or, should I say, maybe the best day of her life?
For the last week Cat has complained when we are going to school that she's not going to be early enough to be the line leader. You see, as soon as each child arrives in class, he/she gets to choose a job for the day. Cat usually gets stuck with chair helper or something really unexciting like that, because we are one of the last ones to get to school. But I want her to learn that she is responsible for getting herself ready in the morning, and I am thankful for this "whoever gets their first gets the good jobs" incentive. For the last few days we have really struggled in the morning because she plays and sings and does a lot of stuff besides get herself ready in the morning. But today, she was psyched!
She was awake at 7:00 and ready to leave at 7:20. She was the third one in her class, and she got her dream job--line leader for the whole day! She had a huge smile on her face, turned to her teacher and said, as if highlighting the incredible luck she was having, "AND my friends are coming over to play after school and AFTER THAT I get to go to my Grammy's house!" Both of those things are true, and I sure hope this day turns out to be as wonderful as it has started for her!
Cleaning Adventure
Okay, so maybe "adventure" is a bit of a stretch, but we did have a good time cleaning as a family Saturday morning. We tried a "Cleaning Blitz" for the first time, and it was a great success! I made a bunch of cards of housework chores and chose 10 of them that needed to be done that day. I let Cat randomly choose 3, then look at them to decide which one she wanted to put back. So she ended up with 2 chores, and Ben and I each did 4. (Jack got a bye this time.) We were done in about 45 minutes and were able to enjoy the rest of our weekend!
Here Cat is cleaning the bathtub and Jack is supervising. What a great little work crew we have!
Here Cat is cleaning the bathtub and Jack is supervising. What a great little work crew we have!
Jack's Week
This has been a fun week with Jack! We are getting into a routine with Cat being in school, and he and I are both enjoying some one-on-one time. On Wednesday, he had his first actual playdate without Cat! Sadly, it's probably the first time I've taken him to a playground by himself. But there were two other girls there who are a little older than he is, and he had fun playing with them, and just exploring this fun playground.
Jack has also started sleeping with a comfort toy, which I am so thankful for! I would prefer a blanket that is easy to wash, but he has latched onto 
this blue teddy bear. He cuddles up to it when he lays down, and frequently is still holding onto it, or sleeping on top of it, when I go check on him. So cute!But the big news is that Jack is now more of a "walker" than a "crawler." He took his first steps over three months ago and has been doing some walking here and there ever since, but this last week he has really tried hard to walk as much as he can. He can go up to about 10 steps usually before he's down on his bum, but then he stands up and starts walking again. Here is a video I made of him a few days ago. We call it the Drunken Sailor Walk.
Big Girl School
Well, I knew it was coming all summer but somehow the first day of school still caught me by surprise. Cat started Pre-K at the local elementary school yesterday and loved it! She'd been nervous for the last week or so, telling me that she didn't want to go to school, but after open house Wednesday night, she was so excited that she was singing and doing somersaults on her bed for an hour, after bedtime.
She also woke up at 6:30 in the morning, graciously went back to sleep for 20 minutes, then was wide awake, dressed, and wearing her backpack before I knew it. I said, "would you like to put your backpack in the car, or in the kitchen, or wear it for the next 30 minutes until it's time to leave?" She said, "wear it for the next 30 minutes." And she did. She'll get breakfast every day at school (for free, gotta love it!) but she was up so early that I thought she might need a little snack before we even left.
Me being a sentimental Mom, I brought my camera to the school. She did NOT want me to take pictures, but agreed to take ONE. Notice that she was up so early, her hair was already messed up by the time we got to school. Maybe ponytails are not the way to go? Also, she is wearing a regular ordinary play outfit. This was her choice. I suggested that she wear a cute little dress for the first day, but she was too practical for that. "It will probably get dirty. There was lots of sand on the playground."
I walked Cat to her classroom to sign her in and she was right at home. She put her backpack away in her cubby and sat down on her name spot on the rug. When I left, I tried to make eye contact to wave good-bye and she wouldn't look at me!
She had a great time at school, but she wasn't very talkative. I did find out that she has a "big big class! Like a MILL-EE-ON!" (I'm sure 20 felt like a million after the 6 or 7 kids in her class last year.) And she told me all of the kids she saw at school whom she already knew from church or her preschool of the last two years. All of this over a yummy bowl of fruit snack sharks floating in a sea of jello, of course, since her school mascot is the Sharks.
