Saturday, May 31, 2014

A Long Night: The Arrival of Swimmer's Ear

Oh the joy of summer...endless days of splashing about in pools of cool, refreshing water. Oh the woe that comes along with it:  SWIMMER'S EAR. Shortly after I went to bed last night, Jacob came downstairs crying and complaining of an earache. That was the beginning of a sleepless night for Momma and the J-Rock. Armed with a warm rice sock, we alternated Tylenol and Motrin all night and dozed on and off on the living room couch. His pitiful little whimper made me feel so helpless but the more he hurt the closer he snuggled in to me which really warmed my heart.

The doctor this morning confirmed an ear infection and said no swimming for one week. (Boo)  Besides swimmer's ear drops, I've received several recommendations that will help (including his new Nemo Ear Plugs which he's mighty proud of).

We have many more days of swimming ahead of us and you better bet next time we'll be better prepared! Now, if only there was something to help with the every-other-minute question of "can I go swimmin' yet, Momma???"


What I'm Listening To: May 31, 2014


Friday, May 30, 2014

The Boys of Summer-- Day 4: May 30, 2014

TGIF! :)  Even though it's summertime, Fridays have a different cadence than the rest of the week. Here's a quick look at how The Boys of Summer spent their first Friday out of school. These first two are for anyone that might think that I only put the good stuff on my blog. This is reality!

1. Strawberry Milk Spillage-- my youngest has a drinking problem. He actually doesn't get to drink because he spills it EVERY. TIME. I watch it happen in slo-mo. It's as if a meal isn't complete without his glass tumping over. Yes I said TUMPING. It's tipping and dumping combined and I will never stop saying it. Tumping. Tumping. Tumping. LOL

No crying over spilled (strawberry) milk
2.  How to Flip a Fried Egg 101--my 12-year old watched me flip his eggs yesterday and was determined to try it. He flipped it and it landed square in the pan. Success! But, today was a different story. He had two eggs ready to flip over and he said "watch Mom!" I turned just in time to see the eggs completely miss the pan hanging in mid-air and plopped right down on the hot cooktop. Pppsssssssszzzzzzzz (is that how you spell a sizzling sound?) Anyway, it made a big ol' mess. He looked at me like I was going to be mad and I busted out laughing. The look on his face was priceless.

Egg disaster in the hands of a well meaning 12-year old
3. Double Trouble--these boys have known each other forever and are pretty much like brothers. The boys and I met my friend Cindy and her boys Ethan and Caleb for lunch at Zaxby's today. It was good to catch up and give the guys a chance to hang out. Our time together always flies by and is good for the soul. :)

A pack of trouble! :)
4. Pickin' Time--I'm not sure if the boys knew what to expect when I said we were going to a farm to pick strawberries but they had an absolute ball. Jacob's specialty was finding the hidden ones and Daniel was able to sense out the big, juicy ones. Part of the fun was being able to eat some along the way. Those were the sweetest strawberries I've ever tasted. And, as I type, they are being blended into homemade strawberry ice cream. Heaven.
His first strawberry. J-Rock was so proud

Jacob couldn't stop eating them long enough to pose for a pic!
This boy LOVED picking strawberries
Working the fields :)
4. Veggies for Supper--one of my favorite meals is veggies from a farmers market for supper. While we were at Whitley Farm we picked up squash, corn, and okra to go with sliced tomatoes for dinner. The boys were begging to help chop veggies and help cook (which surprised the heck outta me but I was thrilled.)
Wildflowers from Jacob
Fresh squash. YUM.
Soon-to-be-fried okra. Come to mama.
Peeling ginormous carrots :)
The boys were eager to help me...it was so nice!
From spilled milk and egg disasters to a fun time making dinner together, Day 4 of summer was perfect in its own, wacky, imperfect way. I sure do love my Boys of Summer.


Thursday, May 29, 2014

The Boys of Summer-- Day 3: May 29, 2014

Day 3 has come and gone and it was a good one I must say. It started with a nice, peaceful (and RARE) quiet time with my 12 year old as he crawled in bed to talk to me. Soon, we were interrupted by none other than Buzz Lightyear (in a costume almost two sizes too small I might add. My chance for grandchildren from that one just dwindled mightily.)

Don't let the sweetness fool you :)
Buzz and his trusty sidekick
Why most of my pictures of these two are blurry!

Wrestling ensued and pretty soon hunger overtook them and we headed into the kitchen to make CRAZY PANCAKES. They are fascinated when I squeeze a few drops of food coloring on the batter as they cook so they can swirl it around with a knife. Entertaining these two is not really that hard :)

Crazy Pancakes


Then it was time for their least favorite part of any day:  Running Errands. We got Daniel signed up for church camp at the end of this month (yes, Cindy, I just signed him up. Hush.) Next stop was the gas station where Jacob got to pump gas for the first time. You'da think the boy won the lottery. Daniel loves mowing grass and Jacob likes pumping gas. This whole "having boys" thing is really working out in my favor. Now if I could only get them to LOVE doing laundry. Oh well.

