Oldies but Goodies

The rocking chair that was my grandparents'. It has had several different colors of paint over the years, although I only ever remember it being white. I love the way the sunlight pours over it in the mornings.

The spool bed is my favorite piece. It was my great-grandmother's and was my bed for many, many years. It's a 3/4 bed, meaning it's larger than a twin but smaller than a full. This is the first time it's been bathed in blue for a little boy.

Both of these pieces now reside in H's room.

Big Boy Room

H now has his big boy room. We took down the crib on Saturday, H even helped, so obviously he was more than ready to be in the big bed. He's done great. The first night he woke up twice but since then has done really well. And he's so proud of himself. He gets up every morning and says, "I sleep in my big boy bed, Mommy!" The room looks really good, too. Much more room in which to play. Now it just needs some finishing touches like pictures on the wall.

I must admit I cried. I didn't think I would be that emotional but when push came to shove, I lost it. I realized that the crib has been in that room since we moved into the house, except for a brief period when we moved L into K's room and she was still in the crib. And I didn't just get teary, I really cried. Oh, I was pitiful. It's just moving from one phase to another. Watching the kids grow is wonderful but I think it's important to remember what they were like when they were little, to celebrate their present accomplishments, and look forward to the next stage. That's the joy of being a mama!

Growing Up Fast

Yesterday at nap time, H told me he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed. I asked him if he wanted to sleep in his crib or his big boy bed and he said, "I sleep in big boy bed." So I got his pillow and Barkers, his favorite stuffed dog, and he laid down and went to sleep. Just like that. He did the same at bed time last night although, in the middle of the night, he fell out of the big boy bed and S put him in the crib. But at nap time today he asked to be in the big boy bed yet again and we had a successful nap sans crib.

A few weeks ago, I thought about getting the crib out of H's room and setting it up to be a "regular" bedroom. I have a vision of what I want the room to look like and the crib doesn't fit into the plan any longer. But my plan was halted when I realized that H would be able to get out of bed whenever he wanted and could possibly give up nap time. Plus I really want him to stay in his crib as long as possible. We only took L out of the crib when we needed to set up the room for H's arrival.

So when he asked to sleep in the big bed, I wasn't prepared. I thought I would be able to handle it but it's the end of an era. Once that crib comes down, it won't go back up again. It's down for good. There's no more preparing for a baby; it's now take the crib down and store it until I decide what to do with it (really don't want to sell it or give it away). While I am perfectly fine with the size of the family (I don't feel the need to have another baby; our family is complete and I know that in my heart), I hate to see the boy growing up as fast as he is.

At the same time, there's the excitement of the next stage, of no more diapers, of starting preschool, of seeing H go through the stages the girls have already long since left behind. So today I am sad to see the end of the crib era but thankful that I have the babies I do and the time I have with them now.

I'll leave you with a conversation I had with H over the Thanksgiving holiday:

Me: H, may I see your airplane?

H: No.

Me: Why not?

H: Because no.

Me: Because no?

H: Exactly.

Lest You Think...

...I have given up blogging forever, I haven't. All is fine at Mama's house, well as fine as it can be with three children. I made a pseudo-commitment to take a break from blogging. I thought it would be a two week break not a two month break. I would love to say that something wonderful was happening whilst on self-imposed break but it wasn't anything different than normal. I've driven the kids to school, gone to the gym, gone grocery shopping, worked, and driven carpool. Then there's the house keeping, cleaning, and cooking that has to be done as well. So that's what has consumed my break. See? It's not glamorous.

Here's what's happened since I last blogged:

• L got a second cast on her wrist after they x-rayed it to make sure the bone was healing properly and discovered that she had stuck a penny in it
• H got his first big boy hair cut
• If K grows any more she's going to be taller than me by the time she's eight. And I'm not short.
• S has been to the UK twice
• We went on a very short getaway with Sporty Mama and her Hubby
• I've watched too many AU losses although our most recent loss was one I was actually ok with. Frankly, I thought we would get our butts handed to us and we hung on until the very end. I was extremely proud of those guys for showing up and giving us a great game. WAR EAGLE!
• I had a fabulous birthday dinner lovingly prepared by my sweet husband, complete with steak au poivre, fresh asparagus and angel food cake with strawberry sauce and fresh whipped cream

Now you're caught up. I've learned that working a part-time job is a full-time job in and of itself. The hours really are great and I still get to do things with friends when I can, I can still do field trips and class parties, I just have to make sure my job is done first. There are days when I'm happy to be there and days when I wish I were anywhere but there. That's not all that different than my job as a mom. I have those days when I wouldn't trade any of it and days when I wish I could be beamed to a quiet spa island where no one asks me for anything.

