Plague On the House of Barker & Folly Gras

The Barker Four Blog came to a screeching halt for nearly two weeks due to sickness, sickness, sickness. Chapel had pneumonia, Eli had a stomach bug (twice) and Jude ran a 104 fever for 6 days courtsey of a bacterial infection that did not respond to the first round of antibiotics. Arrggh, having sick kids is the worst. You feel so sorry for them and everything just stops until they are better. Conor, who I think is just too busy to get sick, was the only kiddo that avoided the plague (knock on wood). So thank goodness everyone is now feeling A-OK and we had the chance to enjoy a beautiful weekend on Folly Beach.

FB hosted its annual Folly Gras parade this weekend and in typical Folly fashion, it was packed full of rowdy islanders, a parade that showcased golf carts and drag queens and some good old fashioned family fun. We invited some friends of ours to join us and the kids all had a grand old time. Being well again is -----well, it's pretty awesome.

Some parade spectacles....

Eli with his doubloon.

And my favorite photo op in a long time. All of the kids sitting are mine and my friend Jen's. She also has twins. How crazy that between 2 women, we have all these kids???? People were walking by and taking pictures of this cute group. Sno Cones were the only thing that kept them still.

Valentines - It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times

Today was Valentines Day and there is a little good news and some bad news as well. The good news is Chapel, Conor and Jude all got to take their creations to school to share with friends. The bad news is Eli was sick and I had to drop his off. And then the other bad news is that Chapel got sick at school and had to come home early. And the final bit of bad news is that I forgot to take pictures of Chapel and Eli's valentines before they were given out (probably due to the crazy morning). But the good news is that I did get pictures of Conor and Jude's valentine, and I also took some pictures of all the goodies they brought home. And fortunately Chapel was able to exchange cards with her classmates before she came home. Happy V-Day everyone - hope your day was awesome.

Conor and Jude's Vday Card.

Conor decorated Princess Valentines and Jude decorated Scooby Doo cards before putting them in ziploc with hershey kisses. Then we stapled this little collage across the top.

Eli and Chapel's were the same. Except Eli put Tron cards in his ziploc and Chapel put sparkly hearts and stickers in her. Here is the collage of each that was stapled on top. I am really disappointed I did not get a picture of the finished product. :(

Chapel decorated this box and took it to school for the valentines she received. So very cute and creative.

And here is Conor and Jude's loot. They were so excited when I picked them up from school today. It was their first time exchanging valentines.

Can You Guess?

What these itms could possibly have in common???

That's right, Valentine's Day is right around the corner and the kids and I have been busy for over a week working on the awesome cards they plan to hand out at school on Monday. I will post the finished product on V-Day itself. Until then, did these pictures give you an idea?

Do You Remember?

When you went to school?

And you played in centers?

And you made cute arts and crafts for your parents?

And PE was very much a part of your day?

And you got to present class projects?

And you got to go on field trips with your parents as chaperones?

And maybe you did not have dance but perhaps music that allowed you to express your artistic side?

And of course, science lab, where cool experiments taught you how the world works?

Maybe you do remember some of these, maybe these pictures jog some memories. With my kids, I get to relive school everyday. And I remember how exciting it was to learn, see my friends, and how much I loved my teachers. And these days, I am remembering what it was like to have homework every night - no pictures of that because no one really likes homework!

The Infamous Words of CoCo Chanel...

... are lost upon these two. "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off" does not even register. As a matter of fact, Conor and Jude just seem to pile on the accessories - and somehow manage to be super cute while doing it. This morning's attire for school (and they are very serious about their presentation) was borderline "campy" according to Robert. Whatever, they were soooo cute.

Jude:

Skinny grey jeans, chunky sweater, cowboy boots, button down white shirt, grey scarf and parasol that says Chapel.

Conor:

Sparkly Hello Kitty earrings, pink cowgirl boots, jumper with turtle neck, pink scarf and a hello kitty umbrella.

I can already predict that these two will be drama club members in high school. Check out how serious they are about working the look while walking to the car.

Second Home

Thank goodness Robert lives near both SPROUT and the kids schools. His house really has become a second home to me, although I doubt he would be as quick to call it the same. Several days a week I hang out there between pick-ups and drop-offs, nap times, work hours, etc. It is both convenient and cozy and there is wireless internet, snacks, toys, sippy cups and diapers he stocks for my kids - you get the picture.

This past Sunday, Brett had to work on taxes at the store and it was such a warm day I wanted the kids to burn some energy outdoors. So off to Uncle RaRa's we go. To give you a sign of the times, they were at first a little bored. "There is no playground." So I encouraged them to use their imagination and this is what they came up with...... a blueberry pie. Made in a frisbee from dirt and some (probably poisonous) berries they picked from a bush.

After boring of this game, Robert invited them to play in the leaves he was raking. And then the fun really started. I don't remember ever being this excited over leaves, do you???