Meet the Rebels

We had such a fun day at Meet the Rebels last Saturday. This was our first year to go to this and I had absolutely no idea how big it was. The girls are in the Rebel Kids Club (thanks to Toddy and Poppy) which lets them get into some events early and others free. They get a little swag bag with random goodies. It's a neat little deal if you have kids. 

Pulling into town, we thought we would run by and pick up our stickers to get in, grab a bite to eat and then come back. It was such a great plan until we pulled up to the practice facility and saw the massive "early entry" lines. Crazy town. Of course we joined the madness and went on in. 

It was pretty awesome. The kids got to run around on the turf, take pictures with cheerleaders and Rebelette's, and Elle met the bear. No one is a fan of the bear except for Elle. She would not leave him alone. Seriously, she stared at him and took pictures with him for a good portion of our time there. 

The lines to get autographs were forever long and I knew there was no way we were doing that so we left to go pick up a friend, ate a late lunch, and came back to see Sean. They went about an hour over on autograph time but the girls finally got to give him a hug and talk for a little while. These girls LOVE their uncles. 

I'm so glad we are close enough to share all of these cool experiences. They have been raised in the gym watching Alec and Sean play basketball, in bleachers watching MRA, and now will have new Grove and Vaught Hemingway experiences. 

Football practice preview

A couple of weeks ago, we made a quick trip to Oxford to watch Ole Miss football practice. We didn't get to see Sean on his birthday so the point was to deliver a cake, wave at him from the bleachers of the stadium, and hang out with Alec for a little while. 

The goal to leave our house was 7:00 am. We pulled out of the driveway at 7:35. Close enough. Bottles, pump, diapers, wipes, paci's, stroller, umbrellas, face tattoos, you get it. We packed the house and all 3 kids into our minivan and trekked to Oxford to watch practice.

Elle is my dad's little buddy so he took her down to the bottom of the stadium and let her run around while he watched. She was content and climbed and ran and played for minutes. Several minutes. And then Dad was done babysitting. 

My turn. I let Andrew watch my brother practice for a little while and chased her all around the stadium. It's ok because I had exceeded my question-asking limit. They needed a break from me too. We played in puddles, discovered water fountains, climbed stairs (an entire stadium of stairs multiple times), and then I started to sweat. Profusely. During all of this chasing Elle, Addie was running around and making friends in the stadium too. So I strapped her back in the stroller, held a battery operated fan on her like she was royalty, thinking she would fall asleep. No such luck.

Andrew's turn. Bless his heart. In the 10 minute span that happened to coincide with his walking with Elle to the car to get a bottle for Bentley Claire, it rained. He's such a trooper though that he didn't even complain. 

Looking forward to the season with all of our yahoos. Wish us luck!

Storms

Ever since Addie was a baby, she has cried during storms. The other kids are not like this so I'm not sure what we did differently. We have tried every trick in the book to help her get over this.

Mississippi has had our fair share of tornados and she is at the age where she remembers. I think we have "taken shelter" four times this year and somewhere in our state has had devastating destruction. We grab the flashlights, kids, dog, tv remote, phones, chargers, batteries, shoes, sometimes helmets, and gather in the bathroom. It's the responsible thing to do. It's tough to entertain three kids and a dog while keeping track of the storm path. I kind of freak out but have to remain calm all at the same time. 

Every single storm is terrifying for her. She tries to hide it by asking a thousand questions but she's not fooling anyone.

To make matters worse, I made the mistake of showing her the tornado destruction in Louisville. I didn't make a special trip there or anything. We were there for a family reunion and I took a "shortcut." This not-so-shortcut led us to the exact spot that the tornadoes touched down. It was an accident. Of course this led to multiple questions. Why are those trees on the ground? What happened to that building? Where did the people go? And on and on.

In my normal teacher fashion I answered the questions in an honest yet careful way. I thought I did a good job but it made the storm fear worse. Now she comes in our room if she hears the faintest clap of thunder or sees a flash of lightning and asks about the tornado. I'm not sure we will ever overcome this but we are trying. 

