Water Park in the Yard Day

Lots of sunscreen, a spot in the shade, water hose on = a day full of fun together.

Stay cation 2012

We are enjoying a week together doing some things around town we've never taken the opportunity to do and spending time at the house enjoying some fun things together.  We started out Friday with a trip to see Brave (gotta see a movie with a arrow-shooting, red-headed celtic princess and mischievous red-headed brothers).  Monday we went to Stone Mountain park (to which I forgot my camera) but we had a wonderful time.  We've never been and I was surprised at how much fun we all had - riding the skyline up to the top (I wasn't hiking the mountain with punkin on my back), riding the train around the mountain, a first ever family putt-putt golf tournament, Geyser towers water fun, ropes course and a blanket on the lawn for the laser show.  We'll be venturing back.

Tuesday was $1 movies at AMC and Jeremy took the big kids to see HUGO.  We then went to the Braves game.  What a great game!  (Thanks Grandpa Noonan for watching sweet Lydia for us so that I could go too!)  Samuel loved the game and danced like crazy when the music was on.  He seemed to enjoy the game and the whole experience.  Lucy tended to enjoy the experience more than the game - about two batters into the top of the 1st inning she spotted the cotton candy man across the park and gave us blow by blow updates about where he was until he reached our section and we could purchase the long awaited treat.  We also got to visit with friends from church who were at the game.  In the last inning after Lucy has hollered and cheered and laughed through the game Jeremy turned to her and said "Lucy, do you know who's winning the game?"  to which she replied "Nope"  But she loved it all the same.

Today was water park in the yard day.  We played in the slip and slide, shot water guns, made a water wall, had a picnic and lego races in the water.  Hours of fun for the whole family.  We came in after being outside all day, took showers and headed to a cookout at church.  I did manage to get some pictures :)

Summer fun

We are right smack dab in the middle of Noonan Stay-cation 2012 and this is some of our fun from today...rub-a-dub-dub three redheads in a tub.

Father's Day

Lucy made this card for Jeremy at school and kept it until Father's Day - sweetness.

Come here...

Come here and give me a kiss!

The littles

Maybe I shouldn't call them that but they are the little guys of the bunch and it is so funny to watch Mason and Lydia play.  I honestly think Lydia is a little afraid of her little cousin Mason (4 months younger and almost 5 pounds heavier) and she may have some concerns that he is going to eat her up - though he is a rough and tumble little guy he is a such a sweet baby!

Grandma has her hands full...and I think Lydia thinks Mason is going to gnaw on her arm now that he;s got it...

 The perfect play for these two - Mason contained in his walker/exersaucer jeep and Lydia walking behind pushing.

 Hmmmm....gotta keep my eye on you fella.

Adventures of the cousins

We've played hard the last few days at the farm - mud puddle jumping and playing in the rain, UNO and BINGO on the porch, Davy Crocket and old westerns on TV, Blackberry picking, riding the ranger, pretending to be travelers and traveling all over the farm with wagons and 'kindling' to light (pretend) fires, tag, hide-n-go seek with Mama, swinging and playing Sheriff Lucy.  Loads of fun that makes for much laughter and hard sleep at night.  Here are the outlaws and Sheriff Lucy (yep - that is a pot holder for a holster tied around her waist with a bandana)

And one sweet thing - today during lunch since my two were fighting over who would give thanks - I let Wyatt pray.  He was so sweet "Thank you for my Mama and my Daddy, for the grass, and for my cousins. AMEN!"

 

Mud puddle jumping

Aquarium

Yesterday I took the children to the aquarium and we had a great time.  The children especially loved the touch pools (we went back 3 times), the penguins (I even crawled through with them) and the Ocean voyager exhibit (we went through it 4 different times).  The Dolphin Tales show was another exciting time to which Lucy exclaimed "Daddy won't believe his ears when he hears about this!"  We took our time, enjoyed the sites and went back and saw things that were interesting.  I loved having that time with the big kids while Jeremy watched Lydia.  Samuel and Lucy are growing so fast and it was neat to see their growing fascination with the world around them.

Caught

Just as I finished making the pbj's for the 4,5,6and7 year old that were at the house today for a little fun in the sun while their mom finished up her last day of school I looked over in the kitchen and saw Punkin like this...

She is not walking yet, but her climbing skills seem to be working (yes I did run to get the camera instead of rescue Lydia before she fell - she was fine and did not get the fruit snacks!)

Pool side fun

We had some friends over today and the kids had such a great time playing outside - shooting the water guns, playing games and making their own enjoyable afternoon.  We've enjoyed our French friends and the fun in the sun.

So would this be considered an above ground pool or a redneck hot tub?  Whatever it's called I would say they had fun.

I'm a proud Mama

Lucy finished her last day of 4K today and will start kindergarten in the Fall.

