Summertime

Things I love about my summer days:

No school for the kids....really no homework, I like them being at school
No real schedule
Pool time
Being tan thanks to pool time
Staying up late
Sleeping in


Things I dont love about summer

No real schedule
Staying up late
Sleeping in

As you can see, my dislikes are also my loves. I do love this time of year. It is so relaxing for this busy family but I have to admit it has thrown me for a loop this week. I love routine, organization, and scheduling. Summer is so hard to do all of those things no matter how hard you try. I spend several hours a day in my swimsuit, so one would think I would be as dedicated to the gym as I am during the school year....well I am not! I miss my gym time, our quite when the big kids are at school, and our good dinners. I have found nap time in now Nolan and I chatting, gym time makes me feel I am rushing the kids, and dinner time is just plain out the window....I have cooked maybe three times this summer.

In typing this I am realizing that this is my last summer home before Mason starts school, Kade starts preschool, Nolan plays Irmo baseball, and our lives get even more hectic. I wonder if my unsettledness ( Is that a word) is from my fear of what August is going to hold for the Burdette Six?

A Best Friend

How lucky am I that my best friend Julia lives less than four miles from the beach. That sentence is the sentence we both said the day we found her new awesome condo. Not to either of our surprise, me having four kids at home has limited my girl weekends to the awesome condo that is FOUR MILES from the beach. However Memorial Day weekend I devised a wonderful plan to have some much needed BFF time.

Our awesome girls weekend started with me arriving late due to horrible traffic. We got in the car and went to Sullivans Island to have dinner at the BoatHouse! It was wonderful. While waiting for dinner, Julia and I met our little friend Salty.

After our amazing dinner, we headed home for a relaxing evening. It is great to have a friend like Julia. We get each other. We know when to ask questions, give advice, back off, and walk away. It was so nice to be able to sit in her beautiful blue living room and not feel bad when we both got tired and wanted to go to bed.  The next morning we woke up super early and we were on the beach by 10:00 am. It was perfect. We set up our perfect spot and tanned, tanned, and tanned some more.

We ate at my favorite Sullivans Island hot spot Poes for lunch....twice that weekend actually!

The weekend was perfect. Two days on the beach with the best company Mt. Pleasant has to offer, two days of eating with someone who doesnt make fun of how good food can truely change my mood, two days of shopping.....oh how I love to spend Julias money on her new clothes, and two days of perfect friend time! We spent our last evening together out on the town in Charleston. I think it was so good for us both. We relaxed and enjoyed the fact that we didnt have work, responsibilty, or alarm clocks the next morning.

I will be honest, when Monday morning came and I had to leave, I was beyond sad. I am pretty selective about my girl friends. As much as I love to talk, I dont like friends who expect to talk all the time or get together tons.I stay so busy with our kids right now, that I just dont have time for that. Julia is the same way. She is the perfect friend. I am SO glad I have Julia to talk to, lean on, cry with, yell with, and just be" me" with. She is one of the few people I can honestly be 100% me around. I love you like woah Julia! (hahahahahahaha)

My magic men

Anyone who lives in Columbia has seen the fountians in front of hte movie theater on Bower Parkway. It is Mason and Kade's new favorite spot. I told them that they were the conductors and they had to make the fountain work. They try feverishly to keep the water "up". It is so much fun to watch and they are super tired by the time we leave. I just love watching my little magic men!

Pink Swampcats

Mason has been a great supporter of his big brother Nolan and his ball teams. He is at every game, cheers his heart out, knows each players name and nickname and offers helpful advice to the coaches. He has always felt like a member of the team. This past weekend Mason got to play in his first tournament. This was a big boy tournament too.

 They had pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness

They had their families decked out in all pink to support them

They had warm ups before the games

They played three awesome games and then they got their FIRST trophies!

Mason did awesome this weekend. He had the attitude that we all knew he would. He played with heart the entire time. He was supportive of his team mates and most importantly he had fun! I can not wait to watch Mason become the ball player we all know he has inside him!

Mothers Day

This year Mark went all out for Mothers Day. The week before Easter he got me an AWESOME camera. I had the same dinky camera since before Mason was born. I have dropped it a zillion times but I have kept up with it and got my $100 worth. So I was THRILLED when Mark got me this......

