Pre-Church Photos

Before church on Sunday, we went outside and to take a few pictures of the kids. Mainly because Nora is wearing my mom's dress that Aunt Lois made for her over 50 years ago. Aunt Lois made things to last!!  She looked so precious and David Franklin is was one Handsome Big Boy.  They have formed a sweet relationship lately and love being around each other.  Well, mostly Nora trails him around and would follow him anywhere to do anything.  She adores him and he takes care of her.

The other day at the HSCC pool, a big group of moms and kids were in the baby pool area and she escaped through the gate without me noticing and was heading for the big pool.  I heard David Franklin start crying hysterically and I thought he was hurt or or something but he started yelling "Nora, no! Mommy, Nora got out!" He wasn't hurt at all but truly worried about her and letting me know.  I was so proud of him and the other moms were stunned.  She wasn't even close to getting to the water yet but he was looking out for her and he got big praise for that!  I can't believe that our summer is winding down!  We still have a few more items on the Summer To Do List, but not many.

Back in the US of A!

We are back home and had a wonderful vacation!!   Franklin wins a PRIZE for the amazing dad he is.  I never doubted his skills, but I thought he might get overwhelmed and worn out but he didn't seem to at all.  Nora has decided he's the mommy and follows him around saying Ma Ma! :) 

DF seemed to be unfazed himself.  This is the child that cries when I walk the dog in the front yard because I'm "leaving him" ...I thought it could be disastrous, but Franklin said he was probably the easiest with everything.  It really shows me that he has my number and can play me like a fiddle when he wants to.  Perspective is so valuable, my tunnel mommy-vision is widened and necessarily so.  My batteries are charged and I'm SO happy to be back with my family! I missed them like you wouldn't believe, however  I think it was good for all of us. 

Ciao!

My mother and I are about to board a plane to Switzerland and then going on to Florence and Rome to meet up with my brother and SIL. We will be gone 10 days and it's by far the longest I've been away from my family and I've had a lump in my throat for weeks thinking about saying goodbye to them. I also know its a chance of a lifetime and can be a positive experience for us all. As I was walking out the door I scrambled to find pictures small enough to fit an old locket I have. I will wear it everyday with my babies close to my heart. And my wedding rings obviously represent Franklin so he's not forgotten by any means!

I was experiencing anxiety about leaving my babies yesterday and a wise lady told me; "Amanda, go, enjoy yourself, and freely accept God's blessings and you'll come back a better wife and mother."

My goals for this trip are to do just that. As well as to unplug, relax, enjoy seeing beautiful parts of the world, accept this blessing gratefully from God, gain perspective, eat lots of pizza, drink wonderful wine, and make some fun memories with my old roommates :)

David F told me his plan while I was gone is to "eat lots of candy" so seems he's going to have a little holiday of his own!

Proud to be an American!

This 4th of July was a wonderful one! The 3rd was great too because we were invited to a neighborhood parade that was truly small town America at its finest. It was too cute and so much fun!! Hot dogs, face painting, Popsicles and kids galore! The kids decorated their riding toys and took off after a wonderful rendition of the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance from some grade school aged kids.
We decorated the double stroller because we thought David F would ditch his bike a quarter of the way but come to find out- that would have been longer than he lasted in the stroller when he saw the hot wheels! He tried to ride in the back of James' tractor but kept falling off so he got to catch a ride with his favorite older lady friend in her pink Barbie car! Nora and Aubrey Kate didn't love the stroller either so I really struck out on the parade- ha! Nora was happy with a mouthful of Vanilla Wafers though so we kept them coming!

I'm proud to be an American, and proud of what the stars and stripes, hot dogs and Popsicles represent and are thankful for those who came before us to make it all possible.

iPhone picture update

We've been having some fun summer days and tried to beat the heat today at Jump City. Nora loved it and even climbed up the slides.
We had some fun with the Brown cousins when they came to Arkansas and we celebrated Mommie Boo's 88th birthday today with her! It's such a treat that we get to join in on the celebration of such a special lady who is crazy for her grandchildren and great- grands too!

I'm a....

Serpent, salamander, blackie the cat, a bad guy, a baby, a giant, Goliath, a baseball player, an alien, a t-Rex ...and there are others I can't think of from yesterday. It starts first thing in the morning and lasts all day long.

My little boy loves pretending! He will say over and over "I'm a....." and if you don't say ok and call him whatever he wants to be he will continue to repeat it. He must have confirmation. He even wants me to call people and tell them he's blackie the cat or whatever it may be. Often times, I'll call him what he wants and he'll say. But really I'm a...
I must say it gets pretty exhausting to keep up and if I slip up and actually call him David Franklin, he says I'm NOT David Franklin, I'm a red dinosaur.

We may have an actor on our hands. As much as it wears me out it, it makes me laugh and I absolutely love that he uses his imagination!

Three Amigos

We went on a triple Mommy/Son date this afternoon. David F. and I went to the matinee with Avery and Mrs. Casey McBride and Ashton and Mrs. Marci Herndon. We saw Madagascar 3 in 3D and then went to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. We thought the movie was cute and the boys loved eating outside at the Warf...running wild! Feeding the ducks, waving at boats, jumping off benches, etc. After about my 10th "no" in a row, I drank my glass of wine and tried my best to refrain in using that word and letting the boys play and have fun together. And boy did they... The love they have for one another is something to see.
I love getting one on one time with each of my children individually and I'm thankful for my sweet boy and date today. He even fed me a bite of popcorn and let me sneak a kiss!!