Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Happiness Project :: Week 8


Koen's class had a special daddy day.
Roger took the morning off from work
and grabbed some hammers (real and pretend)
to have some fun creating a sculpture with his little guy.


I sent the camera with him
and told him that he had to photograph
the experience so I could see it.

From the look on Koen's face
I think that he was pretty proud
of the turtle sculpture that they constructed.


I love that Roger took
the time out of his busy schedule
to do this with our boy.


Their piece is displayed
 in a place of honor
in Koen's room.

 


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Monday, April 29, 2013

The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles : The sound of a magic marker drawing.


My days around here seem to run together.
Ordinary moments unfold around me daily
and I need to stop and relish in them.

One day, my boys will be out living life
and I will miss these everyday experiences.

So, I am taking the time to document
the simple moments that pass between us.
I'm calling this little collection of memories...

Photobucket

The sound of a magic marker drawing.


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Since becoming a mom, 
 I have gained the uncanny ability to
hear a magic marker drawing from anywhere in the house.

I could be way back in the laundry room
and I swear that I'll hear 
a lid being popped off
and the drawing begin.

I always pray that it's drawing on paper.

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 Most of the time, I rush across the house
to discover that the kids
are indeed drawing on paper as they should.

But every once in a while,
I 'll catch them in the act
of abusing their magic marker privileges
and scribbling on themselves.

It's both infuriating and adorable.  
 I scold them to high heaven
when I catch them doing it.

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I secretly love to see them
covered head to toe with 
the bright brilliant marks on their little bodies.

They must feel so creative and free.
I often send Koen to school
with faint drawings left on him
because I couldn't scrub it off completely.

His teacher always laughs a bit when she sees it.

I know that I will look back
on these moments
when I dart across the house
to put a stop to the magic marker shenanigans
 with a smile.

I love our crazy little life together.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Once Upon a Time Mommy was Funny...

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I was recently cleaning out my closet when I came upon this silly little award (a Genie lamp that you shake and it tells your fortune) that I received in high school when I was voted wittiest of my graduating class. I remember that it was bestowed upon me at our senior Prom, which was an Arabian Nights Theme.

I didn't mean to save it but my beloved father, who is known for pilfering through the trash, saved remnants of my adolescent years and gave them back to me in a box on my 21st birthday. (Also included in said box were forged sick notes and bad progress reports-thanks dad).

Anyhoos...I found this dinky award the other day and my children grabbed it right up and started playing with it. "Why do have this, mama?" Koen asked while shaking it feverishly. I then told them the story about how all the kids at my school voted and said that I was the funniest person in our class.

They couldn't believe it. I think that they were impressed because now they ask me to tell the story of how I was the only person who campaigned during the voting process. I stood by the ballot box and bribed people with Oreo cookies and it totally worked!

 Let me just say that I've never won anything in my life except for honorable mention in the softball throw in the 3rd garde, 4th place in a poetry contest in the 10th grade, and 1st place in a dance contest at a bar in Atlanta when I was 28 years old. That's it. Needless to say, winning that stupid award was a high point in my life.

So, it makes me happy to see my boys grabbing my esteemed award (that I forgot that I still had) and asking Aladdin their future. They ask all kinds of questions ranging from "Will we get McDonalds for dinner?" to "Will I be famous when I grow up?" Their little faces light up as they wait for the answer and I can't help but think back to the night that I won the award. I was so young and unsure of what my future would hold. Little did I know that these two silly and wonderful little boys would be in my life.

I like that I have hard evidence to show my children that I was a person before I had them. I like that they can hold that award and know that their mom was officially the funniest person in the room at one point in her life.

It's the little things, people!

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Stay at Home Mom Chronicles : Book Orders


My days around here seem to run together.
Ordinary moments unfold around me daily
and I need to stop and relish in them.

One day, my boys will be out living life
and I will miss these everyday experiences.

So, I am taking the time to document
the simple moments that pass between us.
I'm calling this little collection of memories...

Photobucket

The Excitement of Book Orders

One of the best parts of being a kid
is coming home from school
with Scholastic book orders.

Griffin just loves sitting down
and looking for books
that he wants to order. 


He actually sits in one place
for an extended amount of time
and gets completely engrossed
in the search.

