Looking forward to Fall!

I am starting to get that feeling that Fall is right around the corner! Yippee! My soul is happiest in the fall. Heaven to me is crisp autumn air, homes decorated with pumpkins, chili and apple pie, school buses, falling leaves, soccer games, and football on tv. Next to my children's laughter, no other sound puts a smile on my face like football on TV!

I am looking forward to what I anticipate to be a great Fall. Our schedule is set, and I am going to try to have set chores every day. Mondays, I will do any necessary PTA work, respond to emails. Tuesdays, I will work, and do one organizational project. Wednesdays is work, and grocery store day. Thursdays, major cooking day. Fridays will be laundry and work. I am anxious to test out my new system!

*The boys will be busy with soccer and piano. So far, school is going great. Matthew is LOVING 3rd grade! He loves that he gets to keep everything in a huge binder, and that he is not a primary grade anymore. He has come home everyday with interesting lessons learned during the day. Your guess is as good as mine with Thomas' day. He hates giving me details about school, but seems to be really happy! Mary Beth is loving preschool as well.

*I have a large stack of books sitting on my nightstand that I intend to get through this fall, and maybe this winter:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
If I Am Missing Or Dead (book club selection this month)
Interpreter of Maladies
Brideshead Revisited
The Memory of Running
Vile Bodies
The Worst Hard Time
Garden Spells
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
The Pillars of the Earth
Bel Canto
Frenchman Creek
The Beach House
The Shack (I started reading this week, but it is making me very sad!)

I always love hearing commentaries on books, so if you have read any of these, let me know what you think!

*Also this fall, I am hosting our book club at my house. We are reading The Thirteenth Tale, which I read last winter. I love how the author writes, and think it will be an interesting discussion.

*We are tentatively planning a trip to Alabama to watch a Bama game in October. Hope this works out!

*After two years of living in our house, we are doing a master bedroom and office redo in the next few weeks. I have been watching HGTV like crazy trying to get ideas!

*For the first time, I will be hosting Thanksgiving at my house! We always go to my in law's house for the holiday, as do my sister and brother. This year, my sister will be almost to her due date, so I am having my parents, sister and family, my in laws and family at our house for the holiday. I can't wait!

That's all for now! I can't decide if I want to crack open a book, or watch a little college football!

First Day!

Well, this morning went off without a hitch! Everyone is happy and all is well in the world. I got to spend quite a bit of time with Matthew's teacher yesterday getting her room ready for math, and I love her! I can't wait to pick the boys up in an hour to see how their days went!

This weekend

So much has gone on the past few days!

First of all, we found out who the boys would have as teachers on Wednesday night. Thomas has who Matthew had for first grade. I am looking forward to being with her again! She called Thomas and they talked on the phone for 15 minutes. Thomas spent lots of time in her classroom as a preschooler, so he feels very comfortable there.

Matthew has a teacher who has been teaching at the school for 25 years. I hear that she is a great teacher and she does lots of fun things with the kids. I am not as excited about 3rd grade as I have been about the rest. The kids change classes and tons of time is spent devoted to getting ready for the TAKS test. Matthew can't wait to take the test, so he is ready to go!

Both boys had their first soccer games on Saturday. We have had cool, cloudy weather all week, but the oppressive heat came back just in time for soccer! I had butterflies in my stomach on the way to the field. Thomas is no longer in what he calls "Tiny Town". They play on a full field, and Thomas was goalie! I was worried that a bunch of goals would be scored on him, but he did great! Out of around 10 shots on goal, Thomas blocked all but 2. He was thrilled with this, so I was too! Matthew played well, and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed spending my Saturdays on the soccer fields!

Saturday night, we had a Sunday school class back to school swim party and potluck. We have a great class, and I am ready for the new year. This is our last day at home together, so we have been watching Camp Rock, watching cartoons, and playing Wii. All the things that will go by the wayside when school starts tomorrow!

Exsadded about the end of summer.

I asked Matthew the other day if he was sad or excited about starting school. He said, "I am sad and excited. I am exsadded!"

I am ready for school to start, but I will look back with wonderful memories of this summer. The kids and I were talking about our favorite things of this summer. Here is what we came up with:

1. Going to Mt. Rushmore.
2. Going to Rhode Island.
3. Traveling over 8,000 miles through 25 states.
4. Baylor baseball camp (Matthew).
5. Baylor basketball camp (Thomas).
6. Sports camp
7. Music camp
8. Matthew getting to play piano in Houston.
9. Going to Galveston.
10. Going to San Antonio.
11. Watching Michael Phelps break the Olympic record.
12. Fourth of July parade.
13. Hanging out with neighborhood friends and starting a neighborhood friends' club.
14. Reading great books. I am reading the final few pages of the Twilight series today. 2,000 plus pages in a little over a month!
15. Thomas playing coach pitch for the first time.

