Siblings

In the last couple of years, Connor and Kaitlynn reached the ages where they became typical siblings. What do I mean by that? Nothing major, just NONSTOP INCESSANT ARGUING ABOUT ANYTHING AND NOTHING AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY. You know, that.

It actually takes me back to my childhood with 3 of my own siblings and how we used to do the exact same thing. I remember in particular the knockdown drag-out fights with my 18-months younger brother Jeb when we powered for control over the 1990 version of the ever-popular handheld entertainment device (a.k.a. the television remote).

On a good day, I can just sit back and tune it all out when I hear the arguing with the usual accompaniments of screaming, pushing, and objects hurling across the room as the fight rages on. On those days, I'm either drunk or just high on chocolate. (Kidding. But that's the only explanation for being able to tune it out, no?)

On most days, however, I hear the beginnings of the arguments and follow my usual routine. "Guys. Cut it out." Followed by, "GUYS! I said enough!" Which is inevitably followed by, "CONNOR AND KAITLYNN GO TO YOUR ROOMS!"

Needless to say, my kids spend about 95% of their free time in their rooms. Is that normal?

So imagine my surprise when I was recently dumping a bunch of photos from my phone onto my laptop and noticed what appeared to be smiles and happy times between said siblings. We're talking ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE of my kids getting along and (gasp) enjoying one another's company.

Here the siblings are working together on collecting pledges for their fundraiser. They appear to be in close proximity and getting along well enough to smile and "Peace Out."

Together and so happy! But let's not get ahead of ourselves...they had cupcakes. Cupcakes make everyone happy.

Enjoying a movie together. This is proof they can be in the same room (in the same row of seats!) for at least 2 hours without arguing. Well, they may have disagreed about the movie previews, but let's focus on the positive.

Playing their devices together. The photo doesn't show this but the younger one actually complimented the older on his Minecraft skills. I promise I'm not making this up.

 

Showing off their chosen selections for hat day at school. Look at the smiles! And they're actually standing in the same driveway without knocking one another over!

More electronic devices, this time while sharing the same couch AND the same blanket. Is this real life?

An actual hug. This isn't even Photoshopped!

Spring Break Visit with the Cousins

Our spring break this year was in early March. It was wet, grey, and cold all week, but that didn't stop us from having a great time! The kids were so excited to make a quick trip to White Oak to visit MeMe, Grandaddy, and the Morgan cousins. We made sure to pack in as much fun as we could!

We arrived late one night in White Oak, so it was already time for PJs and teeth brushing.

Bunk bed time!

Kaitlynn and Marissa tried sharing a bunk bed.

Tea party time with Uncle Jeb and Aunt Alli.

Kaitlynn and Marissa enjoying some breakfast.

Since the weather was so cold and dreary, we headed out to grab some lunch and take the kids bowling. They loved it!

Kaitlynn's foot-long hot dog.

Our gang ate lunch at the Butcher Shop, yum!

Time for bowling with the cousins!

Kaitlynn and Marissa were very protective of their bowling balls and stood guard in between each turn.

Alli and Jeb had their own friendly competition on the side.

Grandaddy couldn't resist a few frames.

On the way back to MeMe's house after bowling, we made a little detour for a trip down memory lane. We drove down Donald Drive to see my childhood home. I was raised there from when I was a baby all the way until I left for my 2nd year of college. Soon after, my parents moved to White Oak so I hadn't seen my old home since. It was surreal driving past and remembering those days long ago!! Sniff sniff.

1211 Donald Drive, my childhood home with SO MANY great memories!

After I took that picture, I texted it to Grandaddy and Jeb who were driving in a different vehicle. Funny enough, when they got my text, they were doing the SAME thing -- driving by the old house! So they upped the ante a bit and actually took a selfie there by the house. Love it!

Jeb, Granddaddy, Alli, and Makenna standing at the corner of Donald Drive by our childhood home.

Back at MeMe's house, we decided to have a tea party to celebrate the Morgan girls' spring birthdays. We used the fine china along with Butcher shop petit fores and Grandaddy's orange soda to make it the perfect birthday treat for the girls.

