First Week of School!!

The Kid started Monday morning.  Catholic Schools don't see any point of easing into a school year with a short week... The Kid is BEYOND happy to be back in school.  He was counting down for weeks.  He LOVES his school, his teacher, his friends.  And he was Hand to God (pun intended) complaining about not learning enough.
For the start of 7th Grade, The Kid:
Is now sporting braces.
He plays on his school's baseball team at First Base or Pitcher. 
He has asked me to meet with his teacher to discuss making his classes/assignments more difficult "because he should really start learning at a higher level if he is going to get into Yale".  (Keep dreaming Kid, your parents are not exactly on a Yale kinda budget.)
Mostly, he is still sweet.  Still loves movie night with his parents.  Continues to read books on the regular, keeps his bedroom at a nearly condemned level of cleanliness and stacks water bottles on his nightstand like the little girl from Signs.

Tinkerbell is starting the 2nd Grade and has plans to make more friends.  She also has been counting down the days, until she could get back to school.  Her new teacher is adorable and sweet.
The Tink of Today:
Has firm intentions to become a Vet. But she will not care for Snakes or Tarantulas, only animals that are soft.... and turtles. 
She still loves her spot on the couch. Still loves her jammies.  Has a group of cute little girlfriends and wants her new bedroom to have a beach theme. (Kinda confusing for a girl who refuses to swim.)

Coco is officially in Kindergarten.
Suuuuuuuper excited to have a lunch box.  Very likely she will be the only little girl who took Guacamole for her lunch.  She got the teacher she 'really really really wanted'.  Coco's mother did have a short moment of tears filling the eyes (but no tears actually dropped) because my girl was SO VERY HAPPY to be at school. 
The Coco of Today:
Plans to maybe be a teacher, or work in Daddy's Barbershop or maybe just help the puppies at Tink's Vet office.  She definitely wants to get married but no way will she have kids because 'she saw a movie and she really thinks those babies come out of mommy's butts'.
Coco is full of energy.  Loves to dance.  Can not stop wearing tight pants/shorts and performing her Tights Pants On song.
She plans to make lots and lots and lots of friends, learn to read and hopefully lose a tooth.

Yes.  Sistas walking hand in hand into school is the cutest thing eva.

I'm very lucky all three of my children love school.  I hope this trend continues because it is so amazing to drop your babies off for the day, trusting they are safe and content. 

Now, I am a Stay at Home Mom, without any children to stay home with.

The Last. The Baby.



Tomorrow morning, my last little baby begins Kindergarten.  If you are a long time blog follower (PS. I'm still grateful you are even still checking this site), you may remember I was an emotional wreck (understatement) when my other children began Kindergarten.  Especially, my Tink. 

Tonight, right now... I am not the least bit upset.  Which is CRAZY, right?! 

 

The Last Baby is when it gets really realz.  When you should be losing your mommy mind.  I should be confused, lost, sad... NOW I'm a mom, without any babies.
Instead, I am cool... calm... totally collected.
I can't promise I won't choke up a bit at drop off.  It's totally possible I may spontaneously do a quick sneak out pre-ugly public cry exit.  Maybe I'm in some sort of denial.  But I really doubt it.
You see... since the moment Coco realized she was The Baby: she has crawled, walked, ran, swam, chased, jump. spun, spoke, yelled after her older siblings.  She is the tasmanian devil of big-kid envy. (The use of the word Devil used with complete affection.) Coco wants so much to be Just Like Tink.  Or read big books Just Like The Kid. 
There is a "but WHY did I have to be the baby....?" whine on a near daily basis for the past couple years. "WHY did you grow me last?" "Why can't I be big girl clothes??" "WHY can't I be taller?" and mostly... "Why can't I go to school ALL day too?"
Well Baby, now you can.
As a mother, it's pretty hard to be sad over something your child has wanted for so long.  Starting Kindergarten is going to make Coco the most happy little girl ever. She can go to PE! She can have a lunch box! She can learn to read! Fi-na-leeeeeeee.
(Plus Mommy has some plans to enjoy more yoga, maybe get nuts and clean her home, possible take a nap, grow some WBCs, get real crazy and sit in a moment of pure nokidfighting silence...)

Dear Coco-
I love you a million 17 59 100 59 times and more.  I know you will make so many friends with your bright-Daddy-cheerfullness.  Smile full. Laugh loud.  Run Fast. And above all, learn about this big amazing world, which is just waiting for you to fill it.  Fly high baby bird.  This nest was never big enough for you.

The Best Pictures Coach and I took this Summer.

In no particular order.

Just awesome happy smiles.

 

The Kid and his lil Buddy.

 

Flower Child.

 



Sun Bathing Beauty.

 

The. Best. Picture.  Hands Down.
The Kid was a little nervous to get on this horse and asked his Dad to help him up.  Look at The Kid's giant legs!  It's especially funny because The Kid outgrew Coach this summer.  I laughed so hard.

Beach Baby. (Except she only likes the sand)

Brothers in a Card Board Boat.

