H's Birthday Wish List

Mimi called last weekend wanting to know what Hayes wanted for his upcoming birthday in July. As soon as we hung up the phone, Hayes got busy on his list for Mimi and Papa. It was two-sided with specific gifts he wanted from Mimi and specific gifts he wanted from Papa. Here is page one . . .and then flip it over to see the other side . . .(His list was heavily influenced by a trip last week to Target where he perused the toy aisle as he searched for a birthday gift for a friend.) The numbers represent the actual number of those items that he wants. So, for example on the second page, from Papa he wants 3 X-Men, 1 Hulk, and 2 more X-Men.

Can you tell he is quite obsessed with superheroes right now? :-)

Hide-and-Seek

Almost nightly after dinner, Thomas and the kids play hide-and-seek. Eleanor and Hayes are very conscientious about helping Ben play too. Ben likes to hide with Daddy under the duvet in our room or behind our curtains. His challenge is staying quiet. He's learned what the "Shhh" sound means, but he spends all of his time making that sound while hiding and the seeker can quickly locate him. When he's not hiding, Ben also enjoys playing the seeker role. He starts counting with "8, 9, 10 ready go!" all the while having his older siblings scream that they are not yet ready. Tonight, Daddy really got into the game when they moved it upstairs. He found a new hiding place that was challenging for the kids to find. Unfortunately for me, it was in my laundry closet where he broke two light bulbs and messed up some recently-folded laundry. I guess that's the cost of having some fun!

H's Class Party

Yesterday, Hayes's class had their end-of-the-year party at a classmate's house. Since E was out of school, she joined us as well. (Her Pre-K party, two years ago, was at this same house.) The kids jumped on the trampoline, did the zip line, ran in relay races and had tons of fun. Before they had lunch, they even remembered to say the blessing!After lunch, Ms. George gave the kids medals for successfully completing their Pre-K year. We ended our time at the party with a photo op. Here is Hayes with his two awesome teachers, Ms. George and Ms. Gaither. Eleanor also had them for Pre-K so we let her take a picture with them as well. Congratulations Hayes! You have graduated from the Preschool and are moving on to Kindergarten! Hip, hip hooray!

U-Pick Strawberries

Today, I took Eleanor and Hayes south of town to pick strawberries at Southern Belle Farm. It was a last minute decision, and I must admit that I was second-guessing the trip the entire hour drive south to the farm. In the end though, it was well worth it. Both kids admitted that they had a ton of fun. It was rather warm, a balmy 85 degrees. Hayes kept asking where the shade was because he was sooo hot.
I used this as a teaching opportunity to remind him that plants, including strawberries, need SUN to make their food. Eleanor kept wanting to pick and pick and pick some more. It is one of those places that you hate to leave because you know you are leaving so many delicious, juicy strawberries right there in the field! We came home with three of these bucket-fulls.We look forward to trying to make some strawberry fruit roll-ups and maybe even some jam if mom starts feeling daredevil-ish.

Last Day of First Grade

Today is Eleanor's last day of first grade. It sure is hard to believe that we will soon have a second grader in our midst. I thought it would be fun to compare pictures taken on the last day and first day of first grade. (Some photos from the bus stop are courtesy of our neighbors, the Djurics - thank you!) So, here they are . . .

Here is Eleanor on the last day getting ready to head to the bus stop. She's wearing her school shirt because she is going on a field trip to the Chattahoochee Nature Center. I can't wait to hear all about it!Here she was on the first day of school back in August, nine months ago. Next, here is a photo of Eleanor and her two fellow first grade friends on the street, Maddy and Francie. The trio back in August looked a little perkier, didn't they? Both Hayes and Ben made a trip to the bus stop this morning to mark this special occasion. Here are Hayes and his friend Henry messing around. Ben rarely makes trips to the bus stop so he's a little unsure of the whole scene.
Little did the boys know that last night, they missed quite the excitement on the street when a pothole was discovered. The city came in and placed this metal plate over the hole until they find the time to come fix it. Anytime you tell boys to stay away from something, they are immediately drawn to it, aren't they?!

