Ice cream and pumpkins

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Out of the mouth of one of my babes

So we spent the day as a family today. We started in downtown for some lunch with the cousins, aunt/uncle, and grandparents. Then we went on our way for what turned out to be a lengthy scenic drive. We finally decided to stop in Skaneateles for some ice-cream and to stretch our legs. The girls asked what village we were in (I think they still think everything is a village after watching Pocohontas many years ago). I told them we were in Skaneateles. When we were leaving, Maddy asks seriously, "Are we still in Skinny-ville". Andy and I both laughed. Sometimes, innocently, they say the cutest things!

My own karate kid

I may have my very own karate kid on my hands. Libby has started karate and, although it has only been one night, loves it! This picture was taken before she went. She had her own idea of how it would all go down, involving numerous jumps and poses. When she came, thankfully, they were taught 4 new moves.

The outfit alone makes me want to keep her in it. She looks authentic. From what I have heard, karate teaches a lot of discipline and respect - what parent doesn't want more of that in their home, along with self-control and confidence. I hope it continues along as well as it started tonight. This just might be her gig!

20 Years gone by

I went to my 20 year class reunoin this past weekend. How fun. Its been 10 years since I saw most of these people. We opened our predictions that we filled out at the 10 year, for where we would be at the 20 year reunion. Mine was as follows:

Happily married with 3 kids. Check. How funny since I didn't have any kids at the 10 year.

Not working - homemaker. Check check.

Living in NYS. Check check check. We lived in Michigan at the time. See this proves that I always hoped we'd make it back. It just took a little longer and more moves than I ever imagined.

And lastly, happy. Quadruple check. My life is good. Despite the small crappy stuff. Like the fact that my computer crashed on the same weekend Andys car overheated. Now I'm spending my morning at the library using the computers with all the townfolks. And crap, my 30 minutes is almost up.

Got to run. Can't wait to see what the next 10 years has in store for me. I'll have to work on my predictions!

Say cheese

It was picture day at school today for the girls. And picture day at school means picture day at home, for me.

I'm trying to let go a little. And everyone knows, thats not an easy thing for me to do. Its all about baby steps. I decided to let them all pick out their own clothes for picture day. I could only overrule if the outfit was absolutely hideous. I won't name names but I had to overrule one outfit and the next outfit was much better. I should have taken a picture of the first outfit.

The true question is what will they look like when they actually get around to taking the picture. Libby should be early in the morning. Abby, on the other hand, was after lunch and recess last year so I'm thinking its even later this year. She has the least "mess-able" hair so we might be safe.

Hope you enjoy these pictures. When the real ones come back, we'll see if we enjoy those too!

College

I don't know what started this conversation in the back of the van on the way home from religious ed class tonight. It just shows how different my three girls are.

Libby says, "Do you have to do work in college?" I respond yes. "Oh darn, I don't want to go to college then. I don't like to do work. Its too hard." She has no idea how much fun college can really be.

Then Abby chimes in, "But the best part is you get to wear your friends clothes whenever you want." Leave it to Abby to bring in the friends. She will just love college.

And Maddy adds, "And you get to stay up as late as you want, whenever you want. Even like one o'clock in the morning. But if you forget to say goodnight to your parents on the phone, you can go get on a bus, go home, ring the doorbell, go in, say goodnight, and get back on the bus to go back to college." I can only hope she misses me enough to want to get on a bus to come say goodnight.

All this in a 10 minute drive. I can't even tell them that they have no idea what they are in for. And I don't even want to think about it. Maybe they'll be different from me. I can only hope!

Fall is in the air

You can feel it in the air. Fall is here. Which can only mean one thing..time to hit the apple orchards. Saturday was the perfect day to do that. And now apple orchards don't just mean pick apples. We managed to hit the petting zoo, bouncy house, giant slide, corn maze, hayride, and rounding up the finish with actually picking apples.

Here's a test for you..can you find the lost kids in the picture below?

They weren't actually lost but that is a giant corn maze. I'm thinking that I need one of those in the backyard. It could keep the kids occupied for hours, even days maybe.

The girls loved the apples. Which turned into my first apple pie of the season today. And I have to admit, it sure did taste good!

