Wade's World

All About Anderson

2012-02-01T05:23:00.002-06:00

My sweet Anderson is still having a rough time. He’s doing better, but he has a terrible cough. He was coughing bad enough that he went back to the doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with an ear infection and given prescriptions for steroids and breathing treatments. We gave him the first breathing treatment last night and he hated it! He is breathing better this morning, so I know it helped him. Unfortunately for him, the more he cries and fusses during the treatment, the deeper the medicine gets into his lungs. It’s hard to see him so upset and crying over something, but on the whole, his fussing is actually better for him right now because it will help him breathe better after the treatment.

Personality wise Anderson has gotten spoiled rotten over the past few days. He wants to be held all the time, and if you put him down to play he looks at you like, “What do you think you are doing? I’m supposed to be in your lap!” He is refusing to sleep in his crib at night and for right now we are letting him get his way and sleep in our room. It’s not going to be like this for long, but Jeremy and I both know that we will cross that bridge when he is feeling better. It’s not worth the battle right now when he’s still sick. We’re just going to love on him and cuddle with him as much as he likes, and we’ll figure out everything else later.

That’s it for today. Y’all have a great day!

The Definition Of Pitiful

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Anderson was admitted to the hospital Thursday for dehydration due to a viral infection. He was a pitiful little boy. He was lethargic, and was so dehydrated that he didn’t even have enough fluid in his body to make tears or drool, and his veins were collapsing. It was horrible. I haven’t been through a virus this bad as a parent, and I hope to goodness that we never have to go through this again. We never did figure out what was wrong with him, other than a viral infection, and Anderson was discharged Saturday. He’s doing better, but he’s still a long way to being his normal, sunny self. He’s a few pictures from the past few days.

Just got his iv and was sleeping. Pretty pitiful, huh?

Sitting in baby jail, aka the crib.

Friday morning his eyes were so swollen from the iv fluids. He looked so sick.

Friday afternoon he was very puffy but looked perkier.

Saturday morning right before he was released.

It’s been a long few days and I’m exhausted. Over the course of two days and nights at the hospital I think I slept a total of 7 hours. Anderson was a trooper during his stay, but we’re all worn slap out. Please say a prayer for sweet Anderson that he’ll be back to normal soon. Love y’all!

24 Hours Later

2012-01-27T12:45:00.003-06:00

Anderson has now been in the hospital for 24 hours. He is doing better, but he is still a puny little boy. We finally (just now) got him to take a bottle. It was his first bottle since 4:00 on Wednesday afternoon. He's had 2 jars of baby food, but he did run a low grade fever a little while ago, and just a few minutes ago had a very bad, loose diaper.

Fingers crossed that he's well enough to go home soon. I would love to go home today, but I just want to be 100% sure that he is better before we get sent home. I don't want to hurry home to just have to have him get sick again and then come back. I would rather him get completely well before we go home.

So prayers are still greatly appreciated for our sweet Anderson. I'll update again later.

Prayers For Anderson

2012-01-26T17:57:00.003-06:00

Anderson got admitted to the hospital today around lunchtime. He had thrown up a few times last night and by this morning he still wasn't taking his bottle or eating anything. Add that to a pretty bad cough and congestion and we knew he was a sick little guy. Jeremy took him to the doctor at 9 and much to our suprise she decided to admit him for IV hydration. He has tested negative for RSV, strep and the flu, and Dr. D was pretty much stumped at what else might be going on. Better to be safe than sorry with such a small baby, so she felt like we needed to have some further precautions taken. We have been at the hospital since noon and he got his IV about 3:00 this afternoon. So far he has only had 2 really wet diapers since last night around 8:00, and the poor little guy was so dehydrated that he had to be stuck 3 times to get a line that would work. When he was getting his IV he didn't even have tears to cry.

Overall he's pretty pitiful right now. He's fussy and irratable and just one sick little fella. After one bag of IV fluids he is now crying tears again, so that's a good thing. I graduated from HS with his nurse, and she's taking good care of us. I ran home long enough to pack some stuff for tonight and now I'm about to head back to the hospital. Please keep Anderson in your prayers for speedy recovery. We truly appreciate it. Much love!!

A Scary Turn Of Events

2012-01-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

We got home late after karate class on Tuesday night and we got Jackson into the shower when we got home. Anderson was smelling a little bit like sour milk, so we put him into the garden tub while Jackson was taking his shower. Everything was going fine and then in a blink it all changed.

Jackson got out of the shower and Jeremy was drying him off while I still had Anderson in the tub. Jeremy and Jackson were playing a game and about to run to Jackson’s room to get his pajamas and I guess the bottom of Jackson’s feet were a little wet. He took off running and didn’t make it more than a few feet when his feet went out from under him and he slammed his face into the bathroom floor. He started wailing and literally by the time Jeremy grabbed him up off the ground he had a huge goose egg on his forehead. I was panicked; it was a big blue knot about the size of a half dollar in seconds and Jackson was hurting so bad.

I grabbed Anderson out of the tub and sat him butt naked on the bathroom rug and then ran for some Tylenol for Jackson and an ice pack. I had Jackson in my lap and then made a call to the pediatrician to see what to do. I know that when there is a head injury you want to see a bump on the outside because if you can’t see it, then the bump is on the inside of the head, which is not good.

She called back after a few minutes and we had done everything right. Jackson has a nice knot on his head today, but he’s fine.

It’s moments like this in parenting that partly explain why I have a head full of grey hair. I don’t guess it will get any better!

For The 5 People Who Might Want To Watch This

2012-01-24T05:23:00.006-06:00

The Song That Never Ends

2012-01-23T06:00:00.002-06:00

"Welcome to winter with 2 kids."

That's what I was thinking when Jackson woke up Sunday morning with a terrible cough. He had a very mild and random cough Saturday, but by Sunday morning it was completely different. I was changing Anderson's diaper when Jackson walked out of his room and immediately he started coughing so hard that I thought he was going to throw up. It wasn't a regular cough either; it was very croupy sounding, and what scared me more was the fact that when he quit coughing he was still gasping for air. He has seasonal related asthma, mostly just wheezing, but he has never had an asthma attack. That's what I was afraid was about to happen. He had gotten pretty upset by the coughing and I got him calmed down and gave him some puffs off of his inhaler and a dose of Mucinex cough medicine.

After a few minutes he was feeling better, but he was not a happy camper when I told him that we were going to Primed as soon as it opened up. He is terrified of getting shots, but I was fairly certain that he had bronchitis and wouldn't need a shot.

We packed up and headed to Primed by 8 and after an xray and strep test it was determined that he had bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection. He was given a breathing treatment and we were on our way by 9:30.

Between Anderson's ear infection problems and now Jackson's bronchitis and upper respiratory infection, spring can't come too soon!

It Was Destiny

2012-01-20T05:46:00.001-06:00

I logged into Facebook last night and saw this on my timeline:

I knew we were meant to be friends!

18 years ago, way back in 1994, I watched her dance the most beautiful talent that I think has ever been done in the Miss America pageant. We had happened to video tape the pageant and after I saw her talent (and she won!) I watched that video over and over.

I danced ballet for 15 years and I was in awe of how someone who couldn’t even hear the music could dance like that. She was amazing! Us both being from Alabama probably didn’t help my stalker rating, because y’all, I was all about Heather Whitestone that year.

So this past Saturday night when I was watching the Miss America pageant I typed her name into the Facebook search engine and saw:

1. Her page wasn’t private.

2. She doesn’t have a million Facebook fans like a lot of “celebrity” types do.

3. She actually responds to people on her page and seems so genuine.

So I sent her a friend request and I was rather surprised when she actually accepted it. Squee!!!

For me, being friends with this Miss America on Facebook is like a Catholic getting a friend request accepted from the Pope. You just really don’t think it would happen. I’m thisclose to sending her a private message and suggest we meet for a double date with our hubbies.

Dinner with Miss America really trumps a Facebook friend accept, dontcha think?

A Friendly Reminder From The Resident 5 Year Old

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

Tuesday evening it was pouring when I went to pick up the boys from daycare. I was already frazzled because I realized that I had a hole in the bottom of my work boots and my trouser socks were soaked. Add wet feet to the fact that it was freezing outside meant that I was not in the best of moods as I was trying to load the kids into the car. Our daycare has room for one car under the awning and I was trying to hurry and get the bags into the car, juggle an umbrella that was not worth the trouble, buckle Anderson into the car seat and attempt to stay dry. I was moving as fast as I could and asked Jackson for what had to be the 5th time to please get into the car.

I walked around to his side of the car to see what in the world was taking him so long and I see Jackson jumping around in a huge mud puddle splashing away. His shoes were absolutely soaked and I was not happy. I quickly asked him, “What in the world do you think you are doing?”

Without missing a beat, my sweet 5 year old said, “I’m jumping in a mud puddle, Mom. I’m a kid. This is what I’m supposed to do.”

Score 1 for the kid.

5 Baby Products I Wish Existed

2012-01-17T05:55:00.001-06:00

Seriously, is that not the cutest kid ever?

Now that we’re back to parenting a baby again, as opposed to a pretty self reliant 5 year old, I’ve decided that someone needs to get on the ball and invent a few products that would fly off the shelves if they actually existed. These are a few of my dream list baby items:

Baby socks that actually stay on. We’ve yet to find any socks that we’re not constantly pulling back onto his feet. Also needed, socks that don’t get lost in the dryer.
Bibs that absorb drool and spit up as opposed to just letting it sit on the surface of the bib and stink to high heaven.
Toys that self sanitize when they hit the floor of a doctors office during cold and flu season.
Diapers that sound off alarm bells when your baby actually poops in their diaper instead of just passing gas. Anderson is wearing tons of footed outfits right now and having to take them off for every false alarm is getting old.
At home otoscopes so you an check your kid for ear infections at home instead of taking them back to the doctor. Again.

Now I just need someone to get busy and invent some of these things. I’m too busy parenting!

Wedding Dress Challenge

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

I was flipping through Red Book magazine the other day and saw a story about the Wedding Dress Challenge and I decided to give it a try. The challenge isn’t necessarily about fitting back into your wedding dress, but working towards something that gives you a set bench mark whether it is your wedding dress or a little black dress that you haven’t fit into in years. The challenge is running from now until June.

I’m going to put it all out there and tell y’all that I’ve been married for 10 years now, and I’m about 17 pounds heavier than I was when we got married. Granted, I’ve had 2 kids, but I’ve lost all my baby weight and then some. I don’t have any excuses for these last 17 pounds.

So I’m going to do my best to watch what I’m eating and get motivated to lose these last 17 pounds, and see if I can fit back into my wedding dress.

What do I have to lose by trying, other than a few pounds?

Weekly Confessions

2012-01-13T05:11:00.001-06:00

I paid my speeding ticket the other day. Believe me, that’s a $200 lesson that won’t be forgotten.
I’m a little behind the times, but I watched Water for Elephants last week and immediately had to order the book on my Kindle. It was so good. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. Consider yourself warned though that there are a few times when the circus didn’t have enough money to buy food for the meat eating animals, and the other circus animals became breakfast. Poor little goats!
Jackson got his 2nd report card yesterday and he did so good. It’s hard to believe that he’s reading already. Gone are the days when I could just spell something out so he wouldn’t know what we are talking about. Now he just sounds the letters out and figures the word out. So proud of him, but that really cramps my sneaky parenting methods.
Winter has finally arrived in the south. Yesterday was a high of 45 with winds up to 25mph. Cold!!! I prefer 70 degrees with a comfortable breeze. 25 mph winds are a far cry from comfortable breezes.
I absolutely love going on vacation and I’m all about ordering travel guides. I got a travel guide in the mail this week to somewhere we will be visiting in May and I’m super excited. I can’t say where it is just yet, but it does involve an airplane. Yay! I love traveling on airplanes. Jackson found out about this trip (which he won’t be going on) and was less than happy. He told me, “Well, I’m just gonna go anyway.” It’s good to know that I’m raising a small version of myself as far as attitude is concerned.

