Today and next week.

We made it through the day!

I felt very happy today when I went to pick up the boys. I walked over to get Thomas and found him in the corner. He then looked up at me, his lip started to quiver, and huge tears developed in his eyes. He ran over to give me a hug, which then started the water works with me. Fortunately, I was wearing sunglasses. We gave Miss K a final hug and rounded the corner to get Matthew.

I found him standing near his teacher with tears streaming down his face. His teacher was crying as well. I will miss Matthew's teacher so much. She has become a dear friend. I have been blessed to become good friends with two of Matthew's teachers! We got in the car, and I told the boys they had a few minutes to be sad and miss their teachers and classes. Then, we needed to get excited about our trip, summertime, and being one year older! This seemed to work, and we are all happy again.

Our trip is less than two days away! I will be busy packing tomorrow, but I will give a brief itenerary so you will know where to specifically pray that we don't get a flat tire! :)

Sunday:
Waco to Colorado.
On the way, I hope to see a very dear friend from childhood! So thrilled!

Monday:
Spend time in Colorado Springs.
Head to Denver where I also hope to see a dear friend. Dear friends 1 and 2 were two of my favorite people from growing up days. So many wonderful memories, the three of us together!
Make our way to mid Wyoming.

Tuesday:
See Devils Tower
Dip into Montana
Mt. Rushmore

Wednesday:
Crazy Horse monument (anyone see this on the Today show last week?)
Start heading south
See Chimney Rock

spend the remainder of Wednesday and Thursday to get home.

Of course, plans can change, but after working on this for the past month, I am fairly confident that this will be a great trip!

Look for a new post next Friday!

First and Last Day of School Pictures

Wow! We woke up really late this morning, so the pictures aren't great from this morning, but doesn't my little Thomas look like a big boy?

Another season over.

Well, it is 10:30 the night before school gets out, and our baseball season is finally over.

During the middle of baseball season, I was cursing myself for even signing him up.

It took away our dinners as a family.

It screwed up bedtimes.

We sat in bitter cold, blustering wind, scorching heat.

I watched him gracefully accept the fact that he was not one of the strongest players on the team, as he was one of the youngest. This made him quite the bench warmer at the beginning of the season.

My heart would sink if Matthew struck out.

I hurt when I saw the 3rd graders pick on the 2nd graders on the team.

I was counting down the days until it ended.

Then...

Tonight, I sat there with the parents I have come to love over the past few months.

I watched Mary Beth race around laughing with her new best friends.

I watched Thomas cheer his brother on.

I watched him improve every game and spend most of the time in the field.

I watched us win in the last inning.

I watched as the coach huddle up the kids. I heard him ask team, for the first time, who should take home the game winning ball. I choked up when the whole team, big 3rd graders and all, started immediately chanting, "Matthew! Matthew! Matthew!" That was a moment I will cherish.


Now I am counting down the days until next season...

End of school parties

This morning, we had the end of the year parties at school. Our P.T.A. rents inflatables for the kids, and they enjoy an hour of free time. It was a fun/extremely hot morning. Mary Beth, never one to hide her displeasures, showed how she felt when I told her little siblings were not allowed on the inflatables!

I enjoyed visiting with my P.T.A. friends during the parties. I feel so blessed by my friendships on P.T.A! I am going to miss everyone over the summer!

Thomas

Ahhh, Wednesday!

Wednesdays are always my favorite mornings with Mary Beth. We are enjoying our last "stinky boy free" Wednesday morning! I am taking a quick Sesame Street break to write down a few thoughts.

First of all, I wanted to record a funny conversation from last night. We were all sitting down to eat, and Mary Beth shared something with Thomas. I said, "You are such a sweet sister!" Mary Beth looked at me with a huge, saccarine smile, and said, "Mommy, I couldn't have done it without you!" Already practicing for the academy awards!

I wrote down a few thoughts on Mary Beth and Matthew last week. Now it's Thomas's turn. I am always shocked at the difference in the beginning and end of kindergarten. Thomas is just a big, school kid now!

