Take me out to the ballgame!

They may be brothers and only 1 year apart, but they could not be more different!!

Spent the first day, of many more to come, I'm sure, at the ball field. We had games at 1:00 and 4:00. A nice big stretch in between games to try to entertain 4 kids!
I will start with Wills! This child's excitement was written all over his body. (and if you know Wills, you know exactly what I am talking about) That child could not stop shaking he was so excited to be playing baseball. Actually, I really think all the excitement was because he was on a "team" with a bunch of boys. He loves that. Wills surprised us all! He is actually a pretty good ball player. I think the pace is great for him because it gives him ample time to socialize in between innings. One play he was running so fast to second base that he tripped and fell, but got right back up and kept on running. When he looked over at me a little embarrassed, I just started screaming and cheering for him and that was all it took to make him so proud!
I can't get over how adorable little boys look in their baseball uniform. They look so grown up, but so "little boy" at the same time.
Now, Owen on the other hand....he may be more of a soccer boy! He is pretty bored out there on the field and not all too excited to even go to his game. I just think baseball is a little too slow for him. At his last game while on the field, he kept yelling at me, "Mom, is it over yet?"
He would also repeat this question over and over, yelling "Mom, Mom" until I answered.
O is actually a great little athlete, we just need to channel his energy to something a little more.....active! I admit, his listening skills need some work, but he is only 5. At one point a helicopter flew over the field and he watched that for pretty much the entire inning.

Head in the Clouds

Today, in a rush to go meet my Kindergartner for lunch at his school, I left both sliding doors to my mini-van open and my purse on the front seat, screaming "someone please steal me". I had no idea until I am leaving school. I am pushing Gray in his stroller, Kate walking so nicely beside me, thinking, I am a pretty good mommy... Taking my 2 younger ones to meet their brother for lunch and it actually went well. And there in front of me, parked in the first space next to the Principal's spot, is my car with doors wide open. Don't ask!

On another note, I love to read and I get on reading kicks every so often and when I am on one of my kicks, I quickly remember why I take reading hiatus' every once in a while.
I am currently reading an amazing book called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Oh, it is so good! In fact, it is so good I cannot put that darn book down. No lie, my nose is stuck in that book every moment I get. I actually brought it in the car with me to read when I am stopped at a red light!
I guess my OCD is shining through a little because I cannot put it away. Stayed up till midnight, reading this book, woke up early and had my nose in that book! Nap time....am I resting? No, I am lost in my book once again. I am aware, thanks to my husband, that I may need to take some breaks in between books, so I can tend to the family again! I don't know about you, but I have found it difficult to multi-task while reading.

I love the 80's

Circa 1980's. Jelly bracelets are all the rage.
Well, there back and the fad has hit our house!
My oldest comes home from school today talking about Hibbet sports (a sports store here in Bham). He has NO idea what this store is, but all of the sudden, all he can talk about is "can go to Hibbets?" Come to find out, Hibbets carries jelly animal shape bracelets that all the kids are going crazy about. Matt and I call them the "dumb bracelets", but not in front of our kids, of course. We dubbed them "DB" only because we were dumb enough to NOT think of them first!
Now, I don't know about your family, but in ours, we don't just go out and buy toys whenever the kids want something. So, now we have a problem! This poor child has got his brother and sister talking about Hibbets and can we please go now?" I wouldn't even think about packing everyone in the car if these bracelets were not so hard to find. According to my neighbor, who has older kids, every store is sold out and praise the Lord, Hibbets has them!
I try to think of a way to compromise my "gimme rule" and make the kids help me clean out the garage, agree to use use half of their own money (which is like $2 in change) if we are going to go to Hibbets. They agree and we start cleaning. Meanwhile, I have called this glorified sports store, called Hibbets to make sure they put 3 packs of Jelly Bracelets on hold for the Carringtons. I had to laugh that I was actually calling a store to put jellies on hold!! Crazy.
The funny ending to this story is that it took us until 7:00 to finally be ready to head out to Hibbets and poor Dad had to take them. I wish I could have seen Matt on this outing. He had to walk past all those balls and gloves and bats and helmets and pads and go up to the front to pick up the bracelets for his 2 sons and daughter that he has put on hold.