Yes, it was a memorable, wonderful summer!

Preschool!

Mary Beth has been so excited about starting preschool! The other day, she ran over, put her arms around the boys' necks, and said, "Now, we are ALL in school!" I think she feels so big! This morning, I woke her up and said, "Today is preschool!" She bounced up and said, "Now I am not a baby anymore!" We are so thrilled about the year. School is a mile from home, she adores her teacher (me too!) and she has three very sweet friends in her class!

Watching the rain together.

We have had rain almost every day this week! During a particularly hard downpour, Mary Beth and Thomas decided to get a front row seat to the action on our front porch. Mary Beth has been very weepy this week since Thomas will be at school next week. They have enjoyed good bonding time this week.

Dart Tag around the Barnhill house

Matthew says, "In dart tag, it's every man for himself."

ME's party and the upcoming week.

We had a fun birthday weekend! We woke up on Saturday morning to gray skies. This always thrills me, but I was slightly concerned about it raining during Mary Beth's swim party. This is something we rarely have to worry about in August, but it has rained more in August than June, which is very unusual. Fortunately, the rain held off. Even though the humidity seemed nearly 100%, it was in the 70s during her party, which made being outside very bearable! Mary Beth received many wonderful gifts, and I am so thankful to our family and friends for loving my daughter so much!

This week, we are making final preparations for school. We have begun getting the kids to bed at a regular time, so next week won't be such a shock! Tonight, we are going to Mary Beth's new preschool for an orientation. I have used our Mother's Day Out program at our church since Matthew was a baby. It was a hard decision to change schools, but I think that 3 days a week will be good for Mary Beth to ease into kindergarten (gasp) the following year. It is closer to our house, and I will be able to take on additional patients, and not have to work on the weekend, should I get several intakes in a row.

I never enjoy change, but I was thrilled to find out that one of my best friends, Amy, would be teaching at Mary Beth's school this year. I found out this week that she will be Mary Beth's teacher! Two of ME's best friends will also be in the class, so I am very excited about the year.

I am so excited about school starting again! I just love almost everything about school. I love the fall, I love getting to know the kids' teachers, doing homework, watching football, watching the boys play soccer, seeing my PTA friends, and getting on a schedule again. I know that after school starts, there will be days that I will miss our more laid back summer schedule, so I am trying to enjoy every minute of this week will my little ones at home.

Hope you enjoy your week as well!

Mary Elizabeth turns 4!

I just wanted to take a minute and say how blessed I have been to know my daughter for 4 years. Mary Elizabeth has been such a shining light in my life. For four years, she has been our sunshine.

Here are a few facts about my Little M.E. Lou:
1. Her favorite colors are "rainbow, pink, and purple."
2. Her favorite foods are "tomatoes and candy". She also requested ribs as her birthday meal! What a hoot!
3. She wants to be "either a princess or a mommy" when she grows up. Can't she be both? ;)
4. She LOVES to sing! This week, we were in a public bathroom, and she belted out "It's too late to apologize! It's too laaaaaate!" by onerepublic. Also, thanks to her adoring brothers, she also loves to sing, "We will, we will, rock you! Rock you! Flush you down the toilet, see if you enjoy it! We will, we will ROCK YOU!"
5. Makeovers are her favorite thing to do. She will do just about anything for a swipe of my lip gloss.
6. She still loves all things princess, but is now getting into Barbie.
7. Mary Beth is a cuddle bug and still loves her blankets. She holds her blanket up to her mouth and makes a "na na" sound. When she is upset, she will ask to "Na na her blankie!"
8. She is always happy among her friends. Her brothers' sporting events are a thrill to her, because she gets to see lots of kids.
9. She LOVES her curly yellow hair, and makes comments when she sees someone else with curly yellow hair.
10. She adores her brothers. She wants to marry Thomas, and loves for Matthew to tuck her in at night. I love watching how the boys are with her. Matthew wanted to stay up until midnight the night before her birthday, so he could see her for just a few more minutes as a three year old.
11. I would say that her personality is very spunky. She is a bit of a rascal, but rarely gets in trouble. She is such a fun and easy companion.
12. She is hilarious. She loves to laugh and have people laugh with her. The other day, the kids kept saying, "Ummm, Daddy?" Bryon said, "My name is not UmmDaddy!" Mary Beth called him "UmmmmDaddy" the rest of the day. Belly laughing after each delivery.

