Wordless Wednesday

Despite my position for this picture, I did finish my race standing.

But it was SO hot and I was pooped immediately afterwards.

Random Thoughts Tuesday

 

We are slowly working our way back into school mode. Hubby returned on Friday for some teacher stuff and back yesterday in full swing. Students return next Monday which just feels entirely too soon. And it's funny because I am not even the one in school yet I don't want it to start just yet! haha 

We got the school supply list and one item on it has me puzzled. 

1 sleeve of 3 tennis balls.

Now, before you say, "Maybe they are for the chairs," let me run the math by you real quick. Each chair has 4 legs. Even if 22 kids each bring a pack of 3 tennis balls you get 66. With chairs having 4 legs each and there only being 66 balls that means the number of chairs covered is 16.5. Sure, maybe the idea is to only put balls on two of the legs. BUT the floor is carpeted so wouldn't it make no sense at all to put the tennis balls on the chairs to begin with? Hmm.

I can't wait to find out what the tennis balls will be used for.

What random item is on your child's supply list?

The hubby and I ran a 5k race down in this weekend. It was hot. It was humid. And we pretty much both decided we are not summer runners! 

I'm headed to the orthodontist in a bit. This will be my first visit with him since I went to the oral surgeon last week. I sure hope the two have talked. I didn't care much for what the oral surgeon had to say last week. I am sure I won't care much for what the orthodontist has to say today. Have I mentioned that I am just pretty much over having braces and a messed up jaw? Well, in case you haven't read that... I AM! I just want to be able to floss without tangling floss up in all the metal. I want to be able to eat without having to dig for 30 minutes after eating to make sure I got all the left over food bits out of the metal. And I am tired of a calloused tongue and irritation on the inside of my mouth. I just want to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the whole braces and crazy jaw bit. :) 

I wonder if last night was a full moon. My kids were less than perfect last night. What I am really trying to say there is they were awful! Terrible. Just absolutely no good. I sent them straight to their rooms when we got home. I didn't even take them to the gym so I could work out. They were that bad! Anyway, you would have thought I was making Annabelle walk across hot coals the way she was carrying on screaming in her room. WHY? I told her she had to clean her room before she could come out. "Ahhhh, but I am so tired I just want to sleep." "My room is such a mess I just can't do it." yeah, yeah. Well, at one point she decided to ask me for a bag. A bag? Yep, she needed a bag so she could pack to move! Oh FUN! ;) I offered her a bag and some assistance in moving but apparently moving out at the age of 7 loses it's appeal when your mom offers to help you pack so you can reach your destination before the sun goes down! teehee

 

A little laugh...

Last week I told you about my horrific shopping trip to VS.
Well, I also said to stay tuned for a little funny about my Peanut. He did NOT go shopping with us but later when I was home he was standing beside my chair while I was surfing the internet. I happened to be online at Victoria's Secret just to see if they had any of the specific bras I liked on sale.
Anyhoo..
Of course you know all over the screen are these beautiful women sporting nothing but sexy bras and undies. I thought nothing of it ya know since what I was looking for was not even close to sexy, in my mind. But oh well. What do I know anyway?

Peanut walks up and takes a look at my computer, "Whoa, that's some hot meat right there!"

I was mortified! And I immediately clicked the little red x in the top right hand corner. No more bra shopping with my 4 year old around. Shameful! I did let the boy know that women are not hot meat. My best guess is he has been hanging around his older (teenage) male cousins quite a lot this summer and might have picked up a thing or two!  It was still good for a little laugh later in the day.

Under construction

I've been attempting to make some changes to the template/design of my blog. My hubby is a football coach (uh, duh!) and my previous (which happens to still be my current) header reflected the colors from the previous team he coached. We are so ready to move on from all things orange and blue!!! So, I have been playing all morning with getting the colors for my blog just right! I am currently stuck on the header though. I think I want to move away from the little cartoon girl and since I don't have the design info on it I can't just go changing the colors of her jersey and what not. So....
What do I want?
Well, I am thinking a more "real" or lifelike look to the header. Any ideas? I will gladly accept any and all!! And please bear with me as I figure this out. Also, if you have trouble reading my blog based on the colors I chose, please let me know!

