Pirates, Playtime, and Packed Weekends

 Today is National Talk Like A Pirate Day and what better excuse to get dressed up in last year's Halloween costumes and score some free doughnuts at Krispy Kreme than that! The kids and I had a blast putting on our pirate gear, making a fake hook hand out of a plastic cup and some aluminum foil, going on a hunt for buried treasure using a pirate map, and greeting everyone on the phone with "Arr...Shiver me timbers!"

 Here's a picture of us at Krispy Kreme and Riley coloring his pirate picture. He decided he had to take off his hook for this part! Probably a good decision!

 After eating one doughnut each, we decided to deliver the rest of the 3 dozen doughnuts we were given for free to a local fire station and Pilgrim's Inn ministry.  The firemen were very appreciative and offered Riley a chance to climb up in the fire truck and take a quick tour in their garage.  It's been about a year since he got to do this and it hasn't seemed to lose any of the thrill (the picture below is Riley last year and the picture on the right is from today). My goodness, he's growing up fast!

 Maggie-licious had a great time saying "cheese" at every photo op and swinging at the playground next to one of the fire stations we went by today. She's really starting to add to her vocabulary and her favorite words are "see" as she shows you something or points to a toy and "up" which she likes to say when it's time to climb the stairs! She's had a few tumbles though, so we've had to keep a close eye on this adventurous gal! She loves to repeat words that Riley says like "wow" and "yeah!" The other day as we were practicing for my next music lesson that I had to teach, I noticed Maggie saying "stop" (more like "dop") and "go" (sometimes with a d sound instead of a g) as we walked, crawled, and ran around the couch using those words. She still gets a little confused with some words. For example, when I bring her downstairs in the morning and ask her if she's ready for her breakfast of milk, banana (as she says "nana") and O's or Cheerios, she'll touch the middle of her face thinking I said nose! Grandmama swears she said "yellow" last week and Chris thinks she's said "Riley" (instead of the usual "Ra-Ra") and "Mag-gee".

        We think Maggie might be a pretty girly-girl. She absolutely LOVES shoes of any kind. She likes to wear bows (most of the time) and is fascinated with bracelets! I also adore how she likes to sit with her teeny little feet crossed one over the other. It's just so precious to see. As you can see, our little 15 month old is continuing to keep us entertained!

 One of the things I've enjoyed a lot about being able to stay at home this year is taking the time to do crafts.  Riley has great ideas and it was his idea to make an owl and paint it brown. I found this template on Pinterest and we worked on our cutting skills and then later on that same week, we made some Owl cards for Grandparents Day.  I also love being able to do impromptu "experiments" like the one we're doing here again using baking soda and colored vinegar water. We did this same experiment a year ago as well, but I can't find the picture this time to compare.

 Our weekends always kick off with Friday night "Pizza and Movie Night". It's beginning to be a family tradition and it's one that I must say I'm loving (especially when it means I get to snuggle with my two favorite kiddos)! Then the rest of the weekend is usually a little more full. Last Saturday, we went to Discovery Place to take advantage of the free admission for teachers and their kids during the month of September. Riley loved the water station so much that he proceeded to saturate his entire outfit by the end of his playtime and had to have a complete wardrobe change. So in his new outfit, he went and tested out the science stations upstairs and got a kick out of the air lift chair. Maggie really enjoyed seeing the fish up close and personal and of course, climbing on anything she could.

 A few weeks ago, we went with Grandmama to Matthews Alive Festival! This is where Riley got one of his first prayers answered! You see, he had gotten on a big helicopter kick recently after seeing one in the sky and really, REALLY wanted to go up in the sky and fly a helicopter with  Daddy. Chris and I talked to him about possibly getting a toy helicopter for Christmas that he could fly with a remote, but he was pretty insistent that he wanted to get inside one and fly. So he prayed about it one night and sure enough, a few days later when we were at the festival lo and behold there was a helicopter ride. You can't tell from this particular picture, but Riley was ecstatic about this experience and talked about it for days!

Maggie and I were content to watch the excitement from the sidelines. Grandmama was sweet enough to treat us to SnoCones before we had to head home. It was a great day!

For Labor Day, we went to Rodger and Melissa's house for a Low Country Crab Boil and found out that someone else in the family loves eating crabs as much as I do---Riley! Except, he calls them "crabfish" and he likes to pretend to crack them, but have other people do the hard work of actually "peeling" them.

