Saturday, November 2, 2013

Fall

We love this time of year in GA; this is from our church's pumpkin patch. 
AC1 and Eric went camping yesterday, so AC2 and I are staying home having a girl's weekend, which of course meant we needed to carve a pumpkin!! 
Happy post-Halloween Weekend!

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Boys Will Be Boys

Our lovely school district, and most of those in our state believe in starting school the first week of August and then giving our fair headed children a week long break after just 9 weeks of school....not exactly the best fit for working families, but we are trying to make the best of it........
We went to the lake to play......and boys being boys and all.....some found their way into the water.....AC1 is walking towards me after a slip in the water .... please take slip lightly....he full well went into the water as he wanted to go into the water and had been wanting to go into the water for quite some time.
But, then along came Eric with the 4 wheeler and some really good mud ...
which was just asking to be driven through......
Of course AC1 could not help but put himself in the trail of the 4 wheeler....all the while AC2 and I are just standing back and watching in awe!!  How could someone enjoy this?!?
As you can see from the back of AC1; he got covered .... and on the front side he was smiling and laughing from ear to ear....oh wait....he looked like this:
literally, he could not have been any happier!  The picture above was not from the same shot, it was after the fact when he decided since he was already muddy he should continue to play in the mud to see just how much mud he could get caked onto his little body!  Needless to say, he was brown from neck to toes.
So he then took it upon himself to get clean in the lake.....clean is such a relative term when you started out SO filthy!  But I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun he had!  
Of course AC2 and I just sat back and watched....she was so happy to find a feather and hung with me until it was time to drag AC1 back out of the lake and to get a really, really good bath!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Horse Camp

Ansley seems to be fixated on horses lately, so she and her friend Megan went to Horse Camp for the last week of July before she went back to school.

Of course, all good horses must be cared for ... AC2 is the little one on the right side of the picture...not really sure what they are doing, but she called it "work"
 On Friday of the week of camp they had a "show" for the families and the kids showed off their "skills" ... note how small the horse really is in the picture!!!
 But she had SO much FUN!!  She absolutely loved the riding and she talks on and on about the horses, but now, when we have taken her back to ride again, she will not even get back on a horse again.
 She loved doing the jumps and keeps talking our ears off!  You know Ansley :)

Sunday, September 22, 2013

7th Birthday

This is WAY past due, like 3 months and 3 days!!

I am not running for mother of the year; clearly. I am, however, trying to at least keep some semblance of a virtual baby book ... which, at this point has moved into a children's book since our "little red head" has made it to 7!

We had a party at Grandma and Grandpa's house with all of the rest of the family as a combination Happy 7th Birthday and Father's Day event.  Great fun was had by all and AC1 kept us all entertained!! 
 AC1 benefited just as AC2 did by having a birthday which lasted for two days instead of one!!  The pictures above and below are of him opening his gifts from Mom and Dad and Granddad and Nanny.  As you can see from the expressions on his face, he LOVES gifts! 
 We have been talking about love languages lately and we are very clear from AC1's face that his love language might have something to do with gifts....we will have to help him learn that these gifts cannot always be tangible things.
The eyes have it!!

This has been a very big year for us AC1, we have learned a lot from you and the whole world around you. You had an amazing 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Butler who helped us to learn more about you in just a few weeks than we had learned about you in almost your whole life!!  We knew who you were but we now understand you better.  It is very exciting to see how much you have changed over the last year and how much you are growing and changing all of the time.

Your love of science has continued but you have become a bit of a math junkie, which of course we are all too okay with these days!!  You are still so funny and kind, we are always amazed at some of the little things which come out of your mouth.  Sometimes you of course are a boy, like when you burp your ABCs....and sometimes you are so funny with your faces....and every time you open the door and someone is behind you, you ALWAYS hold the door open, it literally melts my heart each and every time.  Not because you are being kind and doing as you were told, but because you are thinking of others.  Yippee!!

The other day someone remarked that you were so nice and sweet.  I almost had to do a double take to make sure they were talking to me :).  Kidding! You are still amphibious, you still LOVE legos and anything else which can be built and torn apart.  You are now a chess junkie and have started to play well; we now just need to get you to teach Granddad a little more so he can play with you!

We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see you grow in the next 7 years!!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Cub Scout Summer Camp

Yes, you read correctly.  I should have my blog card revoked, but not my mom card as I am told the little ones might miss me ... giggle ... giggle.  So, in order to return to the recording of our children's lives, one blog post at a time, I will do my best to catch up today.  Starting with the ever so popular, fun, and amazing 4 days AC1 and Eric spent this summer at Cub Scout camp....needless to say they will be going back every year!