That’s it for me today. Y’all need to confess anything?

Magical Advice For The Magic Kingdom

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

We’re planning on taking our first family trip to Disney this year, and to be quite frank, it’s absolutely terrifying. This is the first vacation I’ve planned where I know I’m going to be exhausted by the time it is over. Jeremy and Jackson have never been to Disney, and the last time I went to Magic Kingdom was 20 years ago. I’ve never been so overwhelmed this early in the planning process of any vacation, and I’m begging you Disney experts out there to help me out with your infinite knowledge of all things Disney.

Here’s what I know so far:

We’re going to Disney in September.
We are staying in the park, probably at a value or moderate resort.
We will have the dining plan.
We plan on doing at least 1 character meal.
We are driving.
We will have 3 days in the parks. We plan on spending 1 day at Animal Kingdom and 2 days at Magic Kingdom. I just don’t think Jackson is old enough to enjoy Epcot.
We are not using the park hopper passes.
I have purchased “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.”
I have signed up at touringplans.com and visited mouse savers and all ears.
Anderson is not going.

That’s about as far as I’ve gotten with planning our vacation. I’m open to any and all suggestions y’all have to offer. Thanks so much for helping us out!

It’s All Fun And Games Until You Glue Your Fingers Together

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

There's a fine line between using nail glue to repair a broken fingernail and accidentally gluing your fingers to the glue container. Friday night I crossed that line.

The Friday before Christmas I went to get a manicure and got the new gel finger nail polish instead of my usual OPI. The gel polish supposedly stays on about 3 weeks, and I figured since this was a treat that I don’t normally do for myself that I needed to make it last as long as possible. I had 2 nails that were slightly broken and the manicurist used some nail glue to repair them so we didn’t have to cut them off.

A few days after my manicure I noticed that the nails were getting loose again so I ran back by the nail salon and they added some nail glue back to the original breaks and sealed them back.

All was well for a few more days when they came lose again. Instead of running back to the nail salon I made a trip to Wal-Mart and bought some nail glue to fix it myself. About 5 minutes later my nails were fixed and I was back in business.

So the other day I had another nail on my left hand get broken and when I got home I pulled out the nail glue and set out to fix the nail myself. I opened up the nail glue and was trying to figure out the best way to fix my nail when all of a sudden my right hand started to get hot.

That’s when I realized that I had been applying a little too much pressure to the glue container and that I was squeezing nail glue all over my hand.

The heat I was feeling? Turns out that was the glue bonding to my skin.

The glue container? Now stuck to my skin.

I panicked when I realized what was happening and shook my hand hard enough to get the container off of my fingers. Unfortunately when I shook my hand I slung the glue container to the floor where it promptly got stuck on my bathroom rug. Then I did the stupid thing of panicking again and picking the glue back up where it got stuck on my fingers again. I slung it one more time to a clear spot on the counter and began to assess the damage.

Y’all, it looked like I had shellacked the fingers on my right hand. I was covered in shiny nail glue.

Remember when you are a kid and you get Elmer’s glue on your hands and it dries all kind of wrinkled and old looking? That’s how my right hand looked.

I got my container of finger nail polish remover out and rubbed some over my hand thinking that it would help me get it off. Turned out that my remover didn’t have any acetone in it. We were already planning on having dinner out, so I had to eat looking like I was trying to preserve my right hand before I could go to Wal-Mart and get some acetone remover.

Then the acetone remover didn’t work either and I had to spend the entire weekend picking dried glue off my fingers. It was about 2 hours into my glue picking when I vowed to myself to quit the madness of nail preservation; from now on I’ll get the nail clippers instead of the glue. It’s much easier!

My Child The Slacker

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Jackson has been on this phase lately where he is constantly scoping out potential careers and deciding what he wants to do when he grows up. We were on our way home from church on Sunday and he told me that he needed to talk to me about something very, very important.

Jackson: “Mama, we need to talk.”

Me: “Okay. What do we need to talk about?”

Jackson: “You’re really not gonna want to hear this.”

Me: “Really? What am I not going to want to hear?”

Jackson: “I’ve been thinking….”

Me: “And….”

Jackson: “Well, I’ve decided that I don’t really want to do anything when I grow up.”

Me: “You have?”

Jackson: “Yes ma’am. I just think it’s best if I don’t have a job when I grow up. That way I can just have fun and not have to worry about work. I think I like that plan.”

I think I missed the Peter Pan booth at Career Day.

Happy Birthday Amy!!!

2012-01-08T18:24:00.001-06:00

Jeremy and I want to wish his sister Amy a very happy birthday today. This is her first birthday as a Mom, and we hope she has had a very special day. We love you!

Happy Birthday Amy!!!

A Despicable Gift?

2012-01-06T18:00:00.000-06:00

Jeremy and I usually give each other practical gifts for Christmas. Because his work attire is standard funeral director stuff, i.e. navy blue suit, white dress shirt, tie and black socks, he's always needing useful stuff to keep his clothing up to par. So for Christmas this year I got him a really nice tie, some dress socks and a pair of navy blue long johns that he can wear under his suit pants so he doesn't freeze his fanny off on cold winter days. Thoughtful, right?

Fast forward to the other night when it was bitterly cold outside. We got home and Jeremy went into the bedroom to get some comfortable clothes on. When he came back into the living room I nearly died. Jeremy was wearing a dark colored over sized shirt, his new navy blue long johns and his dark work socks.

He looked exactly like Gru from Despicable Me.

I leaned over to Jackson on the couch and whispered to him that his Daddy looked just like Gru.

Y'all, I thought Jackson was going to wet his pants he was laughing so hard. Even Jeremy thought it was hilarious although he has repeatedly declined letting me take a picture to prove my point.

Spoilsport.

It's been 4 days and two things are still happening:
1. Jackson and I still laugh hysterically every time we see the long johns.
2. Jackson and I are both still calling Jeremy, "Gru" every chance we get.

I guess this means that Jackson and I are Jeremy's little minions....

It Was Almost A Parenting Win. Almost.

2012-01-02T10:40:00.001-06:00

Jackson has gotten a wee bit picky about trying new foods lately. When we introduce him to something new he’ll either say he will try it and back out at the last possible second, or flat out refuse to take a bite.

This morning I decided to make fried eggs for breakfast. I like my eggs cooked over medium, with the whites done and the yellow runny. It grosses Jeremy out, but I love them cooked that way.

I told Jackson I was cooking eggs for breakfast and then made a big production out of how we were going to fry our eggs. I got the oil hot, broke the egg into the grease and cooked one egg perfectly for him. I showed him how the yellow runs when you poke it and he was having a great time playing with the egg yolk. When it came time to eat the egg he was a little hesitant, but he took a bite and pronounced it good.

*Insert sign of relief*

I cooked another egg for myself while he finished his egg. When he got done (and ate the whole egg) he was off to play and I ate my egg. I was cleaning up when Jackson walked back into the kitchen clutching his throat. He walked up to me and said:

“Mama, I can’t eat fried eggs anymore. They give me strep throat.”

I gotta give him points for creativity. Reluctantly.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

2011-12-30T05:29:00.001-06:00

Today is my Dad’s 60th birthday! We have been so blessed to have him in our lives, and we hope that he has the best birthday ever!

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!!! We love you!!!

It’s Not Christmas Without An Elf Video!

2011-12-22T20:29:00.001-06:00

Just For Kellyn!

2011-12-22T05:33:00.001-06:00

Back by special request of my favorite sister! Hope you enjoy!

Weekly Confessions

2011-12-16T05:57:00.001-06:00

I got an early Christmas present from an Alabama State Trooper this week; my very first speeding ticket. I was so bummed! He clocked me going 68 in a 55 on a back road in the middle of one of the most rural counties I travel through. I didn’t even know I was speeding. It was a pretty day and I was just scooting along! He was really nice and right as he handed me the ticket he said, “I wish we didn’t have to meet this way.” You and me both, buddy! I guess I need to go revise my "Things I Have Never Done” post!
I have gotten hooked watching the Turtleman on Call of the Wild. Typing that last sentence out makes me feel almost like I’ve just admitted to being a Trekkie, but the show is like watching a train wreck. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to get into next.
I’m thisclose to being done with my Christmas shopping, and that includes 9 teacher gifts! We have 6 for daycare, 2 for kindergarten and 1 for Sunday School. My wallet will be thankful for January to roll around, except for that darn speeding ticket!
It’s been 75 degrees here this week. Gotta love Christmas in Dixie!
Jackson is going to be spending next week in Mississippi with his Papa and Gigi. It will be the perfect time to do the “some assembly required” gift for Anderson that is sitting up in the attic. Having 2 kids has required some adjustments in the Santa department!

That’s it for today. I hope y’all have a great weekend!

A Decade In The Making

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

Ten years ago today I married my best friend, and I thank God everyday for Jeremy and our kids and what they mean to me. They truly complete my life, and I’m a better person because of them.

Happy Anniversary Jeremy! I love you with all my heart!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T05:59:00.001-06:00

I Give Him Bonus Points For Creativity

2011-12-13T04:54:00.001-06:00

At the very last minute I decided to take Jackson to Primed last night. He had been complaining of a sore throat for a few days, especially when he swallowed, and I didn’t want to let it get out of hand. He hadn’t been acting like himself all afternoon, complaining that he felt like he was going to throw up, then trying to go to the bathroom, and then saying he was all better when absolutely nothing had changed.

We were at church when I decided to take him on in because he still was complaining. When Jackson caught wind that he was heading to the doctor he was miraculously healed and became particularly clever:

“I was wrong, Mama, my throat decided that it’s all better now.”

And then on the way to the doctor: “Please, Mama, I promise that I was just making it up. I’m not sick!”

And then in the waiting room: “I really don’t need to see the doctor. You can just check me out of the waiting room.”

And then 30 seconds later: “I don’t want a shot. Please don’t let them give me a shot. I’m not sick anymore.”

And then 15 seconds later: “I’ll buy you a Hello Kitty cell phone if you just let me get out of here.”

And then in the exam room: “How about this for an idea; we just leave here and pretend we didn’t ever come.”

And then with the nurse: “I’m not sick and I’m really ready to go home.”

And with the doctor: “I can’t get a shot because its past my bedtime.”

Luckily for my creative kiddo, the strep test was negative and he just has a red throat and slightly red ear canal. He’s being treated with amoxicillin just in case, but no real cause for concern.

Too bad I won’t be getting that Hello Kitty cell phone.

The Cutest Joseph That Ever Was

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

Jackson was part of his children’s choir Christmas special last Sunday night. I was really nervous about this because Jackson has had some problems with stage fright in the past. Imagine my shock (and fear) when I found out that Jackson had been cast as the role of Joseph for the manger scene. He had been doing well in practice for the most part, but when it came time for the dress rehearsal last Saturday he decided that he wasn’t going to do it anymore. It took me promising that he could go to Dollar Tree and spend $5 on whatever he wanted to get him through the practice. I made an even more expensive deal to get him through the Sunday performance. He had to sing the songs, smile and do the part of Joseph and he would get an additional $10 to spend at Dollar Tree. I know it’s bad to start bribing him on stuff, but it was money well spent when he cooperated as well as he did on stage. I did get a little nervous when it was time for the kids to come down the aisle for the manger scene. For a second there I couldn’t see Jackson and I was afraid that Mary (Jackson’s friend Gracie) was going to be unescorted on her trip to Bethlehem! But Jackson did great! He sang, smiled and did such a wonderful job. I was so proud of him for doing something outside his comfort zone, and he was proud of himself for doing such a good job. I wish I had gotten some better pictures, but Jackson had some major red eye going on. Enjoy the pics!

