2nd Grade

 

Caroline & Best Bud Tatum

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Wow...I can't believe how much she's changed in 2 short years!

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

The Great Debate: Back to School

I've been noticing a trend the last few weeks in the parenting world...Back to School.  Good or Bad?  Happy or Sad?  This has been all over.  Whether you Facebook or Blog, it's the topic of most moms these days.  

Where do you stand in The Great Debate?

Tons of moms are debating the big deal.  "So what, your kids are starting Kindergarten" or "I'm so sad, they're growing up so fast".  To be honest, I know where I stand {and I'll get around to telling you I promise!} and many other moms know where they stand too.  I guess there's not really a right or wrong in this, just opinions.  You can place this right on up there with being a working mom vs. a stay at home mom, because really, they go hand in hand.

My first thought would be that the stay at home moms would be sad.  They have gotten the privilege and joy {and huge job} to stay home and raise their little ones.  And in return, those of us who have an out of the house job are sad because we already miss a lot everyday.  But I can also see the opposite of both situations too.  SAHM's are thrilled to have a little more time on their hands and send their little ones out in the world to learn a little more and socially interact, whereas WOOHM's {work out of home mom's, and yes, I just made that up!} are thrilled to not have the additional costs of summer child care once they go to school.  

***I think whatever you choose to do is great!  I have had the privilege to do both, so I'm not knocking either one!***

What I'm beginning to see is how my first inclinations on the subject are dead wrong.  I've seen, heard and read more SAHM's saying they don't know what the big deal is about their kids starting school.  "What's all the fuss about?" or "It's not like they're going off to college, it's just {insert grade level here}".  It's the Great Debate.

My personal thought...everybody is different.  We all feel differently.  

About parenting in general and about specific topics of parenting.

And boy have I really learned that this year, and what's more, I'm learning to accept that.

When I first started hearing about moms being happy school was about to start, it made me sad.  Now before you start leaving ugly comments, hear me out!  I've had to realize that every parent is different, and that doesn't make them wrong, or my views right.  They're just different views.  I have no clue what goes on in other parents lives or what they have to deal with everyday.  If I had 5 kids, I might not be sad about one starting school, but that's not something I have experience with so I can't really have an idea of how they might feel.  It may make me sad, but that's just because I'm a big sappy momma!  On the other hand, those same momma's don't have just one child like I do, so I can't exactly expect them to understand my sadness when I send Caroline off to school each year.

I know a lot of moms who may not be full time SAHM's but were able to be home during the summer with their kids, and I know a lot of SAHM's.  It's funny to me to see how each mom varies in their views on school starting.  I do have to admit that for me, the cost of summer care ending makes me do a happy dance!

As a whole, for me, it's heartbreaking.  Of course, for those of you who know me, this won't really be surprising to you!  I'm a huge sentimental sap.  So just about every milestone in Caroline's life makes me cry.  I cried when she lost her first tooth...now, I don't cry with each one she looses, but that first one...

Each year she starts school is just another year that she has grown, learned, and become her own person.  Each year I have to realize she's not my tiny baby anymore.  And while that's sad, it's also exciting.  I love to watch her learn and grow.  Everyday I feel so blessed that I get to be her mommy.  That I was given such an unbelievable gift from God.  And while I know nothing will ever change the fact that I'm her mommy and she's my baby {no matter how old}, each year I take her that first day,  she has crossed yet another milestone.  It makes me sad.  It makes me happy.  But most of all it makes me appreciate each day and each step of her journey in life.

I'm sure when she graduates from high school I'll be a sobbing mess!  But for now, here's a look at how much she's grown!
***WARNING: Picture Overload***


1st Halloween

1st "real" food

1st Time to go see Fireworks

1st Time on a Train

1st Christmas Musical

1st Beach Trip (this is her pirate face!}

1st Soccer Game

1st Time to Ride with no Training Wheels

1st Day of Kindergarten

1st Day of 1st Grade


1st Lost Tooth

A Tale of the Tooth Fairy

Long before the movie, "The Tooth Fairy" was released, Caroline had very specific ideas about what the tooth fairy did, how she came into the house and what she would leave behind.  The 1st couple of teeth, I got it wrong!  Hahaha, little did I know that even though she was excited that her tooth was gone and she got a dollar, that the tooth fairy didn't meet her expectations!  Can anyone guess what I missed?

I never figured it out after she lost her 1st tooth, and she didn't let me in on what she was expecting.  When the next tooth cam out, I tried again, but still I was wrong!  Any guesses yet?

Finally she told me about the tooth fairy.  The tooth fairy comes in your window, and she flies over to your pillow to take your tooth.  In return she leaves you a dollar, sometimes more if it was a really big tooth!  And she also leaves something else behind...

See it???

Yep, she leaves a trail of glitter!

Now, I make sure to leave some glitter on her bed, and on the windowsill!  Caroline thinks that this is the best thing ever!  She tells people she knows the tooth fairy is real because she leaves a trail of glitter from where she flew in and out of her window!  It's so cute and sweet, and it just melts my heart!  Oh, sweet Caroline, your just precious!

