Summer Adventures

Kendra was off this past Thursday so after talking about going to the water park at Alabama Adventure for the past two months, we actually made it. It was a beautiful day for a water park visit! We pulled up and after paying our $10 to park, we found a spot in the first row right in front of the entrance- it almost made it worth the $10 we forked out! We got in and settled and the kids wanted to head to the lazy river first. Sounded good to us adults! There were two areas for smaller kids that were both really nice and the kids loved the slides. There was a swing for babies and toddlers that allowed Ayden Claire's feet to dangle in the water, and it was shaded, so we hung out there for a while. There was a bigger slide that went straight down but Alyssa didn't meet the height requirement for it. She was, however, tall enough to do a tunnel slide that ended in a funnel type deal. You swirled around until you dropped out of a hole in the bottom into a pool underneath. She loved the slide you rode doubles down in an inter tube. It was dark and fast, it made me a little nervous....I hate being closed in like that, but it was a fun slide! We drifted around the lazy river a few more times and then the kids played in the wave pool, although the wave maker must have been broken because it was basically just a zero entry pool. By this time it was 5 so we dried off and headed over to the amusement park side to ride a few rides. Kendra took Alyssa and Anniston on a couple of water rides, note the picture of them on the Log Flume! Anniston absolutely loved the Scrambler, she laughed hysterically the entire ride. I took Alyssa on a roller coaster that did a couple of loops forward and then took you back through backwards. Her exact words after going forwards were, "That was awesome!" but once we parked after going backwards she was sobbing! She still rode this huge wooden roller coaster twice with Kendra after the first traumatic experience on the first roller coaster. She's much braver than I was at 7! I can tell Anniston is going to be pretty fearless also, as long as her sisters doing it with her! We had a wonderful time and we slept really good that night! I would definitely consider going back again, we may take Daddy once more this summer.

A Bunch of Old?

Anniston was laying in our bed tonight waiting on her daddy to read her a book. Out of nowhere she says, "Daddy, is Granny and Pop dead?" (The answer to both is yes, they both died a little over a year and a half ago, about 3 months apart. Granny was my grandmother and Pop was Wes's granddad.) "Yes, they are both dead, Anniston," Wes answered.
"Well, how do you get dead?"

"Usually you get old....."

"Oh. Is Nanny old?" (Nanny is my mom.)

"No, not very old."

"Just a little old?"

"Yes, just a little old."

"You have to be a bunch of old to die?"

"Yeah....."

"Come on and read to me, Daddy!"

Canoeing, anyone?

Today we went to Oak Mountain State Park. It is a park in Birmingham close to Jill and Josh's house. Kendra and David met us and went also. The guys had a golf game planned on the course there and we were going to take the kids on the pedal boats and the canoes and then to the "beach". Then we were going to meet back up with the guys once their golf game was over. Well, the golf game took a little longer than expected, so we went swimming for a little while and then to the petting zoo without them. The girls loved the boats! It was definitely our favorite part of the day. Even little Ayden Claire got to go and she had her own little orange life jacket. I wish I could have gotten a picture-she was too cute. Anniston loved jumping off the boat and swimming around in the lake. Alyssa liked canoeing with Aunt Kendra. Actually, we all decided it is easier to canoe than pedal boat. Maybe that should tell me I need to hit the gym-my legs were so out of shape! It was a great way to spend our Sunday. I think we all had a blast.

The Birds and the Bees...and the Dogs

We recently became the owners of a poodle/shitzu mixed dog named Gabby. Someone Jill worked with had to get rid of her and in a moment of insanity/weakness I said we would take her. After a trip to the vet and the groomer (which broke the budget!) we were in love with her. We even found her a little pink Isaac Mizrahi sundress from Target! Things were going perfect with our new addition until about two weeks into it when she went into heat! Well, as much as we were stressed about this, our datsun mix, Wilbur, was just as excited. We had done a great job at keeping them apart- due in part because Wilbur stays outside and Gabby is inside- until Thursday night. Wes let Gabby on the patio and while he briefly turned around Wilbur got in the patio and well....lets just say they didn't waste any time with any "foreplay"! Now, Jill, myself and the girls are on our way home as this happens. Jill and Alyssa get in before me and when I get to the backdoor with Ayden Claire, Alyssa comes back out quite upset because her Daddy won't let her hear (or see) what he is telling Jill, which is that our beloved new dog is "stuck" rear to rear with Wilbur! So I go in and get the news and quickly realize this isn't something we can very well hide from Alyssa or easily brush off. Once she sees what has transpired, although confused and concerned, she wants to know what the deal is and I decide right then to be completely honest. So yes, I laid it all out for my sweet innocent child just shy of her eighth birthday. I asked her if she had any questions. She thought briefly and said, "Now exactly how does that work?" Well....I thought I had done a good job being thorough. Round two. Anatomy 101. Any more questions? Without skipping a beat this time and with a smile on her face, "Do Jill and Josh do it?" Jill left the room on that one. So, since we were being honest and everything I replied, "Well, they are married,"-which I had stressed was very important to be first-"so, yes they do." "So are they going to have a baby too?!" She sounded excited and hopeful. Round three. Birth control. Here is Alyssa's response to that, "Well when I get big I am going to the doctor to get that medicine because I'm not having a baby! I'm adopting!" She was quite adament. And that was that. Conversation over. One sex talk down, two to go. Today, Anniston informed my neighbor that Gabby and Wilburs bottoms were stuck together. Great, here we go again.....