Last weekend we got together with our QCP Neighbors  (even though 2 out of the 4 families no longer actually live in QCP) and a few other close friends.  In fact, after the Warrens and Huntingtons arrived, we had 15 kids and 12 adults all in one place! Here's a picture of the Gamecock QCP Crew (Riley is still a Clemson fan, so his attire doesn't completely match).  What a blessing to have these little ones grow up together!

So whether we're grilling out at home and Riley is helping Daddy using the "clappers" as he calls them or we're riding together in the car listening to one of Riley's crazy stories about "when he was an old man, he used to drive a cement truck" or "he used to play on the playground at Daddy's school"...I pretty much can't ask for a better life! When Riley prays at night to help the kid in Dad's class do his work or for Grandma and Grandpa Condra to like their "new house" (assisted living facility), I can't help but thank God myself for such a precious family and friends that I get to experience life with!

So Long Summer, Long Range Plans, and Home on the Range

 So, the teacher side of me couldn't let go of a little pre-planning as I get ready to start my new "job" this week as a stay-at-home-mom! I created a long range plan to help me map out a variety of different activities and traits that I hope to focus on these next 10 months. I wanted to include everything from Character Education teachable moments, Themed Crafts, Field Trips, Community Service to how I could structure some learning times for both Riley and Maggie. I'm still not sure what our days/weeks will end up looking like, but I just wanted to have some ideas in place to serve as a guide. I then went one step further and designed a Weekly Family Planner.  One of the big reasons I wanted to stay home was because I felt like my life was not very balanced. I couldn't figure out how to juggle keeping up with my job, housework, meals, family time, and more importantly, my spiritual life. So with my new job, I want to be very intentional about how I spend my time. I want to look at each day with purpose and see it through Christ's eyes. I believe my most important mission is to love God and others and to teach my children to do the same. I know there will be many days where I will miss teaching and the cries and crankiness of my children will not always be so tolerable.  But I want to try and take the opportunity to focus on 2 little lives (instead of the usual 18-20 in a classroom) that are under my care for a full year and see what God has planned for us!  He's got the ultimate Long Range Plan already figured out! :)

 We spent our last day of summer today as a family going on an "amazing adventure" as Riley would say! We took the LightRail Train to 7th Street station and went to the ImaginOn Library today. We were a little late for the storytime, but still able to participate in 15-20 minutes of the songs and stories. Then we checked out the Arthur exhibit before heading to lunch at one of our favorite eateries, Mert's Heart and Soul.  The kids were getting tired by this point, so we headed back home on the train and made it back mid-afternoon in time for naps. What a great day together!

We celebrated Dad's birthday last week when he came home from his camping trip to West Virginia.  No, he's not really 31 again, but we didn't have any other candles in the house besides the ones we just recently used to celebrated R and M's birthdays.  We had a few simple hand-made gifts (since we're trying to cut back on our expenses), but I think they still went over well.  Here's an original artwork dedicated to Daddy because he does some of the best elephant sounds around! 

 We didn't quite make it all the way through our summer list of things to do, but we at least put a dent in things. Here's Riley and Daddy doing "hard work" on the back porch together! Too bad the rain decided to wash away 1/3 it the next day, but luckily the company gave us some more paint for free.  Now if it'll just stop raining long enough to actually finishing the process.

We'll miss you Daddy as you head back to work and we know you'll miss our laid-back summer schedule. We'll be praying for you and know that you're going to inspire and motivate a whole different generation of kids to be the best that they can be! And when you get home each day, we'll be ready with hugs and kisses and we'll have all kinds of new games that you can play! 

Kids Say the Funniest Things

So I've been jotting down some of the funny little sayings and actions our kids are up to these days. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to go along with these, but I still bet they'll bring a smile to your face!

