14 Years and Counting

I was rummaging around my pictures in the attic earlier in the week and came across some engagement and bridal pictures.  It's hard to
believe Matt and I celebrated our fourteenth anniversary this week.  **I just paused in my blogging to Monster Clean my computer screen which is covered in fingerprints, smudges and sneeze splatters and am reminded of how much our lives have changed during this journey of marriage.  Karson and Isaac are coloring in the dining room.  Miles is throwing his Wii controller down in the living room frustrated by his gaming abilities on Donkey Kong (the world's hardest game ever).  I just got around to eating dinner at 9:00 p.m.  Matt is on an overnight golf trip with family and buddies from church.
This is our life.

If I could go back in time and talk to these two people, I don't know where I would begin?  I might tell them to save a little more money, take better care of their bodies, pick a career path that offers excellent retirement, and so on.  

I knew I had met my mate the minute he came to the HFC student center over 17 years ago.  Matt and I had an instant connection, and although it took a few months to actually "hook up", I think we both knew we had met our "other half".  We dated three years before making it official and have coasted along for 14 years.  

I don't want this blog to get mushy so here are 7 things I don't like about Matt

 -- you didn't see that coming did you?!?!:

#1  He's smart, really smart, nerd smart and has more retention in one finger than I have ever had in my entire brain.  I guess I'm more jealous of this than dislike it.

#2  His car always stinks and is full of grass.  I think a large part of that is due to his love of golf.

#3  He sometimes loves his iPhone more than me.

#4  He still looks identical to the first day we met.  I, on the other hand, look haggard.

#5  Women love Matt.  From the teens at South to lil' old women in the nursing home.

#6  He brushes his teeth more than a dental hygienist does in a work day.  J/k but he does brush his teeth a lot.  In fact, we joke that maybe we should have separate toothpastes just to see how quickly he can go through a tube.

#7  He snores loud enough to wake up an entire city block.  In fact, he has been banned to Karson's bedroom until he goes to a sleep clinic.  Sleep is crucial with three kids--he knows it, I know it.  Goodbye Matt, enjoy sleeping under your cat comforter.

Now, I have to balance it out with 7 things that I LOVE about Matt:

#1  Thank goodness Matt's genes have passed on to our children who seem to breeze through school.  I'm no dummy but certainly didn't score in the top 5% of my class like the nerds I live with.

#2  He decided to give up his brand new truck so we could purchase the Highlander.  I know he enjoyed that truck very much, but on the flip side, I know he wanted to be practical and not drive two vehicles that consume loads of gas.

#3  Thank goodness he knows how to use iTunes.  All of the Apple products keep me thoroughly confused and frustrated.

#4 & 5 I still have a smokin' hot husband who still turns heads.  I've heard from more than one parent at South that the girls really like Matt.  I'm not entirely sure how to process those comments, but I guess they should be flattering?  Who knows.

#6  He likes minty, fresh breath. I can think of worse habits.

#7 He snores deeply because he works so hard to provide us with a comfortable living.

I'm going to add a few other "loves" to the list:  

*Matt is always texting or emailing me love notes.  He is very complimentary of my looks, my outfit which is nice to hear. I never doubt for one second how he feels about me.  

*He loves my cooking which is terrible.

*His laugh is music to my ears.  We spend most of our days laughing at life, each other and our kids.

*Matt sees the good in everything and everyone. He rarely speaks in a negative manner.

Simply put, I got a good guy and am lucky he's an awesome husband and wonderful dad.  I sure hope our children have spouses like him.

Matt and I spent our anniversary day (June 5) in Nashville.  We asked my mom to keep our kids overnight so we could stay at the Sheraton Music City which is where we stayed the second night of our honeymoon.  We got couples massages, shopped in Green Hills, ate at Pei Wei, had dessert at The Cheesecake Factory and caught a movie.  We spent Thursday morning/afternoon visiting The Hermitage.  I knew Matt would enjoy that since he teaches U.S. History.  I was more entertained than I thought I would be--I think history is interesting but am by no means an enthusiast.  We walked the grounds and learned all about our nations 7th President.  Afterwards, we went to Opry Mills for more shopping.  The shopping ventures were more for me.  Matt isn't a shopper but tags along to keep me company.  We got back to Bowling Green around 4 p.m., and I went to pick up our kiddos.  I'm grateful for my life, my husband of 14 years and our children.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to US!

