Ooo...Aaahhh

So to answer your question, yes, we have been doing a LOT of home improvement projects this year.

2010: the year of the hammer. And nails. And a porch. And a kitchen.

This week brought us shiny, new granite counter tops and a fabulous under-mount stainless steel sink and faucet.

The before and after shots tell it all.

Before:

After:

Before:
(Scott pulled the sink out before I could take a picture)

After:After:

After:

Our small kitchen actually feels bigger. Is that weird?

Next up is the tile for the back splash around the counter top and stove area.

Then the new tile floor.

Then the updated cabinet hardware.

Whew.

Thank goodness all we are actually doing ourselves is the hardware :)

Back in the Saddle Again

Another week of track out has come and gone and, with it, another week of horseback riding camp. I cannot stress enough how much Eliza Grace enjoys riding, feeding and generally being around horses.

It has been at or near 100 degrees every day this week so she does come home hot and dirty and tired. But she has loved every sweaty moment of it.


She has gotten better at posting, learned to canter a bit and even went over a very small jump. She has also already asked me if I have signed her up for the September track out camp. I better get on that right now!

Eliza Grace canters on Rascal

Eliza Grace does not mean to canter on Rascal
while approaching a small jump :)

Voila!

Makes you want to come over and sit a spell, now doesn't it?

Well, what are you waiting for? I guarantee we have cold beer :)

Patty O'Furniture

18 parts to a 6 piece patio furniture set: Check

12 assorted seat cushions and accent pillows: Check

10 page instruction manual, assorted nuts,
bolts, screws and tools: Check

House phone, iPhone, water: Check

iPhone playing 80's tunes: Check

I am going to put one chair together before Scott comes home.

Just to prove that I can.

Wish me luck!

Today I am an Explorer!

So Long Ladybugs!

Last Friday, Will transitioned from the Ladybugs to the Explorers class in preschool.

This is a big deal because this is the last class he will be in until he starts Kindergarten in July 2011!

After touring and interviewing 8 different centers, we chose to send Will to Kids R Kids of Cary (KrK) when he was 18 months old, which coincided with when Eliza Grace started Kindergarten.

It was a difficult decision for me, as I had many times espoused how I would not send my children to daycare. I had a definite bias against the traditional day care environment. Which explains why I called his daycare "school" from the first day. I think it made me feel better.

However, we have had a wonderful experience with KrK. We love the Moye's who own and operate the center, we love the teachers and we love the environment. And I really love the in-room and playground cameras that I can watch from my computer. It has given me great peace of mind and allowed me to peek in on my boy throughout the work day.

For the past 3 years, Will has changed classrooms about every six months, moving with his peers into age appropriate classes. Now he will end his tenure at KrK in the Explorers class.

He has been a little weepy over not being with Ms. Stephanie and Ms. Amanda everyday but he is also excited about the change. He is particularly thrilled about having a new block center and home center in which to play. And today, as he got dressed he reminded me that, "today I am an Explorer!"

So goodbye Ladybugs, hello Explorers. Next stop (in just over 12 months): Kindergarten!

The bat cave!

Blocks! I must build!

Oooo! New home center, complete with workbench and tools!

Goodbye Second Grade!

Waiting for the bus on the last day of 2nd grade!

This past Tuesday marked the last day of 2nd grade for Eliza Grace.

After giving our retiring bus driver, Mrs. Dunn, a farewell gift, Eliza Grace headed to school for a fun day of board games and pizza with her classmates.

3rd grade begins in a little less than 5 weeks but in the meantime she has weekly swim meets, horseback riding camp, drama camp and a week at the beach - whew, what a fun summer break!

Playing Pirate Hooky!

I am trying to be more intentional when it comes to being spontaneous with my kids.

I know that sounds oxymoronic (is that a word?) but it is the best way I can describe it.

I have to do this because deep down I am a planner. With a capital P.

I like rules. I like to follow rules. I like to be on time. I like to know what's coming. I like to be prepared.