• As we're driving to Indiana, Riley looks out the window and says, "I recognize those rocks! We need to climp up them on the mountain."
• Also on the way to Indiana and just about any other time we're in the car as a family, Maggie likes to let out a really loud "Da-Da" yell repeatedly. It's pretty funny the first few times, then it starts to get to the point where we start looking for the pacifier!
• Maggie is starting to talk more, but she's also learned to use her sign language for "more", "all done", "dog", and "please". She can get a little confused still at times. She pretty much blows a kiss for "thank you" which is pretty darn cute too!  While looking at animal books, she thinks just about any four-legged animal with fur is a dog and will keep tapping her leg with her hand.
• Riley has some of his own sayings that have started to spread around here. Whenever he's thirsty, he says he's "drinky" and after he has his usual breakfast of banana and bar and goes potty, he's ready for a "showey-show" (a.k.a. TV show).  
• He's also starting to get a little too tech-savvy. As we head to bed the other night, he says "Just a minute, I've got to text my friends a message." Or he'll say he needs to "check his messages on the computer." He doesn't miss much! :) When he does get a phone in his hands, it's almost always the same quick conversation: "Hello? What are you doing? Playing? Okay...bye!" Too funny!
• Maggie sure does have some natural rhythm and a huge attraction to any music that is playing. She can't resist the urge to dance! We love her two arm dance in the air or her twist side to side! She's started memorizing songs such as when she hears "Pete the Cat" and will put her hands on her neck as it says the "Oh NO!!" part of the story/song. She also tries to sing songs like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and our nightly prayer of "God our Father".  It is absolutely precious to watch both of my children "fix their hands" and sing this simple song to the tune of "Are You Sleeping":

God, our Father God, our Father
We thank you. We thank you.
For our many blessings. For our many blessings.
Amen. Amen. (and for this part you have to make your voice go really low...Riley loves it!)

• Another nightly tradition is that we're still singing "Hush Little Baby" to Riley and then he says his own prayer where he'll pray for whoever may be in the hospital or is sick and then thank God for letting him play or go somewhere special and then end with "and help Riley sleep tight, and wake up tomorrow and do what's right...with all his might!".  Then comes time for kisses. One night Riley decided he wanted "football" kisses and we had to pretend the kiss was a football and go far back and throw it.  It's since been adapted to all kinds of animals (bear, fish, gorilla) and random objects (like tonight I had to pretend to be a fan).  
• Sometimes, Riley will try to rope us back into his room and tell us he needs us or wants us to hold him. We try not to get into the habit every night. A few weeks ago, Chris went to a concert and wasn't there one night when Riley wanted him.  He said to me..."I need my Dad. He's my best friend!" If that doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will! 
• On June 27th, while we were in Indiana, Maggie decided to say another word. As Pap pulled out his camera to take a picture of her, she said "chee..." and smiled a huge, cheesy grin! It was so cute!
• We had another Maggie milestone on July 1st when Maggie took her first steps. We knew she was getting close, but she'd often lock her knees and just sway back and forth. She finally got the courage to "step out" though and hasn't looked back since. Now it's the end of the month and the girl is doing laps around the couch like Riley (just at a tad bit slower pace!). 
• Riley has quite an imagination these days. He likes to act out different scenes from some of his favorite shows and he'll assign us different characters. For example, he likes to be "Word Girl", Dad becomes the "Butcher" and has to throw sausages and hot dogs, Maggie tranforms into "Captain Huggy Face" and somehow I always end up being "Granny"! In another show scenario, Riley takes the lead as "Jake, the NeverLand Pirate", Maggie is "Tinkerbell", Dad is "Captain Hook" and this time I get to be the "Princess". 
• Speaking of imagination, Riley said this recently: "One day, when I was a big man I weared bulldozer clothes." It's either his imagination or Riley is telling us about a former life!
• Random fact, but Riley always sneezes twice so we call him "Mr. Two-Sneeze".  Our QCP neighbor, David, has deemed him "Too Tall" because of his height. He's about the same height as Callie and he's taller than both Jackson and Blake who are a year older than he is. 
• Last but not least, one of my favorite moments that has happened so far is looking back while in the car and seeing my two precious kiddos holding hands with each other! Riley has taken on the big brother role a little more seriously and will give Maggie toys or make silly faces with her when she's crying/tired. 

Happy Hodge-Podge of Summer Happenings

On May 23, 2013 Riley had his first (of hopefully many) graduations! He graduated from the 2 year old daycare program at Children's Premier Academy.  The program was so cute as each class got up to sing a few of their favorite songs. Riley did great and we have a hilarious rendition of "Tooty Ta" song with his tongue stuck out, knees together, elbows back, bottom in the air and thumbs up! Riley has such fond memories of his friends and teachers at CPA and has talked about them several times this summer since he's been home. 

 Speaking of summer, we promised Riley that when summer came we'd build his cardboard house.  Well, a Riley never forgets, and come the first day of summer we had this enormous contraption in our living room for several days. Both kids really enjoyed it though and it was cute seeing them hiding inside waiting for someone to come knock on their door and visit.

