Fun Friday Pics...

It's been a crazy week. I don't have much to say. I'm too tired. I just thought I would share some new pictures. I hope you enjoy!

Jackson with Papa and Gigi from this weekend

Jackson's latest toy that has made it to the bathtub. His HUGE Tonka truck. He loves it!
Honest to goodness...Jackson had just pooted and I caught him turning around to see what was so smelly! Too funny!

Jackson opened the "Real Yellow Pages" this morning and spotted a dump truck. He's a genius!

Don't forget to enter my giveaways for Jane Iredale, Wei East, and Yes to Carrots. I will end the contest tonight at midnight. Good luck and have a great weekend!

Say a little prayer...

My grandmother, Nanny, fell yesterday at her house and broke her left kneecap and her right tibia (shin bone). She had surgery on both legs late last night. Her left kneecap was, for all essential purposes, shattered, and they repaired it. The break in her right shin bone traveled up her leg and they had to put a rod into that leg. She will not be able to put any significant weight or bend her legs for quite a while. It will be a very slow recovery (at least 3-4 months). Please be in prayer for our family as we help her "walk" this road of recovery.

On a positive note: she seemed to be in very good spirits last night and this morning. Her only concern while we were waiting for surgery was that we find her a cute doctor to marry! She kept wanting us to put a sign on her bed that said: Man Wanted to Play Dominoes and Cards!!
At least her spirit isn't broken!!

Thanks for your prayers...

Yes to Carrots Giveaway!

This must be your lucky day because I have another giveaway!! If this is your first visit here via the Bloggy Carnival, then let me be the first to welcome you to Wade's World. I will be giving away to one lucky winner a box filled with Yes To Carrots products. Yes to Carrots is a great company that is all about making products that are designed to nourish normal to dry skin. Their products are made with organic fruits and vegetables, dead sea minerals, are pesticide and paraben free, and are never tested on animals! I have tried lots of Yes to Carrots products, and I have yet to be disappointed in anything! Their line of products are great for any skin type, very reasonably priced and the the quality is excellent. It's official...I am hooked on Yes to Carrots!

What we're giving away: One lucky winner will receive a box filled with Yes To Carrots products including: C Through the Dry Spell Deliciously Rich Body Butter, C the Difference Exfoliating and Soothing Mud Mask, Eye can C Clearly Now Eye Contour Cream, C a Softer You Hand and Elbow Moisturizing Cream, Lip Butters and more! Basically, you will hit the Yes to Carrots Motherload!!!

How can you win? Please visit Yes To Carrots and take a look around. Come back here and tell me your favorite Yes To product that you found. It's that easy!

Who can enter? Anyone in the United States. You don't have to be a blogger to win, just make sure that I have a valid e-mail address to get in touch with you.

The giveaway will end Friday, January 26th at 11:59 p.m., when a random winner will be selected. I'll e-mail the winner and post the results later. If the winner doesn't respond within four business days, a new winner will be drawn.

Good luck and make sure to drop by my other giveaways here and here. Y'all have a great day!

We Scare Because We Care

Jackson has a favorite movie. It's called Silly Monsters. It's also known as Monster's Inc. for those of you who aren't familiar with how scary that movie can be for a toddler when a parent may or may not have forgotten about the scare scenes in the movie. I had to convince him that the movie is silly, and not scary, and now we watch it eleventy thousand times a day. Seriously. Eleventy.Thousand.Times.A.Day. It's basically on repeat and as soon as it's finished we have to start it again. Jackson doesn't care if there is something that is must watch on TV like a new episode of 24. The movie is funny the first 100 times you watch it. After that? Not so much...

I practically have the entire movie memorized. Wanna know some of my favorite lines? Sure you do... here they are in no particular order:

Mike and Sulley at a crosswalk next to a giant monster]
Sulley: Hey, Ted! Good morning! [Ted clucks; light changes and they cross]
Sulley: See that, Mikey? Ted's walking to work.
Mike:Big deal. Guy takes five steps and he's there.

