Back To School Again

Woe is me, all summer long I was happy and free.
Save my soul, the board of education took away my parole.
I gotta go back, back, back to school again.
You won't find me 'til the clock strikes three;
I'm gonna be there 'til then...
I gotta go back, back, back to school again.
Whoa, whoa, I gotta go... back to school again!

The Four Tops Compliments of the Grease2 soundtrack.

"Woe is me" is absolutely what my overloaded brain has been saying, and I'm not even the one going back to school! I know I should be excited for the kids to go back - and at some level I am, but I also fight the urge to somehow freeze time in its tracks. Lane is entering HIGH SCHOOL this year and Josh is entering his SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL...to graduate early in December. Dear Lord, where exactly did the last 12 years disappear to? I have pictures of their first day of Kindergarten, recall how scared I was to leave them - wondering if they would be scared, cry, act out, get picked on by the other kids, have their lunch stolen by the class bully, make friends, etc. etc. And through the years those same worries would surface time and again, with new worries added along the way as they made their way up the elementary school ladder into middle school, switching schools when we made the big move "out west".

Back to school has an entirely different meaning to parents than it does for our children. We deal with the emotional aspect of sending our children off for the day, to navigate the complex social structure of middle school and high school, to be looked after and cared for by people we don't know, simply hoping that all the balls fall into place for happy, healthy learning experience. Sigh. Not sure where I'm going with this. Suffice it to say, my children are growing up and this mama, while proud and happy they are becoming their own individuals...is having issues with saying that one will be graduating in 4 short months. Josh is preparing for back to school on his own this year, not wanting (or needing) his MOTHER to help pick out school supplies and new clothes...chuckling when I offered to go with him.

So while I try to keep emotions and sanity in check, Lane and I concentrate on the must-have's for entering high school...spending an afternoon going through every piece of clothing, shoe, sock, accessory and purse in her closet to see what still makes the cut and what needs to head to the resale shop. Time well spent!



A trip to Plato's Closet was in order and we did very well....! Lane was ecstatic, to say the least. Over the course of 2 days, we spent almost 4 hours perusing the racks and finding, okay, are your ready?? Finding 3 pairs of jeans, 11 shirts, 3 belts and 1 headband (for me..I had to have something too!) to start out the schoolyear. Woot Woot! I am so very thankful Lane loves to shop at this store! We're talking the big name stuff that she drools over (Abercrombie, Hollister, Pink, American Eagle) and I refuse to buy "new", though about half of the new loot still had original tags and we paid a FRACTION of the price.

She even happily did her after-dinner chores without eye-rolling or heavy sighing!



But she still hides when she see's the camera! "Mom, I look terrible ...you better not post these anywhere!"



And in other random bits of Mahoney news...after a few setbacks with potty-training last month, the little sprout has been accident free during the day for awhile and was ready to move past Pull-ups...so over the weekend we headed out and let her pick out big-girl-unders! Minnie and Ariel of course. I wish I had thought to take the camera to the store - her smile couldn't have been wider, she held them in her hands the entire trip back through the store. And on the way home she couldn't resist tearing into one of the packages, I turned around to see new Minnie-unders pulled up her legs to the point where the harness on her carseat blocked them from going any further - the biggest smile on her face!! I tell ya, I should have brought the camera!! What a big day...for all of us. Mommy and Daddy, while so excited for our big girl, were also sad to be putting yet another bit of her "baby-days" behind us.











A few more random bits - of bathtime fun. Because nothing is as wonderful as closing the day with bubbly, sudsy goodness.





Enjoy your week!

What's Old Is New

There are many moments in my childhood that bring a warm feeling and smile to my face, moments that include playing in cardboard boxes leftover from a new washer or refrigerator with my big brother Ron, swinging on my friend Amy's tire swing, riding my bike from morning until dusk through our neighborhood - stopping only briefly for lunch and dinner breaks. Long gone are most of the toys, swings and old bikes from that time...having made way for stereo systems, vanity mirrors and tennis rackets as we moved into our teenage years - as it should be. But there are the rare items that survived, not only my rough and tumble childhood, but many others as well.

This is the doll bed that was made for my Mom (or maybe one of her sisters, the story isn't quite clear) by my Grandpa Dermont "Derby" Thomure. He made the little doll bed and dresser (not shown), which have been passed down to all children, grandchildren, possibly a few cousins and friends since being made with wood scraps so long ago. And to my knowledge, they have not been repaired - with the exception of a new coat of paint here and there - since he made them.