Note: we are still cheap in this family, so the best camera Eric had was his cell phone camera which is not as great as the one we use for most of the pictures on this blog....so please forgive the poor quality....story still the same.

So, as all boys who go to summer camp will tell you, at some point you get a little bored and struggle to find something productive to do....and .... boys will be boys.....one their first night or two there AC1 and the other boys were trying to entertain themselves in the rain no less, and it seemed like a good idea to throw rocks at the kid with the umbrella....well, as AC1 will tell you, he did not find the end results of this rock throwing funny as it resulted in him getting hit just below his eye and receiving a pretty nice little cut.....but, after a quick trip to the camp's Medical Unit and the application of some butterfly closures and a phone call with Dr. Mom he was back to being a camper.
 Later on during the week, the boys had to find ways to entertain themselves during the down times, so of course this meant building domino houses; in the background you can see the set up....tents, people lounging, bug spray galore, etc.......what you might not be able to see, or even comprehend if you are reading this from Texas is the amount of humidity in the air....it is like walking around in a shower 24/7......I know, your envy abounds
 After what I have already described I know we will have to make a list next year of the number of you who wish to go with little AC1 and Eric to camp......so of course the list is going to immediately lengthen as I get to the really good stuff!!

Over the summer AC1 really took a liking to fishing, something about being in his DNA from Granddad T and Grandpa B and his dad and ..... so, every opportunity they could find, the boys went fishing....you might think the first picture is the bait...........sorry for the fingernail shot, you get a really good idea of the hygiene at camp in this one!
 But the next picture makes it abundantly clear, what you see there my friends is not bait!  No, that is today's Catch of the Day and from the look on AC1's face, you know it is an AMAZING catch!!  Hopefully these fish will have the chance to feast all winter while the camping slows down and grow a bit before next year's rendezvous!
 So the rest of the weekend, as often as possible, AC1 and Eric slipped off to the lake to do a little fishing....I am told the fish did not grow much in size, but AC1's sheer delight in catching them grew each and every time!
Over the rest of the weekend, the eye boo-boo healed, the fish kept biting, the boys kept being boys, the mosquitoes kept biting, and all the fun that could be had was had by ALL!!  AC1 earned several belt loop awards for things like swimming and archery, Eric won big "Dad" points for roughing it for 4 days, and AC2 and I were reminded of how much cleaner our house is sans testosterone and how fun it is when the boys come back with stories and smiles and cuts and bruises and just a few pieces of laundry to wash :)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Human Piggy Bank

What happens when your 7 year old reports he has swallowed a nickel???? You do not stop, you pass go and you head directly to the local children's hospital and find.....that....the....nickel....is....in....his.....stomach!!  Oh wait, no, he finds the nickel on the x-rays that the Rad. Techs let him look at to show them where his nickel is located....to which the Rad Techs say to him, "Oh, you could grow up to be a Doctor?"  To which Austin replied, a real one, or one like my mom?
So, I am pretty sure we should stop letting him talk ... or we should start to censor what he says when he talks.... or we could just send him to college and hope for the best.....so, here is to no more human piggy banks.....we are strongly encouraging him to save his pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and any other coins he might want to taste :)
But he sure did look like he was enjoying the hospital bed.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Summer School

Well, yesterday we finished summer school with CCS; Ansley and Austin both went for about 7 weeks and learned lots of new stuff so they are ready for school to start again in a few weeks :)

Austin went to Cub Scout camp on Wednesday with Eric so he missed the graduation ceremony at school but Ansley was there....here she is getting the certificate of completion
 Each kid went up to get their certificate and shake the Preacher's hand.....each did it in their own unique way and some, like An, were very afraid to shake his hand
 Then, they gave out awards from the teachers and Ansley got the Compassion Award.....I am noticing a trend.....as her Pre-K Award a few weeks ago was the Dove Bar Award for keeping the peace.....she may just one day be a Social Worker like her Mom :)
 Then came the Talent Show.....the K & 1 class sang several songs, including This is the Day; God is So Good; and....
 then they handed out Daisies for the kids to hold ... why can't you see Ansley's face??? Because she is laughing so hard from saying something that made all of the other kids laugh, but not the music teacher......not worth repeating, but the whole audience laughed too, just not her Mother!!  And to think she just got the Compassion Award!!
and finally, they sang Edelweiss....now you know what has been stuck in my head for 24 hours???
 
