WILLIE WALKS!

Yup, it finally happened. Actually last week, I just haven't had a chance to blog it! He took his first real steps, multiple, to Katy sitting on the couch with his toy. Now he does it once or so daily, waits for us to clap, and then crawls the rest of the time. He just likes to see our reaction at this point. He's very steady and can stand for several minutes unassisted and without anyone helping him into a standing position. So we've been waiting, and now finally, at the ripe old age of 17 months, Big Boy takes his first steps. Now, if we could only prevent him from running for a while... (Gee, am I a fourth-time Mom or what? Oh, Willie, you don't need to walk, no, the other boys in PreK won't make fun of you at all, why would you even want to? Really, Big Boy). Oh well, at least he's still so handsome.

Where Did June Go?

Well. Dang. June just up and left. I mean, school just got out. At least, just three weeks ago. This week has been the busiest of all. Art class in the morning, followed by swimming lessons, and topped off with three hours of Vacation Bible School each night. Wow. I think I've put more miles on my car in the past three weeks than in the past three months. It has been crazy. And today, to top all that off, we got a surprise clam sale and had to take off immediately with William and Izzy to get twenty thousand clams. Gee, love the sale but could ya give us a little notice?

Last night, after VBS, Sarah had four friends sleep over. Katy slept over her friend's house, and IZZY even had a sleepover across the street. Actually, it was supposed to be a mock sleepover so she wouldn't feel left out. We figured they could bathe together and then put on their jammies. Play for a bit, get sleepy, want to go home. Nope. Bathed, jammied, played, got sleepy, snuggled right down in that twin bed together, facing each other, Izzy sucking her thumb, Rylee holding her animal, and zzzzzzzz. At 11 pm I realized she wasn't coming home. I was like, wow, my four year old is at a sleepover. This is weird. They had a ball! Sometimes your kids just go and shock the heck out of ya. Consider me shocked.

Luckily, Katy can FINALLY sleep over someone's house. She has been dying to for some time now, but unfortunately none of the kids in her class are homes she's allowed to go to. (For various reasons which I will not go into here.) Anyway, it's always been very difficult for her because Sarah has four or five or more houses here on the island she can go to. Katy always feels left out. But this little girl, who is the third grade teacher's daughter (yup, Katy's teacher this coming year) is named Jolie. Katy and Jolie were great friends in PreK, but Katy went to Kindergarten and Jolie had one more year of PreK. Jolie is very smart and has now skipped second grade, putting her into Katy's upcoming third grade class. It's so perfect for her and they had an absolutely wonderful time, hitting it off once again. They also play softball together so that will be a great building time for them as well. I am so thrilled for her, she needs this friendship very badly. Izzy is a wonderful friend to her, but she needs a buddy, not a sister.

Hopefully things will start to slow down into the lazy days of summer. Swimming, sleeping in (if there is a God!), making cookies, bring it on! Here's to July, and all the promise it holds!

Sarah Goes To Camp

Sarah went to her first overnight summer camp on Wednesday, the 18th. It was a four day, three night stay up in Live Oak, in the heart of the Suwannee Valley. We packed according to the camp checklist: two towels, two sheets, a blanket, toiletries, disposable camera, one-piece bathing suits, CHECK!, lots of shorts, lots of T-shirts (no tanktops),CHECK!, sunscreen, bugspray, name on everything, CHECK! I took her by myself (Shawn took a nap with William and the two little girls played) on the two hour trip north. On the way, I gave her the usual motherly lectures about not taking pills or "mints" from anyone, never drink anything that wasn't with you the whole time, stay with your counselors, don't share your hair brush, etc... Sarah possesses a self-confidence that is astonishing for her age. She was barely nervous, and so excited she could hardly sit still. She watched every sign between here and there for how much farther to go. We registered, found her cabin, and made her bunk. The counselors said it was time for the swim test, to which Sarah said, "Oh, no sweat!" (Not just a little bit of Daddy in that kid!) Within thirty minutes of arrival, I felt it was time to head home. I said, "Be good, be safe, have fun!" She said in a super-proud voice, "I Will!" And she did.

