Third Thursday Thoughts~ Remember the time?

Well, the Hearts at Home Blog Hop is back in action today, and the prompt for this month was 'Tell us about a time at the playground when that thing happened...' My minds went to several incidents from my childhood, but I decided that it was better to not rehash those. So I tracked a bit more into recent past and my time as a mom.

I can remember one gorgeous day in Nashville when, feeling ambitious and stir crazy all at once, I decided to take my newborn baby girl and 2 1/2 year old little dude to the playground down the street. Remy was itching to just get out of the house and run. We had a great time playing~ the drama came when it was time to go (isn't that always the case?!). I gave Remy a 5 minute warning to wrap up whatever he was involved in. The minutes wound down, and I told Remy that it was time.

At this point I'm carrying Halle in the Baby Bjorn front-carrier, and she was sweetly snoozing. I started to walk towards Remy, and he begins to scream bloody murder. 'NOOOOO!' I reached out my hand to grab his and he screams 'YOU ARE NOT MY MOMMY!'. Thankfully this particular playground was not very busy, and the few other moms who were there knew I wasn't kidnapping this child. But I was nonetheless mortified.

Halle begins to stir, and I knew that she was going to need to be nursed soon. So I lean in and grab Remy, who begins to gag himself. 'I will puke!' he yells as I take his hand and start to pull him to the car. He goes limp at this point and lets his body drag along the ground. I have never felt so humiliated. I look like a crazy, post-partum mess, kidnapping a sick noodle boy from the playground.

Thankfully I was able to get him into the car, though not yet in his carseat. I simply closed the door and walked around to put Halle in her seat first. I strapped her in and made my way again to Remy's side, where he had curled into a firm, sobbing ball on the floor. It seriously took every muscle I had to unfold him and get his buckles secured~ how are they so strong?!

So yeah, that was my finest playground moment... What's yours? I would love for you to link up and check out the other Hearts Bloggers that are 'hopping' along today!!

Under the Weather

We've been spending our days a bit like this... some crazy sickness has been working its way through these little bodies. One is sick then gets better, then the other gets it. Remy's on round two, and I'm hoping that they're on the tail-end of it. He's ready to get back to school, and I'm ready to disinfect everything!

the little things

Some Monday mornings are tougher than others... 

These are the things that get me by:

This sweet smirk

Belly laughs with a girlfriend

Finding sweet notes from my boy~ He's learned to make hearts at school, and they just melt mine!

Dancing Queen

Poses with pumpkins

So what are your little things??

Firsts...

Well, I apologize for my absence, but I've been in mourning. My sweet Remy started kindergarten last week. And okay, I'm not really mourning, though there were some sobby, tear-stained moments. It's funny trying to find a new normal, a new pace of our days. Usually around noon Halle starts asking when we can go get him from school. She starts preschool and dance next week, so I'm thinking we will get into more of a rhythm then.

Milestones are great for the most part here. Halle is officially COMPLETELY potty trained!! And that is a milestone to be celebrated! We have done much cheering for that one, and almost no crying (except for a few brief moments where I probably cried just a little thinking that it would never happen...). She has also started writing her name and is doing her best to keep up with Remy, who has had homework nearly every day. This is what life is right now...

I hope y'all are doing well! I'm looking forward to again finding my fall blogging rhythm. I have much to say, just so little time to get it out there. Love you all bunches!!

Coming of Age

I knew my boy would grow up. In a family of rock stars (self-proclaimed, of course!), there comes a time when a young rocker needs a rocker hair cut. More specifically a mohawk. It's just what rockers do. So Tuesday was that day for my sweet boy. Truth be told, Halle wanted one of her own, but I just could quite let her shed the curls yet. Remy has been asking for a mohawk for a long time, but instead of Trace's coarse curls, he was born with my baby fine locks. It takes a lot of product, this hair, but he is oh so happy.

And just for good measure, here is the first picture of Trace with Halle. His 'hawk at that point was about 7 inches tall and bleached blonde on the tips. Is it any wonder Remy wants to follow that act?!

In the Garden

I use the term 'garden' loosely. This dirt pit is the site of what was to be the garden last year, but I failed miserably at getting that going. So now the kids have a great place to dig and get messy (as though they needed help with that...). The weather has been glorious for the last few days, perfectly warm in the sun, so we've been out a lot. Halle, of course, is wearing her ruby red sparkly shoes, because who doesn't wear all her finery in the dirt?!

     

And I won't forget about these boys... Rueger is all pup and wants to wrestle poor Starbucks all the time. But we've started calling Starbucks 'The Godfather' because he's definitely put Rueger in his place a time or two. We know who the boss is here, and being a quarter of the size doesn't keep him down one bit. So what have you been up to now that it's warming up?

