Wiard's Orchard

I am a little late getting this post out, but better late than never.

Kallie and I had a wonderful time at Wiard's Orchard a few weeks ago. I love getting the chance to go with my kids on their field trips. It is always a special time to connect, spend quality time, and get mommy's undivided attention. (shout out to my friend Marla who made this field trip happen by watching Tanner)

Best Buds

Corn maze, a highlight of the trip

Mom and Kal with her pumpkin and apple. What a treat!

They looked thrilled that I am takin' another picture.

Kal, entertaining as always :)

I love this picture of Kal. Her eyes are intense!!


Kal and her friend Faith havin' fun on the bus!!

Kal and her teacher, Mrs. Haynes!

I Need Chocolate.. lots of Chocolate!

Where do I begin ... Today was just one of those days. Overwhelming would be an understatement. I will let you judge.

7:30am Wake up (if you can even call it that, more like roll out of bed and groan)
Running behind already. What a great start to my day. Have Dr. appointments set up for my kids this morning and this afternoon. (5 kids can't be seen at the same time, it is the policy)

8:10am Get kids and dad out the door, late and stressed. A few minutes to get ready before our 9:30am appointment.

8:55am Realize that my purse (w/ keys and wallet inside) is in my husband's van, driving into school. Call hubby and ask if he can bring it home. (yes, he can squeeze it in before his first class)

9:20am Arrive at our doctors and everyone in Southgate has an appointment today. "What, it is 9:20 in the morning!!"

9:30 - 10:15am Wait.. wait... wait... more waiting. (how backed up can you be?)

10:30am Trying to convince Hayden (10), Emma (4), and Tanner (3) that they probably won't have shots today. Just a physical. Eye test (so funny with Tanner, still a little shaky on shapes), pee in a cup (really?) Then the bomb dropped : 2 shots for all three kids, just to get them "up to date". Now the wailing starts, I start sweating. Who do I comfort first? Hayden (10) goes first: for those of you who don't know Hayden, this is a nightmare for him. He gets so nervous. He hates the doctors. He gets the shots and is fighting me and I am trying to hold him w/o scaring the others. He screams after the shot. Blood curdling!! It scared me!! I gave him the look and then turned my attention to Emma who is cowering behind the examination table. She tells me before the nurse gets in, "don't tell the nurse where I am.." (this is between sobs and wails) She gets poked and cries and then keeps crying all the way to the car and on the road to school, because her feelings are hurt. Tanner(3) did the best. He cried, but then stopped when the nurse pulled out the lollipop. Thank you Tanner, mommy loves you!!

10:45am Going through the drive through at McDonald's to get hot fudge sundays and lunch. (Don't judge. It was my bribe)

11:00am Shoving food in my mouth so that I will make it to recess duty at 11:30am.

11:30 - 12:30 Recess duty at school. Usually goes fine, but today they have inflatables in the gym. So fun!! The kids love it, but it gets crazy, loud, and the kids forget every rule and how to listen.

12:45 - 1:30 Go over to dad's office at school because I don't have time to go home before I have to pick up the other 2 kids from school and take them to the doctors. (i know, what was i thinking!!)

1:50 Arrive at the doctors for our 2:00 appointment and we walk into a crowd of people. Standing room only. They are over 1 hour behind. Shoot me now!!!!

3:15 3:15, did you see that, 3:15 we get called back to the room. My kids could of finished their school day!! I was not happy! I was trying to be a good Christian. It was tough. We had a sweet nurse, so that helped.

3:15-4:00 Kal and Rylee are both healthy, look great. They love the doctors. Thank you, girls!! Kal needs a shot (great) We discuss the level of pain for this shot for 15 minutes, fret over the details (she has to have every detail, and asks every questions in the book) She gets the shot and doesn't make a sound. Her response, "that's it!! Are you sure?" I rolled my eyes and told her that mom knows some stuff. Listen and believe next time!!!

4:15 Back in the drive through for hot fudge sundays. Life must be fair and equal, right?? :)

4:30 Pull in the driveway. Home sweet home. Before I open the door, Steve calls (hubby) I need to pick up the other kids at school, he is running the clock for the Volleyball game.

4:30 - 6:00 At the gym getting the kids, watching the game, running on the treadmill, trying to de-stress and get a workout in.

6:30 Back home. Shower. Sit. A kid comes up ( I don't even know who) "Mom what is for dinner?" AHHHHHHHHHHHH I need Chocolate!!! Lots of Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tanner is Three!!

