Happy Birthday Carson....And Going Backwards

It's been so long since I blogged that blogger looks TOTALLY different. I spent the last 5 minutes just trying to figure out how to start a new post. Sad. Just sad. People ask me why I'm not blogging anymore and I don't have a good reason. I'm so sad I haven't kept a daily log of Lillie Belle and all she's done in her 9 months. However, I think I'm just exhausted. Yep, that's prolly why. By the time my kids are in bed I collapse on the couch and don't do anything until I drag myself to bed. Blogging has become a low-priority item. I hate the fact that I just typed those words. Accepting reality is a good step to recovery, right?? Carson's 12th birthday is on Tuesday. Due to scheduling conflicts, today was the perfect day to celebrate. We had (and are still having) a blast. My family room is full of friends and family watching The Avengers at full volume. Lillie is sleeping, not sure how, and I am enjoying the alone time upstairs. Instead of cleaning my sticky and disgusting kitchen, I decided to blog. Yay! It's a start. Twelve years old. Wow. This has been a big year for us. We had a baby, Parker was baptized in July (I guess I should blog that sometime soon) and Carson turns 12. When the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks did I grow up?? We have had a fun party. Everybody got to make their own caramel apples with whatever toppings they wanted: Snickers, Butterfinger, Candy Corn, Skittles, M&M's, Cinnamon Sugar, White Chocolate....

Working backwards now: We went to the pumpkin patch yesterday to get pumpkins for our yard. Kids were running all over the place so I only got a few pictures, mainly of Lillie. Lillie has red hair. Not in my wildest imagination did I ever consider the possiblity that I would have a red-head. Shocking, but fun!

Her hair totally matches the pumpkins. ha ha!

My parents and kids. Ummmmmm, either Cameron biffed it and had a bloody mouth OR he ate something red. I honestly don't know. Oh wait, look at his hand! He's got a ring pop. Phew, mother of the year right here.

Seriously, when the heck did Carson grow up? It's pretty fun actually. He asks me some REALLY embarrassing questions about puberty and the birds and the bees. I'm happy to say I answer all his questions without running and screaming away from the awkwardness. Inside I'm dying, but on the outside I'm cool as a cucumber. I like this side of parenting so far, some days it beats kissing "owies". Does that make sense? I feel like I've been stuck in little kid mode for so long that this is refreshing. I'm sure by the time Cameron has reached this stage I'll be crying for the boo boo's and owies to kiss.

The other day the kids were working on their Reflections Contest for school. If you remember in years past, I HATE Reflections. Sorry PTA, it's just not my favorite thing. Carson drew his picture but Parker wanted to do photography again. The theme is "The magic of a moment". So Parker was trying to catch Lillie or Cameron doing something cool. The attempts were awesome: Here we have gravity at it's finest while jumping on the trampoline. This picture would have been fun to submit and say something like "The magic of the moment Cameron turned into an old man".

Or this one:

That's more like it:

I'm too sexy for my teeth! Check out the fang. The other fang is trying to break through, which would be awesome because I think she might be a bat for Halloween.

Here's the picture Parker submitted. I like it. But the PTA won't. They never do....sorry, the bitterness runs deep. ha ha!

Cameron is in preschool. He's in Cindy Sweet's preschool, which is the best preschool around! They had to turn a pumpkin into something else as a homework assignment. Because Sam doesn't do anything boring, he traced Cameron's body and turned the pumpkin into the batman symbol on Batman's chest. Cameron even drew the face so we made the Batman mask removable. I love it!

We went to Wheeler Farm the other day and fed the ducks and geese. Always a fun activity for our family. At some point this past year Cameron kind of grew up.

Parker is still making us laugh daily. Here he is getting attacked by geese and we just laughed and laughed and laughed. Parker might hate me when he grows up.

This chicken looks how I feel a lot of the time. It's nice to know somebody gets me:

Have you ever tried getting 4 kids to look at you? Sorry about your head Parker. It will grow back!

That's better! Oh how I love this face! He's developed quite the witty personality...and a blue mustache apparently.

Ummmmm, stay classy!

We went camping over Labor Day Weekend. It was super fun, and super freaky. POURING rain and the worst thunder/lightning storm I've ever endured, in a tent! However, the company was great and we didn't die, so all is well!

Well, that's what I've been up to for the last month. Next blog post will be June -August and then I'll be caught up! yay for me! Now to go clean up caramel apple stickiness from my kitchen. Or maybe I'll just lay on the couch instead!