 On Sunday, June 16th we celebrated Father's Day! Daddy got a new mug featuring the Magster! Just to make sure we keep things even in the cupboard since Riley has one or two already. Riley also did a fill-in-the-blank My Dad Is...sheet that was pretty funny. Like when he said Daddy's favorite color is orange (which is really Riley's favorite color) and he is "3" years old. He is really good at "playing with my firetruck" and My dad thinks I am funny when "I make silly noises."

What says summer better than biting into a big, juicy watermelon!! This is one of Riley's favorite treats...and Maggie's too (though she gets hers already cut up in bite-size pieces).  I love how the juice will just run right down Riley's arm and all over his face and he keeps chomping away!

 So in our down time during the summer, Maggie has grown especially attached to her monkey lovey.  She grabs it every night to sleep with and then loves to play with it in the mornings.  She'll just sit in her crib when she wakes up and shake it (it's a rattle too). She is so calm in the mornings and never cries or fusses at all. Once up though, she is all ready for play! She has discovered an early love for shoes and tries to put them on her feet every chance she gets.  Meanwhile, Riley finds running around the couch literally 100 times as the best way to get his energy out and calm down before bed. Here's a shot of him in mid-run! Crazy kid!!

 The last week of June we headed to Indiana for our annual Camp Nan and Pap. Here's a picture of Riley and Lucy riding Sally the Horse at one of the local grocery stores.  All the parents headed out on Friday to go to Brown County where we had rented a cabin with a hot tub, pool, horseshoe pit, pool table, and fire pit. We had a great time (once we got over the slight bump in the road with Ben's bumper accident). The kids completely had a blast with the Teddy Bear theme for this year. They went on a bear hunt, had a teddy bear picnic, made campfire pictures, teddy bear magnets, and ate all kinds of yummy foods and snacks. What an awesome opportunity to have the kids become closer as cousins and the parents to have a chance to bond and relax together as well. Now, Nan and Pap are going to need a vacation after keeping 5 campers so busy and happy! :)

This summer, Chris and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.  Grandmama and Papa kept the kids for us while we went to a movie (The Great Gatsby) and dinner at Miro Spanish Grille. We've had a few cookouts with neighbors (like for the 4th of July) and gotten together for several playdates.  I've been busy working on developing lessons for my music program that I started to help make ends since I will be an official stay at home mom this year! Hooray! 

I'm looking forward to seeing more of these candid moments more often---where Maggie loves to copy everything that big brother "Ra Ra" is doing and she likes to tease (like biting on her spoon and not giving it back). It has always been one of my dreams to stay home like my mom did with us. And even if it's only for a year or two (depending on how finances go), I know it'll be some of the best times together! Of course, we'll still save some fun for dad when he gets home and on weekends too. 

For example, I bet we'll still be able to find some time to take the family to the zoo.  We took this trip with Grandmama's help on July 19th. Riley got to ride the train in the petting zoo area and the carousel, but his main highlight of the day was feeding the giraffe! He has no fear at all and laughs and smiles the whole time! It helps that these giraffes are so gentle with the kids and their long, rough tongues only like to curl around the $2/handful lettuce that they let you purchase and not their actual hands.  Maggie was more awake this time, but by the end of the 2 hours she could hardly keep her eyes open. She's starting to learn some of the animal sounds and loves to hear Daddy do the elephant noise as she throws her arm up to pretend it's a trunk. And she mimics the monkey sound after hearing it too. 

 At the end of July, we had a Taylor family trip to the beach. We got a good deal on a condo in North Myrtle and though it was a tight squeeze to get all of us in, we managed. We got out of the condo Friday night to go play a round of mini-golf.  Mom and I played as a team and switched off carrying Maggie and still managed to get the lowest score! Woo hoo!

Here's my sweet girl sharing a smile with Papa.  She's going through a bit of a clingy stage and it took her a few days to warm up again, but she really does love her extended family! 

How's this for a candid? Joel got a little creative with my suggestion that we all wear blue and white for a big family picture. Unfortunately, this shirt didn't make the final cut! :) 

 Here we are at the Flying Fish in Barefoot Landing. They had an excellent selection of seafood and the kids loved catching the fish from the kitchen area.

We didn't get the perfect family picture with everyone smiling and the light just right, but I must admit I've got a pretty perfect family! I have had such a wonderful time this summer and of course, knowing that I have a little more quality time ahead and don't have to rush back to school in 2 weeks is going to make the end of this summer just a little bit sweeter.