First Day of Preschool

That was my big boy this morning on his first day of preschool.

He is attending two days a week at a church down the road from our house.  We had an open house last week where all three of us were able to meet the teachers, other children and some of the other parents as well.  That went well as soon as Thomas realized that we were staying to play with him.

I cleaned out his book bag, which has served as our diaper bag for many months now, last night and left in there only the things that he needed for school - a change of clothes in a Ziploc bag with his name on it, extra diapers and his sippy cup, well labeled, of course.  I decided to try to do this without E or Blankie.  Seemed mighty empty to me, but he's a big boy and doesn't need a ton of stuff anymore, especially when he's going somewhere that has toys and people to play with!

We talked about school some last night and a lot this morning and he was looking forward to it, but peppered the conversation with "mommy leaving" in the most pitiful pouty voice you've ever heard.  Here is a short video - "Preschool Day 1 - Before":

After our experience at VBS a few months ago, I was a little nervous but confident that both of us could handle this.  So, we left right on time and arrived at school right on time.  We walked to his classroom and the tears started.  It was a quick drop-off, which seems to work best for everyone involved, but I stood in the hallway to take care of some paperwork at the front desk.  I heard him cry a little but not NEAR as bad as VBS.  He seemed to be okay, so off I went.

When I returned, he was doing fine and waiting at the door with all the other children.  When he saw me he cried a little, but that's the usual, even at church.  Mrs. Amanda said that he did great, especially considering it was the first day.  I'm so proud of my big boy and I can't believe he's big enough to be doing this already.  I feel like real school will be here in the blink of an eye.

Here is another video "Preschool Day 1 - After":

Vacation 2010

So, it's October and I'm finally getting back to finishing my post about our beach vacation back in August!  So, I'm post-dating it.  Here we go....


Enjoying breakfast on the back porch



Some Memories of Ocean Isle Beach in August 2010:

• Thomas playing Wii bowling with a very patient Taylor and Mary
• Speaking of Mary... Thomas' girlfriend, "that one", last year's girlfriend went and got married
• The family getting to talk to Keyes over speaker phone and tell him how much we love him and are supporting him while at OCS. Also, everyone writing a stack of OIB postcards to send to him.
• Balderdash - If you've never played you should.  One of the best parts is going back and looking at previous entries.  An example from my crazy family: The word was "Morgay", the made up answer was "less straight". (Sorry if that offends you, but that is funny).  Also can't forget Shawn and his retarded lemurs.
• Floating in the ocean
• Don't know what it is about mean birds at OIB, but the mean girl seagull met her match in Carly. Carly chased her down and kicked her off of our beach. :)
• Shrimp boil and lots of other good food.
• Celebrating Lauren (30), Whitney & Taylor's (26) birthdays.
• Thomas taking 4 hour naps after playing in the sand with his dump truck.
• Gaga walking down to the beach and getting in the water, falling in the water and then sitting in the water...in her clothes. (One of the happiest memories of this trip!)
• Taking a fixed wing plane for a spin on my 30th birthday with my uncle in the pilot seat and my aunt in the passenger seat with me.
• Last day - sitting in the quiet living room while my family plays on the beach and my son naps thinking about all the ways that we have been blessed and what a wonderful vacation this has been.

  

Can't wait for next year!

The Big 3-0!

I just turned 30 two days ago.  I'm currently at the beach with family so it's been a great week to celebrate.  (More about the beach trip and pictures to come soon)  Just sitting here thinking about the ways that I've been blessed.  I have a child whom I cherish, a husband whom I adore, a family who I am lucky to have and friends who feel like family.

Thirty is a big milestone and one that I wasn't sure about.  I've heard some say it's great and I've heard some lament and say it's really a tough birthday.  I didn't think it would be a big deal, but you never know how things can creep up on you.  Turns out, it's not a big deal....yet.  Maybe I'll have some breakdown in a month when I have to, for the first time, tell someone I'm 30 or fill out a form that places me in the 30-39 category instead of the 20-29 category (although, if you know me, you know I love filling out forms) :)  For right now, I'm happy.  I love my life and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me and my family!

