Memorial Day 2013

I know, the blog has been neglected for some time now...my major excuse is that our house got hit by lightening and burned to the ground...but only the first part of that is the truth.  Our house, or somewhere very near our house, got hit by lightening and the it took out 2 tvs, the desk top computer and the under-the-ground dog fence.  All, but the desk top, have been replaced...but the desk top is where I did 99% of my blogging because it's just easier there...but I've also fallen in deep love with Instagram & I've taken to posting there much more frequently...follow me at tarammcarty1978

Back to the topic...Memorial Day

This weekend I've had long days filled with the laughter of children and time spent with some of my closest friends.  I'm finishing this weekend feeling blessed and thankful for all the fun times and looking forward to a really fun Summer 2013 since Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to Summer...







But over the last two days I've been thinking about what Memorial Day is OFFICIALLY all about...remembering our fallen veterans.  This year I have just felt sad...we, myself included, have made this weekend all about a enjoy a long weekend with friends & family and looking forward to summer and hopefully relaxing somewhere in the water...whether it's fresh water at the lake or salt water at the ocean.  It becomes easy to forget the men and women who gave the ultimate price for our freedom...and that's something I'm not sure we all really understand.  Would I lay down my life for my babies...absolutely.  Would I lay down my life for a stranger living in the middle of no where USA...probably not.  And I'm sure most reading these words would feel the same way.  But every service man and woman is willing to lay down their life for me whether they know me or not...and thankfully, they aren't the first to feel that way.

We live in a time where it's very easy to publicly criticize anyone who doesn't have beliefs matching our own...but if you are criticizing our military, do you realize you're tearing down the same person who is protecting your right to be critical in the first place?  We don't fight wars on our own soil or in our own backyards...and that's because of our presence abroad...I'm not sure what I would do if I could see or hear fighting from my back porch...think about that the next time you hear someone speaking poorly of our military.

I don't have a friend or family member who has lost their life serving our country...but one of my best friends did.  Amanda, my friend, met Nic and her husband Doug while living in Columbus, GA.  Doug was sent to Iraq and Nic and their young son were living in Germany while Doug was serving our country.  Two weeks prior to finishing his deployment he lost his life in the line of duty.  While I don't know what it's like to have a member of my family killed in the line of duty, I do know very well what it feels to bury a family member many, many years too early.  As I think about Nic and her son this weekend I keep finding it hard to enjoy the good times I'm having knowing she and her family are only being reminded of what they've lost.  Amanda's husband posted today on Facebook about this not being a Happy Memorial Day...he's right, this day isn't about being happy...it's about being grateful...grateful for our family, grateful for our freedom and most importantly, grateful for the men and women who have fought and died protecting that freedom.



(Doug is in the yellow shirt)

Freedom isn't free...it's come at a very high cost and a cost most of us will never understand.  So, tonight when you said a blessing before eating your hamburger or hotdog...I hope you said a prayer for those defending our freedom and those who are remembering the loved ones they lost or for the ones that are fighting to keep wars off of our soil.

Spring Soccer 2013

So our soccer star has returned to the field...and in Arch's own words "She picked right up where she left off."



I was happy to see she seems to have remembered what she learned last season...like which direction to kick the ball in...but she's also gotten better at trying to keep the ball in bounds. I was also VERY happy about the color of our team uniforms...blue is Ruth Ann's signature color.

 She did score a few goals this week...I managed to get a quick picture of one, but her back is turned. I had to beg, borrow and steal to get her to wear a bow for the team & individuals picture before the game...and then I didn't remind her she was still wearing it when the game started. She's been very clear she DOES NOT want to wear a bow during her games...but what she didn't know didn't hurt her...she's the blond with the black bow pictured below...Arch said since she played so well she has to wear it every week...but I'm sure that won't be happening!



 A few of my favorite moments were...

