A new smile...

Today was the day that Maddy had been waiting for...the day she got her braces. She has a beautiful smile, but just like her MawMaw, she has a huge overbite. She also has a really small mouth and all those teeth are getting a little crowded in there. We went for our consultation in March, shopped around orthodontists, and then waited. As you can imagine, the waiting was the hardest part for her--patience is not her virtue. It seemed like every other day she was asking, "When can I get my braces?" So today was the day....

Here she is, before....

and after. Still a beautiful smile.
So that's how I spent my morning...waiting in the orthodontist's waiting room. This afternoon, I got the craving for squash. Nanny style. Now, I never really learned to cook. Not from lack of trying on my mother's part, but I just was never interested. When I got married the first time, I mainly cooked for the kids, which consisted of Ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese. I dabbled in cooking some things out of a cookbook, but the kids never liked anything besides their macaroni and cheese, so I gave up. When I met Daryl, I found he would eat just about anything, and I figured that he could get his southern home cooking fix when we went to Nanny's after church. Daryl's mom cooks these amazing meals, HUGE meals. Lately I have noticed that when my sister in law is there, and they start talking recipes and cooking, I am hopelessly left out. What am I going to say? "Oh, I used the generic brand of taco seasoning on our weekly taco night!" And what is going to happen when I start to be the one who has the kids and grandkids over for Sunday dinner?

So I tried to make the squash today. Nanny said she simply cut up the squash and some onion, and then sauteed them with some olive oil. Maybe add a little salt. Obviously, as shown in the picture below, I am unclear on how to sautee.

First of all, that was three whole squash, and that tiny little bit in the bottom of one of Charlotte's baby bowls is all I got. Second of all, it is a bit brown. A little charred even. Nanny's is always a nice golden color, and not dried out in the bottom of her skillet. It was good though, even though it looks terrible! I'll try it again until I get it right, and I've a roast in the freezer to try as well. Poor Daryl scraped the bottom of the domestic barrel when he married me. I am hoping to change that and perhaps, just perhaps, I will not be the "go to" family/church member for paper products and soft drinks!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Eight years ago today, I married my best friend. The kids like to say that "we" got married, and really, truth be told, we were a package deal. When Daryl and I got married, it completed us as a family. I got a husband and they got a dad.

Eight years ago, I thought I knew what marriage was. I had been married. I knew what it was like to share a home with another person, to share my heart. I knew what it was to be a parent. I knew what it was to create a child with another person and to care for it and love it. Eight years ago, I thought I knew. Eight years ago, I was wrong.

Now, eight years later, I realize all I had been missing. And eight years later, I am even more in love with the man who introduced me to true love. To unselfish, unconditional love.

In some ways it seems so long ago since that afternoon when Josh walked me down the aisle and gave me away. In other ways, it seems like only yesterday. In some ways, I miss those days, the days with more time and energy for each other. In other ways, I so love the big, busy, boisterous family we have become. In all ways, on all days, I am so thankful for the blessings that God has given us in the last eight years.

Today, Daryl and I celebrate eight years of marriage and nine years (minus one day) of being together. He surprised me with tickets to Phantom of the Opera at the Fox. We went to see this same show early in our relationship, and we had a pretty serious disagreement before we went. I admit that I have no recollection of the show, but vivid recollection of how my heart felt like it was turned inside out. I can't wait to go and see it with new, older, wiser, and I admit, more rational eyes.

I was waiting for my tutoring check to come in from the school, just as I was for Father's Day and his birthday, so I could get him a super cool gift that I had been planning for months. Well, it still isn't here, so instead, Daryl got this beautiful bouquet of candy from me. Each kind of candy had significance--sweet tarts for my sweet heart, and others equally corny...

The kids--ok, really the girls, but Josh agreed to it--made us each a coupon book. So sweet those three!

Then, when we both got home from working/tutoring, we went out to Red Lobster for dinner, where I completely disregarded my diet. The grilled shrimp and scallops weren't too bad. Nor was the steamed broccoli. I think it was the two cheese/garlic biscuits that did me in!
Anyways...one day at a time, no guilt, and move on. Tomorrow is another day.
The only picture I have of us on our anniversary date is really not even of us, but of Hannah, clinging to Daryl, sobbing and begging to go with us.


