Happy Memorial Day!

I had a few more pictures to post from our beach trip last week.....

The picture above is of Kirk and I petting those slimy sting rays!  He reached in himself after I forced him to touch the first one.  He was so proud of himself, and I was proud of him for being so brave!

Jeremy took Kirk to the "Alligator Adventure" at Barefoot Landing while I shopped at the outlets.  Jeremy took this picture of Kirk posing by the Tiger, his favorite thing at the Alligator Adventure.  Go figure.

Jeremy said Kirk helped him "read" the map while they were there. 

Kirk posing after dinner at Barefoot Landing....he cleaned out his "bucket" of fish and chips!

another chocolate ice cream cone at Kirk's Ice Cream Parlor....yum!

Today we visited Kirk's Poppy, Meme, and Tanner at Beech Fork State Park.  Kirk was so excited to visit them while they were camping, and Kirk got to use his new Buzz Lightyear fishing pole!  Jeremy said Kirk has to work a little bit on his patience for fishing....shocking, I know.  Kirk had a great time, and I especially liked "camping" for just a few hours!  Ha!

Sandy Toes & Salty Kisses

My "High Five For Friday" post this week could be a "High 25!" We had such a great week here at the beach. Kirk has been so excited every day to swim, dig, and do new things.  In the picture above, he is helping his Daddy "search for crabs."  He loved those little sand crabs and wanted to collect as many as he could.  So my #1 top thing for the week:  Kirk's new love for sand crabs....it's hilarious.

Kirk & I on the pier close to our hotel...his REALLY cheesy grin showed up a lot in our pictures

#2....definitely our trip to the Aquarium at Broadway...Kirk loved the "fishy tunnel" and especially loved the SHARKS!  He even pet a sting ray with me (I kind of forced his hand, but he loved it afterwards!).  I was so proud of him!  Jeremy got pictures of us on his phone, and I'll post them later.  He jumped up and down screaming "I pet a real sting ray, and it flipped it's flipper at me!" 

 

#3....Putt putt golfing with the Walker boys...it was hysterical!  Jeremy was trying so hard to turn Kirk into the next Tiger Woods, and Kirk was busy hitting the ball once and then throwing it in the hole!  I was there to remind Jeremy to relax, and to have Kirk pick up my ball out of the hole....haha!



#4....Just look at those sandy toes...could you not eat them off? I loved his little footprints in the sand more than anything!

Kirk posing like a mermaid

#5....Kirk's swimming skills are amazing!  He is doing so well, and he jumped from this spot about a hundred times, plunged underwater and bobbed back up.  He learned to blow bubbles from his nose, and he is starting to move his arms and legs correctly.  I am so proud of him, and I know he's going to love swimming as much as I do!

Kirk & Mama.....how sweet is this?

Kirk & Daddy

Kirk tried to climb this palm tree.  Really.  He tried.  We laughed!

The Walkers

Myrtle Beach 2012



Beach Bums

We arrived in Myrtle Beach on Sunday, May 20.  Kirk has had a blast already!  He really liked KIRK'S Ice Cream Parlor, that we stopped at for a treat after dinner last night.  He thought everyone knew that was his name on the sign.....haha!

Chocolate ice cream....yummy!  I think his cheeks, chin, and shirt ate more than he did!

Kirk lounging in his chair....for about 2 minutes

Kirk is showing me his sea shell collection....which is also dinosaur claws and teeth, humpback whale teeth, and tiny animal claws....so he said.  I just go along with the imagination...... haha!

Kirk LOVES the ocean!

Kirk wants to jump EVERY wave!  Really.  Every.  Single. One.  Geez.

Kirk loves digging in the sand and filling and unfilling anything.  Yes, those are yogurt containers and a sour cream container.  I don't throw away anything.  Everything can be a toy!

Perfect picture......Kirk is screaming about his "SUPER POWERS!" 

 This picture was taken after he basically chased an elderly couple into the ocean, telling them that they needed to look at his Mommy and Daddy, because he had a very special family, and his Daddy just caught a crab, and that is his very favorite sea creature.....really....I had to pull him away.  I have given him a million lectures about being friendly and not being shy, but I think I may have created either a preacher or a politician!  HA!

Kirk is "surfing" with no surf board.  He kept yelling, "Whoa! Hold on!" 

Jeremy and I are laughing hysterically at Kirk every minute.  He is so excited about EVERYTHING and he is so interested in learning about new things.  We walked on the peir tonight (which he kep calling the "pear" until we went there), and he told us a hundred times that he really needed to fish (there were men there with fishing poles).  When I asked him later what he would catch if he had a fishing pole, he said, "Oh, well, I would just catch a dolphin and a goldfish."  Really?  He also held up his plastic frog potty (that we have to take everywhere with us!) to some strangers in the elevator, and said, "This is my potty.  I pee a huge pile of pee in there."  They laughed, of course.  Kirk has also pushed EVERY button in the elevators the last few days, and he has pushed every number correctly with only us telling him what to push (ex:  "push number 8").  I have also asked him to read the numbers as they count down/up in the number window, and he has gotten them right!  Such a smart, friendly boy! A lady in the pool yesterday said to Jeremy and I, "I really thought my kids were cute, but your son is REALLY cute!"  He is.  And his amazing personality makes him that much cuter!  We are looking forward to the rest of our week.  Myrtle Beach will never be the same!

