My Momma was born

Today is my Momma's birthday.

I am really really glad that she was born!!

She is such a great Momma to all of us. She always laughs when people talk about empty nest. She keeps saying that she'd love to know what that felt like. Yeah, we are sort of hard to shake. There are times that I have come back home when we were moving or had extended visits during deployments. And lately, if I come back, I bring lots of extra folks - kids, dogs, cats, FISH. But Momma takes it and us in stride.

Then there is Lucas. Man was she there for Lucas. She was the best, most supportive, most informed caregiver he could have asked for during his Lymphoma and his Stem Cell Transplant. Of course, she would not have had it any other way. Seriously, this woman was the captain of "Team Lucas," and she has this detailed notebook binder thing going on that encompasses every blood test, scan, etc. that was EVER done.

She always said that when we were born,

she knew her purpose in life: to be a mother,

our mother.

She was always there for us growing up. I know I have said things like this before, but it is true. The woman drove all over the state of Georgia to watch me be the manager for the basketball team. Yep, she put many a mile on that car to watch me hand out towels and fill water bottles. She never missed Lucas in a swim meet or tennis game. And she was always there at band competitions or track meets. And she volunteered so much at school that most people thought she was a paid employee!

She definitely is not of the mind that your job is finished when your kids turn 18. Nope. She was always at North Georgia with me for Parent's Weekends, making breakfast for my sorority sisters during Rush, or just to take me out to eat for a much needed break. And she was always at Valdosta, too - at fraternity cookouts, scrubbing the bathrooms of new apartments when Lucas moved (again!), or even hanging out at the bar where Lucas was the DJ. Yep, she was always there for us.

And when I think back on Momma and our childhood, I realize just how blessed Lucas and I were. We never doubted that we were special and loved. We always knew that we could count on her.

Momma was and is the best Mom ever. And of all the zillions of things that she taught us through the years, I think the greatest gift that she gave us was the gift of positive thinking. If I had a nickel for every time I heard her say, "Well, things are never so bad that they couldn't be worse," I'd be rich. But the truth is, I am rich because she raised us to be optimistic. We are glass half full people. She also would say, "You have the same pants to get glad in that you got mad in." Man are those words priceless. She taught us that happiness is a state of mind and a decision that we can make every day. This gift that she gave us can never be underestimated. This way of thinking impacts my life every day, every hour, every minute.

So happy birthday, Momma/May!

And thanks for just being YOU.

The Class Grandma

OK. So Spencer's school is really big on parent volunteers. They like to have a Mom in the room all the time. So there is a sign up calendar outside of the room so we can sign up for the days we want. And in October, I asked them to put up the schedule up for January. See, I wanted to sign up as close as possible to his actual birthday. I wanted to bring a birthday snack. His school is extra picky about snacks. They are crazy worried about allergies and the building is a tree nut free zone. No cupcakes or candy are allowed. So for birthdays they suggest fresh fruit. And it has to be prepared in their kitchen to avoid cross contamination. I digress. The point is I was the class mommy for Spencer's class on January 4, and I got to celebrate with fruit. (Boy it takes me a long time to get to the point - maybe David is onto something -hee-hee!)

So the night before January 4 was of course January 3, Spencer's actual birthday. After we got home from his special supper at Red Robin (his request), I reminded him that the next morning, on his first day back from break, I was going to be the Class Mommy. And my sweet boy, who I know was simply thrilled that his old Momma was going to be at school with him asked me a question, "Mom?" I said, "Yes, buddy?" And he said, "Can May come to my school, too and be the Class Grandma?" I smiled and told him that I did not think that May could because she would be preparing to go home since she was leaving on Tuesday. He stuck out his bottom lip. I agreed to let him call May and ask her. It was his birthday, after all.

(Phone rings.)

May - Hello?!

Spencer - May?

May - Yes, Spencer.

Spencer - May, will you come to my school tomorrow and be the Class Grandma?

May - (with NO hesitation) Of course I will, Spencer.

(He smiled and handed me the phone.)

Me - We'll pick you up at 8:40. I'm sorry!

May told me later that she really wanted to sleep a little later to rest up and pack for her 9 hour drive the next day. But she also realized that he may never invite her to do that again. And when your precious newly 4 year old grandson calls you and asks you to be his Class Grandma, you don't say NO!

