Summertime Fun

We went to Camden Park on Tuesday, June 27, with Gramma Debi, Holden, Kelsey and Driston.  We had a great time, and Kirk and Holden had so much fun on the rides.  It was awesome to see Kirk riding by himself, and he giggled the whole time.  Kirk wasn't afraid of ANYTHING and wanted to ride everything.  Such a little dare devil!

Kirk, Driston, Holden & Kelsey rode the log flume, they got a little wet.... 

Tiny bikers

They were happy as can be on that boat going around in a slow circle.....ha!

This one made us laugh the most, he loved the whip!

driving their car....and steering very hard

Earlier that day, Kirk went for his very first dentist visit at Huntington Pediatric Dentistry.  He had a great time.  Dr. Martin said his teeth looked great, and he commented several times on how well behaved Kirk was (and how well he was talking, of course!).  The waiting area was great, and Kirk loved his new toothbrush and bouncy ball. The hygienist found him a Spiderman tattoo that I had to apply in the car.  Our 6 month check up is in January!

video games in the waiting area 

There was a tv on the ceiling, but Kirk wasn't too interested in what was on the tv.  He had a million questions to ask and lots of things to say to everyone, of course.  I told the dentist that the 5 minutes he had his mouth held open for his check up was the most silence we'd had all day!  I was very proud of him for being such a big boy!

Wild, Wonderful, Weekend

Jeremy and I had a great time at the Stonewall Jackson Resort this weekend with Angel and Brad.  It was nice to have some time by ourselves but I must admit, I missed Kirk and worried about being so far away from him!  Jeremy and Brad golfed on Sunday morning, on the "hardest golf course I ever played" (quote: Jeremy Walker).  It was very beautiful there, so green, and amazing views of mountains everywhere.  Jeremy said there were deer on almost every other hole, and although the water and tall grasses were so pretty, I don't think Jeremy or Brad appreciated them on the course!  Ha!  I realized that it is nice to actually enjoy West Virginia every now and then, and how beautiful it really is.  Angel and I enjoyed time just talking...without any kiddos screaming or pulling on our clothes....haha!  We decided we should make an effort to do something like that every couple of months, to remember that we can chew our food (and not swallow it whole!) and enjoy some silence.  We all love being parents, though, and most of our conversations turned to our kids....of course!  Jeremy says the courses around home will seem "easy" now......we'll see! We had a great weekend, and we're looking forward to another great week.  Kirk will have his first dentist appointment and we plan on going to Camden Park.  Lots of pictures will be posted, I'm sure!  Have an amazing week!

High Five For Friday!

It's Friday again!  Another week of my summer is gone....boo.  I posted several times this week, but I will sum up my "high fives"....

1.  Sunday was Father's Day....Jeremy liked his new grill, and he and Kirk spent some time fishing.  It was a good day.

2.  I took dinner to Jamie and Cam Kellar on Tuesday.  We have arranged a meal drop off calendar for the family while Andrea (Dr. Kellar....who is my OBGYN and delivered Kirk) and baby Juliana are recovering in Cincinnati Children's Hospital.  Baby Juliana had duodenal atresia, and had surgery to repair it and is doing well.  Andrea is a sorority sister of mine and has become a good friend, and I am glad we could do a little something to help out the family.  I really enjoy paying it forward!  Prayers for Juliana and family would be appreciated!

3.  Our 9th anniversary was Thursday.  We had a good day and are looking forward to our weekend trip.

4.  I got a manicure and pedicure at True Blue Salon today.  I really like the orange-ish color polish and I love the "nail art" that Becky did on my big toe!

5.  Jeremy and I are headed to Stonewall Jackson Resort with Angel and Brad this weekend.  It just happened that it worked out to be around our anniversary that we planned to go.  Brad and Jeremy have a golf package, and we have reservations for dinner at Stillwater's.  We are all looking forward to the weekend trip, and Kirk is looking forward to his weekend with Gramma!

Happy Anniversary to US!

    It is really hard to believe that this picture was taken at our wedding NINE years ago tomorrow! Seriously, where has the time gone?  My wedding pictures have negatives (haha!) and we got our very first digital camera as a gift from our wedding party, which is amazing.  Nine years later, I love Jeremy a million times more than I even did that day (which I never thought was possible!) and I am so thankful that he loved me back and made me his wife.  He has taken care of me and always made me feel special and loved.  I think I am most thankful for the trust that I have in Jeremy.  I have never once, in 12 years together, doubted his love for me or his integrity.  I knew that day that he was a great man. We have built an amazing life together, and I sure am looking forward to the rest of it.  We will celebrate tomorrow and we have a relaxing weekend planned at Stonewall Jackson with the Blakes.  We are also thankful for our families who have supported us, and our friends who stood by our side that day and continue to do so.  What a great life.....happy anniversary to US!