*He has grown 2 1/2 inches this year, and is one of the tallest kids in his class. He is built just like Bryon, so I know he will be a tall dude!

*He loves school, and cannot wait to be a first grader! He wasn't anxious about starting school, and is excited about having a break. The child is LAID BACK and takes everything in stride.

*Thomas is very gentle. He tells me that he and another friend are the only boys allowed to play with the girls on the play ground!

*He has been blessed with an extraordinary gift of compassion for others. He considers it a bad day if one of his friends gets in trouble at school. Conversely, if someone in his class succeeds at something, he can't wait to tell me about it with a huge smile on his face. Yesterday, I found him face on the floor praying. I asked him what he was praying for. He said he was praying for Matthew that he get an award at the end of school. This is my favorite part of Thomas, and I can't wait to see this gift in him as he grows.

*Thomas is a MAMA'S BOY! It is still his mission every morning to give me the first kiss. He races in, kisses me, then says, "Final, infinity beyond, no changes, and forever does it now!" If he says this before Bryon or Matthew says "Erase!", then he has succeeded in giving me the first kiss. If Bryon tries to kiss him, he yells "Erase!" because he only wants Mama kisses. I am enjoying every second of this!

*He is my messiest child. He doesn't mean to be, he just is. He looks at food and gets it on his face or clothes. If something spills, you can bet it was Thomas.

*Thomas is strong. He can easily tackle his brother and they are equally matched when they wrestle.

*Thomas LOVES to talk to anyone who will listen to him! At the end of school day, he has to say goodbye to all of the kindergarten teachers. If I lose sight of him for a minute, I usually find him having a big conversation with an adult. However, he doesn't like to tell me a lot of stuff that goes on at school. He hates to answer the question, "How was your day?" Once, he said, "I will tell you one more time what happened today, but I don't want to tell you again until I am a first grader, because we do the same things every day."

*He is as white as the driven snow, and gets freckles on his nose every summer.

*Thomas enjoys video games and computer games. I have to limit him to 30 minutes a day.

*He loves games more than anyone in the family. Until the madness of baseball this spring, Thomas and I played SkipBo daily. I am looking forward to life slowing down so we can play regularly again.

*He has a real knack for numbers. He loves puzzles and games that cause him to use his math skills. He also loves reading chapter books.

Love my Sweety T!

The past few days...

Friday was a really fun day. Our family has been tracking the progress of our little baby cardinal, shown in the picture a few posts back. Exactly one week after hatching, our little bird flew out of his nest! We spent the morning watching the big event, and I think cardinals may have surpassed hummingbirds as my favorite bird. All morning, the mother and dad hovered over their baby. They flew up to the top of our fence then right back down near the baby, I guess to demonstrate how to fly. If another bird came close, the dad went ballistic! We were still able to find the baby after school. Matthew took the picture above.

We enjoyed a busy weekend. We weren't able to go out of town because of activities, so we enjoyed a quiet Memorial Day. We did get to cook out on Sunday and eat Mom's famous sugar cookies. Mary Beth even matches her cookies!

This morning was the 2nd grade poetry reading. Matthew recited two poems: My teacher loves her iPod and Mt. Rushmore. Matthew is wearing the wig my grandmother wore during her chemotherapy! It's always nice to get two uses out of things, right?

Speaking of Mt. Rushmore, we have been in major planning mode all weekend. We will actually be at Mt. Rushmore one week from now! We have been briefed on the best security measures. Bryon is going to teach me how to change a tire this week (my biggest fear), and Lauren and I will be loaded down with personal protection devices. We are also planning the trip where we will almost never be outside at night. I feel really good about the trip, and am anxious to hit the road.

We are also trying to enjoy every minute of this week. For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I have a hard time saying goodbye. I have loved this year, and I will be sad to leave our situation. Matthew is a lot like me this way. He gets really sad the last week of school. Thomas, on the other hand, can't wait to be out of kindergarten to be a first grader!

