One Way to Survive

We all cope with changes in life differently.  Some live in denial, some face the change head on, others pout and complain, some try to recreate the "good old days"; me, it depends on the change as to how I respond, but in the case of my children growing up and gaining independence I have gone the route of a little bit of everything.

There are days where I live in denial and try to keep them little, there are days where I embrace the change as good and look forward to all the fun things to come with older children, sometimes I have been known to pout and complain about it (shocking, right?!?!?!) and then there is recreating the good old days and we have done just that....

Baby Reed #3 will be coming sometime in early October!!  We are so excited to have this precious gift and look forward to getting to meet her very soon.  Yes, I said her!  We went against our norm and found out that we are having a baby girl. 



The children are excited.  They are asking tons of questions, some of which are easy to answer and others that aren't so easy but each question proves to be a good time for teaching them.

JP goes back and forth about whether he thinks this is a good idea or not, especially since we found out it was a girl.  One day he is hugging on my ever growing belly saying how much he loves the baby and then the next day he is upset that the baby is a girl.

Shelby is eagerly awaiting baby girl's arrival.  She is looking forward to helping, but has made it quite clear that she will not change any diapers.

Kindergarten Graduation Part 2

How can it be that my baby boy went from this....



To kindergarten graduate in the blink of an eye?????

It is truly hard to believe that next year he will begin first grade and that in 12 very quick years we will be packing up his stuff and sending him off to college.  A mother's heart can barely stand the thought.

JP, we are so proud of you and how much you have grown and learned over the years in the Sunflower Room.  We can't wait to see what amazing things God has in store for your life and are honored that we get to be your family in this great adventure!

Love you buddy!!!

HSM2

Friday night we had family night and for our special activity we went to see High School Musical 2 presented by Hilton Head Christian Academy.  Our babysitter was in the play so we were excited to get to see her and also if I am truly honest with myself, I was really excited to see the play as I love all three of those movies.

The children were excited to see Miss Emily and were also excited, when as the play started, they realized there were a few other people that they knew performing.  Shelby was on the edge of her seat the whole time completely enthralled by the singing, dancing and everything else. 

JP on the other hand quickly lost interest when the two main characters started holding hands.  He looked at Pratt and said that he was going to hide his eyes and then said, "I wish this was a sports play."

After the play was over we asked Shelby if she liked it and she said, "Yes!"  Then we asked JP the same question and he said, "NO. I mean you just sit there, you watch it and you get bored."

Well, I guess he still has a ways to go before he appreciates the finer things in life.  The funny thing is that he really enjoys music and dancing and all that stuff but I guess all that hand holding was too much for him to even be able to pay attention to the fun music.

0 Years Old

Since day-light savings time on Saturday night/Sunday morning has occurred we have all be walking in a fog.  So this morning on the way to school it was dead quiet; I mean dead quiet.  The children were even too tired to argue about something silly which tends to happen often on the way to school.  JP broke the silence with this random conversation....

JP-Mommy, is Aunt Lala older than you?

Me-No, I am older than her by 6 years.

JP-So how old is she?

Me-Aunt Lala is about to turn (I will leave blank just in case Aunt Lala wouldn't appreciate me sharing that info, but in case you are wondering it is more than 20 but less than 30).  Next Tuesday is her birthday. 

JP-And she is already out of college?? (said with awe and admiration like that is a huge accomplishment)

Me-Yes, most people typically finish with college around 22 or so.

JP-So, when you were 6, Aunt Lala was 0?

Me-Yes, that is one way to look at it.

I love conversations with my children!  It really gives you a glimpse of what their little minds are like and you can see how they are trying to navigate through life in their limited knowledge. 

I heard once on the radio that a study was done and they found that there has been a correlation between a child's behavior and how much time their parents spend on the phone in the car.  Essentially it said, "Parents, hang up the phone and spend time with your children.  Being in the car with them is one of the best places to talk because you are together in a small space and they aren't distracted by toys, tv, friends, etc. and they are more likely to talk with you about life."  I am so thankful for that nugget of information because we have had some super fun conversations!

Well Visits

Yesterday the children had their annual Well Visits with the pediatrician.  Here are their vitals:

Shelby-8 Years Old

Weight: 60lbs (63%)

Height: 53in (88%)

JP-6 Years Old

Weight: 51lbs (75%)

Height: 48in (87%)

Shelby grew 4 inches from last year and JP grew 4 inches from last year and they both gained 4 pounds since last year.  It is safe to say that they definitely got their height from their dad.  They both are doing very well and right on track developmentally in all areas.

8 is Great

On February the 18th we celebrated Shelby's 8th birthday!!!  Yes, I said 8!  Holy Cow, that is amazing!!  Only 5 more years until she turns 13 which means we are approaching the preteen years in a matter of days. 

Happy birthday sweet girl!!

For her 8th birthday Shelby just wanted a few friends and to do something fun so we loaded up the car with three of her friends and made the trek to the island for The Art Cafe.  Much to my dismay, it was closed!!!  Seriously!  I know we are "out of season" down here but what business like that closes on a Saturday, especially a rainy one???  I felt so bad and the disappointment was written all over Shelby's face:(  Epic fail on my part!  Lucky for us, the Island Playground (which is now closed) was open for it's last weekend so the party was saved and the girls had a great time running around.

After that we went to Lovin Spoons where Shelby got to get an adult bowl and put as many toppings as she would like on her fro-yo.  I think in the end she had a great time and I sure enjoyed watching her, soaking up every moment. 

Shelby, you light up our world!  You are funny, loving, and kind.  We love you to pieces and look forward to seeing what God has in store for your life!

Happy Birthday Sweet pea!!!

Super Bowl

You know you are getting old when you would rather watch the Super Bowl at home with your family then go out to a party or something....and that is exactly what we did.  I wouldn't have had it any other way.

You know you are getting old when nearly every commercial during the super bowl makes you squirm in disbelief over the inappropriateness of the content....and that is exactly what I did!  In my mind it was supposed to be a nice family bonding time.  When I was growing up, Super Bowl Sunday was always a super fun day family day in our house.  Mom would make the world's best chili and cornbread and we would all gather in the living room to eat, watch the game, and enjoy the commercials; so you can imagine my excitement and expectation for the night when Pratt and I decided to let Shelby stay up and watch some of it......

Well, that excitement turned to horror as one of the first commercials of the game was that GoDaddy.com commercial where the super model and the nerd share a very long and very awkward kiss.  I was horrified and scrambling in my mind how to handle that situation with Shelby when she piped in.."Mom, why are they biting each other like that?"

So I did what any mom would do..."I don't know honey, but it is strange; isn't it?"

Shortly after that we put her to bed to spare her precious innocent mind and I am so glad we did!!!  The commercials didn't get any better and the half time show was anything but family friendly!!!

At this rate I am pretty sure my children will be watching Disney Jr and Nick Jr until they are 30!!!