Field Trip!

Poptart had her very first "official" field trip this week! Our 4-year-old classes from the preschool went to the pumpkin patch. It was very fun-a little muddy because of all the rain-but still very fun.

The thing I like about field trips at a small preschool is that most every child has a parent go with them. This really frees up the teacher to relax a little and enjoy the trip. So after we arrived and paid for our group, I went from teacher mode to momma mode and enjoyed a nice time with my daughter!

Tuesday is another field trip-to the hospital! It's fun to be 4!

Never Say Never

I am sitting here at my kitchen table hearing the hum of the washing machine behind me and the playful screams of kids outside. We are enjoying a sunny day here, not a hot day, but a perfect Fall day for Mississippi.

I love when the neighborhood kids are all outside playing together. I don't love it enough to let them all inside my house (I learned my lesson on that a long time ago), but I do love it enough to let them rip and run all through our yard. And they all know where the water hose is when they get thirsty.

I did not have that opportunity where I grew up, and I love that my kids are getting to experience something different than I did as a child. Don't get me wrong, I will always be a country girl at heart, and now more than ever I can see the advantages of growing up in a rural area. But having friends show up at my front door and asking if I could play just didn't happen to me growing up. Even once my friends could drive, they still would not drive out to my house. It was just too far.

So seeing my kids have friends showing up at the door is just way cool to me. But like I said earlier, I have learned some lessons. There are days during the week Gogurt and Poptart are not allowed to come out and play because of the havoc it causes on our afternoon/evening schedule.

Thankfully, my kids do still get a taste of the country life. They often visit Mamaw and Papaw in the house where I grew up. They like playing in the creek, climbing the bank, exploring in the woods, shooting their bow & arrows, and this last time they were able to see a family of deer in the back yard behind the house. We all enjoy the outdoors so much - but we can't have both, and for the time being this is where God has placed us.

I remember when Brad & I were looking for a house in this area. We had lived in Louisiana for a little over 3 years in a townhouse. We moved back to Mississippi when Gogurt was 8 months old and lived in an apartment for a couple of months. We desperately wanted a house, specifically with a good yard to play in. Really, I would cross off houses that I otherwise liked because of the size of the yard or the location of the yard to a busy street, etc. Little did I know back then how much use our yard would really get!

I also remember telling Brad and our realtor very early in our search that I would never live somewhere with a Name. You know, a subdivison, the places where those poor city folks had to live because they weren't blessed enough to have a place in the country. A place where the houses are all crammed together and there's nowhere to ride a tractor or four-wheeler.

We would drive through these named places, and my heart would hurt for the children. "What must they do for fun?" I would wonder. My child will never live that deprived life. Never.

(This would be a good time to re-read the title of this post.)

We've been in this house going on 8 years. And yes, this neighborhood (I do prefer neighborhood to subdivision, just sounds more homey to me) has a Name. Our houses are all crammed together, but we do occasionally see a four-wheeler riding down our street.

My how time changes your perspective. Now when traveling, I have caught myself looking at a house miles from their nearest neighbor and even farther from the nearest town and thinking, "What must these poor children do for fun?"

Brad & I have talked about moving for years. I'm not exaggerating. But we are still here. Our house is small, and our neighborhood is aging, but we love it here. More than that, our kids love it here.

I'm never going to say growing up in "the city" beats growing up in "the country," but I've finally been taught not to say the opposite either.

Preschool Days

I realized I had not posted anything in a long time (maybe since the beginning of school) about how my preschool class is going this year, and since I know you are wondering, I will tell you.

It's going exceptionally well. And I'm not just saying that. I thought I had a good class last year, but this class makes last year's look wild and crazy.

Some days I wonder-is this fair? Teachers down the hall are struggling with behavioral issues, bathroom issues (yuck), etc. All the while I'm thanking God for teaching a class of surprisingly well-behaved 4-year-olds, who by the way can take care of all their bathroom etiquette.