You Know It's Summer Break When...

#1 You go to Dollar General with three kids to purchase flip flops (for your child that just broke her pair) and leave with TNT Pop Its and NO flip flops.

#2 You spend Memorial Day weekend at the lake with extended family and find yourself reflecting on all the fun times you had as a child growing up at Nolin. I'm thankful my kids are having the same experiences--minus the sunburns and poison ivy outbreaks.

#3  You have birthday parties for very special stuffed animals.  Isaac and Jerry Deaton have been inseparable for years.  He always let's us know when June 1st is coming because it's Jerry's Birthday.  This year he even made a special invitation for his party.  I bought cupcake mix/frosting, some Dollar store gifts and party blowers.

Isaac and Jerry have always had such a special bond.

#4 You have more projects than you can count.  We have a few painting (ugh) projects in the works.  We decided it was time to switch the kids bedrooms.  Our two boys share a bedroom, but Karson's bedroom is larger (especially her closet).  I've wanted to switch them for some time but knew what all that would involve.  However, Matt and I got the itch on Tuesday and switched everything out.  It took a lot longer than I thought it would.  Once we got everything in place, I decided to get to work on the boys room--aka PAINT.  I brought home paint swatches with blues and greens.  After talking with the boys, we settled on green.  I coaxed my mom into helping me paint because Matt had to work on Wednesday, and I was ready to get started.  It only took us about two hours to put the first coat on.  I did the rolling, and she did the trim.  The second coat took a little longer because I did it alone--it ended up taking about 3 hours.  The room looks great, love that green!

Karson's room will take a little longer because she needs a new comforter, and I may have to refinish her furniture again.  Her room will involve a lot more effort.  We went comforter shopping yesterday and found one she liked at Kohl's (pictured below).

Seriously, Kohl's always has the BEST deals in town.  Since we were directly next to Home Depot, we went ahead and picked out our paint as well.  Looks like ROBIN EGG blue for Karson's room.  I'm not sure how soon I'll tackle that project--probably towards the end of next week.

 #5 You eat blue raspberry snow cones at the water park until your tongue looks like this. My neighbor Jennie and I tackled our five children at Russell Sims Thursday.  It was the PERFECT day to go to the water park which is normally slammed with people.  I guess all the day camps aren't in full swing yet so the park wasn't crowded at all.






#6 You realize how badly you need a facebook hiatus.  I have found myself locked into a facebook warp zone.  Although it has lots of great positives, it has an equal amount of negatives.  It like an addictive virus that steals my attention with very little relevant information.  It's become a waste of time for me, and I want to change that and focus my attentions elsewhere ESPECIALLY in the summer when my precious kids are home.


#7  You make an endless supply of snack backs because if you don't, your children will be CONSTANTLY hungry.  I wish I could find this motivation during the school year.  I would save myself tons of time and money.


# 8 You know camps are coming.  Karson is our camp attender and wants to participate in lots of them.  Her line-up for the summer includes:  SWHS Spartan's Basketball Camp, WKU's volleyball camp, SKyPAC's theater camp and a Saturday clinic at SWHS for volleyball.  She is also considering attending Greenwood Park's church camp for the first time.





# 9  & # 10  -- These go hand in hand.  You know it's summer break when you go to bed late and sleep in.  I love not having a rigid schedule to maintain. Rest is such a blessing, and although our summer has just begun, I already feel a sense of peace from not being in a hurry all the time.

Awards and SUCH

The last day of school is absolutely the BEST day of the year.  Even our local Sonic drive-in had some menu specials for the last day of school!  It's super exciting.  The kids got up earlier than usual, and were ready to complete their last day.

