Carter Quotes

Carter has had some doozies lately.  I have to write them down before I forget!

{Watching the end of the movie Annie - characters are singing and dancing in the street}
Carter:  "Why aren't they embarrassed?"
Me:  "What do you mean?"
C:  (looking slightly disgusted) "They're all....dancing and singing in the street....."
Me:  "It's called a MUSICAL, Carter....." 
Like father, like son.

{At baseball practice}
Coach:  "Guys, we need someone to be a catcher.  But if you want to try catching, you need to wear a cup.  Do you guys know what a cup is?"
Carter:  "I DO!  It's something you put your drink in!"
Coach:  "Well....if you're not sure ask your dad or mom...."

{Hanging out in the kitchen}
Carter:  "Mom, what is a showerhead?"
Me (confused):  "It's the thing that the water comes out of in the shower...."
[Quiet minute....he's thinking....]
C:  "No, I mean, what is a showerhead....spelled c-h-o-w-d-e-r-h-e-a-d?"
Me:  "Chowderhead?  Wait a minute, is this from Calvin & Hobbes?"
C:  "Yes. [pause] And also....what is a moron?"
Me: (feeling like the mom from Calvin & Hobbes, head in hands) "Ughhhhhh Carter...... "

 I can always count on Carter to keep things interesting around here. :)

Chloe's Special Day. Finally.

So toward the end of the summer, the kids asked to each have a "special day" with Mom.  (I think this had a lot to do with constantly having to have my attention divided amongst all of them all summer).  Audrey got a trip to go school shopping (shocker there), Carter took a mini-golf trip to Waltz Farm (shocker there too), and then we went away on vacation, school started, and here we are in October.  Last week Chloe reminded me that she had never had her special day, and she wanted to go....to the mall. (As Audrey said: "she's just copying MEEEEE")  Yes, but the mall it was. So we planned her mall trip for after school one day.

When I picked her up from school that day, she proudly pronounced "Today I was the pawprint winner at school!"  (It is a good behavior award.) She had this special pencil to show for it:

Then we were off to the mall.  Chloe wanted to eat lunch at Chick-fil-a.  They unexpectedly gave us ice cream!  Score!

 Mmm, that was a fun surprise!

 I asked her where she wanted to go next....she said to the fountain. :)

So we went and threw pennies in the fountain.

And rode the escalator about 25 times.

 We went to Bath & Body Works and bought sanitizers (and some Christmas presents...) then we wandered through a few other stores.  Rode the escalater again. Then we went to look around Build A Bear.  

We didn't really plan on making something, but I thought - why not?  This is Chloe's special day!

And she has only been here one other time (which she doesn't really remember).

 She picked this rabbit and named it "Rainbow" because, well, it is all rainbow-y.

 She especially loved taking it to the bath station. :)

An Icee and a Build a Bear....what more could a 5 year old ask for from her special day?

I have to say - when I look at this picture, I can almost picture her carrying Starbucks and some shopping bags one day.

What fun days those will be!

It's hard to communicate with pictures, but this was such a special day filled with so many special memories for me, and I hope for her too.  

Next year we won't be able to do this on a weekday afternoon. :(  

But I am enjoying it while I can.

Dear Kids, This is why I have no brain cells left....

Today I got "the email" from the principal.

(Before you gasp....so did everyone else who has a child in my kids' school. It's just the weekly info email.)

And every week it seems there are more and more things for Mom to remember.

This week Chloe has a field trip to the pumpkin patch mid-week.  It might rain, so I will need to remember old shoes or boots, a rain coat, maybe an umbrella, warm clothes so she doesn't freeze, etc.  AND I need to remember to dress her in her cute pumpkin shirt. Also I have to remember to pack a plastic bag with handles with her name and her teacher's name printed on the side to put the pumpkin in. Luckily I already paid for the trip so I don't need to remember to send money.

However, I DO need to remember money to send with Audrey & Carter on Thursday for school store. Then Friday is "pretzel day" so 50 cents each on that day .  Because heaven forbid they show up empty-handed and the ONLY KIDS who don't have money for this stuff....

This week there's also the band performance Audrey has with the middle school band on Tuesday.  She needs to be there at 5:30.  However, the concert doesn't start til 7.  So either I twiddle my thumbs for 1.5 hours or I go home for an hour just to turn around and go back.  Meanwhile, on the same evening, we are hosting our small group at 7:30 so I need the other 2 kids fed and ready for bed before I leave so that they can just jump in bed when I get home, and meanwhile Chad will welcome our guests til Audrey & I return.  (I admit, this was just poor planning on my part but I didn't realize this concert was in the evening until I got "the email" a week ago!)

