A Dad of Daughters

Well, today was the second day of school and we already had a 2 hour delay. We never get snow here at the coast but it's the time of year for hurricanes and tropical storms. Luckily it pretty much skipped us over and a 2 hour delay was just precautionary.

Anyways.

Kayla does staggered Kindergarten entry this week so she was actually off today with me. She was none to pleased about that... but we had to be in Wilmington by 9:30 for my pre-op appointment for my fun next week... don't be jealous. LOL!

(Before anyone asks... there is nothing wrong that I know of, just a precautionary screening due to family history. Following the doctors orders. )

Well this 2 hour delay certainly did not go well with me getting to Wilmington on time. But no worries, Dad to the rescue! He said he could work from home this morning and take the big girls into school then head on to work himself. Hooray! I think he secretly knew if I cancelled my appointment, I may not reschedule it. 

2 hour delays put everyone in a bind, so Mark also took on three more of our friends for the morning. This kept our two busy and occupied so it was better that way. He reported that the five of them bossed each other around all morning in the playroom playing "school." Silly girls. 

I was going to call him after my appointment to make sure everyone got to school on time, but before I could call, I got these two pictures... 

Y'all! I love this man! He was made for having daughters!! 

I traded cars with him this morning so he could drive carpool and evidently they were EARLY (y'all that know Mark Blevins can be shocked by that) so he took them all to the school cafeteria and they ate second breakfast. (All the kids get free breakfast everyday.) 

Then they all walked with him as he delivered them one by one to class... our Audrey to the 2nd Grade pod as he sang Veggie Tales "2nd day in the Second Grade" and borrowed a trash bag to take home all their leftover breakfast items. The girls said he looked like a thief with it thrown over his shoulder. Then on to the 3rd Grade pod to drop off other Audrey... and finally to the 4th Grade pod to drop off the other three. Madeline informed me that he was his normal silly self, and her friends love him and his bad jokes... so she loves it too. Oh how I wish these moments would last forever! 

No doubt the relationship he is building with our girls will be one that they can and will depend on throughout their lives. I take this man for granted way too often. He loves our girls SO well. But you know what?! He loves and willingly serves me even more. God certainly blessed us with him!! 

But y'all ladies don't go thinking he's perfect and being mad at your husband... he's got his share of problems like the rest of us... you just let me know if you need a list of those to knock him off a pedestal he doesn't belong on. 

BUT, today he deserved a BIG THANK YOU from me for being everything I don't deserve but everything I need! 

We Survived!

After I blogged last night, I put together all the last minute FIRST DAY things... their bookbag lockets, their tiny treats, their notes...

and then on my way back from tucking them in just one last time, I had my last round of tears when I walked by these...

But then as I climbed into bed, God answered my prayers. I was at peace. I was able to let go of ALL the thoughts rattling around in my brain and fall asleep. And what wonders sleep will do. By 7:15, these three were all up, showered and dressed all on their own. THEY were ready to GO!

And it was a FIRST DAY of SCHOOL waffle breakfast kind of day! And we had PLENTY of time to eat because the weather forecast this morning was rain. I knew that would cramp my typical picture taking session style, so guess who did them on Sunday instead!? Yup, I cheated. They were really FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL EVE pictures. And of course it wasn't raining when we left this morning, but what a nice feeling to not have to rush and do pictures with all three of them this morning. Guess who will be doing the pictures a day early next year too?!? Yup, this girl! Check out these sweet pics... 

And my ABSOLUTE favorite... 

We shopped in early August for first day of school dresses and found one for everyone but then when we celebrated birthdays last weekend, our dear friends Rhonda and Cindy gave them these coordinating dresses. And the first day of school dresses got bumped to second day of school dresses... because they wanted to match of course! Thank you Rhonda and Cindy, the clothes you buy are ALWAYS their favorites. 

And off to school we went. Walking the girls in for the first 10 days are always Mom and Dad's favorite days. No we don't have to, no we don't NEED to, but the girls like it and ask us to... so you can bet we're gonna do it as long as we're allowed. The first 10 days of school. Because one day, they won't walk to school like this with us... 