Happy Anniversary, Daryl! It's been a great eight years. I love you!

More Summer Fun

I love summer. As much as I love my job, I love my family even more. And even though I've been working way more than I usually do during the summer, I've been blessed to watch my babies (even those who aren't babies anymore) play. This week...

Maddy and Hannah got married...

Hannah looks like she doesn't quite know what to make of the bridal kiss!

Also this week, Hannah played hard. So hard that she just couldn't keep her eyes open anymore! (How tired she must have been to have fallen asleep under Daryl's sweaty arm!)

The heat got the best of us this weekend, and the girls got out the hose and the pool for some "swimming."

Charlotte was not so excited about the mist of the hose, but LOVES the baby pool!

Hannah has lived in her swimsuit since we got out the hose. She loves her Ariel "babing soup!"

And finally....finally it happened! Charlotte grew enough hair to hold a bow!!! Saturday night, I lay in bed before I went to sleep making plans to bust out the bow maker and make a trip to Hancock's for ribbon so I could start on her collection of bows.

Needless to say...I think we have a way to go. Doesn't she look thrilled?

She looks just like her pawpaw with a bow stuck on her head!

I've also, this summer, had a chance to exercise. Today marks 30 consecutive days that I have exercised for 40 minutes or more. So proud of myself for keeping it up, and surprisingly, look forward to it. It's been soooooo soooooo sooooooo hot, but I've gotten out there every night after dinner and walked for 40 minutes to an hour. Not sure what is happening on the scale, but I know that I almost lost my shorts last time I walked, and my waking blood pressure this morning was 106/69. I'm sleeping better, I have more energy, and I've broken my sugar addiction. My clothes are fitting better and I'm sleeping better. Most importantly, my girls are eating healthier and exercising and making more conscious decisions about what they put in their bodies.

This weekend, we head to the lake and the week after that, I'm not tutoring at all.

I love summer!

When the going gets tough...

The tough go to Goodwill?

It had been that kind of day. I'd gotten up early to take Maddy to the orthodontist to begin the braces process. Charlotte hadn't been up when I left, and by the time I got home for my brief, all too brief, stay at home, it was time for her to go back down for her nap. As I drove to the school for my first tutoring session, I was missing my babies, missing being at home, missing out on summer. I was discouraged at my lack of ability to get it together this summer--the house was still as messy as it was during the school year and I seem to be home only slightly more. There was just a general feeling of discontent.

I got to school, hoping to lose myself in teaching, in my summer kids. My first student was one that I had a few years ago. He was challenging at best then, but we forged a special bond anyways. So far this summer, he had been cooperative and somewhat pleasant. Until today. All the old frustrations came rushing back and for the first time this summer, I felt defeated at the end of a session. To be honest, I just wanted to go home. But I couldn't. I had three more students to work with and didn't have the time or gas to go home for an hour. So instead...I went shopping. At Goodwill.

Now you are probably thinking to yourself, "What kind of weirdo spends an hour looking through other people's stuff to relax and unwind?" That would be this one. And that little bit of incredibly cheap retail therapy worked its magic. I spent $35.00 and ended up with 2 cute dresses for Charlotte, 5 books for Sarah, 3 for Hannah, and these for me The selection was bleak. Too many books with a shirtless Fabian-type on the cover. Too many period novels. But I did manage to get enough to get me through the next couple of weeks. Many of them are trash...there is nothing of substance in the lot. OK, most of them are trash. Ok, OK, OK...all of them are trash, but they'll keep me entertained and read me to sleep for the rest of the summer.

I could have come out with about $100 in children's books too. In fact, I had them in the cart. But then I came to my senses, chose three for Hannah, and put the rest back. There were some great picture books, great chapter books, and someone had gotten rid of an entire reading program. It was HARD to resist. But seeing as I already have a classroom library of close to 1000 books--more than fit on the three bookshelves I have--it probably was a wise decision to put them back.

Tomorrow is my busiest day, and then one on Friday morning, and then THE WEEKEND!!! Isn't every day supposed to be the weekend during summer??? Hmmm...food for thought!

