Farmer Sue's

Enjoying outings with both of my lil' cuties is the best part of our relaxed yet busy summer ahead. The elementary teacher in me always gets excited about a new field trip and enjoying the world through my kid's eyes. Today we headed over to The Morning Glory Farm... home to The ArtBarn in Hickory Flat. Jack & Maggie's mommy coordinated this one & we were looking for something to do.  We were greeted with all the friendly animal hellos as we approached the property. Roosters were cockadoodle-dooing. Even April the miniature donkey let out the most fascinating of sounds sure to capture the interest of Miller and EK as we were getting our bearings. Farmer Sue was hard at work shoveling animal poop out back when we arrived. Bless that woman. Although, we do share the same job description at times;)

Everything about Farmer Sue's farm was charming. We made ourselves cozy in the story barn looking at her birds while we waited for all our friends to arrive. Miller's smile shows his wild anticipation. We talked up this trip the night before and toured the website together. Notice his baseball cap. On most days it's now a permanent fixture on his head. Hey, at least it matched on this day;)

It didn't take Miller long to get up close and personal with the donkey. Farmer Sue laid out the farm rules about not standing behind the horses or donkeys. She also defined the animals as "Barnyard Ambassadors" instead of identifying her crew as a humble petting zoo. It was evident she viewed her animals as members of her family.
There were clucking chickens roaming around . This made Eliza Kate cling to me shouting "Uppy" with great urgency. She definitely takes a little while to warm up to new environments. Her legs were wrapped around me way up high clinging to safety. She's a typical two year old these days.

And, this is how she looked when I put her down to roam with the chickens!

Poor girly.  I did catch her smiling from time to time, but this little outing was mainly for brother. I do try to broaden our little diva's horizons. It's good for her to get out of her comfort zone.

Farmer Sue is one smart lady to put her students to work. There's a lot of work to down on the farm. She rounded up a small group of hay gatherers to feed the goats. Miller felt important having a job to do. He's big into helping me out these days.

Then the hay was launched over the fence. Such great helpers!

We gave the horse some attention.

Eliza Kate settled into the hayride. She enjoyed this part of the trip. Miller was enthralled with the vintage tractor. And, Mr. Farmer Sue gave us a farm tour on his 57' Ford ride called Matilda. The make, model and year are important details not to be missed by Miller.
We got up close and personal to the Oreo cow which had unique stripes similar to the cookie. No spots intrigued Miller man.

Picnicking on the grounds was a treat. Followed by peaking through the chicken wire at the bunny with a boo boo on his ear. By this time of the morning Eliza Kate ventured from my hip to peak in on the bunny.

She admired the bunny with the "ouchy".

 

 

Farmer Sue invited us to make a wish under the Magic Wishing Arch as we entered into the Duck habitat. Miller our tour guide led us to the duck pond. Mama Duck's baby chicks just hatched and the kids were able to hold a baby. It was definitely a highlight of the morning.

Miller's quite the chick magnet this summer;)

There were lots of patient hands waiting for their turn with the baby. So, so cute!

 

Yee-Haw & Feeling Farm-tastic about our moo-velous little field trip to Farmer Sue's!

tomahawk chopping

We spent parts of the long weekend at Turner Field cheering on our hometown Braves. This was Miller's inaugural visit to a Brave's Game on Saturday afternoon. His buddy Jack invited him to a father/son game. Miller came home with a foam tomahawk and tales of the game & of course his hot dog meal. I'll upload those pics from our "daddy friendly" camera soon.

On Tuesday night's game, Miller's Upward team paraded around the field. Since Landon was the assistant coach this season, he helped lead the team around the perimeter of the field. He said it felt like opening ceremonies at the Olympics...ha! Grandmama and I kept little sister busy playing at the Taco Mac indoor playground at the center field level. She was content to fill her pregame moments sliding and running on the equipment.

And, there I was in my sundress sliding down the winding slides with her. She doesn't quite have the confidence to journey up inside the equipment on her own, Oh,  the things we'll do to enjoy those moments with our kiddos.

Fortunately we packed lots of water. HOTlanta was just that on this humid evening. Eliza Kate always glistens like a true southern belle on muggy nights like these. Her head gets so sweaty from all her two year old running about.

We settled in our team block of seats..way up high in full sun. Taking a toddler is no easy chore at events like these. I was thankful that we were sitting near the exit so we could go back and forth to run around outside the stands to get her wiggles out.

Then we spotted Miller's team, the Mets. A Where's Waldo search of sorts led us to pick out which jersey'ed boys were ours.

They are hard to miss with their electric orange shirts. We waved wildly and Landon spotted us way up there in the nosebleed section. The highlight for Landon was getting an up close and personal view inside the dugout. Eliza Kate even said, "Ohh, there's Miller". She probably couldn't pick him out of the crowd, but she at least thought she did:)

She was too busy cooling down with her frozen strawberry lemonade treat. It was a cold way to entertain her in our seats. She had a dripping good time scooping out her dessert. Grandmama popped out her Mary Poppins umbrella which is a simple way to block the sun and we were content to take in Miller's circle around the field.