But I know that when my kids look back at their childhood, they will not remember (or appreciate, for that matter) how much time and energy I might have spent planning a family vacation or ensuring they were not late for school or that they went to bed on time.

What they will remember is the time their Mom took to play with them, listen to them, encourage them and just be with them. And, hopefully, they will remember those few precious times when Mom surprised them by chucking the rules out the window to have some fun.

That is what I did yesterday with Will.

After we dropped Eliza Grace off at school, I turned to Will and said, "I think we should play hooky today." The rest of the conversation went like this:

Will: "What's hooky"

Me: "It's when I take the day off work and you take the day off from school and we go play."

Will: "Really?!" (You should have seen those big, round eyes and the smiling dimples that popped out - that alone made my day!)

Me: "Yep, so what do you say we go home, get on your swim suit, throw your pirate costume over it and head to Jordan Lake for a pirate play date, complete with boat ride."

Will: "YES!"

Now, before you think I have strayed too far from my true self, I have to confess that I planned this "spontaneous" play date a week prior, after learning about this fun activity from one of Will's classmate's Mom, with whom I arranged to meet there with her son.

So in the end, I think it was the best of both worlds. I got to plan and Will got to be spontaneous and we had an absolutely fabulous time playing hooky.

I enjoyed the gorgeous sky while Capt. Willy (arrg!) was hopping around:

My pensive pirate:

Will got rid of the costume to splash in Jordan Lake

I just loved this tree growing from the edge of the shore

Will and Gabe waiting for Capt. Don to cast off

Field Day!

Eliza Grace has been counting down the days to the Salem Elementary field day for weeks.

And today it finally arrived.

The weather was perfect - 80 degrees and sunny.

The kids had a wonderful time getting wet, dunking their teachers and playing all kinds of games.

I love to volunteer for these kinds of events where the kids just have a fun time playing and being silly.

Despite the sunscreen I diligently applied, I am pretty sure I got a wee bit burned.

My station this year was the 2-man inflatable obstacle course race, which sounded like a lot of fun. And it was, but...

I have to say that after helping the 50th wet, slippery kid try to get up and through the entrance holes, I gave up trying to be delicate and just starting hauling them up by the seat of their pants and throwing them through. Which believe it or not just made them laugh and have more fun.

Did you know that there are SECOND GRADERS that are already FIVE FEET TALL and weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of EIGHTY POUNDS?? And that, despite their height, most still needed me to shove them up and onto the course??

Despite the back pain, sunburn and having an untold number of nasty wet socks kicked into my chest as I shoved them onto the course, I had a blast. And I think Eliza Grace and her best buddy, Annalisa, did too.

This just about sums the day up:

(Annalisa left, Eliza Grace, right)

Spring Frolicking

Goodbye, Sweet Lucy

Lucy puppy, October 1995

Today we said goodbye to our sweet dog, Lucy. A mere 6 weeks from her 15th birthday (105 to you and me!), we had to make the hardest yet most humane decision and bring an end to her pain.

Lucy was the runt of a motherless litter found on the side of the road in Montgomery County, Indiana. When Scott and I went to the county shelter to adopt our first "baby," I took one look at that little puppy, with that odd combination of Corgi and German Shepard and those silly Yoda-like ears and said "Mine!"

Scott named her Lucy for the express purpose that, if and when she had an accident in the house, he could use his Ricky Ricardo accent and say, "Luuucy, you got some 'splainin to do!"

We knew right away that Lucy was smart. I mean really smart. We had a Christmas bell on our front door when we were house training her and if she really needed to go out, she would jump up and hit the bell with her nose to get our attention. We did NOT teach her that, she just figured it out!

Another example: I (unwittingly) taught her to pee at the snap of my fingers. Standing out in the very, very cold Indiana winter, I would encourage Lucy to take care of business as quickly as possible, so I would take her out, snap my fingers and say, " Lucy, pee!" After a few days, all I had to do was snap. But that wasn't the really smart part. The really smart part was that if she knew that we were going to take her for a car ride and I snapped for her to pee, she would do her "fake squat." I am not kidding. She would pretend to pee so she could get in the car faster. Then we would call her on it and she would relent and actually go. She was a riot.