Sarah and Ariel explore their cabin before heading out to the swim test.

Sarah shows off her bunk, bottom left. A girl named Leah on top left, a girl named Reaghan on top right, and Ariel on bottom right.

Cabin Rutledge, each cabin named for a prior Bishop of the Episcopal Diocease of Florida.

All in all it was a wonderful experience for her. The only gripe she had was the food, yucky pizza, yucky spaghetti (and that from the spaghetti queen!), and pretty good hamburgers. Yucky grits, yucky french toast, and yucky scrambled eggs. Good thing Momma packed her some juice pouches, crackers, and Skittles. Mmhmm. Sarah had a great time, she just wished she could've stayed a week. She definitely wasn't ready when the family came to pick her up on Saturday. Next year she'll be going into fifth grade so she will get the week-long camp. She'll be thrilled, I'll be cryin'. Waaaaaaaah... I'm glad she had such a great time, I'm even more thrilled that she's home. Well, first kid off to camp, CHECK!

William's "Lessons"

Well, no swimming for William. Lazy Momma. But boy did he enjoy going! The pool was at a farm with a pig, cows, dogs, chickens, and even a turkey. Pure entertainment. And he only tried to eat chicken poop once! (Eeeeewwwww...) The other main draw was the little piling of rocks nears the gate to the pool. Over the two weeks, I'd say he spent about six hours playing happily in those rocks. Gee, maybe I ought to get some for around here...

Katy Masters The Pool

Katy, if you didn't know, used to be terrified of water. Literally. Terrified to the point that you could not get a DROP of water anywhere near her face. If you did get a drop in that vicinity, you were destined to endure blood-curdling screams of terror, some form of hyper-ventilation, and accusations of child abuse. "You're putting soap in my eye", "IT GOT ON ME, MOMMA" and "I, (sob) want, (sob) to get OOUUUUUTTTTTT!" were heard nightly from our residence. I'm sure her screams of terror brutalized many a passerby, wondering what kind of tortures were occurring in that big blue house. I admit it, I stopped making her take a shower or bath nightly, to save my own sanity. I became blind and deaf to the sounds of her cries, "I'm sorry dear, my ears don't work when you're screaming so loudly!" The more she fought, the less I listened. Don't like shampoo? Here, have a giant dollop, I'll wash it for you! Scream, scream,...scream scream....., la la la de da. Don't want to rinse, guess I'll have to hold you under the water myself if you won't get your head under there. Dum de dum, scream scream. I make light of it now, but let me tell you, it was torture--for both of us. The following picture shows how she feels about water now....

Yup, that's ole Dry Land Katy. Taking the plunge, ready to race across the pool with her opponent, Philip. I love the puffer-fish cheeks! She completed Level 2, and wants desperately to tackle Level 3, starting next week. I can hardly believe my eyes. (No balking) I can hardly believe my ears. (No screaming) Heck, I can hardly believe HER! (She's jumping in on purpose and LOVING it!)

Freestylin' across the pool

Climbing out

My girl, my stubborn, stubborn, girl, has just beaten her entire class across the pool. This time it was me who got a little teary. And it wasn't the shampoo. I'm very proud of you, Katy Jeanne. And thanks for not screaming in my ear.

Izzy Learns To Swim

One of my primary goals this summer was to get Isabelle swimming without water wings. We enrolled in the Red Cross swimming classes that her sisters have taken the last three years running. This time, though, thanks to high gas prices, we drove to Chiefland instead of Crystal River. It is a smaller, private pool which was great for Isabelle--a little less overwhelming. She started crying immediately the first day, I so knew that was going to be the case. What I didn't know, is how resilient she can be, and by the end of the class, the other two kids were crying and she wasn't! And she was so proud that she wasn't crying! She made up her mind on the second day and after class told her teacher, "I'm not going to cry tomorrow" and she didn't. I was very proud of her.

Here's Izzy in the deep end! She had to swim across the pool, face in the water, lifting her face for breath. She made it all the way across with no help from the teacher.

