Life is a Beach

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Mommy needed a break from the insanity. Katie needed a diversion from the “no boyfriend in town” syndrome. So, Katie and I headed south for a few days at the beach.

Unless you see my girls on a daily basis.

If that is the case, Katie and I headed south to see my aunt.

Which we did do. For an hour or so for lunch one day. Shh…

We arrived, checked in and saw this



Yes, just a few steps from the beach (or, that “B” word).

Our days were spent on the beach with my reading



and Katie reading this



with my sunscreen



versus Katie’s.



Dinners were spent at



or MacCools Irish pub



which had country mixed with Irish….how wrong is that??

The water was cool and refreshing



even at night





and with the gross seagull feast.



But a great trip with my oldest.



Do you think Alex will go with me next year??

I hope so.

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this post is dedicated to my non-Facebook friends! Photos posted earlier on FB but just didn't take time to do a post!!!

A Banner Day

The day dawned bright and clear….the typical summer day here in the south. What to do, what to do?

Usually, our routine is eat, pool, home, eat, read/play, eat, read/tv, and bed. I love summer!

But today was slightly different. Today, I got to register my last child for kindergarten!

I know some of you are just sending your first one off to school and are teary-eyed about it. I was too….fourteen years ago when the oldest started kindergarten.

But this time??

If you listen closely, you can probably hear the cheering all the way from your house. Seriously.

And, now I will have both girls in the same school in the fall! One stop shopping.



After my quick registration, since I was so well organized (ha----so organized that I couldn’t locate Abby’s SS card and had to order another one), I had time to do lovely fun grocery shopping and hit the library.

You see, summer is here so I can read a book every other day or so. And since I’m heading to the beach with Katie on Saturday, I needed lots of words to read!



My kids think I’m crazy…..but I don’t care.

Now, if we don't hit the pool in the morning, we don't go at all because it is too hot. Yes, too hot to swim. So.....we had lunch and then a bribe.

“If you clean the playroom very fast, I will give you a surprise.”

Whoo hoo!

Fast cleaning, although a bit odd….not sure why there is so much nudity in the Barbie house.



And we were off for



and



so the girls could spend their Christmas money.

Yes, I know it is June, thank you very much.

Home to play with the new Polly Pocket toys while mom got to read.

Dinner of homemade pizza



rounded out our day.

A banner day for sure.

If you don’t count the teen drama.

The Signs are Here

So the other day, I went in for my annual eye exam already anticipating the outcome. I walked in telling the doctor. I knew what was going to happen.

Yep.

I could benefit from reading glasses.

Can you hear my husband chuckling in the background? If so, you have my permission to slap him. At least I admitted upfront that I needed reading glasses. He’s been in denial for two years.

During dinner tonight, we were chatting about the (gulp) glasses thing and where best to find them.

Turns out, the best selection is at the pharmacy.

Who knew?

And, at the pharmacy, you can also participate in other fun activities that remind you of your age.

Things such as checking your blood pressure. Whoo hoo!

Or, how about this one? Checking out the Dr. Scholl’s cool thingy that tells you how bad your feet are and which insoles to buy.

Not to mention all the shelves full of pain meds, vitamins, and bone and joint pills.

There are lots more, I’m sure. I just stopped looking.

After all, I am only 43.

I may need reading glasses and insoles but I’m not old.

Right?

Just nod your head and agree with me.

Babies....

Oh aren’t they so sweet? Those soft, cuddly little creatures that everyone loves to snuggle. They smell so yummy and make you squeeze them tightly.

Yet are the same little people who cry all night and make us crazy.

I know what you are wondering……

Is there a baby in our future?

Absolutely NOT!

But the questions have started….

You know the ones I mean.

How does a baby get in your tummy?

How does it come out?

And fun things like that.

But I love how the question was phrased to me tonight….

Mommy, how does a baby get in your tummy that is born in a State (instead of China)?

You see, the savvy six year old knows that her sister was born in Georgia and her brother in Pennsylvania, yet she and her sister were born in China.