WW- splish, splash

We usually visit our local Chick Fil A after hitting the gym on Tuesday nights since they have a deal where you buy an adult combo and the kids eat free! Who doesn't love free food? :) They usually also have something else fun going on like crafts or balloon animals. Here is what was going on last night....

They had a HUGE blow up slide with a pool at the bottom, sprinklers, Snow Cones and the local Fire Department was even there. The kids had a blast! Thanks, CFA!

Random Thoughts Tuesday

I feel like such a slacker lately. I haven't blogged as much and when I have blogged it's been terrible! But you know me, I refuse to miss a RTT! ;) 

Summer has gone by entirely too fast. I still wish I was sitting on the beach and by the pool every day workin' on my tan while the kids laugh and splash around. I can't wait for next summer. Please oh please let me have another week of vacation at the beach!

I don't know about you other ladies but for me shopping is not a very easy task. And bra shopping is much harder. Over the weekend I broke down and went to Victoria's Secret. This was not a fun experience for me. I mean I *knew* my size before going in, so thankfully when I told the girl and she measured me I didn't have to feel like a fool at all. BUT what I did have a hard time with was all the different bras she brought. I swear nothing worked and maybe you other moms can relate to me here, but trying to fill a bra with what feels like deflated balloons filled with a bit of sand is hard work especially when one is a wee bit bigger than the other. It just is frustrating. Insert more frustration when the cute, tiny, blonde with perfect hair and makeup asked to come in with me and SEE HOW THEY FIT. *faint* I broke out into the worst sweat ever and my stomach, oh my. I thought I was going to have a bigger problem than just sweat. By this point my husband (yes he came with me!!) had left to roam around the mall and I was alone. Waaaah! After being in that little fitting room for what felt like an eternity and mustering up the courage to let that sweet sales gal in with me I realized I had been wearing my bra wrong all along. Straps adjusted too high, too tight across my back. Yah, yah. So, I left there with some new prizes that cost me as much as my entire summer wardrobe, including shoes and swimsuits. I am NOT kidding. All the way home I told my hubby how I could have bought a new pair of running shoes for what my underlovelies cost me. You've been there, right?? (there is an even funnier story to tell about VS..wait for it)

Yesterday I had a visit with the oral surgeon to discuss further options with my jacked up jaw/teeth.Let me just say that  I did not leave there happy.
1. I didn't get anymore info than I had going in there. I opened my mouth, he looked around. He asked some questions, looked at my x-rays, asked more questions. Then I asked questions. And before leaving he said he needed to do some "homework" and talk to my orthodontist.
2. I had to pay $150 out of MY pocket right then and there for that little visit. I have stellar insurance but NO they don't bill insurance and have you pay your co-pay. They charge you, bill insurance and then if insurance pays (which I am 99.999999% certain mine will)  they will credit your account. I suppose that is all fine and good if I decide to torture myself (and my family) with any procedures. Sigh.
I pretty much wish I had never started this process to begin with.

I sure do like Craisins. If I don't watch myself I will eat a whole bag in like a day. The Pomegranate juice infused variety is quite yummy. Have you tried the blueberry? I want to try those next.

I had so much I wanted to get done before the school year really starts. However, there are only 2 Saturdays before school starts and I just don't see my "to -do" list getting any shorter. I wanted to tackle closets, get rid of a bazillion toys we do not need and get organized. HA! Two weekends before school starts and we are running a race, out of town this weekend. So, what do you think that means? lol

Whispering is all kinds of rude. Rude, rude, rude.

Crunchy peanut butter is not the best to put on bananas. Stick with smooth. Trust me, I know! ;)

Little Ranch Hands

These were taken one night before VBS. So much fun!

WW- Not so wordless ;)

Annabelle has been due to get a new lense prescription for her glasses for a while now. Being the cheap parents we are we decided (since the dr said it was no rush) to wait until insurance picked up to get it filled. haha Seriously though it was only a slight change and the doctor really did tell us to wait if we wanted (for insurance reason!). So, that's what we did. This week hubby took Annabelle to pick out new frames too! Every couple of minutes I would get a new email with pictures of Miss Annabelle in a different pair of frames. Love the iPhone we got hubby for Father's Day, convenient when he is out and about with the kids! ;) Anyway, here are the frames she tried on.

