The Kid's Table

We celebrated Thanksgiving early with all of the Joneses - both parents, 4 kids, 4 spouses, and 5 kiddos. Chase rocked it out in the high chair and Lilly slept in Grandma's arms while the 3 oldest kids shared a table in the playroom. The playroom is right next to our dining room and the adults could see all of the kids and make sure nothing bad was happening. Everyone commented on how well the kids were doing and that this set up really worked and we should do it again next year. It was pure bliss...

 

...for about six minutes. Then they were done eating and ready to play and wreak a general havoc on the playroom. They were still within sight so we all just kept eating. The food was delicious - everyone brought a few dishes and we had way more leftovers than what should be allowed! A homemade apple pie topped my favorite list along with corn casserole and a rockin green bean casserole.

We Had a Hoot!

We had Katie's 2nd birthday party surrounded by friends and family a week after she officially turned 2. It was a better football weekend and travel weekend so it just worked out! The theme was OWLS (which are apparently all the rage these days)! I got some fun invitations and accessories from Vistaprint and some more owl things from World Market back in September. I used my ubiquitous drink bucket adorned with owl ribbon along with some owl clothespins to hang her "year in pictures." Publix did the cake, extremely last minute, for me without issue. I made some finger foods and it all turned out nicely!

Here's the birthday girl waiting on her guests to arrive! She stayed at the window for so long calling out people's names that she thought should be there.

My friend Elizabeth made the owl shirt for her. She made it without seeing any of the party decorations colors or styles and it matched perfectly! (Unfortunately, now the shirt is light orange - anyone know any tips for dyeing your clothes back to their natural white???)

She enjoyed her fair share of all the food - mainly grabbing it from Bama's plate. (Katie has started calling her grandmothers - Bama - pronounced - Beh-maw.)

She actually helped open her gifts this year, but still showed more interest in the tissue paper than her actual presents. And if she was excited about a present - it made her mad that we wouldn't stop to open it that very moment. I stashed most of the presents in the closet so I can have some things to bring out during the year.

The biggest hit at the party was her new cozy coupe from Bama Jones. All the kids got to take turns riding in it. Katie has loved riding in it in the evenings and doesn't care that it's 40 degrees out. She still wants to RIDE!

Happy Birthday Katie! We had so much fun celebrating with you!

Turning 2, Part 1

On Sunday, November 14, Katie turned two years old! Her party wasn't until the next weekend, so we had lots of fun still trying to make the day super special for her. We woke up to get ready for church and made her usual breakfast of oatmeal, but she got to eat in her special birthday bowl! Here she is trying to show us 2 fingers for how old she is!

 

When we got to church, her Sunday school teachers, Greg and Caroline, had made a birthday banner that seriously made me cry. I never knew Crayola and streamers would have that effect on me! A friend of mine told me they heard them singing Happy Birthday to her later that morning so it made me feel so good that even when we weren't there - people were loving on our little girl!

 

After church we headed over to Monkey Joe's to bounce around! She was super timid at first and we spent almost an hour trying to get her to go on some slides and bounce a little. Each of us (me, Doug, my mom, and my dad) took turns trying to convince her that everything was safe. But she was mainly concerned with how loud the place was.

 

I was just about ready to pack her up because I felt awful for her - but then she climbed into one of the bounce houses and there was no turning back. She started hopping and laughing and falling and sliding and we eventually had to coax her into leaving!

 

Before heading to our next stop, we let her open some presents in the back of my parent's car. She ripped into the presents like it was something she did everyday! She knew exactly how to tear the paper and get to the goods! She got a Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and has had a blast putting rearranging their faces.

From Lexington, we headed out to Camden and Katie took her "nap" for the day in the car. The Jones Farm in Camden is one of Katie's favorite places: horses, chickens, dogs, a cat, swivel stools and on this day - SPARKLERS and CUPCAKES. After a great time with cousins and aunts and uncles and gradmas and grandpas and friends, we finally headed home to wrap up the day and put our brand new (worn out) 2 year old to bed.

Grandma Jones had one last surprise for Katie and brought a few presents over when we got home. Katie got some leopard print shoes that totally rock, especially because I have some that match them!

And lastly - some adorable ballerina ruffle bottom pajamas. She's working hard at putting on her own clothes these days, but somehow both legs always end up in the same leg hole!

Katie's birthday diet consisted of more sweets that I can admit in public. She had about 45 minutes of sleep during the day and was just plain exhausted by the end of the night. We put her to bed feeling totally satisfied that she knew she was loved in so many ways by so many people!

One and Done!