Dance parties

Since my maternity leave spilled into summer, I have gotten some serious bonding time in with the kids. I've learned a lot about each of their personalities. 

Andrew walked in from work the other day and all three (BC can't dance yet, she will join in on the fun soon enough) of us were spastically dancing around in the living room. I mean, I would die if anyone (other than Andrew) walked in. Not only were we tearing it up, I am ashamed to admit that it was to the SiriusXM Hits station. I usually listen to cooler music than that. Andrew swears that our kids are going to love bubblegum pop because of me. I hope not, but every once in a while I just can't help myself. It's catchy.  

Addie is much more reserved while dancing (like me in public) but Elle. Oh. My. Gosh. One day I will post a video. This little girl is hilarious. I hope she always remains uber confident because she sure rocks it now. She uses a pivot foot and kicks out like she is riding a scooter. I have no idea how she keeps dancing after spinning around so much but she does. There is also a signature arm move that she has. Maybe we have seen the penguin dance from Mary Poppins one too many times? 

I hope you all have marvelous dance parties in your homes too. 

Perspective

Perspective is a humbling thing. While mindlessly perusing Facebook I came across a picture that I had not seen of Elle. Her Mother's Morning Out class was holding up a sign of encouragement for a little boy in her class with cancer. He was cancer free and it came back.

He is Elle's age.

Being thrown up on suddenly didn't seem so bad. I sat and stared and tears welled up at the thought of going through that with a child. 

We have had friends go through tragic, unimaginable things with their children.The worst thing I have been through was an early miscarriage. It was life-changing for us and a very sad time. We learned to trust God's timing and rely on His plan instead of our own. We both grew from the experience yet it seems to pale in comparison. I've volunteered at a children's hospital and know how difficult and draining it can be on the family physically, emotionally, and financially. Those families seem to strap on their superhero capes and do it. They don't spend time dwelling on it. I truly believe that God gives us strength when we don't think we are strong enough. 

It's so easy for me to get caught up in the chaos of whatever and forget about anything outside of my little world. As I fill up another cup of pedialyte I am reminded that it's all about perspective. 

And then there were none

Addie came in our room about 3:30 this morning, climbed in bed and requested water. In my delirium I was like ok, give me a minute. 30 seconds later she threw up on me. It wasn't like full blown throw up, more like a spit up situation. But it was on me and the bed and the floor. You non-moms are all like "Ew, that's disgusting" but it will happen to you one day too. So you have that to look forward to. 

We changed the sheets. I changed. BC woke up hungry from all the commotion so Andrew fed her while I took care of Addie. May I remind you it was 3:30?! 

The only one that got good sleep last night was Elle. She's been dancing like a maniac to Disney Junior. Now if I can keep her from throwing things away in Addie's trashcan.

I guess I'm thankful that this happened before school started instead of my first week back. Silver lining. 

Aquarium love

Aquariums are in our top 10 favorite things to do as a family. We've done New Orleans a few times because it's fairly close to us. Their aquarium is a decent size and in the Quarter which is always fun. We especially love the Butterfly Garden there.

Last summer we went to Chattanooga's aquarium. I had never been there but Andrew had and he compared every other aquarium to that one. I get it. It's really cool and worth a trip if you've never been. The museum is actually divided into two parts. There is a "river tour" and then an "ocean tour." The greatest thing for us with little people and short attention spans is that they are in two different buildings. We actually did one building, went to lunch, and then came back later for the other part. Another cool thing about the river tour is the layout. You actually start at the top of the museum and wind your way down "the river" until you finish at the bottom. We loved it.

On our little Dallas excursion a couple of weeks ago, we visited the Dallas World Aquarium. They call it an aquarium but it's actually more like being in a rain forest. As you walk up to the building, you wind through a little tropical forest with bamboo and overgrown plants around you. The museum itself is like one huge warehouse.

