December - Part 2

If you missed all the fun we had in the first part of December you can check back on that here in December - Part 1. For Christmas Part 2 we're gonna recap all of our celebrations! 

First up was the sleepover at Sissy's house!

Then we headed to Cincinnati and had a day before Christmas Eve celebration and read the Night before Christmas with the family:

We woke up to SANTA!!!

 Then we got cleaned up and headed to Brunch at Sissy's

Followed by Christmas dinner at PaPaw and GoGo's

And then wrapped all of the Christmas shenanigans with Grandpa on the 26th!

What a truly wonderful time of the year! Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

Welp, it's Wednesday

It's been a busy end to summer round here. Lots of here and there shenanigans. Lots of waiting on this person to come help us with this project for the house. Lots of driving from here and there to get that one piece that we seem to be missing. Lots of plans. This week I have some sort of school orientation just about every day before the kiddos officially start next Tuesday ... and it's got me all crazy. I'm thinking back on summer and just thinking of all the things! So many things. Lots of a lot of things! So, instead of talking about every 'thing' to wrap up the end of the season, I'll condense it into five little things. I think a nice tidy list makes everything seem better.  And here are five little things. 

{ ONE :: WEDDING }

For starters, we headed to Henderson, KY to watch one of my college besties get hitched at a beautiful little winery tucked away in the countryside. .

 Bennett was there too ... but he found some pals and we never saw him the entire night.

 Megan sure looked pretty :)

And two of my favorite people rocked the dance floor.

And just to squeeze it in ... because it was (sort of) on the route ... we also made a pit stop to check out the new brewery, Tin Man Brewing, in Evansville, IN. We got the special behind the scenes tour with our new business partner and master brewer.  Bennett was mostly impressed with the real life Tin Man robot that sits inside the tap room (Not that this picture would let you know it) .

{ TWO :: BENNETT + BASEBALL }

Our sweet Bennett ... he had a BIG Sunday when his Tee-ball team was honored at the Minor League Baseball - Bats - game during the opening ceremonies. Their team was able to walk out onto the field and sing the National Anthem with the players, watch the first pitch be thrown, and had their names announced on the big speaker.

 Little sister watched in amazement and was so jealous she didn't get to go out on the field.

 Fame suits him well. Not phased even a bit!

That's Bennett near the pitcher's mound -- he saluted the flag holding the third basemen's hand -- what a little stud.

 On his way back in he had a little swag to his walk and happily high-fived the umpire.

 And couldn't wait to tell daddy ALLL about it!

And while we're on the B topic ... just like that it was time again for Bennett's annual kidney scan! I remember like it was yesterday when we had Bennett's 20 week anatomy scan while he was in utero. They told us our baby may not be healthy. He had several markers for many things, and most of all hydronephrosis, and a lot of fluid on his kidney! Man was I a hot mess in the weeks to come. But, as He always does, God saw us through, and we came out on the other end stronger and perfectly fine. Bennett continues to have to have scans once a year to check on the fluid levels ... but to date they have remained the same since they were first diagnosed nearly 4.5 years ago! WAHOOOO

 And little man is so good and brave during his appointments! Way to go buddy!

{ THREE :: LAINEY }

Lainey is making herself and her toys right at home here at the new house. Eating dirt and burying things in the yard. What a gal. I really don't know what to say about her right now other than she is truly a sour patch kid ... although she's usually more sweet than sour. But MAN, does this girl have some sass.

Moreover, the terrible twos are hitting a smidge bit early in this house and whheeeeewweeee are they coming on hard and fast. She is the sweetest little munch, tough as nails with the biggest appetite and softest heart around ... but goly ... she's giving me a run for my money!

{ FOUR :: HOUSEGUESTS }

We had our first and very MOST favorite house guests. When MaKenzie, Ross and 'THE GRILLS' arrive you know you're in for a good weekend. We had an absolute BLAST and cannot wait for them to come back down - ASAP!

We swam in the pool for the very first time. We played on the slip and slide and had all the giggles.

We ate a yummy dinner together and had some down time.

 We headed out to see our favorite boys in purple, Louisville City FC.

Fam Bam!

 And we had some yummy morning snacks, complete with snuggles ...