And she was sweet. Even though she was far from a lap dog, she was very friendly, loved to have her ears and belly scratched and was generally a very sweet-natured dog. More than one friend has told us that they were not really dog people but they really loved our Lucy.

Lucy spent her first 7 years as an "only child" and reveled in it. She loved to ride in the car, romp in the mountains on weekend trips to our cabin and play with her best friend, my Mom's golden retriever, Jenny.

She was fast and could turn on a dime. She would wait in our front yard for the neighborhood kids to come home from school and play "catch me if you can" with them. No one ever caught her and the kids could not wait to see her every day.

But alas, the day came when her peaceful world was rocked by the cries and coos of her red-headed human little sister. Although she definitely received a whole lot less attention, she fell in love with Eliza Grace and, as you can see, became the doting big sister:
And just about the time Lucy got used to one little person running around, along came another one, even louder and sillier than the one before. She tolerated their noise, enjoyed all of the crumbs that hit the floor, and even allowed quite a few kisses on the lips: We could not have asked for a better pet and we have been so blessed to have her as part of our family for such a long and healthy time.

We love you, Lucy, and we know that you are romping and playing with your best friend Jenny in that big, grassy field in the sky!

Four Year Old Honesty

Act 1:

Scene: Lazy Daze Park @ Bond Park, Cary, NC. I am pushing Will on one of those tall swings where you can go really high...
Will, very loudly giggling: "Mommy, it tickles, it tickles (giggle, giggle)"

Me: " I know! It tickles your tummy when you go so high, doesn't it?"

Will, again very loudly: "No, Mommy! It tickles my pen!$"

Oh, my, I think I actually felt the rush of wind as all the other parental heads whipped around at this announcement...and thankfully laughed with my embarrassment.

Act 2:
Scene: Walking back to our car, Lazy Daze Park @ Bond Park, Cary NC

Me: "Will, sweetie, we need to talk about sharing some things just with Mommy quietly in her ear....

Easter 2010

It has been a beautiful day to celebrate God's greatest gift of grace, love and mercy!

Our handsome little man...(who was not particularly thrilled about having his picture taken):

And our beautiful little lady... (who is always ready to pose for the camera):

Giddy Up!

Eliza Grace was so excited that the last week of track out was finally here, as this was the week she would attend a 3-day horseback riding camp.

Prior to this camp, Eliza Grace's equestrian experience amounted to a couple of trainer led pony rides, so my expectations for camp were simple ones. We hoped that she would become comfortable around ponies/horses, learn the basics about caring for/feeding/grooming the animals and a little bit about the equipment and how to use it.

We were more than very pleasantly surprised that Eliza Grace learned all the above and much more. To say she is comfortable in a barn and around horses is an understatement. The first couple of days she got to ride English saddle, side saddle and bare back. She watched the farrier shoe a horse and the large animal vet treat a horse with a sore in his mouth. She listened and learned well and when I went to watch her ride at the end of the third day, I was very impressed.

She was very comfortable with the small pony, could get her pony to walk and trot, she could steer him (and weave in and out of poles), and was learning to post. Of course, she had a wonderful teacher and the sweetest of animals on which to learn, so I know that helped immensely!

After she finished riding, she led the pony back to his stall, helped to remove his saddle, etc., brushed him down a bit, fed him a couple of carrots for being such a good boy and then led him out to the paddock like it was something she had been doing for years.

"I love you, Rumor"
Heading to the paddock to chill out

"Come'on, Rumor...we're going this way"

It was like she was born to do this. Which is really cool...and has our bank account shivering :)

Major kudos to Ms. Chelly, a most excellent teacher and to Rumor, the gentlest of ponies.

We have committed to letting her attend a week-long camp this summer and will discuss actual lessons at some point in the near future.

Here is a little bit of Eliza Grace (and Rumor and Ms. Chelly) live in action:

The Flip

Getting some height...

And some momentum...

Here's the wind up....

Up and over...

The eagle has landed...