 1~When I went to the end of the field to take this picture I looked up and happened to see the ball coming towards me with Ruth Ann hot in pursuit...the look on her face was fierce! The parents next to me, not knowing she was my baby, said "We'll win a lot of games with her on our team."  Her goal count was 4 this week...but she was headed for a 5th when her coach forgot which goal was ours and redirected her...luckily it was just about the end of the quarter so she didn't have time to score in the wrong goal accidentally!

 2~Shortly after the start of the game there was a little scrabble over the ball and several kids, Ruth Ann included, got knocked down and out of bounds...some of the others stood up crying...but Ruth Ann had the meanest scowl on her face directly squarely at the person she felt was responsible for knocking her to the ground. I've been told before I can be mean as a snake...this little apple didn't fall from her momma's tree...she's got a mean streak in her too, which both her daddy and I are pretty proud of!

 I'm looking forward getting know the other kids on our team this spring...so far it looks like a great group of kids and nice parents. Since our team practices are 1hr -1 1/2 hours long once a week it's a good thing the other families are nice because we get to spent a good amount of time together 2 times a week!

I've bought it...you should too...

I've told several of my friends that I talk to in real life about one of my favorite blogs...Big Momma...she's hilarious, I love the way she writes and I'm pretty sure her husband and mine are long lost brothers or in the very least, could be really good friends. About a year and half ago she announced she was writing a book which I knew instantly I would be buying...I pre-ordered it and it hasn't arrived yet, but some of her other famous blogging friends are all talking about it and one posted a video promo for it today...mommas out there, I dare you to watch it and not tear up and want to go buy yourself a copy too....

 
SparklyGreenEarings4 from Big Mama on Vimeo.

My whole life I've struggled with not wanting to grow up...I think I've never been a fan of time passing quickly & seeing my children grow up so fast makes me even less of a fan.  My favorite line from the video is "It's as if we were living our lives in black and white & you brought the color."...what momma among us doesn't feel this way about their babies??

Since my copy hasn't arrived yet I haven't read the first page, but after years of reading her blog I promise it's going to be FABULOUS!! Now go buy yours...

My Babies

Almost as quick as Tripp's wheezing began...it's gone. Yesterday was the first day we didn't do a breezing treatment and I haven't heard a single wheeze so I'm hoping he'll be healthy for at least the next week or 2...is it Spring yet??

In the last month it's amazing how much Tripp has changed. He's vocabulary has taken off from 1-2 word sentences to 5-6 word sentence full of adjectives and verbs, correct tenses (for the most part) and possessive nouns. Ruth Ann was a talker very early on but I never expected Tripp to have the same vocabulary skills...boys aren't usually early talkers...he has proved me wrong. As fun as it is to chat with my sweet little boy...it has me feeling like my babies aren't babies anymore...and that makes me sad.

 When I look at this sweet face...

  of

of course I still see my baby boy...but he's dropping his baby chubbiness and lots of his baby ways by what seems like the minute...



 He doesn't use his high chair anymore and loves sitting up at the bar with his big sister to eat his favorite meal...peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

And this is the chair I rocked him in during those nights when he was still tiny and not sleeping through the night...now he looks at books in this chair...by himself...without his momma...



tear...

 By the time Ruth Ann was this age I was days away from having Tripp...so I think her metamorphosis from baby to toddler was less noticeable...she also has NEVER wanted to be the baby..she's always had an independent streak running through her...I'm not sure where that came from...

Tripp is perfectly happy to tell anyone "I'm not a baby, I'm mommy's baby."...more truer words were never spoken...he's going to be my baby for the rest of my days!

It was too much to ask

When I was pregnant with Ruth Ann I was convinced I would be a mother who would breast feed...I wanted the weight loss benefits but I was also convinced it would make my baby more healthy and add a few extra IQ points...and can't we all use a few extra IQ points. Anyway, Ruth Ann arrived and the images I had of how easy breast feeding would be went right out the window with a lazy little eater. Even when she would take a bottle it would take her FOREVER to eat.

