Emeline and Evelyn's First Day

Today Emeline and Evelyn had their first day of preschool. Emeline went last year, but this is Evelyn's first time to go. She was SO excited. The girls go Tues, Wed, and Thurs. from 7am to 4pm. They are going longer hours so that I can work while they are at school. It works out well, but makes for early mornings. We are still adjusting.

We had just gotten to school and were about to drop Emeline off in her class. It only took me two shots to get a picture of them both looking at the camera.  Evelyn is carrying her new lunch bag which is a thermal tote from Thirty-One, it has her name on it and she LOVES it. She wants to carry it around all the time. Plus she will be able to carry it for years since it is so cute.

I LOVE this shot of Evelyn. I took this on the way to her class and she smiled at me, so cute!!  She walked right into her class and started looking for her cub by.  I was so surprised at how excited she was even when she realized I was leaving.

I had to get a shot with Evelyn before I left her at school. I think she took it better than I did. She had a great day, took a great nap, and ate all of her lunch. She is excited to go back tomorrow, but I'm not sure it will go as smoothly as today. So thankful for such a loving place to leave my kids!

Our New Pet

MA does not like cats. He went so far as to train his dog to attack any cats she encountered. So, you can imagine my surprise when I was on my way home from work on Monday and MA told me we had a new pet. I thought maybe he had bought the kids a hamster or more fish. Then he dropped the bomb and told me it was a cat!! I couldn't believe it. Apparently the kitten is a stray and wandered onto our deck Monday morning. MA heard it crying and decided to feed it. So now the kitten won't leave our back deck.

The girls had fun playing with the cat on Monday morning.

I have no idea what Evelyn's face is about in this picture.

This is the scene I came home to. The kids are pretty attached to it already. We still aren't sure if it is a boy or girl.  But it looks like it is our cat now. Hopefully it will help keep away some unwanted rodents. It will live outside since it is already used to it.

So, here is the official portrait of our new cat. It's name is Gravel, because that is what it looks like and it is gender neutral so we won't have to change it's name once we determine it's gender. Looks like Gravel and Chloe will be going to the vet next month. Should be fun!





Tristan's First Day

 Today was Tristan's first day of Kindergarten! He did great and was really excited.

 I love this picture we got of him. We took a bunch of pictures and I am only putting the ones I really like here.  Today was just a 1/2 day, so we came back to school at 10 for a teacher's meeting and then picked Tristan up right after.

We managed to get a picture of all the kids in front of Tristan's class room. He got the teacher we asked for, Mrs. Lovell, and we are thrilled!!

We finally got him settled into his classroom and had to get in one more round of pictures before we could leave him.

 Dad got the last picture. Tristan had a great day and is super excited about his first full day tomorrow.  We're looking forward to a great year!!

What a Week

I know it's only Wednesday, but this has already been an intense week and it is only going to get worse. On Monday I started my new job as a phone operator for a large medical practice. I had to leave at 7:15 and hubby was just getting home from work. MA had to take all three of the kids to an appointment that morning at 9:00, I had the appointment scheduled for about 3 months and it is really hard to reschedule. I got off at 4:30 and didn't get home until after 5.  On Tuesday I had to work the same schedule and MA had to drop the kids off at Nan's by 10:15 so that he could be at Tristan's registration by 10:30. He successfully registered Tristan and ran some errands with the kids. While I was at work I got the phone call that my cousin was in labor (this is her first baby), I got the phone call that evening that baby Coraline was here!! Congrats Amanda and Jeremy!! Also, on Tuesday I got offered a job doing billing part time for a small solo medical practice downtown. After much deliberation and discussion I decided to take the position. So, I quit my current new job and accepted the new job. I started at my second new job today and it is awesome!  I am doing actual billing and even some coding. I get to set my own hours which means that I will get to be at home with the girls on Monday and Friday.  I won't be making as much money, but money isn't everything.  I am so excited about this position! The great thing is that if I do well I will be able to work from home in a couple of months. So thankful tonight for answered prayers!
The next big thing we have is tomorrow Tristan starts kindergarten! Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that he was taking his first steps.  He is a little apprehensive and we are praying for a smooth day tomorrow. He goes for 1/2 a day tomorrow and we have to go to a teacher meeting just before dismissal. Friday will be his first full day.  It is going to be a major change around here since we will have to leave at 7:00 on Mon. and Fri. and at 6:40 on days the girls have school. It means a much earlier bed time and MUCH earlier wake up time for all of us. This transition will be most challenging for the girls, but hopefully we will all fall into a routine quickly.
Looking forward to posting about Tristan's first day of school!!