Can't believe she's all grown up!
Me being a sentimental Mom, I brought my camera to the school. She did NOT want me to take pictures, but agreed to take ONE. Notice that she was up so early, her hair was already messed up by the time we got to school. Maybe ponytails are not the way to go? Also, she is wearing a regular ordinary play outfit. This was her choice. I suggested that she wear a cute little dress for the first day, but she was too practical for that. "It will probably get dirty. There was lots of sand on the playground."
I walked Cat to her classroom to sign her in and she was right at home. She put her backpack away in her cubby and sat down on her name spot on the rug. When I left, I tried to make eye contact to wave good-bye and she wouldn't look at me!
She had a great time at school, but she wasn't very talkative. I did find out that she has a "big big class! Like a MILL-EE-ON!" (I'm sure 20 felt like a million after the 6 or 7 kids in her class last year.) And she told me all of the kids she saw at school whom she already knew from church or her preschool of the last two years. All of this over a yummy bowl of fruit snack sharks floating in a sea of jello, of course, since her school mascot is the Sharks.
Can't believe she's all grown up!
The Balloon Room
We happened to be driving by our friends' house when we saw them standing in the front yard. We slowed down to say hello and he told us to park the car and come inside, because they had "something to show" us. Boy, were we in for a surprise! We went to their extra room, opened the door, and saw about 1000 balloons, 3-4 feet deep. They blew them up on a whim, while celebrating their 12-year old daughter's birthday. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking...
End of Summer Adventures
Well, when you've just spent a week in the mountains with 12 other kids under the age of 12, what could be more fun than a box? The other day, Cat and Jack had a blast taking turns sitting in this box, sitting in it together, pushing it around. For a while, Cat even pushed Jack around in it. I thought about painting it to look like a train or a truck or something, but figured that by the time we went through all that, the magic would be gone. I think I was right... the next day, neither of them cared about the box.
We took what I think will be our last trip to the beach this summer on Wednesday. The kids loved it, as they always do, and it was really fun that Cat and her friend both wore their cherry bathing suits. It's not every day you get to have a twin!
Could anything be more fun than playing in the sand and not caring how much of it comes home with you??
Cat helped Ben mow the grass yesterday. Usually, this means she just gets to ride on his lap while he drives the lawn mower, but more recently he has let her steer while he operates the pedals. I guess he got brave on Saturday because he actually let her cut the grass. I love the whimsical pattern she created, and had to take a picture before Ben "evened it out."
Family Reunion, Part II
We spent the last day of our vacation enjoying the great outdoors! We first hiked Clingmans Dome, part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the highest peak in the Smoky Mountains (6643'). It sounded pretty simple: just 1/2 mile paved path from the parking lot to the top of the mountain. First of all, it was about 20 degrees colder there than it was in Gatlinburg. (Luckily, being the wilderness explorers that we are, we had some blankets in the car that the kids could cover up with while we hiked so that they wouldn't freeze to death.) Secondly, from the time you begin the 1/2 mile to the time you reach the top, you gain 400 feet in elevation! I've never worked so hard to walk 1/2 a mile. And poor Ben carried both kids (I helped too--I had the backpacks. Becuase Cat insisted on bringing her backpack which had her own supply of water and toys).
There is a really cool obersevation tower that you can climb up (yes, after the hike up the mountain!) that is 50 feet above the tree line, so you can see pretty far out. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy and we couldn't see a whole lot, but it was neat to be up that high!
After Clingmans Dome, we ventured out by ourselves to a place called Cades Cove, another part of the national park, where you can not only see amazing views of the mountains, but also wildlife and original churches, cabins, and other buildings from a settlement that existed there in the late 1800's and early 1900's. We had some fun snapping pictures at the visitors center, took in the mountain views, and even saw several deer.
We decided to continue our adventurous streak for the day and use this road to get home (see sign below.) It was very interesting, and we were glad on several occasions that we were in an SUV (unlike the folks behind us who were in a Dodge Charger). We took it because we were told it was our bset chance to spot a bear, but we didn't see one. Oh well, you never regret anything you do in the name of adventure, right?