Needless to say, breast feeding didn't work and I was really upset & disappointed in myself. I called a friend who I consider to be one of the best moms ever and as it turned out, she couldn't breast feed her babies either. She listened to me cry about my fears of making my baby stupid and possibly chronically sick and then said once I made my decision to either keep at it or give it up then I would feel much better...so at 5 weeks, I gave up and Ruth Ann was officially a formula fed baby. And she's been very healthy...she didn't need an antibiotic until she was 2 years old and I think she's a pretty smart little girl so far.

So when Tripp was born I knew I wasn't going to give myself a hard time about breast feeding...I tried it again, he was a much better than Ruth Ann...had he been my first I could have gone a lot longer, but having a newborn and a 2 year old was time consuming to say the least, so once more I gave up at 8 weeks. I'd gone longer than I had with Ruth Ann so surely he was going to be just as healthy as Ruth Ann....

I was wrong...this is how we have spent our winter months so far...



We've been the proud owners of a nebulizer since the Fall...and every time he's gotten a cough since then it turns into wheezing quickly. It was clearly too much to ask to have 2 healthy children...I'm praying Spring comes quickly because this momma is tired of cough & cold season!

Just call her "Bubble Girl"

So I've recently decided I'm going to begin construction on a bubble for Ruth Ann to live in during her years spent in middle and high school. I want her to always be protected and stay as sweet and innocent as she is...or was since it was taken year ago...



I know this is a super random thought...but here's why it's been consuming my thoughts recently... Before I ever had 2 biological children of my very own...I claimed these two as the first children I participated in raising...



The oldest in now a freshman in high school and the youngest (KB)has just entered the wild, wild world of middle school...KB was a little photo bomber before photo bombing was made popular...



I don't get to see these sweet faces as much as I once did during my childless and single days...but thanks to social media, I still get to keep up with the younger of the two. The older has always been wise beyond her years and she has very wisely decided to stay off of Facebook. I've had my feelings hurt on Facebook and it was somewhat responsible for the end of a friendship...although as it turned out that friendship was super shallow anyway, so I can't completely blame social media. But because of that experience, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.

I've discovered Instagram in the last year...and since looking at people's pictures are what I really love most about Facebook, it's been a lot of fun...but I can see how it too can turn ugly very quickly. KB is my friend on Instagram and for several months my heart has broken when I read & see her pictures.

She talks about wanting a boyfriend...but she's at the age where girls are interested in boys, but boys aren't interested in girls...yet.

She posts the prettiest pictures of herself and then requests people to "like" her picture if they think she's pretty...I've told her before I think she's so much more than just pretty...and she most definitely is!  But I remember these days of wanting to look good for others more than wanting to look good for myself.

This past week she posted about a "she said, you said" drama she's going through with girls she thought were her good friends and as I read her comments I'm pulled back to the dark, dark days of middle school. I read them and I'm equal parts wanting to hug her silly but also wanting to beat up the mean girls who are making her life so hard right now. Oh, and I also want to start fashioning that bubble for Ruth Ann to live in to avoid these same awful years.

 Last week she wrote "We're in 6th grade, there shouldn't be this much drama...". I seriously wanted to laugh out loud...not because I don't believe what she says, but I know just how true that statement is when you grow up in this town.

I love having a little girl...but I hate the thought of any other girl being mean to her...and because I'm a girl, I know it's coming...why do girls gotta be so mean?? Last year my cousin's daughter was a junior in high school and she was going through mean girl drama. I told her then...life is so much better after high school...for me, my college years were the best of my life...it's clearly the reward for surviving high school!  Had I thought of it earlier, I would have had this bubble ready for KB when she started middle school too!

He's a 2 Year Old

Well, it happened...my baby boy turned 2...



No matter how many times I've begged for time to "SLOW DOWN ALREADY!!"...it simply hasn't...



Thankfully, those cheeks are just as chubby and those lips are just as plumb as they've always been...



But those sweet little rings that lined his arms and legs...they just about disappeared now...



He's just as happy and sweet as he's always been...



