How Emi Got Her Groove Back

Despite the fact that as I'm writing this both of my boys have strep throat, it has been a really, really good two weeks.  I am definitely starting to feel more like myself again, and in some ways, better than myself (see this year's first life lesson at the end!).  The summer-o-fun has most definitely continued, and I've gotten back on track with my little "curriculum" that I created for the boys.  Oh yeah, and have I mentioned how much I LOVE MY HOUSE?!?!  It has been soooooo nice to take the boys outside whenever we feel like it, or sit on the porch together (with or without the boys).  We love our neighborhood, and it's just so nice to look around and feel the satisfaction and peace of, "This is our family home."  I honestly can't see us ever moving again, certainly not within the next 20 years--that is a really great feeling!   Life is good :)

The boys have loved playing in their water tower on hot days!

 

teamwork!!

these boys WILL know how to cook before they leave the house!

Tommy stirring our muffins :)

He even sprayed the pan this time!

giving his handy-work a little taste...

"MY PRECIOUS!!"

Basketti Night!!

I love how his mouth matches his hair :)

On to the grocery store...

Stop cramping my style, Ethan!!

that's better :)

might as well stop at Chick-fil-A for lunch!

LOVE the photo bomb going on right between the boys--that kid wanted to sit with us so bad!

Thanks for the fries Aunt Donna!!

Dinner and drinks with the girls after a much-needed marathon planning session!

more outdoor fun!

Ethan eating "carrots"....righhhtttt...aka cheetos

FIRST DIVA NIGHT OF THE YEAR!!!!!!

And, on the same night, the first rainbow at our new home--it is well with my soul <3

Davey trying to act like he doesn't love diva nights--we all know better!

Aunt LoLo was the first guest to stay over and use the new guest bedroom--we got rave reviews hehe :)

Another huge win--a bubble-blowing Buzz Lightyear for Ethan's birthday!

Haha, I know these pics are random this time, but here's our little guy putting together a 12 piece interlocking puzzle....

with no help...don't worry, big bro can't do it yet!

Brother HUGS!

Here's a bit of what we've been working on as we prepare for preschool in the Fall.  I've been so proud of Tommy--he's come such a long way!  Ethan will get his fair share of Mommy tutor time on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting in September!

 

Tracing numbers 1-20...once his hand strength is better, we'll try to start writing them out freehand

Shapes!

I got this LeapFrog "workbook" at Target, and I've been really impressed with it!  There are 5 sections--shapes/colors, numbers, letters, math, and reading--we do 5 "sets" of what you see below a week :)

After all of that hard work, it's time for a little relaxation with friends!  We met up with the Carter girls to watch Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked at the $1 kids movies.  Oy--it got 1/2 star for a reason--luckily the kids didn't seem to mind!!

Tommy sitting in between the twins--Cam on the far end, and Reagan closest  to Ethan.

This is a recurring theme...Ethan's new display of disapproval :P

Aubrey, Leslie's oldest and her best friend, Emily  decided to sit away from the little kids :)

Both of the boys were knocked out within 10 minutes on the ride home!

 

This week was "Flag" week, so here are our 2 brand new books that we read everyday.  The boys loved Apple Pie 4th of July--"no one eats Chinese food on the 4th of July!"

For the month of July, we're going to be concentrating on the character trait of honesty--gotta love the Berenstain Bears!

We're also going to be doing a few crafts every week to showcase the theme of the week...first up--the American flag!

I was SO PROUD of Tommy.  He did all of the cutting by himself (I did draw lines for him to cut on though).  This is HUGE for him, as it is the first time he's been able to both hold the paper AND cut by himself--way to go buddy!!!

What kid doesn't like to glue?!

The finished product--he did it all by himself!!!

Here is Ethy's...he did the dots by himself, and he tore one of the strips haha :)

 On to Grandma and Granddaddy's house to celebrate the 4th of July!!  The boys couldn't wait to give their flags to Grandma, and she was happy to receive them!

Grandma's little patriot <3

waving Old Glory!

The boys love to hop in Granddaddy's truck whenever they get a chance!

Ethan knows what today's focus is about!

Pool time!!

The look from above at my little fishies :)

Ehem...see what I mean?!

Tommy's going to get you!!

Reach for the sky!

This little guy is getting too big...sniff

By far, the most fun was had by the boys getting Granddaddy with their water pistols....they just thought they were so sneaky and hilarious!  It was adorable <3

Granddaddy loved playing along too!

GRANDDADDY'S REVENGE!!

Lol--Ethan's face!

He makes me smile <3

A good ol' fashioned cookout on the 4th of July!

We had to bring mini apple pies to go with our book!

Me and the hubbs looking festive!

No, your eyes do not deceive you...that is a black hot dog--just the way I like it!

Time for bed--Tommy went rogue in the bathroom by himself!

Meanwhile, Ethan fell asleep in about 2 seconds on the couch <3

The next morning we went on our very first family trip to the neighborhood pool--the boys were so excited!!

My little crab...

And turtle--thanks Aunt Becky!

I adore this photo <3

Here's a good laugh...Tommy literally said this to me on the walk home, "Mommy, you need to go do something with your hair."  Ugh, thanks big guy :)

Okay, this was SO SWEET!  It did make me a little nostalgic for Sam/Ellie, but more than anything it just made me proud of my boys--they took such good care of their little dolly one morning that they decided to throw her a birthday party!

Ethan feeding "Baby" (again, our names are so original---Teddy, Monkey, Baby) her cupcake :)

"Time to blow out your candle Baby!"

Then they both sang Happy Birthday--how sweet!

Next up on the 4th of July weekend was a trip to Goggi and Papa Bill's house to meet Goggi's cousin for the first time.  But first, we needed to make a craft to take to Goggi too!