This look reads, "I cannot believe what just happened. I'm standing there with all my clothes on and they PUSHED ME IN!" It was intentional, of course. I knew it was going to happen but she sure didn't. Total surprise. The lesson is that you can swim with your clothes and shoes on, so that if you fall in water unexpectedly, you can swim to the side or edge of the water even if you are not in your swimsuit. They taught them to leave their shoes floating, hat sinking, etc, and just swim. It was a good lesson but a bit scary for her.

Here's the swimmer doing her underwater float in the deep end

Just swam across the pool and can't quite believe she's done it!

Fun at Nanny's House

Spring called this morning and suggested an impromptu lunch/swimfest at Mom's house. I waited for Shawn to get home, he decided he was working the rest of the afternoon. Sarah had a prior commitment to see the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" with a school friend. That left me, Izzy, Katy, and William to head down to Crystal River. We arrived just in time for some yummy flank steak, broccoli cornbread (mmmm), and an amazing salad that Scotty and Spring whipped up. We had french bread as well, but I never ate any because I couldn't stop eating the salad. Anyway, after eating, I let the girls get into their suits, got Willie and me into ours, and into the pool we went. The cousins had a grand time, splashing Uncle Scotty (who gets them back, or what normally happens, he starts it!) sliding down the slide, jumping from the side of the pool, and just all around good family fun. Avery jumped to Daddy (Scott), Izzy jumped to me, and Jon Jon jumped like a maverick as Scott said, in whatever fashion he could figure out. Willie is generally not a fan of pools, but since he was running a slight fever (probably teeth) I figured what better way to cool him down. He and I chased the ball around the pool and he even threw it back and forth with Uncle Scotty. He played cups and shovels at the side of the pool while Izzy jumped to me. He really started to enjoy the water. He loves both bath and shower, but somehow the pool just doesn't cut it for him. At least until now.

The best part of the day was my Izzy. She has been such a scaredy-cat in our own pool, freaking out whenever someone accidentally splashes a drop of water on her, even getting out of the pool because of it. Not today. She wasn't going to let any of those kids chase her out of that pool. She put on her swim vest and floated around, giggling with excitement! Once she saw Avery jump to her daddy, it was all over. Izzy jumped in with such enjoyment, and never got freaked out once. I stopped "catching" her with my hands so that she would go underwater when she jumped, and still, no freaking out. She swam to the steps on her own, got out, and came running back over for more jumping! The great part of this is that tomorrow morning we start swim lessons. At least, she and Katy do. Not me. (Thank heavens.) Sarah is very proficient in the water and really needs to be on a swim team. Since we don't have that, I let her swim off the clam boat with Shawn. Nothing like openwater swimming to make you use strokes. Anyway, she is attending her first overnight summer camp next week so she would have missed the last three of 8 classes, anyway. Katy and Izzy, on the other hand, need to get to a comfort level that they have yet to display. Katy can swim, she just isn't fluid, like it's second nature. It's like training wheels on a bike that have been adjusted so they don't lay flat on the ground, they make you wobble. She can swim across the pool at Mom's, but she doesn't do any real strokes or open her eyes--a real problem if you weren't in Nanny's pool! Isabelle is unable to swim, and prior to today, unable to stick her head under water. Last summer, she did do that fine, but any parent will tell you they definitely regress after summer is over.
And so, I find myself exhausted, swimmed out, and ready for bed. Unfortunately, my oldest is on her way home from the ballet which ran late. The bleary, half-lidded eyes of this poor Momma await her child, so that once she is to bed, I am to bed. At least, that is the plan. And we never, ever, go against the plan.

Ballerina Girls

Sarah and Katy performed last night for the Spring Dance Recital. They've been taking ballet all school year and finally got to perform. They looked very pretty in their costumes and really did a beautiful job on the performance. They danced to "Icarmbizt" which I was not familiar with, but it was very beautiful music as well.

Katy will not give me a normal smile these days. This was the better of two shots and in the other one she looks completely annoyed. Gotta love cheesy smiles...

