WEEKEND BOOKENDS

I know that the weekend is long gone, but I have been meaning to sit down to post these pictures.

The last time I opened my laptop was Saturday and somehow it is already Tuesday evening!

The weekend was a good one though.

This is how it began on Friday...

#3 had all of the eighth grade girls on her school soccer team over to spend the night. 

They were complaining that I waited until Saturday morning to take their picture,

but I love them with their bedheads and sleepy eyes.

Lola went upstairs and woke them up way too early (especially after staying up late), 

but they were good sports about it.

Saturday afternoon we went to #3's (club) soccer game. 

She is playing really great right now as well as her team, but they ended up in a tie.

Her team was winning until the very end and the other team got a questionable goal. 

I hate it when that happens. 

And this was Sunday night...

The big girls came home to eat dinner and brought the BFs with them.

We grilled chicken and shrimp and had sweet potato fries and a caprese salad. 

We sat in the den around the coffee table so that the guys could watch the basketball games.

That was a yummy way to end a weekend!   

TWO IS TWENTY

Everyone is home from spring break and my nerves are finally calming down. 

Over the weekend #3 had a soccer tournament in Virginia Beach. She and the Man of the House left 

Friday afternoon and I stayed home to wait for the other girls to get home. 

I had about 24 hours home alone (in an already cleaned house) 

and it was wonderful!!

I wish I could come up with list of all of the things that I did and accomplished, but I cannot. 

Time flies.....

I did go out to eat with my aunt (my mom's sister) and that was a nice treat. 

While #2 was in Florida, she celebrated her birthday.

I wasn't too happy that she wasn't here for the big day, but I am glad she was with a lot 

of friends and that she had a good time. 

After both she and #1 got home on Saturday,

they were full of stories and soooo tired.

They couldn't wait to go to bed.
They were arguing about who got to sleep with me since their dad was not home and I guess

it was my lucky day (night) and got a two for one deal.

Look what I found when I went to go to sleep!

Charlie was already O-U-T and snoring,

Bubbles was there, but just didn't make it in the picture and 

Lola got fed up with all of the talking and jumped down and got in her bed.

We celebrated #2's birthday Sunday after #3 and the Man of the House got home from 

the soccer tournament. 

(They won the tournament by the way!!)

Unfortunately, we kind of had to rush things because

 the older girls needed to get back to school and it was getting late.

Here is the birthday girl with her birthday sign.

You would think we would spruce up our signs by now instead of using notebook paper every time!

Ain't she pretty!!!

(I cannot believe I just said "ain't"!)

Glitter was the theme this birthday!

Lola was not too interested in the gift opening!

Brooke wanted to go to the Angus Barn for her birthday dinner.
If you ever visit Raleigh, you need to make sure you go there.
It is one of the areas most known landmarks.

They even give you an entire homemade pound cake if it is your birthday!

Happy Birthday #2!!

GIRL ONE

#1 sent me a picture after she boarded the cruise ship yesterday. 

She is all smiles of course.

I would be too if I was getting ready to sail to the Caribbean 

and feel the warmth of the sun for the next week. 

Thought I would share some pictures from last weekend.

We went to her Sorority Parent Cocktail

at UNC.

It was held at the beautiful Carolina Inn.

This place has southern written all over it. 

I did not take my camera with me and used my iphone as an experiment. 

I am not really happy with the results and won't rely on it again. 

#1 and one of her best friends.

Daddy proving that he really does know how to shag. 

Her eyes are looking a little wicked in this picture. 

I tried to clean it up, but it made it look worse so 

I just left it alone. 

We had a great time and met a lot of the parents of the girls she is always talking about. 

It is such a blessing to be apart of a sorority. 

Instant family!

MARCH ALREADY

I flipped my calendar the other day.

And guess what...

it is March already and I cannot believe it. 

I let out a little gasp last night when I realized that my birthday is now "days away" and not "months away". 

How did it do that? 


Age doesn't really bother me, but how I am living my life and what I am accomplishing does. The year has flown by and I do not feel I have accomplish all that much. In fact, I am still working on getting motivated. Hmmm. I better get moving. I have 19 days to do something so that I can end my 46th year on a good note. I am not liking this whole time flying by thing that is happening. I will start tomorrow or maybe on Monday! :)


I am on pins and needles. My two older BABIES are leaving for spring break today. They have never done this to me both at the same time and it scares me. It isn't where they are going, but how they are getting there..... 

they are driving.

#1 is going on a cruise, which really isn't the part that worries me, it is the five hour drive to Charleston to board the ship. #2 is going to Florida. Several cars from her sorority are caravanning for the LONG haul. I believe it is over ten hours. I have given my girls a lot of leeway in a lot of things, but driving distances has not been one of them. I have had to put my big mama pants on this year, but it still makes me so nervous. 


Back to spring break plans:


#1 is going on a cruise and she looses count when trying to name all of the people she knows going on it also. They are just not people from her school and sorority, but several other schools and she has some old friends from high school who will also be on it, along with many of their school friends. I cannot imagine working on this ship or being a family vacationing along with all of these spring breakers. If you are, I am sorry. I have already read her the riot act and threatened to take all of her shoes and purses away if there should be anything she does to mar MY name. HA! I am just kidding. I do have faith in her and I know how much it would hurt her to loose all of her shoes.


#2 and 25 of her closest sorority friends have rented a house in a quiet little beach in Florida. So if you are reading this and live anywhere near the Panhandle you are welcomed to come and stay with me for the upcoming week. She also informed me that all of the sororities and fraternities from her school have done the same and will be there too. All I know is that my name is NOT on any papers at any rental office in Florida at this time. And any parent that willingly signed these rental papers will be in my prayers. #2 also has my upmost respect and I know she will make good decisions. It is the others that I worry about. And then there is the driving there and back. I am not a fan of this plan. I offered to fly her there and even tried to throw in a limo pick up at the airport, but she was not interested. (In case you are wondering what #2 would loose if she should happen to make me look bad..... the internet, phone and DVR.) 


So the big three - me, the man of the house and #3 will be looking at each other all weekend long. It has been and continues to be an adjustment for #3 to be the "only child" in the house. She is close to her sisters in spite of the big age difference. 

I am just glad that my nest still has one little bird in it.

I know how my blue bird felt last year as her last little baby sat and peeped out at the big world for several days before taking off. 

 I let out another gasp when it really hit me that #3 will be in high school next year. I cannot even fathom that. The next four years will, I am sure, fly by and feel just like days when it is all over. 

sigh

Until then we will do everything to wear ourselves out. #3 has two back to back soccer games this afternoon. It is the first game of the season for her school team and she will be playing center mid - the position that runs the complete field the entire game . Straight from there she will go play in her club team game (she plays on the classic level, if that means anything to you) and play the same position and she usually plays every minute of every game. That will give her over two and half hours of constant running, sprinting, fighting and banging this afternoon. 

But she can do it.......

see, she is one tough little soccer player!

And cute too!

Needless to say, I made pasta salad for her lunch today and also packed a Powerbar, a banana, granola mix and a Gatorade. I threw  another Powerbar and Gatorade into her soccer bag and told her to eat and drink that after school. I am considering an espresso in between games! (Just kidding!)


After her two games, she gets to jump into the car and we are headed straight to the beach for the weekend. I guess we will be driving with the windows rolled down because there is no time for her to take a shower! Can't wait for that! 

This will be my view Saturday and Sunday morning. 

It will do.