Happy Birthday, USA!

Fireworks are non-negotiable at our house- if its New Years or the 4th, we are shooting them! Luckily, we had overbought last New Years Eve so we had some going into it this 4th. However, we still had to make a stop by one of at least 7 firework stands in Millbrook to buy more. We did get out cheaper this year though. We had a cookout at our house with some of our neighbors, complete with ribs, burgers, hotdogs, brats, baked beans, potato salad, mac n cheese, chips and dip, homemade icecream and cheesecake! Needless to say, we ate more than we should have. The kids played, and played, and ate and played. They had a blast. Ayden Claire is not a big fan of fireworks yet, maybe in a year or two! It was a great way to spend the 4th!

Beach Bound

We just got back from spending a few days in Sunny Gulf Shores, Alabama. The girls and I went down Wednesday night with my sister Kendra. Wes, Josh, Jill and David came down Friday night, a little later than originally planned but I'll explain why in a later blog. We went crab hunting, swam in the pool, went to Kiddie Heaven also known as The Track where I blew up the Visa and got soaked on the bumper boats but Anniston and I laughed the whole ride so it was totally worth it! We spent Saturday at the beach scooping jellyfish out of the ocean by the net full-I kept telling everyone "Just a few more then we should be good to go!"- and then went to LuLu's for dinner. Sunday we girls did a little outlet shopping, much less damage to the Visa than at The Track! The guys took the girls to play putt putt and then swimming at my Dad and Jackie's house. All in all it was a fun little getaway!

Olympic Dreams

Okay, so she's not Olympic bound YET, but..... Alyssa started swim team this summer. After trying quite a few sports and usually coming to the same conclusion- she LOVES being part of a team and socializing she just isn't aggressive enough to be great- we decided to let her swim. She swims all summer as it is and we are already at the Y most days so why not? So we paid the fees and bought the suit, and after a month of 7 am practices she had her first meet. I must brag briefly and tell you how great she did! She finished 1st in the 25 freestyle, 1st in the 25 breaststroke, and 2nd in the 25 butterfly! She was quite proud of herself and her ribbons she got. We just had the second swim meet of the season and she finished 2nd in the freestyle and breaststroke and 6th in backstroke. It was her first time to ever compete in backstroke! While she is probably never going to be the fastest kid at anything- her and Wes NEVER get in a hurry!!- she is an awesome swimmer and its been so fun so far. She doesn't even complain about the early practices, she just sleeps in a swimsuit!

Monkey Business

Sometimes I wonder if we are raising a monkey when it comes to Anniston! I guess I should have known I was in for it when I walked into her room one day when she was four months old and she had pulled up and was standing in her crib! It only got better from there....at eight months she was walking without help and at the end of the month she was running. She has one speed- GO! I walked into the kitchen one day when she was about 18 months and she was completely on top of our refrigerator- completely! She knew I had hidden the Dum-Dums up there and she wanted one. So like a little frog with sticky toes, she scaled the cabinets and then the side of the frig straight to the top. So, you can see how after 4 years of this I can turn around and see my child climbing the door facing and hardly bat an eye. Yes, we have tried to tame some of this out of her, however, I believe she was just "wired" this way! Oh, by the way, she can get to the top of the door facing, she was just too quick to catch it!

Kelley's Got Talent

Today there was a talent show at the library. When I first heard they were having one, I blew it off. I don't have children that sing The Star Spangled Banner in tune or break wood with their heads! But then I got to thinking about what they can do! I mean, we have invested alot of time (and too much money!) in dance, gymnastics, and baton. So I suggested to Alyssa she might want to twirl the baton for her talent and I knew exactly what Anniston could do- headstands! If you have seen Anniston, you have likely seen her almost perfect headstand! She can stand on her head and watch an entire t.v. show if she wanted. She's quite our little acrobat. Well, Alyssa has just gotten where she can do a headstand almost as good as her little sister, so she chose to showcase this new talent instead of the baton. Alyssa's friend Sarah went with us and she twirled the baton. Two girls jumped rope, there was a hula-hooper, some ballerinas, a magician, a dinosaur impersonator (which was quite good), and three renditions of Taylor Swift's "Our Song". Although you can't see their heads since they are standing on them, here are some pictures of the girls doing their headstands!

Happy Father's Day!

I am married to one of the best fathers around. He may not be perfect but he's wonderful in so many ways and one of those is the kind of Daddy he is to our 3 daughters. I could brag on him all day! He works full time and has a part time job which allows me to stay at home and raise our daughters. He makes lots of sacrifices for his girls and I can only hope that one day they will know how hard he worked to provide for them and how much they mean to him! He also finds time somehow to coach their softball teams, volunteer for the Millbrook Fire Department and help me with supper. We picked him out a new pocketknife and a pair of Teva's at Bass Pro Shops for Fathers Day. He really seemed to like his gifts! He got to take a long nap while it rained outside, and watch some of the race- a real treat for him in a house full of women!-so I know he enjoyed that! Thanks for all you do Wes....all the piggyback rides (complete with sound effects!), fixing of boo-boos (since I don't do blood), all the neck rubs, and leg rubs you so graciously give to all of us girls! He is quite outnumbered but he handles it well! Thanks for everything, Wes, especially being an awesome father!