Middle Names

Within the last couple of days, Cannon has had this obsession with having to know people's middle names.  Here are a couple of examples......

Me:           Cannon, look there is Ronald McDonald at the new McDonald's restaurant.

Cannon:    Mommy, what is Old McDonald's middle name?

Me:           Cannon, look there is a policeman.

Cannon:    Is the policeman getting the bad guys and what is that policeman's middle name?

Cannon:    Daddy, what is your middle name?

Daddy:      My middle name is Thomas.

Cannon:    Daddy, your not a train!!! 

 

 

THE BEST BELLY LAUGH I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME!!!!

Joy in the Moment

As a mom, I am always making sure I find joy in every moment of every day with my children. Good or bad, I try to stop and soak in all the experiences they are having as children. Most of the memories that my mind remembers are the ones that bring laughter and smiles but today was a moment of sickness and exhaustion.

At 5:00am I was awoken by a sound coming through the monitor that sounded like a child trying to cough.  Then about 15 seconds later, that child came running into my room throwing up.  That child was Caroline.  Again!  Again I was putting her back in the bathtub so she could throw up.  This just happened to her less than a month ago and she was out for four days with an intestinal virus.  Not fun…for her or her momma!!

This violent act of sickness attacked Caroline hard.  Within 30 minutes we were back and forth from bed to the bathroom three times.  By this time we were wiped out so I sat her on my lap and we waited out the next episode in the bathroom together.  There were FOUR more rounds of sickness.  Each and every time, I would put her on my lap she would fall asleep in my arms until she was awoken again.  My heart was completely broken having my sick child sit helplessly in my arms.  I hurt for her as much as her little belly was hurting her.  But the hour I sat in the bathroom with my little (sick) girl in my arms was a joyful moment for me.  After all as a parent, I want to be the one there to care for my child……….even through their sickness.

Our Labor Day Fun

Yeah, a three day weekend!!  An extra day to spend with the kiddos.  I wanted to soak up all the time I could having fun and enjoying the last weeks of the summer.

The extra day was hard for me not to take Saturday to myself, stay in bed and not make contact with the world.  I was coming off of a week of being sick with bronchis AND a bad haircut!  Nothing like a bad haircut to ruin your entire day, week and month!  I brushed off  my sadness (and sickness) and got up bright and early for a pedicure on Saturday.  Just what this momma needed to start the weekend off right.  Once home, we packed up the wagon and headed to the pool.  Of course, we are usually there earlier in the day and can enjoy the pool to ourselves but this day we enjoyed the pool with a couple of dozen other neighbors.  Cannon and Caroline love watching the big kids.  Cannon made me watch as he told me he knew how to dive so with his floating firmly attached to his arms and around his chest, he jumped up out of the water and came back down only to put his face in the water and say, see mommy, I can dive now.  His accomplishment made me proud.  Ha!

After the pool, we headed home for showers and naps.  I could tell Cannon didn't get enough (dive) time at the pool so I knew napping was going to be a battle.  What do we do when that happens....put him in the car and start driving.  Yep, works everytime!  I had to go to the island and so I loaded Cannon up and he was asleep before we got out of the neighborhood.  Now, your thinking this made me happy, which it did, but there was just one thing I was scared of.  To convince him to go with me, I had to bribe him with a trip to Target to buy a new monster truck.  And yes, that works everytime too except when your son sleeps the entire time you need to be gone and wakes up the second you pull back into the garage.  ERRR!  Cannon literally opened his eyes and said, "are we at Target?"  So back out of the garage I drove and headed to Target.

Once back from an unplanned (but always needed) trip to Target, we regrouped and went bowling.  I have feared this outing for sometime.  Our sweet but extreme energetic, Caroline is the person I couldn't see having the attention span of bowling.  Well, I was right.  She thought every turn was hers and every ball was hers too.  This kind of determination from a two year-old doesn't work well when her brother has the same intentions.  So our bowling adventure proved that we need to wait a little bit longer before attempting the outing again..........or just take one child at a time.

On Sunday we headed to the island for some Labor Day fun at Lawton Stables.  Cannon was brave and actually rode a pony for the first time.  As proud as I was of Cannon, I did have a freak out moment when he (and Caroline) had to wear the safety helmets that had been worn by about a thousand sweaty kids.  YES, I'm "that" mom!   The weather was gorgeous and we soaked up a lot of fun before loading back into the car for some much needed cool air.

Monday was our lazy day around the house.  We never get tired of our lazy days.  Of course, you can't be too lazy with a two and three year-old!

Bully Proof

Right here, caught on camera.....proof that his little sissy really is a bully!

First Day of School!!

As a new school year begins, a new wave of emotions takes over my heart.  I have learned in my (older) age that I don't adjust to change like I use to and neither do Cannon and Caroline.