Daddy-Daughter Date Night

Daryl is getting big big brownie points as a daddy these days. For Father's Day, he wrote each of the big kids a letter telling them how proud he was to be their dad (and a bunch of other mushy stuff that made me (and Sarah) cry). Then tonight was Daddy-Daughter Date Night at Truett's Grill. You had to make reservations, get dressed up, and everything. Here's my man and my girls all ready to go (and all in blue too!)

I stayed home and took a walk and lounged on the couch in complete silence, but I sent the camera with them. Here is a first. For as long as she has been alive, Hannah has been terrified of the Chick Fil A cow. She has spent many a dinner with her head buried in Daryl's neck. So convinced that her brother was inside the cow costume that she even went over and got her picture taken with him!

Their directions were to 'discreetly' get a picture of Josh working. Not sure how discreet they were, but here he is in action!

After dinner, there were crafts outside.

I think they all had fun, and Daryl is back to work in the "room" while the rest of us women sit and watch TV. I'm hoping Daddy-Daughter date night becomes a regular occurence in our house. There's nothing quite like a daddy and his girls!

Celebration

This weekend was a weekend of celebration.

A celebration of new learning...

"But Mom, I did it all myself!"

And Hannah found all the right letters and spelled her name all by herself!
A celebration of Maddy coming home from church camp in Daytona, Florida. She memorized the most Bible verses of anyone there (out of 275 campers!) and brought home this trophy. She also came home on fire for the Lord.

We celebrated Daryl on Father's Day. For our gift to him this year, each of the children and I wrote out 60 or so reasons why we love him (I actually wrote the little girls') and then put all 365 reasons and 365 smarties(his favorite) in a big jar. One reminder of how much we love him for every day in the coming year. Some were sweet, some were funny, all were true.

Josh also spent his own money and got Daryl a new GPS. So proud of that boy.

My loves.

After we opened presents and took pictures, Hannah insisted that her Daddy dance with her. So the girls played their ringtones and they danced!

We also celebrated my birthday this weekend. Daryl let me sleep in (til 8:00!) and everyone stayed home. We went out to eat with my parents at Golden Corral. And I got this:

Josh and Daryl pooled their money to get me a new laptop. I can't tell you how incredibly surprised I was. I figured I'd be laptop-less until the last one graduated college! I was also touched by how Josh chipped in to buy this for me, when he needs one of his own.

So with new lap top in hand...surely I'll be able to blog more, right????

Happy Birthday Daryl!

(or why I just may be the worst wife ever)

Growing up, my mom always made sure our birthday was special. We always had candles in our breakfast (donuts usually), candles in our lunch, candles in our cake, gifts picked with loving care. As a mother, I have tried to do this with my kids too. And with Daryl. And today, the day celebrating the 45th anniversary of his birth? Epic Fail.

No candles in his breakfast--we both rushed out the door this morning. I'm not even sure if I kissed him good bye. I did tell him Happy Birthday this morning as soon as he woke up, though, in my defense. After a long day of working (electrical for him, tutoring for me) we met at Chili's for a family celebratory dinner. Where he and Josh very proudly told me that they had flea bombed the house. Now, I should have been grateful for the initiative to get the dogs flea free. I should have. In hindsight. But instead, I spent the whole dinner worried and fussing because they had failed to cover/remove any of Charlotte's things. I turned what should have been a nice family dinner (despite the very loud Charlotte and the flinging of mashed potatoes) into a not very pleasant experience. I"m afraid that when we got home, the birthday fail continued with me going out for a walk while all of Char's things went through the laundry and he was stuck giving the dogs a flea bath.

We did finally get around to having cake and presents.

Here's Daryl and Hannah patiently waiting for Josh to light his candle.

Blowing out his candle. (Yes. that is a decorative candle, as I was woefully unprepared and no regular candles left)
Reading his card from my mom and dad.

And finally cake! He requested vanilla with buttercream icing.

Hannah loved it!

Really really loved it.

Charlotte was asleep, Sarah at a mandatory cheer meeting, and Madeline at the beach at camp, so it was just the little girls, Josh, and us.

So a picture of Josh--with our defective knife.

All this to say happy birthday to my sweet, patient, understanding husband whom I do not even come close to deserving. I thank God every day for sending him to us!

I love you, Daryl!