There is a really cool obersevation tower that you can climb up (yes, after the hike up the mountain!) that is 50 feet above the tree line, so you can see pretty far out. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy and we couldn't see a whole lot, but it was neat to be up that high!
After Clingmans Dome, we ventured out by ourselves to a place called Cades Cove, another part of the national park, where you can not only see amazing views of the mountains, but also wildlife and original churches, cabins, and other buildings from a settlement that existed there in the late 1800's and early 1900's. We had some fun snapping pictures at the visitors center, took in the mountain views, and even saw several deer.
We decided to continue our adventurous streak for the day and use this road to get home (see sign below.) It was very interesting, and we were glad on several occasions that we were in an SUV (unlike the folks behind us who were in a Dodge Charger). We took it because we were told it was our bset chance to spot a bear, but we didn't see one. Oh well, you never regret anything you do in the name of adventure, right?
DOLLYWOOD!
Dollywood was a blast! It was our first time going to an amusement park as a family, and we all loved it. We arrived about 20 minutes after it opened, and didn't leave the park until 20 minutes after it was closed.
We rode on the Dollywood Express, a real steam locomotive (we all had the soot in our hair and on our clothes to prove it). Jack loved riding with Opa. We also saw two exciting and kid-friendly shows, ate good food, and spent a lot of time in the "Country Fair" which had lots of fun rides for kids and adults.
Jack's favorite thing was definitely the carousel. We rode it several times, and whenever the ride was over he would hold on tight to the pole and cry as we tried to pull him off of his horse.
Cat impressed me with her willingness to ride big-kid rides, including the swings, The Scrambler (see the picture of Oma and Opa on it) and The Shooting Star. She was so much fun!
Jack and Daddy on the flying elephant ride.
Cat and Suz signing "I Love You" on the flying elephant, since Suz just got home from serving an ASL mission, and spends most of her time trying to teach kids to sign.
Cat, Drew, and Colin on the flying bumblebees.
The spinning teacups.
We rode on the Dollywood Express, a real steam locomotive (we all had the soot in our hair and on our clothes to prove it). Jack loved riding with Opa. We also saw two exciting and kid-friendly shows, ate good food, and spent a lot of time in the "Country Fair" which had lots of fun rides for kids and adults. 
Jack's favorite thing was definitely the carousel. We rode it several times, and whenever the ride was over he would hold on tight to the pole and cry as we tried to pull him off of his horse. 
Cat impressed me with her willingness to ride big-kid rides, including the swings, The Scrambler (see the picture of Oma and Opa on it) and The Shooting Star. She was so much fun!
Jack and Daddy on the flying elephant ride.
Cat and Suz signing "I Love You" on the flying elephant, since Suz just got home from serving an ASL mission, and spends most of her time trying to teach kids to sign.
Cat, Drew, and Colin on the flying bumblebees.
The spinning teacups.
Family Reunion in Gatlinburg, TN
We had an amazing time during our Gatlingburg, TN vacation! It was a family reunion for my Mom's family, and the first time we had seen many members of my extended family in about 3 years, which made it extra special. It took me a while to go through the 300+ pictures that I took (although I'm sure some of my cousins and others who were in attendance took more--and I can't wait to see them!!) but I'm finally sharing a little bit of that wonderful week.
We got things started with a Talent-less Show, where we were given the opportunity to showcase talents, or just idiosyncrasies. Not that we are void of talent, but what fun is real talent, when you're with family and you can just be weird? I wish I had a picture of the most unique performance of the evening, which was my 12-year-old cousin Carson playing the recorder using his nostril. Truly inspiring.
Cat chose to share her talent of "reading" nursery rhymes, which was great because she got through the first 3 just fine, then realized how much attention she was getting, and decided to make up words and giggle throughout the last two.
Jack was quite entertaining too. He loved that everyone would clap and laugh periodically, and about three seconds after the clapping or laughing ended, he would start clapping or laughing. He had a grand time!
We spent one morning geocaching, which I'd heard about but never done. The kids enjoyed it, and we had a lot of fun too. (Click here if you want to find out more.) Maybe we've found a new family hobby? There are lots of caches near where we live, so I could see us getting into it.
Cat found the first cache, so she got to choose the first prize. She wore that red necklace with pride!