My Mom made the little blanket and pillow set from an old pink comforter set that was MINE as a little girl. This makes me smile - to know that something has been handed down the line Thomure, Gibson, Martin, Hough, Kirnbauer girls for so many years...was played with when Lane was little girl and that it is now a fixture in the little Mahoney girl room. It's a bit rough around the edges...needing a new coat of paint for sure, but I think prying it away from little missy for a few days may prove to be quite the task.





Along with the bed and dresser, my Mom had 3 baby dolls that were Lane's and the tiniest little diaper bag full of those baby doll necessities....all long forgotten over at Grandma's from Lane's baby doll playing days.





We are so lucky to have this family heirloom back for a time, knowing that it will be stored once again down the road, only to be dusted off - probably painted too - for other little girls yet to be born.

Jellyfish and Mushrooms, Oh My!

Sounds like an exotic recipe for disaster, doesn't it? Don't worry, my culinary skills have never been something to brag about - and a jellyfish has certainly never been spoken as a menu item at the Mahoney house, it will all make sense in a moment.

Every evening for the past two hectic weeks we have been at the local pool for Elise's swim lessons - the Jellyfish class. Our little Jellyfish, who has always loved the water! It was wonderful most evenings(we'll skip writing about the two nights she was in a less-than-enthusiastic mood and didn't want to pay attention - would much rather have played the entire class going up and down the steps in the water) ahhh, the loveliness of a two-year old. There were about a dozen kids in the class, just the right amount for the 2 teenage lifeguards - Miss Katie and Mr. Pat, who were incredibly patient with their little charges. We would start each class with a revised version of Ring Around the Rosie...in which "splashes" replaced "ashes" and "we all fall down" became "we all put our ears in the water" and "we all go under"...etc. Cute. At the end of the 2 weeks, little missy was jumping off the edge of the pool and going ALL the way under, kicking, blowing bubbles and even taking 3 leaps off the diving board into the waiting arms of Miss Katie! I was amazed at how quickly she went from just wanting to hold on and bob in the water to wanting to do it "all by mineself". Here are some highlights - thank you Daddy for patiently taking pictures, even though you hate my plum flowered camera strap!



Blowing bubbles.



Singing ring-around-the rosie...



Check out those kicks baby!





Don't worry, these are quick dunks under!





See - there's a smile in there!





Singing the silly monkey song before leaping.









This face is so worth all the rushing home from the office, throwing together some semblance of a meal that we'll call dinner, flinging on bathing suits and sunscreen as we run around trying to find that other flip-flop that never stays with its partner....yes, I'm glad lessons are over for now, but looking back through these pictures makes me anticipate the NEXT round of them (NEXT year - thank you very much)!

Oh, and the Mushrooms you ask?? For reasons unbeknownst to my husband, who fights the war against weeds in our yard like they were some terrorist infiltrating the sacred land. He fertilizes, sprays, spreads some sort of somethin', somethin' on it every few months - and in-between he walks around with this big jug of weed poison hooked up to a plastic gun. And the yard looks great! I'm thankful he knows how to do it, because to me it's just a pain. I'm a flower girl - grass is just a backdrop and I don't care to know how it remains green and weed-free. Anyway, THIS popped up in the backyard last week - it was beautiful!



And then, a few days later, I had this grand idea to have some fun with these statues I found in the Target dollar bins:



Another line on the neighbors ever growing list of why the lady next door is completely crazy, I'm sure! It was HOT and there was only time for a few shots, so maybe they didn't even notice. haha

This quote was posted on a Photography website and it really struck me, so I'm sharing with you - enjoy your week!

"I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it."
- Author Unknown

Sit Back, This May Take Awhile

Hello there stranger, I can't believe it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post! I'm sorry, I've missed you - it will most likely happen again at some point, but for now I vow to try harder and not let time get away from me. There are lists of excuses I could give, but that would be boring - so let me move on.

