Rainy Day

Today it has rained all day! So Eli played in the puddles and ended up riding his scooter through them. Fun!

The First Day of 4th Grade!!

Payton started the 4th grade today. She loves her teacher and is excited about the new year. We are so thankful that she is able to go to such an amazing school!

A Few More Summer Highlights

As I have looked back over our summer pictures, I realize that there are a few more things we did this summer that I would like to share with you.

Let's see...where to start?

At the end of the school year Payton expressed to us that she wanted to "redo" her room. She was ready to change the color scheme, paint on the walls, bedspread, the whole shebang, and we said YES! Last year when Payton was in the 3rd grade, she not only made straight A's the entire year, but she also made straight E's in conduct the whole year. We felt like this was certainly a good way to reward her for her excellence! The end result is awesome! She did a great job choosing her bedspread, paint color and all.



She wanted a new desk in her room for studying and doing homework since she is in the 4th grade now and has heard that her work load will be harder this year. We found this fun vintage table painted lime green on top that perfectly matches her bedspread. Obviously we have not gotten a white chair yet :)




Payton had the opportunity to meet pro surfer Bethany Hamilton this year. Payton has read her book and really looks up to her. So below is a framed picture of her and Bethany along with a poster that she autographed for Payton.

What else did we do?...

One day when cleaning out cabinets in the kitchen, I found a few left over party supplies from Eli's first birthday. So I gave it all to him and he had an impromptu "birthday party" with his stuffed animals. Pretty cute.

The kids have been asking to do the new Sky Hike at Stone Mountain, so we finally decided to do it! Eli was just tall enough to do the actual "sky hike" so the whole family participated and had a surprisingly great time. It was fun because it pushed everyone's limits a little bit. Even Marshall and I. The kids did amazing though. Elijah really surprised me, and Payton went on to complete levels 2 and 3 with Marshall while Eli and I played on the younger kids obstacle course/playground area. The kids also both got to experience rock climbing for the first time. Eli made it about half way.

Payton on the other hand scaled up quickly and was the first to reach the top, beating 3 boys. Not bad for a first time rock climber!


Launching onto the double zip line. They LOVED the zip line.

On top of the mountain!

Confessions

As the summer is winding down, I have been thinking and reflecting as I wonder...where did the summer go? What did I do this summer? Why is there still such a long list of things that I had hoped to do this summer but did not seem to get to?

And that is when I remembered...

If you know anything about my son Eli, then you already know that he is my strong willed child. I spend a lot of time trying to figure him out, why he act the way he does, and what form of discipline will work with him. I TRY to stay one step ahead of him if at all possible. Most discipline does not work on him. He simply does not care. He wants what he wants and he thinks that the world revolves around him and he should get what he wants. He does not like to hear the answer no, and he is quick to whine and pout and pitch a fit in an attempt to get his way. He is very rough and tumble, and as he likes to say, he loves to "tussell." He is also very witty, often saying funny things and one liners that leave us wondering...where does he come up with this? Oh yes, I could talk about Eli all day. He has dimples that give him a most charming and irresistable smile, but he is such a stinker! He treats his sister terrible most of them time, and by Payton's account he is a pesky, mean, little brother. But what does all of this have to do with my summer ambition?

Well, this is where the confession comes in. Let me first say that I am in no way proud or happy about what I am about to tell (or confess to) you.

Marshall's mom gave us a much appreciated break from the kids recently, and kept them all day and through the night. In the late afternoon she took the kids swimming. Apparantly it was time to go, and she had already told Elijah a few times that is was time to go and he was running away from her at the pool. She finally caught up to him and again reminded him that it was time to go home to which he promptly turned around, looked straight at his Memaw and said "Shut up!"

Yes, you read that correctly....SHUT UP! Of course Marshall and I were not there to do one of the various things that immediately came to our minds upon hearing this a) smack him in the mouth b) wash his mouth out with soap c) spank him d) all of the above....etc, etc, you get my gist.

To be honest, Marshall and I were devastated. Embarrased. Confused. We don't talk like that in our house. What would ever make Eli think that he should say that word at all? Especially to his grandmother!!! This was pretty much the grand finale that caused us to make some pretty drastic changes around here. As Marshall and I talked through it and tried to figure out where all this was coming from, we had some harsh realizations.

So, much of our time and effort this summer has gone to enforcing the new rules around here. Eli has had a reality check these last few weeks. A much needed one! And I am happy to report that so far it seems to be working. I am certainly not saying he is the perfect child now. That strong will is still there all the time. But I do feel that we are gaining some control over his actions, because we are controlling the things that matter most to him.

This is an old picture when Eli had his mohawk. This is our dog Maya.

An added funny story about Elijah...

Recently I said to Eli - "Your epidermis is showing!" Of course he asked and asked what epidermis was, and then I finally told him and explained it to him. Bad move on my part apparently. Now it is his favorite thing to go up to everyone and say it, only he does not say it exactly right. In fact, he says "Your penis is showing!" And no matter how many times I have corrected him and he says it the right way, he always gets it wrong the next time. Whoops. Guess I need to be careful what I teach him.

This is proof that he CAN be sweet when he chooses to!