During the performance, the lighting was terrible for pictures so this was the best I could do. One at a time, they reached down and "blossomed" up. This was Sarah's turn, Katy was next. Grandma and Grandpa Stephenson came to the show, which was great. The girls were thrilled to have them there. William and Izzy were very good during the performance, they enjoyed it very much. In fact, William enjoyed it so much that during every bopping song, and there were plenty, he pumped his arms frantically. His "raising the roof" dance moves got quite a bit of attention. It was pretty darn cute. I've never seen a 16-month-old so interested in dancing. I guess I ought to teach him some new moves, maybe he could "stir the broccoli"! Wouldn't that be something...

A Little Spoon of Heaven

Mom and I had a short-notice peach jamming party on Wednesday afternoon! Our peach tree in the backyard used to be about three feet high. During construction of our new addition and porch, we removed a very poor specimen of a mimosa and a damaged maple tree. Evidently, they were sucking up every bit of nutrients and water so that poor peach tree had none. Once they were out of the picture, the thing didn't just double in height, it is 5 or 6 times bigger in one season than it had in the seven years we've been here! We were planning to take it out, as it is directly behind the porch and will ultimately block the view from the dining room (and be in the way of our future-planned in-ground pool!). Anyway, just when we planned to remove it, it goes and yields a bumper crop of the smallest, most adorable little peaches you ever saw. They are clingstone, but covered in a red blush that is so pretty! And sweet and juicy, with flavor that ain't found in any supermarket peach! They ripen quickly, though, and I thought we should make good use of them before they rot off the tree or before what has happened in previous years--the birds eat them the second they are ripe. So far, no birds this year? Very odd. God is telling us--Save The Peach Tree! It rocks!

This is less than half of what we put up. I sent over half home with Mom (I plan to make more, there are still a couple hundred peaches on that tree) and, Ok, I admit it, I've eaten more than a couple jars all by myself. It is incredibly good!

I didn't want any of you to miss out, so I ate a few spoonfuls for you! Mmmm, and jelled to perfection, which doesn't happen every time for me either! Chunks of perfectly ripe peaches surrounded by sweet, thickened peach syrup. Just a little taste of heaven, just before our time.

The Cake

I almost forgot to show you the "cake". It was really quite difficult to prepare. Ok, not really. At least they were Indiana Jones M&M's. The orange ones even have the crystal skull on 'em, right up Shawn's alley. This picture was taken in the dark so the flash really made everyone look normal. I darkened it to look more like it was actually in the room. In any event, I just love the look on Willie's face. Only the candle on and his eyes are as big as quarters. What a cutie!

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

Here's the crew getting ready to help Daddy open his plethora of birthday presents (read: 2). They insisted that he tear into them, not open them normally. They love when he does that. It's a very Shawn thing. P.S. I did not request that Katy wear the wrapping paper on her head. Quite the opposite, in fact, I requested her to remove it. She refused. So here she is for posterity's sake, wearing it. I think I'll keep this one for those aggravating teenage years...

Meet the new 42-year-old, growling as he tears into present number one, a hot air popcorn popper. Yup, they still make 'em. Shawn doesn't like salt on his popcorn (what a weirdo) so he doesn't like microwave as much as stove-top. But frankly, he and the stove don't get along. Which means, of course, that I get to pop the corn for him. So, in the best interest of my time and sanity, and not necessarily in that order, I allowed him to ask for a popcorn popper for his birthday. Otherwise, it's all completely beneath me and I'm not afraid to admit it. I mean, really, Presto says it's, and I quote, "much more healthy than microwave popcorn" and "much less expensive" but them they had to make the lid to the popper a butter melter? I don't think so. Thankfully, they'll be no additional dishes to wash due to this popper, so again, I'll allow it. Just don't ask me to use it.

Handsome was so enchanted with the big colorful bow that he didn't pay any attention to Shawn's shenanigans (hey, I like that, Shawn's shenanigans, and he has lots of them....) even with the growling (Willie's favorite) and the paper flying. Moments after this shot, he stretched as far as he could across the present and ripped that pretty bow right off. But, he is handsome, so how could we not let him?

The party is over, the shenanigans done for the evening. Now we'll have cake. Ok, no cake. How bout a cup of M and M's with a candle in it. You betcha. That is more like it.