Has It Really Been Six Months?

2011-12-07T05:45:00.001-06:00

Our sweet Anderson turns 6 months old today. I’m somewhat in shock that it’s already been six months since he was born. I remember when Jackson was a baby I was so overjoyed every time he reached another milestone. I would clap and cheer him on when he began to roll over, crawl and then walk. Now with Anderson I wish I could just freeze time. It’s not that I don’t want him to reach those milestones; it’s just that I know that with every milestone that he passes, he is getting further and further from this sweet stage in babyhood. Already he’s become a “hip baby” that gets toted around on my hip instead of being cradled in my arms. Soon he’ll be walking and time will go even faster. More than likely he’s going to be our last little baby, and I want to enjoy every second that I have with him, even if it means that he’s going to be spoiled rotten in the mean time! We could not have asked for a better baby; at 6 months old Anderson is on a perfect little schedule, so much so that you can set a clock by him. Granted, most mornings we’re still up with him at 4 a.m. but I know that this too shall pass. Anderson doesn’t cry or fuss, and he absolutely adores Jackson. Jeremy and I have been so blessed, and I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months will bring us.

Ask Amy Anything Answers

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

I’m sorry I’ve been so inattentive lately. Life has been crazy busy lately, and while it’s not an excuse, the combination of work, home, 2 kids, 1 husband and church has really done me in lately. Blogging hasn’t even been much of a thought lately, but I promise to do better!

So a few days ago I opened up another round of Ask Amy Anything and here are my Q and A’s.

Miranda asked:

“If you were stranded on a desert island and could ONLY take one person with you (it doesn't have to be a family member, so don't panic), who would it be and why? I have my own ideas about this answer and want to see if I'm right!” I’m not sure how I’m supposed to answer this without offending someone, so I'll just take the safe route and say that I would probably take Jeremy with me. Seeing as how he is my husband, he would probably be pretty peeved if I picked anyone else.

“What one Christmas tradition do you remember from your childhood that you want to make a tradition with your own children?” I remember taking long car rides on Christmas Eve looking at the Christmas lights, and then when we got home we got to open 1 present. It was always torture trying to decide which gift to open because you didn’t want to pick something like socks when you knew there were toys under the tree also. I’ve incorporated the Christmas lights and Christmas gift tradition into what we do with Jackson, and now Anderson gets to join the fun!

“What is your favorite snack/meal/goodie that you only eat during the Christmas season?” Peppermint almond bark and fudge. I love both of them, and only get them at Christmas.

“What are you getting me for Christmas? (just trying to sneak it in there HAHA!)” I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts. Hmm. In that case, how about the gift of knowing that you have the coolest best friend ever!

Jessica asked:

“What is your favorite book or who is your favorite author?” I absolutely adore anything by Mary Kay Andrews. She is a southern writer and all of her books are set in the south. She’s funny, charming and we would get along just swimmingly.

“When do you put up your Christmas tree?” We buy a real Christmas tree, so I have to balance when I want to put the tree up, and when I know that if I get the tree too soon that I’m going to end up cleaning up millions of pine needles by the time Christmas rolls around. As it is, I plan on putting up our tree sometime this week.

“What time do you go to bed at night and get up in the mornings?” In a perfect world I would go to bed between 10 and 10:30 and get up about 5:45 during the week. However, I don’t live in a perfect world and I usually end up going to bed around 11 and because of some ill timed insomnia issues of mine, I wake up around 4 in the morning. Its miserable being up that early, but I have a problem that when my eyes my brain kicks into overdrive and I can’t go back to sleep. By 10 or so in the morning I’m just about give out. If I want to sleep all night I have to take Tylenol PM.

Esther asked:

“What's the weirdest gift you've ever gotten?” I got a very girly, frillyish angel for a wedding gift. It was from a distant aunt, and it was one of those gifts that you appreciate the thought, but also think, “We’re in the world am I going to put this thing?” It ended up going on the back of a bookcase!

That’s it for today. I hope y’all have a great week!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-12-03T06:52:00.001-06:00

I want to wish a Mom a very Happy Birthday today. She’s so special to us, and we love her so much. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Ask Amy Anything

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

Because it’s been awhile…

And I have a killer headache…

And it has rained for 2 straight days…

And because I’m trying to finish shopping the cyber Monday deals…

I’m opening today up to another round of “Ask Amy Anything” which basically just means that y’all ask me a question in the comment section and I’ll do my best to give y’all a good answer!

See how uncomplicated that is? So now, y’all get busy asking me question to make me feel better. Have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-24T08:46:00.001-06:00

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

A Minor Procedure Of Sorts

2011-11-23T07:59:00.001-06:00

So I’m having surgery today. What? That isn’t how you want to spend your Thanksgiving holiday? Seriously though, it’s going to be nothing. I’m having a small cyst removed from my right kneecap. This surgery was scheduled for a year ago and then I found out that Anderson was on his way, so no go on the surgery. I had almost opted to forget about the procedure, and then right at Halloween my knee really started giving me trouble. I made a visit with my orthopedic who agreed to swap my cyst for a small scar in what should be a very short outpatient procedure. I will have to take it easy for a few days, but I’m not expecting that it’s going to be very bad.

I’m checking into the surgical center at 11:00 today which wouldn’t be a big deal if I wasn’t already starving and I know surgery won’t begin until right around 1:00. As usual, I was instructed to have nothing to eat or drink after midnight except for a sip or two of clear fluids around 5:00 a.m. for my blood pressure medication. So right now I’m starving and it’s only 8 in the morning!

So my Thanksgiving is going to be spent with my feet propped up and a remote control in my hand. Now that I think about it, it sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Maybe I’ll even get to watch the parade this year!

I’ll catch up with y’all again soon. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Our Shot At Fame And I Blew It

2011-11-22T05:12:00.003-06:00

Monday morning I received an email from babycenter.com that a nationally produced TV show was looking for kids named Anderson to do a segment about. Babycenter knew about our Anderson based on our profile that send me emails about development for both of the boys. All I had to do was email this producer and tell him when our Anderson was born, give some basic contact info like phone and email address and what region of the country we were in. I knew since it came from babycenter.com and had already been confirmed by a secondary email, it was a legit request, so I fired off a quick email on my blackberry and didn’t think anything else about it.

About an hour later I received a call from a producer of Anderson Cooper 360 and she told me that they were looking to do a piece about babies named Anderson. She asked how old our Anderson was and I answered a few more questions and then she said, “We are specifically looking for babies named after Anderson Cooper. Does that apply to you?” I had to answer honestly and say that no, he was not named after Anderson Cooper. I didn’t tell her this, but I’m not even a fan of Anderson Cooper.

After I begrudgingly told the truth that we just loved the name Anderson, knowing all the while that I was blowing my chance of getting a paid vacation to New York to appear on TV, I also shared with her that one of our Anderson’s nicknames is Anderson Pooper. She loved it! She then offered us tickets for the show if we are ever in New York.

So there was my shot at being on a national tv show and I had to blow it by being honest. I’m such a goody two shoes. But seriously, there is no way I could have gone on tv and claimed that I named my kid after Anderson Cooper. My plane would have probably gone down if I had told that lie!

And really, it’s totally their loss at not meeting the cutest Anderson Pooper in the world!!!

Close, But No Cigar

2011-11-18T05:29:00.001-06:00

Jackson is learning tons of “popcorn” words in his kindergarten class. Popcorn words are words that will pop up frequently as he starts to read. He is super interested in spelling words lately, and we’re always spelling things together, especially when we are in the car.

The other day we were doing our spelling game when Jackson walked into the kitchen and announced that he had figured out how to spell another word.

Jackson: “Mama, I can spell ‘dog’ now!”

Me: “Wow! How do you spell ‘dog’?”

Jackson: “B-A-D!”

I guess Jackson has heard me say one too many times that Macy is B-A-D. I’m fairly certain that my days of spelling words because Jackson is in the room and I don’t want him to know what I’m talking about are numbered.

Too B-A-D for me.

Advice Needed

2011-11-15T06:12:00.001-06:00

I’ve been having chronic headaches again lately. And by “chronic” I mean that I’ve had a headache for 4 weeks straight now. The headaches are part of the reason I’ve been so sporadic with my blogging. It has been awhile since I saw my neurologist (since before I was pregnant with Anderson), and I’m out of the loop on headache medications now. I used to take Maxalt and that medicine was a gift from God except for the $20 per pill price tag. I often had to choose whether or not a headache was Maxalt worthy before I would pop a pill because I didn’t want to waste expensive medicine on something that Tylenol or Excedrin would help. I don’t have any Maxalt right now, so I’m out of luck in that department.

I couldn’t get an appointment with my neurologist until December, so until then I’m just living on a combination of Excedrin, Ibuprofen and Tylenol. I’m completely aware that I’m giving myself rebound headaches, I just don’t know what to do without taking the Tylenol because the pain is so bad.

So, if you suffer from headaches what do you do? Are there any new migraine medications out on the market that might be worth mentioning to my doctor? Because y’all, it feels like an eternity to December, and trying to function with constant pain is getting old. I’m open to any suggestions you have.

Y’all have a great day!

It’s The Thought That Counts, Right?

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday night we were enjoying dinner out with my sister Kellyn, her husband Jason, and their little boy Luke. We had decided to go to Logan’s Steakhouse since they have delicious rolls and unlimited peanuts to munch on before your food comes out.

Jackson isn’t much for peanuts, but he was being so nice to crack the peanuts for me while I was busy being occupied with Anderson. Jackson had cracked 5 or so peanuts for me (which I had devoured) when I glanced over to Jackson just as he was cracking open another peanut for me.

Unbeknownst to be, my sweet 5 year old was taking the peanuts, dropping them on the filthy peanut covered floor, stomping on them with his dirty cowboy boots, picking them back up off the floor, dusting them off and then handing them to me.

Good times, I tell ya. Good times!

By The Numbers

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Married: 9 years, 11 months

Pregnant: 78 weeks

2 sons

3 years of diaper/pullup changing

1 state

2 cities

6 vehicles

1 funeral director education (For the hubs)

3 daycares

1 public school

1 dog

1 happy family.

Join in! What's your numbers?

Thanks, Esther!

Things I’ve Learned Lately

2011-11-08T20:37:00.001-06:00

Sonic’s Blue Coconut slushie will not do your white linoleum floor any favors. Imagine a red Kool-Aid stain, only blue.
The pain from having a huge ulcer on your bottom lip will not get any better when the cheese from a piece of pizza gets stuck to the roof of your mouth. My mouth is pretty much one big sore right now.
Hearing your 5 year old describe a friend as, “the bombdiggity” because his kindergarten teacher used that phrase is priceless!
Even when my life is hard there are always people who have it a lot worse than me.
Nothing beats eating a pecan fresh off the tree.
I might as well give up on the mountain of laundry that is accumulating. We’re never going to get caught up.
Seeing as how I’ve had a constant headache for the last 3 weeks, I’ve almost forgotten what it felt like to have my head not hurt.
Splurging to get your hair washed, cut, dried and straightened instead of just getting it cut is a nice treat every now and then.
Hearing a baby laugh is the sweetest sound in the world!