You start by riding the elevator, or taking the stairs if you don't have a stroller, to the top floor. It opens up into a huge 3 story room. You literally feel like they have taken a chunk out of the rain forest and put it into this building. The entire walkway winds around this open section of the "rain forest" where there are all kinds of animals loose in the middle. Monkeys are climbing in trees, there are animals below in the water, birds are flying around. It's crazy.

We got there right at 9:00 when it opened because I heard that it gets really crowded. This place would be miserable if it was crowded. No joke, I would not go any later than 10 am. The pathways are only wide enough for a gigantic double stroller (which we had). Bentley Claire needed to eat so I toted around a bottle drinking baby while Andrew alternated between pushing the stroller and holding Elle (while pushing the stroller). Can you say trooper? 

Everyone was entertained and it was well worth it. There is an impressive collection of birds and there is an aquarium in the bottom part. There are actually 3 or 4 restaurants in this place too. It would be an awesome place to have an event.  

In the background of this picture is a sloth. There were sloths in a tree napping. We could have touched them but didn't because there was a sign clearly stating "Don't touch the sloths." It was tempting. Penguins, fish, birds, sloths, a jaguar, flamingos, monkeys...fun, fun, fun. Check it out here. 

Carpool spectacle

I briefly mentioned in another post the process of getting out the door in the mornings. I've got 3 more weeks to get ready for a 7:00 leave time. We made it to school by 10:20 this morning so in fact our time is getting worse.

Having two in diapers presents several challenges in the morning. Once one diaper is changed, someone else needs a change. Realistically I can only change so many diapers before it's time to leave the house. 

The car ride to school is pretty easy because everyone is strapped in and occupied. This has become Addie's telephone time. She has learned to call who she wants BY HERSELF. And FaceTime. It's really entertaining to listen to her conversations.

I imagine the day when I drop all three of my kids off at school in a carpool line will be a glorious one. We are not there yet.

My process looks a little something like this:
Find a parking spot, put on the Baby Bjorn, put Bentley Claire in the Baby Bjorn, wipe away sweat. Walk around to Elle's door, put her socks and shoes back on, make sure everything is in the bag that should be and nothing extra. Hold her hand very tight as she climbs out of her carseat, sits down on the floorboard, and eases her way onto the pavement. Then there's Addie.

She usually brings her socks and shoes in the car and puts them on as we drive. If a movie is playing in the car or she has been on the phone, this does not happen and I don't usually notice until I have the other two kids out of the car and ready to go. We have pulled to the side quite a few times for Addie's own kindergarten carpool for the exact same reason. You might think we would have this figured out by now. Nope.

While I stand there, wearing Bentley Claire, trying to contain Elle, and sweating like I have just run a marathon, Addie takes her time getting dressed. She is my "door holder" so I can't get very far without her. There are some times that I might just take the whole carrier instead of messing with the Baby Bjorn. (That is never wise and we always end up looking like a circus act.)

None of my kids are drop-off criers. Elle waltzes right in the room every time. I try to get a kiss but I'm lucky if I get in a phrase like "Have a fun time" or "Love you, have a great day" before she has walked away.

I kid you not, when I peel off the Baby Bjorn, get BC back in her carrier, and make sure Addie is buckled, I have to take a minute to just sit in my driver's seat. I usually crank the air on Arctic blast and literally sit there.

Today Addie and I played a few rounds of dominoes and go fish before she was missing her buddy. (The only reason Elle has started school already is because her spot opened up early. Use it or lose it. Elle needs the structure and LOVES playing with other kids so I don't feel guilty for taking her for a little while while we run errands or I work.)

We do this whole act over again, in reverse order, when we pick her up. 

Weekend Update

 

Art means more to me if I know the artist. Two of my faves. Morgan and Raina

Joanna Gaines makes me really want to remodel a house

I sometimes wish I rode my bike everyday...this tip would be helpful

My new favorite Spotify playlist is the Starbucks Store Playlist. You should check it out.

