Loving a good deal...

I love a good deal... so much that sometimes I convince myself I need something that I don't really need because it is such a good deal and I don't want anybody else to beat me to it :) This is very noticeable at children's consignment sales. I love to look through all of the clothes for all three of my boys and pick out great clothes for a great price. It doesn't bother me at all to buy used kids clothes because I know if they destroy the clothes, I didn't pay more than $2 for an entire outfit. I can clothe all three boys for the winter for $100 and have all of them have way more clothes than I have in my closet. It has gotten so bad that now I give myself a huge pat on the back when I put back an outfit or two because I showed such "restraint". The best part is when I get home, I get to show David each of the outfits individually and tell him what a great deal it actually is :) I don't think he enjoys this game as much as I do. I still have a laundry basket of clothes from this weekend's sales because I haven't gotten to show them to David. Don't get me wrong, he is able to fake enthusiasm sometimes... but mostly he says, "Do our boys really need this many clothes?" He also mentions that he hates putting Hunter in overalls... but how can anyone resist a little boy in overalls... I was pleased... this weekend, I only bought Hunter two pairs of overalls... I call that - IMPROVEMENT

Wasn't he just four?!?!?

It seems like just yesterday that David and I started dating and Jimmy had just turned four years old. Now... almost overnight, he is 8 and a half years old and reading the Hardy boys and anything else he can get his hands on. He loves school and is having a fabulous year. He is reading, writing, adding, subtracting and multiplying. I am so proud of the young man that he is and I can't believe he has been such a special part of my life the last five years.

Can't fill Mommy's shoes

Hunter Bear has recently had an obsession with socks and shoes (both of which, I'm proud to announce are words he can say fairly clearly). If you put them on his feet, he wants them off. If they are not on his feet, he wants them on. It's a no win situation. He has figured out how to get his socks off, although there is usually some stretching of the socks in the process. He also loves Mommy's shoes... he will put them on and try to walk in them until he falls over and just laughs hysterically.

Tears Galore

I dropped Hunter off at Grandma Barbara's this morning. She has been keeping him since he was six weeks old. He has never cried when I left him before, but I think now he realizes it's mommy that is leaving to go to work. I drop him off at 6:15 so he has to be woken up, which doesn't help the matter at all. It was hard to leave to go to work this morning because he was sobbing when I left him this morning. When I picked him up, all Barbara could talk about was all the words he knew and how much he had grown. She said he cried for 20 minutes and then was fine. They play with a dollhouse in the basement with little pieces of furniture in it. Today, Hunter took out the couch (about 3 inches) and delicately set it on the floor. He then turned around to back up to it and was going to try to sit on it. I can't believe I missed this moment in his life... It's one of the reasons I want to be home with my kids...

Third Grade

Today is the first day of third grade for JMS. He loves school and was so excited to go to third grade with his new teacher. He had a rough year in second grade, so we're hoping third is better. He is excited to know he is going to learn his multiplication tables and learn to write in cursive. Today was a great start and he had a great day. God is teaching me every day the value of being patient with him. He has a great heart and I am so thankful he is in my world. He is packing his lunch (all except for his sandwich) the night before and laying out his school clothes the night before. Mornings around our house are crazy as they start at 5:00 AM. Any little bit helps.