I'm back from my unintended hiatus.  Summer ended, and school has started...for everyone.  Every day I homeschool Victoria and Sophie from 8-12.  Then I feed them lunch, study for a couple of hours for my classes, and pick Trev up from school.  Mondays Vic has gymnastics, Tues and Thurs I have class from 6-9, and Wednesdays Trev has guitar.  Our schedules are insane, to say the least. 

In the meantime, Trevor has started 3rd grade, and one of his first assignments was to write a poem.  It's called an "I am" poem, so every sentence begins with "I am".  Here's his rough draft:

I am a boy.

I wonder if the world will end.

I hear birds.

I see people.

I am cool.

I pretend I'm a super hero.

I touch pencils.

I worry about shots.

I cry when I'm sad.

I am Trevor.

I understand my language.

I say I'm cool.

I dream about being a hero.

I try to be good.

I hope I'm awesome.

I am Trevor.

Literary masterpiece, no?

I discovered the best weight loss tool ever.  My kids.  I don't know why I haven't tried this before.  You see, I've been trying to lose weight over the last few weeks, and it's been slow but steady.  I recently began incorporating exercise, because I'm not one of the lucky ones that can starve myself thin or get skinny cutting carbs.  I have to diet AND exercise.

Like many other mothers, I kept extra pounds from each pregnancy on top of the weight I'd already gained in college.  I need to lose weight and get healthy for me and my children.  I want to be around to see them grow up and become parents with their own children.  I also want to be a good role model for healthy habits so they, in turn, are able to watch their own kids grow up.

Well the kids have been begging to walk with me, but the thing is, I value my exercise time.  It's my down time, of sorts. I put on my Ipod and listen to my favorite songs while having an entire 30-45 minutes all to myself.  No bickering.  No yelling.  Just my breathing and my music.  When Trevor first asked to join me, it felt like an infringement on my me time.  I reluctantly agreed, but we had a really good chat during our journey, and it seemed to mean so much to him.  We discussed things that are important to him, and the walk seemed to go by so quickly.

Cut to today when Victoria decided to join in.  I decided to take the baby as well and make it a family affair.  I thought we would have a relaxing stroll around the neighborhood, but I neglected to account for Victoria's energy level.  Stupid, stupid me.  The second we hit the first big hill, Vic decided it would be a blast to run up it.  Trevor quickly followed behind.  That meant the baby and I had to keep up, so there I was pushing a 25 pound baby in a travel system stoller, panting and pouring sweat just trying to keep up with the two of them.  After begging and protesting Victoria would stop and wait for me to catch up.  Then as soon as I would get close, she would take off again.  This pattern continued virtually the entire time.  By the end, my heart was pounding, and my eyes were stinging with sweat.  It was honestly the most fun I've ever had exercising.  I cannot wait to do it again.

This weekend we visited Wesley's Mecca- Athens, GA: Home of the Georgia Bulldogs.  Things have been extra stressful lately- I've been home with the kids the entire summer, and everyone seems to be going stir crazy.  School is starting next week, so I decided we needed to get away ASAP.  My mom was gracious enough to agree to watch all 3 kids from Friday through Sunday for us to escape.  I'm not sure she knew what she was getting herself into.  I mean, I'm their mom, and it's hard for me. But, she came away from it without a scratch it seems, although I haven't heard from her since she left, so I fear she's still recovering.

The weekend was fantastic.  We didn't do anything but relax, walk around downtown and the campus, enjoy peaceful meals, linger in bookstores, and watch whatever WE wanted on tv.  Sounds like a snoozefest to those without kids, I'm sure, but it was heaven for me.  Wesley tried in vain to attempt a bike ride around campus.  6 busted tires later, he was only able to go about 10 miles, but he did snap a few shots.  There are only 3 pics from our trip, one of which is below. Notice I'm not in it.  I was relaxing at the hotel in bed.

For some reason I've been putting off cutting Sophie's hair for a while now.  For one, she's a girl.  Two, I didn't think she would hold still long enough for me to do it.  And, three, I think a part of me wanted to put it off, since it's really her last big milestone as a baby.  I'm pretty sure I cut Vic's bangs right around a year old, so I've definitely been delaying this for a while.  Well recently Sophie's bangs have gotten ridiculous.  She looks like a muppet and can barely see through them.  I figured this must have been the case because she seems to be seeing her world with new eyes, and what pretty eyes they are.