Maybe it's the salty air and the loud ocean and all the relaxation going on, but I feel like I'm ready to tackle my thirties and remind myself of my priorities and the things that are most important.  I want to honor God, take care of my husband and my child, or children should God bless us with more, spend time with and continue to get to know my family, especially those that I don't see as often, and enjoy time with friends.  I'm hoping to have lots of wonderful memories (and, I'm sure, some struggles) to record on this blog in the coming years.  (I hope blogs don't become obsolete anytime soon, since I'm just now figuring this out!)

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I've always loved hearing stories from other Mama's about their children when they were growing up, whether that was a couple of years ago or a couple of decades ago.  I, unfortunately, do not have a great memory and I've always worried that I would have no such stories to tell because I wouldn't remember them.  This blog is a good thing, for that reason.  I love the stories about things that children do and especially things they say.  When hearing one of those stories from another Mom, you can usually just hear that sweet little, high-pitched voice saying something that makes us laugh and laugh.

Thomas is now really talking a lot and is putting long sentences together.  He gets stuck, like a broken record, sometimes while he is thinking of what he wants to say and he repeats things A LOT.  He repeats what he says and he repeats what others say.  In fact, there are times that I am attempting to discipline him and speaking very seriously to him.  Imagine trying to be serious (and patient), while a two-year old is quietly whispering every word that comes out of your mouth.

Some of the very fun and noteworthy things he has said recently:

"Mama, are you?" - translation: "Mama, where are you?"  He even says it with a sing-song tone.


"Weee oooo weee oooo weee oooo" - translation: the sound a fire truck makes. He does this sometimes when he sees a fire truck and most of the time at home when one of his toy fire trucks has its siren going.  I've seen him, on a couple of occasions, do this for a full few minutes.

"Cinnamon band aid" - translation: "spiderman band aid".  When we get a boo boo, we need not just any band aid, we need a spiderman band aid!

"Mama, pincess" - translation: "Mama, princess".  A couple of weeks ago Thomas was playing in our bedroom.  There is a picture of Shawn and I on our wedding day with Pastor Ray.  Thomas noticed this picture, seemingly for the first time, and looked at it for a minute.  He then turned to me with a big smile on his face and said "Mama, pincess".  Melt my heart.

And the latest funny....

"Mmmmm, delicious!" - No translation needed, he said it just like it sounds.  I gave him a banana for snack and he ate most of it.  Before one of his last bites, he said "mmm, delicious!"

This kid cracks me up and makes me smile. :)

VBS 2010

Whew!  It's been a rough week.  This week Thomas took part in Vacation Bible School at Colonial Baptist Church.  Colonial is a big ole' baptist church down the road from where we live and is also where he will be starting preschool in the fall of this year.  I've been so excited about him doing VBS and praying that he would do okay and have some fun with the other kids.  I think this has been more of a learning experience... not sure about the fun part.

I'll start by saying that Monday morning drop-off was a nightmare.  I made the horrible mistake of walking into the classroom with him, instead of handing him over to the teacher at the door.  I thought maybe I could fool him by getting him interested in something, reading a book with him, doing a puzzle, etc.  I would never sneak out without saying goodbye, but I thought if he got interested in something it would go smoother.  First mistake.  He is no fool.  He knew exactly what was going on as soon as we got out of the car, much less walking in the door of that classroom.  He was crying and literally climbing up my body the ENTIRE time I tried to "play" with him.  Needless to say, we both cried our eyes out.  He cried most of the class (they had to call me to make sure I was okay with letting him cry) and I tried to hold it together until I could get to the bathroom to gather myself enough to walk to the car, where I fell completely apart.  I called Shawn for the "I just want you to listen to me cry and tell me everything will be OK" pep-talk.  That's Monday!