With Easter pictures being a big deal for me, Mark knew I would want the camera for Easter pictures. I thought that was my gift. I was so happy with the way he spoiled me on actual Mothers day weekend.
He started with a babysitter and a wonderful date to my favorite place, Miyos! We ate HOT food and had grown up conversation! We feasted on sushi, won tons, and our favorite dishes! Then after a great dinner we went to the mall and got to enjoy shopping without bathroom breaks or meltdowns!At the mall Mark got me these super cool shoes I have been wanting for a long time now.

After tons of shopping, mostly window shopping, and visiting with friends we bumped into, we stopped at dairy queen and got a yummy blizzard!

One last stop by Target on our way home where Mark surprised me with a super cool camera bag I had picked out

I was very rested and ready to get home at the end of the evening. Once the sitter was taken home the kids surprised me by turning Nolans room into "Mommys Inn." There was a cute sign and everything. On the back of the door there was a note that said I had to stay in the room until they came to get me in the morning. I had a wonderful night sleep (Kade has been waking up a lot lately so this was wonderful for this light sleeping mommy!) and was woken by my wonderful breakfast in bed~

Then Nolan and Gracie went to spend Mothers day with their mom and we went to church. I love Mothers day church. It is one of my favorite services every year!

After church, Mason wanted to take me to Zaxby's then we went home for a Sunday nap. When we woke up, Marble Slab was for dinner!

I had a wonderful Mothers day and LOVED spending the day with all my favorite Burdettes! Mark and the boys made me feel so special all day long!I loved having a day to celebrate being a mommy to my sweet boys! They have been the best gift I have ever received!

Sweet Baby Kae....she isn't a baby anymore

To be the youngest Johnson has to be hard. There are several of us to follow behind. Being from a small town, teachers tend to stay for a long time. I can only imagine how hard it is for Kaelyn to hear " I taught Erin, Kari, Mac, Josh, and Courtney!" But I can tell you, out of the bunch, Kae is her own lady. She doesn't follow the crowds, she is a free thinker, and she knows what she believes in.

Kaelyn was just a baby when I moved to college. She came to visit me as I moved into my own places but she grew up while I was away becoming an adult. This summer I was thrilled when Kae decided to come on vacation with our family. She was a BLAST. She is funny, smart, sweet, independent, inspiring, loving......the list just goes on and on.

The thing about Kae that baffles me is that she just doesn't see how beautiful she is. She is the type of girl that when she walks into a room heads turn. She doesn't even see it. And then the heads that were turned just by her stunning appearance, they get to know her and talk to her and they see just how wonderful she is inside and out.

I can not even begin to explain how wonderful it is to have Kaelyn in our lives. I know that I missed a great deal of her growing up. I still feel like I miss way too much. But I treasure the time I do get with her. I love the way she loves her niece and nephews, I love the way she smiles, laughs, and gets overly excited about everything. I love that she is dramatic and doesn't see it. I love that she still calls me just to talk. I love that I get to continue to watch her grow up to become the head strong woman I see blooming. Of all the Johnson's that came before her, I think we paved a road that Kae chose not to walk down. I love watching you walk to the beat of your own drum Kae......and I love you!

Easter Pictures

If you know me, you know I spend countless hours, days, and weeks planning our Easter, summer, and Christmas outfits. I find any chance to match my family and I RUN with it! This year I was not thrilled with our Easter outfits but I am SUPER picky when it comes to our family pictures. The best picture of the kids actually was in the backyard after church! So, here are our 2011 Easter Pictures!

Time

I treasure time. I treasure all our different kinds of time. There is family time. Time with just the six of us. Sitting at the dinner table, riding in the car to practices, getting dressed and ready to go somewhere, movie nights, and just those few moments we can have just us. I do get stressed sometimes but I love time with just my family.

I enjoy active time. I love taking the kids to the ballpark, school functions....really anywhere they can run, play, sweat, smile, and grow into the super cool people they are!

I enjoy Mark time. I don't get as much alone time with Mark as I would like but I LOVE the time we get together. Tonight, we got to go to the grocery store JUST THE TWO OF US! Big deal, uh YES! With four children, you take what you can get!

I enjoy extended family time. I have enjoy time with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I love that we have family close enough to visit.

Here is the thing about time. Time is something you can not get back so enjoy it. Enjoy family time, alone time, quality time, any kind of time you can get with your family, friends, and alone. I am so thankful that I have so many people I love to share my time with.