Love

Now that the girls are in school, I find myself with less to say. After all, I talk to myself all day long. But I didn't want to go blogless so I thought I would just mention a quote I ran across while reading a book.

"Love means you can never be apart."

What a great thought. Its what keeps our family and marriage together even when we're not together. But recently, it means that the girls can know that I am always here even when they are at school. And more importantly, that I know they are in my heart even when they are at school. Libby and I still have a routine in the morning. Ever since reading The Kissing Heart, I kiss her hand every morning and she mine. It makes her smile but I think it makes me smile even more. She is so adorable and truly believes that one kiss stays with her all day.

I don't know who is taking this separation harder. I can't even imagine the kiss goodbye when they head off to college, or move out, or get married. There's a thought..my three girls getting married. Who's going to be their king?

What am I doing?

Or should I say, "What did you do all day?" I've never heard that before....

I just finished day three kidless. And I have to admit, I look back right before the kids get off the bus and think, what did I do? I told Andy, I have an adjustment period before I can jump right into the list of things to do while the kids are away. He gratefully told me that I do deserve a one hour lunch..how nice!

I wonder how long it will take me to finish my never-ending list, in no particular order:

Clean out the entire basement (okay, impossible - we've moved five times in the last 10 years..do you know how much stuff we have accumulated?)

Clean out the garage so we can park in there before the snow comes (I did finally put away the slip and slide and giant water slide today)

Stop drinking during the day

Stop stalking the playground

Avoid the windows because I know no one else is home on the street

Organize and create photo albums (Libby is turning five and I haven't even started an album so I'm at least five years behind)

Exercise (I did run the last three days..beyond to the mailbox)

Laundry and cleaning (that will never go away - I question whether I should have gotten the lasik surgery. Now I can't say that I don't see the dirt and dust)

and finally...stop make more lists to do on my great little pad of today, tomorrow and someday!

Tomorrow is another day.

Second verse same as the first

The second morning of school was just as good as the first. Smiles, giggles, on time. But a little less chaotic. So, of course, I thought I would snap a couple of pictures.. This time actually seeing Libby get on the bus (yesterday she was too small in front of Abby) - and look theres my shadow taking the picture. One boy asked, "You're taking pictures again?" Get used to it - its only the second day. This could go on for a while.

I just hope they all come home as happy and excited as they did yesterday. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

The only question left..will I swing by the playground around recess time again today? Only time will tell. Maybe Andy is right, I do need a job!

This isn't the end, its just starting

And I quote, "Renee, this isn't the end, its just starting." Andy must be referring to all the fun we are going to have as they are grow up. Or maybe he was just trying to cheer me up. My babies are all grown up and in school. Today was the day.

Five years ago, Abby started kindergarten in Michigan and I thought that was hard. I didn't have any time to myself to think about it since Maddy was 3 years old and Libby was not even a year old. They kept me busy enough. Now my first born is in 4th grade.

Then two years ago, Maddy followed in her sisters footsteps and marched (or climbed) onto the bus in Massachusetts. She was going to do anything her sister did. Now she's moving on up to 2nd grade.

And now its Libbys turn. I can't believe its her turn. Who's going to keep me company? Who am I going to eat lunch with? And she thought only she had those thoughts running through her head. She told me I would be okay, and I will. And she will too.

My girls make me so proud. Andy and I must be doing something right because these girls are remarkable. And its just the beginning.

Like any good mother, I have to run. Recess on the playground starts at 12:10 and if I leave now I can spy on her. I just have one question, will you post my bail if I am arrested for hanging around the school playground?

** I'm hoping to have another slideshow to the right of back to school pictures in a few days so check back! I have the time on my hands to do it.

Did I ever mention I was French?

My parents went to Paris this Spring and brought back some berets for all of the grandchildren. Here are my girls sporting their French look...tres chic. Libby says "Bonjour" - thats all she knows. But she knows how to say hello, also in Spanish, Japanese, Hawaiian, and English. We like be multi-lingual in the King house!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend officially marks the end of summer vacation. I thought I would revisit our summer with some pictures...

The girls went to their first wedding and were official "bubble girls." They loved every minute of the ceremony!