The geocaching ended up going into lunch time, but we weren't willing to stop and eat lunch, so in the spirit of vacation, all the little guys got to have an ice cream. These are some of my cousins' children (2nd cousins twice removed??), a niece, nephews, and Cat. So let's see, from left to right we have Wes (2), Drew (2), Colin (5), Xavier (5), Will (8), Quinn (3), and Cat (4).
We did the "touristy" thing one night and took the skylift up a mountain. It was beautiful weather, and really fun to see the city of Gatlinburg lit up at night. Cat was a little scared, but handled it well. Jack was a sport and stayed in the Baby Bjorn the whole time. Thanks for not jumping off the chair, Jack!
At the observation point/gift shop at the top of the mountain from the skylift, me with my siblings. Megan, Susannah, and Andy. (I really can't explain the ridiculous look on Andy's face. But I think the whole week we were together in TN, he didn't take a single picture like a normal person. Let's just say, we love him anyway. But if you want to delve deeper into my brother's uniqueness, check out his blog. You won't be disappointed!)
We all spent Tuesday at "The Rock," a point in the Little Tennessee River, and part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The water was freezing, and Jack was pretty smart not to let Megan put his feet in the river.
He eventually was willing to play on the edge of the river, mostly with the big rocks and gravel.
He also got brave enough to try to take my cousin, Brooke's (2) rocks. She didn't stand for that, though!
My grandparents, Oma and Opa, who refused to be remembered as not going in the freezing water, decided it was okay to dip their toes in, literally.
Ben and I both braved the frigid water temperatures and jumped off the rock into the river. I only needed to do it once, but Ben actually spent a lot of time jumping and playing in the river with the other polar bears. It was a fun day for the entire family!
We got things started with a Talent-less Show, where we were given the opportunity to showcase talents, or just idiosyncrasies. Not that we are void of talent, but what fun is real talent, when you're with family and you can just be weird? I wish I had a picture of the most unique performance of the evening, which was my 12-year-old cousin Carson playing the recorder using his nostril. Truly inspiring.
Cat chose to share her talent of "reading" nursery rhymes, which was great because she got through the first 3 just fine, then realized how much attention she was getting, and decided to make up words and giggle throughout the last two.
Jack was quite entertaining too. He loved that everyone would clap and laugh periodically, and about three seconds after the clapping or laughing ended, he would start clapping or laughing. He had a grand time!
We spent one morning geocaching, which I'd heard about but never done. The kids enjoyed it, and we had a lot of fun too. (Click here if you want to find out more.) Maybe we've found a new family hobby? There are lots of caches near where we live, so I could see us getting into it.
Cat found the first cache, so she got to choose the first prize. She wore that red necklace with pride!
The geocaching ended up going into lunch time, but we weren't willing to stop and eat lunch, so in the spirit of vacation, all the little guys got to have an ice cream. These are some of my cousins' children (2nd cousins twice removed??), a niece, nephews, and Cat. So let's see, from left to right we have Wes (2), Drew (2), Colin (5), Xavier (5), Will (8), Quinn (3), and Cat (4).
We did the "touristy" thing one night and took the skylift up a mountain. It was beautiful weather, and really fun to see the city of Gatlinburg lit up at night. Cat was a little scared, but handled it well. Jack was a sport and stayed in the Baby Bjorn the whole time. Thanks for not jumping off the chair, Jack!
At the observation point/gift shop at the top of the mountain from the skylift, me with my siblings. Megan, Susannah, and Andy. (I really can't explain the ridiculous look on Andy's face. But I think the whole week we were together in TN, he didn't take a single picture like a normal person. Let's just say, we love him anyway. But if you want to delve deeper into my brother's uniqueness, check out his blog. You won't be disappointed!)
We all spent Tuesday at "The Rock," a point in the Little Tennessee River, and part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The water was freezing, and Jack was pretty smart not to let Megan put his feet in the river.
He eventually was willing to play on the edge of the river, mostly with the big rocks and gravel. 
He also got brave enough to try to take my cousin, Brooke's (2) rocks. She didn't stand for that, though!
My grandparents, Oma and Opa, who refused to be remembered as not going in the freezing water, decided it was okay to dip their toes in, literally.
Ben and I both braved the frigid water temperatures and jumped off the rock into the river. I only needed to do it once, but Ben actually spent a lot of time jumping and playing in the river with the other polar bears. It was a fun day for the entire family!
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