211/365 – Ten years already?

It is so hard to believe, but Noah turned TEN years old today!  Ten years ago, I saw that adorable face for the first time.  I had no idea how fast time would fly.  I had no idea how incredibly smart, silly, handsome, loving, and fun he would be.  I had no idea that the love I felt for him that day, as overwhelming as it was, was only the tip of the iceberg.  TEN YEARS!

As is our usual family birthday plan, we let Noah pick the spot for his birthday dinner and he picked Chili’s.  We had a great dinner and then went to Best Buy and bought the only gift that he asked for…Guitar Hero Metallica. 

We love you, Noah!

208/365 – Neighbors

Last year when our neighbors moved they invited us over to get some of the meat out of their freezer so that it wouldn’t go to waste.  While we were there they told us to take this plant too, as they didn’t think it would live through the long drive.  It has been almost a year since they left and this is the first time that the plant has bloomed since we have had it.  It was a nice reminder of our kind neighbors. 

205/365 – Hosting a Playdate

We have a good friend that was in the hospital and they were needing someone to keep their kids for a few hours for Mrs. Friend to be able to be with Mr. Friend for the day.  We invited C & R over to play with us for the day and Cooper had a great time playing with C.  They swam in the pool and played cars and trucks most of the afternoon. 

204/365 – End of Summer Party

 

Today the homeschool groups in our area were having an End of Summer party at the jump party shop.  They had the inflatables inside to jump on and then later they set up the water slide outside.  We were there for over 3 hours and it was a really fun day. 

200/365 – Getting in Touch with Nature

After spending another week with Dwight out-of-town, the kids and I were really tired of sitting in the house alone.  We decided to take a Sunday afternoon field trip and ended up at wildlife trail in Athens.  The weather was so nice and we were able to walk around for an hour or so to see all of the animals they had there and then follow that up with some playtime at the adjoining park. I let the boys pick dinner (and of course, even though we were away from home and could eat anywhere, they picked McDonald’s) and then we started the drive back home.  It was a fun day and really helped to pass the time until Daddy was back home again. 

195/365 – Trip to the ER

Dwight has barely made it back home and we already have a situation.  Today Noah dared Cooper to lick a button cell battery that he took out of his book light.  Well, you can imagine what happened…he swallowed it.  Unfortunately a battery is not something that is good to swallow, so we were off to the ER.  The hospital contacted the National Button Cell Battery Hotline (apparently this happens A LOT every year) and once the xray confirmed that the battery had made it to his stomach ok we were sent home to wait for its reappearance.  Thankfully everything was ok and Cooper learned an important lesson about putting things in your mouth. 

193/365 - Dragonfly

This beautiful dragonfly was on the bushes in the front yard this afternoon. 

191/365 – Our Day with Lynne

 

We arrived at Lynne’s house last night and had dinner with them.  It was so great to spend some time with Lynne.  We haven’t seen her in a couple of years and had never been to her *new* house (she’s been there about 5 years, so technically not so new anymore, LOL).  The boys were really excited to have more room to run around, but since it had rained all evening it didn’t turn out quite as they hoped so they made themselves at home in the great room while Lynne and I caught up.  Jessica got home from her college class around 10:30 so she stayed up with all of us while we talked and the boys played and watched tv.  I didn’t think Noah and Cooper would ever go to sleep…it was after 1 am! Finally they did and we got up early the next morning.  Unfortunately, the no routine, excess energy, and late nights with little sleep had caught up with them and there was a lot of chaos today…arguing, whining, fighting with each other, etc.  Lynne took us riding around to see all of their family land and farms and riding in the car was the first time the boys had slowed down in two days.  I began to feel a headache coming on, and as much fun as we had had on the trip, it was definitely time to head back home. We left around 4 pm and between stopping for dinner and a traffic delay in Atlanta it took us almost 8 hours to get home. 

I am glad that we made the trip, but I had completely underestimated how very hard it would be to do alone.  I had to do all of the packing and unpacking (three times in two days!) and all of the driving, all while trying to keep two energetic and overtired boys out of trouble and under some kind of control by myself.  It was fun and so good to see everyone, but exhausting and not something I will be tackling alone again any time soon, LOL. 