High Five for Friday!

My top five things for this week begin with (#1) my manicure and pedicure with one of my favorite people, my nail tech for the last 12 years (crazy that it's been that long!) Connie Nichols.  I will also take this opportunity to promote her new salon opening next month, True Blue salon in the East Gate shopping plaza by the mall.  If you want ridiculously awesome service from great people, go to the True Blue girls!  I am cracking up at my chubby feet, but my hibiscus flower painted on my big toe nail is super cute!

#2....Kirk finished another week in underwear.  He's still having some accidents, but for the most part he is doing fairly well for a boy who told me he was just going to wear pull ups forever.  A little part of me is sad about my little baby growing into a big boy, but that part is quickly reminded that pull ups are expensive, and less of them means more pedicures and manicures for me......kidding!

#3.....I don't know how many of you watch Private Practice or Grey's Anatomy, but WOW did they have awesome episodes this week!  Private Practice made me cry and Grey's made me sick to my stomach.  I'm just glad I watched these shows at home with my safe, healthy, family!  Shew!

#4....I found a wonderful stain remover on Pinterest!  It was so easy, just equal parts of dish liquid (it called for Dawn, but I just used my Target off brand soap) and peroxide with a little bit of baking soda for scrubbing texture.  It was pinned as a remover for "yellow underarm stains," which sadly, I have a few shirts that have fallen victim to those....anyway, I spread the mixture on there, let it sit for an hour or so and washed....and PRESTO!  No stains! I would post a picture of before and after, but the shirt needed ironed before and needs ironed now, so sorry....you'll just have to trust me.  I don't know how good it will be on other types of stains, but it worked pretty good on the ol' yellow underarms!  (YUCK-O)

#5....I got a nice surprise from another one of my favorite people, Jill Francisco....a new awesome 31 bag!  She just got me a gift, for no reason at all....how super nice is that?  I love having thoughtful people in my life.  It is a huge bag with "WALKER" in green (of course!) and she even got me the green polka dot handkerchief to tie on the strap.  She delivered it to our house today, because she said she knew I would want to pack it up for our beach trip tomorrow!  So nice, and an awesome bag that I will be loading up for our tailgates this fall!  Thanks so much, Jill!

Next week's High Fives will be coming to you from Myrtle Beach!  The Walkers are headed there tomorrow, and I think Jeremy and I are both as excited as Kirk.  Kirk has been making plans for this beach trip for about 6 months now.  He has a long mental list of all the things he's going to do....dig a big hole, find a gigantic sea shell, swim with his goggles, and today he announced that he needs a surf board for surfing (who knows?).  I have our things packed....lots of toys, a kite, some bubbles, swim suits, and of course the goggles.  Look for lots of pictures posted soon, and please pray that we have a safe and happy trip!  Enjoy the weekend!

High Five

    We had a great week!  My last day of work was Monday, so on Tuesday we went to Chick-fil-a story time, and we had a great time. We enjoyed the week, which included the Great Strides for Cyctic Fibrosis walk today at Barboursville Park.  We walked with Caden's Crusaders, led by the Ours family.  Jon and Kerri's son Caden has Cystic Fibrosis, and each year that we've participted in this walk, the group has gotten bigger and bigger.  Today they announced that Caden's Crusaders was the largest group, and raised the most money for Cystic Fibrosis research....over $12,000!  Amazing!  It was a beautiful day, we saw lots of good friends, and Kirk was a wild man on the playground and I was very impressed with his strength and coordination. 

It was a great first week of my summer vacation.  Here's my weekly top five:

1.  Our walk today with Caden's Crusaders today at Barboursville Park.  We hope to help "blow away CF!"

2.  Spending time with good friends, like Brady and Riley Blake.  In this picture, the kiddos are all settled in and ready for the "walk."  We love those Blake kiddos so much!

3.  Enjoying so much time this week with my precious boy!  We are going to have a fabulous summer!

4.  The Blake kids again.....Kirk is laying in the pea gravel with his "best buddy RILEY!"  

5.  This evening, we went to Pump Up the Fun (again) for Kirk's friend Randi's 3rd birthday party.  The picture above is Kirk plowing out of the "big boy" inflatable.  This is the first time I've agreed to let Kirk go into that crazy thing.  I always told him he was too little for it, and that he needed to wear underwear before he could go inside.  He proudly announced to me tonight that he could go into that one because he was wearing UNDERWEAR!  Of course he remembered, and of course I had to let him go.  He loved it, and we're all loving that he's been wearing underwear for a week now...several accidents, but none today!  YAY!

Randi is modeling her princess sunglasses and hat that Kirk got her for her birthday!  Happy birthday Randi!

Happy Mother's Day to me!!

