The Big Game!!!

Jon-Mical's Big Game!!!

www.mikecourtney.blogspot.com

Who you with?!?!

We had a GREAT weekend! Friday night my dad brought some of his Mississippi friends into town to play golf. My brother, Carra, and two of their friends also came into town. They all went the next day to watch Vandy beat the absolute CRAP out of Ole Miss... I don't get to say that too often about Vandy... it feels good!!! Anyway, they all came over on Friday night and I cooked for 10 people. Whew! Actually most of it was grilled food, so Josh did the brunt of the work and MAN did he do a great job! The meal was great and the company was even better! We all had fun! Sunday was a pretty lazy day for The Courtney's. Jakson was up at about 3:30am, and so by the time Josh and I got him back to sleep we decided that we were going to sleep in as well. We layed around in our PJ's until about lunch time and then the four of us went to the Greenway! We had a GREAT time qwalking, jogging, throwing rocks in the water, and looking for animals! What a gorgeous day!!! We came home from the Greenway and I took Jon-Mical to Kroger. By the time we made it back, we decided to let Jon-Mical skip a nap and the four of us spent the rest of the day on the deck, listening to misic and playing with cars (or course). I do not know of a time when we were more in need of a relaxing, great weekend! It was wonderful and I am thankful for every minute of it. Now it is Monday again... and we have A LOT of stuff going on. Jon-Mical has THREE baseball games this week (A little much for a 3 year old???), and my work schedule is packed... Thank God for weekends. Here are 2 pics... 

Is Jesus a Pirate???

I love the fact that Jon-Mical is in school. I love that he comes home every day spouting off random information that he learns in school. I love that he is such a good listener... most of the time... so the facts are usually dead-on and amaze me and Josh. He literally walks in the door every day with new knowledge. He is a little questioning sponge! The other day, however, he got his facts a little mixed up...

The other day Jon-Mical walked into the kitchen and told me that when people die we put them in the ground. (Now, I am all about Jon-Mical learning the facts of life, but I did kind of want to shield him from some of the more harsh things that we all eventually have to learn. I like the fact that right now, he thinks the world is perfect. He does not (did not) know about death or sickness or pain or hurt or disease, etc.. I, honestly, without the risk of sheltering him, want to keep him as innocent as I can for as long as I can!) Anyway, apparently at school he learned a little bit about death. He said that when people and animals die we put them in the ground. Then he said that Jesus swoops down (maybe like Superman???) and takes the dead people out of the ground and they become His treasure! I see where Jon-Mical's teacher is going with this... buried treasure... buried people... Jesus' buried treasure. It is a neat and age-appropriate concept of death and after-life... eexxcceepptt for the fact that many of these kids watch a very popular TV show called, "Jake and the Neverland Pirates." So here is how the rest of the conversation went...

Jon-Mical told me that when people die we bury them in the ground and then Jesus swoops down and digs them up... along with the gold doubloons... and takes them to Heaven to be His treasure! HA HA!!!

So, my mom recently had a pet that died, and they buried him in the ground. Jon-Mical is convinced that he is down there with gold doubloons around him and that Jesus is going to take His buried treasure to Heaven.

Kids... :)

Happy Wednesday!!!

Happy Wednesday!!! Well, I don't really have any breaking news. Life is just rolling along here at the Courtney house! Jon-Mical is out of town visiting his SuSu... He is having a great time with SuSu and Wayne, but we are DYING without him! He is going to the fair, going to see The Smurfs, climbing all over tractors, riding four-wheelers, throwing rocks in the creek, staying up late, and eating junk food.... and he has only been there 2 days! He is staying until Friday. The house is SO quiet! I put his toys away and they STAY THERE! I thought it would be nice, but it is awful! I am picturing how it is going to be when my babies are in college and the house stays clean and I only have half the laundry... wow! I guess I am getting a little ahead of myself... sigh...

Josh and I are enjoying watching something other than Curious George and Team Umizoomi, though! Jakson goes to bed around 7:00 and so Josh and I have all these big plans every night. We are going to rent movies or go out to eat or get some yard work done... not happening. Every night we put Jakson to bed and lay down on the couch and are both out by 8:00... At least we are getting caught up on our sleep! :)

Jakson is growing up SO quickly! He is sitting up and he LLOOVVEESS to eat! He is definitely my kid! Here are some cute pictures...

New School for all!

Well, this is going to be a crazy school year if it continues on the way it started! We are all in transition this year... Josh has left youth ministry and is now a Biology teacher at Lavergne High School. The first day of school was pretty good for him, but Josh is such a perfectionist that this entire first year (new students, new curriculum, new lesson plans and rules, etc.) is going to make for many hours in and out of school. I am now at Central Magnet School which is a challenging move for me. I left some very good friends and am sad about that, but I like the challenge of a new job. I am learning (and drowning some days) but overall it seems like it was a good move! Jon-Mical is also at a new school. He is now attending First United Methodist Preschool. He was at Belle Air Baptist Mother's Day Out last year and loved it. I know that most parents say this, but it seems that he was just a little ahead. We don't want to push him scholastically, but we also want him to learn new things. First United Methodist is an accredited preschool that is 5 days a week. I think that he will fit in well here and really love it. He started two days ago and really likes his teachers and his new friends.

