My Baby Boy Turned 4

The unthinkable happened, and my baby is now four years old. It's hard to believe, and I'm actually still in denial. Nonetheless, we celebrated with a "boys" only birthday party - transformers-style, at Pump-it-Up. And his actual birthday was spent driving to Auburn and watching his sister swim in a meet...he was a complete trooper. He is still continuing to promise me that he will always be my baby boy; in fact, he told me he just wished he was still three. I'm just cherishing these moments as they fly right on by...

Another Swimming Feat

It seems like all I do is write about Caroline's swimming accomplishments, but I have to mention the latest few...

She recently swam for her school's swim team and placed 3rd overall in the 25 yard backstroke and 5th overall in the 25 yard freestyle...both events were among 1st-3rd grades and had anywhere between 45 to 55 swimmers.

Caroline was marked up before swimming for her school in the State swim meet - against other private schools...."EAT MY BUBBLES!"

Then we went to swim at Auburn with her Sunkist swim team, and she qualified for State times in both the 50 yard and 100 yard backstrokes. The Auburn pool was an awesome facility! To qualify as a seven year old for a ten and under state time is a BIG deal! We are super proud.

Just before taking off for the 100 yard backstroke...

100 yard backstroke final results - state time!

Our New Furry Child

I should mention that we adopted a third furry baby - doxie, of course - who needed a better home. Her name is Char - which stood for "charbroiled weenie," but I've since nicknamed her Char-Char, Char-Baby, Fatty Patty, etc. She is a sweet pup, although not quite house broken. We're not sure exactly how old she is, but we can't put her over one year. We'll have to make her birthday September 12, since that's the day we got her. Now we're up to four pets, two children and two tired and CRAZY parents! (By the way, our other older pups aren't quite sold on her yet. She likes to bite their legs and take their spot on our bed at night! The NERVE!)

My Second Furry Child Turns 10

Sweet Mabel turns ten years old today...August 17th. Yes, I know it's a little crazy that I know when my dogs' birthdays are, but they were my first children, long before my human babies were born. We broke out the Party Pooch handkerchief first thing this morning, and she's been wearing it all day...this is a tradition for the pups in our household. It's so funny how they know it's their birthday when we get this little yellow cloth out of their toy/doggie box. She also had a special canned food meal of chicken and vegetables, which is yet another tradition when a furry child celebrates a birthday. So Happy Birthday, Mewzers! May you have many more!

By the way, just as I made up a song for Murphy, my little Mabel has a song of her own as well. It goes like this...

"She's so pretty and sweet, pretty and sweet, pretty and sweet Mabel!" (I also ad-lib lots of different things about her, but that was the chorus. Silly, I know.)

Moments of Silliness

JM loves this attention from his Sissy

The look of relaxation...

This is just a glimpse of the fun we have in the Oliphant household. I always know the kids are up to something "interesting" when the house is quiet, i.e. no arguing.

One time this summer, Caroline decided to set up a spa in our home, and John Michael was her client. She soaked his feet in warm, soapy water; she massaged his back as he laid face down on the ottoman; then she had him lay down on the floor with a pillow under his head, a blanket wrapped around his hair, and two teacup saucers over his eyes...those were meant to be cucumbers. She also slathered some sort of "mask" on his face...don't ask, because I have no idea. Plus, she sprayed him with her perfume and glossed up his lips. AHHH! Relaxing! (After her relentless begging, I finally agreed to be her client as well, but refusing the mask and perfume. The lip gloss, I could handle. The spa experience actually wasn't that bad...other than the fact my big feet didn't fit in the soapy water bucket.)

Another time that the kids were quiet in the back of the house, I discovered that Caroline had used magic markers to color on both of their faces. She made herself into a pirate and John Michael into a tiger. Who knows? We might have a potential tattoo or makeup artist on our hands.

Here she is, face full of magic marker artistry

The Pirate and Tiger - Magic Marker Style

Here We Go Again...

August 10, 2011...a first occurred. Both of my children got dressed for school. Caroline started second grade at Pinelake Christian School, and John Michael started K-3 preschool at Pinelake as well. I must say that I was ready for Caroline to get back to the classroom, just as much as she was. That girl thrives on social interaction, and I was out of all options and energy to give that to her on my own. John Michael, on the other hand, would have been completely fine staying home with me. Although, he was initially thrilled to be going to school like a "big kid," as soon as we pulled into the parking lot and exited the car, he said: "Mommy, I'm tired of school." BUT YOU HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED!

All was great with the first day, though. I'm sure I'll be an emotional mess when my baby boy heads to kindergarten, but at least I have another couple of years before I have to worry about that...

