LBC Homecoming Weekend - 2011

Lebanon Bible College Homecoming Weekend.  We had fun last year when we went to see Danielle and Nate as they were on the Homecoming Court.  The kids enjoyed themselves so much, and we did too, so we went again this year.  This time, Renee rode with us and we went to see not only Nate and Danielley but also Shiny Bug.  Above is the picture of our big group. Back Row:  Ava, Evan, Renee, Danielley, Nate and Front Row: Christian, Shiny, and Brady.  The whole Bumbaugh / Smith Clan.  Honestly, How can any event be a bad one if these above kids are involved?  We had so much fun.

Christian of course, had to get his little face painted by his Danielley and he actually sat really well.  He wanted to be a tiger, and she painted him up just right.

Ava, of course, attached herself to two of the best boys ever.  She has good taste.  She was kind of attached to Evan's side, which honestly, I couldn't blame her.  She also loves Brady cause last time he baby sat them, he played and played with them and she thinks he is SO funny.  Evan brought along some crayons and cards for the kids to keep them occupied.  :)  It worked so awesomely.

We really did have lots of fun.  Good eating, good friends and lots of laughs.  They play the "minute to win it" game and that was a hoot.  Then we got to go and see the girl's dorms.  :)  We didn't end up staying very long because we were all so tired, but we enjoyed seeing everyone. :)  I have to say, those four Smith kiddos always have had a way to bring a smile to my heart and make me feel so happy and loved.  Now I see that in my kids when they are around them.  I love you guys.

Ava's Golden Birthday . . Turning 6 on the 6th of September!!!

Micah's Dad started a special tradition with his children years ago.  He calls it "the Golden Birthday." and this is the date that you turn the age that your birthday falls on.  So Mine was when I turned 19 on the 19th and Micah's was when he turned 25 on the 25th.  Christian's will be when he turns 26 on the 26th.  We always celebrate the Golden Birthdays with parties because it is the SPECIAL one.  :)  So, Ava had her golden birthday this year while she turned 6 on the 6th of September.  Due to it being a school night, we decided to have a small get together with family.  We had an ice cream cake and some other snacky foods and she was super excited to see everyone.  We told her since she was six, we had to sing to her six times that day. 

Here she is with her daddy while we are singing and taking pictures.  Below she is running around and holding her ears while we are STILL singing because anyone who has ever been around our families when we sing the birthday song, you would know it is LOUD and LOOOONNNNGGG.  :) 

The crew. . .missing a few that came later. :)  Ava is so blessed to have so many awesome cool cousins.  They surround her and she was in her glory.

She of course was super excited about present opening time and as you can see, so were all the other kids too.  Aunt Bleppies and Pap got her a beautiful of heart shaped golden earrings.  Grandma and Pappy got her the sixth piece of her Precious Moments Birthday train to go on her new shelf her pappy made her for the train.  Scott and and the kids got her a microphone and speaker loaded with the Bumbaugh Family songs.  She loves this thing.  She sings and sings with it still.  It is awesome and she was so excited to put on concerts for all of us.  :)

This was a comical night as Scott was trying hard to figure out his crazy new phone, Ava put on a concert for us, and Sofia danced.  The chaos was crazy but something we call family.  We appreciate the support and love and feel very blessed. That night, when the evening was over, Ava told me that she had had soooo much fun and really loved her birthday.  Then she said, "now I can't wait till I just turn 6."  I told her she was six.  That she had turned six that very day.  She smiled at me like I was not getting it, and said, "no mommy, I will grow up when I am six, so I am not six yet.  Maybe this week I will turn six and grow up."  Then I remembered we have been saying to her forever about how when she grows up and is six. .  . . then she would get to do this or that.  So she thought because she didn't look any bigger and taller and she was still a kid, that she obviously had not grown up and turned six yet.  :)

Birthday Lunch at School with Ava Bean

I actually have very few memories of my early grade school years while I was in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. I remember my teachers, and I remember a few things we learned that for some reason stuck in my head. I even remember a few memories from the playground and recess times.  Other than those few memories, the rest remains a big blurr of anxiety and nervousness and wishing I was at home with my mom or grandma.  However, something I DO happen to remember was that in the early years, when you had a birthday, your mom could bring you in cupcakes or something and for that day, you felt special and loved.  I remember my mom taking time to drop stuff off before she went to work or making cupcakes for my grandma to take into the school, just so I could feel special on that oh so dreamed of birthday, October 19th every year. I hated when my day was on a weekend, because it wasn't during a school day.  