Mike: Roz, my tender, oozing blossom, you're looking fabulous today. Is that a new haircut? Tell me it's a new haircut. It's got to be a new haircut. New makeup? You had a lift? You had a tuck? You had something? Something has been inserted in in you that makes you look... Listen, I need a favor. Randall was working late last night out on the scare floor. I really need the key to the door he was using.
Roz: Well, isn't that nice? But guess what? You didn't turn in your paperwork last night.
Mike: He didn't... I... no paperwork?
Roz: This office is now closed. [Roz closes the window on Mike's fingers]
Mike: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sulley: Hey, Mike, this might sound crazy but I don't think that kid's dangerous. Mike: Really? Well, in that case, let's keep it. I always wanted a pet that could kill me.

Charlie: 2319. We have a 2319!

Needleman: So I said, "If you talk to me like that again, we're through."
Smitty: Oh! What did she say?
Needleman: You know my mom. She sent me to my room.

TV Anchorman: If witnesses are to be believed, there has been a child security breach for the first time in monster history.
CDA Agent: We can neither confirm nor deny the presence of a human child here tonight.
Witness #1: Well the kid flew right over me and blasted a car with its laser vision.
Witness #2: I tried to get away from it, but he picked me up with his mind powers and shook me like a doll.
Witness #3: It's true! I saw the whole thing!
Professor on TV: It is my professional opinion that now it's the time to *panic*!

Sulley(to Boo): That’s a cute little dance you got. Almost looks like you gotta-Oh.

That's enough of the quotes. Now let's enjoy some movie clips. If I have to watch this movie constantly, the least you can do for me is to watch these snippets. Love y'all!

Wei East Giveaway

Once again I want to welcome all y'all Bloggy Carnival readers. I'm so glad you dropped by! I'm giving away to one lucky winner some great Wei East products. Wei East is a company that is doing a great job mixing Eastern Chinese herbal remedies with Western science and technology to produce beautiful products that balance the best of east and west. You may have even seen them from their segments on the Home Shopping Network. Every product is made with the purest, freshest ingredients that can be found, face rigorous clinical research, and are NEVER tested on animals. Most Wei East products are based on recipes that have been handed down from mother to daughter for hundreds of years. They have been "tested" by time and widespread use, a benefit few Western products enjoy. The products leave your skin feeling smooth and clean, smell fantastic, and actually improve the look and texture of your skin. They are wonderful!

One lucky winner will receive their Triple Lotus Restorative 7 day Shock System, AND their Golden Root Renewal Revitalizing Mud!

How can you win? Please visit Wei East and take a look around. Come back here and tell me your favorite Wei East product that you found. It's that simple!

Who can enter? Anyone in the United States. You don't have to be a blogger to win, just make sure that I have a valid e-mail address to get in touch with you. The giveaway will end Friday, January 30th at 11:59 pm when a random winner will be selected. I'll e-mail the winner and post the results later. If the winner doesn't respond within four business days, a new winner will be drawn.

Good luck and make sure to enter my other giveaway!

Jane Iredale Giveaway!

I want to welcome all y'all Bloggy Carnival participants. I'm so glad you dropped by! I'm giving away to one lucky winner a box filled with Jane Iredale eye products! Jane Iredale products are amazing! The company thrives on the concept that the most beautiful cosmetic you can wear is a healthy skin and their products are so great that they are recommended by plastic surgeons, dermatologists and skin care professionals. The products are non-comedogenic, oil free, are tested against known allergens so they are great for sensitive skin, and are NEVER tested on animals. The Jane Iredale eye shadows are even being featured in Cosmo this month. I have tried the eye glosses and have come away loving them! The colors are silky smooth, with a subtle glittery touch, and are so easy to apply and blend. They stay on great, and don't smudge like so many eye shadows have a tendency to do.

One lucky winner will receive eye glosses in every color imaginable: champagne silk, brown silk, green silk, mauve silk, grey silk, wine silk, peach silk and lilac silk, AND, Jane Iredale cream to powder eye liner!