Squeaky Clean

After playing outside while Daddy was mowing our field/lawn, I decided I was not going to bring my filthy, and I mean REALLY FILTHY, children inside to bathe them in my freshly cleaned tub! So, I decided to do what we do best...get out the hose, the pool (which hasn't gotten smaller over the years, my kids are just getting so big), and some bubbles. We like to call it The Red Neck's Bath! We are not ashamed, although the kids did insist on wearing their bathing suits, as the entire street was likely to see this. Water+bubbles+kids= hours of fun! They got squeaky clean and got a little crazy doing it. Gray was the hose holder and he took his job seriously. No one could get that hose away from him. All in all, my mission was accomplished. Clean kids, no dirty tub, and kids who were wiped out and ready for bed.

Sliding in the slippery tub o fun!

This is what happened when I turned the water off and took the hose away.

You might be a red neck if............
you use Black Amethyst Bubble Bath while taking an outdoor bath. Nothing but the best for the Carrington kids! Ha!

Did I mention that our lawn boy is so hot?!

Eat More Chicken

Today while running errands with Kate and Gray, I decided to go through the drive-thru at Chic Fil A! I love this place for so many reasons and one is that Gray loves their chicken nuggets. He does not eat meat too often, so I am glad to get some protein in him. We went through the drive-thru and headed home, but he seemed kinda fussy, so I tossed a nugget back to him. Don't worry--he has a mouth full of chompers...I hardly ever cut up his food! When we pulled into the neighborhood, I saw him dozing off to sleep, with the chicken held tightly in his little fist. I tried to get him to stay awake so that I could just take him up and put him in his crib for a nap--I thought, I will just feed him when he gets up! Well, that child would not let go of his nugget. He wasn't going to give it up. I carried him up to his room and tried to pry it out of his hands as I changed his diaper and he went crazy. I tried again to get it while I rocked him a little--no such luck..he kept saying "No No No".
Finally I lay him in his bed, nugget still in hand, thinking this is not worth it, let him sleep with it, until I notice him stuff the nugget in his mouth and close his eyes. He was going to actually fall asleep with a chicken nugget in his mouth!!!! At that point I did the open and swipe move, confiscated the nugget and left the room. To say he was mad is an understatement. He cried, more like screamed, for a few minutes, but went off to dreamland with the taste of chicken still on his tongue ans sweet nugget dreams in his head!

a small pink dot in a blue house

Pretty in Pink

Lounging in bed

God's little Princess

How did he get in here?

Have I mentioned how thankful I am that God has blessed me with a daughter? Today Kate wanted to play dress up and she pulled out all the stops. We sat on the floor and piled on all her jewels. Bracelets, rings, necklaces, heels, barrettes, sunglasses, purses, boas, and her favorite, a "spinning skirt".
Poor child, she lives in a house with 3 brothers and she is about as girlie as they come. She did not want the boys to come into her room while we were playing and they were dying to come in. (Gray was there by default). We talked about how you can look pretty on the outside with fancy clothes and jewelry, but she is God's little princess because she has a beautiful heart on the inside and is kind, loves God, loves others, obeys, etc... I am really trying to drive this home. Tonight she asked if God would let her wear her spinning skirt in heaven?
In a house full of boys, she is not only God's little princess but she is our family's princess as well.

Passing the Baton!

Here is a little track analogy from my old track days.