Dear Katie,

I am several days late on posting about you turning 2, but rest assured I have good reason. We spent your whole birthday playing together as a family (next post) and had an absolute blast soaking you up! Then, on your first full day of being 2, you were sicker than you've ever been. You threw up for the first time and ran a high fever all day long. I couldn't wait to get home and just snuggle with you (even though you wanted to be left alone). On Tuesday, I was plumb exhausted from the fun on Sunday and work on Monday so I just rested. Now, it's Wednesday and I've had a lot of time to think about what to write to you for your two year birthday but words still seem to fail to convey how I feel about this milestone.

I find it hard to believe 2 years has gone by since you were born, let alone even one year since you turned one. But "they" are right and time really does fly by. At the same time that time has whizzed by us, I can't remember life before you and I don't want to. You make me look at life differently now that I am your mom. I want the world to be a better place for you and because of you.

There's so much that I wanted to do with you this year that just never happened. It's a good thing we have the rest of our lives to do them though! But if you're old enough to read this and we haven't gone to a "make your own pottery" place or fingerpainted together or wore raincoats and boots to run through the sprinkler, then let's stop what we're doing and do whichever thing you want!

I think back to all the firsts that happened this year - especially after thinking that all the big "firsts" were over after you turned one. You had your first major boo-boo and your chin still bears the scar of that fall on the living room floor. You had your first taste of soda, chocolate, and bacon and chocolate is the only one you wanted more of!

Your personality seems to blossom everyday. Your expressions are priceless and your eyes could write their own language! Your timidity about many things is so precious to me because it's those timid moments when you lose your independent will and seek help from daddy and me.

You know exactly how to get your way and dad and I are learning that you know that! What mother turns down a child who wants to "read" - even if we've read 15 books before bed and it's 30 minutes past bedtime. What mother turns down a child who wants "fruit" even when it's her 4th snack right before dinner.

I think about you all the time and try to picture what you're doing when I'm not with you. I love coming home and seeing your eyes light up that first moment when you see me (it quickly fades to a question of when daddy will be home). I love to watch you color and wonder what's going through your head at the moment while your tongue is partially stuck out and your eyes are incredibly focused.

I think about when you'll say your first sentence. I think about what you'll want to be when you grow up. I think about what things will inspire you and what things will challenge you. I think about what the Lord will call you to do as you grow into your own and how you will respond. I think about what you'll look like on your real first day of school and try not to think about your last day of school, because as I've seen these last 2 years, time really does fly. And I could spend all my days thinking about your future and being consumed by it, but I know I must live in the moment of now. Live in the moment of being a mom to a precious 2 year old who surprises me every single day. Surprises me by filling me a love that I never knew was possible. It's crazy momma love - love that will never fail or cease no matter what.

So for now, as the list of things I have to do seems to grow with each passing day, be confident that being the best mom I can be will remain at the top of that list always!

I love you Katie bug! -Mommy

Chili Anyone?

Our Sunday school class has had a chili cookoff two years in a row now. Couples sign up to bring their own special recipe chili and we become gluttons who taste test all that everyone has to offer. There were 5 chilis and they were all fantastic. An array of meats, spices, bases, veggies, toppings - I was in heaven!

 

This year, the cookoff was the day before Halloween so all the kids (and one or two adults) got to dress up. Katie had donned Elmo twice already so we went with a makeshift ballerina outfit made from her 1st birthday tutu. She was much more comfortable and enjoyed the occasional twirl!

 

The cookoff is held in a backyard cookout wonderland also known as The Beam's Backyard. A treehouse and a fire pit are just the beginning of the setting. The fire pit has become the staple to the chili cookoff as we wind down after chili while making s'mores. Katie and I made a killer one that had the perfect amount of charred marshmellow mixed with metled chocolate on our graham cracker!

 

*Note - my chili won the SPICIEST, which is a nice honor - but it wasn't all that spicy. I think most of us knew there were kids around and kept our chili PG. I hear it's getting kicked up a notch by some of the menfolk for next year!

Ten Tryouts on Tuesday

There are so many things I would have liked to have done in life - but way too many of them required that I "tryout" first. Sometimes I just didn't have the patience to go through that. Sometimes I had the smarts to know there was no way I'd make it. And sometimes, I just jumped in with both feet and tried out! Here's a list of 10 things I tried out for in life - not all with good results!

1. Cheerleading - I had to try out every year in middle school and high school that I wanted to cheer. It wasn't one of these things where you automatically made the team again either. Each year, I went to a week of tryout practices that resulted in bruises, sore muscles, and an upset stomach the night before the actual tryouts.

2. I tried out for a production of Cheaper By the Dozen at Town Theater. I had to do a reading on stage in front of lots of people. I thought for sure I would get a part because there only seemed to be 10 kids auditioning and, as the title suggests, there needed to be 12! But - I didn't get any part and never tried out for community theater again.

