Just a day in the life

This is Tyler's swim class (he's the white kid on the right). His classes are over now, but as usual I'm late posting them. He was able to hold his breath under water for about 10 seconds and float on his back.
He is starting soccer now, which he asked to do. He always wants to be doing something, we don't make him...it's his choice! When I was five all I wanted to do was play and watch TV, but Tyler likes to keep active, so that's good.


This is how Loralai likes to sleep for naps...face down with her head inbetween two pillows.
Loralai loves dressing up now, always has something for dress up. If she doesn't have her dress up clothes on, she is never without a purse, phone, and baby. I took her to storytime at the library today and she had a good time. It took a little bit for her to pay attention, she was much too interested in taking all of the contents out of my purse, which is starting to drive me crazy. I now have to only take what I absolutely need wherever I go and leave the purse at home, because she is becoming obsessive over my purse and I'm losing patience. Loralai has also started fake burping. She will drink milk, then make a burping sound and cover her mouth and giggle. I can tell it's fake, but she thinks it's hilarious. It is pretty funny, today at the library she was doing it, but it is becoming more of a habit. She just takes a drink from her sippy cup and then fake burps and goes on about her business. Like it is just something everyone does when they are done drinking.

Kindergarten

Tyler has now been a kindergartner for two weeks now! He really likes it and is getting used to the long hours. Last year, he was in preschool and it was only Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-1pm. Now he is in school Monday through Friday. I take him around 7:45-8:00am and pick him up at 2:45pm. He really wants to ride the bus, but our house is so close to the school it is just so easy for me to take him and pick him up. Plus, I'm not that ready yet for him to ride the bus. I know kids do it everyday and it is totally fine, but I love taking him and picking him up. So I'm trying to convince him to wait to ride the bus in first grade, but I might have to cave in and let him start after Christmas if he is persistant.
At the end of every week the teacher sends home a progress report to let you know how your child is doing in school. On Friday of Tyler's second week he had an "x" next to "Listens well and follows directions". So I asked Tyler what it was for and he said he didn't come in from the playground when he was supposed to and had to lose one of his coins. I could tell he was sad about it, so I didn't punish him anymore....I feel like the teacher taking his coin was enough. The following Monday was parent/teacher night so we went and after it was over Tyler's teacher came over to us and told us what happened. She said Tyler and another little boy were playing on the rock wall in the playground and in their own world. She blew the whistle three times and eventually sent the teacher's aide out to get them. Tyler said he didn't even hear the whistle and he was really sad and about to cry. He kept saying, "But I'm sorry". After he had to move his coin, he went up to the teacher and said, "My mom forgot to change my batteries, I couldn't hear very good". He has used this one on me before, but this was new to the teacher. Anyway, she thought it was so funny and wanted to let us know. I really like his teacher and the teaching assistant. There is also only 17 kids in the class, which is nice. I signed up to help every week for the "cooking craft". I am really excited about it and I told Tyler. He said, "Every week? You don't have to come every week, mom. Just let the real teachers handle it." I will have to make sure to not call him "baby" and "sugar", then he really won't want me coming.

Stressful Morning

This is an old picture but I love it, she was 5 months old in this photo.

Yesterday morning (Sunday), I woke up with a migraine headache. I opened my eyes from sleep and the sunlight peeking around the shutters was too much light for me. So I managed to get the kids dressed with my eyes barely open and Drew and Tyler went to church. The plan was for Loralai to stay home with me and watch TV while I laid on the couch. On this particular morning, Loralai was not interested in the TV. So after Drew and Tyler left for church, I put on several different shows including the Wiggles, Boobah, Teletubbies, Curious George, and Super Why!, all of which she will watch on occasion except for the morning I have a migraine. I don't get migraines often...in fact I can count on one hand the amount of migraines I have had in my entire life. They are awful! I was nauseous too from the pain. Okay, so I laid down and she played around me for a little while, but she was pulling on my hair, my arms, my legs trying to get me up. So I felt like I could probably drive to the mall and let her play in the little play area that she loves and I could just sit and watch from the bench in the play area.

So I get in the car and realize that we have just a little gas left in the tank. So I drive to the gas station and try to roll the windows down. I accidentally pushed the lock button instead and then shut the door and I realized that Loralai was locked in the van! No windows open and it is hot, but thankfully the sun was hidden behind clouds. I started to panic, I was so upset and I felt bad and Loralai knew something was wrong and she started crying "Mommy, mommy!! Out! Out!" So there was this teenage boy at the next pump over and I borrow his phone to call Drew first, but of course he doesn't answer because he is probably in the middle of a sermon at that point. So I give the kid his phone back and run into the gas station. I am full blown panic mode now. I run in and just yell, "I just locked my baby girl in the car! Somebody tell me what to do!" Immediately a man hands me his phone, tells me to call 911 and I do. So I was told by the operator they would send a fire truck out. Loralai has now been in the car for almost 5 minutes with no air from the air conditioner or outside. I run back to the car and she is looking at me saying, "Hot! hot!!" and crying and reaching for me. So I have not managed to stay calm yet, but I decide now would be a good time. So I say, "Hey Loralai, lets sing some songs you like!" So I start with "If your happy and you know it clap your hands" Then I move on to "Jesus Loves Me". She starts saying ,"Queen, Queen!" So I start singing "Dancing Queen" and she is claping and moving. Then another guy pulls up next to me and he can tell I'm crying and singing Dancing Queen and knows something isn't right. I am crying and I asked him if he had a hammer so I could break in the window and get Loralai out. He told me no, but at that moment the firetruck pulls up, opens the window in about 15 seconds, and I get Loralai out. She was only in the car about 15 minutes, but it felt like forever! Loralai was of course fine, and when I got her cooled off and gave her some water, it was like nothing happened. I just freaked out and lost my mind, I kept thinking the worst!