Tuesday, he was sad most of the class but they said he did better.  I got no phone calls and I thought, "by George, I think we've done it!"  No such luck.  Wednesday, I was called to come pick him up an hour into class.  He was inconsolable.  So, I volunteered my time that morning in the two-year old VBS class at Colonial.  I calmed Thomas down and once he realized I was staying, he did fine.  He even walked in line with the rest of his class to the assembly and back.  So, this morning (Thursday) I was nervous again.  Well, he did fine.  They said he was sad the whole time, again, but he made it with only one complete breakdown.  I got some cleaning done and went to pick him up at noon.  He seemed to be in a great mood, so even though he was "sad", I'm hoping he enjoyed himself a little bit.

What does tomorrow hold for us?  Will I have to pick him up early?  Part of me wanted to (and wants to tomorrow) just wait in the hallway or the car, but, I make myself walk out the door, out of the church, crank the car and leave.  He can do it!!! ...right?!

FRIDAY UPDATE:  He did great!!!!!  He cried for 20 minutes when I dropped him off and then actually played, did his craft, sang, etc!  The teacher was just as excited to tell me as I was to hear it!!!  Way to go Thomas!!!!!!!!!!  Mama is happy!  Too bad this is the last day of VBS.....

A Wedding at The Grove Park

My cousin, Keyes, recently married his sweetheart, Carly, in Asheville, NC at the Grove Park Inn.  We were able to attend and celebrate this great occasion with them.  We spent a lot of our childhood with Keyes and his brother, Taylor.  We went to there house after school, we trick or treated with them at Halloween, we went to the pool with them.  We got lots of time to play because mom and her sister (their mom) spent countless hours with their feet propped on their knees, chit-chatting in the driveway.  Every once in a while they would say "time to go, come get in the car".  We did...until they got to talking again, then back to playing we went.

I've mentioned before that I don't have a great memory so this might not be totally accurate, but it's the way I remember it.  I don't remember a time when Keyes wasn't with Carly.  They must be elementary school sweethearts or something....at least middle school sweethearts!!  Anyway, they are wonderful together and we had a blast celebrating their wedding.

The Grove Park is a beautiful place and the outdoor ceremony with the mountains in the background was just gorgeous.  I don't even know who the officiant was, but he performed a great service and even got choked up at times, which I love.  I love when an officiant gets emotional.  Then you know they mean it.  Not that they don't mean it other times, but if it tugs at their heart, it's probably something to listen to and take to heart!

Shawn and I really enjoyed having an adult-only weekend away.  Thomas got to stay for the whole weekend at Papa & Oopsy's house, so he enjoyed himself as well!

Weddings are always so nice because you get to spend time with family.  There was much conversation to be had and catching up to be done.

Papa and Whitney


Gaga and Shawn  (BTW, I LOVE how much my man loves my Gaga!)


The sunset over the mountains.  What a great photo opportunity.


Wait! Did I have anything in my teeth??!!

OIB 2010

I'm getting caught up on some blog posts and wanted to include some pictures from our annual Memorial Day trip to Ocean Isle Beach, NC.  This was the 7th year (I think...) that we've gone on this trip with our friends.  This year there were 12 adults and 4 children!  Seemed amazing when we thought back to the first year when there were 7 adults (I think...) and no children.  Next year we will have at least 6 children, when you include the Langdale twins, who will be arriving later this year.  Woo hoo!!!

Our weekend included lots of fellowship, food, music, bird hunting and the beach!

The ladies of OIB :)


Can't forget the walk to The OIB Creamery


This bird and his little bird friends were out to get us the whole weekend. Many of us were dive-bombed. Some of us were spared.


Stan was on the hunt. (Notice the big scary butterfly net that was going to capture said birds.)


Group picture


The boys


A family picture (notice the mohawk??!!)