I love that I was able to post these super fast on Facebook for all my friends to see AND loved even more that they all seemed to like what *I* (the mommy) thought would look best on my Sweet Girl! :) She looks so grown up in the pictures. I can't wait to get the new glasses and see them on her in person. She chose the last pair (Moxie Girls, teehee) even though she liked the blue Vera Bradley pair best.

Random Thoughts Tuesday

 

I got a large coffee this morning. I love the large so much better than the small. I noticed something odd when I was getting back in my car though (I always go in McDs to get my coffee rather than the drive -thru). I happened to park right in front of the trash can and "ash tray." I noticed the ciggy butts were falling out of the big ash tray. Now this isn't the kind of butt catcher from back in the day. This is one of the new funnel looking butt catchers where there is a small hole to just drop the butt in. The thing was over flowing. Grody, huh. 

Today someone said to me, "I don't see how you do it. Working, then home stuff, plus VBS (which is going on this week) and still having the energy or time to go to the gym so late." Well ya know what my reply was? "It's me, it's what I do and I HAVE to do it." Honestly though random people have said the same thing even on a normal week (non VBS week). It irritates me. I am no one special and if I am being even more honest (my hubby will appreciate this) I don't do as much as *I* should at home, a lot of that is my hubby (yes, cooking..cleaning..the kids) right now. BUT I will always (hopefully always) find the time to care for myself = go to the gym/run. I am not doing anything that YOU or any other person who "Doesn't see how I do it" can't do. Seriously, just quit making excuses or coming up with lame reasons why you can't or don't. I've been there but let me tell you once you quit making excuses and finding reasons you can't or don't life flows much better. Now you can't eat off my floors, there is usually laundry out of place and there might be dishes in the sink BUT finding time for ourselves (hubby and me) to be active and healthy is as much a part of our daily routine and important to our well being as anything else and it is a great thing for our kids to see! So, to those of you wondering how I do it... let your excuses be laid to rest one day and JUST DO IT (thank you, Nike for such a great motto)!! 

It feels like it was just last week that I was counting down the days until school let out or our summer vacation. Now it seems the count down to the start of school is suddenly upon us. This makes me sad and I am not even the one returning to school. My routine will change quite a bit so I guess that is why I feel so not ready. The city school (where my hubby coaches football) starts on July 26, crazy huh. The county school (where Annabelle is) starts August 2, which is just right around the corner too. I'm not ready. I don't want to buy school supplies yet or start packing her lunch or battle the little bear out of bed. I want to rewind to the days just before my summer vacation and do that all over again! Ah, only in a perfect world, right!?

I haven't talked about my situation with my mouth lately. You know, the whole braces thing. I have had those boogers for over a year. When I first got them last year they were put on to correct an open bite on both sides or my mouth as well as a cross bite and a few pesky not so straight teeth that weren't really noticeable. Well, to date the open bite on my right side has closed and the crooked teeth are no longer crooked. However, the problem lies in the cross bite as well as the open bite on the left side. Nothing has happened. Nothing, zip, zilch, nada. People, this is not a good thing. At this point I do not know what my choices are but I do know my orthodontist is as frustrated as I am (well I might be more frustrated since I am the one paying out the rear for this metal). I hate it. He mentioned that there *may* be a surgery that can correct the problem and I will see the oral surgeon next week to get more options. The orthodontist also said that it may be time to just take the braces off. Ugh. Then what? I don't know because I didn't ask. I was too frustrated. I guess I will find out next week if my teeth are ankylosed like the orthodontist suspects. I guess either way we will deal with the situation in the best suitable way for me (and my beloved family who will have to put up with me during the process, whatever that is). ;) 

Have you noticed how long my randoms are today? haha

We got rain yesterday. I think a couple of inches, depending where you live in the county. We needed the rain so very bad. I said before (I think) that our grass was a lovely shade of brown when we returned from vacation. That was 3 weeks ago. We hadn't had a decent amount of rain since before we left. Things were looking bad around these parts. I kind of hope we get more rain. It's been a nice change from the heat and humidity. 

I need some serious hair love. My hair has gotten SO long. I haven't had it cut since before Easter. So, technically I haven't gone very long..for me. I usually only get a cut twice a year. I just never know what I want to do with my hair and neglect to find the time for that. But I am thinking I should at least get a trip in a couple weeks, especially since my hair girl is about to have baby #2. 

