how to make an angry hormonal woman die laughing.

today has been one of "those"...i started out in a great mood, and gradually let myself spiral into a frenzy of self pity and silly anger. nothing was THAT bad, so i (as usual) blame hormones. when i met charlie's bus this afternoon, however, i got the sweetest surprise and the best laugh.

CF confesses to most every crime and misdemeanor he commits on his own. yesterday on the way to school he told me that he had stuck the plunger on the wall in the bathroom. i was confused because i hadn't seen it, but i told him thanks for telling me and not to do it again.

so, today in his bookbag, i find this card...







i laughed SO HARD. i asked him why he'd wanted to make a card for it, and he said "i just felt so bad about it. mario does it, so i was just trying to be like mario." i told him again that it wasn't a big deal, but i'm so glad i have this card to hang onto for the next million years. what a great way to cheer up a crazy mama.

road trip?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

*calculates hours in the car vs. hours at the rally* *makes mental list of snacks and treats to keep the kids happy* *ponders clever signage options* *investigates hotel points*

i think i need to be there!

Fall-ish

I swear it's close...you can feel it in the air between the hours of 7 a.m and 10 a.m, and then again overnight. the rest of the time, it's still very much summer. we learned this yesterday at our town's annual festival, Buggy Days. (at one point, we were apparently a huge manufacturer of buggies. obvs.) i actually got sunburned and Charlie was so wiped out that he rode in the stroller. it was HOT. but we had a blast. Kids' park, great festival food....(fried green tomatoes and kettle corn) and a lot of really great craft vendors. both kids got a prize and bounced until we feared overheating. after the parade, we headed home to get some MUCH needed rest, then ventured back for the Pig Chase at the old football field. this is something that's been happening here for years, and i had never been. i wouldn't have been able to imagine the amount of people who were there. it was craziness. there are different age groups who chase a piglet around the field until someone catches it. of course, the prize is...the pig.

when CF heard about the chase earlier that day, he let us know that he really wanted to do it, and that he was going to win the pig. we thought it would be good for him to participate, but we kept on pushing the "it's not about winning, just have fun" speech. we settled in the stands until they called his group. because they are younger, Adam got to go down to the field and stand with him before the race. there were SO many kids. i started to get nervous, thinking that there is no way they would all get out of this uninjured.

for whatever reason, this little piggie didn't give much chase. but the fastest kid got there first and pinned it. of course, that kid was Charlie. the crowd was gathered around so much that we couldn't really tell at first, but the people around us in the stands were already cheering and telling me that he'd won. sure enough, adam broke through the crowd, carrying the proudest looking boy i'd ever seen, who was carrying a ticket. Charlie told the story to everyone around us and was so sweet about the whole thing. then we had to decide what to DO about the pig. i felt sure that it would be one of those things we embark on that turn out to be a huge mistake. so, after getting the champ's approval, we decided to sell the pig. now CF is the proud owner of prize money, and the reputation of being the fastest 4 year old in town. ;)

here's a little video i got of the chase...look for the red shirt in the middle of the crowd.













the night BEFORE, we were able to take the kids to Atlanta to see the Sesame Street Live show for the first time. all thanks to my love of Aretha's Freeway of Love. I won tickets about a week ago by being the 8th caller and knowing that song title. i have NEVER won anything off the radio, and when it happened, i was screaming so much that i'm sure people driving past thought i had won the lotto. i was SO excited to be able to take the kids. we don't have a lot (er, any) extra money to buy tickets to things like that these days, so it was great timing. the kids loved eating dinner in the giant CNN Center food court and were in awe of the show, dancing the whole time. so, we've had two busy, awesome family days that none of us will soon forget.







this weekend made me even more excited to do things with the kids this fall...all the fair and corn mazes we can stand. they are at such FUN ages. along with the fun does come some (lots of) defiance and energy, but we are getting better at handling it and diffusing tantrums. Charlie starting school has proved to be a HUGE advantage for him. in just a couple of months, he has learned so much. he can now write his name alone, he's writing simple math problems out on the magnadoodle, and he's (wait for it) saying "yes, maam" and the like ON HIS OWN. he sits for long spells just looking at books by himself and "reading". he memorizes songs even faster than before. yesterday he requested the Talking Heads "don't touch me, i'm a real live wire"....haha. the kid's still got taste.

