"Pollock" Life!

I'm HERE.. is anyone else?
Probably not.. and I don't blame you.
I've had LOTS of emails, text messages, and facebook comments that I need to get back rolling on SweetMondays. BELIEVE ME.. I think of about one million things a day I want to share with you.. BUT, easier said than done. NO internet!! For the entire summer I've done EVERYTHING computer-y (I know I just made that word up) from my phone.. which is handheld fluff and good for nothing half the time. I'm taking donations for an ipad (with internet) just for blogging :)

Also:

My brain, my house, my life and everything in it looks like a big, huge Jackson Pollock painting! Pollock was a famous "splatter paint" artist.. although calling his art splatter paint is probably an insult. Anyway- he's one of my all time favorite artist (if you have time to google him you should) and everytime I open my little day calendar I think of his paintings! Every time I look in my kitchen, the play room, or the floor under Caroline's high chair.. I think of his paintings!! My life is a Pollock Painting.. from the inside out- someone splatter painted all over the canvas of my life!!

I read somewhere (I'm not sure where) a girl said her blog had "fallen prey to June" or something like that and that is what I feel like. My computer/photography/blogging/email world has completely fallen prey to summer and everything that entails.. which for me has been:

Anna's gymnastics class.. hysterical! She loved, loved, loved her class and will start back in a week or two. She can do a (pretty nice) front roll and a nice (for her age) monkey jump (which is the beginnigs of a cart wheel). My cartwheels still look like monkey jumps but hopefully she'll be more like her big cousin Mary Mae in the tumble/cheer/gym categories!

Parties, Parties, and more Parties for Sister Sarah and Sean, and Lacey (and soon to be born, Baby Benjamin), and more!

WEDDINGS... Sarah and Sean (YAY.. so fun. A perfect ceremony for the perfect couple!) and a dear ole Camp Friend.. beautiful bride you were my sweet friend! Loved being there!

Weekend get-aways... to Zannie's and Beene's, Mimi's and Paw's, Mickey's and Minnie's, and a few little day trips too.

MOVING into our new house.. this is still taking place! We officially moved in early July though..

Doctor Visits (Everyone is safe and healthy) Just check-ups letting us know that these two rug-rats are good as good can be!

Visits from family/friends to see the new house

and the everyday lunches, park time, pool time, stroller rides, and play dates with friends!!

Our summer was great but now it's on to the fun things Fall brings:
SCHOOL for the girls.. well Mother's Morning Out... but Anna calls it school so that is what it is for us. And this year Sweet Caroline gets to go!!!! Yay for me! My sister made so much fun of me for literally jumping up and down doing a little dance for SIX hours a WEEK to do what I want.. but, if you have kids then you know what all can be done in three hours two days a week!!

My Mondays and Wednesdays are already planned for the rest of the year!!!

Walking, Cleaning, Laundry, BLOGGING and Guitar Lessons will consume Monday mornings and an AWESOME Bible Study on Luke and Acts is where I'll be on Wednesdays!!
Wednesday nights Anna will be in AWANAS (a great Bible Program for children) and I'll be in Choir practice.. ha! That is right.. I'm an alto now.. I know half of you (that know me really well are laughing.. and that is okay). It's fun!

Thursday mornings it's back to Gymnastics

and then Fridays will start our crazy, crazy weekends!!

The "Fall" section of my calendar is filling up fast with beach trips, football games, family camp, weekend gettaways and a special little someone's FIRST BIRTHDAY.. (and another special someone's big 4 0hhhhh!)But I'm sure there is room for plenty more to fill in the negative spaces!!

Okay.. so now that you've had a re-cap of our summer and a preview of our fall- I doubt you are still even reading this!

If you are (THANK YOU) ..

If you are on Facebook then you probably know most of the things Anna says. (I can EASILY do FB from my phone so I've starting doing "conversations with anna" on my status sometimes.)



Anna is the MOST literal child I know! This can be extremely hilarious at times!
Just the other day she was outside barefoot and she was running back inside saying "ouch, ouch, ouch" with every little step she took, Casey said, "Oh, Anna are your feet hot?" Anna- "No, the ground is hot on my feet!"
Too funny.. but exactly right!

Today she would NOT pick out a dress to wear. She HAS to be able to pick out her own clothes and put them on BY HER SELF!!! Finally I just held up two dresses; one in each hand and said- "Anna, what dress are you wearing" Anna looked right at me and said, "I'm not wearing a dress Mommy. I'm in my pajamas.".. like DUH Mom!

She really is too funny! The way her brain thinks and the things she says are constantly cracking me up! Yesterday she said to Caroline, "You are not being sweet Caroline. You are not my sister. You are not being sweet. You are my brother."

A few days ago she wanted to go outside (in the dead heat of the day) and blow bubbles. I said, "Anna, we can't go outside right now it is way too hot." Anna- "But, I want to!!", Me- "Sweetie, I know you want to but you can't always get what you want." Anna "Ask me who I want you to be" Me- (a little confused) "who you want me to be? Anna- "I want you to be Aunt Say-Say and not tell me that!" Hysterical!

Of course I called Aunt Say-Say immediately and told her that Anna has totally caught on to her "you can have everything you want" motto and she can soon expect MAJOR manipulation from her spoiled little niece!!