3. Classic Soccer - I think it's called club soccer now or traveling team - but it was sort of elite. I had played rec soccer for most of my life and the year before, my brother had made it onto a classic team so I decided to try too. I did make the team - it was a U-12 (age) team. I only played for one season but really enjoyed it.

4. Church Youth Group Solo - My frenemy, Lauren Brown Armstrong, and I both wanted to audition for a solo in the youth group choir. At this time, we were known enemies and had to sing in front of the choir director and each other. It was awful and nerve racking to sing in front of her. I knew my voice was shaking the entire time. Apparently she was just as nervous because the choir director ultimately decided to let the entire choir sing the solo portion instead of giving it to either of us.

5. SNA - Sunday Night Alive is a comedy show at USC that is performed every Sunday night and is formatted like Saturday Night Live. My brother was on the cast his freshman year at Carolina and I wanted to try out when I transferred there. Man, to try and be funny in an improv manner with a room full of comedians is pure torture! I never felt more lame and not funny in my whole life. But I did make the cast, I'm sure I just got grandfathered in because of who my brother was but I loved doing the show! I'm still waiting, however, on my call to host the show.

6. Fear Factor - the early version! Before Fear Factor turned into how gross of something can we put in front of you and you will eat it for money - it was about daring, scary, adventure type things. So I printed and mailed in an application in 2001. I got a letter from them saying they received it, but never heard anything else.

7. Varsity Soccer - I was on JV my freshman and sophomore year in high school but was pulled up to varsity for certain games and got enough playing time to earn a letter in the sport. But when I was a junior, I only had one option: play varsity or play nothing (because of my age). But I was up against really good freshmen and sophomores who could very easily earn starting spots because they were so good. I was beyond nervous, but ended up making the team.

8. Church Basketball - I'm not sure that there were really tryouts - but we were carefully watched during practices to see what position we'd play. I never was really assigned a position (I'm not sure I could even list basketball positions anyway) but I did get to play occasionally. Enough to score 2 points in the 2 seasons that I played!

9. Miss RNE - Didn't necessarily tryout, per se, but had to apply and be accepted to participate in our high school beauty pageant. And as seniors, we had to have a talent - mine was a monologue, which was pitiful compared to some of the dancing, singing, and instrument playing that was displayed. I won Miss Congeniality which, according to a student I taught many years later, meant I was nice and not pretty. He didn't get a Miss Congeniality response to that, I promise!

10. 8th Grade Chorus - I auditioned for 8th grade chorus at my middle school. (Probably around the same time as #4.) I didn't make it at all. Some part of me thinks that if I had made it, I would've had a better chance at getting to guest star on Glee!

The Freaks Come Out at Night

Boo at the Zoo was the first of FIVE Halloween event we attended this year. Not all are blog worthy, but this one definitely is. We didn't get a chance to go last year to Boo at the Zoo so this was a first for us. Katie donned her Elmo costume (pronounced Melmo) and, after dinner in the Vista, we headed to the Zoo!

Upon entering the zoo, there was some awesome music playing and what appeared to be a dance floor! The adults (mainly me) enjoyed shaking our groove thing while the kids played around. But, as you can see, I'm not the only one who enjoyed the music. There was music playing all over the zoo that night and I couldn't stop my toes from tapping and my lips from singing! I had a blast although I am sure I embarrassed those I was with!

Next it was off to the creepy crawler exhibit where we saw a hedgehog, a cockroach, and a snake (all living)!

This tarantula skin was also in the creepy crawler room. I learned that tarantulas shed their legs when they die and reminded myself how much I hate spiders.

Then we made our first stop at a Trick or Treat booth where the kids got their first treat! Caleb got a sucker which occupied him for a good half an hour!

Katie got a Reese's Cup which took her about 10 seconds to scarf down. It was her first ever Halloween treat so I let her have at it! She didn't really understand the concept of saving the candy, but had the mentality to try to eat it as fast as she received it. (Kind of like my Japanese restaurant strategy) So I ended up having to sneak up to the trick or treat booths and get candy for her but I felt like the people thought I was too old to be trick or treating!

We found a perfect photo opp spot for the kids, but Maddie was the only one who cooperated. I'm pretty sure Caleb and Katie were fighting over who got the pull the wagon at this point in the evening.

So, this is our best shot of all three kids. Caleb was a tiger, Maddie was Tinkerbell, and our little Elmo! We told them to chase each other and I snapped my camera over and over trying to get all of their faces in the same direction. I think I took 30 shots and this was the best!

The kids were tuckered out by the end of the night. It was definitely in the 80s and super muggy so Katie was drenched in sweat but she didn't seem to mind keeping Elmo on the whole time! She sort of had celebrity status that evening. One little boy was so excited to see ELMO in person that he ran up to Katie yelling, "Elmo! Elmo!" and gave her a big hug!