Eliza Kate really has no other choice but to come along and root
 for her brother at his events. Her turn will come soon enough when he'll be handing her flowers at a recital. Who knows, maybe she'll be softball player? Finally, our men came to join us in our seats. Little legs don't move so fast especially when the boys were wide eyed taking all the sights in of the stadium.  It was just too much cuteness for me to handle watching all the different teams locate their seats. Little league days are upon us. It hit me on this night. Miller held tightly to  his souvenir bat from this last t-ball hoorah. Little gifts like these are so meaningful to the five year old boy.

I gave extra hugs to my little slugger. He just new he was "kinda a big deal" getting to parade around the field like that

Before settling in to watch a few innings, we let him enjoy Dip n' Dots and tell us all about his big adventure on Turner Field.

Part of the whole game going experience are the concessions. We made a few trips back in line to pick out just the right snack.

We had to laugh when every few minutes the startling announcement of "Cooold Beeeeeer" in a sing- songy rhythmic tone made us jump off our picnic bench. It was almost comical enough for a practical joke show. If anything, it added to the sights and sounds of people watching.  The kids were even starting to repeat "Coooollld Beer" in the same tone before we couldn't handle one more loud announcement ringing in our ears.

Game day popcorn was the last snack of the day. Grandmama was her playful self and let EK play feeding games with her. This is just so entertaining for our little mommy in training. Since we were really there for the parade & snacks at this age, we felt ok with Miller enjoying a few innings before leaving. We were well into the 8 o' clock hour when Eliza Kate was running out of steam. Looking forward to the joys of next tball season.

Memorial Weekend

We kicked off summer, the good old fashioned American way with a Memorial Weekend dinner with our Sunday School class.  Our party duo was ready to do just that ...pair the festive spirit with a park, good food & they're really in their element. Eliza Kate devoured watermelon with her little pal Owen right by her side. Her sticky chin and pink drips down her arms in my mind equals a successful summer party.  She loves to grab my finger and leads me to the swings.."Go swinging" continues to be her all time favorite park activity these days. In her twos, she's definitely mommy's little sidekick these days. Can you tell by her ear to ear grin?

It was a scorcher. Talk about a heat wave...hello summer.  Luckily, we set up camp underneath the pavilion and tailgating tents. The kids were free to roam on the playscape and didn't go too far from the snacks and water. The boys men set up a competitive game of spike ball.  I just love the families in our class.  Their friendships have meant so much to Landon and I in our ministry to Young adult families.

Pregnant bellies, Babies, and kiddos galore. Our class keeps growing:) That's what stage we're in. It gets a little crazy planning socials with the chaos of kids. I do love including them in the mix. They need the connection too!

I get to steal some mommy time too when Eliza Kate ventures away from my hip for 2 seconds. I swear she still thinks that she is an extension of me. I am with her 24/7 on most days. and so thankful for it. The mommy connection with the ladies in our class gets me through the highs and lows. Not to mention, these friendships offer sound advice for this wild journey of mommy hood I'm in. How blessed am I to share in this season with girls in the same stage of life.

Seems that the spray misters provided relief from the heat. Eliza Kate made her rounds running through the solid mist with glee. Isaac was the button pusher. Once Miller stood his ground in the middle of the action, he was drenched head to toe & loving every minute.  You should have seen our white tub on this evening. Ring around the tub for sure.

Monday was our first complete family pool date of the season. Miller showed daddy the swim moves he remembered from last summer. New blue goggles maximized his swimming experience. Touching in the three feet continues to be his safety precaution. He doesn't venture into the treacherous 5 ft. and the dangers that lurk below...ha!

This little fishy sported her stars and stripes for the occasion. Her puddle jumper allows her to enjoy our pool visits. I didn't use any kind of flotation device with Miller man because it was just us for so long. All I had to do was follow him in the water. I can now relax with both kids in the pool enjoying themselves. Well, relax a little. Most of the moms on the block are enjoying the life of leisure sitting poolside chatting it up on chairs. A tiny sliver of me longs for those kind of pool days again. But, for now I'm still part of the splashing action in the 3 ft.

Smiles like these topped off with a heart warming brotherly squeeze make our pool days complete.

First and Last

Lots of reflecting going on for this momma with an almost Kindergartner in our midst. I've been so busy going through the motions of the end of the school year, I haven't had time to mourn our growing boy. But, don't get me sentimental about starting Kindergarten...I may just melt like a puddle and give you an ugly cry. To sum it all up, I am really excited for all the new adventures that await our little man.
We're putting all the finishing touches on him this summer gearing him up for grade school. They've both grown just a little taller & wiser and filled out a little bit. Miller went from an intimidated young 4 expression in the first picture to a confident little gent...standing proudly.
A side by side comparison from the first day of school and the last day of school cements how much he did mature this year. So did his buddy Grant:) Strapping little men in the making.

In case you can't tell these two love each other..they really do ...