And even though it took him a few months to appreciate his pacie...he still loves it more than any other thing in his possession...





He still wears smocking because his momma is in control of his attire...but I fear this may be my last summer to dress him in a jon-jon...I'm sure to shed a tear or two at the end of the summer when the jon-jon era comes to an end...











(I love the picture above...even though Tripp isn't smiling & looks like he wants to punch someone...he looks so much like a "Becker" in this picture and my Papaw use to always say he was going to give us a "knuckle sandwich"...this was Tripp's first knuckle sandwich)





It hurts my heart to look back at these pictures and realize how much time has gone by and how much I've already forgotten...like how tiny newborn feet are...now they're extra wide feet that I can't seem to wedge into his red Keds no matter how hard I try.



And only 2 years have gone by...I'm telling you I will be a complete basket case when or if my babies ever leave the nest...and I'll probably be the WORST mother-in-law in history to the sweet girl who marries this boy...because when I look at him I'm taken back to this moment...



And I'm not sure I'll ever believe someone will be good enough for my baby boy! Who still makes this face...



Oh sweet Tripp-man, I know time is going to continue to fly by right before my eyes...it's my goal to treasure and enjoy each moment because I know you have great things ahead of you.  I love you more than you will ever know and I'm so thankful that you were given to us to make our family complete.  Happy 2nd Birthday buddy!

Smocked Sale

Every time I clean out Ruth Ann's closet I find myself feeling super sad for several different reasons...first, because it's a reminder of how quickly time is passing & since it's socially unacceptable for my 2 year old son to wear his sister's dresses I won't get to see these sweet dresses worn by one of my babies again...second, I'm disgusted by how many of Ruth Ann's dresses still have tags or that I didn't dress her in some of these sweet things often enough...clearly I need to move farther south than South Carolina to fully enjoy Spring & Summer smocking!

The silver lining to a closet clean-out...SELLING! I'm linking up today with Kelly's Korner to try to sell a few...or all...of Ruth Ann's 3T smocked clothing...everything is a 3T (well, almost everything...there is one 2T dress that's perfect for beach pictures & could be worn by a small 3 year old, some are new with tags, or gently used, all is stain free. We do have a cat in our home for those who want to know...but we don't let her wear our clothes :)

Prices:  Everything is $20 each. Shipping is $3, but if you purchase more than one the max shipping cost is $5.


$20 each...













(#23-pending payment)




Comment below to let me know which items you would like and include your PayPal address. Once I receive your payment I'll mail your picks using USPS.

Figures...

If you're a mom of 2 or more children...you may have already learned this lesson...but if you're the mom of 1 or are planning to start a family...let this be a cautionary tale...

Since Ruth Ann was born I've lived in fear that she would one day cut her lovely blond locks of hair. Since the play room doubles as my sewing room she has seen me use scissors often...and I have found small cuts in fabric and projects I was working on in the past...but never her hair. When she was in 2 year old preschool her teachers commented on how she didn't use scissors well...and I thought "Well of course she can't, she's not permitted to come within 5 feet of them at home.". Eventually she picked up good scissors skills at school and I did buy some child appropriate scissors for home.

But all this time when I was keeping my eye on Ruth Ann, Tripp saw an opportunity and decided to give himself a hair cut this week while I was taking a shower...



While he is very cute...he cut several inches of hair from the area around his part. And I realize it could be much worse...he turns 2 in a week and I wanted to have 2 year pictures taken & we had pictures with Santa yesterday...so this hair style he selected for himself will be forever remembered in our Christmas 2012 pictures...Merry Christmas!

Disney Cruisin'

If I had a nickel for every time Ruth Ann has said she wished we were back on Mickey's Big Boat...I'd have plenty of money for Christmas shopping this year.  We were spoiled...and even the 3 (almost 4) year old knew it.  Tripp still talks about Mickey's Big Boat so even the almost 2 year old was won over.  We had The.Best.Time!  Hands down, best vacation ever!  EVER!  Allow me to overload you with pictures now...