Don't mistake me though. It's still a job, a tiring job. But after teaching a few years and after teaching a few different ages, believe me I am not taking this year for granted. I brag on my class every chance I get--and I make sure they hear me!

The preschool has undergone a few bumps along the way this year. We found out at our first staff meeting that our director would not be back, and since then we have lost 3 of our teachers. There's lots of new faces there, and suddenly I'm one of the "old" teachers, and this is only my second year!


I had my first 4-year-old turn 5 this past week. They brought brownies and we sang Happy Birthday......she was so excited and willing to remind all the other "babies" that she was older than them.

Then she turned and looked at me, almost disgusted-like, and said, "Mrs. Amy, if I'm 5, why am I still in your class?"

I couldn't help but laugh....and I had to break the news to her that she would have to hang out with us for a little while longer until everyone was 5 - and then she would start Kindergarten in August.

It will be hard to see this group of 4-year-olds go.....

A Little More About Our Trip - Plus A Great Song

What a difference a few days make! A few days ago we were sunning on the beach in 90 degree weather. Today it is cloudy and rainy and all I want to do is crawl back in bed.

I hope you enjoyed looking at the slideshow. And just for the record, Brad did that while I was gone to buy groceries. I didn't even know he was doing it-so don't blame me Nana, blame your son!

We had a really good time, and it was a vacation that was definitely needed. Seeing Gogurt and Poptart enjoying the water was so fun! As I've said before, this was Poptart's first trip to the beach and believe me, she took full advantage! I had to drag her out of the water each day.

I can't help but be amazed at God's brilliance when I'm staring out over the sea. I couldn't help but think of the song lyrics to Nicole Mullen's "My Redeemer Lives."





Okay. Now to something very important that happened on our trip. On one of our trips into town, I happened to see a store called The Chocolate Corner. Well, that was just too good to pass up! Upon my insistance (but it didn't take much), we stopped and went in. I've got three words for you. Rocky Road Fudge.

That was some of the best fudge I'd ever put into my mouth. Let's just say that was not my last visit to The Chocolate Corner. And if I'm ever close to Gulf Shores again, that will be one of the first places I go!

Another of our favorite places was LuLu's. Great food, great outdoor atmosphere, and a live band playing while we ate. Very kid-friendly but not play-place friendly. Just really good fun for the whole family.

So there you have it. Our trip in a nutshell. Alot of beach time and alot of food. It couldn't have been any better!

Beach Slides!

Here is a look at our trip to the Beach! Hope you enjoy as much as we did. Oh and Nana, I'll get these pics to you in a way you can use it.

From Flu House to Beach House!

Thank goodness I can now say everyone is well in my family (physically anyway!) The flu, and dare I even say, the swine flu, is not as bad as I had expected it to be. Poptart was hit harder by it than Gogurt. I guess that is why they are immunizing children under 5 first. It is a little harder for them to fight it off once they get it.

So now I'm proud to announce that we are going from the flu house to the beach house! That's right--we're headin' to the beach! Fort Morgan, Alabama, to be exact. Brad's parents are already there in a beach house they rented for the week, and we are going to join them on Thursday and stay through the weekend.

To say my kids are excited would be an understatement. Especially Poptart. She has never seen the ocean, never played in the sand on the beach, never even been remotely close to the ocean, so she is beside herself with anticipation.

The two adults are excited too--I think we're most excited about watching Poptart's expression when she first sees the ocean. It will probably be anti-climactic, but I am just curious to see how it goes.

A special thanks to my in-laws for letting us bum off them for a couple of nights. Giving us a beachfront view AND buying Gogurt camo pants?!? How much better can it get?

The Flu House

Sorry I have been away from my blog all week. The only computer time I've been spending this week is for work, and all my other attention was on two sick kids.

Both of my children have had the flu. Yuck! Poptart first, then Gogurt. Gogurt also has a sinus infection along with the flu so that's been even more fun.

Needless to say, life around here has been pretty slow. Lots of cartoon-watching and Gatorade-drinking going on.

Nothing real post worthy.

Hope you and yours are doing well.