Here we are, Sunday morning, a much needed day to recover from our rock star family weekend. we're visiting my parents, and rumor has it that my mom is making some of my favorite things for lunch. need i say more??

it's Sunday again!

Nah, it's Monday morning. Other than Adam being gone (headed to Cali for work) it feels like a perfect Sunday morning. Labor Day rules. Our holiday plans include : pajamas, grocery store, cartoons, grilled cheese and soup, laundry, and playing with Lanie, the chihuahua puppy we are dog-sitting for this week. She's Jessie's puppy...Jessie and her husband are off on a week long cruise....alone....no kids. I'm not jealous. Not even a lil' bit. ;)

Adam is in LOVE with Lanie. He's already mentioned some evil schemes to keep her here. He's been cuddled up with her since she got here, and calls her his tiny baby. Ha. It's the cutest thing ever, and also ridiculously funny. Don't worry, Jessie, we'll make sure Lanie gets home safe and sound. But Adam may try to move in with you.



This weekend has been a great time for the most part. Friday morning started earlier that usual, because we had our big ultrasound appointment about 45 minutes north. We got there and waited another HOUR before being called back, but I was too excited to mind. The ultrasound equipment was amazing...a large tv screen positioned over my head so that Adam and I could see it better, and it was the clearest one we've ever seen. The tech was very thorough, showing us organs, head size, little fingers and toes, and finally, she asked if we wanted to know the sex. Wellyeah. I think it would be great fun to wait and be surprised, but come on. I could never ever be so patient. So the next thing we got to see on the U/S were....girly bits! yay! we have another lil sis on the way. Piper Ann Beauchamp. She is already so lovely.

After the tech was finished and I was sitting up, there was a moment of "uh'oh". She mentioned that I was to come back in 4 weeks for another ultrasound with a doctor present. She explained that the umbilical cord should have 3 chambers, and it looks like mine only has 2. Of course, I started spouting out questions like "is that common? what are the risks? is she ok?" She was very nice, but very vague, seeming to not want to worry us until we know for sure that that's what's going on. So, of course, I Googled. It appears that single umbilical artery has it's share of risks, but that in MOST cases, the babies are born perfectly healthy. We'll know more after October 1st, but for now, let's send out some good thoughts and prayers that Piper is getting everything she needs. I'm honestly not worried at this point. She looks great and right on track for her very young age.



After that we decided to have some friends over to cook out. We haven't done that as much this summer, thanks to our hermitage, and it was a lot of fun. I love watching our kids play together. The food and the company were both a perfect way to say bye-bye to summer.





Saturday the bestie came down with her son, Chase, who happens to be Charlie's idol and best, best friend. We had played outside all day. Rode bikes at the park, did a little geocaching, stopped for fresh fruit. All of this was set to the most beautiful weather I have seen in months. Bright blue sky, warm but crisp air, the perfect temperature. The only sucky party (ba dum bum) was the 4 million mosquitoes that I provided lunch for at the park. OUCH.



Yesterday we hung out at my parents most of the day. Laying on a blanket under a shady tree, throwing the baseball, eating even MORE amazing food with the family...another perfect afternoon.

And here we are, almost back to the real world, but not quite. One more day to play before reality sets in. As a mom with a kid in school, I'm REALLY seeing how great these 3-day weekends are. Bring on Fall Break! ;)

Happy Labor Day to all y'all!

gratitude.

the last couple of days have been...woah. i never, ever expected so many people to respond to that post, or to share it with so many others. the comments on the blog and on facebook...i can't begin to explain how much each one means to me. reading them made me cry, and they gave me so much more confidence that with THIS many like-minded people, we really do have a chance to make major changes. i have gone back over them so many times, lingering over each one and really paying attention to every word. to everyone who reposted or shared, thank you, too.
i'm sure there are at least a couple of people who are ready for me to get over myself...hehe. and i am. just with a little more peace of mind, thanks to YOU. <3