Anna is also TOTALLY convinced that Baby Benjamin is HER baby and HER friend and he is NOT allowed to be Caroline's friend.. much less friends with anyone else. Sorry Houston and Lacey.. he's claimed! She asked me the other day if we could have ice cream when he got here!!

I'm convinced when she talks about Baby Benjamin "getting here" it isn't him being born like we all would think but it's when he COMES HERE TO THIS HOUSE (to live forever and ever like the last baby ...Caroline...did) The fact that Baby Benjamin actually WILL be living with Lacey and Houston and is NOT her baby to bring back home could be a tough lesson for her to learn I'm afraid!
And even harder... Caroline WILL be allowed to be his friend!!

Speaking of Caroline..



You would not believe how big she is! She is turning into such a little toddler these days! She' absolutely every where (that all fours can go- not quite walking yet), eating everything.. EVERYTHING (edible or not!), and testing all her limits and limitations! She is our laid-back-relaxed-anything goes as long as it's what I want-give me, give me, give me child. She's super sweet and super happy and super headstrong. She NEVER cries unless she is playing with something and it is taken from her (most of the time by Anna). When that happens it's like taking baby bear from it's momma... WATCH OUT!!

She's a mess. They both are! My life is full of surprises but I love every minute of it (most of the time..ha!)

Last but not least.. If you just scroll thru to look at pictures (which I hope you don't...) here you are... most are already on Facebook I think (sorry again):

PHOTOS...
all from my phone. Murphy has been hibernating this summer... eeeeekkk.. I know. I'm a terrible photographer these days. But here is what you can find on my cellie:



Please notice.. There was NO talking Anna out of her boots today and no talking Caroline into ANY shoes!!



Meet Moe-Moe! This cat lives SOMEWHERE down the street but it thinks it lives at our house! It's ALWAYS in our driveway, on our cars, in our strollers, or at our doorstep. Anna and Caroline LOVE her. I personally don't do cats but this one lets Caroline pull her tail and poke her eyes and all sorts.. never bites (except Casey once!) Her real name is Tiger Lily but Anna has named her Moe-Moe at our house!!



Notice Caroline is about to claw Moe-Moe's eyes out.. she doesn't even care!



Pulling her tail!!





I'm not sure what Anna is doing here.. but you see now that this cat LOVES my children! It's nuts!

Here are some of my SEWING PROJECTS! I've sort of gotten back in to sewing. I've made Baby Benjamin a few little shirts and a couple pair of pants, and the girls a couple sweatshirts for our Mountain Weekend coming up!! I'm thinking about puting some of my sewing projects on my ETSY page. I'd love some feedback if you have any. All comments are good comments. (My email is on the side bar to your right.. please, please email me.)







These are the girls sweatshirts. My first aplique. I just used my sewing machine with a zig-zag stitch but I think they are pretty cute. I'm probably going to make them some little shorts to match.



This is my "little moose" onsie I made for Baby Benjamin. Here is a close-up:



It's a completely made-up "technique". I cut the moose out of a brown fabric and then sewed him on to the onesie. Then using the same zig-zag stitch as the sweat shirts I just started "filling him in". After he was all "colored" I hand stitched an outline around him to define his shape.

I personally love him and I'm in the process of puting together an adorable little lab puppy!



I love this one.. it's just iron-on fabric paper stuff (that you would use to print off a photograph and then iron it on to your shirt)

I've been making some really cute little pants/shorts too but I don't have any pictures of them yet!



Anna got a hair cut!!
And I've mentioned she is a mess.. Here she has made perfect use of my dish towel drawer for her baby's bed!





Haha.. I couldn't help but snap a picture of this.. she is a MESS.. look at her little cutie-pa-too-tee-bitty-bitty-booty!



We still play Pretend Caroline ALL THE TIME. Yesterday we were talking about all different names and I said, "do you like your name and that everyone calls you Anna?" She said, "Yes, but I really like to be called Pretend Caroline!"



Of course.. who wouldn't want to pretend to be this little cutie! Here she is with her first Oreo!





I'd say she loved it!!!



This cracks me up! Grocery shopping made easy.. thank you to whoever came up with this car-cart!!!

Okay.. well, that is about it for my hodge-podge of random thoughts and photos. Thank you for checking in. Once the girls start MMO I hope to blog much more regularly!!! It's not easy and takes tons of time. Using a cellular internet doesn't make it any easier either. I just hope I can get this posted before being kicked off again!!

Whatever did we do with out hi-speed internet??? I know... we cooked three meals a day, cleaned up house, unpacked boxes, painted walls, played with our children, went on stroller rides to get out of the house, grocery shopped, watched three hours of t.v. a week (bachelor pad.. I know.. total garbage and DUAL SURVIVOR..new favorite show... NOT total garbage.. actually very entertaining and pretty educational), played, played, and played make believe with our kiddos over and over and over again, sewed and sewed and sewed, painted, wrote ( oh yeah.. I'm trying out my author skills.. we'll see), took up guitar and choir.. and lived a total "Pollock Painting Life"

And here it is midnight!!!

See you when school starts I'm guessing!!