Ava was born on September 6, 2005 and she was turning six this year.  She was super excited when she realized that her actual birthday was on a school day.  She was sure they were going to have a PARTY for her. I had to explain that they would maybe sing to her and she would get help pass our her strawberry pink cupcakes with pink icing to all of her little school friends, but that as for a big party, that wasn't really in the plans for the day.  However, it just so happened her daddy had off that day too, so we called ahead and told the school we were coming in to do lunch with her as a family.

She had forgotten we were coming and when they pulled her out of line into the front office, she was worried.  She then saw us and her face LIT up.  She ran over and hugged us and of course, my eyes filled with tears.  This happens alot lately to me. :)

Christian had brought her chicken nuggets and french fries from Wendy's and we sat and ate together.  She was so silly and so happy and you could see she felt really special. I also dropped her cupcakes off so they could eat them that day after lunch.

It couldn't have been a more perfect day and we enjoyed spending the day with our newest six year old.  Can't believe six years ago she was just entering the world. ;)

Easter 2011 - Fashion Show In the Dressing Room

Well, I was pulling the pictures off of my cell and I found these from Easter of this year.  My mom was in visiting from Missouri and we decided to take Ava shopping for her Easter Dress.  She has always wanted to just go and try on clothes in a dressing room, but we never have time.  My mom and I decided to take her shopping and let her just spend the time trying on and modeling dresses she picked out for herself.  She was so excited and felt like a princess.  She was twirling and dancing around in the dressing room, all the while keeping her eyes on herself in the mirrors. :)

Hahhah, not such a clear picture but I like this one because I caught us accidentally in the background as we were taking her picture.  It was a fun girls day.

This was my favorite dress but Ava and I have different tastes.  She liked the frillier ones. :)  Here she is loving on her Nana.  We make the best of the times we have together. 

Christian & His Transformer Back Pack

I have been blogging quite a bit about how Ava has been preparing for school and all the emotional and physical steps taken.  I have not mentioned much of how our little guy has handled this new season of life.  I guess anyone that knows our two kids knows that Christian is social and LOVES going places.  He hates being left out or left behind and this is exactly what the last few weeks have left him feeling.  I understand this emotion and fear of being "left behind" because I have had it my whole life. I hated camp for that reason because I hated being the last one to be ready or the last one to pee or the last one to take a shower, because I was so afraid of being left while they all started to our next event without me.  I see this in Christian.  I am constantly having to assure him that I am not going to go outside to the vehicle without him while he is taking time to put his shoes on.  He cries often because he constantly thinks "you leaved without me."  This very thing in him breaks my heart because I know even now, as an adult, I like to leave a party or an event early so I am not the last one to leave.  I have to make a conscious effort to verbally remind him all the time that we are not leaving without him or that I am waiting for him.  The problem is he doddles so often and that makes me irritated because I may have been telling him to go get his shoes on for a half hour, and he is just now starting to go do that task, as we are ready to walk out the door.  Ok, so all this said, now we have the issue of a huge event happening in his BIG SISTERS life and he is once again, left behind.