Back to School/Tax Free Shopping

On Thursday Nan and I took the kids to The Factory in Franklin to do a little back to school shopping. Tristan desperately needed some shoes, he has been holding onto his favorite "strap shoes" for over a year, and Emeline needed some Fall church dresses.  My Great Aunt Ruth and her two daughters own four stores at The Factory.  Including The Little Cottage (upscale children's boutique and the only place I can buy Emeline shoes, period), The Sweet Shoppe (where she makes all the ice cream from scratch), The Little Cottage Toys, and Liz and Bella Gifts. It is always a treat to go and we usually make a day of it.

They have one of those giant rocking chairs there and we always have to get a picture of the kids sitting it in.  We always do the picture just before we leave and every time I took Evelyn to the bathroom she would point at the chair and try to climb in it.

I think the normal picture turned out well considering how difficult it is to get all three kids to look at the camera at the same time, more less smile.  Then we let them do a silly face. Usually we get one of Nan, but it isn't on my camera.

Nan always lets the kids pick out one toy at The Little Cottage Toys because they have stuff there you can't find anywhere else.  Emeline chose this dress-up dress (surprise, surprise) which I think looks like a fancy Alice in Wonderland costume. She loves it!! I was also able to find her the perfect size snack bag for school. I was so excited because I have been looking for one for over a year.  All in all it was a successful trip to Franklin.

On Friday we headed out for a day full of errands. I was determined to finish Tristan's back to school shopping and his supply list for kindergarten (which is insanely long and goes way beyond crayons and pencils.)  So we headed out to the mall so I could try to cash in on some great coupons and take advantage of tax free weekend.  I only found one pair of pants for Tristan and will have to order him some shorts to finish out the rest of the summer at school. They can only have specific colors and, as of now, he only has two shorts he can wear to school and they are the same color.  However, I found a super cute dress, skirt, and shirt for me to wear to work AND I only spent $15 on all four items, a steal!!  After the mall I dropped Tristan's school bag off to have his name embroidered on it and then we headed to Wal-Mart. I have to say it wasn't as crazy as I was expecting, but then again we weren't really there for school supplies or clothes.  We finally finished Tristan's school shopping and then headed to Anchor High Marina for dinner. It was a nice open air restaurant on the lake and a relaxing way to end the day. 

I can't believe Tristan starts kindergarten this Thursday.

I couldn't help but add this picture of Evelyn. I came to check on her during nap time and this is how I found her. She slept like this for almost 2 hours. 

Mini Vacation 2011

Late Wednesday night we headed East to the Chilhowee Campground near the Ocoee River. We love to vacation here and were delighted to be taking the pop-up camper with us. This weekend was a little different from past years, Mark Anthony's Mom, Aunt, Uncle, and best friend came too and they each had people with them. We had 10 people there by Friday night.  We arrived around 2am Thursday morning, set up camp and tried to get some sleep. We woke up early Thursday morning and headed to Etowah for coffee and shopping.

I had to get a shot of MA driving since he drove most of the time.  After we went shopping we went up to an unknown place on the river and went swimming. It was a beautiful day and we had the blue hole all to ourselves. Then we headed to Wildwater to visit some of our friends there. While we were talking to the manager we were telling him about our new zip lines and ropes course and he invited us to try out their brand new zip line on Friday morning. So we woke up bright and early on Saturday and spent the next three hours zipping.

Their zips are completely different than ours. They call them canopy tours and you are basically zipping from tree stand to tree stand. You have to wear a full body harness and you are clipped into the line at 3 different points and you have to use your hand to brake.  It was interesting.

It was fun and the views were pretty good.  Especially this one behind us, which you really can't see.

This was also the tallest point of the zip line. They have 8 zips with one at 400ft and one at 600ft.

There goes MA on one of the first zips. You have to put your hands on the pulley (a BIG no-no on our course) and use your dominate hand to brake. It took some getting used too since we don't allow any hands near the pulley.

Here I am braking for the landing.  I didn't get to show off my mad landing skills because you basically stop before you land on the platform. Zipping was fun and we headed back to the campground for lunch.  Once we had lunch we headed back to our swimming hole with MA's Aunt and cousin.  By the time we got back MA's friend Scott and his wife, Jillian, were there and so was his mom.  We all made dinner together and some of our local friends came to visit. 
On Saturday we all went rafting and had a great time.  After rafting MA, Scott, Jillian, and I headed to Gee Creek for some intense hiking.