How can you win? Please visit Jane Iredale and take a look around. Come back here and tell me your favorite eye gloss color that you found. It's that simple!

Who can enter? Anyone in the United States. You don't have to be a blogger to win, just make sure that I have a valid e-mail address to get in touch with you. The giveaway will end Friday, January 30th at 11:59 pm when a random winner will be selected.

I'll e-mail the winner and post the results later. If the winner doesn't respond within four business days, a new winner will be drawn.

Good luck and don't forget to drop by my other giveaway that I have going on!

Such a cute little fellow...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

He took the words right out of my mouth...

Every night after bath time we get Jackson lotioned up and dressed in his pajamas,and then we blow dry his hair. If his hair doesn't get dried, he ends up looking like a wooley booger in the morning. You might even think that we brushed his hair with a brillo pad.

So last night was Jeremy's night to dry Jackson's hair. He sat there unusually still and when he was done Jeremy spun him around to check himself out in the mirror.

Jackson's words as he looked in the mirror: "I look like such a handsome little boy."

Yes you do, little man. Yes you do...

A New Day...

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
1 Timothy 2:1-3 (from the Message)

The end of things...

Today is President George W. Bush's last day in office. If you have been reading my blog for any amount you have probably realized that I am a very conservative Republican. I love President Bush. I know that he has made some very unpopular decisions, but I truly feel in my heart that he has done a good job and he made the decisions he made to try to keep our country safe. I believe that he is a firm follower of Christ and I am grateful for that.

So I have a confession to make....

I have teeny tiny crush on W. Not in a "cheat on your spouse" kind of way, first of all because I am happily married and I think he is also, but more in a "I feel like we are supposed to be good friends" kind of way. Friends that just haven't met yet.

I got to see President Bush speak in 2004 at a local university. It was amazing! I went with my Mom and Dad who were only slightly amused at how crazy their oldest daughter was acting. It took 4 hours to go through security but it was worth every minute. He was speaking on social security, so it wasn’t like it was super exciting, but it was more about knowing that OMG… I’m in the same room as the President of the United States the most powerful man on the planet and oh gosh look at all the Secret Service guys around with their cute little ear pieces in and I wonder what they are saying speaking into their hands like that and do you think there are snipers somewhere around here I bet there are maybe even on that roof top right over there and look here comes W looking all handsome in that gray suit and crap I think I just broke my camera and how am I ever going to memorialize this momentous occasion in my life without my camera and oh good Mom has another camera with her and WOW he’s starting to talk again about social security and even though it is a boring topic and I don’t know very much about it I am going to pretend like I do and clap at everything he says because he’s the first President I voted for and I just love this guy….

I could go on and on. I love W as much as I love Rick and Bubba.

I still have a close-up picture on display in my house of W that one of my Mom’s friends took that day. She was sitting on the floor level and got his autograph and a great picture of him.

I was so jealous…

Then on the 1 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina my brother-in-law Jason was working on a Habitat for Humanity home in New Orleans and guess who just happened to be stopping by the site? You got it...Jason got to meet President Bush. And pray with him. And talk with him. And get his picture taken with him.

Can I go into a “I’m the big sister of someone whose husband touched the hand of President George W. Bush” mode? I was in awe. Jason said that he was just the nicest guy.

Of course he was…

I better wrap this up before the Secret Service come investigate me for being a stalker or something. All that to say, I’m very sad to see him go. I know that he made some very unpopular decisions in his Presidency, but I strongly feel that his faith and his love of country are genuine. I still keep thinking that we are just meant to meet sometime. Almost like he is going to finish packing his U-haul at the White House, turn in the keys to Air Force One, and then just drop on by for a glass of sweet tea with me.

So President Bush, if you ever just happen to drop by Wade’s World, please know that the offer to visit is always open. I'm sure the FBI can look up my address for you. Or, if one of you bloggy readers happens to have his cell phone number I would be gratefully appreciative. Mmmkay?

