I am the mom of a teenager



Words can't do my feelings justice today.  I am big time blessed to be this boy's momma.  He is every good adjective rolled into one perfect gift from God.  Sure, he fights with his brother and sister and he may have rolled his eyes at me once or twice but for the most part this boy is golden.  And now he's 13.  My baby boy is 13.  How can that be?!

Happy Birthday to my sweet and sensitive, deep thinking, walking talking dictionary, faster than a speeding bullet running, prankster pulling, "do you need help with that" asking,  xbox playing, steadfastly praying, Bible thumping, early to bed/early to rise like his daddy, blue eyed, beautiful inside and out, determined as can be, "I will change the world someday," baby boy! I LOVE YOU, GDog!

© 2013 paperdoll designs Please don't be shy!! I'd love to hear your comments!

Feeling so grateful...

***This post was originally written for yesterday but with all the heartache in Oklahoma, I decided to postpone it.  Now looking over it, I realize how blessed I am to have spent these little moments with my kids.  I know I often complain about how busy things get with three kids and all their activities but after watching the news over the past few days it puts it all in perspective.  I need to cherish each of these moments...

May is always a super busy month for us and this past weekend was no exception.  Here's a little instagram/phone dump weekend in review.

 We started the weekend off with our final Fountain Drink Friday of the school year.  This is the last week of Kindergarten, 4th grade and 6th grade for the Jameison Party of Five.  Once again, another school year has flown by and I can't believe it's over!

 We are NOT a "fest" family and we were so busy this weekend but we found out mid-week that G had artwork at Mayfest so we squeezed in a little trip downtown.  We searched and searched, had a very disappointing crepe experience and spent a fortune on ice cream and thanks to a text from my friend Julie, we finally found the right building.  Here's Graham outside the LOCKED door.  We were hours too late.

 Nathan and Graham got up and went back the next morning while I got Nora all dolled up for her dance recital.  I took a picture of her in the car...

 struttin' her stuff on the way in...

with her parentals...

but failed to take a single cute pic of her dancing or by herself posing in her usual sassy dance pose.  Dance Recital Fail.  Better luck next year.

 

After the recital we did a little family birthday dinner with the addition of one of her friends that I think has been at every birthday dinner since they were 4!

My favorite part of the weekend was that Nora asked if she could have a "sleepover" with me for her birthday.  XOXOXO.  Of course, I said yes and kicked Nathan out.

Sunday was her actual birthday and we did another round of birthday cake with extended family.  

It was a fun weekend but we were all exhausted.  Here's how Charlie felt about the whole thing: 

© 2012 paperdoll designs

Instagram/Phone Photos Week in Review

It's been a BUSY week!   The last few weeks of school always make me a little cRaZy and I think I'm still recovering from Camp Charlie!  I'm so excited to be taking next week off of work so I can just concentrate on my little darlings and all that they have accomplished this year.  I think there are parties and/or awards ceremonies going on EVERYDAY next week. 

My Mother's Day was awesome. 

We went to church...the kids dressed themselves in color coordinating clothes (not on purpose but what a treat for a picture day)...we got a decent picture with me in it to prove someday that they had a mom.  I'm never in pictures because I'm always the one taking them!

 

 They got me the wallet I'd had my eye on!  I heart it!!  Isn't it pretty?

It was a beautiful day!  We spent a lot of time outside. 

I cut some roses from our rose bush...

 We do not have green thumbs here so this is an accomplishment!!

 

We had to take down the tent.  I was sad to see it go.  I thought it was fun having a tent in the backyard and the kids loved it.  It was funny to watch Nathan try to get that huge tent back into that little bag though.

 

 The 6th Grade Awards Ceremony was this week.  My heart hurts that this boy is going to be in 7th grade next year.  He is growing up way too fast!! 

