Happy Birthday Gigi!

Tomorrow Jeremy's Mom, Janet, will celebrate her birthday. We want to wish her a Happy Birthday and we hope she has a fantastic day. We love you!

Happy Birthday!

Which way should it go?

I went to my 2nd art class last night and had a blast. Wanna see what I painted? Sure you do because I need your advice. We don't know which way we want to hang the painting. It is a swirly painting, so there really isn't a right or wrong way to hang it. It is going in our bedroom, and although the colors seem unusual together at first, they go amazingly well with our comforter set (which was the whole point!). So take a peek and let me know which way you think it should hang.

Or...

I've got a snazzy little poll going up on the right side of the screen. Pretty please help a girl out! Any thoughts????

Just so you know....

This must be my lucky week. On Monday I won a $25 gift card to Olive Garden in a bloggy giveaway and just now I won a free pair of movie tickets from a radio station. I'm seeing a date night in my near future.

I'm thinking about heading to Georgia and buying a lottery ticket.

Please excuse the fact that I'm Southern Baptist and we don't support the lottery. Mmkay? What can I say? When you're on a roll, you're on a roll!

Not so sure about the thong...

I got a new pair of shoes on Tuesday. They are cute little black satin thong sandals. They were only $10. The only problem is that I think my big toes are convinced they have a wedgie. It's not very pleasant and my big toes are screaming for a discreet place to stop and pull the wedgie out. I thought y'all might like to know.

Life on the Edge

Y'all watch out. I'm like a crazy woman today. I just got Peanut Butter and Cheese crackers out of the vending machine instead of my normal choice of a 100 calorie pack of Cheese-Nips. I'm not used to being this adventurous. Imagine the possibilities lunch could hold. It's almost mind boggling....

Am I blushing?

Jackson has gotten me good lately with some of the things only a preschooler can say. Since I've already told y'all how I'm not really on my game right now, I thought I would have nothing to lose with embarrassing myself further. So here goes....

Monday night we were trying to enjoy a meal at Logan's Steakhouse. Jackson tends to be a handle at restaurants so Jeremy and I were both pulling out all the stops to ensure for the best possible behavior. Our food had just been brought out and we were about to start eating when Jackson stands up really quick in the booth and announces rather loudly to everyone within earshot that, "I need to go to the bathroom and push it out!"

Thanks for sharing....

Then, yesterday when I was picking Jackson up from school he got me again. There were several parents picking up their kids all at the same time, and so the hallway was really crowded. I walked into his room and he ran up and gave me a huge hug. I stood up and was holding him asking him how his day was when he proceeded to stick his hand all the way down my shirt, pull it out far enough for anyone to see everything I've got, and ask me, "Mommy, whatcha got in there?"

It was like Chik-Fil-A all over again....

What is something funny a child has done or said around you?

Ever had one of "those" days?

I don't feel quite like I am hitting on all cylinders today. I have the beginning of a sinus headache, and I'm just moving kinda slow.

So for lunch I decided to head for the border to Taco Bell and grab something really quick at the drive through. I pulled up to place my order and looked at the menu and was thoroughly confused as to why Taco Bell was selling fried chicken.

It could have something to do with the fact that I pulled into the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot.

What is something completely crazy, stupid, or just plain dumb that you have done when you weren't paying attention?

It's like he's trying to speak to me....

Every night when we are laying Jackson down to bed, one (or both) of us will lay down beside him and tell him a bedtime story or ten. Last night I got him settled down and Jackson immediately told me that he wanted to see the 3 little girls. I was confused. Three little girls? What in the world was he talking about? What three little girls? He just kept saying over and over, "I want to see the three little girls. I want to see the three little girls." He was getting a little frustrated because I didn't know what he was talking about.

For more than a split second I was slightly concerned that our house was built on top of an old Indian burial ground.

Then he said, "The girls that say crash, boom."

And then I got it...Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

We went to Jeremy's parent house this weekend and had a great time. Lots of quality time with Gigi, Papa, and Uncle Ben. The drive should have taken about 4 hours each way, but ended up taking over 5 because we kept having to stop on the side of the road for Jackson to go potty. Gotta love potty training!!! Nothing says high class like letting your preschool son pee on your tires! Seriously though, Jackson is doing awesome with his potty training. I don't think he went a single pull-up all weekend long! Even more exciting, we traveled without a single "dat" and I'm gonna go ahead and call it that we are done with pacifiers! I would like to thank all 11 of you that voted in support of us. We appreciated every single vote of confidence!