What a week!

Even by our nutty standards, this was a CRAZY week! I didn't have my camera at all of our events, but here are some pictures that really capture our week. They consist of piano recital, academic fair, Mother's Day Out program, baseball, and finally Thomas's kindergarten graduation. I also added a few from last week's track day. I will write more on Thomas and graduation tomorrow, but enjoy the show! Put your cursor on the pictures as many of them have captions.

He had me at "Hello"!

I was so shocked and thrilled last night when David Cook was crowned American Idol! He has been my absolute favorite since he sang Lionel Ritchie's "Hello" in the top 24. It seems unpatriotic perhaps to say, but David Archuleta has annoyed me from the beginning. I know he has a beautiful voice, but his "Awww, shucks"-ness grated on my nerves. I was sad on Tuesday night, because I thought it was a given that little David would be the winner.

Matthew asked yesterday if we could have a "watch party" last night! I put the little two down to sleep early while Matthew was at practice, and the three of us watched the finale after baseball.

Here is another of my favorite songs from David Cook. I have never bought a cd from an American Idol contestant, but I think I will this time!

Mary Beth

 

 

 

 

Each one of the kids has an end of the year hoop-di-do this week! Matthew had his academic fair on Monday, Thomas has kindergarten graduation tomorrow night, but last night was Mary Beth's time to shine. We went to the first part of Matthew's game, got completely hot and sweaty (summer has arrived in FULL FORCE this week) and went off to the Mother's Day Out program. I have had a child at Mother's Day Out for 8 years, and we are going to a different preschool next year for Mary Beth, so it was a little sad last night, I must admit. The program was sweet and all the kids were adorable.

Bryon left after ME's "formance" to get back to Matthew's game, so I drove the younger two home. I asked Thomas what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said, "I want to be a Daddy." Mary Beth didn't miss a beat and said, "Thomas, you have GOT to be kidding me! You are going to be an astronaut, and I am going to be a princess!"

This is just a typical thing that comes out of Little ME Lou's mouth on a daily basis. The things she says are just so funny, and she talks like a teenager sometimes! Here are a few other things going on in Mary Beth's world.

*I don't know if you have gotten the memo, but Mary Beth's birthday is only three months away. She has been talking about her birthday party daily for months. If she is upset at someone, the offending party is disinvited to her birthday party. This is particularly interesting when she disinvites me to her party! If Mama ain't comin'...NOBODY's comin', girlfriend! She goes back and forth between an Ariel party, Barbie, or Helly Killo. She will also get up several times before she falls asleep to add things to her wish list. At the top of the list is make up in a bag and an Ariel vanity.

*She has a very raspy voice. My brother thinks she sounds like Stevie Nicks!

*She loves to sing with a fake vibrato. Hilarious!

*Mary Beth remains very social. She loves hanging out at her brothers' games and makes friends with each new team. Her best friend is still Whitney. Mary Beth and Whitney have been known to laugh non stop for hours.

*Mary Beth loves giving me not so subliminal messages. When she wants something, she says, "Can I have a pink purse? Say yes!"

*Other than being a princess, she wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

*Tomatoes are still her favorite thing to eat...other than ice cream.

*She loves to say something silly, pause, then say, "Kidding!" with an emphasis on the "G" at the end.

*Mary Beth still sleeps curled in a ball with her bottom in the air.

*She loves to watch SuperWhy, the Wiggles, and Max and Ruby.

*Her favorite book is Bad Kitty.

I will never forget the first day of school this year. We dropped the boys off and spent the day shopping and eating a nice lunch together. I remember being excited about our two years together, just the two of us during the day, for the first time in her life. I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone. I can truly say that I have enjoyed every minute with her. She is such a fun and easy companion.