This was a hoot! Spencer was extra shy because the 2 of us were there, but he eventually warmed up. And I think May had a great time. And I am not sure, but she may be the first Class Grandma ever! And if not the first, for sure the BEST, right??

AND his teacher told us as we were leaving that she could not have done it without BOTH of us. There was some sponge painting that got out of control. They were painting a big box to make it into an igloo (in December, it was a stable. In January, it will be an igloo. Gotta change with the seasons) The bottoms of shoes were covered in paint, so we had to wipe every shoe. There were streaks of white paint in the hair of several. There were hands to be washed, the floor to be cleaned, we needed all the help we could get! We laughed because the kids would not have to tell their parents that they painted - they could tell just by looking at them!

Check out the "igloo" in the background. Note the white paint, well, everywhere.

The best part was ice skating indoors. It was way too cold to go outside, so we pretended to ice skate with our mittens and hats and paper plates on our feet! Too fun! And a great way to burn some energy and get some exercise.

Check out May - skating it up!

All in all, it was a great day. Well, everyday that I get to spend with my boy is a good day. And also having a classy, Class Grandma, well, that's just icing on the cake!

Note the healthy fruit birthday snack.

And, yep, he's 4!

Happy Birthday, Spencer!

Spencer Johnson Key is FOUR YEARS OLD!

When I look at my sweet boy, I cannot believe that he is already 4. He has the sweetest heart and the best disposition. He is rarely in a bad mood (unless Jessa is not being nice to him).

I always thought that the perfect family was a little baby girl followed a few years later by a little baby boy. Since that is the family that Lucas and I were raised in, to me, it just made sense. I feel so incredibly blessed to get to watch my babies grow up much the way I did with my sweet brother.

Of my 2 children, Spencer is the more gentle, nurturing one. We call him the dog whisperer because he is so focused on the dogs all the time. He leans down to kiss them and lays his head next to them. They are always patient with him, and he them. And he is just as sweet with Stewart. We were running late one morning for school, and we rushed out the door. He saw Stew in the window as we drove away. He cried all the way to school because he did not hug Stewart before he left. Our tender-hearted child.

He cannot stand to be in trouble. If he thinks he did something wrong, he punishes himself way more than we ever could. He falls apart and is so disappointed in himself, so afraid he upset someone. Once, he accidentally knocked off a jar of baby food at the commissary. As I was finding someone to let them know so it could be cleaned, I looked and he was curled up at my feet, beside himself. So eager to please and so heartbroken if he fears he has let you down.

On New Year's Eve, May, the kids, and I were headed to see The Princess and the Frog while Bay, David, Poppy, and Mimi stayed behind to watch the football games. We were all at the door, coats on, ready to go. But Spencer ran back into the living room to give each person a big hug to tell them bye. He is always anxious to show his love, and he is so affectionate. He loves everyone and everything with his whole heart.

He worships his sister - to a fault. When I am fussing at her for being ugly to him or not including him, he rushes to her defense. Even though he was truly hurt or upset by what she said or did, he always tells me "It's OK, Mom." He cannot stand for her to be in trouble either. He even lets her do his thinking. As a result, he is terribly indecisive when he has to choose something on his own! I think having him in a totally different school is so good for him - he can spread his wings a little without his hero around.

He is my sweet, precious little man.
I cannot imagine my life without him.

He is such a blessing.

His big heart.

His warm smile.

His cooperative spirit.

Happy Birthday, my Spencer.

We are so proud of you!

Birthdays change when you are old

OK, so I know that I am not "old." But I am old enough that birthdays are not a huge thing to me anymore. I really think it is the being a mother thing, you know? Jessa was born 11 days before my 28th birthday. And I must say that I almost forgot that birthday, and ever since then, well, birthdays, I'm just not that into you.

On Jessa's first birthday, I realized what it was. See, on my own birthday, I did not do very much. A doctor performed some surgery on my Momma, and then I was born. I do not even remember it! But then the days that my babies were born, now those were special days, days to remember, days to celebrate.

So Friday was my birthday. I was born 34 years ago in an Army Hospital in Germany. It is a happy day, right? But I had no big plans.