 And a took a big walk before it was time for them to head home :(

{ FIVE :: FAMILY }

And finally, when we catch a minute to breathe. We snack and catch up on some cartoons. The days are long, but the years are short my friends. Cherishing all the days. Every last one of them.

Jack and The Beanstalk - A Lesson in Parenting

With so many eyes pointing to the sky today -- Hello Solar Eclipse 2017 -- I thought I'd share a brief story of why my eyes have been pointing to the sky this summer. A lesson in parenting -- when Jack and The Beanstalk Summer Camp teaches me more ...

 Whew! Any mama's out there struggling near the end of summer to keep their kiddos away from the TV and out of the snack bowl?! I feel like we've reached our max capacity of snacking consumption and allotted screen time by 11am towards the final days of summer!  I started to see this pattern spiral as we were continuing to settle into the new house (95% complete by the way -- promise to update you soon!). So, I knew I need to make some plans and shake it up. 

Enter ~ theater camp at The Walden Theater. Mister Bennett is our intellect.  He is so thoughtful and meticulous. Loves to fully understand. Has an imagination like you wouldn't believe. And has always had a knack for make believe/re-creating/and performing. He loves to learn all of the words to a book or song and share them with whomever will listen (as long as he is in charge of how it's done). And love to play pretend (as long as you follow the rules). So, when I found a preschool theater camp in our area, I knew this was the perfect week for our mister B. 

We arrived on the first day with all of the essentials ~ a packed lunch, an extra drink, a nap mat for rest time, a laundry bin that would act as his cubby for the week to house his props and what not, and last but not least, a good attitude ready to take on the day!

 As the week went on we learned more about the camp and the idea of "Process Drama" and how this camp was teaching him to further explore his imagination the world of pretend. It was so fun and sometimes hard to hear him come home every day and tell me both good and bad what he had learned and how camp had gone.

It was hard for me to hear "bad" because this was summer! Summer CAMP! And supposed to be so much fun. And in some of his stories it was - he LOVED it. And in others ... it was not ... not what he thought, not what he loved, etc. And as a parent that's a weird spot with how to handle the situation. So finally, on Friday - his last day of camp the last hour was devoted specifically for sharing with families. We got to peak inside and see all of the things they had been doing all week.

 And he was so proud to show us! When I dropped him off that morning he couldn't wait to get inside and kept asking when we would be back to see the show.

 We all filed in to find our seats and then it began. The teachers led the introductions and the class ...

And we watched our little guy both participate ... and do some other things too! HAHA!

 And at the end of it all ... we gave him his "after performance bouquet" and a big kiss.

His cheering section is pretty amazing :)

Which leads me to this. This weird parenting revelation I had during his week away at summer camp. As Bennett continues to try new things and explore the outside world (both with and without me) I learn so much about myself. And mostly, I learn that being a parent is hard. When he comes home and tells me the low points of his day my heart breaks thinking how if I was there I could have changed the situation. And I realize me physically being somewhere will never solve ANYTHING - nor is it realistic. Letting go and teaching him at home, how to act when I am not around is hard on a momma's heart. And likewise, when he comes home and tells me the high points of his day, I also feel a tinge of guilt that I wasn't there to experience it and someone else was in my place. I have so much to learn, but more than anything I am forever grateful God has chosen me to be this little man's teacher and student. I am so grateful we get to do it together.

I think about the years to come -- and the idea that Kindergarten is so closely peering around the corner -- the idea that he will spend all day with a teacher I barely know and will forever now only offer me few details about his day moving forward. It's so easy to be afraid and sad as a parent. Wanting to protect every inch of our children. But I am working to fight fear with truth. Ever so thankful that the God who upholds his little life when he is inside our home, is the same God that cares for him when he's away from me at school or play. :)  It's hard. It's so very hard. But that truth is a bright spot and I am so thankful He holds him in hand.

I have so much to learn. So much growth is to come. But I am glad He is there to walk it with me. And this summer ... oddly enough I'm thankful Jack and The Beanstalk and all it taught me. Both to step away from the snack jar and also to remember to pray.

So as you look to the sky today to watch the beauty of His work unfold, or if you're struggling with your babies going back to school. Remember to pray. He is working and we must fight fear with truth.