Cannon moved up to the three year-old class and Caroline to the two year-old class where Cannon just left.  New teachers, new routines and a lot more traffic in the mornings have taken over our lives.  I already struggle to get out the door on time; however, now that the public school bus picks up the kids in front of our house for the neighborhood, I need to be E-A-R-L-Y.  That simple, five letter word is by far one of the hardest things in my life to accomplish as a momma.  Even though I know my kids only eat about five different foods, I still struggle every morning what to feed them for breakfast and what to pack in their lunches.  How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can one child eat in a week.  Answer.........at least three and he loves them every time!  And if the food choices don't get me stressed out, it's the current battle with trying to get two very independent toddlers dressed in appropriate attire for school.  Mommy, can I wear my Mickey Mouse shirt?  No, Cannon you must wear your uniform shirt.  Caroline, please take off your flip-flops and put on your school shoes.  Battles, Battles, Battles.  I know it's just the season of life we are in and I know these times will fly by and I know in a blink of an eye I will be attending their high school graduation.  My heart is torn.  On one hand I want my kids to stay my babies and on another, I want them to be grown up and able to communicate with me on every subject.

It is though bittersweet to walk through the doors of their preschool knowing how blessed my life is with my two independent toddlers.  Seeing them run into their classrooms wanting to see their friends and start playing with toys and reading books does melt my heart.  It's the days that they cling to my leg and not want me to leave that tugs at my heart.  Being a working parent is hard but picking the kids up after a day at school seeing how happy they are confirms that they are where they need to be.

Happy school days everyone!

Look closely, Caroline is sporting a new tattoo.

No Clue

This post does not contain any photos but that won't stop me from making sure the events from this past weekend aren't forgotten.

This story begins on Friday morning with my normal RUSH to work.  I feel like a superstar if I can get the kids into school and get back out to my car within five minutes.  Anything longer that that time frame means that I dealt with a 3 year-old who wasn't cooperative or a 2 year-old that cried and clung to my leg while trying to get away.  Today though, none of those things happened and it was a great start to what seemed to be a beautiful day.  Here is where I will insert the deejay on the radio mentioning the bible verse of Proverbs 3-5:6.

Now fast forward ten minutes from the great drop off of the kids........my car dies while driving and I'm one block from the office.  This was a blessing because I work with a great group of people who are like family.  The head of our Building & Grounds crew come along with the head of Facilities.  They try to see if they can get my car started but it wasn't successful.  Then a couple of other guys came with our Building & Grounds crew and tried some other tricks but again, not successful.  They then pushed my car down the road and into the parking lot of Town Hall where I work.  I called for a tow truck and begged God to hear my prayers that it wasn't going to cost a lot of money to fix and it be fixed before taking a trip the NEXT day to Florida to see Aaron's family.  While praying, I also didn't forget to cry A LOT of happy tears letting God know how grateful I was that this all happened without my kids being involved.  The tow truck got my car at 12:45pm and by 1:30pm I had gotten a call that my car was fixed and ready to be picked up.  Life was back to normal.

Another fast forward to what was a great visit with Aaron's family.  We said our goodbyes on Sunday evening and started to make the 3½ hour drive north back to South Carolina.  We first, however, had to drop off Grandma W. at the airport in Jacksonville.  We said more goodbyes and continued with our trip. 

At about 7:30/8:00pm and being on the road for not more than a couple of hours, I asked Cannon if he needed to go potty.  He said yes so we proceeded to the next (well lite) exit with well known places to stop.  While on the exit ramp, my car starts acting up again and we quickly notice the transmission is slipping and won't drive properly.

Once again, within 36 hours, I'm begging God to protect us, help us (emotionally for me) and praying how we are going to get home.  We were still an 1½ away from home.  With no other option than to drive 5 mph to the closest hotel, we decided it was our only option.

Staying in a hotel was fun for the kids so they were up at the crack of dawn.  Aaron took them to breakfast while I called Nissan.  Once again, I was reminded of how I should never, EVER, forget how God's mercy is given in His perfect timing.  Nissan told us that the transmission had been recalled and all expenses were covered including the rental car to get us home.

We arrived home Monday afternoon but not until after seeing a tow truck (Cannon's FAVORITE part of this trip) tow away mommy's truck.

Remember the bible verse I heard on the way to work Friday morning?

 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." 

This verse is one of my favorites!  I have a plaque on my desk that I have had since 1999.  I have taken it to every job I've had and it reminds me everyday....even when broken down with two toddlers on the side of the interstate, miles and miles away from home with no clean clothes and nobody to call to pick us up, GOD IS GOOD!  Period!  End of story!

Potty Time...again!

Potty time, part II.  With the kids fourteen months apart, we are repeating things a lot in the toddlers years.  It's amazing though how we seem to forget even the simple things from one year to the next.  At this point we are just introducing the potty to Caroline.  I still think she is pretty young to grasp the concept but since she will be moving up to the 2K class at school, she needs to get on board with what the older kids are doing.  She will be the youngest child by about five months and we all know that five months can make a huge difference in the life of a toddler. 

 

As you see, she loves to sit and pretend.   

 

And for now, I'm okay with that. 

 

Will keep you posted!

 

 

 

Hijacked!

I received my Kindle for my birthday back in March; however, it has been hijacked by my three year-old!