Jon-Mical has also started T-Ball this fall. I know that he is young and it seems early, but we wanted him to get some fundamentals down before next spring (when it gets serious!). :-) He LOVES it! He is the only 3 year old on the team and is (by far) the worst, but he doesn't know and really has fun at every practice. His mom and dad, however, are cringing and BITING THEIR TONGUES. He looks SO CUTE in his little baseball pants and cleats... he will look so cute at every game just sitting there on the bench in his little baseball outfit... Ha! Here are some recent pics. The are on my phone and not that great, but you can see his classroom and first day of school outfit! :)

Jon-Mical also really likes to cook! I am sure it is because he has watched his mother slave away in the kitchen every single night making gourmet dinners for her loving family... oooor because there is a kitchen at school that he plays with. Well, whatever the reason, he loves to cook and wants to help me! He made a pizza ALL BY HIMSELF the other night...

Uuuugggghhhhh.....

I know that I am harping on this whole summer-being-over thing, but tonight I am seriously sick to my stomach. We have had such a wonderful summer. I really like my job, but I can't believe that we are back to the days of someone else practically raising my children... I HATE the fact that I see my kids for a few minutes in the morning (while we are all frantically trying to get ready and get out the door) and then for a few hours at night... We all get home around 4:00. Jakson goes to bed at 6:45... This means that I have two hours and forty-five minutes to spend as much quality time with him as possible WHILE straightening up the house, cooking dinner, doing laundry, laying out clothes for the next day, playing with Jon-Mical, and bath time...Thank God that Jon-Mical can stay up a little longer for some snuggle time. 


I know that most people go through this. I look back to my childhood and both of my parents worked. We went to a babysitter all summer long as well... I look back at my childhood with many fond memories, so I know that the kids will be fine... but I am not fine! I would LOVE to find some kind of job where I could work from home. I know that I see my kids more than some parents who even work throughout the summer, so I know that I should not be complaining, but I am selfish, I guess... 


Anyway, I know that I am just having a little breakdown because I have started back this week and because Jon-Mical has been with SuSu and Wayne all week (having a blast)... I know that I will be fine, but I HATE that other people get to spend more time with my kids than I do... this is not right. (At least it is mostly MiMi and Poppy C, who I know love them almost as much as I do...)


SIGH.....


Here are a few recent pics... 

Summer is coming to an end???

Well, despite the temperature, my summer is coming to an end... sigh... For such an uneventful summer, it has been GREAT! I have had so much fun playing every day with my two boys. I have been trying to blog/document everything that is going on, but I am finding it hard to think of anything blog-worthy... I feel like my blog every day would read, "Well, today we woke up, played in the living room while eating breakfast, cleaned the house, ate lunch while watching Curious George, the kids napped and I cleaned or caught up on my DVR, played a little more, Josh came home, played a little more, (maybe) ventured outside, cooked dinner, ate, played, bathed, went to bed..." That is pretty much our daily routine. I would have loved to have been outside all summer long and I feel like I have been a horrible mother to Jon-Mical, but Jakson is just miserable in this heat! He is whiny and makes us all cranky, so we just play inside. 
Anyway, there have been a few moments worth documenting...


Jon-Mical got a super-short, big boy haircut. I don't like it very much! I just love the shaggy look...

My mom came to visit and help me out for the week that Josh was gone on his mission trip. We, of course, went to Camino Real...

Jakson is just growing and changing every day! He is SO CLOSE to sitting up all by himself! I do NOT want to wish his life away, but I am very ready for this to happen. I know that this will make my life a lot easier!

Yesterday we did have a little excitement... The four of us were sitting/playing/talking on our bed when Josh got home from work. Jakson was lying on the bed and Jon-Mical was playing with Mater (of course) and he "drove" Mater right into the side of Jakson's head. Jakson immediately SCREAMED and we scooped him up and were tending to him when I looked over and noticed that Jon-Mical is crying SO BADLY and trying not to... He was pitiful! I know that it was an accident and he felt so badly about it! He kissed Jakson and told him that he was sorry, but I actually felt more sorry for Jon-Mical than Jakson! 

Jon-Mical is such a good sleeper! We have a such a good routine at bedtime and nap time. We take him upstairs and talk about the day that we had, say our prayers and each say something that we are thankful for, and then kisses and lights out... Jon-Mical never complains. He tells us goodnight and rolls over and goes to bed... We are very blessed to have it this easy, I know... So yesterday we were playing in his Thomas tent and nap time rolled around. I suggested that he take a nap in his tent... he, of course, loved the idea... it went well!

Lastly... Josh is not going to like this part, but I thought it was funny! Jon-Mical is very intrigued by my make-up drawer... I guess it is the brushes, colors, tweezers, "paints", etc. He always asks me what it is all for and I tell him that it helps Mommy look pretty. He is fascinated. So, today he asked if he could play with it... I thought that maybe if he played with it, it would eliminate some of the mystery or whatever it is about this freakin' drawer! So, I let him play with it. He pulled his potty bench over to the mirror and I let him put on some of it... I was right! He played for about a minute and then was ready to go in the other room and play... I did get to snap a few pics to embarrass him in a few years!