What have you learned lately?

I'll Be Back..

2011-11-07T07:57:00.001-06:00

I've been hit and miss lately. Actually, much more miss than hit. But never fear; I'm almost back. In fact, I'll be back this afternoon with Anderson's 5 month shots. So have a great day and come back to visit me this afternoon to see some pictures of the cutest 5 month old!

Things I Have Done

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

I shared with you 22 things that I have never done a week ago. At 31 years old, here are 22 things that I have done (in no particular order).

1. Gotten a tattoo.

2. Flown from Alabama to Colorado and back by myself.

3. Spent a combined grand total of 10 hours in labor with my sweet boys.

4. Loved my husband and kids more than life itself.

5. Been a lifeguard.

6. Taught abstinence education and STD prevention to junior high and high school kids.

7. Finished college in exactly 4 years.

8. Performed in front of 100,000 people.

9. Rappelled down a mountain.

10. Gone white water rafting 6 times.

11. Seen Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman more times than I can count.

12. Ridden in an ambulance once.

13. Been to Puerto Rico twice, Mexico twice, and the Bahamas once.

14. Seen New Kids On The Block 3 times in concert. It would have been 4 times but they cancelled the last show when I had tickets in 2008.

15. Met my husband on the internet.

16. Had my tonsils removed as an adult. It was torture, but totally worth it in the end.

17. Made dear friends all over the country from blogging, and consider their friendship as real to me as people I know in real life.

18. Made a chocolate cake and chocolate icing from scratch.

19. Been a follower of Jesus since I was ten.

20. Gotten stuck on a roller coaster over water at Six Flags.

21. Only had 1 cavity in my life.

22. Drank an entire 2 liter of Mountain Dew in one sitting. I was literally shaking uncontrollably after I got done.

That’s it! Anything surprise you? What have you done? I hope y’all have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Things I’ve Never Done

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I’m 31 years old and I’ve never:

1. Watched more than 30 minutes of any Star Wars movie.

2. Eaten a Whopper from Burger King.

3. Eaten sushi.

4. Vacationed completely alone.

5. Been to New York or Washington D.C., although both are a dream for me.

6. Smoked.

7. Gone into labor without being induced or given birth without an epidural.

8. Slept past 10:00 in the morning.

9. Seen the Pacific Ocean.

1. Been to a professional football or baseball game.

11. Seen Sixteen Candles, Footloose, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or The Godfather.

12. Been in a helicopter.

13. Seen a Broadway play or musical.

14. Gotten into a physical fight.

15. Voted for a Democrat.

16. Met a celebrity, unless you count Steven Seagal, and I don’t!

17. Been in a hot air balloon, gone bungee jumping, water skiing, snow skiing, surfing, scuba diving, parasailing or skydiving.

18. Broken a bone.

19. Gotten a speeding ticket.

20. Changed a tire.

21. Played bunko.

22. Had anything published.

That’s it for me. Y’all have a great day!

Follow the template I copied from The Pioneer Woman without her permission and list 22 things you’ve never done!

Shakin’ My Tail Feathers

2011-10-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to my friend Kasey’s art studio for one of her painting classes and made what I think is my favorite painting ever which says a lot considering I have done well over 10 pictures at her studio! I had such a good time, and I was so proud of the end result. The picture looks so great hanging in my living room and I can’t help but stare at it every time I walk into the room. The feathers have a little bit of glitter on them which gave them the perfect finishing touch. I absolutely love the painting, and I just had to come and shake my tail feathers to show y’all what I did. Whatcha think?

Pumpkin Patch Pics

2011-10-17T21:28:00.001-05:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch weekend before last and had such a good time. The weather was perfect and we couldn’t have asked for a prettier day. Jackson had a blast playing on the inflatables and riding the pony and the train. Anderson was a doll as usual and spent most of the day in the carrier where he enjoyed the scenery. We picked out 2 huge pumpkins that I will carve later this month. Enjoy the pics!

A Few Days Off

2011-10-12T19:16:00.001-05:00

I'm taking a few days off from my blog. I ask that you pray for an unspoken prayer need, and I'll be back in a few days with new pictures of the boys.

Much love,
Amy

"Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven." Psalm 107:28-30

Check Out My Punkins!

2011-10-10T04:59:00.001-05:00

I know I’m biased, but these are the cutest kids I’ve ever seen!

Weekly Confessions

2011-10-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Jeremy and I have been parents now for 5 years. Between the two of us we have a total of 34 years of education. Explain to me then, why, neither Jeremy nor I can manage to put a pair of socks on our wiggly 4 month old unassisted.
We have things planned for 9 out of the next 10 days, including a camping trip with my family. Our next day off? How about next Friday, the night before the camping trip. Clearly we are crazy and far too busy.
Anderson is 4 months old today, and with the exception of a few hours here and there, I’ve been on the clock for 4 months straight. Between work, home, kids, husband and church, it’s no wonder I walk around in a constant state of exhaustion.
Jeremy had a stomach bug the other day. Let either of my boys get sick and I’ll go to the moon and back to nurse them back to health. Let Jeremy get sick and I’ll stop by Wal-Mart to get him medicine and supplies, but then I quarantine him in the bedroom and wish him the best of luck.
I got a tattoo a couple of weeks ago! I’ve wanted a Jesus fish for well over 10 years now, and I finally decided to go through with it the night before my 31st birthday. I was afraid that it was going to hurt but it was nothing, and since it’s so small it was over in less than 30 seconds. I love it, and I’m so glad I finally got it!

Anything y’all need to confess?

Happy Anniversary!

2011-10-07T04:59:00.000-05:00

I want to wish my parents, Nana and Tata, a wonderful 39th Anniversary! You have been an amazing example to me of what marriage should be like, and I thank God that you are in my life. I love y’all!

Happy Anniversary!!!

I’m Taking The Day Off

2011-10-06T05:59:00.002-05:00

It's been a rough week around here with Jeremy's stomach bug (he's all better now, thank goodness!), and I've already had two really long travel days, and I have another 320 mile day ahead of me today.

So today I'm calling in tired to the blog. I don't think I could come up with something blog worthy if I tried. I'll catch up with y'all tomorrow!

“Anderson Is Going To Love This!”

2011-10-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

Having a big brother was bound to catch up to Anderson sooner or later.

The other day I was laying in bed with Anderson and Jackson got onto the bed and started talking silly to him. Jeremy walked through the bedroom around that time and sat down beside us and enjoyed watching Jackson play with Anderson. I was taking it all in, enjoying a sweet little moment of us spending time together in bed as a family of four, when Jackson asked to hold Anderson. Jackson was standing square in the middle of our bed, right between Jeremy and I, and we made sure he was holding Anderson right and we passed him over.

Looking back I realize the “standing” part was where the problem started!

Jackson had the biggest smile on his face and then he said the words that will forever be etched in my memory: “Anderson is going to love this!” With those words he proceeded to drop Anderson on his bottom right in the middle of our bed. It was one of those moments when as a parent you are completely aware that something bad is about to happen, but there is no way to stop it.

I’m not quite sure what Jackson was expecting to happen; whether he thought Anderson would bounce and have a great time in the process, or what.

So after Jackson said his infamous words, Jeremy and I watched Anderson fall from Jackson’s arms in slow motion, no more than a foot down, onto the middle of our bed. We were both in shock, and I think as soon as it happened Jackson realized the seriousness of what he just did and started getting upset. To our credit, neither Jeremy nor I freaked out, and Anderson was fine, not even aware that anything happened!

We checked Anderson out, and then Jackson and I had a good little talk about why dropping your brother is not a good idea, and I made sure to stress to him about how dangerous it could have been if he had hit his head on the hard floor. I told him that we had never dropped him as a baby, and that we need to be really careful with Anderson because he’s just a little baby.

After we hugged and he apologized to Anderson, I left him with these parting words, “Next time you think of something that you think Anderson will love, run it by me first!” Both Anderson and I will appreciate that in the future!

Pass The Toothpicks, Please...

2011-10-03T21:48:00.001-05:00

I’ve been up since 4:00 this morning…

I got ready for work…

Jeremy got ready for work…

The boys got ready for school…

I took the boys to their schools…

I went to work…

Jeremy went to work…

Jeremy came home from work with a really nice stomach virus…

I worked all day…

I came home to pack my car for work tomorrow, clean the house, wash clothes, put clothes away and Lysol everything Jeremy has touched today…

I picked up the kids from school…

I filled the car up because I have to drive 300 miles tomorrow to do a presentation three hours away…

I went to Wal-Mart to get Gatorade and soup for Jeremy….

My Mom watched the boys so I could have a belated birthday dinner with Miranda…

I got the kids back home, Lysoled some more and Mom and Dad helped cover one child while I bathed the other child…

I read, “Make Way For Ducklings” to Jackson and put him to bed…

I moved the bassinet to the living room so Anderson and I can camp out…

I laid down on the couch and propped my feet up for a few minutes…

And now I’m waiting until 10:00 to try to feed Anderson one more time so maybe he will sleep through the night…

It’s been a very long day. Jeremy is still sick, and I feel emotionally and physically drained right now. Can someone please pass the toothpicks so I can prop my eyelids open? Wish me luck tonight, and pray that Jeremy gets to feeling better soon, and that the rest of us don’t get it. I’ll catch up with y’all again soon.

Happy Saturday

2011-10-01T06:57:00.001-05:00

Weekly Confessions

2011-09-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

I went to bed on Tuesday night at 6:45 and slept until 5:00 the next morning. It wasn't intentional. I started off taking a "nap" from 6:45 until 7, and then it progressed into not even taking the time to brush my teeth. Clearly I'm sleep deprived. Not having slept good in 4 months has more than caught up with me.

Not brushing your teeth before bed will make you wake up thinking that you ate a dirty sock in your sleep.

I made a big pot of chili on Tuesday in the crockpot. It's now Friday morning and I've yet to eat my first bite of it. I hear it's good, I just haven't had much of an appetite when it comes to heartburn inducing foods.

I just finished the thank you notes for Jackson's birthday way back in August. There really is no excuse for my slacking, but I'm going to blame the fact that I have a baby, a 5 year old, a husband, work full-time outside the home and haven't slept all night in 4 months for my delay.

Anderson is almost 4 months old and I haven't sent out his birth announcement yet. It's on my to do list. Hopefully it will be done sometime before his first birthday.

That's it for today. Do y'all have anything you need to confess?

Concerned Citizens Of America

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here's The Deal

2011-09-28T06:05:00.002-05:00

It's 6:00 in the morning...

I have a sleeping baby on my chest...

A laptop on my lap...

It's pouring outside...

My umbrella is in the car...

And I have a killer headache.

Yay Wednesday! I'll catch up with y'all tomorrow!

The Rest Of The Pics

2011-09-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

We got our pictures from our amazing photographer, Lydia Wolfe, today and I am thrilled with the pictures. She did such a good job, and I’m absolutely loving the black and white shots. The pics of the boys together didn’t work out great, but it definitely wasn’t Lydia’s fault for lack of trying. Somebody, ahem Jackson, didn’t want to be particularly cooperative after Anderson pooted on him! Oh well. I have plenty of other shots to work with, and I just spent way too much time on Shutterfly ordering pictures. Thanks Lydia! Y’all enjoy the pictures!

Y'all have a great day!

Happy Birthday To Me!

2011-09-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my 31st birthday. So far 31 doesn't feel any different than 30. I had a good birthday weekend, despite not sleeping past 5:00 in the morning either day! I took the boys to the library and the zoo with me on Saturday since Jeremy had to work. It was different wrangling 2 kids by myself, but we managed pretty well! The weather was amazing, and we just couldn't spend the day inside. What fun is that?