So proud of my friend and her jams

If I can revive my fern, I should be able to grow veggies right?

Day two of Soothe and already loving it


We are planning to hit up the local Farmer's Market today (because we missed Livingston again this week). Hoping to find some good stuff. Have a wonderful weekend!

Iron Horse

One of our favorite places to eat in the Jackson area is the Iron Horse Grill. There are several reasons. It's loud enough to drown out any of the noises our children could possibly make. You never know, right? There is always a band that the kids are mesmerized by and that we enjoy. The food is consistently good (can't get enough of the chips and salsa) and it has that "out of town" feel. Upstairs is my favorite place to sit so that we can watch the trains go by.

The last time we were there Addie noticed a man sitting at a piano upstairs across the balcony. She kept running back to our table telling us that she was watching the man get ready to sing. The band was gearing up so we were like oh ok, neat. Then we heard the lead singer which was a woman...not a man. 

Addie insisted that a man was going to sing. She finally pulled me over there to see what she was talking about. 

Looks legit right? Turns out it's part of a Blues Museum that they are working on. The manager noticed that Addie was interested in this so he came and told us all about who this piano man was and the plans for the museum. Makes me love it even more. 

Notice Momma and Baby Pony came with us to dinner. Pick your battles right? 

Football season

Football season is almost here! Yes, we love the Rebels and are really looking forward to watching my brother play. But our love for football season is not just about football. (I'm known to go to the square instead of the game...most of you know this about me. I'm working on it.)

Oxford is where we dated and got married. It's where we get to relive our date nights and walks through campus. We get to see our college friends almost every weekend during football season. 

There is something magical about sharing our special place with our kids. Let's be real though. On a crowded game day, it's really, really hard to take a double stroller with three kids through the grove. You have to channel your inner MacGyver. Dodge trees and trashcans, break up packs of teens without getting evil stares, wheel through a stranger's tent, find a place to warm up a bottle, the list goes on and on. Making the rounds can be daunting. 

We've done it with kids for 4 football seasons so far. 

First halloween in the grove - Addie wasn't thrilled. 

One child was pretty easy (note the single stroller)

Then we added Elle and it got a little harder

And then she started walking 

The key to a successful Grove Day is to pack everything you own. Oh, your Ole Miss face sticker "accidentally" came off when you peeled it? There's no reason to cry because I have 47 extras. You're hot? Well, I have a fan for you if you can keep it away from your hair. I'm sure there will be balding pom pom issues as well so we will have extras. 

Nevertheless, we will all be there. And we will all be happy about it. You may see us walking around looking for any open space to run around because the stroller can only hold Elle back for so long. Wish us luck. 

Super Fan

Highland Park

For years we have had visions of our older selves happily roaming the streets of Highland Park. We could live there. 

It's always a fun place to visit. This past weekend we used it several times as a safe haven. After the horrid Dart experience, we ended up going to one of our favorite restaurants. Mi Cocina. We had no plan other than never riding Dart again and we knew that Fair Park was not happening. 

So we sat and had dinner. Elle got her hair caught in our battery operated fan. Andrew took her to get her paci and calm down. I had a margarita. We listened to a guy at the table behind us talk about "mom butts." (I'm not sure this guy will ever find anyone to marry him but his conversation was entertaining.) It was lovely. We really did enjoy it.

Eventually dinner ended and we had to find somewhere to go. Andrew thought he saw people setting up lawn chairs on our way to Mi Cocina so we drove back by to see if there was some fun family event that we were missing. There was, but we weren't invited. So we drove around some more. 

Our little car adventure led us to a goldmine. Hundreds of cars were lining the streets of the Dallas Country Club and people were propped up in lawn chairs and on blankets all around the premises. You better believe I found an awesome parking spot and we dumped our crew on the curb. 

Some fellow watchers gave the girls glow sticks, we listened to music from a parked suburban beside us, and the girls were mesmerized by the fireworks. It was the best firework show that we have ever seen. And a pretty awesome night. I may or may not have teared up. 