This is the view from the top, it is overlooking the Hiwassee River and is literally right in the back yard of my childhood home.  It is easily my favorite place.

It's nice to have someone vacationing with you so you can get a few couple shots.  I think the back ground looks better than we do, lol.

The view of the other side of the bluffs and the back of MA's arm.  On Sunday it was time to pack up and head back to reality. It took a while to pack everything up, but we were grateful that Scott and Jillian stayed to help. We always have to get pics at the overlook, which is on the way to the campground, on our way home.

MA's pic. Yes he really does wear shoes. Actually, this was the only time he didn't have shoes on.

I always feel like I look freakishly tall in my annual picture.

I took a chance that I could get a decent picture of the two of us and it didn't turn out too bad. We had a great time and really appreciate Nana watching the kids on her last weekend off so that we could have a weekend off. We, especially MA, have been working so much it was super nice to have a vacation, even if it was a short one!!

June Recap

In June camp started in full swing. We were super busy every week with groups moving in and moving out. The ropes course construction was well under way and we finally got to start trying it out! All of the kids went to the dentist this month for their bi annual teeth cleanings, but it was Evelyn's first teeth cleaning. She watched Emeline get her teeth cleaned and did great when it was her turn. 

She sat perfectly still the entire time and got a great report!

This was the face I got when I asked her to show me her clean teeth. Lol. 

CMA fest was also in June and I got to go to two of the nights thanks to my awesome sis Ash who was able to get us seats through her work at the last minute! MA, Ash, and I went on Thursday night where we saw the Zac Brown Band and several others, including Alabama and Brad Paisley. It was a great night! We had general admission tickets and ended up being about 10 rows away from the stage. Great seats!!  On Sunday night Ash got herself, Mom, and me tickets, we were really excited because Taylor Swift was going to be playing and The Band Perry.  Lauren and Nate attended every night, but we snuck them into the club level seats so we could all be together.

We had a blast and the show was fabulous.  We really only brought Nate along so he could take the picture.  CMA fest happened to occur during our first weekend of camp being in session, so MA didn't get to go Sunday. Thankfully, Mimi and Poppy invited the kids to stay with them for a long weekend. It worked out perfectly and the kids had a blast, as always, at Mimi and Poppy's.

Evelyn began potty training in June. This is her showing off her big girl underwear on the first morning of potty training. I used the same method with her I used for the other two and it has worked very well. Our biggest challenge is that she does not talk much so the communication has been an issue, however she has learned to say "potty" which sounds more like "paa" but it works.  She only wears a pull up at night and most mornings she wakes up dry, but it will take several weeks of consistent dryness in the mornings to convince me to stop pull ups at night.  I'm so proud of how well she has done, she very rarely has accidents with #1 and we are getting better with #2 everyday!

The ropes course was completed in June and we put a few groups through at the end of June and we have put a lot of people through in July. I finally got my Mom, Lauren, Ashley, and Nate to come out and try out the zip lines, quantum leap, and the giant swing. I love this shot of Ash on the giant swing, it is such a great motion shot and her look is priceless.

This last shot was taken on our last week of summer camp. As you can see MA has become quite comfortable with zipping. What a great picture. We are really excited about opening Valley View Zips and Adventures to the public in August. Please help us spread the word and like our facebook page. Hope you enjoyed the June recap.

July 4th Celebration

So, I'm just now getting around to blogging about July 4th, better late than never! It rained for a while that morning, but luckily it cleared up for the rest of the day. The kids and I headed over to Nan's around noon for the annual 4th of July celebration. MA came just in time for lunch, he was busy working at camp.

 I managed to get a picture of the kids and me before they got too distracted. It's not great, but I'll take what I can get.

We also managed to snag a picture of all the grand kids. A rarity. At least they are all facing the same direction.

While we were all setting out the food the girls sat down and just started talking. It was so funny. They sat there until it was time to eat. We had a great lunch and got in a lot of good swimming time in, including some pool volley ball.  

The kids went back for round two on the food after they got out of the pool. Notice the watermelon stain on Emeline's shirt. Aunt Lalo also braided the girls' hair.

Emeline's turned out so great. She loved having it braided.

Evelyn's turned out great too. Of course she had to have hers just like Emeline's . I guess Aunt Lalo is going to have to teach me how to braid like this. After Nanny's house we all came back to camp to watch some fireworks. The group here that week has an elder who owns a fireworks stand and they have a really great display and there are no crowds and it's practically in our front yard. Nana, Ash, and Nanny came out too. We had a great day!