In our attempts as parents, to help build excitement about school for our kindergartner, we found that we left our son feeling left out that he was not going to get to go to school.  When we went back pack shopping, he wanted a back pack and we opted not to get him one that night.  We were wavering back and forth between the part of teaching him that sometimes you just have to wait your turn for things in life.  However, we noticed that night, after we came home and tucked them in bed, that Christian was in a weird mood.  Finally, as I crawled up and laid beside him in bed, he started grumping around at me and saying he didn't want me anymore.  After, talking to him, I finally got it out of him that he was sad Ava was going to school and he wasn't.  He was MAD at her for Leaving him.  He was mad that he was not old enough to go to school. He was mad he wasn't going to ride the bus and he wasn't getting a back pack.  As I was talking to him, I knew when I hit it on the nose, because he went from a grumpy mean scowled face to immediately eyes full of tears and he put out his little lip as he tried not to let me see he was crying.  He shook his head yes to him being sad Ava was going and he was not.  This was a moment when Micah and I realized he needed a book bag and we were not using this moment to teach him fairness.  So we comforted him, and then whispered all the fun things we were going to do after his sister went to school. Then the next day, on the way home from work, daddy stopped and bought Christian his Transformers Backpack.  His excitement on his face was so sincere, we knew it was exactly what he needed.  This was three days before school started and this little guy carried this back pack with him everywhere, and he even slept with it. :)

You probably saw it the day Ava started school, as he carried his on his back just like her.  It also showed up in the back to school parties we had with our families and he is so proud of this bag.  The best part to me was as we started doing things through the first week of school, that back pack made a consistent appearance at each event.  It was as though it was attached to him.  

Here he is wearing his back pack while we fed the ducks. 

At the Library he wore it and we even carried books in it which made him feel so grown up. 

We went over to visit Sofia and Roman and Sofi had her back pack too.  They were so proud as they sported their very own grown up back packs.  They were the big kids now. :)

We went to the car shop to get our vehicle's oil changed and of course he took his bag in filled with snacks, drink, and toys and he was so proud to tell anyone who would listen about his new back pack that he had gotten for school. Then I had to explain he wasn't going to school but it was all good.  It was a fun time and he melted my heart as he showed off his proud new apparel.

Overall, he is doing much better now and I am so grateful.  He seems to have adjusted well to this new season in our families life.  However, in saying that, I also will say he misses her dearly and he hates seeing her leaving on that big bus.  He has even cried a little after she has left, but this just shows me how much he loves his sis. :) 

Meeting Pappy Sweetheart at the Bus Stop is so Much Sweeter

I am really behind but I am gonna make up with a few random blogs from this year to catchup before the end of 2011.  One of the events that happened was a nice two week visit from my parents over the month of September.  It was nice to see them, and we were so happy they came to visit.  They ended up staying an extra second week because time just had gone too fast and because they could.  Retirement is wonderful!!!

So, my dad went to get Ava off the bus a few times and this was so exciting to her.  She loved to see who was getting her off the bus.  Would it be mommy, or daddy, or Nana, or even Pappy.  This particular day it was Pappy Sweetheart and I happened to capture the moment.  She is usually most talkative right as she gets off the bus, so Pappy wanted to hear her stories first hand.  She is one that if you don't talk to her when she is ready, they you don't get to hear her stories of the day, because if she doesn't feel life talking, she doesn't. :)  She takes after her daddy for sure. 

Part 2 of Ava's First Day at Kindergarten

I have to say, I was waiting for Ava's bus at least 25 minutes before the bus' anticipated arrival time, I was making sure NOT  to miss it.  Daddy had come home early too, so he could see her get off the bus and hear all the fun stories that were to come.  We made warm cookies so when we got into the house, we could sit down to cookies and milk and hear all about her day.
When the bus pulled up, Christian was jumping up and down.  He was so excited. I have to say this side note too, after her bus had left with her that first morning, he stood at the front door for awhile and literally asked me 5 times in the first hour, "is that Ava, is she home yet?"  It was heart breaking how much he missed her. I knew he would but I had no idea it would be so sad for him.  He has had some emotional moments with the whole Ava going to school and him staying home. Not been an easy transition for either of them.

