Camp Nonna 2009-Day 3

On Monday everyone was up early again, except Wesley, of course. We had waffles for breakfast, except for Carsten who wanted eggs and grits. We went on a walk with Nonna. We walked 1.9 miles and did very well. We took the stroller and Barbie car. Everyone took turns riding and walking except for Wesley. He and Caitlin took turns in the stroller and Barbie car. Caitlin walked a little of the way. Carsten had a goal to walk the entire way and he pretty much did it, except for a short time when he was driving Caitlin. Caitlin can drive ok but she is in danger of getting a DUI with all her weaving. After we arrived home we went swimming, we were really hot!

We made tie dye shirts but after washing them they faded too much. We didn't leave them in the dye long enough. It is too bad because they really looked good. Even Wesley and Caitlin did their own and they looked good!


Wesley took his nap after lunch and we rested in the house by watching a movie. The girls worked on decorating a tea set. Carsten was disappointed, Nonna did not think he would want to paint a tea set but he said he would have. He had lots of suggestions for the girls on how they should paint theirs. No one would listen to him. All the girls did their own designs. Caitlin immediately knew how she was going to paint hers and did her own design and colors. Everyone was really happy with the work they did. Carissa drew out her idea and thought about exactly what she wanted to do. Maddie was getting a little frustrated because she knew she wanted bumble bees on one piece but just could not do it on the sample paper. She showed Nonna what she wanted and Nonna did paint them on for her. Other then that and a few touch up for Caitlin they did their own.


Carsten was happy when Wesley woke up. They went outside and had a snack and watched part of a movie. Wesley loves his snacks! We ate nachos for dinner and then Poppa took us fishing down the road. Nonna walked us down there while Poppa was getting the fishing poles ready. We love to get sticks and pull out the "crap" that is floating. Nonna called Poppa to bring Wesley's swimmies since he had no fear of the water. We had a good time even before Poppa came. We started fishing. The fish kept eating our worms! Finally Caitlin caught a little fish! She didn't want to get too close to it, but liked looking at it. Maddie then caught an even littler fish! Wesley loved fishing, luckily he was using a old pole with the reel taken off because he dropped it in the water. Nonna was just getting ready to hand a cane pole to Carsten when she caught a fish, so we count that as Carsten catching it. It may sound like we were catching a lot of fish but mostly the fish were just eating the worms off our hooks. Carsten, Caitlin, Wesley and Carsten gave up and started cleaning up the junk in the water. Maddie kept at it and ended up catching 2 more fish! Poppa caught one also.


We went home and got ready for bed. Nonna was going to let us eat ice cream in bed. We love to do that! Wesley just didn't get it. He went to the table, and it was hard getting him upstairs. We guess he thought he was not going to get any if he wasn't in his seat.

We started the bed time train. Wesley was suppose to be the third one "dropped" off at their bed. After the the first stop, he pushed Caitlin out of second place and led the train straight to his bed! He takes his bedtime seriously! Nonna put Maddie's bed in her closet so she wouldn't wake anyone up if she cried. Maddie asked how she will leave in the morning without waking Nonna or Poppa up. She asked "how" they wake up in the morning. Nonna told her, well the past 2 days it was with someone saying "Nonna, Nonna, Nonna" She said "Oh, yeah" and laughed. Everyone went to sleep really well.

Camp Nonna 2009-Days 1 and 2

(The kids went to "Camp Nonna" for the last week of June. They had a blast, as always!)

Saturday was an afternoon of swimming and playing. We loved the pool and the Barbie car ,of course! Last year Caitlin wasn't totally sold on the pool but this time she loves it. Wesley also loves to get in the pool. The occasional bug floating around does not even deter him. We had a cook-out Saturday night and went through 2 packages of hot ogs in no time flat! Poppa took us on a trailer ride and we loved that also. Wesley has no trouble going to bed as long as he thinks everyone else is also. All this activity is wearing himself out. He did wake up from his nap and asked for his Mom, but as soon as he went downstairs and started playing with the kids he was fine. When getting his PJ's on he asked for his Dad, Nonna just said to him, "Your Mom and Dad are home, and you're at Camp Nonna." He said OK and that was it. He did kiss a picture of his Mom and Dad before going to sleep without a whimper.

On Sunday we were really good, except for the first thing. Maddie and Carsten did not see Wesley in his bed. They went in and woke Nonna up and said Wesley wasn't in bed and wasn't with Carissa. Nonna jumped up and checked and he was sound asleep in his bed. I guess everything was too dark in the room to see him. We got up ate breakfast went and brushed our teeth and put our church clothes on that Nonna laid out for us and then we were on our way to church. We sat up front on the stand and sang Father's Day songs and then sat in the pews with Poppa and Wesley. Wesley was real good sitting with Poppa. He liked seeing us up front and waved to us a lot. Since it was Sunday we couldn't swim so we watched movies. Wesley went to bed as soon as we finished lunch. We played princesses and knights and had a good time. Caitlin likes chasing Wesley around and around through the downstairs! Both love running and yelling around and around. Nonna put Wesley in bed for the night and we started our "train to bed". We wanted Wesley to join us so we got him up and he joined us. He was second to get in bed. Maddie started getting homesick when she got in bed and began crying. The others heard her and started getting upset. Caitlin decided she wanted to call her Mom to pick her up. Carissa was able to tell her a story and she was fine. Everyone went to sleep before too long.

More May...Playing in the Rain

One rainy day in May (2009), Maddie and Wesley wanted to play outside. It wasn't thundering and lightning, so I thought "Why not?" I used to play in the rain when I was little. My sister and I would even take shampoo outside and take a shower in the rain.