  

 

Glad to see he turns it off and saves the battery life. 

 

Sweet dreams, Cannon!

 

 

Numbers

As a parent there is nothing that brings me more joy than to see my children learning.  Whether it's learning a new song or a new color, it never gets old discovering what those little brains have been soaking up and learning.

This weekend Aaron and I learned that Cannon knows his numbers in Spanish up to ten and Caroline knows her numbers up to twelve.  Not sure why we are surprised, they are pretty much where they need to be with learning but these were just things that made us proud.

Thank you to all the wonderful Cross School teachers for loving and teaching my kids.  Y'all are the best!!

Silly Girl

Sometimes you just have to laugh!

 

 

 

 

Pool Time

Well, I must admit that we are not pool people.  Why should we?  We have the Atlantic Ocean less than 20 minutes from our house.  We love the beach so we never thought of attempting to enjoy our little 'ol pool in our little 'ol neighborhood.

Well, I was so very wrong!  We are loving our pool!  The kids get their floaties strapped on and away they go.  Kicking and dog paddling around, jumping off the side time and time again which seems to never get old.  There is a "beach entry" so I can sit in the water and get my tan on too.  Life is good at the beach but on some days......life is good at the pool!



4th of July aka.....Daddy's Birthday

Having a day off in the middle of the week kinda throws us off but........we will take it!!!  This special day off was to celebrate 4th of July but in our house, we celebrate Daddy's birthday.

We took it easy during the day then headed down to Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island with a few other THOUSAND people to watch the fireworks.  The kids had fun on the big playground and seeing all the big boats in the marina.  Everyone enjoyed the fireworks show except Cannon.  He has just come to not like loud noises.  As you can see, he tried with everything he had not to enjoy the show.  My heart was broken.  I just can't get through to him at this age that there is absolutely nothing to be in fear of when it comes to watching big bright lights up in the nightly sky.

And on a side note:  I usually write this blog to capture the fun times of my kids lives; however, this night out with friends watching a beautiful fireworks show on a nice July evening on Hilton Head Island turned VERY bad.  Sea Pines is a large plantation so we parked and got bussed over to the events that night.  That took all of 10 minutes.  Waiting for the bus to pick us up and take us back to our car after the show, took almost 2 hours.  I had an exhausted three year-old in my arms while Aaron (on his birthday) had an exhausted two year-old in his arms.  We were in line with hundreds and hundreds of other people in a parking lot that was very hot and humid.  After an hour and half, I lost it.  Yes, I have the patience of Jobe but when my kids were crying asking to go home, this momma had had enough.  I told the next bus driver that if I wasn't the next one on the bus then all hell was going to happen.  The VERY sweet people around me saw all of this happening.  Remember, they were in line with us too for those hours waiting for the bus.  The next bus came and almost everyone allowed me and my children on first.  It was a very kind gesture and they are strangers I will never be able to thank in person but I'm so grateful. 

I hope Daddy will remember his 38th birthday by the smiles on Cannon & Caroline's face and the fun of being with his children and not by his wife going off on a bus driver at 11:30 at night!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

and

Happy Birthday, USA!

 

 

 

It wouldn't be Caroline if she didn't have to go in timeout!

 

 

Cannon's BFF

I can't believe that at the very young age of three my child can already tell you who his best buddy is in his life.  Not only tell you his name but pray for him, tells me how much he loves him and never puts on a baseball t-shirt without letting me know how excited he will be to show, LOGAN.

Cannon and Logan have been together in the same class since they were 18 months old.  They are two peas in a pod, jointed at the hip and BFF's!

Tonight while jumping in bed, Cannon shouted out that he loves you, Logan.  Today you weren't at school.  Cannon came home to tell me all about his day.  A day that wasn't filled with fun because he couldn't share it with you.

 

2012 Wheat Family Vacation

Hard to believe that TWO years have passed since we were all on vacation for a week.  Of course, these cousins get to see each other throughout the year with Grandma W. so spending a week together doing extra fun things is just a bonus!

This years destination.........DISNEY WORLD!!!!

Like the three previous vacations, we picked Florida but the difference this year was that we picked a date outside of hurricane season so (drum roll......) we got to spend seven days and it only rained on us ONCE.  Ha!  No seriously though, I must thank Grandma W. for having this timeshare for our family. The cousins enjoyed being together, us adults enjoyed the nights out on the patio with a glass of wine/beer and the week away from work was well deserved.  I thank Pamela too for being our Disney tour guide most of the time and knowing when and where we should be to catch all the best action at the parks.  I pray that our next trip will be one we can enjoy Kevin more.  He has been busy with the Army Reserve and as much as we miss him, we couldn't be more proud of him for all he is doing.

And now for our Walt Disney World fun timeline.....

Grandma W. getting her babies clean to go see Mickey!

 

DAY ONE - Magic Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY TWO -

Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

 

 

DAY THREE - Poolside

 

 

DAY FOUR - Magic Kingdom

 

 

 

DAY FIVE - Sea World

 

 

 

DAY SIX - Epcot