As I said before, we are in VBS this week. I always get stressed because I am in charge of crafts and never feel truly prepared. This year I feel less prepared than ever. BUT at the same time I feel so blessed because I get to be in contact with every child that is at church this week! 

I'd had my Daddy on my brain a lot the last week or so. He started his radiation last week and that went well. Yesterday he added oral chemo to the mix. He had some stomach issues over the weekend but the doc said that had more to do with the addition of so many more fruits/veggies to his diet recently. I sure hope that is the case and the the chemo doesn't bring any side effects his way. 

I have very little desire to work today. I don't even have much on my desk to do. Sigh. I should hit the small stack of files now though and be productive. Adios.

Here fishy fishy

The kids went to a birthday party with their cousins after church yesterday. We were told to pack swimsuits and towels and that is just what I did. Annabelle kept telling me they were goin' fishing but I didn't really listen (hey, she doesn't listen to me sometimes!!!). Well, apparently I should have trusted her......

They both caught one! However, I was told Peanut was mad he had to put his back in the water. teehee

Castillo De San Marcos - St. Augustine, FL

On my Sweet Annabelle's 7th birthday this year we were (as in the last 3 years or so) at the beach on vacation. We always try to have something fun or special planned for that day since she doesn't get a birthday party at home with friends. This year we were in Palm Coast, Fl which is very close to St. Augustine. If you have never been there you should go! It is the neatest little city and so much fun! We visited Castillo De San Marcos which is a national park/monument. And since we live so close to a national park (ahem, Great Smoky Mtns) we know how important these lovely places are to their city and it's citizens! And for $7 per adult ticket (which is good for a whole week!!!!) we decided that was the perfect place to take Annabelle, who also loves history like her Daddy, for her birthday! We probably spent a good 2 hours in the Castillo de San Marcos. The kids were mesmerized by the different rooms. Peanut especially loved the little dungeon room where they kept prisoners! Annabelle's favorite part of any trip like this is always the "gift" shop. The girl loves her some souvenirs but has the hardest time deciding what to purchase. We finally talked her into a "piece of eight" and a patch that I hope to some day add to her Girl Scout vest. Peanut chose a canon just like the one we saw a demonstration of. That was one of the highlights of our trip!

After visiting Castillo De San Marcos we walked around St. Augustine. The kids had Superman ice cream and did a lot of complaining about the heat and being bored. This was not fun for me or Daddy and we decided that one of these days we were going on vacation alone to St. Augustine to enjoy the city and what it has to offer for the big people! ;) 

Once we decided to head back to the car Daddy remembered that mommy saw a cute little cupcake shop called Luli's Cupcakes and stopped so we could enjoy a bite. Afterall, he knows mama loves cupcakes and we had reason to celebrate! We tried two cupcakes that day...the confetti and the carrot. Both were rather tasty! And the birthday girl was surprised when she returned from the potty and found a special "birthday girl" crown waiting at her seat! :)

Now my sweet bloggy friends, please enjoy these pictures from our fun day!

The birthday girl and Chrissa (her American Girl doll) before going into Castillo De San Marcos.

Isn't it lovely?! Such a cool place.

Another cool fact. The guys who work here are volunteers (with the exception of a few park rangers) and wear 23 lbs of wool every day of the year. The day we were visiting it was at least 90 degrees out! But these men wore smiles on their faces and gladly posed for pictures!!

Demonstration of a canon firing. This was really neat. We were on the front row, needless to say we were covered in black soot! 

Later that evening we visited a restaraunt in St. Augustine that was recommended to us by hubby's parents and the front desk at our resort. We had scoped out the menu too because Miss Annabelle requested fried clams for her birthday dinner! Yumm. We went to The Oasis and Annabelle and I shared fried clams, baked potato and cole slaw. We were in heaven! Our server was the nicest gal around and made dinner lots of fun. They didn't do anything special for birthdays but she made sure to make dinner and dessert special for Annabelle. She brought us a slice of Snickers pie which Annabelle and devoured in minutes! And we sang "Happy Birthday" like we would if we'd been at a party! Fun times.

Annabelle and I posing with the pie!

And with that birthday was over and my camera battery was out.