Also, Carter has Lego club after school on Wednesday.  Which I forgot about last week.  Fortunately when he didn't get off the bus at the end of the day, I realized I needed to pick him up in an hour....

And Chloe has gymnastics on Thursday afternoon.  Which I ALSO forgot about last week.  (No comments please...)

Next week is Pumpkin Day on Friday.  So Carter needs to decorate a little pumpkin like some kind of character, hide it in a brown bag, and get it to school in one piece.  This would be easy for Audrey but for Carter?  I hope it doesn't get left on the bus....I am helping at Pumpkin Day as well so now I also need to get a big pumpkin to bring, along with a bunch of utensils so kids can help me scoop out the seeds.  But who are we kidding?  I did this with preschoolers last year and NOT ONE KID wanted to touch the goop inside the pumpkin.  So guess who will probably be scooping junk out of pumpkins solo??

Then today I got "THE EMAIL" from school about next week, with this attachment about Red Ribbon week:  (cut and pasted verbatim....)

"In an effort to get students involved and committed to leading a healthy life, we are encouraging students and staff to participate in our “theme of the day” all week long:
Monday, October 20- Team Up Against Drugs and Bullying Day- students may team up for the fight against bad choices by wearing their favorite sports team attire to school
Tuesday, October 21 -Follow Your Dreams to Stay Healthy -students may wear appropriate pajamas or robes, but please no slippers (sneakers only).
Wednesday, October 22- Dress for Success-Wear your favorite college or university gear.
Thursday, October 23- Work it Out, Keep the Drugs Out! -students may wear their sports gear, exercise clothes, or active wear…we challenge everyone to walk or run an extra 5 minutes at recess!
Friday, October 24- Let Your True Colors SHINE -students can wear their favorite color and/or shiny, sparkly clothes.
Monday, October 27- Red Ribbon Week Finale- students should wear red to celebrate the end of our lessons, and continuation of many good choices!"

Seriously people.

SIX. WHOLE. DAYS. of remembering to have all these different clothing combos clean and ready to go for 2 different kids. For the love. And college gear? We have NONE.  (Sorry kids, unless you want to wear Daddy's old Wheaton College t-shirts....)

Did I mention there's also a middle school open house next week?

And Halloween is coming?

And that my in-laws are coming to stay for almost a week in the middle of this?  Thankfully they are EASY and will probably HELP me remember all this stuff.  Because I'm not sure I can keep it all straight anymore...

And this, dear children of mine who complain I always forget things -- THIS is why I have no brain cells left. 

Love,
Mom

PS.  I wouldn't have it any other way.....it is crazy trying to keep up with all this but I am really so thankful for all the opportunities you have at school and in life.  Except for maybe the 6-day clothing ordeal.... :)

September Snapshots: Suzy Q. Homemaker Saturday

It all started with this:

 Actually, there were more like 3x this many tomatoes on my countertops.....

So I decided to make tomato sauce.

Before:

 And, AFTER: 

While the tomato sauce was bubbling on the stove all afternoon, I decided to make some kind of pumpkin-y treat.  I chose a recipe I just saw on pinterest the other day, Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodles.

Chloe had fun helping me make them. :)

 Well, the recipe only called for about half the can of pumpkin.

What to do with the other half of the can....hate to let all that yummy pumpkin goodness go to waste!

Then I remembered a recipe I saw in my Allrecipes magazine....Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

 Not too shabby.

They got thumbs up from the kids too (and Audrey's friend who was over)!

I love to bake and seem to never have time to do so (or the energy for that matter.....)

Today was such a rainy day, it just seemed like the thing to do.....

And now the house smells delicious!

Summer Snapshots, Day 42

Well, I am going to dub this "the summer of visits with new and old friends".  I spent the last week of June making a lot of new friends in Bulgaria.  And I have had the immense pleasure of seeing a number of "old" friends this summer, some that I have not seen in AGES.  

Today I took the kids to Hershey/Chocolate World to meet up with my friends Ingrid & Matt & their kids.  It has been so long since I've seen them that we have never even met each other's children in person.....and they have an 11 year old, so yeah, it's been awhile!!

I am so, so glad that we arranged this because it was such a blessing to see them again.  You know friends are keepers when you can go for a zillion years, and then just pick up where you left off. 