MeMe and the girls setting up.

Ready for the tea party!

Who's ready for cake and orange soda!

Cheers!

Later that night, we joined Robin and her family for some playtime at the local trampoline place called Air U. Aunt Alli wasn't all that excited about this place because someone always gets hurt. But we braved on and managed a fun night. That is, until a full-sized male teenager jumped full-speed into the foam pit RIGHT ON TOP of Kaitlynn! She was OK but it could've been extremely bad. Maybe I'll be avoiding these places in the future like Aunt Alli!

Some of our gang stopped long enough for a quick pic.

Cousin Karlie worked on her tumbling.

The next day, we grabbed some lunch and then decided to see a movie with the cousins. We made a pit stop at Walgreens for a movie treat first. Some of our group saw Cinderella while the others saw Sponge Bob. Both movies were great by the kids smiles and expressions!

Candy time!

Marissa and Kaitlynn watched Cinderella - I LOVED this movie!

The oldest 3 cousins saw Sponge Bob and are still laughing about it!

Always the sign of a great time together with cousins.

Spring Pictures

Late in February, the kids had their spring portraits taken at school. I'm not usually into these pictures as much, because I prefer the fall pictures with the solid blue background. But regardless, picture day at school is always a good excuse for Kaitlynn to get "all dolled up" as her Sweet Daddy would say.

My clothing obsession for Kaitlynn these days is Matilda Jane, so we love the opportunity to dress up in our MJ with the pretty spring colors. And as much as I love the clothes, Kaitlynn is ALL about the hair. She LOVES when I fix her hair all "fluffy" with the teasing comb and hairspray. Of course, it falls almost immediately due to her fine hair texture, but it sure is fun to fix in the mornings!

Fluffy hair on picture day!

She doesn't mind the camera.

Always love the poses.

I love how her lost tooth shows in her smile!

When Kaitlynn brought home her spring pictures for viewing, I thought they were cute but not as cute as the ones we had taken ourselves that morning. But I snapped a photo with my phone just to keep the shot. Kaitlynn's bow was a little wonky, too. The photographers never care about this stuff like a Mom, right?? :-)

Kaitlynn's 2014-15 spring portrait.

Later in the day....

Picture day wore this girl out. Found her like this upstairs after school when I noticed it had gotten really quiet!

And now for Connor's spring portraits. Of course, he definitely doesn't care about pictures these days, much less his outfit! I have been working hard to let go of some control issues (haha) so Connor hardly ever wears anything photo-worthy as far as his clothes go. He is ALL BOY and wears athletic clothes (Under Armour, Nike, etc.) every single day, which consist of a compression-type shirt and athletic shorts. Usually he tries to match the colors of his shirts to shorts, and I count that as a minor success! But on certain occasions like church, golf, and picture day, I require that he at least wear a collared shirt. He has a few of the athletic-style collared shirts for golf, and those are the ONLY ones he chooses. I'm happy with these, despite the fact that he has dozens of other shirts in his closet that I'm now realizing I should just donate to Goodwill.

Of course, any frustration I may feel about Connor's picky clothing preferences just melt away when I can get him to smile like this. :-)

Connor's turn for an outdoor shot on picture day.

So fast forward to the day he brings home his spring pictures to preview. I had reminded Connor to take a jacket to school for the cool morning weather. Apparently he forgot to shed his jacket AS WELL AS HIS SMUG EXPRESSION for his turn in the photographer's seat. Because THIS is what he brought home:

Too cool for school.

REALLY?? Oh my goodness. When I saw this photo, I just stared in stunned silence. I wanted to laugh (because honestly, it's hilarious!) but I was just floored that he would've taken an official picture like this. As I looked up from seeing his photo, I noticed Connor was studying my reaction. His apology was quickly forthcoming -- he figured I'd be mad! But no, I wasn't mad. I was trying not to laugh actually. I asked him what happened, but honestly, I already knew.

We've officially reached the age. He's a boy and he JUST DOESN'T CARE about school pictures. At the ripe old age of 8, Connor is officially too cool for school. Or perhaps, just too cool for school pictures. Ha!