Makings for a perfect morning.....

There are a few things you need in Oconee County to make for a perfect start to your morning.

                                              First you need an old unpainted rocking chair

      This rocking chair needs to be waiting patiently on you for when you get out of your shower.

Secondly, you need a HEARTY HEATER. What is a Hearty Heater you ask?  It is a wood burning furnace that my sister is lucky enough to have on her farm. The hot water is HOT and it is endless.

This simple looking furnace allows for the most AMAZING shower you will ever take in your entire life. For real, it is better than a 5 star resort shower. Pure bliss of hotness!

And finally, you need to go cuddle up in your unpainted rocking chair with a big cup of spiced apple cider and just take in the view.......

I have no desire to move back to Oconee County but with mornings like this one, I have to admit I was tempted. I am thankful Green Acres farm is always open to my family!

Charlie Martin

Growing up sisters play dolls, ride bikes, sing silly songs to their boyfriends on the phone, go to proms, go to college, get married, and have babies. Getting to be a part of Mac's life has been awesome. I have shared so many memories with her. One of my favorite memories has been Mac being in the delivery room for Masons birth. She was there for Kades as well but Masons was really special. I didn't have her in the room with me so that she would return the favor, I wanted her to experience my life changing with me. I knew that she was more private than I was and when she had children she wouldn't want me in there and I was totally fine with that.

Well, April 2nd 2011 Mac became a mommy! Charlie was not the easiest baby to get into this world. He was not wanting to make his entrance but four weeks early Mac's body felt differently. After three days in the hospital with blood pressure issues, Charlie was born via C section. Grandparents were the only ones in the family to go to the hospital for several reasons. First, there are ALOT of grandparents and second, with Macs blood pressure so I we all felt it was better if she was left to stay calm and healthy for her and Charlie. I will never forget getting the call Charlie had arrived. I had been waiting since Wednesday for the call and instead there were alot of "nothing new" conversations. Finally, Saturday morning Mac sent me a text and said they were doing the C section at 3:00! I was thrilled. So I am sitting at Nolans baseball game and waiting impatiently for the call. Hours go by and sometime after 6:00 my mom FINALLY called and said Charlie was here and everyone was healthy. Charlie did have to stay in NICU for a few days but he was fine. And one week to the day that Mac entered the hospital, she and her new family were headed home.

So, with more excitement that I imagined I would ever have, I set out this morning to meet my sweet nephew on his one week birthday. 83.7 miles later, I was in the driveway of Mac house. I calmly waked in the house and went straight for my sweet boy.

 I know the love of a mother and her son. I know the instant love you feel. I have seen babies, held them, and loved them instantly but nothing compares to seeing Charlie for the first time. Mac and I have shared so much. Seeing her baby for the first time was unbelievable. He is perfect. He looks just like his daddy. Those Martin jeans are STRONG!

 I held him and smothered him in kisses. I talked to him about his ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes. I told him how his cousins couldn't wait to meet him and how they loved him already. I told him how badly I wish I could have met him sooner. I just couldn't stop talking to him and I didn't want to put him down. He is perfect!

As much as I loved holding him, I loved my time with Mac too. We went to lunch together while Gigi and Grandpa Charles kept him. We shopped a little and talked a lot. It was so fun to hear Mac talk about how she loves just watching him and it reminded me how strong she has always been hearing her tell his birth story. I think we both needed a little sister time. But we didn't waste too much time away because both of us wanted to get back to Charlie

When we got home we took Charlie and his four legged siblings for his first walk. It was fun to be outside pushing a newborn again. I have missed that peaceful time pushing a stroller. Mac got to give some attention to Sophie and Finn!

I hated for my visit to end. I wish I could have held that sweet boy forever. But with a huge storm coming towards Macs house, I had to leave. I kissed Charlies sweet head, hugged my amazing sister and headed home to my house of boys! The whole way home I got to reflect on Mac and Charlie.

Mac loves being a mom. She is a natural. The way she looks at her little boy makes my heart smile. She is so tender and gentle with him. She talks in third person to him even though she swore she would never do that. Charlie is precious. He is a squeaky little bird! Mac thinks he makes noises because she talked during her pregnancy so much ( she is a teacher!). He has a calm temper and loves to sleep. They are still figuring each other out and it was awesome to watch just for the day. I think of all my memories with Mac, today is now one of my favorites.