Saturday night Mom came over to watch the boys while Jeremy and I went to dinner and then Sunday was church, church, lunch at Olive Garden and then more church. At least I have yummy leftovers for lunch today!

So that was my birthday weekend in a nutshell. Overall 31 has been pretty good to me. I hope y'all have a great day!

Weekly Confessions

2011-09-23T05:11:00.002-05:00

It’s impossible to hear the song “Shake Your Booty” and not, you know, shake your booty. I learned this when I was driving the other day.

I turn 31 on Sunday. I plan on celebrating by spending the entire church time in nursery and then heading to a 3 hour meeting that afternoon. Fun times, right?

Why in the world do big birds just sit in the middle of the road? I travel 3 days a week, and the last thing I want to do is hit a buzzard because I’m playing chicken with them.

I’ve been rather intrigued by some of the people that are in the running for the Republican nomination. I’m still thinking about throwing my name in the hat. I could probably get more votes than Obama right now!

I don’t handle change well at all, and the new Facebook is worse than the terrible, awful from The Help. That is all.

Y’all have a great weekend!

It's Almost Like Clockwork

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've been involved in helping to coordinate our church nursery for several years now. The way we do it at our church is that we have 5 ladies who each coordinate their Sunday morning helpers back in the nursery, and then 1 person who is over the 5 ladies. Nice and complicated, right? My sister recently was asked to take over 4th Sunday mornings, and I've been trying to help her get all the workers that she needs. It's been rather stressful trying to get all the classes filled, and Jeremy and I were discussing the situation the other day:

Jeremy: "So Kellyn is the 4th Sunday morning coordinator?"
Me: "Yes, and she has only 4 teachers right now, and she needs at least 8."
Jeremy: "Well, she only needs help like 4 times a year then, right?"
Me: (Insert crickets chirping)
Jeremy: "I said that out loud didn't I?"
Me: "Yup."

Next thing I know he'll be thinking that there are 5 days in a week!

My Handsome Boys

2011-09-20T05:59:00.001-05:00

We had Anderson’s 3 month photo shoot on Friday night and our amazing photographer Lydia got some wonderful shots. There aren’t so many of the boys together because Jackson’s patience was just about gone, and then Anderson had to go seal the deal by pooting on Jackson’s leg one too many times. At that point we were done! Enjoy the pics of a few of our proofs!

Jacksonisms

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Lately it seems as though Jackson is saying some of the funniest stuff. Half the time I don't think he realizes how funny he is, but he never ceases to amuse Jeremy and I. Here are a few examples of our little comedian!

Jackson: "Mama, can we spend some more time walking around Walmart?"
Me: "By 'spend time' do you mean 'spend money'?"
Jackson: "Yeah, pretty much!"

"How about this...you go hide in my bathroom and then I'll come find you. Does that sound like a good idea?"

"I'm 5 now. I think I'm ready for facebook."

"I'm not going to take pictures with Anderson any more if he poots on me one more time!"

"Awkward!"

"Anderson is cute, but his dirty diapers stink!"

"I'm student of the week and I get to sit at the student of the week table. I've made a pattern of who is going to sit with me at lunch: Jace, John Michael, Jace, John Michael and Jace. I'm good at this pattern stuff!"

Y'all have a great day!

The Cutest Old People Ever!

2011-09-15T05:49:00.002-05:00

And they totally remind me of some people that I know!!!

Ma Ingalls Would Be So Proud Of Me…

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I told y’all that I was trying my hand at making my own laundry detergent. We’ve been a liquid Purex Free and Clear family for as long as I can remember. With Jackson’s eczema problems, I’ve always had to keep things with no dyes or perfumes, and the Purex seems to work pretty well for us. When Anderson joined the family I noticed an issue in the laundry department; it never ends!

Seriously, y’all, I can wash two loads of laundry a day. It is never ending, especially with bibs and burp clothes. With the bottle of Purex running almost $6, I was intrigued when a friend from work (Hi Susan!) told me that she was making her own laundry detergent and that she loved it. I got the recipe from her, and I gave it a shot. Her recipe was for powdered detergent, which I’ve never used, but it was easy enough to make and very cheap, so I figured I didn’t have much to lose. Here goes!

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (Not to be confused with baking soda)

1 bar of soap finely grated.

I used our regular bar of Dove unscented soap, even though I had read that it was a “beauty bar” and not a bar of soap. Jackson’s skin does fine with it, so I wanted to try it out first. Most people use Ivory.

I bought a cheap cheese grater and grated the entire bar of soap as finely as I could. I mixed the soap shavings with the Borax and Washing Soda in a container and then ran the entire mixture through my Magic Bullet. Don’t run the soap through the food processor or magic bullet unless it is mixed with the borax and washing soda. Susan learned the hard way that it does nothing other than make the soap clump together. I learned from her mistake!

When you get the mixture processed enough, it will look exactly like store bought powdered detergent. It only takes 1-2 tablespoons of powdered mix per load, and I also add a bit of Oxyclean because we always have something that is stained. The soap will not bubble up like store bought detergent, but it will definitely clean your clothes. I have been super pleased with the detergent, except for a few times when I found oily spots on some of Anderson’s onesies. I think it’s because Dove soap has oils in it that Ivory and other bar soaps don’t have (and I had been warned about using Dove), so I’m pretty sure that’s what is happening. I’ve still got plenty of my first batch made, so I’m going to try it again when I’m finished with a bar of Ivory soap and see how I like that. Until then I’m washing my towels, bib and burp clothes with the homemade stuff, and the clothes with the store bought stuff since I had some left over.

Overall, I would definitely recommend giving it a try. It hasn’t caused any problems with Jackson’s skin, and we’ve used it for several weeks. The ingredients cost me around $7, and I can make at least 4 or 5 more batches before I run out. And it only took about 5 minutes to put the stuff together!

So there you go! If you give it a try let me know what you think. Y’all have a great day!

Amy's Accent Vlog

2011-09-12T18:00:00.002-05:00

Since everyone else in the entire blogosphere it seems is doing the Accent vlogs, I had to jump on board since it looked like fun. So here goes!

If you can't see the video, try this link.

If you want to follow along or do the Accent Vlog yourself, here are the words/questions: Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

My Vlog In Review:
1. Yes, I know I speak way too fast. Or perhaps you just think too slow. Just a thought.
2. Yes, I'm totally aware that I say "spittin image." I do it all the time.
3. I could say, "y'all" 800 times a day and never get tired of it.
4. I definitely need to do this video with Jackson, beause oh my word, the child has a major southern accent.
5. I know that at times my accent is thicker than others, but Jeremy's family (from southern Mississippi) say that I sound like I'm from up north. I bet all y'all Yankees love that!
6. Please don't hate me if you drink "pop" or "soda." I just think "Coke" sounds so much better.
7. I completely forgot about Anderson when I talked about Jackson's grandparents. It's funny how my 2 kids would share grandparents, right?

So what do you think? Do I have an accent or say things completely different than you? Did you do an accent vlog? If so, I would love it if you would post a link so I can go check it out. I hope y'all have a great day!

We Remember…

2011-09-10T20:27:00.002-05:00

It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since the attack on September 11, 2001. I told you before where I was on that fateful day, but it’s so hard to not relive the events that took place on a day that I will never forget.

As the anniversary has come up again I have such a heavy heart. I’ve not watched much of the coverage replaying the attacks this year, mostly because I don’t know how to explain it to Jackson if he were to walk into the room. I just can’t wrap my mind around trying to explain the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen to a five year old, and I don’t dare turn on the news for fear that he’ll see the horror of that day. I know that one day we’ll talk about what happened, but for now I’m just not near ready to cross that bridge.

In the ten years that have passed much has changed in my life. I’ve gotten married, finished college, had 2 kids, 5 jobs, bought a house and got a dog. My heart is heavy for those that lost their lives, and those that lost loved ones on that tragic day, and for all the things that they were never able to experience because of an act of war. I pray that God grants our country safety in light of the new terror threats, and I pray for peace for those affected by September 11, 2001.

We Remember…

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

I Honestly Want To Know

2011-09-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I’ve made no bones about the fact that, politically speaking, I’m about as conservative as one can be. I’ve told you about my top 5 political people that I would love to meet, I wrote an open letter to President Obama, and I even confessed my crush on George W. Bush. I’m pretty forthcoming about my conservative stance, and I’ve even been known to delete some extreme liberals from my Facebook page during election times because their status updates were ticking me off.

With that being said, I’m just dying to know if there are any liberals reading out there in bloggy land that can help me understand where y’all are coming from:

1. If you voted for Obama in 2008, are you happy with the job he has done?

2. Will you vote for Obama again? Why or why not?

3. In your opinion, how has Obama changed this county for the better?

4. How do you feel the economy has done since 2008?

I’m not trying to stir up a hornets nest, or maybe I am. I guess I’m just baffled as to why people supported him in the first place, and why people continue to support him when our entire country is circling the drain. You definitely won’t change my opinion of Obama, and the fact that I’m counting down 425 more days until we can throw the guy out of office proves that. However, if I happen to have a liberal reader out there that wants to share their viewpoint, I’m open to hearing it. Consider it a one time opportunity!

Have a great weekend, y’all!

I’m The Proud Owner Of A 3 Month Old!

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Anderson turned 3 months old on Wednesday. Where, may I ask you, has time gone? I know I’m biased, but I think Anderson’s just about the cutest thing since his big brother!

We have been majorly blessed with such a sweet and easy going baby, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for my baby boy.

Read more about Anderson at his blog, Every 5 Days, where I post a picture of him every 5 days, hence the name! Have a great day y’all!

It's Almost Like I'm Trying To Speak English

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Now that Jackson is in kindergarten I realize that he's going to hear lots of words that I probably don't want my five year old repeating. This was the case the other day after school:

Jackson: "Mama, is 'dang it' a bad word?"
Me: "Yes, it's a bad word, and it's not something I want you saying."
Jackson: "So I'm not supposed to say 'dang it'?
Me: "No. Now quit saying it."
Jackson: "Okay. I won't say 'dang it' anymore."
Me: "Jackson. Stop. Saying. It."
Jackson: "But I'm not saying 'dang it' right now. I'm not going to say 'dang it' ever again. Is that good Mama? Is it good for me not to say 'dang it' anymore? Since 'dang it' isn't a good word I'm not going to say it."
Me: "I give up. Go play with your brother."

Seriously, this parenting stuff needs a manual.

In Honor Of Labor Day

2011-09-04T19:20:00.001-05:00

I got this meme from We Are That Family, and in honor of labor day, I just had to share. Although I don’t get a day off of work for this kind of labor day, it’s still so completely worth it! I hope you enjoy, and I would love it if you would leave me a comment with your answers!

How long were your labors?

Jackson: 6 hours of labor with 10 minutes of pushing.

Anderson: 4 hours of labor with 5 minutes of pushing. Here is Anderson’s birth story.

How did you know you were in labor?

Jackson: I was induced a week early, so I technically didn’t go into labor until the pitocin was kicked on, although I was dilated 4 cm for almost a month before he arrived.

Anderson: I was scheduled for an induction and my blood pressure started to go up. I was induced 1 day early, and I was dilated 3 cm for 3 weeks.

Where did you deliver?

In a hospital bed. Like a normal person.

Drugs?

Uhhh, yeah! Epidurals are a gift from God! With Anderson I was given a “perfect epidural” because I still had complete control and movement, just with no pain. It was amazing!

C-section?

Thankfully,no.

Who delivered?