We dropped Kayla off first as I'm attributing it to many things (prayer, more prayer, y'alls prayers, a lot of pep talking, and sister reinforcements) but Kayla did great!! There was no hiding behind us, being bashful for shy... she walked in there and showed us she knew exactly what she was doing. Shew. I finally could take a deep breath. We got our family shot outside her Kindergarten room... 

Gave her some last minute snuggles... 

And off she went... like she knew exactly what to do. 

She even posed happily with Mrs. Nee's sign! 

Dropping the other two was a breeze but walking out of the main office was as tough as I imagined it would be, and Mark was of course hamming it up like always... 

No really. He was super sweet to me today, hung out with me a bit before heading into work, called and checked on me several times throughout the day. But I was surprisingly okay. Now I kept busy like a crazy person... went and got my TB test read at health dept... ran the form to the doctor's office... hand washed my kitchen floors... did laundry... cleaned out another junk closet... squeezed in lunch with a friend... got dinner prepped... and at 2:30 I was ready to go pick them up. (I don't have to leave until 3:30!) So to the bank, post office, and library I went. Who knew I could be this productive?!? (And yes, they all had AMAZING days. They talked non-stop on the way home and that carried on right through dinner and up to bedtime. My face was sore from smiling. What a great first day for EVERYONE.)

But 9 years, y'all. That's how long it's been since I've been by myself. I'm serious. 9 years of always having a shadow.... or 4... following me around. And while I am completely weirded out by the fact that I am alone, I am happy to report... I still like myself very much. I have no regrets, no I wish I had kept up with this, no I should have been doing that. These 9 years were AMAZING! These 9 years I LIVED and BREATHED my dream job. My kids. Mark and I never thought we'd be able to afford me being home but isn't God SPECTACULAR!? When finances were tighter He gave me a job where I could work with my kids. When we adopted Kayla and she needed me to do one on one time with her, God provided a raise for Mark and the sale of our house that was on the market 3 years so that I could go home again. He has provided for us EVERY. SINGLE. STEP of the way. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I still am kicking around the whole concept of "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?" ... but I have learned from my past mistakes and right now I am giving myself some time. I am saying "no" to be part of my vocabulary so I don't just fill my time with stuff just because I actually have time to spare. I am allowing myself time to feel alone and process through this transition. These are all healthy ways to survive a mid-life crisis right?!? Am I too young for that?! (Someone out there reading better have just said, YES!) I honestly don't know what's next. I still have a current teaching license but I'm not sure I could cut it anymore as a high school science teacher. I'm not sure I could do both well... all of you out there that mom and teach... you AMAZE me. But, I am lined up to start substituting at the girls' school starting later this month. So, we will see. Or maybe one of you have an amazing job opportunity that I just haven't thought of yet... feel free to let me know if something comes up that has my name written all over it. 

But until then, I'll be catching up on scrapbooks and photo albums... reorganzing my house... missing my kids... catching up on missed doctors appointments from the last decade and being that mom that's early to car line because she can't wait to hug those little necks and hear about their days. 

It's another season... and just like all the others I will pass through it either blossoming brightly or pruned back to nubs... but either way... it's a season and it will pass. So I'm embracing the journey and being grateful that I have so much to be thankful for. 

Thanks for praying me through, y'all! Your prayers were heard and felt. I hope all you other ladies out there are doing okay tonight. I know we aren't all in the same place... but I know you know this concept of "seasons" that I'm talking about. Live your season well, a new one will be here before you know it. 

Kindergarten Eve... a third time

Third time around, this is supposed to be easier, maybe the easiest. But y'all I am struggling something fierce. Partly because of how far she has come, partly because she's the baby, partly because this may be my last Kindergartener, and partly because tomorrow... I will be alone.

I like to pray/converse with God over my girls most nights but on Kindergarten Eve I've always blogged my prayers. So, following with tradition... here is Audrey's... here is Madeline's... and here tonight I sit on Kayla's bedroom floor in the dark typing this...

Dear God,

Three years ago you sent this miracle (by way of what we like to call the stork) into our lives.

This precious girl with her deep ocean blue eyes clung to me for dear life with absolutely no words until age 2.5. When she finally began to find her safe place, when she finally found her words, she finally began to find her personality.