Bike Riding Success

Tristan got a bike from Santa Claus this past Christmas, he was less than thrilled. He was not really interested in it and has continued to ride only the tricycle Mimi got him for his second Christmas.  Finally, he showed some interest last week and MA adjusted the seat so he could pedal. He loves it!! All he wants to do is go to the basketball court and ride his bicycle.  Here is a short clip of him riding. Notice how Evelyn is chasing him on foot, she thought it was so fun.

Madison C of C Day Camp

This year Tristan was old enough to go to day camp at our church.  He went for an entire week from 9am until 4pm.  He had a great time. I volunteered to work and I got to be one of his counselors.  Here are some of the moments I was able to capture.

 This was Tristan's first time in a canoe. Originally the three kids went out by themselves, but when they realized none of them knew how to paddle they asked an adult to go with them. Thankfully one of the other counselors volunteered, because I do not do canoes. He had a great time and was actually paddling pretty well by the end. 

 Of course they did arts and crafts. Here they are painting a picture holder. On the last day they sent it home with a picture of each child's cabin. A great memory! Other crafts included bracelets filled with sand, cookie decorating, and stained glass art. 

 They came up with a great idea to utilize the different areas at camp. They were called passport hikes. Each child had a passport and visited a different hike each day. They wrote down things they saw and talked about how God made all the animals, trees, etc. It was really cool and the kids loved getting to hike around different areas. The biggest hit was the barn hike because it included a hay ride! Tristan is working to writing down the things he saw in this picture.

 The girls tagged along with Tristan and I the first two days, but then they went to stay with Nana so that I could be a little more helpful. They actually had a high school volunteer babysitting them the days they were here.  You can tell they are hot and fussy in this pic, but I think it's priceless!

This is Tristan's cabin and one of the girl's cabin on the bar passport hike. Here they are learning about horses.  It was a great week! They also went swimming everyday, had rest time, ate lunch, played games, and played in the creek. They ended the week with water day on Friday. They had a huge inflatable water slide, water balloon battles at game time, and painted each other with pudding. Tristan is looking forward to coming back next year!

Dance Class

We decided to let Emeline take the six week summer session dance class at American Academy of Dance. The summer session is a perfect option because it is only six weeks, one day a week, and is relatively inexpensive.  We thought this would be a great way for her to experience dance class and decide if she wants to make a bigger commitment when fall sign up comes. 

Emeline was very excited! This is just before she went into her class. She really loved getting to wear her ballet outfit!!

She LOVED it and asks every day when she gets to go back. She had a smile on her face the entire time! She did so well, she was such a good listener and did all of the moves. Tonight they learned to do an arabesque, which she can pronounce perfectly but her move needs a little work.  It looks like she will be in dance full time in the fall!

Our Graduate

Tonight Tristan graduated from Preschool!!  The graduation was part of their spring program which Emeline was in as well. Emeline did great during her classes part, she sat still and sang! Tristan had one speaking part, which he did beautifully even though it was only one line, and he also sang well and did everything he was supposed to.  I am so proud of him and how much he has grown up in the last year. They always say where the child will be attending kindergarten and what they want to be when they grow up. Of course Tristan said he wanted to be a race car driver, surprise surprise! I have a great little clip I took on my new point and shoot with the graduates singing to their teacher. I hope I can figure out how to get it on here! We are so proud of Tristan!!  Looking at this picture I know it won't be long before we are taking this same photo at his high school graduation. Time flies!! 

Tristan's First Soccer Practice

 

Tristan was supposed to have his first soccer practice last Thursday, but we have had a lot of rain so it was canceled. Tristan was so disappointed.  Tuesday they were calling for rain beginning at 9pm.  Well, it showed up several hours ahead of schedule just in time for soccer practice.  We never got a call from the coach so Tristan and Dad headed for practice.

Tristan was so excited to finally get to wear all of his new soccer gear.  I think it's cute how his legs are so short that his shin guards come all the way to his shorts. 
The girls and I were supposed to head home, but the interstate was a parking lot so we drove over to the soccer field and watched Tristan practice from the car.  Only Tristan and the coach's son showed up, but Tristan still got to practice which is great because they have a game this Sat. and their Thursday practice will probably get rained out.  Tristan had a blast at practice and is already excited about the next one, they get their uniforms then too!!