What Matters Most To Me

[the tooth fairy has been discovered]

Katie lost her other front tooth the other day. I think she looks so cute....a little second grader with a missing front tooth. She also found out that the wonderful tooth fairy that always forgets to put a dollar under her pillow....well, that tooth fairy doesn't exist. She had lost her tooth right before bedtime, she put it in a ziploc and put it under her pillow. Not surprised she woke up the next morning to find that the tooth fairy had forgotten again! So she put it under her pillow the next night and told me "I sure hope that tooth fiary comes tonight!".

As I crawled in bed that night I realized the tooth fairy hadn't done her job yet. I told Jerome and he went and pulled the tooth that was carefully placed in the ziploc bag by Katie out from underneath her pillow and put two dollars under her pillow.

Katie came running into our room the next morning, woke us up and was telling us how the tooth fairy left her not one dollar but two! Well......then she looked up. Way up on top of our armoire was a little ziploc bag that caught her attention. "Is that my tooth?" she exclaimed in her cute little sassy tone. Good old Dad tried his best to cover it up and tell her that it was just an empty ziploc baggie up there. The next thing we know, Katie is back in our room, this time with the step ladder from the kitchen. We asked her what she was doing. She looked at us very matter of fact like and said, "I am just checking!!!". Uh oh, we knew we were in trouble. Before Jerome could climb out of bed and grab the ziploc baggie she had reached it and took a peek at what it was holding.

"That's MY tooth!", she said then she jumped in bed with us and said, "AwwHaaa!! You all are the tooth fiaries!". Yes my dear, we sadly didn't do a very good job as a tooth fairy.

[first day of school]

We made it through the morning rush, the first of many I am sure, to get everyone dressed, fed and out the door to school. Natalie and Katie both love Taylor Swift, they wanted "Taylor Swift hair" for the first day of school. Well, Natalie told me she wanted a little bit like Taylor Swift and a little bit like Selena Gomez. Last night after practice finally let out (I won't even go there), we made it home and through the typical "Hurry up and get in the showers, you've got to get in bed!!" routine. The girls wanted to ride the school bus this morning, but I let them sleep in a bit and had decided to take them to school, especially after the night I had with Natalie. Let's just say, I won't be surprised one bit if she falls asleep in class today!!

 

I love the look on Natalie's face here......she is such a big sister to Katie, even if there is just the tiniest amount of age between them.

This one makes me realize just how quickly they are growing up. Natalie said, "Bye Mommy!" as she waved to me but looking at this picture for some reason I can see her waving to me leaving home and going to college someday. I know that that day will be here before we even know it, and I think this picture made me realize that. 

 

 

 

 

Just to make it clear, I do have a son. You wouldn't know it because his pictures never seems to be on here. I would love to have a first day of school picture to post with the girls, but he catches the bus at a ridiculous time in the early morning. I do have one picture, but it was so dark outside and the bus was coming (no time to grab the dreaded flash) we were rushing getting this shot. Since he has started middle school we get his "first day of school" pictures when he gets off the bus.

 

You can see just how dark and foggy it is when he catches the bus, the only light we had was the front porch light. We actually had enough time this morning to sit down and have breakfast together (I had been up since 4am thanks to Natalie).  I made the famous chocolate waffles with whipped cream. It is a crazy little tradition I unknowingly started when he started kindergarten.  I never buy chocolate waffles but every year, their breakfast for the first day of school is chocolate waffles with whipped cream. I was leaving to go to the grocery store the other day and Spencer said, "Mom, don't forget about the chocolate waffles tradition!" I laughed and scribbled them down on my grocery list. 

It was really nice getting to sit down and have breakfast with him this morning. We are always so rushed in the mornings, especially with him because of the time he catches the bus. We talked about his day he was going to have, what teachers he hoped to get, I reminded him that he had to bring home is agenda EVERY single day of school and of course asked me if I was serious about him getting grounded this year if he brings home a C. Absolutely, I am as serious as can be. We let him breeze through 6th grade last year, we looked at it as an adjustment period. But his grades, I know that he is a smart boy and that he can make excellent grades if he applies himself. So we laid down the law about school this year, he understands and will hopefully do much better this year.

I just can't get over how much older he looks this year compared to last year. This is from the first day of school last year.....

 

[julie and julia]

After spending the morning cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom the other day, I decided to take the kids to a movie and to lunch. I have been wanting to see the movie Julie and Julia. So we all got dressed to go and loaded up into the van. A little conversation took place in the van, and well lets just say the kids don't like my cooking I guess.....

Spencer asking me - "So what's this movie about anyway?"

I went to tell him what the movie was about and before I could get a word out, Natalie in the seat behind me says -

Natalie - "It's a movie about two women that can't cook....LIKE MOMMY!

Cute Natalie....cute.

At the Pool

I was so excited when a friend of mine on Facebook told me that Kate looks like me here. I never hear that, I always hear "they look just like Jerome". I've always secretly, well not really secretly, always wanted at least one of my kids to look a little bit like me....even just a teeny tiny bit would be nice.

We went to the pool the other day to swim. I love having the YMCA membership and spending our Summer days at the pool. Plus, it gives me a little bit to bribe the kids with.....the rule is......we don't go to the pool until your room is clean and your chores are finished. But the other day, the rule went out the window. I just wanted to enjoy a Summer day with the kids. Trust me, their rooms ARE NOT CLEAN. I have been trying to get ready for a yard sale we are having here this weekend and I have been cleaning and de-cluttering every single inch of this house.