I am so thankful to all the helpful people who were at the gas station. I had so many people offer help. I had a much different experience when I lost Tyler at the Barnes and Nobles in Indianapolis. I screamed for help and NO ONE helped. The firemen that opened my door were wonderful and did a great job reassuring me and keeping me calm. After writing this down, it is amazing how I freaked out over something so minor, I'm sure the firemen must have thought I was a little dramatic. I'm sure the migraine had something to do with it!

Loralai at the hotel on our vacation. In the middle of changing her doll's diaper she wanted to sample her baby's toy bottle.

Kool-Aid Stand

Tyler has been asking to set up a kool-aid stand for a couple of weeks now, but I was afraid it was too hot, so I kept telling him to wait until it cooled off. I then realized that it could be a couple of months before it cooled off, so I lathered them up in sunscreen and we set up our kool-aid stand. We had sugar free cherry kool-aid, Dora and Diego cups, and ice in the cooler.
Thirty minutes into selling the kool-aid, Tyler was getting bored and hot.
Drew came out to offer support, while Loralai and I watch from the window. He ended up making $3.50, which he was very happy about. He asked me if he could buy a baseball stadium. He happily settled for three toys from the dollar store instead.

Loralai at church

I just took this picture of Loralai during the nursery class at church. I was in the nursery that day during the worship service and we had just finished a snack of goldfish crackers. Loralai and three other kids her age were sitting around the table and I took a picture of each one, they were all in especially good moods that day. It's funny how different boys and girls react to certain kid songs. After this photo was taken we sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and I gave each child a baby to hold thinking they would hug the baby or pat the baby or something like that. Loralai was the only girl in class and she hugged and hugged the baby. One of the little boys just pushed the baby away. The other two boys threw there baby across the room and laughed and laughed. Then when we sang "Lord's army", the boys really got into the song and tried to do hand motions and even sing a couple of words. Loralai just shook her head no, and reached for the baby doll.

Nashville/Fall Creek Falls

We spent a few days visiting friends in Nashville and then we went to Fall Creek Falls, TN for a family vacation. We got to see our friends Will and Linda Frye who we knew from Indianapolis but they recently moved to Nashville to retire. We met our good friends Frank and Andrea Spiceland and their three boys at the Frye's house and spent a few days there catching up and playing a lot of chicken leg! Tyler loved seeing JD and Josiah again and Loralai and Jeremiah got along really well. In fact Loralai tried to kiss Jeremiah a couple of times, and he didn't seem to mind!

After our visit we headed over to Fall Creek Falls. We rode horses, saw waterfalls and got to sleep right next to the lake....in the morning we would wake up and walk right out to the lake, it was really beautiful. Tyler rode a horse by himself and did a great job hanging on. We also got to go to a snake show put on by the park and Tyler got to touch one of the big snakes.

I don't know how to flip the picture around, but the picture of me, Drew, and Tyler was taken after we drove to the main waterfall, seen above right. We drove, then walked about 10 minutes to the lookout point. Loralai was asleep in the car....no of course we didn't leave her alone! Tyler said he liked riding his horse but that the one in front of him kept pooping and he didn't like that. Loralai is still a little young to ride a horse but in a few years we will get her on one. I enjoyed it for about the first 30 minutes. I told Drew I was pretending like I was in a romance novel. Then after 30 minutes I was drenched in sweat and my knees were really sore and the romance ended and I was ready to get off. I didn't say this to anyone, I didn't want to whine, and if I had the opportunity I would definitely ride a horse again!

Trying to catch up

I am so far behind with blogging! We have had a busy summer, so I want to post pictures from our day trip to Yellow River Game Ranch. We went about a month ago and it was so much fun, better than the zoo. When you arrive at the Ranch, you go inside a small barn and buy your tickets, which are very cheap, and then you can buy food to feed the animals. We bought carrots, lettuce, peanuts, and graham crackers. Then once you open the back door of the barn, you start the trail and waiting at the door are deer. Loralai was not that impressed with the deer. She was scared at first. She eventually got a little more comfortable with all the animals around, she just didn't like to share her food. She held onto the same carrot for an hour looking around, not even eating it, just making sure none of the animals came for it. Tyler fed donkeys, black bears, goats, horses, buffalo, foxes, doves, rabbits, and others I just can't remember them all.

We had one deer that followed us around the entire ranch, it was the sweetest animal. I asked Tyler what his favorite animal was and he said the deer and I asked him his least favorite animal and he said it was the donkey because his teeth were too dirty. Loralai can say deer and a few other animal names and I asked her her favorite and she just shook her head no and said "deer". I think Loralai could do without going to the game ranch for awhile, but I think she will enjoy it when she is older.