Karson is growing at alarming rates.  I had to go and purchase her an entire NEW summer wardrobe this week. She is incredibly tall and lean and stunning.  She's at a tricky stage for dressing too.  It's hard to find that in-between style.  The clothes are either juvenile or the what I like to call "the clubbing look" with glitter and sequence (half shirts which require tanks).  I found some great Memorial Day weekend sales throughout the week at the mall and was able to get her a wide variety of outfits.

The boys style tends to be more optional.  I'm just happy if their clothes are clean and match =).

The awards ceremonies weren't staggered in my favor.  Miles's and Isaac's awards were at exactly the same time.  I didn't want to miss either but had to choose Miles's.  Kindergarten was a special achievement for him.  I explained to Isaac that I would have to miss his, and he seemed okay with that.  Miles received a few awards.  I tried to actually get pictures of Mr. Coleman
handing them to him, but he was running up a warp speed so I was only able to get an in-transit picture.  I was incredibly happy he received awards for Wonderful Writer and Most Improved Writer.  I know his preschool teacher Ms. Teresa would be quite proud.  Miles never enjoyed coloring or really anything that involved fine-motor skills.  He scribbled and put little effort into his work.  This was not the case in kindergarten.  Miles worked really hard at writing and now writes book all the time at our house.  Way to go MILES!

Mr. Coleman our fearless leader!

 

I noticed at Miles's ceremony some of the 2nd grade students were already creeping in with parents so I knew I had missed the entire ceremony.  Thank goodness for my friend Courtney Clark who was able to get his awards on video for me.

He got the Ravenous Reader and Fast Math Whiz awards.  I went to Isaac's classroom to chat with his teacher when Miles's ceremony was winding down.  I didn't want to pull Miles out to early because his friend Landon was sharing cupcakes with the class for his birthday.  Apparently Isaac's class had cupcakes too.  Look at those hot pink lips.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that Cooper will be in Isaac's class again next year.
These two boys have a ball together!

Karson's ceremony didn't start until 1 p.m.  Her teacher Ms. White got pretty emotional when talking about the kids.  I imagine you get incredibly close to children at this age.  They are older, more mature, have developed their personality by now, can operate independently and just plain fun to be around.  Karson got a variety of awards:  All 'A' Honor Roll, Academic Team, Good Attendance, Spectacular Speller and the P.E. awards.  

Not sure if I mentioned this before in a prior blogpost, but Karson was recently selected to apply for Warren County school's 212 Academy.  Initially I thought it was only a handful of students from each school who received this application but later learned there were over 400+ applicants.  I didn't attend the orientation session simply because I wasn't sure if Karson stood a chance. And, the academy is for both 5th and 6th grade students.  She had to write two essays.  We also had to fill out information forms about her abilities--I believe Ms. White and her GT teacher had to do this as well.  It was a process. I'd heard we know something by the end of school so we anxiously awaited news (which never came).  The last day of school came and went, still no news.  I was starting to wonder if we'd hear one way or another if she got in.  I started texting with a friend on Friday morning and found out her 5th grader (going to be 6th grader) was selected to participate.  She proceeded to tell me that he had received a letter in the mail.  Her 4th grade son, however, didn't get an acceptance letter.  I immediately started thinking maybe they were only taking 6th grade students from Plano for next year.  Then another friend mentioned her daughter got in, and she is Karson's age.  I kept my fingers crossed that Karson would be selected and couldn't wait to get home to check the mail.  However, I was at work and had to wait =(.  Me and the kids didn't get home until late in day.  Karson had broken her flip flop so we needed to make a run to Dollar General to try and find some new ones.  We ended up not getting them but managed to get Snap Pop firecrackers instead (you all know the summer drill).  Anyway, I had told Karson that she would know something today about 212.  We finally made it home, and she rushed to the mail box and.....

You can visit the 212 Academy Web Site if you'd like to see the specifics of what the students will be covering the next school year.  I don't know a lot of details except the students will travel by bus to the school (which is housed at Warren County's Aquatic Center) one day a week.  They won't have homework and will not have to make-up any of the work missed in class that day.  We are proud of this special opportunity for our Karson!