He circles the books that he wants
and then we sit together
and talk about all the books
and then he narrows down 
his decision.    

He feels so big when
he gets to be the one to fill out the order form.  


I get a kick out of sitting down
after he goes to bed and 
scanning the pages for all the books 
that he took the time to circle.

I love that he has a love for reading.
I love that it's such an even in our home
to pour over the book order
and imagine all the possibilities of each story.

The hopeful little circles that he draws
will forever be a memory
of his childhood for me.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Happiness Project :: Week 7


We took a trip to the Windmill Plantation
and went on a walk on a dirt road
lined with wildflowers.

It's a walk that we've taken many times
and one that I've told you about before 
but it just makes me so happy.


I love the conversations that unfold
as we tarry down the path.

Koen pulls out his "Swiss Army Knife"
and checks his trusty compass.

"We're going Easter!"
he says and I chuckle.

"Let's go explore North America"
he says
and I chuckle even more.


We don't make it far down the road
and we move very slowly
because we have to stop to explore the ground.

Griffin walks ahead
and is making up mysteries out loud about 
the old plot of land that we walk over.


 Tracks present themselves beneath
our feet that must be inspected and discussed.

Maybe it was a baby raccoon?
Maybe it was a zombie deer?

I laugh at that one too.


We search for turkey tracks
to share with Daddy and Granddad.

Then we gobble and stomp
like wild turkeys all the way back to the cabin.

It really is the best that life
has to offer little boys.

 


Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
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Friday, April 19, 2013

In bloom...

Flowers have exploded all around me.
I just had to say hello to the pretty girls
showing off outside.




\


I just love this time of year!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Super Amazing Life of Koen


Koen had a little birthday celebration
with his classmates yesterday.

I made a poster celebrating his life so far
and told the class all about my sweet boy.

I know that it looks like a 2nd grader
made the poster but I don't care,
Koen  thought that it was awesome
and that's really all that matters.
 

Griffin was even able to come to the celebration,
which was a super big deal.

Koen was so proud to have his big brother
run around the classroom with him.

They were both pretty much beaming the whole time.
 

The birthday ceremony is pretty precious.
The months of the year were laid out on the floor
in a circle around the "sun".


Then, Koen held the earth
and circled the sun 4 times
to symbolize each year of his life.

I just loved watching him orbit
around the room.


Then it was cupcake time!
Woo Hoo!

I can't believe that my little guy
is 4-years-old!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Happiness Project :: Week 6


I hopped on a bus filled with 28 kids
and helped chaperone Griffin's class camping trip.

It was an adventure.

The first night Griffin crawled 
into my tiny little bunk and slept on my head.

The second night, I was so exhausted that
I shamelessly bribed him with $5
to sleep in his own bunk all night.

It totally worked.
I was so tired I would have paid $20.

  

The children did so many fun activities
but the highlight for me was 
spending time in beautiful places.

 We hiked to this waterfall
and even got to climb behind it.

It was magical.


It was such a wonderfully reflective trip.


The view was totally worth the hike.
 I loved being there to experience it all with Griffin.

 


Want to join me in my quest
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Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A Brief Intermission


I'm helping to chaperone
Griffin's class camping trip for a few days
while Roger stays home with Koen.

 Wish me luck as I'll be
in a cabin with 16 smelly boys.

I'm brushing up on my fart jokes to get street cred.




Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Happiness Project :: Week 5


We celebrated Koen's 4th Birthday over the weekend. 


It was sweet and simple homespun party.
My mom made these cute little cupcakes
with Dinosaur eggs on them and orange frosting,
all at Koen's request.


The children watched a dinosaur presentation
and were able to touch real dinosaur bones and fossils.
They were all mesmerized. 


The weather was perfect for a "Dino dig".
Each kid grabbed a shovel
and searched for bones and teeth.


They found some amazing stuff.


Even the big kids had fun
making discoveries.


Koen felt a little nervous when it was 
time for everyone to sing Happy Birthday.
A moment after this photo was taken
he broke out into big ol' crocodile tears.

He cried during the entire song
while hiding in my chest.

It's hard being the 4-year-old birthday boy
but it was still super cute.



Want to join me in my quest
to scout out happiness for a whole year?
Simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy and tell us all about it.
Then, steal my button and include it in your post.
Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.