Back in the day, I used to whoop it up. Like my 21st birthday! Wow! I was a senior at North Georgia, and all I had all day was cake and beer. A healthy and tasty combo, I am sure you would all agree. Or my 26th birthday, we were in Germany. David threw me a party. He cooked (on the grill), baked (a cake), blended (margaritas), and cleaned it all up. He rocks! I had all my good girlfriends over. And I'll always remember my friend Tara gave me the Survivor soundtrack. Awesome!

Then there was my 27th birthday. He drove 70 miles one way just to take me out to dinner at Ft. Lee only to drive another 70 miles the next morning back to school at Ft. Eustis. But that was about the last time I remember being truly excited about a birthday.

I mean, I always thought I would really celebrate 30. That is a big one, right? I had a friend getting married in Australia. Perfect! A big trip to celebrate, right?

Wrong, I was 7 months pregnant with Spencer and had ice cream at the Varsity with my 2 year old.

Two years ago, I spent my birthday with one of my dearest friends at her house at Ft. Gordon. She said, "I'll take you anywhere you want to go for a special birthday lunch." I chose McDonald's! That way, we could talk while the kids played. That was all the gift I needed: chatting with another Mommy and watching the kids have fun.

This year, my parents took the kids and me out to supper. The kids voted Olive Garden so that they can get the waitstaff to sing to me, and then they can help eat the chocolate cake. Shockingly, David was out of town and missed the embarrassing singing spectacle. I did get a basket with flowers, a balloon, a bear, and chocolate in it from my sweet husband. And the card said he has lined up a babysitter (Bay) for a special night put and belated celebration on Tuesday. Yay! I got lots of cards, flowers from my parents, and a ton of wished on Facebook. Gotta love Facebook!

Well, we did go to Olive Garden. It was pretty good. The kids had fun and LOVED when there was loud clapping and singing that made my face turn red. They were most disappointed, however that there was no chocolate cake. We have seen them give cake to others recently. But maybe they stopped it? Oh well, Spencer picked out a fancy chocolate cheesecake dessert. We got it to go. And my kiddos and I ate cheesecake out of a Styrofoam container, drank big glasses of milk and watched the premiere of Spongebob: Truth or Square. And I cannot think of anything that I would have preferred doing - except maybe if David were on the couch with us.

Monkeyin' Around

I have never had a birthday party for either one of my children at any place other than a house. Most of the time, it was my house. Sometimes the houses of other family members. I have never tried to have a destination party. You know, at an exotic location like the bowling alley or Chuck E Cheese's. I have never even thought about it. I have just always done simple at home sort of parties.

This year, Jessa has been planning and planning a party, and none of the plans involved the house. This was a little scary for me. It was new territory. But I was a little excited at the thought of (a.) not having to clean my house before OR after the kiddos came and (b.) not having to entertain children for 2 hours. So I embarked on a new adventure in party-planning.

At first I was somewhat shocked by the prices of some of these places. It seemed a little much. But then I tried to figure out how much I spend when it is at the house. I never added it up but I would bet I spent nearly what these places charge. But I had the added frustration of doing it all myself. Maybe not having to plan and clean and organize would be worth the extra coin. Plus, Jessa Lynn, the birthday girl had already made up her mind. She wanted a Monkey Joe's party and that was that. So I bit the bullet and reserved a party time at our local Monkey Joe's (it is an indoor bounce house place for those of you who are confused.)

The day that I reserved it, I had to put down a 50% deposit. This ended up being more than $100. David was bank stalking me on-line, and when he got home that day, the first thing he asked was, "So how many people did you take to Monkey Joe's today?" He was relieved when I told him it was for the party, then shocked again when I told him it was only half.

We limited Jessa to inviting 10 people, plus her and Spencer. Her teacher helped us secretly invite people to avoid hurt feelings. I would have loved to include the whole class, but dude, I am not made of money! Unfortunately, October is a mad busy month. You know, pumpkin patches, hay rides, fall festivals, and soccer parties. So we only had 6 children who could come. I felt way cheap when I saw other parties there with 24 kids invited. And one of the big parties was for a 1 year old. Really? Think he'll remember it. Whatever.