Before:                                                                                            

After:

It's August.  Already.  The 8th month of the year.  What the hell happened???  I feel like the summer has flown by, leaving me in a daze (get it?).  Trevor starts school on the 19th, and he is less than thrilled, of course.  Wesley starts back on the 19th as well, and the kicker is I'm going back, too, on the 23rd.  So 3 of us will be in school, and I'm sure it will be a struggle, but my inner nerd is super excited.  I get to take my first 2 nursing classes, and from the looks of the textbooks, they look really interesting.  I will also be taking Anatomy & Physiology, which I'm a little nervous about.  I was always good at Biology, but it's been 10 years (oh, God, that long?!) since I've been in a college class and even longer since I've taken a Bio course.  2 of my classes are online and one is in the evening, so I'll still get to be home with the girls and pick Trev up from school.  I'll have the best of both worlds- part-time student and full-time mom.  I can't say enough that everything happens for a reason, and it all works out for the best.  Though we'll see what I have to say when I'm faced with dissecting a cat...

And here are some random pics that are cute and need to be posted.

Today is David's birthday, so he and Marilyn came up to celebrate on Saturday.  We had a really good day, and I got my house pressure washed, so that was a bonus.  I have to say, though, that the most surreal experience was discussing my feminine hygiene needs with my mother-in-law.  Turns out CVS had a monster sized package (as in bigger than a pack of diapers) of pads for $2.  My always thoughtful in-laws decided embarassment be damned, 2 dollar pads are a steal, so they kindly bought them for me.  The highlight was when my father-in-law came in after she had given them to me and asked if I could use them.  This exchange of events proved 2 things.  1. They are always thinking of us and will try to help us out in any way possible. 2. We have grown so close that they really, truly do think of me as a daughter.  As insignificant as they probably thought this gesture was, it meant a lot to me to know that we have that relationship, and I will always be able to depend on them for all of our needs, menstrual and otherwise.  And in case they or anyone who knows them reads this, I say it in jest.  It didn't embarrass me in the least, and I really, truly do appreciate all that they do for us.  It's just a humorous story that begged to be told. :)

When I was little, I hated reading (still do for the most part), but this series of books by Beverly Cleary captured my attention and affection.  I was Ramona, the mischevious, misunderstood little girl who was constantly getting into trouble.  I read them repeatedly, so I was thrilled to find out they were making a movie of Ramona and Beezus and even more delighted that Victoria wanted to see it with me.  All morning she kept me abreast of the time, constantly asking how much longer until we would leave to see the movie. 

I expected this to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane, recalling moments from my own childhood.  Instead, I saw my daughter in Ramona and not myself.  She's the headstrong middle child constantly vying for attention and causing turmoil intentionally or unintentionally.  Ramona made a comment in the movie basically stating that everyone loves Beezus because she makes straight A's and is popular, and everyone thinks the baby is so cute, even when she burps, but no one likes her.  It broke my heart.  There were a lot of touching, sappy moments, and I fell for every one, even shedding a few tears.  I adored the movie as a mother of a middle child and as a former Ramona wannabe. 

I can't say the movie exactly captured the attention of the 4yo, though.  She proceeded to pace constantly, getting in and out of my lap, switching seats numerous times.  She said she liked it, but I don't think she'll really get it until she's older.  Until then, I'll enjoy my little Ramona and try to make sure this middle child knows she's just as special as everyone else.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of spending the day at the lake with Wesley's family...well our family, really.  They were gracious enough to invite us to eat and play with them for the day.  Trevor and Victoria got to ride in a boat and on jetskis for the first time, and Sophie took her first boat ride as well.  I had several babysitters and tons of extra hands and eyes, so it was a stress-free, relaxing day for all.

Relaxing, that is, except for one event.  This would be when my darling husband decided he wanted to take the jet ski out alone and "open it up," which from what I saw, consisted of him trying to take it as fast as possible, hitting a few too many waves, and flinging himself off into the lake.  While it sounds hilarious (and it will be once his back recovers), it scared the hell out of me.  I believe I was the only one to witness this event, so I silently panicked, not wanting to alarm his parents, while I waited for him to give some signal that he was ok.  He appeared a few terrifying minutes later licking his wounds and spent the rest of the afternoon in a daze. 