I remember the days well of dropping her off the last year I was preschool director and having her scream and cry every single day. It broke my heart each and every time, though both of us knew I was only down the hall. But one day, she finally learned, I wasn't leaving her. And then one day we learned she wasn't leaving us. And life began to settle and God you began knitting us together.

This third girl in our family taught me that I knew NOTHING about being a mom or a teacher. (Little Sunshine, girl 4, helped a good bit with that too.) God, I needed that. Kayla taught me humility. She taught me to love even when it's hard. She taught me to sit down on the floor and be okay with sobbing together and clinging on for dear life. She taught me that life is messy. But more than anything she taught me that LOVE is worth it.

Father, tonight I start by praying for Kayla's teacher. She loves you and she loves her students... and already my two other girls. I pray for her this year that she will push and grow Kayla exactly how she needs to be challenged so that she can gain confidence in herself and continue to grow. I pray that I will not only be Kayla's biggest supporter, but her teacher's biggest supporter too. Teaching is hard, it's a calling, and it's a lot of work. Please help her know how much she is appreciated.

Father I pray for Kayla's classmates. I pray that Kayla finds friends of all shapes and sizes. I pray she watches out for those that are lonely and she shows her huge heart to everyone she meets. Kayla was created to give amazing hugs that can make anyone smile, so I hope she finds the right people to appreciate them. Let her be a leader of GOOD things for her friends.

And for Kayla... I pray that she is brave. That she remembers to walk. That she remembers to listen to her teachers. That she doesn't stand on the chairs in the cafeteria. That she looks people in the eye. That she doesn't get frustrated or scared. God make her brave. She is has grown up SO much, is so independent, and can do so many things. Let others help her and let her find confidence in who you have made her to be.

And tonight, God, as I sit completely torn up inside at the thought of sending Kayla somewhere WITHOUT me for the first time, remind me whose she is! Continue to remind me that YOU were with her those first two years I wasn't, those years before I even knew she existed. God help me to know that I can't fix and mend everything for her but Father you can. Help me to send her out and not be terrified of letting her grow without me. Help me to fight for her, love her HUGE, and be her biggest cheerleader. But above all, help me let her go tomorrow, knowing you have her in your gentle yet mighty hands. I won't lie, God. I'm terrified.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is with you,
a victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will renew you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

I'm leaning on you tonight, God. You take this okay?! I'm gonna sit this one out. It's not my battle to fight, it's not my burden to carry. You've got her. I know you do. You always do. Just like all my girls... and all of my life. It's yours. Just give me peace.

Amen.

Open House

And just like that, we are are preparing to head back to school... and these three are ready!

I can't even wrap my mind around the fact that all three of them are going to be at school together starting next week. Yup, Kayla will be in Kindergarten. (The thoughts of where that leaves me come next week is a WHOLE DIFFERENT blog post that I'll save for another day!)

Tonight was Open House at their school and we were so glad that Oma and Opa could go with us because that meant we could navigate each classroom with just one girl at a time. The other two kiddos gave Oma and Opa the full school tour and that kept everyone happy. Not to mention Opa got these pictures for us too...

First stop, one of our most FAVORITE teachers on the planet!! Mrs. Nee! She has had a year off between each of our girls, but she's about to get Blevins' kiddo #3. I might add that Kayla knows Mrs. Nee very well. She's been in her classroom with me a zillion times, has talked about how bad she wanted to be in her class ALL summer... but tonight when we walked in she FROZE. When I asked her why she was scared/mad/upset, she told me she didn't want to have Mrs. Nee... she wanted to be in Madeline's classroom. Oh, man. With as much as we've talked up Kindergarten and as much as she has been in and around that school these last years I NEVER expected this to be our hardest of the girls to transition into Kindergarten. Chatty outgoing Kayla, HID behind me and spoke to no one other than our immediate family the entire time we were at Open House.  

Well... except Mrs. Nee... because I told her we weren't leaving the classroom until she acknowledged her teacher in some way/shape/or form. I don't make my kids hug people if they don't want to... a simple hello, hand shake, fist bump, wave... any sort of acknowledgement at this age is fine with me. But Kayla chose a hug and even smiled for a picture. Pray with me that Monday is going to go better.

On to SECOND GRADE with Audrey. And she nailed it. There were no other families in her room when we got there so as I signed in, I told her to introduce herself. And she did! Name, age, birthday, favorite things... even ended with a formal handshake. 