Congrats Eleanor on completing your first grade year!

How to get what you want

This little guy has figured out the easy way to win his mother's heart. Any time he wants or needs something, he says with a big grin on his face, "Peas, Mommy. Peas?" Then, when he gets what he wants, he immediately says, "Tank oo." I've advised his older siblings that if they followed Ben's lead and used good manners, they would be more successful at getting what they want. Food for thought . . .

Cousins

The kids got a special treat this past weekend when all of their Carroll cousins came over to our house for an hour. I can't remember the last time all of them were together - maybe Christmas? Eleanor and Hayes had been looking forward to Saturday all week and were so excited when Saturday finally arrived. (Ben is happy with whatever makes E & H happy.)

The cousins joined some neighbors and played a mean game of kickball after we first had a visit from . . . our local ice cream truck. Our favorite! All of the kids (except for Everly who was inside napping) celebrated their being together with popsicles. Ben even got to participate with what might have been his first ever treat from the ice cream truck. I think he ended up wearing more of the popsicle than he consumed. Thanks for the short but sweet visit, cousins!

Haircut

When Ben's teacher comments on the length of his hair (as she has done in the past), we know we have let it grow too long. Last Thursday, when I went to pick him up from school, she said to me, "We were just talking about how Ben does not have the longest hair in the class because Hayes does, but Hayes's hair is like a girl's." She was indirect, but she got her point across.

After hearing this comment on Thursday, Ben's hair was cut first thing Saturday morning. Here he is last week, BEFORE he visited the local barber shop. Here is the AFTER from the front
and the side.
It was needed, and I am actually grateful for his teacher's gentle suggestion. It sure is nice to be able to see his pretty blue eyes again!

Spring Sports Finale

Eleanor's spring soccer and Hayes's spring t-ball came to an end this weekend. Eleanor's team fought hard against a team of third grade girls and ended up tying 2-2. That was victory enough for the excited parents! She came home with her trophy and her "award" from her coaches. I was especially proud of Eleanor's team award which was "The need for speed and no greed." I know she can be fast, but the "no greed" part was what I liked the most!

Hayes's team completed the season with another great game. (We don't keep score.) All of the boys showed some improvement from the beginning of the season which made the games fun to watch. Hayes was thrilled to get another trophy to add to his young collection. When presenting Hayes with his trophy, Coach Crouch said that Hayes was probably the team's best fielder, which thrilled Hayes to no end. Ben was in attendance for both games and eagerly awaited each end-of-the-season party so that he could snag a piece of the sugar-infused party treats. I think he had three juice boxes, a piece of cookie cake, a bag of Cheetos and a few bites of a blue-icinged cupcake. As you can imagine, he was a sugar-crashing junk-food-inducing mess later that afternoon!

Uninvited But Very Welcome Guests

We have just discovered that we have a family of baby birds in our midst. Who would have thought that they would actually have made their nest in our backyard birdhouse that Eleanor made at Art Camp last summer?! The birdhouse is hanging high enough that we cannot see inside, but we have seen Momma Bird travel back and forth. When the babies are awake, you can hear them chirping away inside, and the house starts to sway. I've tried to determine what type of birds they are. My bet is that they are a type of Flycatcher, but I have not been able to see Momma well enough to confirm my suspicions.

Now She's A Brownie

Eleanor had her Girl Scout "Bridge" Ceremony where she officially crossed over from a Daisy to a Brownie. Her two troop leaders, Ms. Dyan and Ms. Alison said a few words before the girls "performed." Then, they figuratively crossed the bridge from Daisy world to Brownie world, and the ceremony was over. The audience appeared less-than-interested until we pointed out the cookies and brownies on the table in the back of the room!Congratulations, Eleanor, on completing your first year of Girl Scouts!