This picture was taken at Adam's parents' house the night before our wedding, after our reception.  How funny is this picture?!  We all look SO YOUNG, and I have no idea why I am using Jeremy as a leaning post.  Look at my outfit, too.....geesh!  It is awesome to look at this picture, though, and know that these people are still great friends to us!  

This picture was taken on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic.  Oh, how I wish we were headed there next week like we were 9 years ago!  Hopefully we can take a big trip next year, for our 10th anniversary.  We're highly considering a cruise...any suggestions?  Leave a comment if you have some advice!

Happy Father's Day!

 "Small boys become big men
through the influence of big men
who care about small boys."(Unknown)

I like the quote I included above.  I find it very true and it makes me think back to the very minute Jeremy became a father to Kirk and held him in his arms.  I had a c-section and Jeremy was actually the first one to hold Kirk, and I remember the look in his eyes (through the watery tears....haha!) when he saw his son for the first time.  I think back to that moment and how I knew then that he would do everything he could to be an amazing father. I've said before that I fell more in love with Jeremy as I have watched him become a father, and it becomes more and more true each day.  I knew when I married Jeremy that he was an amazing man, but I never imagined how watching him become a father would change everything.  He laughs harder, smiles bigger, and gives way more hugs and kisses in a day (to Kirk, not me....haha!).  I look at Kirk's little face, (which looks just like his Daddy's) and I know that he is going to grow up with a strong bond with his Daddy.  Kirk thinks his Daddy is the smartest, strongest, funniest, bravest man....who can fix anything, of course.  So do I. 

Jeremy is already enjoying his new grill.  Kirk and I thought it would make some tasty food, and we know how Daddy likes to grill!  Kirk also signed Jeremy's card, and he told him it said "I love you forever, and next week."  How precious is that?

 

I thought I'd include pictures of some of my favorite Disney Daddys to warm your heart....

These Daddys loved their sons, too!

Happy Father's Day!

High Five For Friday

It's hard to believe it's Friday again!  Another week of my summer gone....so sad....BUT, I did have some highlights to this speedy week:

1.  After months of practice, Kirk can finally sign "I love you" back to me!  He is very proud, and he signs to me several times a day now, and my heart melts. Check out that picture above, isn't that sweet?  Now we can say "I love you" without speaking a word.  Priceless.

2.  I had a conference to attend this week for school.  Bummer.  BUT, I always say if there is at least one good idea that I can take from a training to improve my teaching, then it was well worth it.  I got a few new ideas and resources, so it was a success. 

3.  I had dinner on Monday with Angel and Kathleen.  It was a good time, and we had a lot of laughs.

4.  I had dinner on Thursday with Angel, Jamie, and Rachael.  I know, it's amazing that I had 2 dinners out with friends in one week!  It was strange for all of these friends from out of town to be visiting this week.  We were celebrating/mourning Rachael's move to Raleigh, NC.  Her husband will start his radiology fellowship at UNC next month.  They will be there for a year, and then thankfully, they will move back to Huntington!  The move is sad, but one step closer to them being home for good.  I've already made a mental committment to visit them there at least once.  We all wish them the best for a great year in NC!

5.  Father's day is Sunday, so that is a highlight for the week because we're ready to celebrate!  Kirk and I got Jeremy a great gift (details soon) and hopefully we can do something fun together.  Kirk has been asking to "golf with Daddy," so maybe we can do some putt putt golf this weekend.  I'm so thankful that Kirk has such an amazing Dad who takes such good care of both of us. We both love him so much!

Have an amazing weekend, and have a very happy Father's Day!

Thank you, Jesus!

Yesterday I asked Kirk to tell me the prayer that he says at his "school" (day care) before he eats his food, and I was shocked to hear him belt out this precious prayer!  I usually ask him about what he does at school, and I get little to no information.  If I didn't ask specific questions, and speak to his teachers daily, I wouldn't get much out of him each evening at the dinner table.  Miss Jeanette, his teacher, told me the words to the prayer.  The adults speak first, and the children repeat, and if you notice, Kirk just says everything twice!  I thought it was pretty amazing, and really precious!  I am so glad he is taken care of by such wonderful people who teach him to thank God each day.

*Prayer before meals....Cross Roads United Methodist Church Child Care

God our Father (adults)
God our Father (children)
Once again (adults)
Once again (children)
We bow our heads to thank you (adults)
We bow our heads to thank you (children)
Amen (adults)
Amen (children)
Thank you Jesus!  We love you Jesus! (together)

A Day Out With Thomas

Our day out with Thomas the Train was finally here!  We drove to New Haven, KY, to the Railroad Museum to board one of Thomas's "passenger cars" for a ride.  Kirk decided we were riding in Clarabell (one of Thomas's passenger cars).  He sat by the window and loved the ride.  We had so much fun talking about the "Island of Sodor" that was passing by our window.  He loved the "steam coming out of Thomas's funnel" and listening to his "toots!"  ALL ABOARD!