Although it wasn't her official seat she was picking, she headed straight to the spot closest to the Writers' Workshop area. She LOVES writing. 

We are super excited about 2nd Grade and Mrs. Richardson's class. 

Last stop.... FOURTH GRADE! Madeline actually has four teachers this year, so we had several stops to make. Again, another completely different personality comes out with kid #3. Madeline wears her biggest smile (because she is BEYOND excited to be headed back to school), says "hi" and hugs her teacher, and then simply shakes her head yes at everything the teacher says. None of these ladies are new faces to her, so I'm sure that explains some of it, but getting her to talk is like pulling teeth. She'll warm up eventually. 

And so we made our final rounds, picked up car rider passes, etc and hit the road with a giant stack of paperwork and a few school supplies to buy. It was all a whirlwind of excitement for all of us... but already I'm wishing summer wasn't over... I'm wishing that I had just a few more weeks before sending them back. But Monday is coming even if I try to wish it away... 

So for the next three days we will play. Play hard. And come Monday, I'll be walking these three into their classrooms and walking out empty handed. Help. Me. Jesus. Y'all, start praying for me now.

Pet Mania with Aunt Rachel

3 birthdays ago, Audrey started asking me for a new pet. A rabbit, a mouse, a "something furry that when she lets it out of the cage the dog would certainly eat it in less than 30 seconds" kinda pet. And for three years, I have successfully and adamantly said NO! Well, she is my daughter so she most certainly is going to eventually get what she wants even if it takes three years to wear you down. And of course, Aunt Rachel has been on stand by every Christmas and every birthday just waiting for me to say the word. And it happened. Audrey finally broke me.

This weekend as we went up to Raleigh for birthday weekend. Audrey knew exactly what she wanted. Two female mice, not males because "their butts are too big." And they must be brown or black, not white because "their red eyes are really creepy." So Rachel told her that wouldn't be a problem and they'd shop together for her birthday present. And so Friday, they did. And it was SO SWEET for the mom that didn't want more pets.

I called the closest Petco to Aunt Rachel first. They said they had no mice, just rats. So Aunt Rachel took Lucas and Audrey and went on a mouse adventure.... starting in North Raleigh, down into Raleigh, over to Knightdale... repeated stores saying they had said mice at their store and then them showing up and they had none. The string of text messages from my sister was HILARIOUS!! So, they gave up and came home. After a snack and a beer for Aunt Rachel, she had Audrey convinced that a guniea pig would be great. So they went to the closest Petco, the one I called before they left on their little adventure... and I got a "Remember that time I killed you?" text. Guess who had the mice she wanted?!?! LOL!! And so 4 hours later, Audrey had the whole resort set-up for the mice, as Aunt Rachel believes wholeheartedly in the motto... "Go big or go home!"

It took almost 24 hours with everyone contributing mice pair names for her to settle on, Almond and Peanut. (We had some REALLY good others... Thelma & Louise, Mac & Cheese, Worms & Coffee, Basil & Lavendar... but in the end my mom and I's nut allergens won out!) The black one is Almond, the tan one is Peanut. And so they got settled a bit at Aunt Rachel's house, made the car trip home on Sunday, and have taken up residence in Audrey's room. And she LOVES them. Almond has taken right to us handling her, but Peanut is terrified. We can't pick her up yet, though I have gotten her to walk over my hand once or twice today with some treat bribery.

Here Audrey is trying out some "free play" in the bathtub with Almond. I'm not so sure how fast these guys are yet and if they will take off the minute they are out of their cage, so we are training in closed areas for now. As you can see, she loves it. 

They are often in their little play ball, rolling around in her room while she works on other things. We'll see how quickly this new fun wears off.

So, I did say petS right?!?

Madeline is not quite as big of animal lover as Audrey, she likes all sorts of animals, but doesn't obsess and turn crazy like our future veterinarian Audrey. So, she told us that she wanted a Beta Fish. Easy enough, I can handle that. So after a day of recovery for Aunt Rachel, Madeline and Isaac went on a fish buying trip for her birthday present. That trip went much smoother.

Again, if I had been buying the beta fish it would have been one of those tiny desktop containers with one fish in it. Not Aunt Rachel. She again went all out and bought the fish condo resort that will house TWO beta fish.