Both Jackson and Anderson were delivered by Dr. Lawhon, as well as my nephew Luke and several of the kids at our church. I seriously love that man! How can you not love someone who takes such good care of you, brings your child into the world, and honestly cares about you and your family? He is an amazing doctor!

How about you? What are your numbers?

Weekly Confessions

2011-09-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

I was filling up our van the other day and I had an entire conversation in my head about what I would tell President Obama if I was given the chance. It pretty much started out with, “I hope you like all the vacations you’ve had”, which led into some rants about gas prices and how I don’t remember the last time we actually filled our van up all the way because gas is so expensive and ended with “I can’t wait until you are filing for unemployment benefits.”

Our new couch and loveseat are amazing! They are a soft, almost velvet like, material and I just can’t stop myself from petting my couch. Yes, you read that right. I’ve been petting my couch.

I ate cheese dip from Moe’s for dinner Thursday night. They have the best corn salsa in the world. When it’s mixed with the best queso dip in the world, you have like this awesome trifecta of queso, corn and jalapenos that just can’t be beat.

We are going to the lake on Saturday. I’m so excited about taking Anderson on his first boat ride. I’m sure he’s going to love it! Jeremy is thrilled that we picked the first Saturday of college football season to go! I figure I can send him inside with Anderson when it’s time for his naps and Jeremy and veg out and watch the games for a little while. Two birds…one stone!

I made my own homemade laundry soap tonight with a recipe a friend gave me. It took only 5 minutes, costs practically nothing to make, and you only use 1 tablespoon per load. I figure I’ll get about 60 loads of clothes cleaned for about $2. I’ll let you know if a few days if I like the way the clothes are getting cleaned.

That’s all for today. Hope y’all have a great weekend and super Labor Day Holiday!

These Are A Few Of My New Favorite Things

2011-08-31T06:00:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I shared some of my new favorite things with all 5 of my readers. Not wanting to keep everything to myself, I decided to share with y'all. Here goes!

1. Palmolive Baby Dish and Toy Soap: We had been washing bottles and were having the hardest time getting the milk residue out of the bottom of the bottles. I happened to spot a sample bottle of this and figured it was worth a shot. We love it! It’s made to remove milk and formula residue off of bottles and toys, and we have yet to be disappointed with it. I don’t normally buy “baby” products (like Dreft), but this is one product I will definitely get again.

2. The Help (Book and Movie): This was the first book I actually paid for on my new Kindle, and I finished it in 2 days. It was so good. Having lived in the heart of the deep south for my entire life, I've grown up knowing that stuff like this happened, but this book brought it to life for me. I watched the movie Monday night and fell in love with the cast. They perfectly nailed the characters, and stayed relatively true to the book. I highly recommend both the book and the movie, but the book is better like always!

3. I need a Pintervention from Pinterest. This website is great. It lets you search for creative ideas, and “pin” them to your wall in different categories. It’s so addictive!

4. My new Kindle. I’m loving it. I’ve downloaded tons of free books and one free word game, and it’s great to be able to have something so small and portable that lets me read wherever I go. I just throw my Kindle in my purse and it takes up practicaclly zero space. Technology is amazing!

5. Munchkin Bottle Brushes: Just great at getting the bottles clean, especially with the new dish soap. The bristles are hard, but not so hard that they scratch the bottles up. I also love the lime green color.

6. And last but certainly not least, my new couch and loveseat! It's being delivered today and I’m so excited. Our old couch and loveseat had served their duty and it was well past time to send them off into the sunset! Jeremy wasn’t a huge fan of the color of the furniture, but I love it! It’s a walnut shade that isn’t too dark and will hide stains. Except for spit up. We got the couch made into a queen sized sleeper, so I’m sure Jackson will want to do an occasional spend the night on the couch. I’ll post pictures when we get everything in.

That’s all for today. See y’all tomorrow!

My Karate Kid Got Promoted!

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday night Jackson was promoted in his karate class. He was so proud of himself! To get his new belt he had to test with his forms, answer some questions, and participate in the class. He did really good on his forms, doing it just like he was supposed to, answered his questions perfectly, and “acted like a black belt” during class. He is loving karate class, and we are so proud to see him doing so great! Enjoy the pics!

Jackson before the belt ceremony

Anderson before the ceremony. He looks thrilled, no?

Jackson was the first kid called up for his new belt. He had to take off his white belt…

His teacher Ms. Hand gave him his new belt…

And then he had to shake the hands of all the black belt students.

We are so proud of our little white belt with a black stripe!

And I’m pretty certain he’s the cutest karate kid ever!

I’m Too Old For Kindergarten

2011-08-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

It’s only been one week, and already kindergarten is killing me. I realize that I’m not actually the one that is attending, but it’s exhausting never-the-less.

We are more than used to getting Jackson ready for school every day, but this is so much more than that. It’s us getting up and ready, both boys getting ready, eating breakfast, making sure the bags are packed, lunches are ready and we’re out the door by 7:15. The boys schools are in opposite directions now, so that makes it even more fun to try to be at work by 8.

We try to get the bags ready the night before, but it doesn’t always happen. It’s rush, rush, rush all morning! Then, after a long days work we do the routine backwards. I leave work at 4:30, pick up the boys at 5, check mail, use the bathroom, and more often than not we are out the door again to go to church or karate. It’s exhausting.

To make it even better, Jackson has decided that he’s too big to take a nap at school, which means that he is beyond exhausted in the afternoons and mean as a snake. I know that he’s so tired, but he is GRUMPY. We had to have a little talk this afternoon about his attitude. He wasn’t a happy camper, but he knows that if he’s that tired after school and can’t be nice he’s going to have to Mommy to answer to!

I know it’s going to get easier as we get more adjusted to this new schedule, but for now, I would give about anything for a break. Clearly, I’m just not cut out for kindergarten!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Jackson had a blast at “Green Day” at Kindergarten. It looks to me like he’s having the time of his life! Thank goodness for his school uploading fun pics like this on facebook. Gotta love technology!

Anderson’s Baby Dedication

2011-08-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday before last, on Jackson’s birthday, we had Anderson’s baby dedication at church. Our church does dedications individually, at the parents request, and include the entire church family. You can’t tell it in the pictures, but Anderson wore one of Jeremy’s baby outfits, a Feltman Brothers outfit that both of the boys came home from the hospital in. He looked so sweet!

Our pastor, Brother Bruce, talked with us as a family. He found out that it was Jackson’s birthday and the entire church sang, “Happy Birthday” to him which he loved!

Brother Bruce talking with us

Then Bro. Bruce walks the baby around the church…..

and shows the baby off to the congregation.

We dedicate Anderson to the Lord…

and then the Daddy presents the baby to God.

It’s really a nice ceremony, and it’s such an honor to make a public commitment to raising our boys to love God.

Jeremy’s parents

Us with our dear friends Crystal and Tim

Us with my family

And me with my sweet Anderson.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Migraine = No Fun

2011-08-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've been having trouble with headaches again, and Sunday afternoon I got a really bad one. I had a meeting scheduled at church from 4-6, and I only made it until 4:30 before I was heading home. I tried prescription strength ibuprofen, excedrin migraine, a dark room and Mountain Dew for the caffeine, and nothing much helped.

It's hard not being able to just crash when one of these headaches comes on, but life is busy around here now. Having to get two kids ready for school, make the house somewhat presentable, wash bottles and the endless supply of laundry means that I just have to push through the headache until stuff gets done. Jeremy is great when I'm not feeling good, it's just so much stuff has to be done and it's just easier if we are both working together.

So I'm not really going to worry about blogging right now. I've got something on my mind that I wanted to share with y'all, I just have to figure out how to word it. I hope to get my thoughts down soon. I hope y'all have a great day, and I'll catch up with y'all tomorrow!

I'm Such A Band Geek

2011-08-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have been, and always will be, a band geek at heart. This video gives me chills!! I so hope that I can be a part of the alumni band this year!

Weekly Confessions

2011-08-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Kindergarten is not for sissies. It's worn me out this week and I'm not even the one going! Jackson did tell me that he fell asleep on the daycare van Thursday after school. Apparently he's decided that kindergarten students don't take naps during rest time. I have another think coming for him this weekend!

Jackson has been to school 2 days this week and he's already got 2 girlfriends. At this rate he'll have a harem set up in a week.

I saw a car the other day with a personalized tag that said, "ITSRED." Only the car was blue. It completely confused me.

I just got done re-reading HP and the Deathly Hallows for the 4th time. I cry every.single.time.

I bought a new pair of strappy black sandals in a size 9 for Anderson's baby dedication the other day. I got them Saturday morning, put them on for the first time on Sunday before church, and was only wearing them for less than an hour when the strap broke. I was ticked! I took them back to Shoe Station and swapped them out for a 10. Apparently my feet grew a whole size in a few days. And no, my foot growth had nothing to do with the strap breaking. At least I don't think so.

My new Kindle is awesome! I'm so hooked on it. I've only downloaded a few free books so far, but I can tell that it is going to be my favorite new toy. Its the reason I didn't blog last night!

I'm so thrilled that President Obama is about to enjoy his 9th vacation since last year. While he's enjoying Martha's Vineyard, I'm trying to decide which kidney to sell to get us to Disney World next year.

Y'all have a great weekend!

Jackson’s 5th Birthday Party

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Jackson had his 5th birthday party this past weekend. He decided that he wanted a Phineas and Ferb party, and I was fine with that since I love the show as much as he does. We had a pool party over at my parents house and it was great! We grilled hotdogs before the party and we served a really cute Phineas and Ferb cake, ice cream chips and hotdogs. Because it was a pool party and we had lots of kids invited, I made sure that I set up other stations to space the kids out some. We had a bubble table, side walk chalk, Phineas and Ferb coloring pages, kiddie pools, and the big pool to entertain everyone. I found the cutest Phineas and Ferb tin pails at Target and they made the cutest party favors. I was so proud of my find! It was hot during the party, but it was lots of fun. Jackson said it was the best party ever!

Sunday was Jackson’s 5th birthday and Jackson woke up to his annual birthday balloons and we skyped with Amy and Adam before church. Enjoy the pics!

Kindergarten Gets Two Thumbs Up!!!

2011-08-16T16:54:00.001-05:00

Jackson had his first day of kindergarten today and he loved it! When I dropped him off this morning he looked so handsome! Both Jeremy and I took him to his classroom, got him settled in, gave him hugs and kisses, and said goodbye. He looked a little apprehensive as we were leaving, and I made it all the way outside his classroom before the tears started falling. I only cried for a minute though! I was pretty proud of both of us for doing so good!

When I got Jackson at the daycare this afternoon he practically tackled me with a hug.

Me: “Did you have a good day at kindergarten?”

Jackson: “No, I had a GREAT day!”

There were only six kids in his room today because of their staggered start dates, and they got to do a scavenger hunt around the school to help them explore everything. Jackson especially loved playing on the playground, eating pizza in the cafeteria and he said that Mrs. Smith was really nice.

I’m so glad that Jackson had a wonderful day. I’ve never had a day pass more slowly than today, with me watching the clock waiting until time to go get him. He’s super excited about going back on Thursday, and I guess I can’t ask for any more than that!

Enjoy the pics from his first day of kindergarten!

Jackson telling Anderson all about what he’s going to do in kindergarten!

Modeling his Batman backpack

Silly face!

My big boy!

Sitting at his desk

Sweet smile before I left

Jackson with Mrs. Smith

Jackson told me that he wants to pray for Mrs. Smith, for her to stay safe, that she helps him learn a lot this year, that they have lots of fun, and that she stays just as nice as she was today.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be praying for the same things!!!