Samuel finishes his last day of 1st grade tomorrow and will be a second grader!

and my husband was awarded the "Most likely to win a Larry Byrd look-alike contest" by his IB seniors (see the following post for the look that he wore to the faculty/student basketball game that won him that title)

Pirate Day

Today is Pirate day in Samuel's PC class.  (PC is the new name for 'gifted' classes and it stands for Program Challenge.  I guess that's more PC than gifted.)  He has enjoyed the challenge and his teacher is super creative.  They are ending their year and their pirate unit with a pirate party at school...here is the outfit we put together yesterday...complete with dwarf beard from two years ago...

Wild Red Sam

Career Day

Today is career day at Lucy's school.  She had to dress up like what she wants to be when she grows up.  Here she is...can you guess?

Yep - she still wants to be a cowgirl!  Her plans are to go to school "on the computer so that I can stay at home with Mama and Daddy and not have to leave home ever"  She plans to attend Georgia Tech for her cowgirl degree and own her own horse (with real legs) one day.  Aspirations of a 5 year old!

just a mom

There's a show on TV called "Untold stories of the ER"...here is my version but it would be titled "Untold storied of a Mom who is also an ER Nurse"

It would start with showing up the babysitter's house in the morning with a grocery sack - contents - one dirty onesie, a cup of almond milk, leftover rice and black beans from SEVERAL days ago...and no diapers....she would be so thankful to God for the AMAZING women (and families) who watch and care for her kids during the day and then call her husband just to say hey since she hasn't seen him in a couple of days except for those 10 minutes around 3 am when the baby was up and they both held her and fed her a banana and prayed for her to sleep.

It would pan to a scene where she cares for a guy having a heart attack and gets him to the cath lab in under 12 minutes, takes care of all manner of sickness and craziness And after her 13 hours on the clock punching out to head home.

It would end with her putting away the dishes in the dishwasher at 1am when she got home, reading notes in school bags and signing papers - looking in on her sleeping children and wondering about their days.    She would sort through the two baby bags she found lying around and find

1. Frog Bag - two pairs of purple pants, one tiny used tube of baby sunscreen, one toy hedgehog.

2. Jean 'Samuel' bag (Has Samuel's name on it because we don't have one that says Lydia - it helps throw off nursery workers who can't find the girl's bag) - one shoe, one head band, one bag of half eaten cheerios, a hat that hasn't fit for months.

She would make a note to clean out those bags in the morning.  She would be grateful for her sweet husband who cleaned the kitchen and had the kids pick up the play area.

Pan to the next morning - she dresses the baby for a trip to big brother's school because in looking at his bag earlier that morning she discovered he had an event in his classroom that parents could come to where the first graders read stories they wrote.  One sister needs pig tails to complete her spider girl outfit for school because it's "dress as your favorite character day".  Watches one year old throw herself on the floor and pitch a fit - (really kid? - you're 12 months old).  AND one mom who realizes the best part of her crazy life is when she gets to be home with those precious kiddos - choosing to be grateful for every minute and not dwell how she falls short or what she can't do...choosing to live in the messiness of life...grateful that the gospel is sweet to this broken mama.

T-ball

After a week of tournament playoffs and a game Saturday described by Jeremy as "t-ball as good as it gets" Samuel's team, the Hornets, won second place out of the 16 teams playing.  He has had a wonderful time, learned so much about baseball and had wonderful coaches.  He is batting from both sides of the plate, has overcome his fear of the ball and will get in front of it and even knows where he's supposed to throw it when he gets it.  I'm grateful for this experience and look forward to cheering on my little guy for years to come.

Friday night fun

Qwarkle with the kids = funtimes

Mother's Day

just because

Pot Holder Making

Lucy got a pot holder making kit from Aunt Erin and Uncle Casey (THANK YOU!) for her birthday and we finally got around to making some pot holders with it this afternoon.  Lucy did great and had a wonderful time.  She was very intent on keeping the pattern and taking her time.  We had a great time and I look forward to making more with my little creative cutie!

PS - yep, that is an 'almost' black eye.  She and brother had a run in and she wears the bruises to proves it.

For the Love of books

Mothering Moments

So...is it bad that

1. My five year old came to me this morning while I was in the kitchen and said
Lucy - "what is that?"
Mama - "A mop" (wondering did she really mean the mop, could my five year old really not know what a mop is)
Lucy - "what do you do with it?"
Mama - "Clean the floors" (disappointed that yes, my five year old has no clue what to do with this contraption, do I really not use the mop that much?)
Lucy - "Could I use it to clean the carpets when you are done?"
Mama - (yep, this is as bad as I thought)

2. That my one year old went to the ball park to Samuel's game in only a old pull up found under a seat in the van because she had an explosion on the way and the hubby said the clothes had to stay in the garbage at Burger King but no time left to make the return trip home before the game.

It's really not that bad right?  NO...all children happy and accounted for, one sweet husband who cleaned up the one year old and made it to the park and fed all children all by himself while mommy worked all night.  One five year old who is happy to learn how to play in the water on the kitchen floor.  Not too bad.