Oh Mickey, you have no idea how much we have looked forward to seeing you!!

 



They announce your family as you walk onto the ship...



And the characters are EVERYWHERE...we got to see everyone we wanted to see multiple times...



We suited up and hit the pool...



Tripp was prohibited from getting into the pool due to an "anti-swim diaper" policy...which I'm in agreement with. Thankfully they had a great splash area for little ones...



Then we down stairs for our safety drill...



Rotten 1 and Rotten 2 looked like cruising pros before we even left the port! Tripp fell asleep during the safety drill...I would have been responsible for him in case of an emergency so I took notes for him. Then we headed back up stairs and Tripp nearly missed our big exit from port...



 And we're off!!!









We got dressed for dinner and I enjoyed my Mickey themed dessert...



We got back to our room to find our first towel animal...



And Ruth Ann discovered her bed that came out of the ceiling...she thought she was big stuff sleeping up top...



Someone else wanted to climb up and down the ladder...repeatedly...this made Grammy really nervous...I've excepted this child will always be just inches from needing stitches...so I wasn't as bothered by it...



We fell asleep and woke up the next morning in the Bahamas...







Someone became quite the little hugger...





We were a little afraid to get on the boat alone, so we just stayed on the boat and played all day...





My favorite...watching The Little Mermaid on a giant screen while sitting at the pool...there may have also been an adult beverage in my hand...



My little pirate loved driving this ship in the interactive painting...



And both the kids loved the never ending supply of food on the 11th floor deck...they could have sat with a bowl of grapes all.day.long!



We returned from dinner to find another towel animal...



 And then woke up the next morning at Disney's private island...













I'm using this picture to show Arch how much he would enjoy spending time on the island...

















 And just one more...because I can't get enough of that face!!



Oh how I miss that blue water...and our sweet home away from home...







Back to the boat...and back to the pool...





This was the night of the Presidential election...we had hoped our towel animal was a prediction for who the winner would be...



Sadly, it was not... This same night was pirate night. Since my kids were pirates for Halloween we redressed in our Halloween clothes from the evening. After a show with Capt. Jack Sparrow on the 11th floor there were fireworks from the boat...Disney is the only cruise ship that has permission to shoot fireworks...





The hugger returned when she spotted one of her favorite characters...







Here's what the kids pool looked like without water...it had to be drained because of a #2 accident in the pool...more evidence why swim diapers are a no no!

 

This was our day at sea, so we spent a lot of time at the pool...



 I'm not sure what set Tripp off...but he's just so funny when he's mad...



 Wait, it gets better...



 Tripp and I headed up stairs to get a good view...





And look who cheered up...













We met the captain of our ship...Captain Henry...



By day 3, Rotten #1 could have given out lessons on cruise attire...doesn't she look like a pro??!!

We got dressed for dinner...I'm posting a picture of this dress because I was sewing the buttons on the night before we boarded the ship...this was a dress I started working on months ago...and kinda lost interest. But I was determined to see her wear it...and she did!

















And someone fell asleep again as we were waiting in line to see Capt. Hook & Mr. Smee...

 

 Mr. Smee didn't make him happy when he woke up...



 And look who met her favorite pirate...





Then I left the kiddos with my mom so I could go play the final Bingo game on the cruise...it came highly recommended by Andrea, who has won money there in the past...it wasn't worth the investment in tickets for me...I should have stayed and napped!



I think I love them the most when they're sleeping soundly like this...they just look so sweet! We headed to dinner and met Captain Mickey...



And visited with a few other characters too...





Then we, very sadly, had to leave the ship bright and early...like 7am early...the next morning. The end of a vacation is never fun...the end of a Disney vacation is never EVER fun...and the end of a Disney cruise is about the saddest event ever...EVER! Thankfully my 2 Disney addicts slept or watched movies all the way so that helped with the depression of coming off our Disney high...I felt like it took me a week to fully re-adjust back to society.







It helps me to know we WILL be going back...BEST.VACATION.EVER!!