Kirk and Mama with Thomas

Kirk was glued to the window for our train ride!

Kirk and Mama on Thomas the Train

Could this balloon get any bigger?  He loved it.  Needless to say, Jeremy couldn't see out of the back window during our drive home! 

Kirk's favorite place was the "Imagination Station" play tent.  There were lots of different train tables and trains.  He played there with other boys and girls for a long time, and he absolutely LOVED the Tidmouth Sheds play set....birthday gift, maybe?

Jeremy bought Kirk the "collector's" quarry car for his train collection.  We were all very dissappointed that they gift shop didn't have a Gordon train for sale, since Kirk has been talking about him for a long time and we were certain we could find him there.  We will continue our search, and in the mean time, Kirk can haul around his quarry car full of rocks!

A sleepy ride home is proof of a great day!

High Five For Friday!

So you would think a lady of leisure like myself, who is not "working" technically, and has plenty of time to keep up her blog, wouldn't skip a week of "high fives," but it happened!  I am not enjoying so much "leisure," actually, and I have found a way to keep pretty busy everyday.  I do love the summer months for so many reasons, and here are some of my top things for the week.....

1.  I mean, just look at this cute little scrunched up face and tell me you don't love it too?  I love going to the pool with my favorite little boy.  We have such a great time, and he has discovered that they sell snow cones at the concession stand for "ONE DOLLAR, MAMA!"  Needless to say, he makes sure to check my bag to make sure I have money now. 

2.  I started my summer class at MSU this week (blah!) but as a bonus, I did NOT have to buy a textbook for this course!  Yay!  I have to read a bunch of stuff online, but it is awesome that I didn't have to fork over a bunch of dough on a boring ol' textbook.

3.  I had lunch with a great friend yesterday and stopped in my classroom to grab "a few" books that I thought Kirk would enjoy.  I ended up bringing home about 25 books, and we've already read half of them.  I'm so glad Kirk loves reading books with me, and I hope he sits on my lap forever! (*I'll post a list of some of our favorites below.)

4.  My new earrings from Elisabeth Ashlie came in the mail today (ETSY shop).  I absolutely love them, and this picture doesn't really do them justice. The blue stones are a really bright periwinkle color, and the sea foam green ones look like something from the ocean.   I follow the blogs that the shop owners write, and I love their style and their jewelery is so pretty.  I actually had to ask for a "custom order" for these and I still got them in 3 days (with the super cute packaging as well!).  You should check out their shop, their jewelery is beautiful if you want something nice for yourself or for an awesome gift!  I think I want a red pair next......

5.  Lastly, I must say that the anticipation that Kirk has for his "Day Out With Thomas" tomorrow has got to be one of the best things this week....he is SO EXCITED!  We have looked at pictures, videos, talked,  and planned this trip for weeks, and he is over the moon that it is finally here.  He loves Thomas the Train and all his friends so much, and I think he will bust to pieces when he gets on that "passenger car."  I never in a million years thought I would know so much about trains. I'm so glad we get to experience this with him....MANY more pictures to come!  ALL ABOARD!



Also....a big shout out to my Mama...Kathy Kirk, who retired this past Wednesday!  Way to go, Grandma.  She worked for 27 years as a kindergarten and Pre-K teacher for McDowell County Schools.  I sure will be proud when my day comes!



I also want to take a minute just to write down how thankful I am for my small family and our health and happiness.  It seems as more things happen to people and places around us, I am so very proud and thankful for Jeremy, our life, and our healthy boy.  God has truly blessed us, and continues to do so each day.  I make sure to remember this each day and my gratitude is immeasurable. 

As promised, here is a list of some of our favorite books:

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar  by Eric Carle...(can you tell I like Eric Carle books?)

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

The Rainbow Fish  by Marcus Pfister

I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

Kirk loves so many books, it would be hard to list them all.  We love the "Froggy" books by Johnathon London, as well as all of the "If You Give a __ a ___" books by Laura Numeroff.  Kirk can remember a story after is has been read to him only once, and after a few readings, he can "read" each page almost word for word.  I love sharing my favorites with him, and watching him hear great stories for the first time.  I want him to know that there is nothing more magical than a great book! 

Children who are read 5 or more books a week become better readers themselves, are more successful in school, and have higher self confidence.  If you have little ones around you, pick up a book and dive in!  In this busy world we live in, I think you will find that time stands still when a kiddo crawls in your lap with a book.  Have fun, and keep reading!