Makes Me Swoon

                                                          There is nothing in the world
                                                             that these two like more

                                                             
                                                                than riding their bikes.

                                                      
                                                         Okay well unless it's swinging

                                                 
                                                       but since those pictures aren't up

                                        
                                               since my computer is wiped completely clean

                                     
                                       and I haven't gotten around to getting things organized

                                           
                                                  these are the ones we're focusing on today.

                                                            
                                                              Aren't they precious?
                                                      Makes my heart go pitter patter!

It's been a bad morning. Neither Caleb nor Allie wanted to go to school and Caleb cried a couple of times. Allie - though oh my word. She broke my heart this morning. I'm not sure what to do right now and I'm very conflicted - I'm praying she adjusts well and enjoys it but right now my heart is in a million pieces.

Mouse Factor

Brace yourselves!!! It's a post with actual pictures although it may be some of which you'd rather not see :)

Let me start by saying I hate mice! I hate them - I'm terrified of them - It's bad! We've had a horrible mouse problem this summer at our house - unlike any other year or any other century probably! We set traps and then someone else has to get rid of them once they are in the traps - I can't do it. Seriously I can't do it! We caught one not long ago and noone checked it in the morning until I walked upon it when I went to do laundry. I almost had a heartattack - I'm kidding you not! I called David who couldn't get home right then and wasn't going to be able to for a couple more hours - I called my Dad's house and he was on his way to Atlanta - it was not looking good. I was shaking and clammy and could not make my body walk into the laundry room and get him. I finally talked Lucas into getting him out for me - thank goodness!!!! and I could breathe!

However they wouldn't stop - we have multiple ones I think. We fixed the dryer vent that we originally thought was the problem and they still got in. I cleaned out the bottom of the pantry because that's where I store boxes of things I get from Sam's or wherever else and made sure there was nothing there they could get into. I started putting up dog food at night because they were getting that and taking it piece by piece under the stove or the sink - it was bad! YUCK!

Finally one day I heard something scratching behind the wall/vanity in my bathroom. It freaked me out at first because I thought it was going to come out of the vanity at me - really people I know it sounds like it but we don't live in the country!!!! It stopped and then I heard it the very next morning too. After that I didn't hear it anymore - well that was until I smelled something a couple of days later. I told my husband and mom that I smelled something but noone believed me for a couple of days. Of course they didn't have to be here during the day when it was 90 degrees and smelling it too. That was unlike anything I can describe! Finally someone smelled it and the search was on! The first night we put 3 holes in the bathroom wall where we smelled it - yes you heard me right holes in the wall. Nothing! So my husband went to work the next day and got a camera that they use to look inside ductwork and brought it home. Put another hole in the wall of our closet and what do we see? A wee little dead mouse staring at me! UGH!!!!! Really - they are out to get me - who else gets dead mice in their walls and their bedroom for that!

It's hard to see in this picture but it's in the upper right hand corner and it gives me chills just looking at it!

That was bad enough until about a week later I smelled the same smell in the kitchen - yep as I dreaded it and somehow lived through it for two days we looked for it! I knew exactly where this one was and one hole and it was out. It's horrid! I'm done with mice - DONE!

Starting Over

I feel like I can't grab hold of my life right now and it's so frustrating! As I was finally getting in the schedule of Lucas and Jacob back in school Caleb and Allie were scheduled to start. They are in preschool for two days a week three hours per day and that's been a major adjustment. You'd think with the two of them gone that I would have tons and tons of time to get things done and I'd be as relaxed as I could possibly be. It's the total opposite though - I'm crazy when they're gone. I'm either at school busy there from the moment I drop them off until the time to pick them up or I'm running around somewhere else. I find that I'm further behind than ever!!! At least when they were home I could get stuff done around the house and accomplish things on my to do list - when I'm gone I don't accomplish a single thing. This week has been difficult - I've felt lost in the shuffle.

I feel like I can't keep up with the four of them right now. With the younger two at preschool and the new worries that come with that I am constatly talking to a teacher or worried about something with someone. I have no idea how this is going to work - I think I might have been a little too confidant in my ability to handle four of them in school and involved in activities. Allie and Caleb are adjusting to school or at least I hope they are. I'll have to post more about that in a day or so with pictures - believe it or not I actually do still have pictures and tons and tons to blog about. I have just been completely out of it-forgive me please.