Ben's Reading Routine

Ben has developed quite a routine when it is time to read him a book before bed. What does he need? (photo pulled from the archives)
1. He likes his door closed and HE must do it.
2. He likes the pillow out of the chair. If he sees it there (I like it for back support), he'll throw it off.
3. He needs to sit on the left side of the chair. I think it is easier for him to climb up on this side so this is what he has gotten used to.
4. The reading light needs to be on.
5. His Doggy must be in the chair with him and sometimes even his juice cup.

Isn't it cute how children find such comfort in their routines?

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day on Sunday. Who can argue with breakfast in bed? I was served scrambled eggs, bacon, a pancake with syrup, peanut butter toast (my favorite) and a glass of orange juice (at E's request). They even topped it off with a King-sized pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, my ultimate weakness. A few minutes later, Hayes walked into our bedroom with a chocolate chip cookie cake that he and Dad had decorated while I was eating my breakfast. I truly appreciated all of the indulgence!

In addition to the yummy breakfast, each child had a card or gift to share with me. Here is Eleanor's sweet card. The peace signs are all the rage right now so she had to include one on my Mother's Day card. Hayes's card had a touching note that he verbalized to his teacher. I guess our lessons about appreciation have hit home. We often tell him that he needs to appreciate what others do for him, using as an example how I make him all of his meals. I've asked him one-too-many-times, "Hayes, would you be able to make all of your meals yourself if I did not do it? " Finally, Ben brought home from school this little memento made with his fingerprints. He likes to hold it and say,"Butterfly. Butterfly."

Thanks for a memorable Mother's Day, kids (and Daddy)!

Carry You

One of Ben's current "Ben-isms" is his use of the phrase "carry you." When he wants me to carry him, he'll say to me, "Carry you, Mommy. Carry you." He's picked it up from me always asking him, "Do you want me to carry you?" I know he'll eventually figure out that he's using an improper pronoun, but I love that now, as a new talker, this is how he words it.

Inquiring Mind

On a daily basis, Hayes comes up with some pretty challenging questions for his mom. Here is a one day's sample of what Hayes's inquiring mind wants to know . . .

What if I got eaten by a lot of stuff?
What if I was allergic to fruits and vegetables?
What if I had 100 things in my belly?
What do you like more - the news or basketball?
What would you do if I got a hole in one on a par infinity?
What if Fellini's Pizza was called Fellini Pizza?
What if I had to go everywhere at the same time? At 1:00?
What if Georgia Tech beat Ohio State? (referring to the NCAA Tournament; we still analyze our brackets daily and contemplate what if scenarios regarding all of the games' outcomes.)
Is Clemson tough?
Are they (Clemson) tough in basketball?
What if I could hold the whole world all the way up until Jupiter?
Is the sky everywhere?

Do you have any answers to some of these questions? I'd love some help, as he stumped me on most of them!

Event-full Day

Today was a busy day! Hayes's class celebrated their mothers and invited us to join them for a sweet lunch at school. At the lunch, each child had a masterpiece similar to the one below to give to their mothers. I love getting keepsakes like this one and think my flower is beautiful. :-)

Once I finished celebrating my role as Mom with Hayes, I was off to watch Eleanor participate in her school's annual Field Day. I think her class (and all of the other first graders) ended up rotating around the campus to play almost 10 different games. I was there to witness them try to throw these styrofoam rockets at blow-up planets for points and then have some fun with a parachute. I'm worn out, and I bet the kids are too. Thanks to E and H for treating me to a fun day!

Happy Birthday, Daddy

We spent today celebrating Dad's birthday. The kids made him multiple birthday cards and enjoyed eating most of his ice cream birthday cake. Ben even got in on the singing of "Happy Birthday."

At each birthday, Dad gets retrospective. Here, you can see Dad and the kids looking at a photo album of our first house, Baxter as a puppy and our current house when we bought it seven years ago. The kids love looking at these pictures, and I know Dad does too.

We hope your birthday was great, Dad! You work hard, but you also know that being a father and husband are your most important "jobs" in the world. Thanks for doing all that you do for us!