So proud of his new task
The rest of the day was fun, fun, fun. And because Mom forgot to charge her phone overnight, the battery was low and I couldn't snap pictures. So, let's use our imagination:

(insert pictures of the boys and I meeting my pal Debbie at The Mellow Mushroom for lunch and Jacob whining because he thinks the star he drew on his coloring page looks like it's been smooshed and Deb and I gobbling down an oh-so-good buffalo chicken pizza)

Got it? Onto our next pretend pictures...

Next up, we went to my friend Tammy's parents' pool and the boys swam with their friend Ella ALL AFTERNOON. (insert colorful summery pictures of the kids splashing, Daniel learning to dive, Jacob doing cannonballs, Ella wearing her pink mermaid swim thingy and Katie's white skin which, as of last night, is now a white outline of a bathing suit on red skin.)  Tammy and I enjoyed chatting and there was plenty of laughter coming from the kiddos.

All in all, it was a great summer day. 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Boys of Summer-- Day 2: May 28, 2014

Ahhh. As Daniel put it, "this is like our first REAL day of summer, Mom!"  Yes sir it was.

After finishing an early morning conference call about an upcoming event, I fixed the boys breakfast, straightened up, showered and we were ready to head out for the day. First stop:  HAIRCUTS!  Each one of my youngins had a mop full of hair and I know it felt good to get the obligatory summer shave. 

Trouble 1 and Trouble 2 :)

Group pic courtesy of Jacob 

Next up:  Movie time with a quick detour for Cheap Candy Procurement at the drug store. 62 boxes for $1or something ridiculous like that. We also grabbed a couple soft drinks and began stuffing my thankfully-oversized purse with the loot. Reese's Pieces--check. Whoppers--check. I draw the line at popping my own popcorn. Yes, I spent their combined college tuition on the bucket but it's all part of the experience. (plus, there's a dispenser for extra butter which Jacob made sure we stayed at for at least 35 minutes)

So, in we trot to see The Amazing Spiderman 2 with no less than 18 pounds of contraband on my shoulder. We were delighted to have the theater to ourselves and plunked down for the 2.5 hour show donning our oh-so-fashionable 3-D eyewear. The movie was great and I can't tell you how much I loved glancing over at each one of my kiddos glued to the screen with their hand in the popcorn bucket perched in my lap. 

On the way home, we stopped by the grocery store to grab something to make for dinner then rolled down our windows and sang at the top of our lungs all the way to the house. (I must say that my 6-year old singing every word to John Legend's "All of Me" tickles me...complete with dramatic facial expressions. Think I might have listened to it once or 20 times.)

Summertime is in full swing and I couldn't be more excited to share it with my fellas. 

Onto tomorrow...



Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Think I'll Keep 'Em

These two were champs today. Helpers during the frantic pre- inspection cleaning spree, patient during my hour-long meeting with the builder doing the deck and porch at the new house, browsing in an antiques shop (hence the funny hats) then playing well this evening before falling asleep peacefully. Nary a dull moment for Day One of Summer 2014.

DING DONG...Serenity Interrupted

When we last heard from Katie "Look How Serene My Morning Is" Bodiford, she was half-dressed in the kitchen listening to The Eagles, lighting her fresh grass candle and contemplating her boys' first day of a lazy summer. The house, in a state of flux due to her impending move, was the last thing she intended to worry about on this day. She had the rest of the week to worry about such things. That is until.....

DING DONG.

It's 8:30? Who could that be? Her eldest son was still asleep in bed and her half-dressed 6-year old was in the play room upstairs watching TV. Now... how could she sprint across the open hallway to her bedroom where she could become FULLY dressed without the person at the door seeing her? She peered ever so slightly around the corner to see the person's back turned. Then, darting across the foyer like a solider evading enemy gunfire she raced into her room to throw some clothes on.

DINGGGGGG DONGGGGGG.

Katie ran to the door (trying to not appear to be as out of breath as she actually was) to find a guy standing there and a car  waiting down at the street containing his wife and kids.

"Um. Hi. Mrs. Bodiford?" he asked almost hesitantly.  "Um, I'm the owner of your house and we're in town from Tennessee. Did the real estate agent tell you we were coming by to do an inspection of the house?"

I'll stop right there. Anyone who has known me since about 5 minutes ago knows that I WENT INTO FULL PANIC MODE. FLIP-PING OUT. Yes, I normally try to keep a house somewhat devoid of pig sty characteristics but this was different. An INSPECTION? My mind immediately fast forwarded to this family donning white hazmat suits and taking black lights and white gloves and... and.... well, you see where I'm going with this. Did I mention that I was flipping out?

"Well, um, NO he sure didn't," I replied in my most gracious, genteel Southern lady voice while on the inside I was screaming ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? DO YOU KNOW WHAT A MESS MY HOUSE IS? I told him my son was still asleep and I had pulled items out all over the house for a yard sale and asked if I could have a little time to "tidy up." He agreed to come back in a couple hours. I thanked them and shut the door.