On top of that my computer has been messed up since I got it at Christmas time. The Geek Squad at Best Buy told us to delete something on it the day we opened it up out of the box that totally screwed me over. I couldn't watch videos or listen to music for the last 8 months. Wednesday I had to restore my computer to factory settings and therefore had to get rid of everything. In doing that I can listen to music and watch videos now but it's been a huge process. Thankfully I have my external hard drive so all of my pictures are on there along with the majority of my documents. I forgot to save my email contacts though so I lost all of those. If I had your email then I've lost it so if you haven't sent it to me yet please email it to me. :) Right now my computer is like it was the day I took it out of the box - not a single thing on it. I figure if I'm having to put everything back on I might as well start out organized so at some point I'll figure out a system for how I want things and I'll get them all back on - the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of pictures. Makes me tired just thinking about it!

Totally Out Of It

I've been in a major rut this week! Lucas and Jacob started school on Monday and I was majorly down for the first part of the week and for the remainder - well I've just felt blah. No motivation to do anything at all and what I have accomplished I have had to make myself do it.

I've had not a single desire to get out of the bed each day - and when I convince myself that I absolutely have to get up each morning the "dumps" start. It's been a major adjustment to the kids starting school this year - I don't know why. We got in our own "schedule" if you will and we all operated pretty well together on it. I had no desire at all for summer to end. I miss the ability to spend the time with them all day and do things together - I miss being able to keep them up late and then them sleep half the morning away. I miss having all the noise around my house day in and day out. Crazy I know!

Caleb and Allie start at a local preschool next week for two days a week 3 hrs each time. I plan to use that time working at the school - I think they need that time to socialize with other kids and to eventually prepare for kindergarten but I can't come home and sit on my rump while they are there - I'd go insane! That's another panic induced situation for me - leaving them. I pray they do well!

So with this week - I'm way behind on everything. I convinced myself to clean the bathrooms this afternoon and I've semi kept up on my laundry but other than that it's all waiting on me. Allie having a cold and coughing all night long last night didn't help my Friday today either. I have tons to blog on and lots of pictures to share from our beach trip and school starting so hopefully I'll be back in the groove in the coming days. Hopefully!

Wordless Wednesday

It's That Time Again

                                                   Both boys at Meet The Teacher night.

Yesterday as the first day of school for Lucas and Jacob - it was a horrible day or at least it started out that way. They were both excited to go to school - Lucas walked to his classroom by himself and was fine. I walked in with Jacob and got all of his stuff put away and ready and as I was getting ready to leave I could tell he was getting nervous. He tried to cover it up but I could still see through. I asked him if he was okay as I left and he said yes but as he spoke I could hear him choking up and it tore into my soul. My heart broke and I wanted to pack his things up and take him back home with me. Instead I picked my heart up off the floor and stumbled out the door.

Then when I got home everything was blah - nothing seemed to go right and all I could think about was the fact that time flies by all too quickly. I was holding together somewhat until I talked to David on the phone and then I lost it. I started worrying about everything and stressing over Caleb and Allie. You see I have enrolled them both in a two day a week program for 3 hours in the morning at a local church preschool in town. One of the biggest reasons I have done it is for the socialization that I feel they both need and also so I can be at the school and not have to call on my mom to come watch them all the time. Caleb is ready - he's excited to go and everytime we drive past he tells everyone in the car that is his school! Allie on the other hand - it gives me panic attacks to think about her. I am going back and forth about her - I'm not sure she's ready. She's such a baby - I know she's 2 but still - I am home and it's my job to care for her. Maybe I should wait another year on her. I don't know what to do - I am not sure I can handle leaving her somewhere crying like that though - I'm not sure I have that in me.

So all that came out yesterday along with the fact of the older boys heading to school and it made for a splendid day!

I was so happy to see the bus pull up yesterday afternoon - which with all the hassle has ended them back in the car line again starting today - I could have cried when I laid eyes on them. The younger ones were so happy to see them too - they missed them so much while they were at school. With all my worry Jacob got off the bus and said 1st grade was the coolest ever! I asked him why he thought so and he said " We get to keep our water bottles on our desks ALL day long and we get to drink them WHENEVER we want to!!!" It just doesn't get any cooler than that!

Up and Running Again - Almost

These pictures have absolutely nothing to do with this post other than the fact that they were taken in the summer :)

I feel like I have been constantly running this week. Yesterday I had to help out at school making copies for teachers - all 7500 copies that were made and my back felt broke by the end of it! By the time I got home I didn't get everything done I'd have liked to - you see we've had mouse issues in our house for a while now (more on that soon) so my time has been consumed by covering up sneaky little smells or trying to at least. Pain in the butt!!!

One of my most favorite pictures EVER!!!

So today I'm at the finish line - well almost. We leave for the beach for our whirlwind weekend first thing tomorrow morning. I have cleaning to do/laundry to wash(lots of laundry to wash)/shopping to do/packing to do/we have meet the teacher for Lucas and Jacob tonight/baseball practice after that/then more packing to do I'm sure. Busy day! However it's my quiet time and I could be doing all that while the kids are asleep I suppose - instead I'm sitting here blogging.

