A First

Andrew needed some coffee shop time to do a bit of formal writing; so we rode down to Southern Pines with him to get out of the house. Right before we left, he remembered that our local movie theater has dollar movies in the mornings for children. For $6 ($3 for entry, drink, & popcorn for myself and Ceilidh/G was free and still got drink and popcorn); Ceilidh and Graeme saw their first movie at a movie theater. They had a BLAST and it was cheap! woohoo

I wasn't sure if G-man would be able to handle the sitting, but he was a true champ. And a true Smoak. Give the kid food and he will be happy for a while! ha We watched Charlotte's Web and both of them were mesmerized by the size of the screen. I wanted to cry/laugh through the entire movie just watching my children. Graeme had to sit in my seat b/c he didn't weigh enough to keep the seat down! I had to throw my leg over the front of Ceilidh's seat, b/c she doesn't even weigh enough! ha Every time Graeme saw one of the barn yard animals he would excitedly scream out whatever species it was, and start making the corresponding animal sound. When I type every time; I mean every time! If you have ever seen Charlotte's Web, you know how noisy our end of the row was! ha

At one point during the movie, he leaned his head back and said, "Tank you Momma, Tank you!" and gave me a kiss on the lips. I'm not sure if the thank you was for the popcorn, the sprite, or the overall experience; but the boy could have asked for a Lexus at the moment and he probably would have gotten one. AHHH... melt my heart! Not to be out done, Ceilidh repeatedly expressed her gratitude over and over after the movie was over. She really enjoyed herself, and wouldn't quit talking to Andrew about it in the car. It was probably the best $6 we have spent this whole summer.

Saving the best (pictures) for last...

Nothing terribly fun or interesting going on in the Clendenin household at the moment; so I figured I would post a few random photos to keep my camera from getting cluttered. We had a fun weekend filled with meeting Baby Elliott for the first time, lots of down time at home, a peach festival on Saturday, a dinner party to celebrate Baby Bailey, and a sleepover with Aunt Susanna! Thursday afternoon was a bit eventful though as you will see below. Lets just say, this isn't one of the things I love about living in the country! ha


Umm...SICK!


Seriously gross and disturbing!

I know it is just a rat snake, and we probably should have left it alone to keep other critters away. But this is the only kind of snake I like.... a dead one!

So on to the MUCH cuter pictures! I LOVE to watch/hear them playing together. They can argue for sure, but they play together really well most of the time.

Enjoying some of our bounty from the Peach Festival! We have already made two peach cobblers! ha

This is for you ZZ! We did it together twice, and by the third time she was putting it together by herself. Thanks for a fun activity!

She was so proud of herself, that she asked me take a picture of it! ha

A time to rejoice!

Congratulations to the Mitchell family on the birth of Baby Elliott!!!! She is beautiful; just like her mother! I can't wait to hold this sweet bundle of God's grace!

Some stolen thoughts on parenting

Though I DEFINITELY think parenting is something that should be discussed, thought about, and prayed about; I know I stress WAY too much. Just ask Andrew! ha I thought this was a funny yet good reminder for all of us parents trying to figure out what the heck we are doing!


Parenting 001

Happy Birthday America!

What a fun Fourth of July we had!? We baked, ate, and visited to our hearts content! Sunday night; we had an after dinner treat of homemade ice cream, pound cake, and cookies to kick off the festivities. We rode down the road in the back of Uncle Steve's truck to watch the fireworks that a local church displayed that night. We pulled off on the side of the road and sat with about 50 other people on the back of tailgates and in lawn chairs. It doesn't get much more All-American than that! ha

Monday, we started the day with the famous Carthage parade. It was SO H.O.T. Other than that though, we all had a great time. Ceilidh loved running for candy, and Graeme was enthralled with the fire trucks. We ate some pizza, and then tried to rest our bodies (and stomachs! wink) for Suzanne's first attempt at a Low Country Boil. She definitely hit a home-run! You can't really go wrong when you are combining sausage, corn, potatoes, and shrimp in one dish. ha It was fun to have everyone together one last time before Caitlin becomes a resident in another city for the year. Sadly, the fireworks were canceled on Monday; but at least we were able to see some on Sunday evening. I can't believe July 4th has already come and gone for 2011. This year is zooming by, and I know the next four months will for us as well! Happy Birthday America!

"Tada!" She was very proud of the snicker doodles she helped make!

Susanna's amazing pound cake!

This is for you Alicia! They are not NEARLY as beautiful as yours, but they were pretty tasty!

Homemade ice cream!

Thrilled with life at the moment!

Two beautiful sisters

I have to say, I take a mighty good picture! wink

Randy doing one of the things he does best; being "Pops!"

Me: "Graeme, smile!" ha

Daddy getting good snuggle time with a SLEEPY boy!

Waiting for the parade to start

I have one good-looking and patriotic husband!

Ready to jump at the first sign of candy! ha

Helping set the table for the Low Country Boil!

Oh Yea!

Enjoying the slight cool-down before the massive storm that interrupted fireworks. (frown)

The finished product! Suzanne did a great job with her first LCB preparation. My daddy would have been proud!

Playing a few rounds of Corn Hole with the boards that Randy T. made. I can't wait to post a picture of the finished product as they will be sporting Wake and ECU colors!

Graeme wanted in on the action!

A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E. "Where did it go?" ha

Don't you just wish you could squeeze the tar out of this kid?! ha I mean really.... he is so cute!

Susanna has blossomed into quite the baker these days. She made very festive personal sized blueberry and strawberry cheesecakes. Oh man were they good!

Apparently they were playing "out of space" people! ha

Graeme getting hugged by "P-nix!"

I am trying to do better about getting more pictures with the original two! (Even though we do have a tag-along for the next couple of months! ha)

The "big kids"

I'm so glad Steve decided to celebrate with us some this 4th!

One VERY sleepy boy.... again! ha

Playing on a rocking horse that was his daddy's only a short 29 years ago!

This is what you find while making your bed, and Ceilidh runs into to tell you "Graeme has gasoline all over him!" Obviously I knew he didn't have gasoline all over him, but I was intrigued. Well, I sure did find a new place to store the Vaseline after I found him with a good coating on his face and hands! ha

We're Famous!

We move to the country and we become famous! wink Ceilidh, Graeme, and myself were pictured in the PineStraw this month in a story about the public library system. Not the best pictures ever, but they are still pretty cute! I am hoping this link works, but if it doesn't; you can go to Thepilot.com and scroll to the bottom of the page. You will see a picture of the PineStraw and can just click it to read it online. We are pictured twice on page 79.

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/8473c56f#/8473c56f/80

Thanks for the heads up Melissa, Suzanne, and Susanna! I didn't realize anyone read the magazine until today! HA