Stolen Moments

We woke up Tuesday morning to a gray sky after a night of storms. I love the fleeting moments when the outside world isn't quite awake and my littles are content to play together. Something about these sweet, snuggly babies with sleepy eyes and footed jammies makes me feel really content. And it's getting harder and harder to find the footed kind for Remy... one more sign that he is growing up, I guess, whether I like it or not!

Miscellany Monday

Click the button and link up, if you want to! You know the drill...

Happy Monday! I absolutely cannot believe it's Monday~ we never stopped to breathe this weekend! Random is exactly what I've got this morning, so it's fitting to link up with Carissa.

{one} Remy's soccer game was, in a word, amusing. Our little guy is not quite the aggressive soccer player he claims to be while in the backyard. Usually with preschool soccer, where the ball goes the pack goes. But not our Remy... he's a non-conformist. He chose to tip-toe behind the group, doing the chicken dance and examining his awesome cleats. Go Number 10!!

{two} I am so thankful to be suddenly swamped with orders! Three of our students have commissioned me to make Homecoming dresses, and I am busy with fabric shopping and fittings and all that goes along with that. I'm so not used to sewing for full-size people, and I feel so much pressure to make these dresses perfect. Originally they weren't supposed to need the dresses until January, and then last week the school suddenly bumped up the date to September 25th~ Ahh! Things in the new shop are also going great, and I am loving this little surge before the holidays get going... blessed!

{three}This picture of Rem with his viking gear is his official "First Day of School'" picture. A boy must have his shield, evidently, and I didn't push it further than that (we weren't in the car yet!). He is loving school so far. Among the highlights are that they are learning extensively about trains, and there is a set of twins in his class. This is apparently the most amazing thing Remy and his classmates have ever seen!

{four}I am singing in a few weddings next month and am in search of the perfect dress. I have been scouring mainly vintage sites, but I'm terrified that I won't end up liking what I pick. I'm kind of in love with this one, but I just can't commit. I am also on the lookout for some great tall boots for fall & winter. I hate buying anything for myself~ is it just me?!

Hope y'all had a great weekend! See you soon!

Love~ My Boys

I do wish y'all could see these boys play. Wrestling in the freshly mown grass (and mowing is Trace's least favorite job!) is a favorite for both, I think. And, as is always the case with my sweet Remy is that it ends in a snuggle. Life is as it should be.

In the Kitchen

My mother-in-law gave me this Paula Deen cook book when Remy was very small, and I have been itching for him to be old enough use it! Yesterday afternoon he asked me if we could make something, and I began searching for the perfect (i.e. quick enough for a short attention span and simple) recipe to try. We settled on her pretzels. I was amazed at how quickly they mixed up with only a few simple ingredients. (These are only baked, not boiled as I know you do with some 'real' pretzel recipes...)

Remy's favorite part was kneading the dough. He spent the majority of that time telling Halle how strong he is and that 'this job is best for big boys', but she was more than happy to try as well. They only have to rise for an hour, and that was a great break for my budding chefs. We then rolled them out into letters and standard pretzel shapes. We chose to top them with cinnamon & sugar rather than just salt so that we could eat them as dessert after dinner. Halle loved using the shaker!

These turned out super-cute and pretty tasty!

Friday Love~ End of Summer

I must make a confession: I do not really like summer. Sure, it has it's merit... swimming and popsicles, cook-outs and fireflies, you know all the typical stuff. But it's just not my season. I don't like to sweat and dream about fall. I love the colors and smells and above all the clothing. I am an autumn, curl up in a sweater kind of girl. So while I have enjoyed the long, lazy days with my littles outside and getting tan without really trying, I am so ready for the next season. So I guess my 'Love' for the day is that I love knowing something else is on the horizon.

Okay, sermon over... We are taking advantage of these (hopefully) fleeting warm days, as I said we would. Yesterday we went to Riverfront Park in Peoria to get to know some folks from the area. There is a wonderful fountain there where kids can play (and the occasional adult, I suppose), and Remy & Halle took full advantage. Tons of fun! I managed to find my camera just before we left, and as I said I would yesterday, I snapped pictures. We practically had to drag them away when we were ready to leave, but that's the sign of a good time, right?!

'Hope your weekend is full of things you love!

Full

We fill these summer days from beginning to end. From sleepy morning moments, perfect for snuggling...

To moments in the sun armed with soapy water and a squirt bottle. (It seems these are warm weather essentials for a 4 year old boy and his first mate!)

To a splash at the end... don't want to miss a second!

Happy Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday... First Movie