Saturday afternoon we went with Jeremy's parents and brother, Ben, and took Jackson out to the pasture and pond and played for awhile. We flew a kite with Jackson for the first time, and Jackson even got to help me fish for a few minutes. He lost interest in both quickly, but it was fun. I hope you enjoy some pictures.

Gigi and Jackson about to fly the kite.

Jackson decided that he was more interested in Daddy's new golf club!

Lighting McQueen takes flight!

Jackson was mesmerized watching the kite!

A man on a mission!

Papa, Jackson, and Daddy

If I just reach a little farther...

Me showing Jackson how to fish. This lasted about 2.5 seconds.

Helping him reel.

Jackson flying the kite all by himself. The kite was fully extended here.

How many adults does it take to fly a kite?

Jackson driving in the pasture

We rigged the 2 kites to fly together. It worked for about 20 seconds.

I guess I should point out that although it looks like it was a stormy day, it was just overcast. It didn't storm until much later :) We weren't about to recreate Thomas Edison's kite experiment!

We had a great trip and hope we can go back really soon!

Jackson and Thomas the Tank Engine

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy 30th Birthday Jeremy

Today is the 30th Birthday of my wonderful husband, Jeremy.He is such a great guy, and in honor of this milestone day in his life, I wanted to share 30 things that I love about him. Happy Birthday Jeremy!

30 Things I Love About Jeremy!

1. He is an amazing husband.
2. He is a wonderful father to Jackson.
3. He loves his family!
4. And he has a great deal of respect, love, and admiration for our parents and grandparents.
5. He is a born again Christian.
6. He is very active at church despite the fact that he works crazy hours.
7. He sings in the choir and loves it. He has a great voice!
8. He is always encouraging to me.
9. He tries to get me to “play the game” when he is figuring out what movie actors played in.
10. He will play the “baby name game” with me on long car trips, even though he hates doing it, and he’s done it a million times!
11. How he will stop and watch the same movie even.if.he.has.seen.it.a.hundred.times.already.
12. He teaches RA’s even though they drive him crazy some nights.
13. He lets me sleep, watch movies, or read in the car when we are on long drives.
14. And he doesn’t complain that I leave footprints on the windshield!
15. He works long hours at a stressful job to provide for the three of us. He loves his work, but it is very demanding.
16. He is great at what he does. He gets thank you notes from tons of families he works with detailing how much they appreciate him.
17. He always goes above and beyond what is asked of him without complaining.
18. He is always willing to help out with the housework, and actually does a great job of doing it without me even asking.
19. He is the sole vacuumer in our house.
20. He has taught our son to help clean up, and to love the vacuum!
21. He doesn’t complain about my lack of variety in menu planning.
22. He sends me flowers sometimes for absolutely no reason at all.
23. He reads my blog all the time, even though he doesn't always leave a comment.
24. He reads to Jackson the same book over and over just because it’s Jackson’s favorite book.
25. He doesn’t mind watching Monster’s Inc. or Finding Nemo over and over again because it makes Jackson happy.
26. He is a master at doing the whole “arm fart” thing that only boys can do, and Jackson thinks it is hilarious!!
27. He gets down on the floor and wrestles with Jackson.
28. He gets up with Jackson in the middle of the night to check on him because I can sleep through a tornado.
29. He treats me with respect, and loves me unconditionally!
30. He is my best friend, and totally completes me!

Wanna see his birthday present? Jackson and I got him a Medicus golf driver. It's this crazy contraption of a golf club that has a joint in the middle of it that will collapse if you don't swing your golf club correctly. Jeremy was so excited about his new golf club. He has always wanted one, and I was able to really surprise him with it.

Jeremy with his new club

Jackson decided that he would rather keep the club than give it to Daddy!

Happy Birthday Jeremy! We love you and hope you have an amazing day!!!

Guess Who Caved?

Guess which one of us parental units caved with the paci? Any bets? Scroll down for the answer.

Answer: Neither!!! Based on my post from yesterday, you were probably betting on Jeremy! We are now 48 hours paci free. Jackson isn't too much of a happy camper about it, but I think we may be over the worst. As far as I'm concerned, this battle has been won! We are not opening that can of worms again!

Jackson wearing Daddy's tie

Doesn't he look handsome!