It was so great to see you Ingrid, Matt & kids!  Hope it's not another 12 years til we see you again!

Summer Snapshots, Day 40: August Goals

Day 40!  I have made some major progress on my blogging!

Today was a regular old summer day.....some friends came over for lunch, we went swimming, the kids watched too much TV again.....I couldn't get my cooking act together so we went to Chick-fil-a for dinner.... :)

This afternoon I was catching up on some blogs I like to read and one of them inspired me to make some monthly goals.

I generally hate making goals.  I actually love the idea of goals, but then I can't live up to my own high expectations, and then I feel like a failure.  So in lieu of all this drama....I just avoid making goals.  I know, I need help. ;)

But I figure monthly goals might be do-able.  Nothing big, but something to aim for!  So I wrote a little list.
Now keep in mind that we are going to be gone for about a week this month.  And I am gearing up for the start of the school year, which you can tell when you read these goals....

 So #1 - "Meal plans & stocking up on staples."  For the past couple weeks I feel like dinner time hits and I am wondering what on earth we are going to eat for dinner. (see above....)  I really don't like making dinner in the summer.  It's hot, the kids & I are outside til 6 pm, and then everyone is starving. Also, I feel like I never have enough of anything, so I'm constantly popping into the grocery store to get a few things....which is bad for my budget and just generally frustrating to be running out of stuff all the time.  Which leads me to...

#2 - "Join BJ's".   We belonged to BJ's for a number of years when we had kids in diapers and it seemed worth the savings.  Then it felt like spending $50 a year to save a few bucks was a waste. Well....now we are to the point in our family when I feel like we eat so much food (and I pack so many lunches) that it makes sense to join again.  And I just got a coupon in the mail to join for only $25.  So back to BJ's I go.  And this is where I can do some stocking up on staples!

#3 - "Enjoy vacation."  This sounds like a no-brainer but I feel a little stressed about vacation.  Not the vacation itself, but the fact that we get back and a day later the kids start the school year!!  EEK!  I send my baby on the big bus to kindergarten!  So, Amy, take a deep breath and realize everyone will be just fine.  Probably overtired, but just fine. :)

#4 - "Start prep for JBF" - This is a big sale where you can re-sell kid/baby stuff.  It's at the end of September and it sneaks up on me every year, so I hope to go through some of the kids' stuff and "downsize" so to speak.  And hopefully make some cash!

#5 - "Audrey's birthday" - Well, this also sneaks up on me every year.  Her birthday is in early September RIGHT after school starts, so maybe I can be ahead on this for once???  She and I actually spent some time discussing what she wants to do for her birthday this evening. :)

So there you have it.  I hope that now that it's written out I can stick to it.  Well, at least SOME of it!

Summer Snapshots, Day 36

When I started this blog seven years ago, it was a way for me to share pictures of the kids with grandparents, remember little anecdotes about our family, and write about my life as a mom.

I think like 10 people read this blog, and about 8 of them are family members. :)

But Melissa - who lived in Arizona at the time - stumbled across this blog while searching for information about the town she was moving to here in Pennsylvania.

She emailed me and asked me some questions about activities for moms and kids in the area.

I wrote back.

When she moved here, we met each other and became fast friends!

Melissa, Katie, Brianne & I had a weekly Dunkin Donuts date with our kids.

She even ended up going to the same church!

She is a wonderful, warm & caring person, and an awesome mom to 2 sweet boys.

And unfortunately she moved away back in the fall. :(

This week, she was back in PA for a visit, so today she, Katie, Brianne & I got together for a crazy lunch at Chick-fil-a (w/ 10 kids!!  Thankful for that play area!)

Who knew that this blog would bring me a lifelong friend?? :)

Summer Snapshots, Day 33

It's that time of summer.  If you are a stay at home mom, you know what I'm talking about.

It's called summer burnout.

I am so tired.

I don't mean to complain.  REALLY, I don't.

I seriously know I am blessed. 

I know my kids will someday grow up and love each other and not screech at everything the other says and/or does ("She's copying meeee!!!)

I know I will miss splashing around in the pool with them.

I know they will learn to clean up after themselves (at least if I have anything to do with it, they will!)

I know that it won't kill them to watch too much TV or have too much screen time (it won't, right??)

I know it's okay for them to make big messes, it's part of childhood.

  I know that someday I will miss the little fingers poking me at 7am asking for food.

(Ok, I won't miss that too much).

 I know everything I am experiencing is normal.