We may be crazy but these little snippets of time are worth all of the sweat put into the trip. Not many husbands would go along with these shenanigans. I've got a keeper. 

Dallas Dart

(To our moms, don't freak out...we lived.) 

Raise your hand if you have ever used the Dallas Dart system? No? No one? 

That's right. No one uses the Dallas Dart system. Let me tell you why I thought it was a good idea and why no one uses it. 

We stayed at the Hyatt attached to Reunion Tower in Dallas. Very nice hotel, downtown, easy access to the interstate. While I was researching our trip we planned on going to Fair Park on the 4th. For those of you that don't know, Fair Park is where the Texas State Fair is. They open the park for the 4th and have a giant firework show. Neat. 

Well, the hotel has a tunnel that leads to Union Station which is the hub for the subway system. It would have been awesome not to have to deal with parking at the park. We assumed it would be very crowded. 

We fed BC, got all of the kids ready and loaded and started our trek to the Dart station. I stopped by the concierge desk and got a map from them and everything. Not a typical move for me but hey, I just wanted to double check.  

After struggling to find the down button on the elevator (it's hidden for a reason) we wondered why the tunnel was COMPLETELY empty. As in, no one was in this tunnel but us. 

We finally made it to the platform and there was a dad with his two sons. They looked normal and then there were some homeless people that were mumbling to themselves. We have traveled in several big cities and this is not a big deal to us. 

The ticketing screen was all scratched and we couldn't read it. A really nice man (that we thought worked for Dart) came up to us and helped us with the ticketing box. Very helpful and chatty. 

Here comes the twist.  He turned out to be a homeless veteran and helps people with the rail system in order to get tips. We thanked him for his service and gave him a $20 bill because that's all we had. He told us that God would put a blanket of protection around us and the girls. (I'm pretty sure he did!) Again, so nice but a little strange. 

We wait 15 minutes for the next train, hop on to a dirty rail car with a few scattered passengers and go one stop to switch trains. We probably rode a total of 5 blocks. 

When we stepped off the train, we joined a gnarly crew on the platform. We stuck out like a sore thumb. A man that I like to refer to as "One Eyed Charlie" had his eye locked on us. While I'm standing there I google "Dallas Dart" and an article about a mysterious death TWO days ago is the first thing that pops up. I'm sure my eyes were popping out of my head and I looked crazed but I looked at Andrew and he knew. We calmly walked down the platform, passing a drug deal, and basically sprinted all the way back to the hotel threatening Addie that if she tried to get out of the stroller she would get in serious trouble. 

Never once did we see a police man in this whole span of time. It was the 4th, maybe they were all at the Park? I'm not sure but they need to be on those rail cars. 

It took all of me not to go all crazy mom on the concierge when we got back to the hotel. (I at least waited a day.) But we got in our car and fled to Highland Park. More on that later. 

Our kids should turn out well rounded right?! 

Ballet

Just to state the obvious I am not a ballerina. Like every little girl I took ballet and was in a couple of recitals when I was about Addie's age. 

There is something about the ballet that really interests me though. The dancers are so poised and proper. And they are all so thin. Maybe I envy ballerinas and at one point dreamed of being one when I grew up? I don't know. I don't remember that. 

Obviously my life took a different turn. And so did my figure. 

Addie has really gotten into ballet this year so I took her on a big girl date (twice) to watch the IBC. The International Ballet Competition is held in Jackson every four years. It's a big deal. Was she old enough to sit through the whole thing? No. Were there other children there, you ask? No. 

But she loved it for the time that we were able to stay. And I really enjoyed it. 

We got all pumped up and signed Addie up for ballet this year. Real life, big studio ballet. There is a handbook and everything. Don't worry I'm not going to go all Dance Moms and audition for a TLC show. But if Addie really wants to try something new, by George I will learn how to do a proper bun and she will be there on time. 

Just call me the taxi driver.