Withdrawals

I'm going to have them. I have LOVED this summer, LOVED my girls' ages, LOVED swimming, LOVED our calendar of pool playdates, LOVED having a "normal" family summer. We have either been moving, settling in, figuring out how to do life with twins, or something or another for a lot of summers, and this summer was just plain Americana life. So we have squeezed important Last Times at the Pool in and around preschool this week. Monday was with my mom, and we had the pool to ourselves.

This picture is not winning any awards, but I want a record of the fact that I have gotten to be quite the expert at doing the pool with my girls- sunscreening, swimsuiting, swim diapering, floatie-ing, lunch packing, toy-bringing, and dry clothes to change into so we can go right down for afternoon naps when we get home. I've got it down pat, and I've loved every minute (well most minutes) of being at the pool with my daughters. There aren't many pics to prove it since I'm on the other side of the camera, but officially, "I was here."

So was Grammy on Monday. We had anticipated her being able to help focus on Joy, who prefers to practice actually swimming minus her puddle jumper these days, but it's hard for me to do with her solo and also keep an eye on the others. Joy was not feeling anything other than some mean teeth coming in on Monday (and the ant that bit my shoulder and her cheek at the same time while I was holding her), so it ended up being Blythe's morning to shine with Grammy.

This morning we got in our last time with the Jones family, with whom we put our first toes in the water in the spring, so it's appropriate that our last day in the pool before Labor Day was with their family! It's amazing that our timid little swimmers are now swimming without floats! Quite the transformation in a matter of months.

Their pool has a park nearby, and the fact that perhaps my kids, if not me, are getting pool-ed out, is evidenced by how much they wanted to play at the park after lunch and had such a grand time.

And so we have a good reminder that there is wonderful life even after summer, and the beginnings of a sweet fall are just around the corner!

Pigs and Peaches

Jake and I are suckers for local festivals, and this one was about a mile from our house! We met the Owens there for a morning mostly filled with our kids jumping on various inflatables. This was Blythe and Joy's first experience with inflatables, and it was, to say the least, a big hit.

This one thought she was an old pro and was doing flips and going down slides backwards.

Jake left early to go help the Gillies move, and I stayed on with the Owens. Here are Maddy and Abby Jane looking a bit peaked as the energy expended by so much jumping began to take its toll and it was time to look for lunch.

As we wandered around the competing BBQ groups, we came across a firetruck with cartoon characters painted on its side and assumed it was there for kids to play on. All our kids and a few other passing families began to climb up and pose for pictures. This picture is significant because it was taken seconds before this huge Crazy BBQ Man came running over saying to get those kids out of that cab, that there was an air brake button and if that little BOY (referring to my beautiful Joy) stepped on it, the whole blankety blank truck was going down the hill. As he says this, we hear a hisssss, and sure enough, Joy had just hit the yellow brake button. I had Blythe on my hip, so Kristin jumped up and grabbed Joy while Crazy BBQ Man lets loose a few other expletives and jumps up to put the brake on. It should be noted that while Kristin was grabbing Joy, I was holding onto a handle on the side of the truck with my free hand... as if I would be effective in holding back the truck should it start to roll with my child inside. We just walked away, but as the day went on, I got a little angrier and angrier about the Crazy BBQ Man episode.

My words of wisdom I would have liked to impart are as follows: "If you are going to bring a fire truck with cartoon characters on it to a family festival and do not want kids to climb on it or get in the cab, then kindly put a sign that indicates as such and lock the cab door! Also, the blocks in front of the tires would have prevented any rolling, so there's no need to cuss in front of my babies in the future, thank you very much."

After naps, we headed up to Cartersville where the moving-out Gillies had arrived. We spent the evening with cousins and grandparents. You can tell Miss Blythe just needed a little down time with Mimi after a busy morning!

Miss Abby Jane needed no down time and had a great time with Cade on the gator.

The night ended... of course... with playing with ice in their driveway, though I got no pics this time. With the end of summer and end of our years of having the Gillies drawing near, we will play in ice and anywhere and doing anything they want to do to make the most of these last weeks with them in town!

Friends

Our dear friends, Victoria and Mat, had their PRECIOUS son Asher a few weeks ago, and we had the delight of bringing supper to them with our other sweet friends, Jeff and Lyndsay. Jake distracted the little girls long enough for me to snuggle that little chunk of love, and he is SUCH a treasure!

Friends and little friends.We also had a playdate at a park on a 96 degree day last week with Katie and Betsy. Were we CRAZY? Maybe. But it was fun hanging out!This was also two week old Clara's first trip to the park! Look at these sweaty happy little three year olds.Four of the seven children all within three square feet. If only they were always that easy to corral!

The Tool Bench

On our biannual consignment sale date last week, Jake made one of his all-time best purchases as a dad of three girls... a Home Depot tool bench. When we were checking out, they asked how old our son was. On the way home, I asked if it was going to be part of Christmas. Nope. When I got home from my run on Friday morning, Jake and Abby Jane looked like this.