She knows she was not in my tummy. But Alex and Katie???

How does that happen??

So I told her the biological truth.

Which greatly disturbed the other members of the family.

Oh well.

The Time Has Come

Oh my. What a title. What could this mean?

Maybe…I need reading glasses. (yep)

Maybe….my son is a dope and spent a thunderstorm sitting under a metal framed umbrella at the pool? (yep)

Maybe….I lost Abby’s social security card and can’t register her for kindergarten. (yep)

Nope. All of those are true but not my topic “du jour”.

The time has come for mommy to have a break.

I realized about a month ago that I have not spent more than 24 hours apart from my children in over seven years. (and that was only twice)

Seven years.

Seven gloriously wonderful years.

But come on, y’all.

I need a break!

What to do, what to do.

Time to plan a girls trip. So who do I invite?

My big girl who is also in need of a diversion. You see, The Boyfriend is in Alaska playing baseball for the summer. With the time change, it’s hard for them to talk. Toss in 8 hour work days….and she needs to get away too.

So she and I are headed to Jacksonville Beach in less than two weeks. Oceanfront, food within walking distance, and my aunt right in town.

Whoo hoo!

(side note….I asked Alex too but he declined)

I am so looking forward to getting away.

Time to chill with a book, take naps when I want to, eat meals uninterrupted, sleep late (like that’s going to happen!), and try not to feel guilty about abandoning my kids.

I am already feeling the guilt.

If I told the girls where Katie and I were headed, they’d freak.

Yes, they love staying with daddy and Alex. But….beach? They love the beach.

So, we are saying Katie and mommy are taking a college trip.

Maybe they’ll buy that.

Doubt it. But I can try.

And maybe I can make it up later in the summer when the oil leaves Gulf Shores....

Are They Sisters?

Tonight the big kids ditched us for more exciting adventures. So we took the little ones on an adventure too….a Japanese hibachi grill.

Unlike most Japanese restaurants, this particular one employs people of all races and nationalities. So don’t expect a Japanese cook or server ‘cause it may not happen!

On a side note and amazingly enough…..there were no tears this time when the fire was lit! Yay for us.

Well, one of the college aged servers approached us to ask about the girls. Where are they from? Are they sisters (meaning…biological)? How long have they been here? Did they speak Mandarin?

I never mind these questions when I know someone is truly interested and is not being malicious. I will admit though that it’s getting harder to answer when little ears are listening. Not sure how I’m going to handle this as they get older….(hint hint to those who have been there!)

Anyhow, this employee happened to be Chinese herself from a province near where both little ones were born so I understood her curiosity.

On the drive home, I started thinking about the question, “are they sisters?”

Well, they…

alternate fighting and playing well every two minutes

finish each others sentences and thoughts

can interpret for the other

create long, elaborate games that never seem to end

sit and watch Barbie movies for hours at a time

love to drag out art supplies to use their imagination

wreak havoc together on a daily basis

have perfected the whine of each others names

tattle on each other relentlessly

and so many other things.

So you tell me…..

Are they sisters?

The Errand Boy

Ah, errands. A lovely addition to a mother’s day.

Right.

Like I enjoy hauling my girls out to buy groceries or other necessities of life. Or having to run out just before dinner to pick up one more item that I forgot.

And that is not a rarity, I promise.

Well, I have myself a new errand boy. Yay me!

Alex met up with the DMV today with a positive outcome.

(a plug here for The Girlfriend who kept the double trouble duo happy when we were gone much longer than planned....)

I now have two licensed drivers which translates to two more reasons to worry.

And two more reasons to let me pass off the debit card and make up for my forgetfulness.

Whoo hoo!

But now that means we are into sharing vehicles….which I am told is impossible.

Hmmm. We managed to do it as teens but evidently life is different now.

I will admit that I hate to give up my own vehicle in case I need it. Or in case it gets wrecked. Or in case….well, I don’t know. I’m just possessive, I guess.

