Typical Tuesday

I am pretty much running out the door left and right.  I am never, ever home.  And when I am have oh... a million things to do.  I need to get through this week and then I am declaring summer insanity over.  We need a break.  (Okay, I need a break.  Same thing.)  What else is going on around here?

Molly is dancing. 

She also discovered pot holder looms.

 

And will not let Charlotte play with them.

I built what sadly may be the only tent we see this summer.  At least Charlotte is enjoying it.  Although it appears a plush tree fog is attempting to break in. (See arm down backside of tent)

Teague figured out the most lazy way to ride a bike I ever saw.  

(Note: Charlotte is pulling him here.)

Charlotte is on an elephant KICK.  She wants to get to that zoo RIGHT NOW.  

Playing Catch Up

The irony in the fact that I took over 2000 frames this weekend and have no pictures of my kids for today's blog is not lost on me.

To be frank, I am tired.  My house is a mess.  I can't seem to recover my sleep, and speaking of sleep -- the Olympics are kicking my butt.  The good stuff is not on until 10pm.

The kids are in rare form.

Something good for today's blog.....  Charlotte is gonna be a flower girl. :)  How sweet is that?

Sunday Catch up

We went bowling a week ago.  I haven't had any time to share so here we have "the late Sunday catch up game"

Wordless Weekend Post (The Playing In The Rain Edition.)

Hurting Head. (The FNL edition.)

*I 've had a headache since I woke up today.  It's making me cranky.  Too cranky to put up the leftovers picture.

* I am excited for the Olympics to start tonight, it's been a hell of a week but I feel like putting on my pjs already.

* Luke has been awesome today with the kids helping me.

* Charlotte is a snuggle bear trying to make my  head feel better.  But it's driving me nuts.

* J has been at work for 13 hours now and has no idea when he will be home.

* Molly destroyed yet another pair of ballet shoes this week.

* I gained two pounds this week.  BLAH

* I did too much this week, next week will be better. (This week was good except today.)

* The girls are officially enrolled in dance and gymnastics all over town.  (or so it feels.)

* The boys registering is up next and then to enjoy the last month of summer -- how is it almost August?!

Confession Time.

* I drank a soda this week.  IT was GREAT.  (and it cured my headache.)

* I bought Charlotte the cutest, teeny tiny gymnastics leotard ever.  SERIOUSLY cute.

* I got to type the words "Happy Birthday from your favorite Baby Daddy." today.

* I text the fabulous Kim so much that tonight I heard this conversation on the porch:

Neighbor kid : "Who are you texting Miss Amanda?"

Molly: "Is it Mrs FabulousKimsLastname?"

Samuel "Yes its FabulousKimsLastname.  It's ALWAYS FabulousKimsLastname.  OMG they are ALWAYS talking."

Neighbor kid: "Wow."

Molly "Yeah, they are like BFFLs"

* Further confession, I then had to text the Fabulous Kim to ask what BFFL meant.  She had a witty answer.  This is why I text apparently ALL the time.

* I have been so busy this week I still have stuff on WEDNESDAYS to do list to get to Friday.

What They Said Wednesday (The Friends can Be Fun edition!)

Charlotte: a la la l a la la la !!!   Ta dah, 'rincess love "sorey"

(That' two year old speak for Taylor Swift lyrics, and yes they are dancing on the table.)

Charlotte: You hava to be be real quiet Abbi so we can be sneaky painting our shirts off.

A:(C's friend) : like Swiper

Charlotte: Mama~!  You made me a HOT MESS!

A: It's a frog. 

Charlotte: Its a frog red.

Me: It's a crab.  Like Sebastian.

A: A Crabby?

Charlotte: Oh.  Where Ariel? 

Yeah this one speaks for itself. LOL

Luke: Mom!  The tiny tyrants have cereal!

Charlotte: No  Abbi, you hava to help clean up the hot mess.

Me: Charlotte!  You're doing it!  You can pedal!

Charlotte: Mama this grass got in my way! He mean!

Teague: (repeatedly for at least an hour as he barreled back and forth down the sidewalk.) 

 Look out below!

Samuel: Thank you Grandma Coreen!~

A Super Human Feat.

Our summer bucket (list) is looking somewhat bare.  We have managed to work off 25 of 43 pins.

I really hope to finish, but one is gonna be a REALLY tall order.  We'll see.   As for me and my anxiety, I have worked to lower expectations.  We're focusing on getting by this year.  In January maybe I will set loftier goals.  The goal for now, is to GET BY.  To do the things we have to do, the things we want to do for family stuff, and just make it through.  If we are doing that in THIS moment I am not gonna worry about the rest just yet. I am not even gonna worry about next week.  One week, one pay period at a time.  Its dangerous to live in the moment like that, I know the thud that comes when it stops.  But I don't have any other choice at the moment.  I will beat down this anxiety.  I have to.

She sells seashells, by the seashore...

Okay so maybe I don't.  But I hunt seashells with little people.  

I breathe the beach air.  I sit and feel the beach breeze, I throw kids out in the bay, I jump waves with ecstatic eight year olds, I build sand castles, I bury people. 

  Sometimes I just sit -- with that beautiful beach breeze in my hair and close my eyes and hear the whooping of laughing children, and the hypnotic crash of the waves. 

 Make no doubt about it, my first love was the beach.

I am blessed with five children, who all seem to have the beach blood run through them.   Beach bums, each and every one of them.  I am not the only one who relaxes at waterside.  The dramatic dip in fighting, whining, and crying is remarkable.  Not one among them mind the sand, the chill of the water, or the sea gulls.  (Well they like to chase the sea gulls, but you know...)  

Jason is the lone dissenter.  But you know, he's outnumbered, and he's coming around. 

The only thing that comes close to being as amazing as the beach is pictures at the beach.  And you know what?  I took formal pictures this time.  Clothes on, coordinated hair brushed pictures.  Then we let everyone run amock for awhile in their fancy beach clothes before throwing on our suits and settling in for the day.  And I did something I NEVER do.  I put the camera away.  I locked it up in the van.  And sure, there were moments when I thought "oh I want to take a picture of this" but I didn't.  I just lived in the moment for what it was. 

 They'll be other beach days when I take all kinds of pictures of sandcastles, and buried beach babes, and waves.  Today I finished the formal stuff and just relaxed.  I grabbed the camera later, when we had changed our clothes and decided to walk out on the pier to the lighthouse.  But by then everyone was sandy, wind blown, lake hair mess.   I didn't worry about how they would turn out.  

And when I came home to edit I realized that my favorite shot of the day was one (and so often is) that was totally unplanned.  We were just about to head up to the bathhouse and change into our suits and I snagged one last shot of the "original duo"  (as they have taken to calling themselves). 

  I have hundreds, maybe thousands of pictures, of the two of them, back in a time when it was just the two of them.  But other babies have come along, and shifted the focus just a little, and age has led them to have other friends, and totally different interests.  But I hope they never forget that they were eachother's FIRST friend.

THIS is what it's all about.

The rest doesn't really matter in the end. 

The stress, the anxiety. None of it means anything at the beach.