formal dress from high school.  She looked so pretty in it.  Jared came in and saw her and exclaimed, 

"Oh!  Pretty Princess!"  

Perfect... the boy got it right on the first try!

A few days later, Carina and I were shopping at Belk and found these matching dresses at Belk on clearance.  Naturally, we got got them and Jared gave us the same response..

 "Oh!!! Pretty Princess!"  I love it!  What a charmer.  

First Day of School!

August 7, 2008--The first day of school!  Everyone was up nice and early and full of anticipation!  Annie started Kindergarten, Peter is in 3rd grade, and Kathleen in 4th grade at Central Elementary School.  At the Central Middle School, David is our boy in 7th grade.  Carina, is in 9th at Central High School!  We went out to meet the morning buses and take pictures!

Peter, Kathleen, Jared, and Annie getting ready to go to the bus stop.

I love this.  They all held hands on the way to the bus stop.

Annie is so excited to start kindergarten!

Kathleen is all ready for 4th grade!

Jared thinks that he should go to the school with David!

Jared did not like not being allowed on the bus! 

 

After this, we realized that we had missed the elementary school bus, so I had to run go and drop the 3 younger kids off at school while Michael made sure Carina got on her bus ok.  

So that afternoon, we decided to meet the elementary school bus and take pictures.... 

Jared taking a turn in the stroller!  

After 45 minutes of waiting at the bus stop, I called the bus barn and found out that the bus wouldn't be arriving for another 30 minutes, thanks to a lovely traffic jam at the school.  So we went home and were going to go back out in 25 minutes to meet the bus.  However, 10 minutes after we were home, the kids arrived at the door!  So we never got the getting on the bus, the first day of school pictures!  Oh well!  It was an exciting day anyway!