A Proposal

I always knew my life was comical, but this week it was taken to a new level.  About 3 weeks ago, Steven {Caroline's Daddy} called to tell us he got a puppy.  The puppy was going to be for his girlfriend, Andrea, and he was going to hide it from her until he proposed.  Why is this comical?  Because every weekend when she drove down to spend the weekend with him, we had to dog sit so she didn't see the puppy!

His whole plan with the puppy and proposal was to drive up to Dallas one weekend, and take her to DFW airport to watch the planes take off at night.  Sounds weird right?  Not really...they have a place up there where people can drive up and park to watch the planes at night.  They'd been planning to do this for sometime and haven't gotten the chance, so he thought it would be a great setup for the big question!  He'd planned on having one of his friends take Caroline and the puppy out there secretly and have Caroline let the puppy go running towards them with the ring tied around his neck.

He hasn't had the chance to get up there, so she's been coming down here on the weekends instead.  Caroline and I had been warning him that one day she was going to drive down and surprise him and she would see the puppy since she has a key to his apartment, but he didn't believe us!  Ha, he should have!

Thursday night Caroline had a musical at church, we were pressed for time, and Steven calls in a panic!  Andrea was on her way down! Hahaha!  He had to think fast and asked if we could watch the dog.  Then he calls me back and decides that he is just gonna have to propose that night.  He was actually planning on driving up there that night!  So he asks me if I can bring the puppy and Caroline up to the Suspension Bridge after the musical.  What?  Let me get this straight.  You want your ex-wife to deliver the puppy and ring to you so you can propose to your future wife?  Hahaha!  And at first I just laugh at the oddity of me doing this, but then I just kind of ask him if he's sure that would be a good idea.  After I agree, we then decide that I'll hide and take pictures of the whole thing!!!!  I told you, my life is comical!

I come home, get the puppy and ring, and head to the bridge.  When we get there, Caroline is just supposed to walk out a few feet, where she can't be seen , let the puppy with ring around his neck go, and come back to me.  At which point Steven will whistle to the puppy and he will come running to them...ya, not so much!  Caroline gets out there, lets the puppy go, and he runs right back to us.  So I tell her to go a little farther.  Again, he comes right back to us.  This went on for a few minutes and amazingly Andrea never saw any of it!  Finally, Caroline has to walk all the way over to them, hand the puppy to Steven and runs back to me!  Of course at this point I start snapping away, and Andrea now knows we are there!

All in all, it was sweet, but I did feel really weird imposing on their special moment!  Andrea didn't care one bit though, and even came over to hug and thank me afterwards! 

I really did feel like I was intruding on the special moment, so after I finished taking the last shot, I was trying to round up Caroline so we could head home.  The next morning Andrea invited me to go to lunch with her, thanked me again for my help with pulling it off, and then she asked me if I would take their engagement photos.  I was shocked, flattered and a little unsure of whether I should do it or not.  In the end, I decided that yes, I would take their pictures.  If I was there for the proposal, why not go ahead and take their engagement photos?

All of our friends {ours & theirs} think that it's so strange that we all get along, and believe me I do to, but I guess that in then end, we're all stuck with each other for the rest of our lives {LOL!}, so why not make the best of it?  Trust me, Steven still drives me crazy, and I'm sure he always will, but our marriage didn't end because one of us did something to each other, we both realized that we just didn't love each other, and staying together just wasn't what was best for us or Caroline.  So the least we can do for Caroline is not fight over stupid things, enjoy her, and if that means being around/in each others lives than oh well.

It's weird, it's odd, it's comical, but it makes Boog happy!

Daydreaming

Today has been a day of purging....the house that is!  I have gone through closets and drawers, and I'm done.  Well, at least for today!  I'm considering having a blog sale...but I'm not sure it would benefit me since I have only a few readers.  I cleaned out all of Caroline's clothes/shoes, and have several bags for Goodwill, but also so much stuff that's still in great condition.  I may just take it to a local resale shop instead.

After a good long hard days work, I have been daydreaming a little.  Oh...the things I'd like to run out and buy! But, I can't do that, I have to be good!  But a girl can still dream right?

Of course my go to items are always bags and shoes!  I just can't help it!  I love them!

*all of the above are from Anthropologie

Now I have plenty of other things I'd like to get, who doesn't?  I had a friend once tell me that when she was upset or stressed, she would window shop till she forgot what her troubles were.  The funniest thing about it was that she actually loaded up on all the stuff she wanted and would then leave the "buggy" in the middle of the store and leave!  I know how that sounds, but in total disclosure, I have done this too.  I know how mean it sounds to just leave all that stuff for someone else to clean up, but I have to admit, it sure made me forget what was on my mind in the 1st place!

Not that I'm advising that anyone run out and do this, but, it did make me forget my troubles.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend, I know I have!  We had no plans!  I got to work on the sign I'm painting with my brother, and I got to go to the grocery store without Caroline!  Of course that sounds silly, but all you mommies know what a pleasure it is to not have to take the kiddos to the store with you!  Hope y'all have a great week!