190/365 – Our Day with Papa

I hadn’t told Papa that we were coming because, on the chance that it didn’t work out, I didn’t want to disappoint him.  I did tell my mom though, because she and George made our room arrangements at the Village.  They had spent the day there Wednesday and were spending the night there as well.  All they told Papa was that they had a surprise for him the next day.  Thursday we got up and went to breakfast and then went to Papa’s room.  He was shocked when Noah walked into his room and then Cooper and me.  He seemed so happy to see all of us.  We all went to Papa’s favorite buffet for lunch and then the boys ran around our room playing “soldiers” while Mama, George, Papa, and I played Scrabble. It was a little hard keeping them from being too loud and wild, especially since it was raining outside so they had to stay in the room, but overall they were good.   The day went quickly, and before we knew it the day was over and it was time to say goodbye and head to Lynne’s.  Even though it was a short visit, it was so nice to spend some time with everyone. 

189/365 – Heading South

Dwight had to spend the week in Nebraska for work.  My best friend, Lynne, called and was trying to decide when to come up to see us and I thought that since Dwight was gone I would go visit my Papa for a day and then stay with her the next day.  I wasn’t sure about travelling alone with the boys, but I thought I would at least try since it would only be a couple of days.  So, we sent the dogs to Dana’s, packed our stuff, and headed south to Waycross. 

188/365 - Crystals

 

Noah had been watching an experiment for the last few weeks about the effects of temperature on crystal formation.  The salt crystals on the left were at room temperature and the ones on the right were in the refrigerator.  As you can see, the colder temps slowed down the growth of the crystals, although the difference between the two wasn’t as great two weeks in to the experiment as they were the first few days.  Noah really enjoyed checking them every day.  

187/365 – Lego Original

Cooper created this Lego scene today while taking his quiet time.  There is a space ship in the middle and a diamond chest on the right.  The yellow dome was a poisonous area and the beige area on the left was quicksand.  He would take the torsos off of a character and stick him to the quicksand to look like he was sinking.   I thought this was pretty darned creative for a five year old just using his imagination. :)

185/365 – Independence Day

    

Our fourth didn’t go completely as planned, but turned out to be a great day.  That afternoon we had a cookout and Cooper and Noah helped me make a fireworks cake.  After an afternoon swim, we packed up the leftover hot dogs and cake and headed to the fireworks.  It was a beautiful evening…not too hot.   We set up the chairs and the dome umbrella and had our picnic dinner then the boys headed out into the field to play while Dwight and I talked and listened to the band.  Finally it was time to break out the glow sticks and watch the fireworks.  Happy Birthday, America!

184/365 – The Garden: All Grown Up

So it has been about 2 1/2 months since we planted the garden and it has really been busy.  We have already enjoyed a lot of squash and cucumbers.  We have been using the basil, rosemary, and peppers in our cooking.  The tomatoes are really starting to produce, and the okra is starting to bloom.  We have so enjoyed the garden this year! The kids love going outside to see if there is anything new to pick in the garden, and they are learning a lot about gardening and the joy of providing your own food on the table.  It just goes to show that it is worth the time it takes to do it right, rather than trying to do a shortcut technique that gives little to no yield. 

(To go back to see the garden at planting, here is the other post: Starting the Garden)

183/365 – Ice Age 3 and the Music Store

Today we took the boys to the movies to see Ice Age 3.  They had blue slushees (notice the insanely blue lips, LOL), popcorn and enjoyed a fun summer movie.  After the movie we spent some time at the music store next door.  This has become a favorite stop for the both boys, but especially for Noah.  He is hoping to get a guitar and take guitar lessons so he loves to go there to dream. 

182/365 - Tessa

Today we had a visit from our old neighbor, Tessa.  She was in town because a neighbor of ours, her friend, Michael, had passed away.  We have known Tessa since she was 7 years old and now she’s 20.  She was so excited when Noah was born and has always been crazy about him.  Even since she moved 5 years ago, she still sends him photos and cards.  While she was here she slipped in his room and wrote this little note on his dry erase board, just under her photo.  While the photo is blurry, it was too special not to include in our year photos.  

181/65 – Big Day Out

 

          

Today we spent the day downtown.  First we went to the aquarium, which we planned. The boys each brought their cameras and took their own photos.  It was fun watching them and seeing what they chose to capture in their photos. 

As many times as we have been, we have never seen the whale shark feeding and it was amazing.  They start pouring buckets of plankton into the water and the whale sharks open their huge mouths.  Suddenly you can see the water at the surface rushing into their mouths.  Over and over they do this and it was fascinating every single time. 

As we left the aquarium the boys asked if we could also go to the World of Coke museum and we decided, what the heck, and we made a double feature day.  The kids really enjoyed seeing all of the coke items, seeing the polar bear, and watching the 4D movie, but their absolute favorite part was being able to drink Coke.  We don’t let them have Coke at home so for them to be able to drink it to their hearts content was more than they could believe.  We each got a bottled Coke to take home as well, so the Coke Lovefest continued at home too. 