A Big Day For My Big Boy!!!

2011-08-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today is Jackson's first day of kindergarten. I've got such mixed emotions right now about everything. I'm so excited for him, because, well, he's so excited! And I'm so sad for me because it means that my sweet little guy is growing up. I know he's going to do great, I just hope I can make it through the drop off process without letting him see me cry! Here are some pictures from his Kindergarten Open House that was last Tuesday night. I’ll post pictures from today when I get home from work.

Jackson doing a coloring page

Fun wall decorations!

Media/Technology center. They don’t even have chalk boards anymore…just fancy projector systems!

Barn in the room where they can listen to books on tape

Jackson and his friend John Michael with Mrs. Smith. He looked more thrilled than this in person!

I’ll post new pictures soon! Please pray that he has a great day, and pray that I don’t lose it (at least not in front of him). It’s hard watching him grow up so fast, but I’m so proud of the boy he’s growing into!

Dear Jackson

2011-08-14T19:01:00.002-05:00

Dear Jackson,

I can't believe that today is your 5th birthday. It seems as though just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital, and here you are today turning 5! When you were just a baby someone told me that I would blink and you would be starting kindergarten. I laughed it off, having no idea just how true that statement was. Now the time for kindergarten has come, and I'm not quite sure where the time has gone. I joke with you all the time about how I didn't give you permission to grow up, and that I'm going to put a brick on your head. You laugh at me, but I'm only partly joking! I wish that I could just freeze time and enjoy every second possible with you.

At five years old you are such a smart kiddo! You are so ready for kindergarten, even though you are going to be one of the youngest kids in your class. You can sight read some words, count to 10 in Spanish, tie your shoes, and even do some basic math. I know that as hard as it is going to be to take you to kindergarten on Tuesday, you are going to do great! I hope you don't see me cry when it's time for me to go! They won't be tears of sadness for you, but for me. It's hard for me to even think about you growing up and me letting go of you a little more. At any rate, you will do wonderful, and I know that you will love Mrs. Smith!

Jackson you are such a kind, generous, and funny little guy! You've really come out of your shell in the last year and your personality has just blossomed. You still look just like your Daddy, but you act just like your Mama! You pick up so many of my sayings and surprise me with using them at just the perfect time! You have been such a good big brother to Anderson, and it makes me so happy to see you loving on him, especially when he smiles back at you! You two boys make me so happy! Every single day you make me proud to be your Mama!

During your birthday party, in the middle of opening presents, you leaned over to me and whispered a "secret" into my ear. You said, "Mama, I love you!" Time stopped for me in that second and I grabbed you and gave you a big hug and I told you that I loved you too. Until you have kids of your own you won't understand just how much I love you. I wear a necklace that is inscribed with your and Anderson's names, and it reads, "Love you to the moon and back." I wear my necklace all the time, and as much as I love it, the inscription is only party true because I love you to the moon and back a million times!

Happy 5th Birthday, Jackson! I love you!!!

Love,
Mommy

Big Week in Wade's World

2011-08-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

This has been a crazy, busy week around here, hence the lack of blogging. Tuesday night was Jackson's kindergarten orientation where we met his new teacher. She was super nice and Jackson really liked her. His room is decorated like a barnyard and there are 16 kids in the class. I'll post pictures of his classroom soon.

Wednesday night was church with mission friends and GA's, so that busy but good.

Tonight Jackson has karate and this is his last practice before he tests for his belt next week. The craziest thing going on right now is getting ready for this weekend. We have Jackson's 5th birthday party Saturday afternoon, but his birthday is actually Sunday. Also on Sunday is Anderson's baby dedication at church. I've been going crazy trying to take care of all the last minute party details and I just know that something important is going to get forgotten.

As if all that wasn't enough, Jackson starts kindergarten on Tuesday. I haven't even begun preparing for that emotionally yet. I just need to make it through this weekend in one piece.

I guess that's about it for now. Oh, I forgot to tell ya'll that I won a Kindle 3G with wifi by entering a blog giveaway! I've been wanting a Kindle since they came out and this one is going to be super nice. I'm so excited!

Ok that's really it for now. Have a great day!

What All Women (And Apparently Their Hubbies) Wish For

2011-08-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's been one year to the day since I wrote about my quest for the perfect bra. And no, I didn't mark that date down to remember it. I just searched on my blog till I found the post and I noticed that it was a year ago exactly.

Anyways...

I'm still searching for the perfect bra. The girls aren't quite the same as they were before Anderson made his grand appearance. The word "deflated" comes to mind. I thought the problem was, perhaps, just in my mind, but this morning Jeremy confirmed my suspicions that the problem was right out there in the open.

Jeremy: "What's your shirt size?"
Me: "Why?"
Jeremy: "Because I found the perfect bra for you on TV! All I need is your shirt size to know what size bra to order for you."
Me: "Please tell me that you're not talking about that bra informercial."
Jeremy: "You've seen it? The Genie Bra? Pretty cool, huh?"
Me: "You're serious?"
Jeremy: "Yeah, I've seen the commericial several times when I'm feeding Anderson his 3:00 a.m. bottle. It's supposed to be some super material that lifts everything to where it's supposed to be."
Me: "So you think the girls need lifting?"
Jeremy: (insert crickets chirping) ".....That's not what I meant."
Me: "Riighhtttt...."

I'll let you know when he's out of the dog house.

I Feel As Though I Should Warn His Teacher...

2011-08-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

I took Jackson back to school shopping Saturday morning at Kohl's. We were attempting the trip on our own with Anderson and I was trying to hurry through the store. I was busy checking out the clearance racks when Jackson popped up with a comment that owned me.

Jackson walked over to me holding a navy blue, size 4 three piece suit that was just his size. He said, "Mama, you have GOT to look at this." I glanced over at it and said that I liked it. He then said, "If I wore this to kindgergarten, I'd have to beat the girls off of me with a stick!"

After I caught my breath from laughing I realized that he was completely right...I'm definitely going to have to warn Mrs. S about Jackson. He's just too cute for his own good. He's definitely a danger to those little girls!

Weekly Confessions

2011-08-05T06:00:00.006-05:00

I’ve been so tired this week that I’ve slept through Anderson waking up at night. Granted, he doesn’t really cry when he wakes up, but he does start grunting louder and louder until someone hears him. This week, it’s been Jeremy.

I’m going to have Anderson by myself tomorrow night. This should prove interesting!

We went to the McWane Center in Birmingham last weekend and as we were waiting to catch the elevator to leave, I noticed a cute little boy standing beside his dad. I got a good look at him, tapped his dad on the shoulder and said, “Is his name Jake?” It was the youngest son of Katherine from Grass Stains! I adore her blog and it was like meeting a mini celebrity for me! Katherine was at the lake with her two oldest sons, so I didn’t get the chance to meet her, but maybe one day we will! And FYI, her son Jake is so stinking cute that it’s not even funny!

A lady at the McWane Center told me (about Anderson), “Your baby is so cute he makes my uterus hurt.” I took it as a compliment, but what a weirdo!

I’ve never watched a single episode of Glee, but I love the Glee Project.

I’ve finally got all the thank you notes done and the birthday invitations mailed. Next up is the birth announcements. They are sitting in my kitchen waiting to be addressed. My goal is to have them done sometime before Anderson is 6 months old!

We finally heard from Jackson’s new kindergarten teacher and we got our first choice! We’ll just call her Mrs. S here on ye olde blog. She was so nice on the phone and I think she will be the perfect teacher for Jackson. I found out that his class will have about 15 kids in it, and 9 of them have birthdays around Jackson’s which means that he won’t be the only young kid in the class. I’m so happy about that! And I’m super excited that one of Jackson’s best friends from preschool will be in his class so at least he will have one buddy in there to start with. I just hope they behave!

This is just about the funniest thing I have seen in awhile. Gotta love the combination of desperation and stupidity!

A thought occured to me the other day; When I was pregnant with Jackson I gained 20 pounds and lost 40. When I was pregnant with Anderson I gained 11 pounds and lost 25. If we had another baby, I could be back to my high school and drivers license weight. Just a thought...

I guess that’s enough random for today. Y’all have a great weekend!

I'm Sorry To Neglect You, But Not So Sorry That I Actually Blog About Something Worthwhile...

2011-08-03T22:16:00.003-05:00

Three days back in the the swing of things with work has kicked my butt. I'm worn slap out. Without exaggerating, I think I'm the most tired I've ever been in my entire life. I have two more days of work this week, and then Friday night Jeremy will be out of town overnight again.

Kill.Me.Now.

I make no promises about blogging for the rest of the week. You may see me. You might not. I'm just too tired to think about it right now. Y'all take care...

Biscuit Goes To The Biscuits

2011-08-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Back in June Jeremy, Jackson and I went to a Montgomery Biscuits game a few hours before I was induced with Anderson. For that reason, my Dad has taken to calling Anderson, “Biscuit.” This past Friday night our little “Biscuit” went to his first official Biscuits game. We were given tickets to another suite with Kellyn, Jason, Luke, and Jason’s family. The staff at the game even remembered that we were the couple that left the game to check into the hospital! We had a great time, and Anderson was such a good little man. Enjoy the pics!

Our last outing as a family of 3!

Love the suite!

Biscuit wearing his little Slugger outfit!

Anderson’s “First Game” Sticker

Our little Slugger was worn out from the excitement!

Back To Work

2011-08-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Today is my first day back at work, and Anderson’s first day at daycare. I have had a wonderful maternity leave with the little guy, and it’s hard to believe that it’s already time to go back to work.

Please be in prayer for us today that things go smoothly, and that I don’t have a breakdown when I have to leave him. I’ll be back later with an update on how things go.

Update: Things went good today. I cried when I dropped him off and left, but of course he did fine. He stayed on his schedule perfectly, and was really good for his teachers. It's now 10:00 at night and I'm worn out though. It's going to take a little while to adjust to working both inside and outside the home again. Please continue to be in prayer for us as we figure out our new normal!

My Little Karate Kid

2011-07-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Jackson started karate at the YMCA a few weeks ago and he is loving it. He has class every Tuesday night for 30 minutes, and he is doing great. So far he has learned some self defense moves included blocks and some kicks, practiced his karate form, and learned how to get away from a stranger in a dangerous situation.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how just a few weeks of class has really built up Jackson’s confidence. He has really found his voice, literally, when he is practicing which is a nice change from the time not too long ago when Jackson wouldn’t talk to anyone in public.

Right now Jackson is a white belt and he has earned 3 stripes for demonstrating his new moves. In a few weeks he will test for his next belt.

Here are some pictures of my cute karate kid. I know I’m biased, but I think he’s just about the cutest thing ever in that uniform!

Have a great day!

I Avoided The Mouse Trap for 1,809 Days

2011-07-28T08:47:00.001-05:00

Despite my efforts otherwise, Jackson has discovered that Chuck E. Cheese’s exists, and that there is one practically in our backyard. I have the DisneyXD channel to thank for bringing the animatronic mouse to life for my little boy. For almost 5 years I have intentionally left him in the dark about this little kid treasure trove. There are several reasons for this:

1. The location near us is not in the best neighborhood. It’s downright in the ghetto, and there is no way that I would EVER venture there at night or by myself.

2. It’s expensive. I’m about to drop $30 on pizza and oriental trading plastic toys won playing cheesy arcade games. I’m betting that not a single prize will survive the car ride home.

