Fall break fun day

School's out, so we headed to out of town and to the big city.

Our first stop was Imagine It, the Atlanta Children's Museum. The boys came here a couple of summers ago and loved it. Jack has been asking to come back ever since.

Sam is obviously not interested in what that card has to say. The World of Coca-Cola was our next stop. The boys were so excited about the "Coke factory."

Ready for the 4D movie.

By far their favorite part was the tasting room.

Sam took full advantage of our once-in-a-lifetime open invitation to drink all he wanted. I'm pretty sure he drank a whole 20 oz worth of Coke.

Is it 3:00 yet?

The verdict is in, and he loves kindergarten. The jury is still out as far as mama is concerned. It was such a long day, and I just can't believe he can do without me for that long. I realize I've been very blessed to have had the opportunity to spend so many of my firstborn's hours right alongside him. We conquered mother's morning out and preschool, and mom even enjoyed the freedom to grocery shop alone. But, seven hours is a huge chunk of your day when you're only awake for 13-14 hours.

I'm so glad that he loves it, and he thinks his teacher is great. It's just going to take this sentimental mama some time to get used to the new reality. As a full-time mom, so much of my recent identity and achievements has been tied to this precious five-year-old and his wild little brother. They need me, but just a little less each day. Each of us has a purpose and gifts in this life, and I'm having to adjust to the changing landscape around me.

The old adage about your little ones growing up too fast is true, of course, but it seems I've managed to find ways to celebrate each and every milestone on this beautiful journey of parenthood. This one, however, is proving to be a wee bit more difficult. The celebration and gratitude will come, it always does.

In the meantime, just ignore the women sobbing at the stop sign or zoned out on the juice box aisle. She's looking for the next clearing in the landscape, the next place to share her gifts and probably wishing, hoping and praying for her watch to hit 3:00 already.


more photos from the first day

Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

Breakfast like Buddy

May I begin by saying if you've never had the privilege of watching "The Elf," starring Will Ferrell. You are really missing out. It's a movie that we love dearly in our house. In fact you may recall one of Jack's funny musings from way back when he first was introduced to the Christmas comedy.

Recently, he asked if he could eat the same kind of breakfast that Buddy has. In case you've forgotten, elves stick to the four main food groups: "Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corns & Syrup." So, Josh promised him that the next time we had spaghetti, he could make a Buddy-like breakfast for his dessert. Fast forward a couple of weeks and spaghetti was on the menu for dinner. Unfortunately, I had to scoot off to a meeting before plates were clean that night, but Josh did manage to capture it for posterity's sake.

Josh swears there were some spaghetti noodles under there somewhere. I guess it was good, although he hasn't asked to do it again...yet.

Grab the popcorn...

Take a look at our Talent Show star, Jack, performing "God is Bigger than the Boogie Man" of VeggieTales fame.

C is for...

Chick-fil-A...duh!? Life in the Sham is now complete bliss. We officially have our very own Chick-fil-A just miles away from our house. We've been drooling since January when construction began. The signs have been up at least three weeks. Each time we drove by Sam would say, "Too fay, Mom! Too fay!" I would tell him it wasn't open yet. So, his proclamation developed into, "Too fay, not open."

On Thursday, that all changed! I had a meeting at 6:30, so the boys and I met Josh at Chick-fil-A for dinner at 5:30 for our first bite as a family*. Never mind that Josh had already had breakfast there. Everyone thinks I'm the crazy one, but none of the employees have called me by name yet. Ask my husband if he can say the same after a breakfast trifecta their third day in operation?!

So, as you can see, it was a big week around here. And, I'm still working on Sam, who continues to say, "Too fay, not open," every time we drive by. Now, I can reply, "Only on Sunday, Sam, only on Sunday!"


*FYI, I chose the Caesar Chargrilled Cool Wrap meal as my inaugural bite at our Chick-fil-A.

Splish Splash

Even though the calendar still says May, some days it feel like it's already the dog days of summer. Jack has been longing for summer and it's mostly for the swimming. While we don't have a pool out back, I did convince him the sprinkler could be a refreshing treat on Sunday afternoon.

What a Ride

With Josh scheduled to work all weekend, we made big plans to do it up right on Friday night with a fun family night. Luckily, this weekend was the Mountain Laurel Festival. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the festivities, Pitts Park became a carnival of fun.

A small side note: whenever Josh asks Jack what he wants to do for fun he always says, "go to the fair!" Josh always has to remind him that the fair isn't until the fall and even then it's only for one week.

You can imagine the excitement when I drove by Pitts Park on Tuesday after preschool to show the boys what we were planning to do on Friday night. Sam said, "that be fun!"

They rode every ride they were tall enough to ride, some of them even twice. And then of course we stuffed our faces with hot dogs & cotton candy. It was a full and fun Friday night!

You can see lots more of our fun here.

Anxious Giver

Last Tuesday, Josh reminded Jack that they would be doing a little mother's day shopping. Josh asked him if he knew what he wanted to get me. He immediately responded, "Yes! A necklace."

That sweet boy searched over the gift garden & first selected a wrapped gift from the wedding registry area. "Let's get this for Mommy!" Josh, ever so wise, told him he didn't know what was in there (not to mention that he belonged to some newlywed couple). "But it's so pretty," Jack begged. Josh told him once he picked out a gift that he could tell the sales ladies it was for his mommy that they would wrap it for him. He eventually selected a necklace & took it to the counter announcing proudly it was for his mom. The lady asked, "Would you like it gift wrapped?" Jack said, "No, just wrap it up."