Speaking of weddings, Andy and I celebrated our 10th anniversary with a little party at our house with our close friends and family.

We squeezed in some vacations..

...and some time around home with family and friends.

We rounded up the last weekend of the summer with lots of family time. We also, as promised, made our final visit to the Fair as a family, which always includes visiting the baby chicks.

..and a little crazy dancing at the Fair as well.

Labor Day also marks the beginning of the school year. With Libby heading off to kindergarten, it will be quite an emotional week at the King house. All my girls will be off to school, which leaves me with a very important question...

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Happy Labor Day!

Its Fair Time

As you can see the girls had a ball at the NYS Fair.

It was just as they remembered from last year.

Sunny day.

Fun with cousins.

Ride after ride.

Seven hours and still going.

Ending the day with cotton candy.

Then the adults had their turn.

Just as we remembered.

Cold beer.

Good food.

Fun with our friends, cousins, sisters, aunts, uncles.

Four hours and still going.

Ending the night with pictures.

And to think the Fair isn't over yet!

** Check out the slideshow to the right **

Just like the good old days

Saturday turned out to be a great day and we decided to take advantage of one of the last weekends before school starts, so we headed to the Renaissance Festival as a family.

The girls were a bit quiet at first but loosened up soon enough and started to enjoy themselves. In the end, we know that they liked it because they asked if we could go back on Sunday.

My first question. Why can't I use this as a form of punishment? I wouldn't chop their heads off or anything. I would just put them in this thing and let them think about what they did wrong. Its even better than time out because they physically can't move. And if two of them were in trouble, they could just annoy each other with their bantering. Don't get me wrong. I adore my kids.

We also watched some jousting. The girls know that I used to ride horses in my younger days and asked if I ever did that. I said not with a sword and armour. I'm sure at some point, my sister and I tried to knock each other off our horses.

We ended the day with a huge strawberry shortcake. But first when Andy asked if they wanted dessert, being the honest kids that they are, they said they already had dessert when they had the fruit smoothie. We both laughed and said they could have another dessert. Now it was a REALLY good day!

Bunco is not for old people anymore

Last night was my monthly Bunco night. It happened to be at my house. And what a good Bunco night it was. Not that I've seen many bad Bunco nights. I don't even know if that could happen.

Before I met my husband, I don't know that I had ever heard of Bunco. I assumed, silly me, that it was like Bridge, a game for old ladies that have nothing better to do with their time. Fast forward to meeting Andy. His mother introduced me to the game of Bunco. A silly dice game that takes absolutely NO talent, has potential earnings, and involves snacks and drinks. I'm in. Then we moved away, and away, and away. Several kids later, my neighbor and I decide to start a bunco group in our neighborhood. A reason for the ladies to get together, complain (I mean talk) about our kids, husbands, jobs, etc. I thought it was a great success. Each place we lived, I tried and partially succeeded in starting a Bunco group. Then we move to our current home. There is talk on the street about starting a Bunco group. Perfect. I have all the goods and away we go.

We all knew each other on the street but yet it took Bunco to really get to know each other. I feel as though we are all so much comfortable with one another. Without even needing to say something, we can smile and know we can all relate to each other. We know more stories, more secrets, more of our personalities now.

I don't know why, but you get a group of gals together, mix in a few drinks, a couple of dice (I typed die but it looked weird), the conversations start flowing. The beginning of the night may start out a little slow, but it never fails, it doesn't end that way. Anything you wanted to say or was on your mind, will come out and 9 times out of 10 someone has thought the same things. All of us are married, most of us are parents. Some just starting out, some veterans. We have all faced many of the same problems in our day. And for some reason, it just makes us feel better that someone else has felt the same way. We are all different people and yet we are so alike when it comes down to the bottom line.

I'm going to end with my favorite line of the night, without naming names. My friend comes out of the bathroom and says laughing, "I can't believe I didn't notice, my underwear are on inside out." It truly takes another mother to understand that she probably had to get dressed with three kids holding her leg, while she was trying to protect her kids from the sight of the private area, while answering the phone and trying to turn the stove off. We all laughed for a good half an hour. Motherhood. Indescribable. Bunco. Priceless.