He knows all his shapes, but no, he didn't do the drawing!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Jackson is one of those kids that just loves his paci. We lovingly call it "dat" around our house. For the last 6 months or so, our precious son has walked around with a pink dat, much to our chagrin. Now I swore that when Jackson turned a year old that we were going to take his paci away. Then I said we would take it away when he turned 2. Now, he is 2 1/2, and it's time for it to go! Luckily, he is not one of those kids that has it in his mouth all the time, but quite simply, I'm tired of fooling with it.

The process has begun...

It all started quite accidently yesterday on our way to church. I packed his bag and completely forgot to put his paci in. He didn't notice until we were on our way home from church and then he asked about it. I told him that we would have to find it when we got home. When we got home I helped him look for it, secretly hoping that I would be able to find it first and hide it. I got my wish. I spotted it on the bathroom counter and slid it under some stuff so he wouldn't see it. It was really pushing nap time, so I just told him that we would keep looking for it after nap. It took awhile for him to fall asleep, but after a few minutes, he was out.

When he woke up he asked for it, and I just kept pretending that I didn't know where it was, and then distracted him with an ice cream sandwich for snack. He did say that "Daddy probably just put it somewhere. He can find it." I just played it off, and he didn't ask for his paci again until much later in the evening when we were on our way home from visiting my grandmother in the nursing home. He said:

Jackson: "I WANNNNTTTTT MYYYYY PACCCIIIIIIIIIII"
Me: "Jackson, we don't where it is. You probably put it somewhere."
Jackson: "I didn't put it anywhere!"

I think he's on to us...

Bed-time was a little hairy, but eventually he fell asleep only to wake up again at 12:00. And 2:00. And 2:30. This time with a fever.

Jeremy was thisclose to giving in and giving him the paci when he started crying, but I convinced him to let us keep pushing through. I knew it wasn't going to be easy or fun, but this is something that we just have to do.

So far, we have pushed the 24 hour mark of being paci free. Jeremy has Jackson at the doctor right now, but he went paci free. This is a HUGE step for us. I'm hoping the worse is over, but I know that that could be wishful thinking.

So, I have a fun little poll going up about whether or not you think we are done with the paci. I can't wait to see how much confidence y'all have in us! Have a great Monday!

P.S. I'm also totally willing to accept hints, tips, or tricks to make this transition easier!

Two-and-a-half

Tomorrow Jackson will officially be 2 1/2. I can't believe that it's almost time to start planning his next birthday party. It's just flown by! He has a photo session planned first thing tomorrow so keep us in your prayers. He does NOT like getting his picture made. It's always an ordeal! As soon as that is done, we are heading to church to take part in a children's ministry day. It looks like it's going to be a busy weekend for us! Here are some new pictures of little man!

I took this picture leaving work the other day. It has just quit raining, and these are the flags outside my building.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Valentines Day!

Weekend pics

Here are a few pictures from this weekend. I hope you enjoy!

Jackson and Mimi

Jeremy and Jackson at the zoo

Jackson LOVED the monkeys!

Checking out the flamingos

Showing us how a flamingo stands. Isn't he cute!

Jeremy and Jackson

Me and little man

Such a handsome little boy!

He's on to something here....

On the way to Wal-Mart on Sunday to go grocery shopping, Jackson had a moment of revelation with me. I buckled him in and we were on the road...

Jackson: "I'm not supposed to hit."
Me: "Nope. We don't hit. Why not?"
Jackson: "It makes Jesus sad."
Me (surprised that he would realize that): "Yes, it does. What else would make Jesus sad?"
Jackson: "Biting. And kicking. And Macy getting my popcorn."
Me (now laughing): "You're right. Macy shouldn't get your popcorn. That's not very nice. What makes Jesus happy? Do hugs make Jesus happy?"
Jackson: "Um. Yes. Hugs make Jesus happy."

I bet hugs make Jesus just as happy as Macy is when she gets Jackson's popcorn...

Macy Doodle Johnson

Meet our dog, Macy. She is lovingly referred to in our house as Macy Doodle Johnson. I don't really know why other than that's the nickname Jeremy's dad (aka Papa) gave her, and it's just kinda stuck. She's a 6 year old, Irish Setter/Chocolate lab mix. We adopted her shortly before our 1 year wedding anniversary, when she was 3 months old, and she's been a part of our family ever since. She's without a doubt the smartest dog I have ever had, and sometimes drives us nuts, but we love her.

We had a big scare with her this weekend.