My baby turned three last week! I guess now that he is 3 I can't call him a baby. He is getting so big and mom is having a hard time letting him grow up. He is Mr. Independent. Heaven forbid you tell him he can't do something because he is too little. Nothing seems to get in his way. (I am trying to use this to my advantage with potty training, but no such luck.) His smile can melt my heart. We love you, sweet Tanner. Happy Birthday, big boy!!!

New jacket. His grandparents keep him styling!

Cheesing for the camera! I have taught them well!

Tanner making his best Dino growl!

Ripping into the presents!!

My attempt at a Dino Cake. Tanner loved it!!

I Heart Faces - Photo Contest

Tanner's face says it all!! He was so excited to ride in the tube with Daddy! I am not sure who is having more fun, Dad or Tanner! Summer fun is priceless!

Go check out the other entries!! They will brighten your day!

What has happened to my girls?

Most moms would agree that the most stressful part of their day is getting the kids off to school. At my house mornings bring out the best in all of us. :) My kids wander around the house like they are stuck on a foreign planet. What are school clothes? What are shoes? How do we get dressed? Why do I have to comb my hair and brush my teeth? Really? Really? Most mornings, I feel as if I am teaching them all over again. I try to get a routine down and get as much as I can done the night before. (this does not always happen, shocker) So, last week, I wake up, ready to face the chaos and get the kids out the door on time. In the kitchen , I find Kallie (7) and Rylee (5) dressed (with shoes) and smiling at me. They were totally ready for school and had even brought up their book bags and made their own lunch. They made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut the sandwiches and placed them into baggies and put them in their lunch box. They also included: drink, fruit snack, chip, and a brownie. I was shocked!! I rubbed my eyes, convinced that I was dreaming and looked again. Yes!!! They are learning!!! I am an amazing mom!! I told them I was so proud of them and that they were going to get to pick out a treat at the snack bar at school. This was answered with squeals of delight!! Who knew that simple reward would be worth so much to them. They asked me if they could make lunches again tomorrow morning and I said, "you can make lunches every morning!"

The next morning:

I hear the girls in the kitchen and I thought I would go see if they needed any help. I crawl out of bed and walk into the kitchen. The girls are dressed and all ready for school. I smile and ask if they need any help. They request a few items from the cabinet and as I reach for the door, my eyes happen to glance at the clock on the stove, 5:30am. What!!! It is 5:30 in the morning and my daughters are ready to get in the car and drive to school. I turn around and tell the girls that they have 2 1/2 hours until they have to leave for school! You have to go back downstairs and get into bed and rest. All I got was blank stares. "Go try to rest and I will get you up in a little while." I was glad to hop back into bed, but I am pretty sure that they did not get back to sleep. They were wide awake by this time. School will be a challenge today. I will be getting calls from the teachers asking when I get these kids to bed. We need to work on telling time!!

Red October Race

WE DID IT!!! The weather was not great, but it could of been much worse. It was in the mid 50's and the rain was mild. It was a little refreshing as we were running. As always, we had a great time. Spending time with my friends is well worth the training and the questionable weather. We arrived around 8:45 to get Lauren, Marla, and Nikki ready for the one mile race. It rained the hardest when they were running. Poor girls!! We were prepared with our ponchos. Nikki ran the 5k after her one mile race with her daughter. Go girl!! The 10k started at 9:50, so we had time to hit the port-a-potties and pray for a break in the rain. I felt great during the race. No gross blisters to show you this time, sorry! I was surprised how good I felt. The race went by quickly and I crossed the finish line at 1:02:50!! I beat my last time by almost 8 minutes!! I was so happy!! My goal is to improve my time. My daughter, Kallie does not agree with this strategy. She asked me where I placed, and when I told her that I placed 9th out of 12 in my age bracket, she said," mom, you did awful!" I need to time you when you run." Apparently, the top three should be my goal. She wants me to bring home a trophy next time. :) Maybe someday!! FYI - the top time in my age group was 49:50. I was not even close!!

I look a little too happy!!

Potty break?

At the stating line!

Pre-race pics!!

Confessions of an amateur runner ...

Tomorrow is race day. Oakwood Red October Run is my second attempt at a 1ok race and I was hoping to improve my time. Last race, the weather was so hot, it was tough to run without getting heat stroke. This race I will be facing cold weather and rain. I just can't win. There is a chance that the rain will start later, so start praying. I am looking forward to it, I think. My friends and I always seem to make the best of it. :) I will post all about our adventure tomorrow. Until then, keep thinking happy thoughts.