Girls just love to shop

So I had this image. Rounding up my three girls first thing in the morning, jumping in the car, and heading to the outlet mall to do some back-to-school shopping. We would have a fun-filled, girl-bonding day and walk out with bags in hand and clothes and shoes galore. Then I woke up. In my real world, we didn't hit the road until 11:30am and then the dark cloud appeared in the sky.

When we made it to the mall, we ducked out of the car quick to beat the rain. I thought we would start with some shoes. How bad could that be? Explain that to one 4 year old who really didn't need to buy any why she couldn't have the hot pink suede ankle boots with a kitty cat on them. So I didn't explain and just bought them - they were only $14.99 after all. Then there is a 7 year old who has a foot size the size of a toddler so there are no "big girl shoes" in her size anywhere! She doesn't want baby shoes. The 8 year old gave up early after I shook my head at almost every shoe she showed me, but not without mumbling "this just isn't fair."

Then we hit some clothing stores. Some better than others. Fitting all four of us and a stroller into the dressing rooms is quite a sight. It amazes me that I walk out with anything. I had this great idea that I was going to take a picture of the three of them with their feet sticking out the bottom of the dressing room stall. I even brought my camera. But since we were shoved in the handicap stall, the door goes all the way to the floor. So no picture to remember this day. But I was able to use my 20% off coupons at the two big stores. So I'm saving us money, right? Thats when the thunder and lightening hit. I looked at my watch. It was already 2:30pm and we hadn't eaten lunch. Thankfully as we run through the rain with five bags, three girls and a stroller, we pass a hotdog stand. Miraculously, my daughter who detests hot dogs anytime we make them, was thrilled with the idea of a hotdog and chips. We made it in the car, into their seats and I passed out our gourmet lunch. My daughter noticed I hadn't bought one of those appealing looking hotdogs. But don't worry, I get to eat the ends of their hotdogs since they won't eat that part. That was enough to satisfy my hunger.

We were driving through the pounding rain on the way home. As I'm explaining to my husband on the phone how much money I saved today (which he didn't seem to care about) and that I didn't even buy anything for myself, my daughter decided to shove too much into her mouth, think she's choking and spit it out. As I rolled my eyes thinking about what a great day we had, like clockwork, my daughter says, "This was a great day wasn't it? You didn't even have to get angry at us." And she was right. All in all, it was a success. There was no yelling. No tears. No meltdowns. That in itself is priceless!

Now I just get to look forward to school shopping attempt #2 at the next mall. How many days until school starts?

Knees and toes

Summertime is almost gone

Can tell its been good by the knees and toes

Scrapes and nail polish chips

Giggles and grins
Hard to believe its coming to an end.

Staying up late

Sleeping in later

Bugbites and tanlines

Just a little bit longer.

Cocktails and bbqs

Squealing and laughing

Paper plates and plastic forks

Coolers and marshmallows.

Sitting by the fire

Family and friends by our side

Travels and visits

Make the summer worthwhile.

Its too soon for school shopping

Alarm clocks and buses

Lunch bags and backpacks

They can all wait.

State Fair is the last hurrah

Time to celebrate

The summer that was

The fall that will be

And the year that we will remember.

You can't take away summer

Each years a little better

The memories will stay in our minds

Even through snow and slush

We'll always have our knees and toes

To remind us of those summer days.

Rain rain go away

I didn't where to start on my first posting but since it has been raining nonstop for 3 days in the Cuse, I thought it was a good start. We just got back from our vacation in Lake George and Plymouth MA and its been raining like cats and dogs. The only thing that has saved me is that the girls are so happy to be back home, they haven't even noticed that we aren't leaving the house. Its giving me time to get back into the routine. And for anyone that knows me, this spontaneous, living by seat of my pants vacation, was very out-of-character for me. We managed to have a GREAT time and see many of our old friends. The girls thought that staying at different places every night and not knowing where we were going to have our next meal was fun and exciting. We managed boat rides and attempts to water ski in Lake George, as well as our ocean beach fix in Plymouth.

But like the old saying goes, its great to be home!

Enjoy the pictures. These are just some of my favorites...