School starts Monday - I've had school shopping done for a few weeks now - it feels good to not have to rush out and get everything at the last minute. I'm so not ready for it though! I'm not ready for the schedules again - the early mornings/homework most of all and the stress of whether they are doing what they are supposed to with grades,etc. I just want summer for another 3 months. I used to be one of those that hated summer - give me year round school for my kids because I don't want them all home for 3 months - so stressful. I don't know what happened this year but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We've truly had one of the best summers ever! True at times it's been stressful and I've felt like pulling my hair out with all of them here plus friends a lot of the time but it's been fun. I am DREADING Monday!

Not just the schedule either - we all say it every year when they start school or get a year older. I can't believe..... but really I can't believe Lucas is going to be a 4th grader and Jacob is going into 1st. It just terrifies me! I worry about if Jacob will be able to keep up with everything - I know it's going to be hard work and totally different from last year - no more centers and all that play stuff in the classroom and I worry about him. Lucas can do it and handle it - no doubt in my mind. That kid is an Einstein if he puts effort into it. Last year he had a few issues not wanting to try and we encountered problems with that - I'm praying this year is different. All in all they are excited and ready for school - I think they miss their friends and they've said they're ready to go back. I'm sure they won't say that Monday morning at 7:30 though :)

Wordless Wednesday

Dollywood - Part 2

After crashing the first night as a result of Dollywood we were going to go and spend the day at a local river park.I heard about this park when Stacy at The Crazy Cotherans vacationed in Cherokee and they spent a day there. It looked so cool and I couldn't wait to try it out. We got up and packed up a lunch, got all the kids ready and hit the road. We got about as far as Gatlinburg when it started raining - I was so sad! Of course the two older boys were complaining the entire time that they didn't want to go to the river - I think they actually said I'd rather die than go to a river so we headed home. Of course their opinions changed about it greatly the next day when we were on our way back to SC and they saw the river park - then it was the coolest thing ever and they wanted to stop.

So we headed back home in the rain and since we had our bathing suits on we hit the hot tub for a little while. Oh how I love me some hot tub!!

We took it easy the rest of the afternoon and played games around the cabin - Yahtzee to be exact because it is by far my favorite! Then we got dressed and headed out to find some rides for the kids and eat some dinner.

My boys live to ride go carts - in fact that was the only thing we had heard out of Caleb since we got there. He wanted to ride go carts!!!!! With all he had going on with his eating at the time I don't think there was much he wasn't going to get to do that he requested. They had some "kiddie" rides at this place too so we got tickets for the older ones and Caleb to ride go carts and for the little ones to ride a few of the other rides.
Lucas rode first on along with David and Caleb. Oh it was priceless!!!! - Caleb loved it and immediately wanted to do it again. Then Jacob got to ride by himself but because of his age he had to ride on a jr rookie track and the cars were very slow. We went and got him another ticket to ride on a faster track with his grandfather on the next one.

I love this picture with both of them in there. Everytime they get on a track they ALWAYS have to race each other.

                                           This "kiddie" ride looks innocent enough, right?

                                                                                   NOT

Do you see Caleb's face - and on top of that look at the girl behind us! I have no clue why they call them "kiddie" rides. It was insane! Allie was horrified - the entire time she was on it she kept crying and saying MaMa - DaDa - No No No. It was horrible! It was all I could do to hang on to her and Caleb across from us at the same time. Nothing kiddie about that ride. When you looked around you saw all the actual "small kids" were mortified!

Then Jacob's track which was much too small for him! Jacob is all about dirt bikes and go carts and he's pretty good so technically he could move up but he's not quite tall enough.

                                                           He's trying to spin him out :)

                                                  All of them on the elevated track.

                                         Yet another "kiddie" ride. Once again not so kiddie.

              It jerked us around the corner so fast the first time I thought it was going to throw us out.

Then I just knew Caleb was going to hit his head on the metal bar when we were going around corners.

See this guys face :) Yep - that's my man! Life is never boring with him around - he always keeps you on your toes.

Look at Allie's face though - this one was a little faster and jerky but at least she wasn't horrified - she had the time of her life on this one.

The last day I wanted to go back the scenic route. My parents left when we did but went straight home and we wanted to go into downtown Gatlinburg to get the kids airbrushed shirts and walk around for a bit. I also wanted to stop at one of the picture taking areas to get a picture of the kids together (you know another attempt) - that was interesting :)

I actually photomerged this picture - it's the first time I've tried it. I took Caleb's face from another picture taken just before it and put it on this one so that they are all actually looking at me. Otherwise I wouldn't have had one with them all looking in my direction. I think I'm going to try and do Lucas too since his eyes are so squinted.