Other than the near-death experience, the day was so nice it almost made me want to move closer...almost. 

***The last 2 pics were taken by Leigh. I lifted them from her Facebook page because they were cute. :)

We just got home from a trip to Grandma's, and it dawned on me that today Sophie Grace reaches 18 months.  WIth the first kid, you know their age down to weeks; the second, you count in months; and the third, you're lucky if you remember their name, let alone their age.  Nonetheless, 18 months is quite a milestone.  You're still little enough to smush like a baby, but now you're more independent and interactive. 

Just recently Sophie has started calling me "Mommy", which means she really knows who I am.  I mean, she's always known me as the source of her food and comfort, but now I have a title according to her.  It just happened all of a sudden.  She never really called me anything before- mostly just held her arms up and fussed at me until I picked her up.  Now, she walks around the house calling me by name, and I adore it just as much now as I did the first time I heard it when Trevor uttered it so many years ago.  And she sounds exactly like Victoria, so much so that I often don't know which one is calling for me.  Other words she can say include no, Bella, puppy, Phoebe, go, shoes, and yo! (as in Yo Gabba Gabba). 

What she lacks in verbal skills, she more than makes up for in physical and problem- solving skills.  Her dexterity is so advanced that she can screw and unscrew caps with ease.  This enables her to easily win her game that she created and has dubbed "Ow!" in which she pinches you as hard as she can until you scream "OW!"  She has figured out the secret to seeing her favorite show YGG lies in the remote.  On several occassions, she has managed to push just the right combo of buttons to get the DVR to play it.  Most of the time, though, she thrusts the remote onto the lap of the nearest person, so that they can put the show on for her.  If said person does not respond as she desires, she brings every YGG toy and book she owns to the person since they obviously are too dense to realize what she wants. 

Sophie is also the one child that willingly helps around the house.  Albeit it usually is one of her own messes she's cleaning, but I only have to ask once for her to clean up after herself, and she does it.  I wish I could say the same about her siblings.

Now that the majority of her teeth have come in, her sweet disposition has returned.  It was a rough 6 to12 months there where she was majorly cranky and drooly, but my evenly tempered baby is back, that is until she's overly tired.  Then it's game on.

I'm so excited that she is now at an age in which she can play with her brother and sister.  She chases them around, and they chase her.  At Grandma's, she got over her fear of floaties and was able to swim like a fish with Trevor and Victoria and not be literally and figuratively attached to my side, which brings me to what this is really about...

I offically have NO MORE BABIES!!!  No you may remember this in which I professed that realizing it's my last baby is so sad- boo hoo hoo, and all that crap.  Well, with every kid, and this one is no exception, 18 months marks the point in which the baby hormones officially completely depart, and I regain my sanity.  This point is especially important this time around, because it's the last time I get to celebrate this milestone.  My baby is finally a toddler, and I/ We are well on our way to regaining our normal lives- lives that don't revolve around diaper changes and scheduled feedings and naps.  Soon we'll be potty training and done with diapers altogether, and I CAN"T WAIT!  Don't get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed having babies, but I've put in my time.  Now before you say I'm asking for it with all of this celebration, the wonderful folks at Paragard have ensured that I will remain baby-free for 10 years or until one of us gets neutered.

So, this milestone is just as important to me as it is to Sophie.  Happy Half -Birthday Baby!

In order to celebrate, we're going to fill our bellies with grilled delights, pack in some sweet goodies, and finish it off with a fireworks show, because we're Americans dammit, and we know a little somethin' about gettin' fat and lightin' fires.  Maybe that's just the south; I don't know.  What I do know is that this is the cutest cake, and I can't wait to eat it.

It's a cake that looks like a hamburger? Get it? I know we're bombarded with those cake shows with famous decorators that make way cooler desserts, but I have to give kudos to my local Food Lion for brightening my day for under 7$.  After the store, Trevor and I picked up some fireworks.

  They were buy one get one free, so I went all out.  Hopefully no one (Trevor) will lose a finger accidentally or otherwise (Victoria).  The baby will probably spend the evening in her room crying/sleeping.  I'm sure I'll have pics of the terrified faces to post tomorrow.  Until then, Happy Birthday, America.  You don't look a day over 200.

***Updated to include pics

Sophie at the beginning of the fireworks show...

Sophie at the end