Jeremy's sister, Amy, had spent Friday night with us and we were just about to leave the house on Saturday morning to take Jackson to the zoo. We decided to put Macy outside since the weather was beautiful. Jeremy told her to go outside, and as she walked into the kitchen her legs started to slide in opposite directions of each other. Jeremy and I both were watching her and I commented that she looked like something was wrong. She continued walking to Jeremy and by the time she got to him, she slid onto the floor and was in a full-blown seizure. It was really violent looking and luckily Amy grabbed Jackson and took him out of the room so he wouldn't see what was happening. We immediately called the vet and they told us to bring him in, so we left Jackson with Amy and took Macy to the vet.

We were really lucky that she started seizing while we were still at our house. Otherwise, she could have done it all day and we wouldn't have known. She had 3 more seizures on the way to the vet, and one while we were there, so the vet got to see first-hand what she was doing.

Diagnosis: Idiopathic Epilepsy, which basically means they don't know what is causing it. All her blood work came back as normal. She is on phenobarbital for a few more days and we have to begin weaning her down today.

She has been okay since Saturday morning, although the meds make her walk around like a Saturday night drunk. I spoke with the vet a little while ago and we are in a wait-and-see phase of this diagnosis. He said that it could have been a one time thing, but he just doesn't know anything for sure.

I know she's just a dog, but she's a member of our family. If you are a pet lover, then you totally understand. She was our "first baby" and as much as she drives us crazy, we do love that mischievous dog. We just want her happy. We owe her that much...

Because it's Friday

We took these pictures of Jackson last night when he was cracking up laughing at Jeremy and Macy. He laughed even harder when he got to watch his video up on the tv. He's too cute! Have a great day!

I guess some things only apply to "regular" people

Taxes. It's such a dirty word. So far President Obama's administration hasn't been so much for "change" as it has been for (insert annoying Steve Urkel voice) "Oops. Did I not pay that?"

Let's just recount some examples. We have former senator Tom Daschle, who had been Obama's choice to reform the US health-care system as secretary of health and human services, who withdrew from the nomination over his past failure to pay more than $100,000 dollars in taxes. Y'all, that's $100 G's. That's a lot of money!

Then, we have Nancy Killefer who withdrew her name in the running to be the federal government's chief performance officer because of her past failure to pay unemployment taxes for household help at her D.C. home. I have help at my house. His name is Jeremy!

Now we have a report that the Senate committee canceled a session to consider President Obama's nomination of Rep. Hilda Solis to be labor secretary when it came out that yesterday her husband paid about $6,400 to settle tax liens against his business, liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years. I'm glad he and his wife sense the urgency of that April 15th tax deadline that looms over the rest of us!

And let's most definitley not forget the most intriguing example Obama has to offer us, Tim Geithner, our newest Treasury secretary, and now head of the IRS. He decided to let the cat out of the bag himself when he disclosed that he had just forgotten to pay his personal taxes between 2001 and 2004. Somehow he was mistaken and “missed” the annual notes from his employer where he was told about his obligation to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes , a document he had to sign every year in order to get reimbursed. Does anyone else see the complete irony in the fact that the man who is now in charge of the Internal Revenue Service and our tax money did not even pay his own taxes?

So I'm guessing that there must be two sets of rules in play here: If you are wealthy and know people in high places, you can NOT pay your taxes, and still be able to hold a government position. If you are just a regular person, like myself, you will get taxed out the wazoo and still not have much to show for it. I dare you to underpay the government and see how quickly they will track you down for their pennies. Probably faster than bloodhound can track a escaped prisoner. Don't try it for real, but I'm guessing it would be much faster than 16 years.

As long as we're all clear on the new rules....

Lost in Translation

It is cold here. Bitterly cold. The end.

Just kidding. You know I have much more to say than that!

After picking Jackson up from school yesterday I was trying to wrestle him into his carseat. I was telling him that we needed to hurry because I had forgotten my jacket.

Me: "Hurry, Jackson. Mommy's freezing out here. I forgot my jacket."

Jackson: (picture head cocked to one side) "You two-get your jacket?"

Me: "No, I forgot my jacket."

Jackson: "You two-get your jacket?"

Me: "No, I forgot my jacket."

Jackson: (now looking at me like I'm an idiot) "Mommy two-get your jacket?"

Me: "I give up. Yes, I two-get my jacket."

2...4......at least he's close and knows his numbers!!!

And it goes without saying that he is just the cutest thing ever...

Skip this one if you are easily offended by juvenile humor...