Anyway. Jessa was beside herself. She was so excited. So ready. And it turned out GREAT. I was so impressed with the well-oiled machine that is the Monkey Joe's birthday party. For real, y'all, they were ON IT.
Each birthday kid has a cart for the cake (pretty much the only thing you have to bring) and the shoes and gifts. When the kiddos check in, they drop off their stuff. Then they play on all the fun inflatables for an hour and a half. You are supposed to have one adult per every five kids. We had plenty with me, David, May, Bay, Mimi, and Poppy, and some parents stayed. All the kids had so much fun. Jessa did not stop smiling. She was in heaven.

When it is "party room" time, the part host (included in the price) brings it all into the room for you. They set up the room with paper goods and table cloths.

Drinks are provided. They will also add pizza to your party. We chose that option and the kids seemed to like it.

In the party room, the birthday kid gets to sit in an inflatable throne. A huge draw for our birthday girl.

Then there is the eating. After the pizza, it was time for cake. Jessa chose a Curious George cake. Not because she loves Curious George, but it was the only cake the bakery had with a monkey on it. She loves a theme. And it turned out SO cute. It did not even say Curious George, and they bakery adjusted the cake to suit the tastes of our girl - chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

You also get a visit by Monkey Joe HIMSELF. In the fur! This was a HUGE hit! He brought a cool shirt included in the package- Jessa was so happy.

We posed for a family photo, but one of her little friends hopped in. It would have been great, if it were Spencer. Wish I knew how to photoshop. . .

Here is my edited pic. I know, I have a lot to learn!

BUT the faces are all members of my family.

David and Bay had to scoot out the door to go to a formal function. We did catch him for a quick photo with the birthday girl on his way out the door.

So, after our first taste of destination birthday parties. Our party host rocked. He set up, he served, he lit candles, he fetched the monkey, he even had a sheet to record who all the gifts were from (wow). And when it was over, he cleaned everything up and helped David get our stuff to the car. Worth the moola? Uh, yeah.

I think I like it.

No cleaning.

Little planning.

Kids entertained, happy, exhausted when they get home.

And did I mention no cleaning?

TWO THUMBS UP!

Happy Birthday, Jessa!

6 years ago today, my life was changed forever. My sweet baby girl was born. I cannot believe it has been 6 years. On one hand, I feel like she was just born yesterday. That tiny little thing with her chin quivering as she was placed in my arms. Yet, I have a hard time remembering a time that I did not love her; a hard time remembering that I actually existed before I was a mother. Her mother. Know what I mean?

David and I were so ready to be parents. And when I tell her the story of her birth, I always tell her that we wanted her more than anything else in the world. Of course, we did not know we wanted her, but now we cannot imagine a more perfect girl for us.

Notice I said "perfect for us" because our girl can drive us nuts. For real, NUTS. And I would never say anyone was "perfect." She is overly dramatic. She is pretty much spoiled rotten. She is rather bossy and can manipulate her brother like nobody's business. And she can be pretty hard to handle if she is not getting her way. She is can be rather moody - especially when you wake her up too early! (The other morning when she was not happy about getting up for the bus, she said, "I never should have signed up for school!" as though it was all her idea.)

But she is ours. And despite the fact that we get so frustrated with her on a daily basis, she can be so sweet. And she has a good heart. She is kind. She loves to draw pictures for us and write us notes. She is passionate about everything (especially about not going to bed). She is so funny and makes us laugh all the time. She is fun and silly. She is confident and she knows her own mind. She is beautiful on the inside and out. She is smart and adores school. She keeps us on our toes and challenges us and makes us smarter. She is our girl, and she is perfect for us - with all the wonderful traits and all of the things that make us crazy.

I have been so emotional when I think of her being 6. Seriously, it takes TWO hands for her to hold up the fingers to tell people how old she is. TWO HANDS, people!

Every time I pretend to cry about "my baby being 6! wah-hah-hah," Jessa crawls into my lap and soothes me. She says, "Mommy, I promise that even though I am going to be 6, I will always be your baby!" See, she is a smart girl; she knows just what to say.

We wanted her so badly. We were so happy on this day 6 years ago. And every day since that one, she has made us happier than we could ever imagine. We are so blessed to have her. We are so grateful for the gift that is our Jessa Lynn.

Happy Birthday, sweet Jessa!

You are so loved.