He started out of the blocks on Friday, the first one of four in the relay. He started out strong! He threw up 4 times right in a row. Our lead runner was doing his part. He was lethargic, he slept a lot, but he was rounding the corner by early the next day. His last straightaway went smoothly, it was over. But, not before he passed the baton to his brother. The hand-off was smooth and sneaky. In fact, I thought we might be in the clear until Wills took the baton that morning. Soon he was off. On the first curve of the track his tummy started to hurt, and around 2:00 or so it was his turn to really let loose. We had just 2 bouts of the throw ups, but enough to know the pass was successful. His, too, only lasted 24 hours. He sprinted down the last straightaway ready to pass the baton onto his beautiful little sister who was ready for school in her brand new and, I must add, (since I NEVER iron) freshly ironed dress. Kate quickly accepted the baton at 9:00 this morning while waiting for drop off in carpool line. I could hear the dreaded sound as I sat in the front seat. So far, we have had just 1 round of the throw ups. Another MDO day down the drain for me.
Now, we have Owen, our last leg and definitely our fastest runner, or should I say most dramatic runner. He is waiting with his hand back in runner's position as Kate rounds the corner. She has successfully touched everything possible in the playroom to make this hand-off happen. Will they be able to pass the baton and finish this race? I'm sure you can tune in tomorrow to see if the finish will be one that I will always remember.

Predictable....I think not!

In happier times--yesterday!

One thing I can predict in my life, is that it will be unpredictable! Today, I had 3 of my 4 out of the house...for a solid 4 hours! That means nobody following me around the house, no whining, no fighting, a little peace and quiet! To say that it has been a long summer is an understatement. I am not sure why this summer has seemed to drag on, but it is finally over. The school year is underway and I am so excited to get some quality one on one time with sweet baby Gray. It is his turn! Well, this morning while trying to get 2 ready for their first day of school, Gray throws up all over me. You know you are a mom, when you let your baby throw up on you to avoid it getting all over the carpet. I was actually trying to catch it with my leg and shoe as it rolled off the front of my shirt. I was successful! I can still smell the throw-up on me even after I have scrubbed in the shower. The throw up didn't stop there. Three more times before 9:00. I cleaned up Gray the best I could, loaded the car, and headed to school. I managed to snap a few pictures of Kate and Owen while Gray sat strapped in his car seat, naked, almost passed out. What a miserable start to what was going to be a sweet day with my baby.
Dropped the kiddos off, drove home, Gray fell asleep! I was able to make the car seat to crib transfer successfully and the poor baby slept for 3 hours.
When I heard him stirring, I cautiously crept into his room and he seemed somewhat happy! He had some color back in his cheeks. He smiled at me, raised those sweet chubby hands up and I scooped him into my arms. The house is eerily quiet and he took notice! Usually when he wakes from a nap, there are storms of children brewing all around him, always in his face. But not today! It was cute and kinda sad at the same time. He was a little confused as to the quietness. As I was holding him, he was looking for everyone else. I took him downstairs and he was craning his neck in all directions trying to find a brother or sister.
I am not in the clear yet. I am not that optimistic! I am bracing myself for yet another round of throw up. I even chose an already stained shirt and dirty jeans as my outfit today--it was easier to find than it should be (mental note to do some cleaning out). Right now, he seems to be okay. We are both going to spend time getting adjusted to the stillness and peacefulness that is in this house today.

Finishing out our birthday season......

I AM 5!!

Owen at age 2...

Blowing out his candles

Happy Birthday to Owen! You are 5 today. Wasn't I just bringing you home from the hospital? I will never forget bringing you home and Wills was just 13 months old and still not walking for another 2 months! He was a baby too, just bigger. I had 2 babies. I still am unsure how I did it, but I guess that is why I don't remember too much. You were such a good, sweet, easy baby. We thought you were amazing, and we still do. You add so much to our family and we love your energy and zeal for life! May God continue to have His hand on your life and we pray that you grow to know Him passionately and serve Him in everything you do. Happy birthday to my sweet O!

Lately, this is his good side

I know the neighbors are so glad we moved in!

Good Times

Our Picnic

Brothers!

I went in before the kids and decorated the hotel room. He was so excited when he walked in!