It was a really fun day. :)

180/365 – Fresh Homemade Salsa

One of the best things about our little garden has been being able to make our own salsa right from our garden.  We have finally perfected our recipe, and it has been delicious.  It will be one of the things we will miss the most when the summer garden is gone. 

178/365 – Peek-A-Boo

Our a/c unit in the sunroom died right in the heat of summer (of course!) so Dwight spent one of his vacation days off  replacing the darned thing.  We were able to get a more energy efficient model…that’s the good news…but it ended up being a lot smaller than the old unit so he had to spend hours framing the space to fit the new unit.  Cooper really preferred having the big hole in the wall.

174/365 – Scooters at the Skate Park

Today we spent a hot, sunny afternoon at the new skate park they added to one of our local parks.  Noah really enjoyed riding around the bowl, even though it wasn’t until he was inside the bowl that we realized it was going to be awful hard for him to make it back outside the bowl.   They had the bowl for the more experienced skateboarders/bikers and then there is another area that is a little more kid-friendly.  Cooper stayed in the safer area and Noah did most of the time, but kept pining for the bowl.   The kids had a great time, but we didn’t get to stay as long as we would have liked because Cooper was getting very pink in the bright sun, especially against all of the light concrete, and we couldn’t find our sunscreen.  Great exercise and a way to blow off a lot of energy, though.  This will definitely be something we do again. :)

172/365 – Happy Father’s Day!

 

We are very blessed to have Dwight and all of our wonderful grandfathers in our family.  We love you all!

171/365 – Alex’s Lemonade Stand Project

Noah decided to participate in Alex’s Lemonade stand this year, hosting a lemonade stand to raise money for pediatric cancer.  Our stand was dedicated to the memory of Dustin Cobb, one of Noah’s third grade classmates who was fighting cancer that year and sadly passed away last summer.  He invited his best friend, Joshua, to help and together we manned our booth outside of Joshua’s uncle’s tanning salon on a very hot afternoon.  The lemonade was free and we accepted donations for our cause and had a lot of contributors…strangers and friends (one of our friends that we hadn’t seen since high school even came out).  We had a great day working together for a great cause!

170/365 – The Mom

Just decided to snap a photo of myself on the webcam since I don’t end up in a lot of the photos.  Not that I mind, LOL, but I guess it is nice to prove I exist once in a while. 

169/365 – Kids Bowl Free

Our bowling center has Kids Bowl Free during the summer  where the kids get two free games every day.  We met the Morrisons today for a round of bowling.  

168/365 – Butterflies

Today the lantana in the front was covered in butterflies, big and small.  The bushes drive me crazy, but I sure do love all the butterflies they attract. 

166/365 – Frosties by the Fire

After swimming in the evening, we would usually dry off in front of the fire.  Tonight I went and got us all Frosties and the combination of the cold ice cream and the warm fire was perfect. 

165/365 – Canine & Cannonballs

The guys (and super-swimmer Ruby) spending the afternoon in the pool. Some days there is more jumping than swimming…this was one of those days!

164/365 – Cook Family Gathering

 

Today we met with Dwight’s dad, uncles, and some newly-introduced distant cousins for lunch in Covington.  They had been corresponding by email having found that they are distantly related through their great-grandfather (I believe), and they were going to meet with some other relatives at a church near a cemetery where their ancestors are buried.   Dwight’s Aunts Jean and Juanita arrived shortly after this photo was taken.  Unfortunately, Jean fell at the restaurant and had to go to the emergency room to be checked, so not everything went exactly as planned.  We went to the ER to stay with Jean so that the others could make it to the church for a short visit with the others who were waiting.  Thankfully she had only received minor injuries and was able to go home that evening. 

162/365 – Camp Invention

 

 

Today was the last day of Camp Invention.  Joshua & Noah have done this camp together the past two summers and it has been so much fun for them to spend the whole day together inventing and learning about science.  On the last day we get to see their inventions and other creations.  This year they created comic book characters.  Joshua created the hero, Mr. Squash, and Noah created the villain, The Brutal Broccoli. After we saw all of their work, the boys ran around the parking lot, enjoying the last of their fun week at camp together. 

160/365 – Crazy Hair

Noah has been in Camp Invention this week and tomorrow is Crazy Hair Day.  We started out trying to do some kind of mohawk, but that didn’t work so we moved on to this lovely style.  He really liked it, but it took forever so he needed to sleep in it to be able to do it in the morning.  After about 30 minutes of trying, he just couldn’t sleep so I told him that we would figure something out in the morning.  At least I got this picture! :)

159/365 – First “Harvest”

Our garden is growing amazingly fast and today we actually pulled our first squash off of the vine.  It wasn't enough to make a meal off of, but it made a great appetizer and teaser for the veggies to come.