Lane has been away the past few weeks, traveling between 2 sets of grandparents and her Dad's house, to return yesterday morning. While it's nice to have a break from teen-girl melodrama now and then, it was so nice to see her! I swear her face changes almost daily, between growth spurts and the braces...my head does a double-take to make sure this beautiful girl belongs to me. She was full of stories - of nothing in particular, just relaxing with grandparents and hanging out with friends she has known since toddler-hood. I'm so thankful she has these constants in her life. While she claimed she looked "gross" and wouldn't let me snap any pics of her return home - I did catch this....little missy's raid of big sis's room uncovered these:


JELLY BRACELETS!!



Lane has stacks of them in about 15 different colors, which proved too much for little toddler hands to resist. Lane didn't protest TOO much "as long as she returns them just like she found them"....hmmm...I wonder if she knows just how much she sounded like me at that moment in time!

The 4th of July was fairly low-key this year. We had fun taking little missy to her very first carnival at the St. Charles riverfront with Nana and Papa. The PLAN was to head down early evening, enjoy some carnival rides and games and then snap out a big old blanket to plunk ourselves onto until the fireworks show started. Notice the word PLAN? All was well and good, we headed out after naptime to meet Donna & Dennis at the riverfront. Elise was in awe when we reached the carnival section and wanted to do everything! We spent a small fortune on ride tickets, but drew the line when she pointed to the "Big" rides, you know the ones, the rides that go up, flip, spin, twirl and hopefully stop at relatively the same spot they started (I always wonder how often carnival rides are inspected, WHO puts them together, are they regulated at all??) I can't be the only one thinking this...

At any rate, carnival rides we did!


The first ride of the day - she picked the flying dinosaur (or dragon?) Here Daddy, this is the one I want.



And moved on to TWO carousel rides, because this was the look on her face:



She wanted to hand over the tickets "all by mineself".





And one not-so-enjoyed rollercoaster ride! Really, what was I thinking? Notice look of horror on little missy's face?



And a pit-stop to play duck pond!



Where we won this Princess-wand (or King Triton's septor, as Elise refers to it)...here showing Nana how to cast a spell:



Good thing it's inflatable or poor Nana may have required knee surgery. And MY personal favorite "ride" of the day, the big slide. I love these things, want to own one, talked to Patrick about building one in the backyard...sigh. So not practical, but wouldn't we be the coolest parents on the block?











Silly Papa, trying to steal goldfish!





Prior to the slide adventure, the clouds moved in and the temperature dropped and the wind started whipping through the trees....and if you've lived in St. Louis during the summer, you know what happens next. Brief, but fierce, RAIN. We huddled under a tree (don't say it, I know) Elise in her stroller covered with said big blanket we were to sit on later in the evening, happily eating a snow cone, while the rest of the carnival world ducked under game booths, rides, just about anywhere in a feable attempt to stay dry. Needless to say, we were drenched. Although it felt good after the hot, humid evening, we were UNCOMFORTABLE - and did I mention my sandals were muddy? Well they were, my WHITE sandals that I'm always complimented on when I wear them...okay, so on to Plan B. Nana & Papa invited us over for an impromptu BBQ and on the way, we stopped at an overpriced Fireworks stand to find a few small fireworks for later. Good thing we didn't stick around at the riverfront, seems that little missy was TERRIFIED of fireworks this year. So, my wish to sit on a large blanket and practice taking pictures of the beautiful fireworks on the riverfront was not to be this year. We took turns cuddling on the couch with a tired little girl, watching Shrek and listening to the booms outside. It was a wonderful day...drenched clothes, muddy sandals, no fireworks pictures and all.

The following weekend, July 10, we headed out to Mark Twain's Landing...a little known resort/waterpark in Monroe City, MO that friends Paul and Heather Kelley were going to, along with her son, Paul's brother Dan and his 2 daughters. It was a long drive, but worth the early morning cooler-packing and testy 2 year old in the car once we arrived. There were a few setbacks during the day, not surprising when we miss naptime, but these were short-lived - thank goodness! The older kids were only to be glimpsed during the day, running from one slide to the next, back to the wave pool (Elise's favorite) and then off to the slides again. Sorry, but I didn't get any pics of the wave pool - if someone could please tell me how to balance a 2 year old and an expensive camera without dropping one or both headfirst into the waves, please leave a comment and let me know! But here are a few of the AWESOME toddler pool:






See Heather and Elise through the mist?











Enjoy your week! We're off to swim lessons again this evening, which will be covered in the next post - promise. I'm already sifting through the 87 pictures Daddy took last night.