This is what we started with (those are can strainers and fake flowers in the corners)

So funny--looking at it now, you can tell Tommy's eyes are "sick"--poor guy!

Ethan likes to paint too!

Using the strainer as a stencil.

All done!

Our beautiful fireworks!!!

pinterest win!!!

I helped Ethan with his stencils, but he seemed pretty proud of his work!

 On our way home, we were surprised with a couple of fireworks displays--one good, one bad.  The real fireworks, which you see below, were a special treat for the boys to see...

That said, the slight delay caused the bad fireworks, Ethan vomiting everywhere, to happen inside the car :(  So, there the 3 of us are snuggled on the couch at 11pm at night.  Me and my two sick boys--wouldn't  have it any other way!

Sorry E--you have to use a towel for a blanket--no vomiting allowed on the new furniture (jk)

And, the next morning, Daddy and Tommy fell asleep on the couch while Ethy and I hung out on the porch!

It has been a really wonderful couple of weeks.  It has been so nice to just relax on the porch with Davey with some music playing at night when the kids go to sleep.  And, I've really enjoyed getting back to my theme weeks--I think everything is more fun when there's a theme!  But, the next 2 pictures will show you why it's been really awesome (the last one in particular!!)....

My big guy wrote his name solo for the very first time (in a very legible way that is!)....AND....DRUM ROLL......

TWO, THAT'S RIGHT--2 STRAIGHT WEEKS OF POOPING IN THE POTTY WITH NO ACCIDENTS!!!!
PRAISE THE LORD--HALLELUJAH!!!!!!  Look out beach--here we come!

Now, back to how I got my groove back....I've been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting lately about life, and what things hold me back from being the person I want to be.  In general, I think I have my priorities pretty well straight, but there is something that must change right away.  A special thanks to a few wonderful friends who helped me arrive at this conclusion over the past few weeks--I always appreciate your wise counsel.

Life Lesson:  Ain't Nobody Got Time For 'Dat! 

I know everyone has their own struggles, things that seem to have a constant grip on them that they can't shake.  I am no different.  In general, I am a pretty confident person (some might even say too much so!).  That said, I have been absolutely plagued by my size for nearly as long as I can remember.  Now, let me be the first to say this--my parents never, ever made me feel bad about myself or my size.  The first time I can remember feeling self-conscious about myself was Kindergarten, when another kid told me I was fat.  After that, I remember being weighed-in for some reason in second grade...I weighed "a lot" more than my other girlfriends did.  I was always a tom-boy, and very good at sports.  In fact, I was usually better than almost everyone my age at every sport--boys and girls--see there's that confidence problem ;)  Anyway, I think the main cause of my issues were due to weigh-ins.  You have to weigh-in on sports teams.  I recently posted some pictures of myself on facebook from my high school days.  I bet you wouldn't guess this from looking at the pictures, but I weighed about 50 pounds more than my teammates.  I look at these pictures now and think to myself, "You looked good...not small, but strong and athletic (exactly what my parents used to tell me by the way)."  If only I could've somehow listened and believed them.  But, when you're 16 and you weigh 50 more pounds than your best friends, it's hard to not think you're huge.  I have let my insecurities positively take over my life all of these years.  I can't tell you how many times I was invited to go to a pool party, or to the beach, or out to the lake, etc.  I never went--ever.  For crying out loud, I was the female athlete of the year for the entire state of NC in 1998 (as chosen by the N&O), and I was so terrified of people seeing me in a swimsuit, that I never went.

I'm mad at myself for all of those fun opportunities wasted.  But, I'm also mad at society.  What a shallow, shallow world we live in.  People are quite literally judged on their appearances--their worth is valued based on how they look, and not who they actually are on the inside.  Let me just get a few things off of my chest here--a few things I'd like to tell society if you will:

1)  Unless you are someone's physician, and you are speaking directly to them in private, there is no need to bring up anyone's weight or size in conversation.  Seriously.  You would not believe how your words affect others' perceptions of themselves as well as you.
2)  If you think less of someone based on their size, whatever it may be, you're the one with issues--not them.  As my girl Jane so perfectly said in Drop Dead Diva, "I'm sorry you need people like me (size 16) to feel good about you."  As an aside, I feel it should be mandatory for everyone on the planet to watch this show!  It gives a really good depiction of what life is like for a plus-sized girl.
3)  You don't need to point out other people's weight loss to someone who is big.  First of all, larger people are usually the first to recognize anyone else's weight loss, so it's no news to us.  Secondly, the simple fact of you pointing it out to us, usually followed by "don't they look great!" only serves to pound in the point--you haven't lost weight, therefore you don't look great.  Again, refer to #1--no need to talk about someone's size.
4)  When you tend to refer to people based on their size (for the "good" or the "bad"), it makes you seem incredibly shallow, and most people will be uncomfortable around you.  Also, don't "body check"--just because someone is fat doesn't mean they are stupid and blind--we see you looking!
5)  I know it's hard to do, but try seeing people for who they really are.  Are they a good person?  Are they kind, generous, compassionate, funny, loving, gracious, etc?

Okay, moving on.  Despite my hatred of how society treats bigger people, I am ultimately to blame for letting it get to me.  Now, let me say this--I do think everyone should strive to be healthy.  I am striving to become more healthy myself, but in the meantime, I am not going to let other people steal my joy.  I am fat, but I am a good person.  I am going to the pool this year, and I am going to the beach.  I am fat, but I'm not going to let it ruin wonderful opportunities of fun with my family any longer. Life is too short, and ain't nobody got time for dat!  My challenge and hope for all of us is that we would try to see ourselves and others through our hearts, minds, and souls, and not by external appearances.  People are worth so much more, they have so much more to offer, than what they weigh.