But it doesn't take away this fact:  This. Is. Exhuasting!

One more month to go....

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.... :)

Summer Snapshots, Day 22

I'm not gonna lie.

Today was one of those days.

 

We took the kids to VF Park for a picnic and some "hiking" (really, more of a walk).

 It started out with bickering kids....

 ....it ended with 2 out of 3 kids falling and getting hurt.   Just scrapes and bruises.  But plenty of tears.

We got in the car and I may have told Chad that I want to go back to Bulgaria.....

We came home, had some quiet time (& a nap for Chloe) and regrouped.

 Then we went to our annual neighborhood fireworks fun.

We let Chloe do sparklers this year.

Everyone drank too much lemonade, ate too many cookies, killed too many lightning bugs trying to catch them, stayed up too late, and had so much fun that everyone fell into bed and promptly fell asleep. :)

And as always - tomorrow is a new day. :)

Summer Snapshots, Day 21: 4th of July

 

Happy 4th of July!

 We spent the afternoon/evening at my Mom & Dad's.

The weather was nice but it ended up being too windy to eat outside.

Darn tropical storm!!

 We still had a fun time.

I had the chance to show them all my Bulgaria photos.

The kids had a "car band" on the way home.

Audrey on drums.

Chloe on guitar.

Carter singing lead vocals.

To Skillet.

{ Daddy's influence while I was gone.... :) }

We planned to go to fireworks, but Carter & Chloe were SOOO tired, so we just dropped off Chad & Audrey at the park to watch, and I took the other 2 home to go to bed.  

Last night, C & C were up half the night, scared of the dark since our power was out.

Then they were up at 6 am when the power came back on!

Somehow they are fast asleep now despite the neighbors setting off fireworks right outside their bedroom window.  :)

Summer Snapshots, Day 19

Back to my regular summer life....

An afternoon at the pool with Chilly Willy's.

Fun times.

Summer Snapshots, Day 18

I am home.

I am so happy to be with my people again.

But I really miss this place.

And I REALLY miss these nice leisurely dinners full of adult conversation.

But mostly..... I REALLY, REALLY miss all these people.

 Липсва ми всички мои български приятели. Аз изпращам моята любов и прегръдки през миля.

Summer Snapshots, Day 17

Today's adventures in Bulgaria....

Hanging out with my friends

Our new teacher friends said we had to try a new drink - Boza.  Not a fan.  

The best way to describe it is that it tastes like pureed cheerios & milk.  Slightly fermented....

More rainbow loom fun!

Kids learning to play baseball

Painting our nails with the girls

I gave these 3 girls French braids - they loved it!

Ultimate frisbee

The kids really seem to enjoy this game.

And can you believe this is the first time they had seen a frisbee?

I took an after-dinner walk with Patti and we stopped near this monument and chatted.

The beautiful view from our bench :)

Thank you Lord for another great day.

I will miss this place when we leave.

Summer Snapshots, Days 15 & 16

Yesterday was HOT and I was so tired at the end of the day.....I just fell into bed without posting!

So here goes....some highlights from the past few days:

 Two of the school teachers found out that we had not had "banitsas" (a traditional Bulgarian pastry) or "ayran" (a traditional yogurt drink)....so they made some and brought it for us on Tuesday morning!  

The people here are so thoughtful and hospitable.

 Banitsa with pumpkin and banitsa with cheese

 These two girls are my new BFF's.  Both named Ani!

 We and the kids painted the fence and benches.

 Later the girls made necklaces and did rainbow loom....they LOVE rainbow loom!

 After some crafts, they took us to visit the museum of Peshtera.

 Another photo from the museum.  The school's history teacher gave us a personal tour!

 My dinner.  Which was surprisingly delicious!

 On Wednesday, our team put in some new benches....

 ....and put up some new backboards to play basketball.

 Borislava & I painted this rainbow on the school gate.  She is an English teacher at the school in Peshtera, and my new friend. :)

 This afternoon during some free time, we took a walk to see the clock tower.

The view from the clock tower.  Peshtera is a beautiful town.

 Tonight before dinner we had some "cheese fries" with Bulgarian cheese.

 And this was our gargantuan dinner.  Stuffed peppers.

Dinner here lasts for at least 2 hours.  And I love it.....time to eat, time to talk and get to know each other, and no one asking me to cut their food. :)

Although I do miss my kids & Chad!

I am so thankful for all the amazing experiences we are having here in Peshtera.  The people here are wonderful and God is on the move. :)