My 8 1/2 year old, Matthew

Matthew had his half birthday yesterday, so he is officially 8 1/2! Here is a little of what my little man is up to these days:

*He has really shot up! I measure him every year at the beginning and end of school. He has grown 3 1/2 inches since August! His feet are huge (I wear his socks), and his ring finger is too big to fit my wedding ring on.

*He is a night owl, and, consequently, not a morning person.

*He continues to be very competitive and wants to do things faster and better than he is expected to do.

*His last name is Barnhill, but he looks like, is built like, and has the temperament of a Robinson. He does seem to have Bryon's energy level and enthusiasm!

*He is very ticklish and cracks up easily. If you make him laugh, he usually doubles over in laughter!

*The most remarkable thing about Matthew is his memory. He recalls events that happened years ago that there are no pictures of, or we haven't mentioned in conversation. He also can hear a song once and start singing the words of the verses the next time he hears it.

*He has really turned into a Daddy's boy this year. This makes me a little sad (although Bryon says this is only fair as Thomas is a huge Mama's boy!), but I think this has something to do developmentally with identifying with the same sex parent. He agrees with everything Bryon says, and wants to be with him all the time.

*I have really felt him detaching a bit this year, and becoming more independent. He is busy with his school work and activities, and can handle these without much assistance. He also spends more time riding his bike around our neighborhood and not under constant supervision from me.

*He continues to be my most challenging child. I have had to hone my parenting skills with this guy! I guess, we as parents, have to have one like this to keep us humble! He is perfect at school and for Bryon, but he loves pushing my buttons from time to time. But, just when I think I want to kill him, he turns around and becomes a sweet, quite, and contemplative little man who is an absolute joy to hang out with.

*Matthew's hair is a force to be reckoned with! It is thick and very coarse. One of these days, I will have to take a picture of him in the morning. He looks like Dagwood from the Blondie comics. His hair defies gravity and stands at a 90 degree angle from his head. And don't think that wetting his hair calms it down. The stuff is like a Brillo pad! It has been a while since we cut it, and it is getting long in the back. I cut his side burns and bangs yesterday which THRILLS him, because he thinks he has a mullet. It is his life's ambition to wear a mullet. Where does this kid come from?!

I am ready for the summer break to get to spend more time with Matthew!

Matthew had his end of the year piano recital yesterday, and here is a clip of his duet with his teacher.

Fabulous!

Without exaggeration, Mary Elizabeth in this outfit is one of the cutest things I have ever seen! The outfit is nuclear pink! How appropriate for my all pink, all the time ME Lou.

This week, we received ME's ballet/tap recital costume, and we had her pictures done yesterday. Trying on the outfit has been a great source of leverage for me. She has been going to bed on time, not fussing, etc. all for the ability to try on her costume during the day. Her dance recital is three weeks away. We can't wait!

Baby Cardinal!

I didn't realize that baby birds would be the subject of two of my blogs this week, but I thought I would share this picture! Mary Beth and I were walking through our garden this afternoon, and I found a nest in my arbor. I peeked in and found this handsome little cardinal! He looks pretty new especially given that his sibling still hasn't hatched! What a fun surprise!

Track Day!

Always one of the biggest events of the year! We were blessed with beautiful, crisp and cool weather for Track Day this year. Here are a few pictures from the morning. I love when I catch Matthew's hair mid bounce!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

We are expecting again! (Baby birds, that is.)

They say that the three most important things when talking about housing are location...location...location. I am sure that this is even true in the animal world. If so, one little sparrow is probably regretting his choice in real estate.

I have been noticing lately, that when I open my front door, a bird flies off. Perhaps, I have been too busy to notice the past week, but today, I did some investigating. It turns out that a sparrow looked at my spring wreath, and thought the backside of it would make a great home for her four babies! Stephanie, do you remember me getting this wreath in Canton on our trip there a few years ago?

I am excited about the new arrivals, but am worried that five people going in and out of the door will give the mother bird a heart attack! Maybe we will just use the side entrance for the next few weeks!

Middle of the week..looking back then forward.