Wordless Wednesday (with words)

I was asked to please post the 'tude picture from July 4th. So, here my girl is in all her 'tude glory! We get this look often and I am quite guilty of shooting this look right back! I cannot even remember what the problem was that constituted my girl giving this look to her daddy and myself but I am sure it was "just so unfair" and we are "the worst parents ever" for telling her no. But hey, that's how we roll! ;)

Random Thoughts Tuesday

 

Can you believe we are already a week into July? Summer is still flying right by. 

School starts in 27 days. Crazy. 

We are in for a heat wave this week as I am sure most of the country is. I haven't looked at the weather for the rest of you all but around these parts it is suppose to be in the upper 90s. I think Thursday we are supposed to hit 98 and I am sure by the time they factor in the heat index we will go over 100. Fun times. Thank goodness my office is air conditioned. 

We had a really fun but busy weekend. I got very little sleep and that is catching up to me quickly. Friday we ran errands and I honestly cannot even remember what we ended up doing Friday night. Saturday we got up early, did a little shopping and prepared ourselves for our 5k race that started at 9pm that evening. I figured by the time it was over I would feel like crashing as soon as we walked in the door. Not the case! After a 2 hour nap (late evening) and fueling up on running gels, caffiene  with dinner we still not get into bed until after 3:30am! Then we were up for church Sunday morning and had a pretty busy day getting to bed around 2am and were up again Monday morning gearing up for another fun filled day. Factor in the cold I had last week and the lack of sleep this weekend and today I am pretty drained. Luckily, my sweet hubby brought me a big cup of coffee so hopefully my eyelids won't droop too much today but I am not counting on it. ;)

The hubby made PW's cinnamon rolls this weekend. I may or may not have had my fair share of those. And by fair share I might mean 2. And if 2 doesn't sound like much to you perhaps you should check out the ingredients list for said cinnamon rolls. Whoa. And yes, they are good! Better than good actually which is why we sent the 25 left over rolls home with someone else. 

I feel like we are living in a "Silly Band hell" lately. And I KNOW most of you other moms can relate to some extent. My kids are crazy over these silly (haha pun intended) things and the hubby and I are going insane over them... for very different reasons though. The trading..fine. My girl can spot a Silly Band wearer from miles away (ok, maybe feet but still) and is on top of the wearer like white on rice within seconds. The whining and fighting and bickering between MY two kids over them is what is driving us mad. Seriously. The hubby has threatened to take them and all cut them to pieces if he hears one more arguement or sees one more tear shed over them. HAHA It hasn't happened yet though. We haven't even spent the first penny on Silly Bands. Mamaw has been the one purchasing and handing them out. This morning though all Silly Bands in the Emert house were gathered and placed in two styrofoam cups and will not be handed out until the whining, crying and fighting over them stops. We are over the whole, "He traded me this pig for that dinosaur and now he wants the pig back and I want this but he needs to give me two because it's rare."  Just shut up about the darn silly bands and I mean it!!! (said in my best mom voice)

Ok, I am off to reposition the toothpicks and get some work done... maybe.

Happy Independence Day!

We started our holiday out with a late night race on Saturday (hubby and I)...

I felt great and was excited that hubby remembered his shoes this time. ;)

This morning we went to church and hung out around the house this afternoon.

We then loaded up and headed down the street for a cookout, live music and fun with neighbors. Our night ended with an awesome fireworks display that I wish I had attempted to get pics of but since I didn't you will have to just enjoy the pics of the kids playing.

Annabelle hammin' it up for the camera!

Later she got a bit of a 'tude about something, but being the sweet mom I am I decided not to share that one (for now...hahaha).

We "Silly Banded" it up for a while and posed for a picture!

Peanut spent a lot of time in the sandbox.

We had a lot of fun!

I hope you all had a very happy and safe holiday!

We are headed to the mountains early in the morning for another day of fun. :)

Splish splash

We really had a great time at the beach. I have never been a huge fan of playing in the ocean since I can't really see what is around me but this year was so different. I enjoyed every minute of splashing in the water with the kids! We realized last week just how brave our little Peanut has gotten in and around the water. Thank goodness we had a good eye on him though. He loved the beach so much more than last year.

burying Daddy's feet!

I liked this pic a lot for some reason.

Peanut and Daddy!

Me and the kids before our splash fest!

Yay for waves!!!

Poor guy. He spent a lot of vacation this way.