He's really grown up this year...right before my eyes.  He's turning into such an amazing young man.  I've really loved watching him take off in middle school.  He's gained so much confidence this year and really grown spiritually.  He's awesome.  He's our little scholar so imagine our surprise AND HIS when they announced that he was the 6th grade boy chosen to have artwork at Mayfest this year!!  So we are off to Mayfest this weekend to find his art.  So proud that maybe he has a little creative gene in there somewhere!!  He gets all his math skills from his dad but just maybe there's a little of me in there somewhere!!

 

The week was so busy and filled with so many activities that I did most of my PaperDolly work in the wee hours or in the car.  I did my books in the school parking lot waiting for the kids.

 

I'm feeling a lot stressed as we head into dance recital/Mayfest/Nora's birthday/middle school finals/kindergarten graduation/last week of school.  I'm SO ready for summer!!!

 

That's my instagram/phone photo week in review.

Follow me on instagram if you want to see all this exciting news as it happens live :) Haha!

mypaperdolldesigns on instagram

© 2012 paperdoll designs

Soccer Mom

I recently found my zoom lens for my camera.  It had been hiding in my office behind boxes of envelopes.  I decided to snap some pics of my favorite way to spend my Saturdays.

I LOVE being on the soccer fields watching my number 99.  I really do LOVE being a soccer mom.   I grew up on the sidelines of soccer fields watching my dad and my brothers play and although I am sure I complained about it back then, I love it now.  I am not a sit-in-a-chair-soccer-mom.  I am a pace-the-sidelines-and-yell-a-little-soccer-mom.  I shock myself when I realize I am yelling.  It's unlike me to yell in public.  I don't yell crazy, mean, who's that lady screaming kind of things.  I just cheer.  Loudly.  And try to coach a little.  Speaking of the coach...he's hot.

The Baker...with his coaching face on.

 

So proud of this boy!  Go Mustangs!

 



© 2012 paperdoll designs

We had a birthday party and I never even blogged about it!!!

I can't believe I never mentioned it in advance but we had a Birthday Party on Sunday!! Graham's birthday is on September 4th and two of his best friends (twins) have a birthday in July so we decided to do a joint swimming party. It's the big number 10 so I knew they were too old for cutesy and my friend and co-host said she wanted a laid back not a lot of prep work party. It practically killed me to not go overboard but I think I contained myself pretty well.

I might have jumped up and down and screamed a little bit after I picked up the cupcakes. They were EXACTLY what I wanted and tasted yummy too. I ordered them from Simply Sweet by Carlene. I misplaced her card with her website but as soon as I figure it out I will come back and link her up here.The party favors were diet coke 2-liters with a geyser tube and a pack of Mentos. The diet coke "explodes" when you drop the Mentos in. If you watch Myth Busters, you know what I'm talking about. Super fun party favor for 10 year old boys!!!

© 2010 paperdoll designs

"I Very Love You!"

Today while riding in the car Charlie suddenly said "I very love you Mommy." Are you kidding me?? That's what being a mommy is all about...
He started school last week. He loved it. He got in a little trouble for not being quiet at nap time on the second day. Because he's my third child, I laughed. If Graham had gotten in trouble on the 2nd day of school I would have consulted every parenting book I could find and would have determined immediately that he had severe behavior issues. Wait...I did do that when Graham was little!

Graham definitely caused some trouble in his preschool years. I could tell LOTS of stories about this one. He's grown out of it. I may be biased but I'm thinking he's probably one of the most well behaved almost 9 year olds EVER. I'm sure one of these days Charlie will grow out of it too.

© 2009 paperdoll designs

What will the Easter Bunny bring you???

Smencils and Bookmarks make great Easter Basket goodies!

Charlie's first REALLY BIG SNOW...Oklahoma weather is crazy!!!

© 2009 paperdoll designs

So I won't forget...

The other day Graham got in the car after school holding his new library book. He very seriously said "Mom, my book has bad words in it." I was thinking, surely not. He must be confused. He explained that he wasn't sure if he should tell me out loud what they were because his little brother and sister were in the car. I said to tell me what it started with. To my shock, he said "F, U." My head started racing and I wondered how in the world I was going to explain this and why did he know that it was bad anyway and how in the world did that end up in a library book. Then he very quietly said "Fat, Ugly." Thank God. Am I being too strict that my 8 year old thinks "fat" and "ugly" are seriously bad words?