I haven't written yet about Mother's Day! I had a great day with my family on Sunday. Each child gave me a gift, and I think my favorite this year was a new baseball glove from Matthew! I mentioned earlier that we play catch in the backyard, and I usually wear Thomas's glove when we are playing. I can't use Bryon's because he is a lefty!

So, we spent the beautiful day playing catch in the yard with my new glove. One funny thing, is that Matthew complained all last month about how his neck was bothering him. He kept moving his neck around, and when he had his baseball helmet on, looked like a bobble head. Well, after several hours of catching fly balls on Sunday, I have suffered from a very sore neck the past few days. I can now understand where the bobble head came from!

I also received a new coffee maker, and it is the coolest thing. It actually grinds the beans in the machine before brewing the coffee. I have jumped up every morning to make the coffee, which is usually Bryon's job!

We have a busy weekend planned with three birthday parties, a ladies function at church Saturday morning that I am singing/preparing the food for, ballet pictures, and Matthew's piano recital! Should be fun!

Empire Strikes Barack

It doesn't matter if you are a liberal or conservative, soccer mom or NASCAR dad....this is hilarious!

Who doesn't love all things Star Wars?

Don't Cry For Me, Woodway Elementary!

There are lots of fun days in school, but "Roof Day" is perhaps the most anticipated day of the year at our school. This is the day that our principal spends the day on the roof spraying all the kids with water. All the kids brings towels and a change of clothes. If the kids make their A.R. goals, they get to eat a picnic lunch outside. If a child earns over 300 A.R. points, they get the honor of being on the roof with the principal, vice principal, and librarian while their grade is outside.

I think Matthew was looking forward to this day almost as much as Christmas Day!

I pulled up to school and found the second graders outside ready to get sprayed. They all were eagerly watching the roof ready to get sprayed. Matthew hadn't shown his face yet. All of the sudden, Matthew appeared holding his hands in the air, and the entire second grade down below burst into cheers. I swear, it was like a scene of Evita! It was a fun hour, and the first time all year that I got really hot. Almost summer!
Thomas also had his track day today. Love kindergarten track day! I still remember my kindergarten track day. I won an award for being the first in my class to blow a bubble. Yes, I am a woman of many talents!

Those fabulous Barnhill boys!

I am having an absolute love affair with my boys right now. I think before I had kids, I would have totally been fine if I had had 5 girls. I just didn't realize how much I would adore the whole boy thing. These are some pictures I took last night. We spend a ton of time in the back yard catching fly balls, practicing pitching/batting, and just playing catch.

Sometimes, I think that boys get a bad wrap. I actually had a pregnant "friend" one day tell me, while I was standing with preschool Matthew and infant Thomas, that she just couldn't IMAGINE having a boy. Too much energy and too loud. Can you believe someone would say that to me?!!

So here is my tribute to my little boys...

I love that they still want me to throw the ball with them.

I love that Matthew gets excited that he can still "juke" me playing soccer.

I love their sweaty faces and stinky, grass covered feet.

I love comforting Thomas when he finds out that Shaun Alexander was released from his Seahawks contract.

I love the difference in the boys when they have the ball. Matthew is extremely focused and serious. Thomas giggles and has a huge smile on his face when he is in control of the ball!

I love hearing them giggle in their room before (and sometimes after) I threaten them with punishments. The would talk/laugh until midnight if I let them!

I love Matthew giving Thomas a hug when Thomas tearfully says that he only has two more years in school with Matthew until high school.

I love Thomas telling me that he doesn't want to get married because he already lives with the most beautiful girl in the whole world. I do believe that he could have asked me for a pony that day, and I would have given it to him! ;)

I love Matthew starting to call his buddies by their last names.

I love that we have transitioned from Gymboree and Dillards to Academy when looking for clothes! Love the athletic shorts and cleats.

I love spending my nights at the ball fields. (mostly)

I love discussing the NFL draft at the dinner table.

I just love my boys, and wanted to share that today.