Whirlwind Summer

Disney World 2011

I can't believe that the entire summer has practically vanished before my eyes. Here we are, about to embark on a new school year, when it feels as if we barely finished the last one. I've never spent a summer "break" being as busy as I have these last couple of months.

We started our summer adventure with John Michael's first swim lessons, which he ROCKED. I was very skeptical going into these lessons, simply because he has shown absolutely no interest in the water, and he has been adamant about not wanting to learn to swim in the past. However, he amazed us all and took the instruction extremely well. He turned out to be quite the little fish, and it wouldn't surprise me if he gives his Sissy a run for her money in the pool within a few years.

Shawn and I had the rare opportunity to spend a few days alone on the beach while he worked a pharmacy convention. Our "alone-time" vacation was extended as my in-laws kept the kids for another week while I worked my Junior League project.

Junior League Arts Explosion Camp - me and one of my sweet campers

By about the fifth or sixth day of it being just me and Shawn in the house, I started wondering how in the world are we going to re-adjust to hanging around just each other again once the kids leave the nest for good?? Whew!! (Shawn, if you're reading this, you know I'm just teasing. :-))

Our weekend in Destin - pharmacy convention

One of the highlights of the summer was our family going on the Sunkist swim team trip to Florida...

Wakulla Springs, FL - NO FEAR!!

We took a chartered bus to Wakulla Springs, then onto St. Petersburg, where the team competed in a swim meet. We also spent a lot of time at the beach and spent our Fourth of July at Disney World.

Sweet Sunkist Friends - Caroline and AG

On our way home, we stopped at the University of Florida, where the team had swim practice at the same facility where several Olympic swimmers had just been earlier that morning - including Ryan Lochte!

More of Wakulla Springs swimming...very cold water!

By the way, Caroline qualified for the age 10 and Under State time in the 50 yard backstroke at the St. Pete meet...BIG deal for a 7-year old! She also swam personal best times in all events, and we were fortunate that my Uncle Dick and Aunt Karen came over from Tampa to watch.

Shortly after she swam the 50 yard backstroke and qualified for State

Needless to say, everyone was exhausted when we pulled back into the YMCA parking lot at 2:00 a.m. on the day we returned. Poor Shawn even got up later that morning and worked. I didn't get enough time to recover before Caroline and I headed to Camp Bratton Green, just a couple of days later....YIPPEE!!

Sweating it out at Camp Bratton Green

The camp itself was actually very nice, and for people that dig camp life, it would've been top-notch. However, this chick (ME) does not dig camp life. (Plus, I'd just come off a very long bus trip, where the itinerary was packed day to day, and sleep was scant.) I slept in a cabin with no air conditioning after nearly fighting another woman for her cabin that had air. We exchanged strong words. I was entitled to the cabin because I was the first to sign up for it, but I failed to get my stuff there in time to "claim" it. In the end, I chose to walk away without connecting my fist with her face. That would have been very un-Christian- like. And that was just the beginning of the weekend.

Face painted with her cabin's team

Lake tour with the staff counselor paddling Caroline around in the kayak!

Just finished riding the zip line

Caroline, on the other hand, had an absolute blast. As we pulled out of the camp's driveway, she was already talking about next year, and I instantly informed her that her daddy will be accompanying her next time.

Soapy slide was a HIT!

We capped off the summer with our annual trip with Dad and Betsy to Destin for the MAFP convention. We enjoyed our week thoroughly, especially having the opportunity to visit with my Uncle Al from California.

JM assisted with the Pirate Show!

Check out his octopus tattoo

I don't think the plaid shorts were planned for all the "boys" in the family, but they were cute, nonetheless.

Gotta love the dude in the background.

As the summer is coming to an end, my calendar is still full! Back to school shopping, parties, orientations, etc. My grandmother is turning 90 years old next week, and we're having a big celebration for her...not to mention Shawn's 35th birthday will be next week as well. Before I know it, my babies will be turning 8 and 4, and I am simply not ready!

Where is the PAUSE button...or just the SLOW MOTION?

Caroline's first oyster! Just kidding...she didn't go through with it.

Straight "A" Swimmer...I Mean, Student

After the PCS Awards Day and holding certificates for Honor Roll all year, memorizing weekly Bible verses, and her final report card.

Well, she's both a straight "A" swimmer and student, in a sense...Caroline finished up her first grade school year officially with all A's. Also, she swam for Sunkist in their annual team fundraiser last week, and within the two hour time limit, she swam 101 laps! We are so appreciative to our family for their donations to help make her swim-a-thon a success. This girl is in the pool four days a week, and she stays on top of her grades all the while! I just hope that the values she is learning through her hard work and commitment will always be a part of the person that she is and is growing into. As a parent, I couldn't be prouder.

Just finished up swimming 101 laps for Sunkist swim-a-thon! The pin she's holding goes on her swim bag and says Swim-a-Thon 100 laps.