Quick Trip to Thomasville--May 2009

We went down to Thomasville to see our nephews, Mattison and Caleb, graduate from high school. Well, Aaron went to the graduation but we all enjoyed spending time with the Mark Clantons (Aaron's oldest brother). Unfortunately I have NO pictures of the graduation or the party afterwards. I did manage to steal some pictures from my SIL's Facebook page. (Thanks, Crystal!)

Colby, Crystal, Matt, Sydney, Mark

We always enjoy seeing most of the family when we go to church on Sunday. We were especially happy to see Ty, another nephew, who was leaving to go on his mission to Arizona.

We took Granny and Grandaddy Clanton out to lunch and took some quick pictures.

The kids got a hold of the camera while we were on the road. You never know what you're going to get when you get the camera back!

Happiness is...

Watching TV while enjoying a yummy snack of apples, crackers, cheese and strawberry yogurt milk. (May 2009)

More May (2009)

(Yes, it's been over 8 months, so I'm pretty sure no one even reads my blog anymore. :) But one of these decades I want to get a blog book made. And since I don't scrapbook anymore (who has the time??), then I really, really need to keep the blog updated. It's my new mid-year resolution!)

END OF THE YEAR
The end of the school year always brings lots of BUSYness! Here are some tidbits:

Field Day

For some reason I have no pictures of Maddie's Field Day. :( Not sure what happened there. But I did manage to get pictures of the big waterslide that Aaron has every year. I think he has more fun than the kids.

(Aaron and Mr. W racing down the slide.)

(Wesley never did go down the slide. Not that any of us were surprised, seeing as his self-proclaimed nickname is "Chicken Little.")

Gymnastics Awards Banquet

The Athens-Clarke County Gymnastics Academy hosts an awards ceremony every year for the team gymnasts. And since Maddie was asked to be on the team, she was invited to the banquet as well.

Level 3 and 4 gymnasts with Tina, the coach and program director

Miss "Most Improved All-Around"

We were really impressed with Maddie persistence and determination. Although Maddie is definitely a great gymnast, things don't always come easy to her. She really has to work hard. We are very proud that even when things get difficult, Maddie sticks it out and pushes through. She is definitely an example to us!

Awards Day

Maddie won the Principal's Award for her class. This award is given to the best all-around student in each class. We were pleasantly surprised when her name was called. Maddie is such a good girl!

Last-Day-of-School Talent Show

It's a Cleveland Road Elementary School (CRES) tradition to hold a talent show on the last day. It's LONG (like 4 hours) but even the little pre-Kers love to see everyone perform. Maddie's class sang "We All in This Together" from High School Musical. It was really cute! (Aaron recorded it but I have no idea how to get it from the camcorder to the computer.) Maddie and Harold, a little guy in her class, sang lead vocals and the rest of the class sang back-up. Again, I was super impressed! There is no way I would ever sing in front of a group! I wouldn't have done it as a first grader and I would never do it now! (I don't even like playing charades. lol)

After all of the kids performed, the teachers took center stage. Aaron and most of the other male teachers performed "Single Ladies." I wasn't sure how to react--pride at my husband for having such a great sense of humor or disgust at seeing him in my red plaid skirt . It was like a train wreck I just couldn't stop looking at. I'm pretty sure Wesley felt the same way, because he was laughing and crying at the same time.

Aaron is in the red jacket and plaid skirt.

School Friends
I gave Maddie the camera, and she (with Aaron's help) took a couple of pictures of her first grade friends.

No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks!

Here's what the kids saw as they left the school on the last day of the 2008-2009 school year at CRES. Sweet, huh?

Grateful to be "Here"

See my play list to the right of this post? If you can't see song #18, click on the forward button until you get to song #18. (As long as you can see it, you can click on #18 and it will start playing.)

The song is called "Here" by Rascal Flatts. They happen to be one of my favorite groups and I love their music. (Bear with me if you're not a country music fan.) I'm pretty sure this song was written to express the gratitude one feels after finally falling in love with "The One." But when I heard this song (especially the chorus), I immediately thought of the journey we had to take to get Wesley.

There's a place I've been looking for
That took me in and out of buildings
Behind windows, walls and doors
And I thought I found it
Couple times, even settled down
And I'd hang around just long enough
To find my way back out
I know now the place that I was trying to
Reach
Was you, right here in front of me

And I wouldn't change a thing
I'd walk right back through the rain
Back to every broken heart
On the day that it was breakin'
And I'd relive all the years
And be thankful for the tears
I've cried with every stumbled step
That led to you and got me here, right here

It's amazing what I let my heart go through
To get me where it got me
In this moment here with you
And it passed me by
God knows how many times
I was so caught up in holding
What I never thought I'd find
I know now, there's a million roads
I had to take
To get me in your arms this way

And I wouldn't change a thing
I'd walk right back through the rain
Back to every broken heart
On the day that it was breakin'
And I'd relive all the years
And be thankful for the tears
I've cried with every stumbled step
That led to you and got me here, right here

In a love I never thought I'd get to get to
-here
And if that's the road
God made me take to be with you

And I wouldn't change a thing
I'd walk right back through the rain
Back to every broken heart
On the day that it was breakin'
And I'd relive all the years
And be thankful for the tears
I've cried with every stumbled step
That led to you and got me here, right here

And I'd relive all the years
And be thankful for all the tears
I've cried with every stumbled step
That led to you and got me here, right here

When you're in the middle of a major trial, it's sometimes impossible to see how there will ever be a happy ending. The despair can be overwhelming. But thankfully there is almost always a light at the end of the tunnel. I think it's that hope that helps us push through, even when it seems too hard. I'm thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who is always there, to remind us of that light and to nudge us towards it.