Here she is getting off the bus and this is when she first met her friend up the street. . .and her bus riding partner. . . Meaghan Gibbons. :) 

So, she gets off that BIG BUS I mentioned in the previous blog entry, and she runs to us and jumps in our arms.  Of course we are fighting over who gets to hold her first and love her and tell her how much she means to us.  Finally, we set her down and head toward the house.  Her daddy, trying desperatly to hold onto any part of her depending on him still, offered to carry her to the house.  She politely said, "No, I am fine. I can walk." So a few steps later he asks if she wants him to carry her book bag to the house for her, to give her a break. :)  She again,  in a very sweet manner, replies, "No, it's okay.  I got it.  I can carry it."  So then mommy, wanting to hear EVERY SINGLE detail of her day starts drilling her and all the while dying inside to ask her many more questions.  I felt as though I was restraining myself well, I am not sure Ava felt that way.

When we got in, she took her shoes to her room, put her book bag on the chair in the kitchen and came out to sit down at the table for warm cookies and milk.  She sat calmly while the three of us started to ask more questions.  I guess this is where I will admit, I snatched up a small tape recorder with a new tape and new batteries, and yes, I RECORDED her talking about her first day of school. I know, I am a tad over obsessed with this whole not missing a thing in her life, but I knew I would love to hear her excitement from her first day and even her Grandma listened to it that very next day.  So, yes, I sat the recorder in front of her and the day started to unfold the best a 5 year old could manage.  She was telling us about her friends, about the ginger bread man that left clues for them to follow, and about lunch and recess of course.  She loved her teacher and didn't mind the bus either.  I had prayed that angels would surround her that day before she left, and she was so excited to tell me that God sent her an angel, and her name was ANGEL.  :)  She said, "well, I guess she came from Heaven because that is what you prayed today."  I hope Angel holds up her admired name.

Christian was almost as attentive to his sister's stories as he was to the cookies he was STUFFING into his mouth.  He really was so excited to have her back too.  At one point we asked Ava what she thought and she said,  "Well, at first, I didn't know what it was going to be like, but. . . I went and I liked it."  Plain and simple.

She did manage to get picked to be the leader, so maybe her teacher saw the easily recognizable "born to be a leader" part of her personality.  She said that she did do one bad thing that would make me very sad. I leaned closer and asked her what, then she said, "mommy, I picked my nose one time."  I scolded her slightly and then I asked her if anyone saw her.  She smiled sheepishly as she said, "yeah, there was a boy looking.  But I don't know his name."  This was her most embarrassing part of that first day of school.  I reminded her that there were tissues in her back pack and she needed to use them. :) 

I have listened to those first few minutes after she came home from her first day of school numerous times.  She has yet to go into that much detail about her school days that followed, but all the excitement was there that first day within those first few hours.  She did get tired of telling all the concerned family members on the phone about her first day.  She said at night, "I know they all want to know how I did today but I am too tired to tell anyone anymore about it.  Can they just let me sleep?"  so we then went to bed.  I will say, we did cuddle up on the couch for a few minutes too, so mommy could steal some time with my grown up little girl.  We read three books every night that week.  I can't give it all up.  I may not get to see her all day long, but I will cherish all my time with her in the evenings. :)  So far so good.

The Bestest Nana Ever

During the visit with my parents, we captured a ton of pictures but I have not had the time or the energy to blog them yet.  The problem with Grandparents being so far away, is that you have to capture every moment in that week or two they are visiting since you have so many moments they are not here. It makes for a busy but very fun visit each and every time.  As a kid, I have many memories with my grandparents that lived up the lane from us and my grandma baby sat us all the time, but we have different types of memories with our grandparents that lived far away.  When they came to visit, we would do special things to make the best of each and every moment we had together.  We got to stay up later, eat more sugary junky foods, and play more games.  We watched movies and went places we didn't get to go on a regular basis.  We got to hear special briar rabbit stories watch special movies.  These are still memories we have now when I think back about our grandparents visiting us. 