Let me preface this post by saying that although we have a boy, we haven't exactly started discussing the anatomically correct names for "girl parts" or "boy parts." We have kind of skirted our way around it mostly because I don't want him going to school and sharing all his new words with his preschool pals.

With that being said....

Last night I was giving Jackson his bath and because I wanted to read for a few minutes, I hopped into the tub with him. He was happily playing on one end of our garden tub and I was reading. After a few minutes, I notice that he dropped a toy outside the tub and he was standing up trying to reach his toy which was on the floor. Needless to say, and before I could catch him, his slippery little body slid right over the edge of the tub and his hands were on the floor holding him up, and his feet were up in the air. I quickly dragged him back into the tub and he immediately stands up and starts doing this panicky dance while hollering, "My Balls....My Balls....My Balls."

My first thoughts....in a matter of mere seconds...
Where the heck did he hear that word?
Did he squish his little manhood?
Oh please, tell me he didn't learn that from preschool...

Wanna know what he was referring too?

Remember that toy I told you he dropped? It turns out that he had about 4 practice air flow golf balls as tub toys. He dropped his balls.

Now we can get our minds out of the gutter and return to our regularly scheduled programming. Sorry for the interruption.

25 things...

This has been going around facebook, and since not everyone is on facebook, and more so since I don't have much to say right now, I thought I would share. It's basically just 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about me. Enjoy!

1. I have been married for 7 years, and with Jeremy for a total of almost 10 years.
2. We have a 2 1/2 year old son, Jackson
3. We want one more child and I would LOVE to have another little boy.
4. My sister-in-law and I had the same first, middle, and last name until she got married this past June.
5. I named my little sister, Kellyn, after the aerobics instructor on the old TV show Mousercise.
6. I was in band for a total of 8 years and I still can't read music. At all.
7. I have been to Puerto Rico twice, and Mexico once. I don't speak a lick of Spanish.
8. I took 2 years of German in high school, and 1 year in college. I don't remember much.
9. I have a slight case of OCD about some things. Symmetry is one of them. I have to have things even and the same on both sides. Otherwise, it drives me crazy.
10. I have a weird thing about numbers. Only certain numbers are okay with me. All even numbers are fine, and odds are okay as long as they are in 5's...For instance. 2, 6, 14, are all okay. 5, 15, 25 are okay, 3, 11, 23 are not. For whatever reason, the number 31 is okay. It makes perfect sense in my head.
11. When they told me that I was going to be induced to have Jackson, I had to make sure that the number date was okay. He was born on 8/14, so that was fine. 8/13 would not have been okay!
12. I was only in labor for 6 1/2 hours. It was a breeze, but I don't remember it very well.
13. If I can at all help it, I try my best to NOT step on a crack. I can't be responsible for breaking my mother's back!
14. I have dreams of writing my own fiction book.
15. I want to get my master's degree.
16. I really want a tattoo. Something small and not trashy, but a tattoo none-the-less.
17. I mainly want a tattoo because people would NEVER think that I would get one. I'm much too predictable and "responsible" to do anything crazy or out of character for me.
18. I have always been an Auburn fan, and that is the only school that I applied to for college.
19. I was in the Flag Corps for the Auburn band for 2 years. I wish I had done it for all 4 years. Stupid semester system.
20. I have no desire to go to Europe for anything, but I would LOVE to go on a safari in Africa.
21. I love giraffes and penguins. They have nothing to do with each other, I just like them both.
22. I have lived in AL my whole life. I never want to leave!
23. I have known my best friend in the whole world since I was 4 and she was 2. She is in the process of moving to Italy right now.
24. I am working (slowly) my way into running a 5K. One day I want to run a marathon. I'm a LONG way from anything.
25. I'm involved in lots of things at church: Substitute Preschool Sunday School Director, Sunday School council, Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, Church Leadership Council, GA Leader, Worship Childcare Director and teacher....it gets to be a lot, but I love my church and want to help wherever needed.

Have a great day!

And the Winners Are....

The winners of the Bloggy Carnival Giveaway are, in no particular order..(drum roll, please....)

The Jane Iredale goodies go to Photoquest!
The Wei East goodies go to Willow at Green Gracious!
The Yes to Carrots goodies go to Virginia at Living the Local Life!

Congrats to the winners! Oh, and just to show how randomly the winners were selected, Photoquest was 2 numbers away from winning both the Jane Iredale and the Wei East giveaways. Wouldn't that have been something!