Once the boys get home from Cub Scout camp we will have more pictures...

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Flashback!!

Thanks to my very special cousin's wife Peggy :) I have a family memory from Mertzon circa 1982 or so .... what fun!!!  No idea why Scott has his back to the camera :(
Love, love, love it!!!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Summertime in Georgia!!

It is good to know these kids have not forgotten what it is like to jump in the lake!!

 I am home working and Eric took the kids to the lake, so I have no idea what she is doing in this picture :)

He found his swimmers' legs :)

I can only hope they are dancing :)

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The tale of a 5 year old graduate!!

 Well, ladies and gentlemen, it has been a 3 day party and we are finally pooped!!!.......It all began on Sunday with a little birthday party here for Ansley....I should have known better than to have a kid this close to the end of the school year.......here she and her friend Megan are hanging out eating lots of pizza!!
 Austin is totally shocked that she is having a 3 day party....who knew you could do so much for such a little person......
 Here the party begins with An and her Uncle Bunny's girlfriend Lauren, who happens to have the exact same birthday as An!!  He knows how to pick young uns'....kidding!!!  But she did share with Ansley in the princess theme for her birthday :)
 So then on Monday we took the party to school where she had a princess cake with her friends....cake is behind her head :)  She was being a little shy at first for the camera.....
 But then a little sugar fixed the shyness!!  So we had more cake......
 Finally, this morning she got to open gifts from family.....her dad gave her a sports car......what a great color!!  Seems the Barbie convertible has changed over the years, but not by much.
 Then a card from GG B.....with a check, at which point Ansley said, and you have to know I cannot make this up...."Oh boy, look Mommy, money for college!!"  I could not be more proud!!!!!  I mean come on, kid!!
 A parting shot this morning of Austin giving his sister a birthday hug :)
 Then on to Pre-K graduation!!  She is signing/singing the ABCs....very cute and now she knows her ABC signs.
 With her teachers Mrs. Cathy and Mrs. Megan getting her "candy bar award." She got the Dove Bar award for being the peacemaker in her class through playing so well with all of her friends, being a leader, and making sure everyone was included .... little more pride for the day :)
Finally outside to the swing set to get in a few final minutes of playtime with her Pre-K friends she will not see next year at Kindergarten.
 
I cannot believe our baby is 5!!  5 years since we had a bat flying around on her due date :) 5 years since we got to see that awesome smile :) 5 years since we had just one ACB :)
 
 
An, Ansley, Annie, Ansey-pie, Ampersand, you name it kid, you have got more names than all of the rest of your family combined!  You keep changing and becoming such a delight to be in our lives.  You still eat like an adult, and believe onions should be eaten like apples.  You are quite the dresser these days, foregoing bloomers for leggings, and leggings only!  You can talk to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.  You literally talk our ears off ALL of the TIME!!!  You can be so polite; your friends' parents often tell us how well you used your manners at their house even when we are not around.  But you also know how to antagonize your brother like it is a full time job!!  If I was anything like you at this age, then it is no wonder why Uncle Scott and Mommy got into so much trouble as kids!!  You have some amazing facial expressions and can be such a character!!  But you can also be as stubborn as a mule and frequently remind Mom & Dad it is okay to laugh!
 
The other night you snuck in Mom & Dad's room and slept on the floor beside our bed, while I was in the shower you started talking in your dream and said, "no, I do not want to eat the turtle, no turtle....okay, I'll eat the turtle" at which point you threw up in real life!!!  It was the weirdest thing ever!!  Your dream made you throw up in real life....no more dreams!!
 
We are so glad you are 5 and cannot wait to see what happens in the next 5 :)  Love you snuggle buggle :)

Monday, May 13, 2013

Ballet Practice....Dad's Version

Proof they can be nice to each other ... nice huh?!?
 Obviously, it could not last forever, but it lasted long enough for us to create proof....
 Then, there is the official uniform for the ballerina....super cute, huh?!?
She is ready for her recital in just a few weeks.....proof that everyone needs a girl :)

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Graduation 2013!!!

He did it!!! Eric graduated yesterday with his Bachelor's and Master's degrees!!  Yippee!!  We are so proud of him!!!
 
I did not have the best angle for pictures, so please forgive....of course there were professional pictures made, so we do not have to worry that these are the only one we have :)
 He is trying to tell jokes to the name reader....kidding!!
 Up close, about to walk across the stage.
There he goes!!  Yeah!!  We are so proud of him and glad he made it through!!