I look at this and feel old....they are getting so tall and so grown up....

Poor girls....lol....I know they have to be getting tired of the "dress alike clothes".

They basically LIVE at the diving board while we are there. They absolutely love jumping off the diving board. This year, the pool has new rules and the kids had to take a swim test. They have to wear a green bracelet everyday so the life guards will know they are more than capable of swimming in the deep end of the pool.

 

Love the crazy goggles Natalie wears. I found them two years ago at Target, I wish I would have bought two pairs. They work so well, unlike many of the other pairs I have bought for the kids in the past.

They were watching the big kids jump off the diving board and just talking to each other while sitting on the edge of the pool here. I just love this picture of the two of them.

And....I wish I had a lot of pictures of Spencer to post, which I do but I don't think you would like to see him sticking his tongue out at me with a mouth full of food......gross! So here are the ones I do have that won't gross you out....

Spencer and his friends trying to dunk each other under water in the pool....

And here is Kate and Kate. Someday my Kate will make such a good little mommy. She adores babies and loves to hold them and play with them.

My friend Kelly's little girl, Kate.....

Thank you to everyone for the emails and phone calls asking for "the password", lol. I didn't realize there were so many wonderful people out there reading this blog everyday. You are all so wonderful. I don't want to stop sharing this blog with friends and family, it has always been a way for me to keep a record of our everyday life (when I post often enough, lol) and I also use it in our yearly family book. It is amazing the little things that simply slip away until going back and reading them. I love being able to record my family's life here and post here. I will keep a close eye on the numbers and try to protect this blog as much as I can, which means large logos and copyright strips across each picture to help protect it. Until then, if you are a regular follower of this blog, please leave a comment a little bit about who you are....it would be nice to know the people in all the stats numbers. I may in the future put it back to password protected, but for now I have decided not to.

~Amber Hope

My Girl | Ten On Tuesday

                           

Ten on Tuesday

1. I am absolutely loving the weather outside today. I am really hoping that it decides to stay. I have a session tomorrow and I am so glad that it is going to be in the 70's. We will be shooting at an old farmhouse, it belongs to the family of a friend of mine. It's been a while since I've taken any pictures of the kids. I decided to pull my camera out today and get some of the kids. Natalie of course was the only volunteer. Kate despises the camera and Spencer was sick. I love her smile in these, I really love getting a good shot of her freckles.

2. We have been scavenging the house looking for items for a robot that Kate has to make by Friday. I figure a couple of boxes, straws, paper towel cardboard rolls and some aluminum foil and we are good to go.

3. I am starting dinner earlier today, hahaha. If you wonder what I mean, read the post below this one. Yesterday was just one of those days.

4. I have vowed I will never, ever leave the kitchen while dinner is on the stove. My hubby got a big laugh when he came home last night after work to find the dog food bowl FULL of the spaghetti I gave her. I burned it so bad I guess, that our dog Molly wouldn't even touch it. Smart dog.

5. Spencer missed his first track meet today. He is home sick with strep throat. I guess it was his turn....we've all had it except him, and well of course Jerome. He never seems to get sick.

6. I did really well at the consignment sale. I put the kids last years spring and summer clothes in. I stopped by today to pick up whatever didn't sale and my check, I was happy to see that I sold everything (well, almost everything...the Pottery Barn Kids shower curtain didn't sale). I know what I will be doing with their fall and winter clothes now. They will be having another Precious Angels sale in the fall, I will definitely be consigning in the fall.

7. Natalie has been asking to get her hair cut again. I REALLY don't want to. I gave in to both of the girls last time they begged and begged to get their hair cut and I regretted it. Natalie wants to get her hair cut just like her friend Emily.

8. I am hoping to get the strawberry garden planted this weekend. It is going to be separate from our regular garden. I want to have a raised bed and have all the strawberries planted there. The only thing I have to worry about is our neighbors dog. He is over here all the time and I swear I have never seen a dog marking his territory more than that dog. I think if I raise the bed high enough....I won't have anything to worry about.

9. Did I mention that I don't have a green thumb? I have been reading on how to make a garden but unfortunately I am cursed with the lack of a green thumb. The herbs I had in the kitchen....they died. Although I think it was my hubby that killed them. When I pulled one of them out of the pot there had to have been at least five inches of water int he bottom. I kept telling him to quit watering them so much, but he swears I was killing them so he kept watering and watering and watering. I was really looking forward to having the fresh herbs in the kitchen. I do wish I was blessed with a green thumb.

10. We took the kids swimming this past Sunday. They love to swim at the indoor pool at the YMCA. They have two large slides in the deep end of the pool and the kids spend most of their time there. I am so glad I made them take swim lessons last summer. It is so nice to be able to swim with them and not have to stay in the shallow part of the pool. Jerome was trying to teach them how to dive. Natalie was doing pretty good after a while but Spencer, well......he needs to work on it still.

The "Ten On Tuesday" idea is one I found from a few fellow photographers. I figured that way I will be sure to at least post once a week. I also love the Flashback Friday idea, but we'll see. I haven't been that consistent about posting lately.

Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully with this weather, I will be posting a lot more. I am just not a winter person.

~Amber Hope