Weekend Update

We had such a great weekend in the Wade's household. I'll break it down a little to share the highlights.

• Jackson has been sleeping like a pro in his BBB without threats of any kind. We have it down to an art now. Jackson gets put in his bed and one of us will lay down with him for a minute and tell a story to just talk, then we say prayers, and then we leave. Jackson sometimes yells out from his bed for one of us to come back, but we just holler back that he needs to stay in his BBB, and then magically he does. It’s amazing!
• Jackson got a phone call from Santa Claus yesterday telling him that he has some leftover toys and that if Jackson did not cry during Sunday School, that Jackson would be able to get a new toy. Sunday School was still sketchy, but we survived, and Jackson is the proud owner of 2 new Matchbox construction trucks.
• And the biggest one of all….Jackson has just about mastered pooping in the potty. He has told us that he needed to go 4 times this weekend and then successfully made it all 4 times. We are so proud of him! I can see the light at the end of the Pampers tunnel and it’s getting brighter!!!

Have a great Monday!

Happy Birthday Jason!

I want to wish my brother-in-law Jason a wonderful Birthday. He is a great guy and is such a fun part of our family. We love you Jason!

Happy Birthday!!

Speaking hypothetically here...

In a moment of sheer desperation last night, and after taking Jackson back to his BBB 5 times in a row, and then having him reappear back in our room again with a little smile on his face like this was such a fun game, I may or may not have told him that there was a shark in the living room and that he had to stay in his bed or the shark was going to come in his room.

Worked like a charm....

No tears, no fussing, no calling out for Mommy and Daddy...he just went straight to sleep after our little talk. I should have plenty of time to save up enough money for his therapy one day. Desperate times do call for desperate measures! Have a great weekend!

Operation Big Boy Bed is going to KILL us...

Please try to ignore the toothpicks that are holding my eyes open today. It seems that Operation Big Boy Bed (OBBB) has hit the wall. Apparently Jeremy and I have been blessed with a child that seems to enjoy the freedom a BBB provides, and loves to drag the falling asleep process out as long as possible, and also thinks that the hours of 2am through 3 am is the best time to wake up. He is like a sadistic little alarm clock. His bedroom is on the opposite end of the house as our bedroom, and without fail, around 2:00 in the morning you will hear the pitter patter of little feet crossing the kitchen floor and then a little voice calling for Mommy or Daddy. Here is a little snippet of our conversation. At 2:00 in the morning. Let's not forget that little tidbit of info.

Jackson: "Mommy, I come cuddle."
Me: "Jackson, you have to sleep in your room."
Jackson: (now on Jeremy's side of the bed) "Daddy, will you go cook me some grits?"
Jeremy: "Jackson, it's the middle of the night. It's not time for grits."

And then an adorable pajama clad Jackson gets toted back to his BBB where he gets placed ever so gently on his bed, with no covers on mind you because apparently sheets/bedspreads are of the Devil, and then without fail, as soon as we disappear from sight the whole thing starts over again.

Requests last night: Grits, milk, to go potty, watch Silly Monsters (aka Monsters, Inc.), cuddle with Mommy or Daddy (whoever doesn't have him at the time), and repeatedly telling me that his bed is broken although I have no idea what he is talking about on this one.

Finally, after about 10 times of this entire process repeating itself, Jackson fell back asleep. At 3:30. We're all exhausted. I can't even think straight. Jeremy's first words to me today..."Your eyes sure are puffy." Thanks for noticing.

So for now we will just continue channeling Supernanny and continue to take him straight back to bed without talking or entertaining him unless y'all have a better idea. I'm all up for some suggestions...

Now, if y'all could please excuse me....I have to go get some caffeine. I have a feeling I'm in for another LOOOONNNNNGGGG night. Bye now!

I just had to open my big mouth...

Guess who's going to see Dr. Doodle today?