157/365 – Laying Sod

After several years of kids digging, dogs running, and other abuse, our back yard has lost so much of our grass that it is awful.  Finally sick of all of the dirt being tracked into the house from the grassless back yard, we decided to lay some sod around the patio.  Between that bermuda grass and the bermuda that has moved into the back yard sides from the front we are hoping that it will gradually come together and look like a normal yard again.

Dwight got out early in the morning to prepare the area and the boys came out to help lay the sod pieces and fill the seams with sand.  Please grow and stay strong, little grass!

156/365 - UP

Today we took the boys to see UP in 3-D.  It had looked really cute in the previews, but I had no idea that it was going to have such a great message about love and loss, taking chances, and really living life to the fullest.  It is officially my favorite Pixar movie so far. :)

155/365 – Play Date

Today was our first summer play date with the Morrisons.  While the older boys played in Noah’s room, the little guys were able to get some time to what they wanted with the Wii without the bigger boys there. 

154/365 – Speaking of Slip n’ Slide…

After all the fun they had on the Slip n’ Slide over the weekend, the boys decided get out our little Slip n’ Slide and continue the fun.  They played on it for over an hour and then they were burned out on it for the rest of the summer.  Only so much a kid can take, I guess. :)

152/365 – Finally, the First Swim

After waiting forever for it to get warm enough and then waiting even longer for the water to be clean, it was finally time for the first swim of the summer.  Water was a little on the cool side, but the kids didn’t care…they were ready to swim!

150/365 – Slip n’ Slide Races

Dylan had a belated birthday dinner and the Morrison's invited us over to try out their new Slip N’ Slide.  Other than the chaos of making sure everyone got a regular turn, it was a lot of fun for the boys.  Definitely a great way to keep cool. 

149/365 – The View

This time of year is always a lot of fun.  We all enjoy spending the evenings outside enjoying the weather.  Tonight we had a fire in the outdoor chimney and the boys ran around in the yard until almost bedtime.  This is the view from our back yard on this wonderful spring night.  

148/365 – Play Ball!

Cooper having fun taking some pitches from Dad. 

145/365 – Before Chemicals

So THIS is how yucky the pool water from the winter looks after being topped off!  Fortunately, after you add the right chemicals and wait a few days it will be a sparkling clear pool ready for summer. 

144/365 – Memorial Day Weekend with the Morrisons

Tonight we spent the evening at our friends’ house and had a lot of fun.  The boys really enjoyed jumping on the trampoline. 

143/365 – Building a Friend

We spent a day at the mall and Cooper was able to make a new bunny at the Build-A-Bear Workshop.  He bough his bunny a skateboard, pads, and helmet. 

142/365 – Starting the Summer with a Sleepover

Noah spent his first night of the summer hanging out and watching tv and playing Wii and computer games with his  best friend, Joshua. 

141/365 – Last Day of School

 

Cooper’s class all dressed in red-white-and-blue and had to make their own patriotic hats for a parade through the school.  Afterwards, they had games and activities in and outside of the gym, followed by a end-of-year party in the classroom. Goodbye Pre-K!  Next year…Kindergarten!

140/365 – Along for the Ride

Cooper had a great time driving Callie around the house in his Tonka dump truck.  She was so funny…as long as she was in her little cat bed and comfortable, he could take her anywhere he wanted. 

139/365 – Strawberry Fields

Today was Cooper’s field trip to the Strawberry Patch.  It is at the same field that we go to to pick pumpkins in the fall and even though it is mid-May it was actually colder this day than in the fall.  Everyone was freezing!

His class learned about pollination and how strawberries start as flowers.  They got to visit all of the farm animals in the petting zoo and then it was off to pick the berries.  Each of the boys picked a full bucket, so there were plenty of strawberry snacks at our house for the next several days. 

After they were finished picking, we walked over to the picnic area where they have a great tree swing and each boy took their turn going as high as mom could push them.

A New Direction…

Ok, since I feel guilty for the g’parents not getting their pictures anymore, I decided rather than completely stop this blog, I will be changing the focus a little to at least keep some photos going.  Obviously I am very far behind, so a photo-a-day is not going to happen for now, but I will do my best to post some of the pics from each of the missed months to bring everything back up to current and decide what to do from there. 

Trying to get the rest of May up now.  Bear with me. :)