JM's Signature Trademark

This is just inside our back door, where JM instantly took off his Crocs, then his shorts. This is a common sight in our household - he literally walks in the door and sheds his clothes.

John Michael is quite the funny little man, and he has many quirks about him. This particular one happens to be one of the funniest...

As soon as we walk into the house, within the first 60 seconds, he sheds his pants and shoes. Most of the time, he wants his sippy cup of chocolate milk. Regardless of the milk, he never wears pants or shoes in the house. When drinking his chocolate milk - which is his major food group - he has to be pant-less and rubbing the shiny/smooth side of his blanket, "bankie."

The first words out of his mouth every morning...not "Good morning!" Not "Hi mom and dad!" It's always, "I want some chocolate milk." He easily drinks close to two gallons of milk per week, and we just buy those two jugs at a time. What in the world would we ever do without that brown (not white) chocolate milk and blanket??

1st Long Course Meet

Our family traveled to Memphis last weekend for Caroline to compete in the Olympic Swimmer Gil Stovall's Long Course Swim Meet at the University of Memphis facility. This pool was the olympic regulation size, and it was SO incredibly long! We have been accustomed to the short course meets and the 25 meter pools, so when we walked into the natatorium and saw this pool, it nearly took our breath away. I couldn't even fit the entire pool into my camera lens.

Caroline competed in four events each day. Saturday, she swam in the 50 meter freestyle, 50 m butterfly, 100 m backstroke, and the 50 m backstroke leg of the medley relay. She was competing in the 10 and under age group, so most of the girls were older than her; however, Caroline held her own against those big swimmers! I was very impressed with how her butterfly looked - her back and shoulders are SO muscular and strong, and she is really starting to get the rhythm of the stroke. Unfortunately, after all the hard work of making to the end of the 50 meters, she got there, and touched the wall with only one hand instead of the required two hand touch. After all of that great work on the butterfly, she was disqualified at the very end. She ended up getting a ribbon for her 100 m backstroke for placing 4th, which was awesome! She swam the two laps in about 2 minutes, 3 seconds.

On Sunday, Caroline swam the 100 m freestyle, 50 m breaststroke, 50 m backstroke, and the second leg of a 200 m freestyle relay. She finally made the breaststroke all the way without getting disqualified! That was a first for her, as the stroke and kick has always been very difficult for her to perfect, yet she did it for an entire 50 meters! When she swam the 50 m backstroke, she did incredible! She was actually in the lead for about halfway, and it was SO close all the way to the end. She came second in her heat, again with kids her age and mostly older. The coolest part is that she was only one second away from qualifying for the State time in that stroke. That is actually a huge deal for a 7-year-old to achieve for a 10 and under age group. We are SO proud of our little backstroker!

Toothless grin just after finishing her fabulous 50 meter backstroke

My First 10K

Pre-race...it's early, and I'm nervous!

Well, I've gone and done the unthinkable...for me anyway. I ran a 10K this morning! I actually made it all the way through the race without stopping to walk. I've never been able to do that, even with my training runs. The race started at 6:00 a.m., so I had to be there at 5:00 a.m.! Way too early for me! It was a beautiful day, though, and I kept a nice, slow and steady jog. I finished the @ 6.2 mile race in 1:06:20. I finished 20th in my age group, 61st within the female division, and 107th overall. There were about 455+ runners.

Post-race and headed home

Spirit Week

Caroline's school celebrated its Spring Fever Spirit Week, and the kids dressed up each day. We had fun getting to be without the uniform for a little while. The pictures here include Caroline's Hawaiian Day and Blast from the Past Day, (we chose the 80's). She also had a Crazy Hair day and Favorite Sport Day, which she wore her basketball uniform...couldn't get her to wear her swimsuit!

The 80's look, complete with tight rolled jeans and side ponytail

He is Risen!

We had a wonderful Holy Week leading up to Easter. Whereas in the past, Easter has revolved a lot around the big bunny, this year we barely mentioned the Easter bunny, because all of our focus was on the real reason for the season, so to speak. It made my heart sing when Caroline and John Michael were just as excited to go through the Resurrection Eggs and watch a video about Christ's crucifixion and sacrifice, as they were about the bunny coming to see them.

Found a camouflage egg!

JM and his best buddy, Tanner

As the kids were hunting eggs around the house bright and early Sunday morning, Caroline stopped and said, "Praise the Lord, Jesus is alive!" While saying this, she lifted her arms in a "raise the roof" type of motion!

Our church service was great, and afterward, we hosted my mom, sister and her family for a big lunch and an even bigger egg hunt. The kids racked up on coins for their piggy banks! (Earlier in the week, John Michael had two other Easter parties/hunts, and Caroline had one at school.)

School party