HAPPY SUMMER BREAK EVERYONE!!!

Chopsticks

As a child, I never really had the desire to play an instrument.  I joined band in 6th grade because almost everyone did.  My poor parents had to hear me "play" the Cornet for months.  I have no idea why I chose a trumpet over the flute or something that sounds pretty.  It was the HORNS for me.  I remember lugging that giant instrument case back and forth to school.  Not only were you responsible for the instrument, you had to maintain it as well.  I had to oil the valves and pistons, clean the mouthpiece, and swab out the spit release--YUCK.  Thank goodness Karson has chosen to play the piano.  Although I love hearing her play, her OCD tendencies can kick in where she is constantly playing the same songs over and over again.  I'm quite certain I've heard Chopsticks and Good King Wenceslas over 100 times this month.  Part of that constant practicing and perfecting had to do with her spring recital which was Monday night.

 I think the other part had to do with our recent purchase of a new portable keyboard.  Karson started out on a 49-key Yamaha.  However, as she has grown as a pianist and is playing slightly more difficult songs, she needed more keys.  She told me a few weeks ago that she couldn't play some of her songs because she didn't have enough keys.  I began the online search for a better-suited keyboard for her.  I have never been in the market for an actual piano.  They are large, bulky and quite simply, we don't have room for one in our house.  I know piano is something Karson is going to stick with so I really wanted a nice keyboard for her to use.  I ordered one off Amazon.com thinking it would be perfect.  It was a total piece of junk--light weight, cheaply assembled (heading back to Amazon).  It was NOTHING like our Yamaha.  The upside was it cost less than $100 (our Yamaha was free).  I knew I would have to grit my teeth and spend some dough on a nice one.  I went to a local retailer to look over their keyboards and get a feel for what she might need.  I also talked to my sister about it--her kids have been in piano for about two years.  Her advice:  get a keyboard with a built-in metronome.  She said as Karson's pieces get harder, she will rely on that a lot.  I started my online search again and finally found the perfect fit for her--a 76-Key Casio.  It wasn't terribly expensive and had exactly what she needed.

Karson was the second performer at her recital.  The recital took place in Greenwood High School's auditorium at 4 p.m.  I am always amazed by Karson's abilities.  She is certainly an over-achiever and is constantly pushing herself to learn something new.  I am one proud momma!  Enjoy CHOPSTICKS!

What Every Mother My Age Wants on Mother's Day

All mothers want a picture where all the kids are smiling (open eyes are a bonus too).  Check!

We all want dead flowers in terra cotta pots.  Check!

We want multi-colored bath salts made with steady hands.  Check!

We want cards with brightly colored pictures and words of sentiment.  Check!

We want school projects where our children have written all the things they like about us (I'd like to tell my Mom...that she is X-treme!).  Check! 

We want to be fussed over by our spouses who have to purchase gifts for us "from the kids". 

My request, a facial from Regina Webb.  Not only do I love getting facials there, I really like Regina Webb herself.  She's an awesome person--her grandson goes to school with Karson too.  Check!

We also need donuts on Mother's Day that will be housed in the muffin top that still hasn't disappeared post babies.  Thanks Matt for the Sunday morning donut run.  I'll never pass up a GAD chocolate iced donut.  Check (x2)!

But truly, what most mother's my age want...is to see Justin Timberlake in concert in Nashville--got my tickets this morning.  Actually, we just want a fun night out with girlfriends to help remind us that although we love and adore our children immensely, it's okay to be selfish and do something for yourself once in a while.  Check Plus!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY BLOG READERS AND FRIENDS!

KPREP Week

Family members emailed the kids cards of encouragement
which I printed and put on index cards for testing week.

The kids begin spring testing this week--more specifically tomorrow.  This means bedtime will come early this week and next which I highly DISLIKE because the weather is supposed to be nice this week.  I want the kids to play and run around outside all afternoon and into the evening.  It's been raining non-stop for days.  Plus, Karson got a brand-new bike, a 24-incher.  