What happened next is a flurry of such cataclysmic proportions that I can't exactly recall what happened. What I do know is my poor twelve-year old was awakened with a frantic "they're coming back soon and this house has to be ready and has your bathroom been cleaned since we moved in and get up, get up, getttt upppp!" He rolled out of the bed like a new army recruit, jumped to his feet and began making up his side of the bed. (gotta love the kid's ability to act in a pressure situation :) Jacob took the furniture polish and began spraying smiley faces on the furniture then wiping it clean. Who am I to stifle his artistic cleaning abilities?

I'll spare you the details but I am proud to say (and almost too exhausted to type) that when they pulled up the house was spotless and the owners said they couldn't ask for someone to take better care of their home.

EXHALE.

There are only a couple weeks left until we close on the new house and can finally "settle in" to a home where surprise inspections aren't on the agenda. But this Momma and her boys worked a miracle today. We all chipped in and got this house in ship shape without the whining and fussing I expected. Not even a single sword fight using broom handles and dust pans for shields. I'm pretty proud of my fellas.

Can I take a nap now???

The Boys of Summer-- Day 1: May 27, 2014

Woke up to these two in the bed with me.  What's a Mom to do? LET THEM SLEEP! That and clean the kitchen while listening to the live acoustic version of Hotel California.  ;)

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Jacob (my 6-year old) snuggling up on me:

"Momma, you're so soft and sweet."

::melt::

A Friend for Life

Early on in the research process for our second adoption, I heard about a girl named Melissa at church that was interested in adoption as well. So I reached out to her and invited her to lunch.  We sat at a Mexican restaurant and chatted and laughed for almost 2 hours before realizing we had not even brought up the subject of adoption yet. That was when I knew we would be fast friends.
Not only did we end up adopting two little boys born within 3 months of each other but those little boys have now grown up playing together as well.
We have seen each other through some pretty rough times and now get the opportunity to work on events together, too. I love her like a sister and am blessed to call her my friend.
Love you Meldrop.

Love These Fellas

So blessed to be their Mom.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

What I'm Listening To: May 24, 2014

I love music. I love the feelings it evokes.

Sometimes.

This song is one of the most beautiful things I have heard in a long time:



I have also been listening to One Republic's new album non-stop for the past few weeks:

Native (Deluxe Version) - Cover Art


Good stuff.

Just When I Thought...

... that the sweetness of little boy-Mama love had given way to pre-teen, eye-rolling angst and resentment, my eldest has to go and throw me a curve ball this morning.
Sorting through schoolwork to keep/toss, he nonchalantly hands me a packet of papers tied together with red ribbons. "Ugh, this was supposed to be for Mother's Day," he mumbled. "I guess it's a little late. "
As I opened the first page and began to read the letter he had written, tears welled up in my eyes.  This child, a brilliant kid dangling precariously between boyhood and teenage awkwardness, expressed to me feelings I never knew he had. I was blown away.
Daniel and I are so much alike that we often butt heads and find ourselves frustrated with each other's stubborn personalities.  But reading his words allowed me a glimpse at the tender heart inside the often-moody exterior.  It transported me back to those little boy hugs and kisses when you felt blessed that they were oblivious to your flaws and shortcomings. It was a refreshing reminder that maybe, just maybe, I'm not the "bad guy" afterall.
My son will never comprehend the value of the gift he gave me this morning.  Belated or not, it was the best Mother's Day surprise I could have ever asked for.




Friday, May 23, 2014

My Little Celebrity

Daniel was on both Fox Sports South and the jumbotron at tonight's game.  Too funny!

Summer is Here!

The boys have been through so much transition I decided to give them a little surprise after school today (part of the surprise being tickets to the Braves game tonight).  Summertime is underway...

Last Meal of Freedom

I'm celebrating the end of school with my Last Meal of Freedom.  With a trip to IKEA for dessert.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

So Proud of the J-Rock

Today was Jacob's Kindergarten play as well as his Awards Day. I could not have been more proud of this little guy. There is a special honor called the Bronco Award given to one boy and one girl who exemplify leadership, kindness, and willingness to help others and Jacob received this today! He also received the Citizenship Award and they made him a special certificate called the Helping Hand award for his attitude and how he is always ready to help his teachers and friends.  I was one proud Mama today.
The entire cast of Bugz ~ May 22, 2014
Jacob and Liam doing their speaking parts as fruit flies
A glimpse at the wings... spray paint and glitter can work wonders :)
Awards Ceremony in his classroom

A bulletin board I did for them yesterday for today's ceremony

Jacob and his best friend Liam being silly... as usual!

Ms. Emily ~ the assistant teacher in his class
Ms. Cofer ~ his Kindergarten teacher

Jacob and pal Ryder
50's day (captured from class video)

Jacob on Field Day (from class video)

The groomsmen of the Q & U wedding (from class video)

Bronco Boy -- so proud of my little man :)