Our Sweetheart

Inside the tank

Inside the shark's cage

Enjoying an ice-cream

Rocky Top

Playing in the water

Just returned from a weekend up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, celebrating Owen's birthday! He turns 5 years old on September 10th and wanted to go to the aquarium for his birthday instead of having a party. We were all thrilled to get to go on a family trip over Labor Day weekend. Since we had been to the Atlanta aquarium a few times already, we decided to travel to Chattanooga. The weekend was jam-packed with the aquarium, Discovery museum, I-Max movie, swimming at the hotel, eating out, and just having a lot of fun. I am so proud of Owen for thinking outside the usual birthday party box and wanting to take a family trip. We all enjoyed it and I think he felt a little extra special all weekend long. Gray Gray spent the night with Nana and Grandad. I must admit, although we missed him, it made the trip much easier. Just 3 kids, all using the bathroom, all dressing themselves, feeding themselves, putting on their own shoes.....makes life a little easier. The only rough patch we ran into was the drive there. We hit some traffic--I mean backed up for a long time. I had made a picnic lunch to eat on the way there because I hate stopping for fast food on trips. Well, I envisioned our family eating our picnic lunch sprawled out on a blanket with the beautiful Smokey Mountains behind us!
Below is a picture of us at a truck stop, sitting in the parking lot, eating our sandwiches as we breathe in exhaust fumes. Good times!

Are you Ready for some Football?

WE ARE!!

A trip to the ER

This is his face after I cleaned it some!

Much better!

I was just thinking that nothing eventful in our life was happening lately...and then we wind up in the Emergency room with Gray last night. Gray was strapped into the double jogger and (somehow) pushed down a steep grassy hill and the stroller flipped and he landed flat on his face onto the cement with the stroller on top of him. It all happened too fast to even process. He was inconsolable for about 45 minutes until I finally made the decision to take him to the ER. The kids went to my neighbors and Matt and I drove our little guy downtown.
After waiting in the waiting room for an hour with 50+ sick children with masks on! (no lie--if we were not sick when we arrived, we probably are now), we finally saw the Doctor.

Diagnosis: Pretty sure we've got a broken nose, although we will be better able to tell once it begins to heal a little. If it is broken, it will start to heal crooked and then we can proceed to the ENT. A bad head injury, but it looks like there is no sign of a concussion (Praise God), and a busted lip with cuts inside his mouth, probably from where his teeth cut through. Amazing enough, all his teeth are still there and not loose. He is a trooper and we are so grateful that is was not too serious, (as in brain injury, etc.) I know that God protected him and he is as happy as can be this morning.
The best way to describe what he looks like is how Owen said it.
"Gray looks kinda like a duck" . He actually kinda does! After a long night, I am hoping a little motrin, tlc, and some sleep will help him to feel better!

Bday painting

The trees behind the deer are distressed so it looks like real bark up close.

the kids thought this was so cool

Owen and his friend Andrew, playing ping pong in the basement while I was hanging the picture~

I finally got it! My birthday painting that my mom bought me. It has taken a while for it to finally get done, but it was so worth the wait. I love it. I recently started to decorate the basement and decided to use a "cabin/lodge" theme and when I stumbled across this guys artwork I knew it was perfect. The artist's name is Larry Rackley and he is a local Alabamian. He owns his own gallery called Yellowfin Gallery and he paints some really amazing pictures. His studio is at his house and the pictures he has painted are beautiful. Mostly wildlife paintings using acrylic and airbrushing. Check out his website www.yellowfingallery.com.

The painting of this deer is perfect for over the mantle in the basement. It is a one of a kind original acrylic and airbrushed painting of a deer in the woods. There is a light that shines directly on it, so it is a nice focal point for the room and it is the first thing you notice when you walk in. I found that no matter where I stand in the room, the deer is looking right at me. I prefer the painting of a REAL deer above a mounted dead deer any day!