3. It’s germy. Thank goodness for Germ-X especially where kids, food and play sets are included.

Despite my reservations, I’m spending one of my final days of maternity leave taking Jackson to Chuck E. Cheezits (that’s what he keeps calling it) because I’m head over heels for that kiddo of mine. I think my sacrifice deserves some kind of trophy or medal or something. Jackson even roped my Mom into going with us, so at least I don’t have to suffer alone!

I’m sure Jackson will have the time of his life, and that alone makes surviving the mouse trap worth it. Almost.

Adventures In Brotherhood Have Begun

2011-07-26T08:11:00.001-05:00

Jeremy and I were getting ready for church this past Sunday morning and we left Anderson sitting in his bouncer seat in the living room with Jackson. Jackson was watching TV, so we put him “in charge” of watching A while Jeremy and I were brushing our teeth. We hadn’t been gone from the room for more than 2 minutes when I walked back in to discover that Jackson had gotten bored with watching TV and decided to play with A instead. This is what I found….

That would be A with a lizard on his head.

And the guilty party was grinning like a Cheshire cat behind him!

These boys are gonna have so much fun together, I just better hang on for the ride of my life!!!

An Agenda Of Sorts

2011-07-25T08:12:00.002-05:00

One week from today I start work again. I've had a great time on maternity leave, and although it's going to be hard to leave the little guy I know he's going to be in good hands. There are a few things that I have on my agenda to do before I go back to work.

Finish my thank you notes. I only have about 10 more to do, but it seems as though as soon as I get the stuff out to do the notes, A needs me. It's like he has thank you note radar. You might be asking yourself, "Why doesn't she just finish the notes instead of blogging?" That would be a very good question to which I don't have a logical answer. My only excuse is that I'm a master at procrastination.

Get Anderson's 6 week footprint done, despite the fact that he's now almost 7 weeks. Ssshhh..this will be our little secret.

Get control on the ever mounting laundry situation. It doesn't matter how much I wash/dry and fold clothes; there are ALWAYS clean clothes in our laundry basket that don't seem to get put away.

Take lots of naps. 'Nuff said.

Get Jackson's birthday party stuff squared away. We're having a pool party for him over at my Mom and Dad's house on August 13th. I bought the invitations last night, but I need to fill them out and address them. I figure I need to finish the thank you notes first before I start working on something else!

Get Jackson's kindergarten stuff squared away. We're missing just a couple of school supplies and he will be ready to go. He picked out a Batman backpack and Superman lunch box this weekend. My boy is growing up way too fast!

Watch Jackson at his karate class tomorrow night. I'll post pics soon. He is so stinking cute in his uniform!

Find a new dress for Anderson's baby dedication. We are having his dedication on August 14th which is Jackson's 5th birthday and I have nothing to wear. We figured it would make things easy on family that will be coming in for the party to go ahead and do both at the same time.

Attend a paint class this Thursday night at my friend Kasey's art studio.

Try to see Harry Potter one more time.

And most importantly, spend lots and lots of time with my two boys. I'm keeping Jackson out of school most, if not all, of this week. I'm hoping Jeremy can take off on Friday and we can enjoy one last family day together before I go back to work and Jackson starts school in a few weeks. These days are precious, and I'm going to soak it up as much as I can!

I'll catch up with y'all later!

We Survived. Barely.

2011-07-21T10:36:00.001-05:00

Jeremy got home last night and I promptly thanked the good Lord above, handed Anderson over to him, and I went to bed! I have never been that tired in my entire life. It wasn’t that the week was bad, because it wasn’t. It was more of the fact that my right hand man was gone, and I was having to do both of our jobs by myself day and night, coupled with the fact that all 3 of us came down with a bad cold while Jeremy was gone.

I wasn’t completely on my own while he was gone. We had dinner over at my parents house on Monday and I took the kids to a museum with a friend on Tuesday, so we did get out some. Mom’s dinner was amazing (fresh cooked veggies), and the kids had a blast at the museum, so both of those were a lot of fun. Jackson had karate class on Tuesday night and then Mom and Dad watched the boys while I went to girls night out with friends from church for a couple of hours.

By late Tuesday night we had all come down with a pretty good summer cold that had us all sniffling, sneezing and congested. Jackson got some cold medication that helped him, but because I was home alone I didn’t feel comfortable taking anything that would make me pass out. I took 1 cold pill, and it didn’t do much. All I can use with Anderson is saline solution, a bulb aspirator and a cool mist humidifier, none of which did much to help him during the middle of the night. I think on Tuesday I might have gotten 4ish hours of sleep just because I was listening to every little sound he was making. I would get up and check on him and he would be sound asleep, just making awful noise.

Wednesday was, simply put, the longest.day.ever. Jackson stayed home with me and drove me bonkers. It was raining all morning and all he wanted to do was go outside and play baseball or have me play karate or football with him in the living room, never mind the fact that we all have colds, I had 4ish hours of sleep, and I’m watching 2 kids. I love that child more than life itself, but he drove me nuts yesterday morning.

Then yesterday afternoon Mom watched Jackson while I took Anderson to his first sick baby visit to the doctor. My nephew Luke was diagnosed with strep yesterday and he had been around A and J on Monday night. His exposure, plus his bad cold, made me want to get the little guy checked out. It turned out that he was fine, just a summer cold, and he’s up to 11 pounds, 5 ounces.

Jeremy got a late start home from his meeting in GA, and they ended up not leaving until 5:00 our time. I took both boys to church, taught GA’s, and then went home where I camped out on the couch until Jeremy got home at 9. I let him get settled in for about 10 minutes and then I handed the boys off to him, took some cold medication and went to bed. It was hands down the best sleep I’ve had in weeks!

I’m still exhausted, but I think overall I did pretty good. The clothes got washed, the bottles clean, the house is still standing, and both kids are still kicking, even if I’m not! At least I have a couple of weeks before I have to face this when Jeremy goes on a church conference this time! After that, I’ll probably check into a hotel and sleep for 2 straight days!

Solo Parenting

2011-07-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

I'm on my own for the next few days because Jeremy has to go out of town for work. Fun times, I tell ya! Needless to say I'm very apprehensive about this because, hello, this means that I get all day and all night on.my.own. Jeremy got Jackson to school today, but I'm already calling defeat on even attempting it by myself tomorrow and I decided to just keep Jackson home. We're going to go to a local museum that has a kids area with some friends to let the kids play. I can face that thought much easier than trying to get myself out the door with Jackson and Anderson alone before 8:00 in the morning.

I know that my parents are going to help out while Jeremy is gone, but it's still nerve racking. That being said, I'm going to be hit or miss in the blogging department for the next few days.

I'll catch up with y'all soon. Wish me luck!

Harry Potter…The End Of The Story

2011-07-15T17:14:00.001-05:00

Jeremy and I are going to see Harry Potter tonight, and I’m sitting here with mixed feelings. I’m so excited about seeing the last movie, but I’m so sad that the series is about to be over. I’ve been HP fan since 2001, and a big part of me just can’t believe that this is the end of the road for Harry and Hogwarts. I own all the books and have read them all repeatedly, and we own all the movies. 10 years is a long time to have followed something, and I know that I’m going to cry tonight when we are sitting in the theater, even if it embarrasses Jeremy!

In case you are wondering, I also cried when the Cosby Show, Friends, and ER ended. Apparently I attach to fictional storylines very easily!

So I’ll let you know what I think about the movie after we see it. Stay tuned!

My Guilty Pleasures Of Maternity Leave

2011-07-13T08:04:00.002-05:00

Taking naps...I may not be sleeping in much these days, but occasionally dozing off with the little guy is wonderful. We have a system; I prop Anderson up on Jeremy's pillow (where he can't move around) and then I snuggle up to him and we both fall asleep. It's simply heaven, especially when it is storming outside.

Daytime television...And no, I'm not talking about "soaps" as my Nanny would say. I'm just hooked on lots of shows right now. First thing in the morning I watch I Love Lucy reruns on Hallmark, then I switch to Golden Girls, and then sometime mid-morning I start watching some of the baby shows on TLC intermixed with episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker. If I'm feeling particulary wild and crazy I might throw in some Today show, The Price Is Right or Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Oreos and Ice Cream...I love the reduced fat oreos and any of the sorbets from Bruster's. I've lost my baby weight, and then some, so I do like to have them for occasional treats. They are so delicious and are worth every single calorie!

Internet when I get the chance...The little guy gets most of my attention during the day, but it's nice to get online every few hours and see what the rest of the world is up to outside the walls of my house.

Unlimited air conditioning...Our heat index is going to be 110 today. I'm thrilled that I don't have to get out until it is time to pick Jackson up from school. Our air conditioning is getting worked overtime with me being here all day, but it feels like Heaven inside, and it's totally worth it. Remind me of that when we have to pay our power bill in a few days.

Spending time with my two favorite little guys...I'm with Anderson just about all day, every day, but I'm also spending several days a week with Jackson. With him starting school in a few weeks, and me going back to work in less than 3 weeks, I'm just savoring my time with my boys. Without a doubt, they are the best part of being home on maternity leave!

I'm Tired Just Listening To Him

2011-07-12T09:24:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I have noticed that lately Jackson has been talking nonstop. It's like his mind doesn't shut down. Ever. And the best part? He won't let our minds shut down either! He pretty much speaks in one long run on sentence that just never ends. For example, this is Jackson's dream from last night, in his words. He is sitting here beside me as I'm typing, so honest to goodness, this is what life is like around here right now.

"I had a dream that me and my friends went skating and there was this big dinosaur slide that you slide on the water and then you go on some ice and then snow and then uhhhh you go on some tables and then uhhhhh we went to play on dinosaur city and there were real dinosaurs with two slides on each side, one on the right and one on the left, and then we we went zooooommmmmm down the slide and then I went on ummmmm the other slide and went zoooommmmmm down it and then we went to go outside and we went snow tubing and then we left and we only got to do it 20 times and then we went to leave and we went on another field trip and then guess what...we went to 20 places and we didn't even take a nap! But then we took a nap in the school van because it took a long time for Mrs. Angie to drive us to Disney World and then we spent the night at the mountains in Tennessee and then we went to 100,000 places and then we went to the movie theater and saw Harry Potter and then we went back to daycare."

See what I mean? I'm exhausted just listening to him! Maybe he should handle the 2:00 bottle for Anderson since he's obviously got more energy than Jeremy and I do!

Jacksonisms

2011-07-11T07:46:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've shared some of the hilarious things that Jackson has said lately. So here goes...

After seeing a baby at Walmart: "You see that baby over there? That kid has the hugest arms I've ever seen. We're talking fat!"

After taking several family pictures for our church directory: "I've got a secret to tell you Daddy! If we take any more family pictures, I'M NOT!"

After listening to me sing Kung Fu Fighting to him one too many times: "So why was everybody kung fu fighting?"

After getting stung by a bee/wasp/fly thing on Saturday when he was playing outside: "I need you to go to facebook and tell everyone that I got stung by a bee or a wasp or a fly."

After figuring out Anderson doesn't know how to do much these days: "So pretty much all Anderson does is eat, sleep and poop?"

After seeing Anderson peeing in the bathtub: "When Daddy comes in here you should point Anderson at him!"

After realizing that I'm not nursing anymore, he pointed to my chest and said, "If you're not nursing anymore, why are those things still so fat?"

How I love that kiddo of mine!

One Month Ago Today...

2011-07-07T15:00:00.006-05:00

One month ago today we welcomed sweet Anderson into our family.

One month ago today I became a mother of boys.

One month ago today I learned first hand that you really do love your second child as much as your first.

One month ago today a little boy stole my heart just like his big brother did.

One month ago today I realized that motherhood is easier with the second child.

One month ago today my life was made a little sweeter, and I can't wait to see what the future holds!