This reminded me of a funny store though. When he was very little he was sitting in the floor doing an alphabet puzzle. Suddenly he jumped up and started screaming "Where's the F n' G?" I died laughing because it sounded so funny coming out of the mouth of a baby. Of course, we don't talk that way around here! He was missing the letter F and the letter G!

And one more potty mouth story...

Before Charlie was born we were considering naming him Finn. One day I was giving the kids baths and noticed the towel hooks that were hanging in the bathroom. We had an "N" for Nora and a "G" for Graham. If we named the baby Finn, we would have an F N G. I decided right then that we would NOT be naming him Finn.

I don't have a potty mouth...I promise.

The 8th Birthday in Review

I think we are FINALLY done celebrating Graham's birthday. Not that I didn't enjoy his month long birthday celebration...in fact, I'm thinking this year I may celebrate my birthday Graham style. Check out those guitar donuts...I LOVE THEM! So cute! Check out that Birthday Boy! Even cuter!!!

The Big 8!

Remember SoakFest '08? Well, that was just a tease. We decided that the beginning of the school year is always crazy so we went ahead and had Graham's wild birthday party a month early. Graham's REAL birthday is TOMORROW. My sweet-not-so-little-anymore baby boy will be 8! I know what you're thinking. Bad mommy - you're having an Open House on your baby's birthday? Shameful! Well, I okayed it with him before and he is fine with it. Really, he is. He has soccer practice anyway. That's what I just love about Graham. He's so easy going and so sweet. He's my peacemaker and my rule follower and my little genius. He's got the biggest heart and I just LOVE him! I think he's actually loving this month long birthday celebration. He got a birthday party back then, we had a little family get together last weekend, we're having Birthday Breakfast tomorrow at the crack, he'll have a class birthday party tomorrow AND I'll be taking him a special birthday lunch to school AND then I'm sure we'll do something special with our little party of 5 family on Friday after the Open House chaos has passed. STILL, with all that, I'm feeling a little guilty. But he promises he's okay with it.
I'm also feeling a little old. It can't be that I have an 8 year old! I think it was just yesterday that we brought this blue eyed blonde home from the hospital wondering how the dark haired dark eyed two of us created such a thing! It seems like just the other day I met and fell in LOVE with "the boy with the perfect hair" at OU. Right before that I was making midnight Taco Bell runs with a car full of sorority sisters listening to The Wake or some other early 90's music. Right before that I was working my big hair and riding in the Rocky or camping out for Garth Brooks tickets. Can I really have an 8 year old??? I do...and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HIM!
Speaking of Graham - I think a birthday giveaway is just what we need! Come to the Back To School Open House and enter the drawing to win 50 Glossy Mini Cards. They will be perfect for Christmas Cards!!! For those of you that can't make it, leave my sweet Graham a birthday wish and I will let him pick a winner. The Blog winner will recieve a personalized placemat OR a set of personalized note cards. Winner's choice!

My sweet babies were on TV!!

Now that has nothing to do with pretty paper but I was so excited I had to share! Their American Idol (Alaina Whitaker - who got robbed...don't get me started) came back to school today and while my little girl was filmed singing about how much she loved her, my little boy was filmed shoving other kids aside to get her autograph. I'm proud of him...it may be worth something someday! Enough about that...Look at these pretty plates! Now they took over two weeks to get here (ugh!) but I think they were worth it!!!

Hippie Chic Blue Plate - $20
Blue, Chocolate & Ivory Stripe
Tatum Purple
More Sports Bottles! I LOVE making these! They all turn out so pretty!

Golf Sports Bottle, Pink Dotty with Flip Flops, Purple Rugby Tennis, Blue/Red Rugby Baseball

$12 each