Another first and last photo by the front door. I hope to make this a tradition each year. Notice Miller's end of the year present from Ms. Cayla...a sand pail filled with all kinds of goodies. The book "Off to Kindergarten" got me a little choked up. It's real when you see it in print. Inside the pail were bubbles, a "How to Make Play dough" recipe card with ingredients & an "I'm Bored" activities jar to keep Miller occupied. I thought this was a thoughtful parting gift. She was attached to her first class.You always remember your first and last as a teacher.

In the afternoon, all the moms met up for "operation school bus soaking" on the block. It's become our Islandora tradition. As the bus approached, we made our way down the street loaded with ammunition. You could hear the excited screams inside the bus as they anticipated a soak down. Secretly, I think the other passengers in the bus hoped that their moms would meet them this way at their stops along the route too. Miller was chasing everyone around with a spray bottle. All he had to offer was a light misting.

He was pretty much drenched from head to toe before the bus pulled up. There's no other way to survive the heat these days.

More fun continued in Grant's backyard with leftover ice cream sundaes.

We capped off the afternoon at the neighborhood pool. We're all celebrating the arrival of summer around here. Hope you are too...woo hoo!

last week

I can now{ exhale } and reflect on the craziness of the last week of school. My Maymester tutoring schedule let up just in time to resume all the responsibilities of my room mom duties:)  Ambrea and I were volunteered to plan the school-wide Field Day for preschool this year.. making up the games,  requesting donations from classes, recruiting volunteers, booking the jumpy houses, early morning set up, and orchestrating the flow of the day. Thankfully Landon had a flexible schedule to watch Eliza Kate here and there so I could drink up every ounce of preschool left in my boy on his last week. I really did love watching our plans take shape. And, I wish I could have just followed my little man around from station to station to watch his face light up... especially during the obstacle course. They were out there all morning until lunch...so you can only imagine the fun that they got into.

Oh the joys of crafting cheap foam visors from Oriental Trading. It has been glued to Miller's head all week long. He loved digging for hidden treasures with his painted pirate face. Somehow we scored a mom who painted faces like a professional. Little girls were transformed into beautiful butterflies and a lot of the boys had the coolest animal faces. I only have peace signs, flowers, and butteflies in my design repoitoire, so I'm glad we had an artist volunteer. Somehow, Miller requested Jack Sparrow and the moustache from Disney made another appearance. The big hit of the day was hair spray paint. Miller felt so cool with green hair!

 Then his moustache dripped down his face when he found the spray bottles. Nothing like the thrill of water sports on Field Day. He was soaked and loving it!

Sweet friends Chris & Ava were in Miller's Field Day small group.

You know you have a vivacious, young preschool teacher when she runs around the fields with a water gun to soak you. Miller loved seeing this playful side of his teacher. Although, she's been full of surprises all year long. She's just as cute as she can be.Mrs. C is so hands on with the kids.   And, loving...she's hugging them all the time and talks eye to eye on their level. It's apparant that she loves her job & is a born natural educator. We're sad about hanging up our hats on this year.

The last week of school craziness continued with our end of the year party the very next day. There were late nights at our house with Walmart runs, crafting  painting, cutting & pasting. All the things...I love to do. Ambrea and I got into our groove of texting from across the street ironing out all of the details. We didn't have a lot of turn around time in between events to get everything done. It's been wonderful sharing it all together this year.

Ms. Cayla presented each child with a candy themed award to each student before the party. How adorable is this version of classroom awards? Miller received the "Razzle Dazzle" award for his dazzling vocabulary. The candy incentive hooked the kids into having patience for their award. I stood amazed at Miller's ability to sit criss cross without fidgeting for 10 {plus} minutes. He just may be ready for Kindergarten afterall!

 We ended the year with an ice cream themed party.
 So here's the scoop.... we played Pin the Cherry on the ice cream as a fun blindfolded game. If I had to do it over again, I would have drawn multiple circles to pin the cherry for this age group. We modified the rules and each child ended up walking away with ice cream come bubbles from the Dollar Store.

The balloon ice cream cone relay took a lot of concentration. Look at these precious looks of intense focus trying to keep the balloon from falling! Miller was not pouting in this shot...just using all of his energy to win..ha! He figured out that each slow step is intentional and planned to make it across the finish line. Some classmates ended up holding the balloon on top to get past the taped line.

Anytime you add a candy reward to the mix, the kids are in it to win it!
Ambrea borrowed the balloon game for her second grader's party later in the day. With older kids, you can form two teams and have a relay game.

The craft station was a handprint turned upside down to form a dripping ice cream cone. Every preschool party should have a handprint craft keepsake in my opinion. They won't have these fat handprints for forever.

The highlight of the party for the kiddos involved making their own sundaes with sprinkles and toppings galore.

It was a pleasure planning the class parties this year. There's just nothing like a preschool party.

 

Big smiles for getting through the last week of school! We did it..and stressed enjoyed it too. Looking forward to a week of sleeping in, pool playdates and no commitments to perk me back up. This last week of school about did me in.