Who deserves a new HP folio 13 laptop for Mother's Day?  I DO!  Haha!  Jeremy surprised the pants off of me by handing me this super sleek, super light, and super awesome HUNGER GAMES edition laptop and said "Happy early Mother's Day!"  Really?  It is awesome.  I am typing on it right now, as it sits almost weightless on my lap.  Notice how thin it is in the picture...I haven't measured it, but I bet it's an inch or less thick.  I love it.  It is awesome, and the perfect Mother's Day gift.  I look forward to doing my school work now....kind of (I look forward more to my Pinteresting, ETSY shopping, blogging, etc.).   I  can't thank Jeremy (and Kirk) enough, and I guess I better get shopping for Father's Day...shew!

We appreciate Kirk's teachers...

This week is "Teacher Appreciation Week," so Kirk and I chose some flowers for his teachers Miss Judy, Miss Jessie, and Miss Rachel.  We also picked up some small pots for his day care director Miss Pam, assistant director, Miss Susan, and the day care cook, Miss Theresa.  I dressed them up a little with a burlap bow, and I made some cute little flower signs that said "Thank you for helping Kirk bloom."  He was proud to take them in to school, and they were all very thankful.  We appreciate them so much, and I could never express my thanks to them for working so hard to take good care of my little boy and helping him learn and grow.  I hope I can teach him to appreciate those around him and to always let people know how valuable they are!

We also appreicate our music teacher, Miss Joni Pappas.  We were so sad to hear of Miss Joni's husband's new job at UT in Knoxville, TN!  Kirk has been in Miss Joni's music class since he was 9 months old.  She has helped him to learn and grow, and she has given Kirk and I such wonderful experiences together.  I am so grateful to her and all that she does for children and families.  We will all miss her very much!  I have no doubt she will spread her love for children and music to the families of Knoxville, TN....they are lucky to have her!  Kirk gave her a great big hug, a nice card, and he told her several times "thank you SO much for music!"  It is so sad to me, because it's like closing a chapter on his little life....I guess I wanted him to outgrow music before we stopped going.  I guess we're off to do more things....soccer?  Swim lessons?  I want my little boy to stop growing. Now!

High Five For Friday

I never got around to posting pictures from the Green & White game last week, so here's some catch up shots....

Kirk had to take his football helmet with us, and he kept saying he could "go on the field" with his helmet.  He also thought it was funny to turn it sideways and peek through the hole!

He still smiles with that scrunched up face....it's so cute, I could eat if off!!!

Kirk enjoyed dinner outside this week, eating at his new Thomas the Train patio set.  He said he needed a "friend" to come eat with him and sit in the other chair.  He said Bella could come, and he would let her have 2 popsicles.  He still LOVES corn on the cob, and he ate it all down to the cob.  He said his table and chairs "were just the right size"...haha!

Kirk has become a champion bubble blower, which is impressive,since he still has a little bit of a lisp (I think).  He has learned to make his mouth an "O" and blow gently to make lots of bubbles.  Surprisingly, it is actually difficult for young children to blow bubbles well, and many are unable to do it until they are older.  Kirk quickly goes through the bubble solution, so I will definitely be making homemade bubbles this summer!  I'll post the recipe soon....it's super easy, and super cheap!

Here are my high fives for the week:

1.  I didn't receive a "pink slip" this year from my school system, and since this is my fourth year (in that district, my 10th year total) I will receive tenure at the beginning of next school year.  I am beyond thrilled that I can relax a little about job security, and I am so thankful to Lawrence Co. Schools for granting me this peace of mind.  My insecurity in my job has never affected my performance as a teacher, and I have always given my students and families 100%.  I know that every child was worth my best effort, no matter if I had a job the next year or not!  I am excited, relieved, thankful, and blessed.  I am so glad that I was led to this job in this place.  I will give everything I have until I sign those retirement papers.  I honestly love teaching, and I believe I am so lucky to be able to do what I do for children, their families, and the community.  They give me so much more in return!

2.  Tenure.

3.  Tenure.

4.  My last day of school is Monday, May 7, so my summer begins on Tuesday, May 8.  Enough said.

5.  Kirk asked me Tuesday as we left Chick-fil-a, "Mama, does Jesus love Chick-fil-a?"  I looked back at him, and he was staring up at the sky.  I laughed and told him that I'm sure he does.  I think it is so funny to hear Kirk's thoughts on God.  I tell him what I think he can understand, and we have prayed for the people we love for a while now, but he is really starting to ask questions and try to figure things out.  We are excited to welcome a new priest to our church, St. Joseph.  Father Dean Borgmeyer will replace Monsignor Luciana this week (Monsignor has been sick for some time now).  It is so amazing, because Father Dean was a priest at my church in Welch when I was little, and he has always been my favorite!  He left our church in Welch to be a chaplain in the Navy, and he apparently has been in Wierton for the last several years.  I am sad to see Monsignor step down, as he married Jeremy and I and baptized Kirk...but I am excited to have Father Dean again, and I look forward to his leadership for our church.  We will celebrate Monsignor next Friday, and welcome Father Dean to Huntington.  Maybe I'll tell Kirk to ask them if Jesus likes Chick-fil-a....?  HAHA!

Have an awesome weekend, and be super jealous of me and my early summer vacation!!!!!!