Blue Berry Pickin on a Family Monday.

Last Day of Swim Lessons.

Sisters loving their All Star Brother.

Baby Boo is born!  Love this picture. Love this baby.

Shelbyville cousins, with a twist.

Girls, Girls, Girls.

The Kid, throwing Strikes.

Sweet Friends.

 

 New Orleans!!

 

 Camping makes Coco sleepy.

Baseball was the Magic Word this summer.

Amazing Days we did not have our camera but REALLY should have...
1. Boondocks. Jeep Ride. Drummer too cool to ash..
2. Family Train Trip afternoon.
3. Surprise Bloodys on The Porch followed by the VF.

Good Times Summer 2014. Good Times.

The New Baby!!

On this date in history: July 11, 1960 the book To Kill a Mockingbird was published.  The author, Harper Lee, won countless acclaimed awards including the 'Pulitzer Prize for Fiction' and the 'Presidential Medal of Freedom' awarded to her by President George W. Bush.  This Best Selling Book was voted the "Best Novel of The Century".

 

Yesterday, the newest member to Tru Stories' cast was born.

And to much surprise, we again have a beautiful little girl.

 

Born to Sweetbreads Bailey and Warhol (formally known to many as Bad R.)
My beautiful new niece, blog nicknamed Boo R.
And affectionately referred to as our Baby Boo.

Baby Boo is adorable. Beyond words.
Full Snow White Red lips, like her big cousin Coco.
Sweet Angel kisses, a puff of light hair and a small dimpled chin from her mommy's side.

Coco, how sweet does Baby Boo's little head smell??

Baby Boo, this is your Uncle Coach.
He likes his name, his barbershop, baseball and the Cubs.  And he likes to represent all those things, on his person, all the time...

I only had a brief snuggle with my new niece.
Just long enough for Tink to whisper "Can we take her home with us??"

Welcome, Baby Boo.  You are so very lucky to have been gifted to two amazing families.  You will be a bright shining light in the Great American Love Story, your parents are writing.  Galway Girl will be the sweetest Big Sista and Quincy has yet another tiny girl to protect. 
I spent the entire day yesterday, giddy over the excitement of another child being born into our world.  It is such a miracle to create a beautiful new life.  A life, which was already surrounded by so much love, before taking her first small breath.  Baby Boo is tru-ly blessed beyond measure. 

June, in Three Parts. #1 The House.

So our house was For Sale. And then it was not.
After a not long enough time period of looking at houses and having our house looked at... we decided to pull our house off the market.
I'm not 100% committed to that decision.
I have officially declared us The Bipolar Couple of Home Sales.
And yes, we are annoying even ourselves.
It kept feeling like the houses we were looking at needed work done, work that we have already done (and paid for) at our current home. It was always going to be hard to leave this location and our neighbors really stepped up their cute factor during the home viewing process. (which really hooked Coach back.)
The only way I agreed to stay, was with some MAJOR changes. To both the yard and the house. Most importantly we need to A.) seriously simplify the yard and B.) Put all three kids in separate bedrooms. Currently, Tink and Coco share a room. Tink is very much OVER sharing. Coco is very much NOT over sharing.
We already starting cutting down trees left and right. Digging up gardens. Tilling spots for new grass. All we discuss, every flipping day, is redesigning this house/yard. And talking about redesigning a home, into a dream home, is actually less fun then one would imagine.
It stresses me out. Normally, I am not a very stressful person. It may surprise people to know, I'm actually fairly laid back and mostly up for anything... but constantly discussing major home changes and/or purchases? Not fun for me. And if I'm not having fun... then Coach is not.. well... Coach is still have fun, because for Coach life is always fun... but it's maybe a little less fun than usual, when I am stressed.
And all of my stress, led Coach to book our #2 big event of June....

#2. Last Minute Road Trip!

Our good friends had been planning for months to vacation in New Orleans... We knew they had an open invitation for friends to join their trip but with The House Drama of 2014 we could not commit to going.  At the very last second, Coach declared Fudge It and booked a hotel room with only 49 hours notice.  And we took off on our first ever Road Trip as a couple. We decided to only tell Really Nice Guy and surprise The Teacher.  And after only 45 stressful minutes chasing her oblivious stubborn a$$ around the French Quarter, we finally cornered her and the weekend commenced!

 Inside The Pirate Bar.

 

You know how you're Down South and you notice signs and tees and whatnot for Mint Julep's??  So then you decide Know what... let's try a real life Southern Mint Julep for fun?! Heads Up: Mint Juleps are AWFUL.  And the little ol ladies that drink Mint Juleps are obviously hard core.

 Coach standing against our hotel room.

On the swamp tour I was THIS close to the gators.

The swamp was awesome.
The tour, a little rehearsed.

Random snaps on my favorite streets in America...

 He's cute. And the other boys on this street agreed.

Final Assessment of my third trip to New Orleans: I would go again. And again.
Who wants us to bum off their next trip??
Two days after returning to the real world, Coach Commented to me: I already miss your smile...