Day One

Well it's technically Day Four, but the picture was made on Day One.

Day One of Middle School.

The first day of my little boy's trek into the land of lockers,
changing classes,
remembering schedules,
figuring out 6 teachers instead of 1,
more choices at lunch (woo hoo!),
and
no recess.

He's not too jazzed about that last one. He said PE doesn't count.

So far, he's doing fine.
So far, I feel old.

The summer was too short, and it was too hot. (I know that's irrelevant, but ya'll. It's been hot.)

Don't misunderstand me... I do love some alone time, and he is a great student... he'll have a successful year, I am sure of it.
I am just not ready to have a kid who's halfway to Graduation.

The night before the real first day, he was lying on the couch with his head in my lap. We were talking about Middle School and him growing up and how I was not a fan of either when he said the words that this momma loves to hear,

"But I will always be your baby."

Yes, baby giraffe, you sure will.

Straight Teeth

One of the highlights of our short and stressful summer was the 8 hour round-trip journey to the Orthodontist.
The boy's treatment was almost done when we moved. Almost.
So instead of finding a new Orthodontist in our new town and paying those "new patient fees" all over again....
We decided to drive back to his Orthodontist while we were living with my parents. Crazy? Maybe. But the gas and frustration was still less costly than finding a new Orthodontist.

So.... My mom went with us, and we drove 4 hours to the appointment.
The very kind and patient staff at the Orthodontist's office knew our dilemma, so they worked late that afternoon to give us this...

A very happy braces-free boy.



The first stop we made on the way home was Walgreens... where we purchased Gummi Bears, Milk Duds, and Sugar Babies. He ate them all the way home.

Getting him to smile for the camera isn't quite the battle it was before.




Now if you will all join me in prayer that we don't lose the retainers.

Just a Few Beachy Pics

It's a good thing we were at the beach back in June, because Shark Week messes with my mind.

Right after we packed up and watched our worldly possessions drive away, we headed to visit Dan/Daddy's family in Florida.







The last few weeks of boiling hot temperatures make me wish I was back on that beach.
Actually, the last few weeks of boiling temperatures make me wish I was in Siberia.

I don't have to tell ya'll... it's too hot.
I hope you summer-loving nuts have gotten your fill of heat,
because - stick a fork in me - I am DONE.

It's That Time Of Year Again

Please forgive me if the blog posts are few and far between for the next 6 days.

Two words:
Shark Week.

Woo to the hoo! We are glued to the TV.

Stay out of the water, people.

Would You? Could You?

We now interrupt the regularly scheduled summer/moving recap to bring you...

A question.
Purely hypothetical.

Let's say you were new in town, and a new neighbor popped in to bring you a treat.
Mini cheesecakes.
And let's just say that when the new friend handed you the container of yum, an accident caused 5 or 6 of the yums to fall onto the floor.
And let's just say they landed right side up... even if the cherry jumped off.
And let's just say you hadn't had a good homemade dessert in at least 3 weeks.

When the neighbor left...
Would you eat the mini cheesecakes that had fallen on the floor?
(They're in a paper cupcake liner, people.)

I texted my friend, J, to share my purely hypothetical story with her.
She asked me what kind of topping they had. (It's the little things.)
I told her it was a cherry, and the cherry had actually rolled across the foyer...
picking up dirt along the way.

I most certainly did not eat the hypothetical cherry.
I told her I have my standards.
Hypothetically.

Death Threats...

... From a 3 year-old are sometimes funny.
Let me explain...

We were able to spend the long Fourth of July weekend with my family. Including my brother, sis-in-law, and nephew.

The cousins have the most interesting bond... despite the age difference and the fact that they don't see each other often, they are tight. Super-duper crazy about each other. I love it.
My brother and I have always been friends. Even when other siblings we knew were literally ripping each other's hair out, we got along. So I love that our boys love each other.



When they're together, my mom's house sounds like a den of wild monkeys.
I'm certain my son is teaching his cousin all sorts of inappropriate things.

My nephew has always called his big cousin "I-Yah," and no one corrects him... it's too cute. In fairness, the boy has called his uncle "Doughy" since he could talk. I suppose it's payback.

Anywho...
One afternoon while we were all together, they were chasing each other with those giant Nerf swords... around and around my mom's car in circles while we all watched.
With a burst of sword-swinging fury, my nephew yelled out,

"I will kill you I-Yah!"

We all did the "head turn/cover your face and try not to laugh" thing. My brother scooped him up as he ran past and calmly explained,

"We don't say that... it's not nice. We don't say we're gonna kill people."

I totally get his point and would have said the same thing to my 3 year-old.
But OHMYWORD it was funny. And it still is funny.
We've actually been saying it ever since then.
"I will kill you I-Yah!"
I laugh every time.

Out-Of-Sorts

I am alive.
Not that anyone really cared about this old blog.
But, I am alive.

The last 45 days are a bit of a blur.
Packing up and leaving one house, traveling all over the Southeast, living with my family, then finally landing (?) in our new place.

None of it was without drama. Especially the "moving" parts.
We are still recovering from the damage done to our puny worldly possessions. Don't worry... there will be plenty to tell.

I am a bit overwhelmed and "out of sorts" at this point.
The house is a wreck, and there doesn't seem to be a "home" for all our junk.
When I feel overwhelmed and "out of sorts" I procrastinate; I don't do ANYTHING. Which makes things worse.
I've spent a lot of time roaming aimlessly from room to room just looking at the mess.
I've moved and moved and moved pieces of things around and around and around.
I've watched entirely too much Phineas and Ferb with the boy.
I've pouted a little bit because I miss my friends and the way things were.
And this heat. Lord, help us all. It's too hot to even think.

So when I manage to get myself a bit more pulled together, I will post pictures of the new place.
And tell you all about the broken things.
And show you what the boy looks like with his braces off. (Brace thyselves.)
And give you a riveting play-by-play of all our happenings.

Here's hoping you are all feeling a little more "together" than me!