Like Mother....Like Son

I have had this teeny, tiny thing called hypochondria for practically my whole life. Ask my Mom. I am 28 years old and I do not (cannot) read the pamphlet of information that comes with prescriptions medication because I will give myself the symptoms. Every.Single.Time. Anytime I had to write a paper in school on any illness for a research paper or whatnot, I would mysteriously come down with the symptoms. Like the time I was about 12 and had to do a paper on diabetes: I knew that my great-grandmother had diabetes, and that there is a genetic predisposition to the disease. Then I read the symptoms...*(dum, dum, dum)*

Frequent urination-Check
Excessive thirst-Check
Extreme hunger -Check
Unusual weight loss-Um. Not so much.
Increased fatigue-Why of course...
Irritability-Now that you ask..
Blurry vision-If my eyes were squinted then yes...I had blurry vision.

It was official. I had diabetes. I was so convinced that I even made my Mom take me to the doctor.

I didn't have diabetes. I still don't....yet.

I think Jackson has inherited hypochondria from me...

His newest thing is that he will tell me that he needs to go to the doctor. His doctor's name is Dr. Diebel. He recently saw part of the movie Dr. Doolittle on TV, and now he thinks that all doctors are named Dr. Doodle. It's rather funny.

So yesterday we are on our way home from school yesterday. He says:

Jackson: "I'm not feeling very good. I need to go see Dr. Doodle."
Me: "You're not? What's wrong?"
Jackson: "My tummy hurts....my head hurts...I have a little cough. (insert fake coughing sound here)"
Me: "I'm sorry. Do you want some medicine."
Jackson: "No. My knee hurts.....and my chin....and my finger...and my cheek."
Me: "Do you need to go see the doctor."
Jackson: "No, I don't want to get a shot in my booty. I feel better now."

End of discussion. Jackson miraculously felt better after he determined that there was a possibility of a shot in his booty.

It's amazing at what the fear of a needle can do for you :)

The Difference A Year Makes

I was going through some pictures from last January and it was amazing to me at how much Jackson has changed in a year! He has gotten so much taller and he is also much skinnier now. I also can't believe the change in vocabulary. We were loving his "kuh-kuh-duck" from 2008, but it makes parenting so much easier when your 2 year old can tell you exactly what he wants in full and complete sentences, with proper English for the most part. His speech is amazing!

January 2008 Jackson playing in the one and only snow during his lifetime!

Check out that cute smile!

And now fast forward to 2009....

Look at how much taller he is!

Trying on Daddy's belt. Aren't the pajamas so cute on him!

Jackson is such a cutie playing with his completely gender neutral itchen-kay!

I have loved watching the changes that he has made over the course of this year. I can't wait to see how much he changes during 2009! Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in parenting!!!

Just call me "Michelangelo"

I went to my first ever painting party at my friend Kasey's art studio last night with Kellyn. We had a blast. Kasey takes a design and then everyone in the room paints the same thing, but they all end up looking very different and one of a kind. I have never painted in my life so I wasn't quite sure how things were gonna end up. I tend to get very OCD about things, but I thought it would be fun to try to actually make something of my own. Wanna see what I made? Sure you do.

Try to ignore the fact that it's hanging slightly crooked on the wall. I was very proud of how it turned out. I even signed the bottom corner like a real artist. As if :)

I had a blast, and the picture looks great hanging in my living room. The color gold of the cross is dead on with the yellow walls in our living room. I couldn't have matched it better if I tried.

Confession: I even brought it to work today to show it to some of my work buddies cause I'm just a dork like that. Have a great weekend y'all!

Life with Jackson

I love the personality our little man has developed. Most of the time. He is so much like me that it's not even funny! He definitely inherited my stubborn streak! Case in point...his new favorite phrase is "I never ever never ever...." and then fill in the blank with whatever activity he currently doesn't want to do (which nine times out of ten is whatever I want/need him to do right.this.second.

Within the last few days I have heard some gems that I just had to share with y'all. Such as...

"I never ever never ever take a nap."

"I never ever never ever drink my milk."

"I never ever never ever take a bath."

"I never ever never ever clean up my toys."