All this said, now that I am here and my parents are in Missouri, we try and do the same thing.  When they come visit, they do LOTS of fun things to make special memories with our kids.  The grandkids all miss my mom and dad very much and they soak up EVERY moment they get.  I don't think my parents mind spending time with the five little angels.  Well, I should mention that calling them angels is something that grandparents are more inclined to refer to them as than what we as parents are. ;)

On this particular visit that they came out, we did things like a tirp to chucky cheese, lunches with Ava at school, special runs to Wendys and McDonalds, fun Nana stories told by Nana in the form of a Grandpa Dean story, and of course they are showered with Chocolate from Pappy Sweetheart.  We did randome picnics outside with books to read while laying on a blanket and some late night Barbie Uno games.  The kids enjoyed their time spent with Nana and Pappy.

Maintianing a good relationship between the kids and their grandparents, when faced with large distance between us, has been a little challenging.  They are young enough to not truly understand distance and time and yet they are old enough to know they miss them more than they can even express.  It always gets worse once my parents head back to Missouri, but we do manage to adjust back to what our lives have become without them here all the time.  We talk about Nana and Pappy often and I think the fact that they are missed so very much tells you what a relationship they had with them in the first place. 
We pray for them every night and we talk about them and laugh about them often.  Phone calls numerous times a week help too.  I think maybe the best help is the promise of a trip to Missouri for a whole month this summer that we can spend at their new house.  This gets the kids smiling every time.  Until next time, we will hold onto the memories we have made.

Ava's First Day of Kindergarten

Finally, I am ready to document about Ava's first day of Kindergarten.  I will confess, I was a bit weepy the night prior to her first day.  I helped her lay out the outfit she chose to wear, one her Nana had bought her while she was here over the summer.  Then we got her book bag ready for the morning.  We set the alarm and then put her to bed.  Mommy's night didn't end there, of course, so once she was sleeping, I snuck downstairs and pulled out her baby book. I read up on the things I documented through her first years, and looked over some pictures of our sweet baby girl who was little not so very long ago.  Finally, my Tylenol p.m. kicked in and I was able to get to sleep myself.

The next morning, August 29, 2011, came quickly.  She was excited and yet anxious.  She did well getting ready and was actually ready 40 minutes before the bus was to arrive.  We took time to get a small photo shoot, of course.  (come on now, we expect nothing less, right?) 

Daddy went into work late so he could see his baby get on that big school bus. I am glad he was along, I needed him and his support more than he will ever know.  I have to admit, we put on a happy face for Ava, but we didn't feel it, that is for sure.  We kept taking deep breathes and sighing as we would catch each other's eyes throughout the morning.  The thoughts that go through your head as you watch your children grow and take those big steps into another stage of life are quite scary and overwhelming. 

Christian chose his own outfit to wear while waiting for Ava's bus to come.  He was as excited as her.  Even though we had explained she was getting on the bus and not him, I am not sure he truly understood.  His daddy bought him a cute TRANSFORMERS Backpack and he was ready to go. :)

Grandma Bumbaugh came to watch Beanie get on the bus.  Pappy wanted to come but he was driving a bus of his own.  The closer the time came for the bus, the more quiet and nervous she got.  She kind of knelt down and started messing around with the stones and so we just let her go for awhile and didn't address how she was feeling as she was processing.  Daddy finally knelt down beside her and told her how Proud he was of her and how he knew she was nervous because she didn't know what it was going to be like, but we were praying and we KNEW she would like it. :)

Then came the big bus, the great big M12 bus, with Bus driver Donna (who we love). Ava ran to the door, with her backpack on and she looked back one time to say bye as she was running. She was so big and just walked right up onto the bus.  She sat on the first seat and waved out at us.  She was so sweet and so TINY on that HUGE BIG BAD BUS!!! YIKES.  Okay, a little dramatic, but I was feeling that way.  As she rode away, I of course started crying.  For the first time in six years, someone else was responsible for her and where she was and what she was doing.  Someone else would be comforting her or disciplining her.  Was she ready?  Had I taught her all she needed to know?  Did she know we were always here for her?  Micah was a huge support and called me numerous times throughout the day just to check in. I love that man.  Margaret assured us that we had done a good job and and that she was ready, but I have to say, as hard as this was, how will I ever let her date or drive?  Lord, help us all. 