By the time the twins woke up, Abby Jane had mastered all the power tools and wasted no time introducing the twins to them. Jake was one mighty proud daddy that his girls were so into those tools! He even got out his own to show them how they're the same.

Now I have to admit that about 30 minutes after said Proud Daddy walked out the door, Abby Jane asked me why the tool bench wasn't pink. And... reality that we are a household of girls hits again. :)

A New Beginning

First day of preschool was on Tuesday, and Abby Jane's level of excitement was on par with birthday or Christmas. She was up until 10 pm the night before, just talking and laughing to herself. She could hardly sit still enough to eat a semblance of a breakfast. FINALLY it was time to take a few pictures and go!

Hugs goodbye to little sisters...

This picture totally encapsulates Abby Jane on her first day of school- it was so, so precious to see my big girl 1000% ready to start school! (Note to self: nix the pink hairbows when we wear this dress next time!)

Walking her in with the preschool bag. There were a lot of little people taking identical pictures toting their own blue bags that morning!

My fabulous husband had planned all along to come be a part of that first day, which I didn't expect, and definitely thought was quite the above-and-beyond daddy moment. Abby Jane didn't actually bother to tell us goodbye, but we called her back to the door to say bye. Daddy stole a kiss before letting her get back to important preschool business.

When Jake was putting Joy in the car after walking out of the preschool, she scrambled out of her seat and went straight for Abby Jane's, saying, "Abba seat, Abba seat!" She was grinning from ear to ear at getting to sit in Abba seat. There was obviously no love lost there! Look at these happy girls with their mama all to themselves. It was amazing having one hand for each child I was responsible for! I am so looking forward to extra time with just these little people while my big kid is away having the time of her life.

My dear friend Kristin has her little girl in Abby Jane's class as well, so we shared our first morning as mothers of preschoolers together!

Abby Jane gave a glowing report after both Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and she had the most precious comment yesterday afternoon. We were talking about all the things she had done that day, and she said, "Miss Rose talks like she smiles a lot." I thought WHAT a compliment! Both of her teachers are just PRECIOUS women that make ME feel fabulous after chatting with, and I love that after just two mornings with those ladies loving on and teaching her, Abby Jane hit the nail on the head so well.

New goal: talk like I smile a lot.

More Cousin time

Last Saturday morning, Jake took the family to Waffle House to use up some "free waffle" coupons we received from the Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth. Blythe ate everyone under the table, including Jake. The girl ate and ate and ate. She is always just plain a breakfast girl, but Saturday was one for the books. At one point, Jake was cutting up more waffle for her, and she started waving her hands in the air and giggling out of excitement!

It was my first time in a Waffle House since a time or two in college, and it was a much more enjoyable experience than I expected. Especially the coffee and grits!

We went straight from there up to Jake's parents' home, where Bop Bop was watching Cade and Luke while Betsy and Paul were having a garage sale with Sandy's help. Of course, the all-time favorite activity at Mimi and Bop Bop's is playing with, throwing, and eating ice. I like this action shot of Jake trying to evade the ice Cade is launching from his cup, while holding a whiffle ball bat.

I've started just going ahead and taking off the babies' clothes before ice playing. They love getting to run nik-nik!

There's a place in downtown Cartersville called Ross's diner, and it's a big family tradition for the Gross family to go there for breakfast or lunch. Jake and his dad ate there every Saturday growing up. It's also about 25 yards from the train tracks through the middle of town, so for those kids who like trains (not Joy), it's about the best seat you could ever eat lunch from. Here's Jane sharing an after-lunch lollypop with a seemingly blown away Blythe.
The following cousin series just melted our hearts. We sure are going to just savor every last minute with this sweet family in these next few weeks before they open this new chapter of their lives in New Zealand!

Squeezing it in...

There was so much I wanted to squeeze in before preschool started, and it was tough to make it all happen! One of those things was a day trip to Chattanooga to visit my big sis and her kids. It was such a great, simple day. I think our culture is so tempted to always program and schedule and "go and do" with our kids... but on Friday, these six little cousins had such a sweet summer day, just playing in my sister's back yard. They played on the swing set, made a fort in the tree house...

jumped on the trampoline...

and this unlikely pair spent a long long time together in the sandbox.

Ian is probably the busiest of all the cousins, but he and my quiet little Blythe sat by each other for a good long while, engrossed in the sand. See Blythe trying to bury her little feet like Ian?

Then there's Maggie, who hangs in tough with all the older kids and alternated between having toys stolen by the twins and getting knocked over with hugs.

The highlight of the trip for me was that everyone took good naps/rest times, and Jodi and I had the opportunity to sit and talk for a wonderful long time. I so respect and am refreshed by my big sis, and it was such a treat to get that time with her!