I can dream, can't I?

P.S. Not sure why H looks so worried...

More Pictures from Auburn

Some Things Never Change

This past weekend we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Auburn for the weekend and go to the game thanks to some wonderful and very generous friends. We were able to take all 3 kids with us as the very generous friends just so happened to have five tickets to the game. They were also on the 40-yard line. Plus we got to see several dear friends, one who lives there and one who wishes she did (you know who you are). Doesn't get much better than that.

So I began composing this post in my head while I was in Auburn. It won't be nearly as eloquent now since I've forgotten most of it. We had a fabulous time. The kids were great, we stayed in a suite a couple of blocks (!) from the stadium and got to walk around my old stomping grounds. (The kids were none too pleased with the amount of walking we did.)

I must say that lots of things have changed since I've been at Auburn: there are a ton of new dorms, they've re-routed roads, there's a new arena, a new parking deck (where the old athletic complex used to be that burned down during a football game which I attended and saw smoke and flames rising just above the student section), and plenty of new buildings that house various schools and colleges. They have done a great job in keeping with the look of the campus, not putting up some hideous building that doesn't go with anything else around it. So it sort of looks the same if you ignore all the new stuff. Make sense?

Anyway, one thing that never changes is the atmosphere in Jordan-Hare Stadium. It's been four years since I've been to a football game and it felt exactly the same as it did when I was there. The scoreboard is different and they've added some seats but it's still got the same feel, the same electricity that is Auburn football. When I took S to his first Auburn/Alabama game, I knew he would never look at football the same way and it's very true. The fans are still just as passionate about their Tigers, I still love seeing Aubie and his antics (which was, by far, my kids' favorite part of being at the game), I still love watching a game in person. And it's one of those things you have to experience yourself to truly appreciate it.

I believe in Auburn and love it!

My Brain is a Ball of Mush

It's true. These days my brain really is a ball of mush. I guess working on top of being a mom will do that to you. Well, that and a broken washing machine. It just quit on me Friday in the middle of a load. So I had to empty the water on to the back porch, wring out all the clothes and take them to my in laws' house. Let me just say that I never realized how much laundry I did until I had to take it elsewhere. Our family of five generates some dirty clothes! Praise the Lord for the in laws; otherwise I'd be going to the laundromat.

We're still getting used to the school schedule which seems to be going well but it's hard to get the kids to bed earlier. While it's nice for S and I to have a little more quiet time in the evening, losing just 30 minutes is a lot!

The job is going quite well even though I have H with me in the tiny school kitchen. It's really a pretty good deal except I'm on my feet all day. As long as there is plenty of food for him, H stays out of the way and even helps sometimes. The only issue I've had is the sweet little first and second graders who come through to heat up a lunch they've brought from home. If there are 10 kids who have to heat their lunch and I only allow them one minute to do so, that's 10 minutes that kids are standing there heating things up. And here are a few examples of the questions I hear over and over:

1. How long do I heat this up?
2. Do you have a plate?
3. How does this microwave work?
4. Do you have a spoon?
5. Where is the trash can?
6. This is too hot.
7. Can you open this for me?

I honestly would love to help all of them but I can't seeing as I'm slightly busy handing out the 120 lunches that were ordered. It's craziness I tell ya! I had one 11th grader tell me that she was never again bringing something to heat up. Granted, there is more than one microwave but with the shear volume of children coming through to heat things up, it feels like there's only one.

So here's a recommendation to you parents who send lunches that need to be warmed up: don't. It makes life easier on everyone. But please know that your children are sweet even if they aren't old enough to work the microwave. Maybe I can teach a class on microwave use while I'm waiting to pick up L. Sounds good to me!