I literally watched the clock the rest of the day, wishing, hoping and praying for my sweet little girl.  She was out of my hands now and I had to be okay with that.  However, it only meant me praying more often and harder than ever before for my Ava Bean and her day.  I prayed for strength, courage, compassion, wisdom, calm, peace, and much more.  Now all we had to do was wait until 4:00 and see what had happened.  It did remind me to thank the Lord for the parents He had given Micah and I that had lifted us in prayer all of our lives too. 

Labor Day Weekend Beach Trip 2011

Labor day beach trip with our beach bum Mongs.  We have gone to the beach numerous times with our friends the Mongs.  They have a beach condo that is Carrie's mom's and we always stay there.  It is the perfect location and some of our favorite Beach Memories have happened on these special trips.  The first Bumbaugh-Mong Trip was in the summer of 2006.  Ava was one month shy of a year and Titus was three months shy of a year.  They were the cutest and of course we had all the binks and bottles and diapers to deal with, but the trip was a blast. 

The second trip happened the next year and we had little man by then so we had three kids in diapers with binks.  When we go, we stay on the beach all day and we take coolers down with our food, drinks and snacks so we don't have to come back until late in the afternoon. Then we usually shower, eat a meal we make in the condo and then head to the boardwalk to get our famous Kohr Brothers Ice Cream.  Then we head back to the condo to try and get the kids to sleep.

This year, was our year to do the Bumbaugh family Beach Trip, so we didn't have a week for the condo with the Mongs.  However, one day, Carrie randomly called and asked if we wanted to go to the Beach with them over Labor Day weekend.  She hardly got done asking and I was screaming "YES".  and there you have it, our 5th annual Bumbaugh-Mong Beach Trip.

Of course, being the photographers that we are, Carrie and I captured 100s of pictures again, and though we may never print them or use them, we still manage to take tons. :)  We always opt to make our own Scope pictures too. The picture above was the one I got of my two and I love the flag behind them for Labor Day.  Then the one Below, I got Titus Man to jump in also.  I love his tough guy facial expression.  He cracked me up all weekend.  He loved to play with the horse shoe crabs that floated in and he would bury them and then try and find them by digging them up again. :)

Here are just a few more of my favorite pictures and poses.  The funniest one is the one that I got all three of them to stack and get on each others backs.  I was laughing so hard as Titus decided Ava should be on the bottom and then Christian, and then himself.  He was certain he didn't want to be on the bottom.

A few of the memorable moments we had on this particular beach trip was the life guard training that went on right beside us on the beach.  It pretty much kept us entertained all day as we watched what all they had to do to become a life guard for the following year.  It was quite the gruelling process.  We also had some really awesome things happen.  This particular year, the week before we went to Ocean City, the hurricane Irene hit the beaches of OC, Maryland.  They even evacuated Ocean City and so it was strange to get down there and see all the damage and changes.  However, the storms brought in the most amazing sea shells and I was as excited as the kids to find BIG sea shells that were like ones you would pay for in the boardwalk shops.  So awesome.  We got a whole bucket full.

Also, we decided one night to get ready and eat out at a local fancy rest. called the Olive Tree.  The food was great but of course everything else that could have gone wrong that meal went wrong.  We were laughing hysterically by the end of the night, after we managed to get over Micah breaking Christian's cup and getting Choc. Milk all over his nice outfit.  Then he couldn't find the bathroom so he went into the Women's. :)  What a night.

Lots of fun memories as per usual.  We LOVE our special beach trips with our Beach Bum Mongs. :)