Yes, they have to share one car. A small, little, reliable, car.

But hold on now….

The Boyfriend is out of town for the summer. Which means his truck is sitting idle at home.

So he and his parents have offered Katie the truck for the summer to help with the “issues”.

How sweet!

Imagine this


parked next to this


Doesn’t it just make you laugh??

Imagination Run-Amok

My double trouble duo is out
of school for the summer. And stuck with cranky, old mom.

To make the days pass faster, they pull out the old “creativity” trick.

And yes, they can be quite imaginative.

Here’s a sampling of our first few days home:

Digging for bugs and making little homes for them. Of course, they got rather miffed when they went to check on the buggy friends only to find they had walked off. Huh. Imagine that.

Re-enacting “Barbie in A Mermaid Tale” at the pool. I was just thankful no one was nearby to hear the constant dialogue.

Pretending to be the puppy next door….complete with barking. Fun, fun.

Lots of paper, scissors, and glue to create a much needed object to haul around the house pulled by a string. Lovely.

Making kites out of construction paper to “fly” in the wind. Uh huh.

Dance parties in the bedroom which involves jumping off the bed…and for some reason, they are always shocked when I bust them at it. Like I can’t hear the pounding of feet above my head.

Playing dodge ball with stuffed animals…(I hide those toys for a reason)

But today’s creativity took the cake…

The duo was off playing in the house. I could hear snippets of conversation but hadn’t quite gotten the gist of the story line ‘du jour’.

Abby silently appeared in front of me and said,

“I am a pirate and Anna is a puppy.”

Don’t ask me why a pirate and puppy would go together but it did…

And then I heard the next words,

“Can she lick me for real?”

Yuck!

16 Candles....

Ah. Do you remember turning 16? Excited to get your license, perhaps a huge party, or something else equally cool?

Hmm…..I don’t remember doing any of that. I don’t even remember turning 16.

Yes, I must be that old. Seems to be a theme lately. Not a good sign.

When Katie turned 16, we had a huge party with lots of friends. Toss in the St. Patrick’s Day birthday, and it was definitely a big thing.

Let’s just say the adults participated in the theme in their own way. Ahem.

Alex turned 16 today. I can’t believe it.

We are now headed toward another driver (do I hear a yay and an oh my), one step closer to leaving the house, and one more reason for mom to feel over the hill.

He did not want a party. So….that money was put toward his present.

The kid is musically talented. It just amazes me. He can pick up an instrument and begin to pick a tune rather quickly.

So, he asked for a keyboard.

Uh…..we have a piano.

But mom, I can’t take that to my room.

Very true, very true.

The gift…..



as well as a buffet dinner at Golden Corral per request (ugh)

and cake at home



with family,





as well as the sister with the missing boyfriend playing baseball in Alaska,



and The Girlfriend



rounded out his day.

Happy 16th Birthday Alex!!!

(I won’t embarrass you and say anything else….)

Dear Santa...

Santa? In June?

We really do know how to read a calendar, I promise.

Tonight we had dinner with The Boyfriend, aka Catlan, before he embarks on his newest adventure.

You see, he heads off to Alaska in two days to play summer college ball with a team in Anchorage.

Alaksa for summer baseball. Who’d a thunk it?

Daddy had the girls convinced Catlan was going to live in an igloo and pet the polar bears. They were totally buying it until……mommy intervened.

Can’t have them believing that, can we?

But in the midst of our conversations about the big adventure, Catlan happened to mention his side trips. Things like the pipeline, glaciers, and Santa’s Workshop.

Santa’s Workshop?

Oh my. Little ears perked up immediately.

And the lists came out. “Catlan, tell Santa I want….”

I am thinking Santa does not need a Christmas list in June.

But along the same subject, I just started our 2009 Christmas letter.

Yes, you read that correctly. 2009.

Yes, six months too late.

Or maybe it’s six months too early.

Yeah, that’s it.

Go with me on this one.