Next followed five days of pure torture for the little giver. "Is it Mother's Day today? How many more days till Mother's Day?"

Today he made sure to tell me that I should wear it to drop him off at preschool. "I want everyone to say, 'Oh, I like your new necklace!'"

Full

Our full Saturday included a trip to a (not so spectacular) Spring Spectacular. The lack of spectaculars didn't stop these two from having a little fun sack racing. Uncle John gave Jack a run for his money...

 

Our fun was followed by a tasty (although somewhat unusual) dinner. And since you can't go near Helen without stopping at Hansel & Gretel's...Sam demonstrated his love for chocolate covered marshmallows.

Filling in the Gaps

We've been super busy and having lots of fun, but I'm sure that's no surprise, right?

Sam's been exploring the benefits of oatmeal facials. I left him at the breakfast table for a few minutes while I helped Jack in the other room. I returned to find him with his face in his bowl trying to lap up every last morsel.

We've been busy having playdates with our sweet friend Amelia, who's a new big sister to sweet baby Gus! Don't worry, Lindsey (& Joshua), I made sure these two obeyed the speed limit!

Who has to travel hundreds of miles for the sand and shore, when you can do a little surfing right down the street during story time at the library? 

What's better than s'mores around the fire? S'mores around the fire in your sweet neighbor's back yard. That's a recipe for a truly fun Friday night.

Mom...

My mom has a pretty smile. I like to make her smile by...doing what she says, like getting in the bathtub and turning on the water!

My mom is smart! She even knows...when I need a bath and when I don't!

I guess as a mom to boys, I put a bit of emphasis on cleanliness these days.

Batter Up!

Tee ball is in full swing...literally. We spend at least one night/day (and sometimes two) at the ball field each week. Jack seems to enjoy it, and that's all I really care about. The highlight is often snack time, but who can blame him? Sam is hit or miss (no pun intended) at the ball park. Sometimes he's content to enjoy a tootsie pop or play with a car. Other times, he's on a running rampage making mad dashes for the playground or trying to join daddy and bubba on the field. Tonight a caterpillar was our saving grace in the final inning. Never thought I'd wish for more bugs, but whatever it takes. One game in particular, after I had to leave for a meeting, Sam began yelling loudly from behind the fence, "I love you, dad!" "Dad, I love you!" "I love you, bubba!" "Daddy, I love you!" Apparently, it was so loud both teams were giggling. Every now and then Josh would respond with, "I love you too, buddy." Here's to hoping he's always that bold when sharing his heart.

So excited...he got the ball!

Rounding first.

Slugger.

Headed home after some instruction from daddy.

Pirate t-ball...catch the fever!

He sure loves this fun & sweet cousin.

Snap it quick!

Fielding another one!

Hanging with Hairy

Jack had trouble deciding his favorite part of the Lady Dawgs game...the giant cookie or meeting Hairy Dawg.

A Web of Smiles

Are you sure you can trust this smile?

P.S. this is what happens when you combine just the right PJs and super cool swimming toys.

thankful thursday

This week I am thankful for the sunshine we enjoyed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Just when I thought I couldn't take another day of dreary rain, the clouds parted and we headed outside.

We enjoyed some time on the swings, climbing, sliding and monkey bar crossing. It was just what we needed.

We even broke out a toy Jack had received for his birthday from Aunt Lisa & Uncle John. We hadn't had a chance to enjoy it yet between the windy days and the soggy days, but (as you can see) Wednesday was the perfect day for a little stomping.

Weeds

When is a weed more than a weed?

When you find a a folded and taped piece of construction paper in your four-year-old's backpack and it's filled with "flowers for mommy."

Merry merry

It was an incredibly merry Christmas at the Garrett household. I'd like to upload a bunch of wonderful photos from our celebrations with family this weekend, but I'm in full recovery mode already. I'm busy trying to sort through the cardboard jungle, organize all the new toy instruction guides, downsize the enormous baked goods/sweets collection that has accumulated over the last several days, prepare for one more set of visitors and host a post-production party. So, for now, you'll just have to trust me when I say it was a very merry Christmas for us. Hope the same was true for you and yours!

Oh, and almost forgot to mention a visit to see Daddy at the ER tonight, and unfortunately it was not for mere fun! Jack took a tumble and went flying towrds the ground, but the first thing to hit was his face on the corner of the keyboard tray of the computer desk. Thankfully, a little glue is all Josh thought it needed, and Jack was incredibly brave and didn't cry at all while Dad preformed his magic.

Remember that time...

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to take Jack ice skating as they set up a rink at our local park. I wasn't sure if he'd like it, but he gave it a whirl. He kept saying, "I can do it, mommy!" He liked holding onto the side so he could do it alone. He said several times, "Ice skating is slippery!"

Since that night, he's said on a number of occasions, "Remember that time we went ice skating? That was fun!"

Christmas Performers

Thursday marked the final day of preschool for the year, and the classes celebrated with a little performance and a birthday party for Jesus. The classes sang several songs, and Jack's Busy Bee group recited such a sweet little rhyme:

I couldn't buy a gift for you, because I am very small.
But I can give you something, the greatest gift of all.
I can give you kisses (smack, smack),
I can hug you too!
I can give you a friendly smile,
And tell you "I love you!"

Sam was in the bye, bye buggy with his classmates ringing the jingle bells as the big kids sang. Videos on the way.