And my personal favorite...."I never ever never ever go potty. Never. Ever." (This was said as he was pottying before bath time). My response to him...."Good luck with that kid."

I couldn't make this parenting stuff up if I tried...but boy, do I love that kid!!!

Happy Birthday to the Original Amy Elizabeth Wade!!

I want to wish my favorite sister-in-law, Amy Wade Knight, a wonderful Birthday. She is such an amazing person and just an inspiration to be around. She has had a huge year with getting married to Adam (now Dr. Adam Knight), moving to Auburn, getting a new job, and now moving to Starkville to start their new life. God has huge things in store for her life and I think the world of her! Love ya Amy!!

Happy Birthday Amy!!!

P.S. In case you don't know this, Amy and I have/had the same first, middle, and last names for the first 6 1/2 years of Jeremy and my marriage. That's why she has the title of the Original Amy Wade. Isn't that crazy? 2 families both name their daughters Amy Elizabeth and then the families get crossed by marriage. I love it!

Leave it to the Wade's to effectively prove that cleaning your house is in fact dangerous...

I've had it. My house is about to explode with "stuff". Tons of it. Embarrassing amounts of it. We have so much stuff that I don't know how our attic floor hasn't fallen through. Enough is enough! I've made it my mission to get rid of tons of it. I don't care if it is given away, sold, or trashed...I just want it gone! I'm a woman on a mission!!

So, brilliant me decided to head up into the attic last night to begin the process. I was so excited about getting started that I even decided to forgo eating supper. That's dedication! I pulled the attic door down and because Jackson loves to climb into the attic, and since that could perhaps be slightly dangerous, I had Jeremy raise just the lower portion of the attic ladder up so Jackson couldn't reach it. So effectively, I was trapped in the attic (at Jeremy's mercy) although I could still see down the stairs. Looking back I see how weird it is that I willingly allowed myself to become trapped in the attic, but it wasn't like the attic door was completely closed. Because I couldn't be interrupted, I was a mad woman getting rid of stuff. I was on fire! I would make piles (trash, keep, or give away to family, friends, or church) and then pass them down the stairs to Jeremy and then he would take them out to the back porch for the time being. Everything was going great, and I was really working my way through the attic.

Until....

I came across a box lid full of small, square glass vases. I quickly decided to put them in the pile to give away and had Jeremy carry them out to the back porch. Because it was raining, Jeremy had been putting our "go through with family pile" in Jackson's playhouse on the back porch. When Jeremy tried to fit this box lid full of glass vases through the playhouse door, it wouldn't fit and the vases tipped and started falling. Jeremy tried his best to catch the vases before they fell and basically grabbed one of them as soon as it broke on the back porch.

Oh mercy...the blood.

Keep in mind that I'm stuck in the attic. As in, there is no way for me to get out without Jeremy lowering the ladder down for me. From the attic I hear the back door opening, and then immediately hear breaking glass. the back door opening again, and Jeremy call out, "Um. Amy...I need some help. I'm bleeding pretty bad."

I'm still stuck in the attic.

Finally Jeremy appears and pulls the attic ladder all the way down, and it is just chaos. Jeremy is bleeding, Jackson is crying because Daddy is hurt, and I'm just running around crazy trying to find a red hand towel to put pressure on the cut to get it to stop bleeding. Jeremy is running his left thumb under the faucet and every time he pulls it out it is just gushing blood. Usually I don't get sick at the sight of blood, but this was bleeding so much that I started gagging. The phrase "bleeding like a stuck hog" comes to mind.

Now we have Jeremy bleeding, Jackson crying, and me gagging.

Finally we get it together and just as I'm getting us ready to go take Jeremy for stitches, we get the bleeding under control and Jeremy decides that he can drive himself to Pri-Med. 2 hours, 6 shots of lidocaine directly into his thumb, and 2 stitches later, he gets back home almost in one piece.

So there you have it: Cleaning has now been proven to be dangerous for your health. Jeremy has the stitches to prove it...