Meet Coral... 

And Indigo... 

They got assembled and set up at Aunt Rachel's house and got a ride home in our cooler which was seat belted into the backseat. You should have seen Mark Blevins roll his eyes when I told him we had to bring all these pets back on Sunday. 

WOWZERS!! The pets are all settled and right now I am not having to do any of the work. Again, we'll see how that lasts. Audrey already told me that she is keeping her room nice and clean so that when she starts school next week I'll have no reason why I can get to her mice to play with them throughout the day. Oh, yea. You count on that Audrey. How's about I put George and Eleanor (our dogs) in charge of the mice's afternoon activity schedule??

But I have happy girls-- although Kayla wasn't allowed to get a live pet yet-- she shopped with Aunt Rachel and got tons of American Girl accessory pieces which made her plenty happy too! 

And of course, Aunt Rachel is the most favorite household name around here-- because she certainly gets them everything they want plus more and she is "so much more fun than you, mom"--  and I'm grateful. She was always my favorite growing up too. 

Thanks Aunt Rachel, for a fun birthday weekend and these amazing gifts (as well as the adventure to find them) that my girls will indeed remember forever. 

More Birthday Fun

This weekend we were in Raleigh celebrating ALL my summer birthday girls with ALL the family! We did Madeline's birthday gifts Thursday night before we left and these were her two favorites from us. Her adorably cute t-shirt that is 100% her... 

And her "adventure" gift... 

A FULL day of family fun (complete with all her favorite junk food) at the State Fair in October! She LOVES our adventure gifts and considering it's been a few years since we all did the fair together, it should be a good time. 

Friday morning at Aunt Rachel's house, on her actual birthday, I was ready with her breakfast "cake." Madeline in the last year has come to love doughnuts, and when we are in Raleigh, she always wants Krispy Kreme-- plain or strawberry frosting only. And so that was her cake! (And from what I heard later, she ate SIX of them over the course of the day.) 

And for the rest of the day the girls and their cousins just played... and played... I offered to take them all to do something but it has been a long busy summer that they haven't seen much of each other, so they were content to just do their own fun things at Aunt Rachel's house. Well except for eating out for Madeline's birthday lunch... Moe's! Everyone needs a candle in their birthday burrito, right?!

And back to the house we went. Which made for an easy afternoon for the adults. (Well, except for Aunt Rachel, but THAT story is coming in another blog titled... Aunt Rachel Buys Birthday Pets!! And you're gonna want to make sure that you read that!) 

And for dinner-- we gathered EVERYONE-- for a night to cookout and celebrate all three of the girls and their summer birthdays! Oma and Opa, the Chesneys, Ra Ra and Cindy, Stacey... we had a nice family celebration. And because Madeline is awesome, she didn't mind sharing her birthday night with her sisters. They voted on a homemade ice cream bar... and so that is what they have here... lots and lots of good sugary deliciousness! 

And the present opening began. They as always got more than they needed or deserved... but felt extra special that everyone picked out such awesome things for them. 

Coordinating outfits!! They are going to be adorable for school! 

Our plan was to camp out in tents in Aunt Rachel's backyard... the Chesneys stayed over too so we had a full house for sure. BUT it was HOT! Hotter than anyone expected. And between that and all the JUNK that my typically small portion healthy eater Madeline ate all day... 6 doughnuts, 2 burritos, 2 bowls of ice cream sundaes complete with cookie dough...  at 2am, I was woken up to a child that needed to PUKE! She made it about halfway to the house and it turned out BAD. VERY BAD. But again, she was outside of the tent!! So we will be thankful for that! She immediately felt fine and was sound asleep again... this time in the cool A/C'ed house! What a fun ending to a fun day. 

We hadn't seen much of this crowd because we were gone so much this summer, so it was a great time catching up with everyone and celebrating the girls. They are loved well. WE are loved well, and we are so grateful for family... and friends that have become family, over the years. 

Happy Birthday to my sweet three! Now that Madeline has celebrated her birthday, they are all officially back to being two years apart... this year an ODD year. Kayla-5, Audrey- 7, and Madeline- 9. We identify with ODD, and no doubt it's gonna be another great year ahead.