Karson's new bike was a much-needed upgrade and well-deserved 
reward for the accomplishment(s) she had last school year for KPREP.

Her awards ceremony was yesterday morning.  I had never been to an awards ceremony for testing and wasn't sure what to expect or how long the ceremony would last. I made an effort to go ahead and get ready for work (instead of rolling into Plano in my PJ's or work-out clothes on my non-work days--HAH) which meant I needed to get up earlier than usual.  Ugh.  I'm not worth much before 7 a.m. I arrived at Plano at 8:30 and took a spot on the school gym.  I had texted Karson's teacher asking her what she should wear to the ceremony (aka:  did she need to dress up or not?).  Karson isn't a girly girl by any means.  I didn't want to put her in something nice mainly because I knew she would be playing basketball with the boys, dress clothes and all, at recess.  She's told me more than once lately that the boys are starting to "pick her" to be on their team.  Her teacher told me she didn't need to dress up but not to wear sweatpants or anything.  I put her in her usual jeans and Justice top.  My jaw almost dropped when I saw all the students filing into the gym, most of the girls dressed in nicer clothes--much like the one's you would see on picture day--dresses and skirts.  Eeeeek!  I should've known better, but really, Karson didn't care (or notice) at all.  That's my girl =).  Lesson learned, she'll dress a little nicer next year.

Karson received a distinguished score in both math and reading.  It is quite an achievement, and we are so proud of her.  Her precious teacher Ms. Tinsley (from last year) is handing her the award in the picture below.  She holds a special place in our hearts.  I sure hope Isaac has the privilege of having her next school year.

Receving her distinguised awards, jeans and all!

Karson, Kaitlyn and Nathan holding up their awards.  Kaitlyn and Karson have been friends since kindergarten and lives in our neighborhood.  Nathan is Karson's best "boy" friend.  They truly enjoy each other and like Kaitlyn, have been friends since kindergarten.  I absolutely love Nathan's mom Christy.  She is my partner-in-crime at Plano.  If I ever have any questions, concerns and just need a sounding board, I call Christy.  I'm thankful that Christy also has a son Isaac's age which means we're going to be at Plano together for many years to come.

A big congratulations to Karson and all her precious friends for a job well done!

4th Grade Recorder Recital, no Earplugs Necessary

The last two Tuesday nights have been spent at Plano Elementary watching my children perform music-related numbers.  Miles had his performance last week (see post below), and Karson had her 4th grade performance this week.  I didn't have the opportunity to play the recorder as a 4th grader, but apparently, every other child on the planet did.  When I told people about the recorder recital, they would always begin with...I remember doing that in 4th grade.  Thanks a lot Ms. Flowers--I totally feel slighted not having that experience!  

When Karson started school this year, she was asked to purchase her own recorder for music class.  The first semester of school the students worked on what the teacher called "Recorder Karate".   This method of teaching is a reward system where children earn different colored belts to tie on their recorders for each progressively harder tune they master.  I know this is shocking, but Karson was on the fast-track to getting all her belts and practiced all the time.  At Plano, however, students don't have their "specials" classes each week.  They have them for an entire week during each rotation so teachers can teach concepts to the children.  SO, Karson couldn't take her recorder tests until the week she had music as her special.  I believe it only took her a month or two to receive all her belts. She has thoroughly enjoyed playing the recorder (but quite honestly it is much more pleasant hearing her play the piano).

I didn't know what to expect the night of the performance.  Karson had received little information about  it.  I know musical instruments aren't for everyone so I'm thinking Ms. Cothran wasn't wanting to make the recital mandatory for everyone.  I noticed there were only a handful of children in attendance.  I had no idea what to expect.  I'd heard Karson practice enough that I was dreading attending a performance where 60+ kids would be blowing on those suckers.  However, the delivery Ms. C took was beautiful.  The classes played a few songs together with musical accompaniment.  Then, each individual class played two songs a piece.  The concert ended with two duets.  Karson was bummed that she wasn't in a duet although they literally lasted less than a minute total.

Here is a sample of the performance.  I'm looking forward to more recorder recitals.