What a joy she is! We had fun celebrating her birthday in San Antonio, and will have her birthday party this weekend!

Heard from the backseat part 2.

I knew if I posted once, I would start back again! Three very funny conversations were had in our car again yesterday. The first two stemmed from the boys having a little two much time together:

*Matthew inherited our old cam corder, and uses it on vacations. He and Thomas decided to do an internet sports show for kids and spent the morning writing the script. Thomas wanted to call it iThomas. Very original, eh? For those of you out of the Nickolodean years, there is a show called iCarly that the boys really love. Anyway, trouble was had in paradise, and the two came to a creative impasse. While on the road yesterday, Matthew told Thomas he couldn't be in the show anymore. That is was his cam corder and he wouldn't let Thomas use it. Thomas then turned to me, and asked if he could use it. Matthew then chimed in, "Thomas, I am the judge, and this is NOT a jury trial!" When I relayed the story later to Bryon, he and Matthew had a "talk", but I know he was so proud! The boys have since mended their differences, and are back to work on their show.

*While the boys were sitting in the backseat, they started arguing about something silly. Matthew got upset and said, "Thomas, one of these days when you grow facial hair, I am going to SHAVE IT OFF!" Be afraid, Thomas, be very afraid...

*All of us were coming home from a drive last night. Something was said, then Bryon said, "Boys, that's why I love your mother." Thomas said, "Daddy, that's not the reason. You love her because she is sweet and HOT!" Man, I love that kid!

Last week.

Watching the Hannah Montana musical!

Will. Have. Will. Power. To. Write. Blog....


OK, I can do this.

Last week was lots of fun, and crazy! The boys were at different camps, and completely different parts of town, and they both had to be there at 9a.m! Matthew was involved with Sports Camp at our church, which is his favorite church event of the summer. Basically, the youth group plays lots of different sports with the elementary school kids. I am fairly sure that Matthew's version of heaven is something like Sports Camp.

Thomas and his good buddy, Rhett, went to Baylor Basketball Camp. They had tons of fun, and loved having Mamadou Diene, the 7 foot plus Baylor player from Africa there every day.

Monday, I started grilling some pork, then walked inside to answer the phone. When I came back outside, I heard a roaring sound, then realized that my grill was on FIRE!! I raced over to turn off the propane, then raced inside to find the most dispensable beach towel. Goodbye, Blues Clues beach towel. You outlived your show's popularity. I got it under control, then got to spend a while cleaning up the smoke damage on our siding.

My birthday was Tuesday. It was the nicest day! I dropped the kids off at their activities. Lauren, Mom, and Dad took me to my favorite Thai food place in Waco for lunch. I picked out my new dishes from my in laws, then went on a date with Bryon that night. The perfect day!

Thursday night, I went out with some dear friends. Before I go any further, I must say that Waco has been in a drought this summer. Hardly a drop of rain. Anyway, after a dinner at Pei Wei, we headed out to do some shopping. That is when the heavens opened up and FLOODED Waco. I am talking, water on the streets, street lights out, sideways rain. It cut our evening shorter than we had planned. Seriously! Is Mother Nature so against a good Girls Night Out?

Sunday was our anniversary. Last weekend, my parents went to see Jersey Boys in Dallas with their dear friends, the Seidels. Mom raved about it and offered to watch the kids for us so we could see it on our anniversary. I bought the tickets before she had a chance to change her mind! After Sunday school, we headed to Dallas and enjoyed a great lunch, good shopping, and a fabulous musical. Now, I will warn you, like my mother did 30 or 40 times, it has terrible language, BUT the music was great, and Bryon said it was his favorite musical ever. We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed thinking of our special day 12 years ago.

And then, there is Twilight. I have joked that I have put on 3 pounds since our trip, and no, it isn't from the clam chowder and ice cream that I ate daily. No, it is the large book that has been attached to my hands since last week! I read Twilight in less than two days, took a few days off, then finished New Moon in about the same time. I have been known to pick it up during commercials, during waits in the car, and even try to get a paragraph in during a red light! I haven't felt so wrapped up in a series since Mark of the Lion. I love it. I want to marry it. I am sad I am half way through it. I say I am going to take a break, but I am sure that Eclipse, which is sitting on my nightstand, will be attached to my hands by this evening.

That's it for now! There, I did it!

Blogger Doldrums

I have so much to write about, but have gotten wrapped up in Facebook, and there is only so much time in the day to sit at the computer when all three kids are home!

I am hoping to write a post this weekend about sports camp, basketball camp, my birthday, a crazy girls night out,and our fun anniversary planned for Sunday!

Have a great weekend!