Prayer Request

We just got word that Jeremy's sweet grandmother, Mamaw, passed away at home just a short while ago. Please be in prayer for his family, especially Jeremy's Mother (Gigi) and his Papaw. Mamaw and Papaw had been married for over 65 years and were just the embodiment of what a loving Christian marriage is all about. Please remember his family in your prayers, and us as we travel to Mississippi.

It Just Gets Better

So yesterday was my 500th blog post, and it came and went without my even noticing it. I think that in honor of my 500th post, I need to do a giveaway for $500. How does that sound? I think it sounds great, but I just need someone to donate $500 for me to giveaway. I'll let you know when I get it, mmkay?

Now I've told you about Jackson's girlfriends (yes, that is plural), Gracie and Colleen, from school. What would you think if I told you that we are now having to pack 2 extra pudding or jello cups everyday in order to feed his little harem? Not only that, but Jackson swiped my entire book of reward stickers to take to "my girlfriends" this morning. He wouldn't let me take out a page, but he had to take the whole book.

Now they're not just stealing my little boy, they're getting my pudding and stickers too!

An Open Letter

Dear Jon and Kate,

First of all let me say what a huge fan I am. I have watched and loved the show since it started, and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching your kids grow up. They are so precious!

Now let’s get down to business. I was rather disturbed last night when I tuned in to watch the premiere of your 5th season. I had already told Jeremy (that’s my husband) that I was going to check out of parental duties at 8:00 CST to watch the show. I’ve heard the rumors about your relationship, and I just wanted to let y’all know how sad it has made me to hear speculation about your marriage. I am giving both of you the benefit of doubt that neither of you cheated on each other, but sadly, after 10 years of marriage that you have just found yourselves in different places.

That brings me to last night. I was hooked from the moment the show started and watched the entire episode from start to finish. Jon, let me just say that although I have felt really sorry for you in the past with how Kate barks at you all the time, you came off as a supreme jerk last night. Now I get that you used to work full-time outside the home, and then you quit your job to have “more flexible hours” which I (correctly) interpreted to mean that you were making enough money off the show that y’all decided that you didn’t need to work anymore. And now Kate has her gig as an author (making even more money off your family and show) and so you got the lucky job of staying home with all 8 kids with, as Kate put it, “help.” But last night, you acted like your family was such a huge imposition and burden on you. I was disgusted with how uninterested and blatantly self-righteous you acted. From watching the show, I know Kate isn’t the easiest person to live with, but you just made me nauseous. I realize it must be very stressful to take care of 8 kids, but Kate has been doing that for 5 YEARS. Get over yourself and realize that they are your kids also, and that you are just as responsible for their care as Kate.

And Kate, could it be more obvious that you have changed dramatically over the course of these 5 seasons. When this show started, you seemed so normal and ordinary, and dare I say, frumpy. Now, you are wearing expensive designer clothing, have your haircut in way too severe haircuts, and tan way entirely too much. You aren’t anything like you were back when you showed us what your stomach looked like after having 8 kids in your tummy tuck episode. That person was real (and much more likeable), and you just seem like you are way too into yourself and appearances now. I don’t even want to harp too much on how rude you can be to people, but you have put yourself on a pedestal, and Kate, I’m afraid you are about to fall off.

Last night the two of you just about made me cry. It’s painfully obvious that you, Jon, are completely over having your life displayed as entertainment, and that you, Kate, love your time in the limelight. Talk about major conflict! Both of you are wanting entirely different things from your life now, and neither of you seem willing to compromise over anything. Your body language was horrible, and the fact that you didn’t even sit on the interview couch together except for a single question just heartbreaking. For the love Jon, Kate was crying last night! That never happens on the show.

So here’s my advice: As much as America loves you and has become obsessed with your family, you need to end your contract with TLC and head off into the sunset together with your 8 kids for some couples therapy. It’s painfully obvious that if the two of you don’t reconnect as a couple, your marriage is headed the same way of Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. You remember their reality show? Things didn’t work out so well for them, and I just can’t handle it if your marriage ends like theirs did. I was heartbroken then, and I just don’t want to face that disappointment again. Your family is worth way too much to end over reality television. In the past you both have said that you would only continue the show so long as it is working out okay for your family. It seems like things aren’t working out so well right now and Jon hates the lack of freedom that has come with your fame. So end the show. Take your precious kids, bid farewell to America and the free perks that having a tv show on TLC has offered you, and say adios. I promise you the paparazzi will eventually move on from your doorstep, and America will one day say, “Jon and Kate who?” As much as we will miss you, we will survive without you, and your loyal fans would much rather your marriage survive and thrive than watch it go down in flames on television.

Sincerely,

Amy Wade

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

Just as Predicted....

Jackson freaked out this morning and pitched a fit because he couldn't see the school bus. How do you explain summer vacation to a 2 1/2 year old? I think it's funny that in only a few years he is going to be begging the school bus to quit driving down our street!

And in other news, Jackson has a new phrase that is just cracking Jeremy and myself up. He will wait until you close the bathroom door (with him on the other side) and run up to it, start knocking like crazy, and when you open the door up he says, "I need a hundred dollars please." Where in the world did he learn that? The kid doesn't even get an allowance yet!

I guess that's all for now. I'm about to head off to the dermatologist for a check-up. Have a great Friday!

The Last Day of School

And Jackson is going to be heartbroken tomorrow morning when he realizes that he won't get to watch the school bus drive down our street for the next 2 months. That's a lifetime to a preschooler!

Last night we made cookies for the bus driver. It's crazy that I can't even remember her name, and yet she's been such a huge part of Jackson's daily routine for the last year. Jackson has adored watching her drive down our street.

So this morning Jackson was so excited about giving her the cookies he made. We got ready, walked down the driveway, and waited for her to come by. We flagged her down as she got close to our house and Jackson started heading toward the bus like such a big boy. I helped him climb the first step, and that's when he did exactly what he did at Christmas with her: he put on the brakes! Jackson turned around to me and said, "I don't like this very much!" He could feel the bus shaking under his feet and decided that it scared him. Jeremy and I both hope that when he actually rides the bus one day that he won't pull this stunt!

Anyways, as I held Jackson the driver told him how much she has loved him waving to her every morning, and that she was going to miss seeing him this summer. Then she did the sweetest thing ever: she gave Jackson a present! She had gotten him a little school bus picture frame!

It's gonna be a long summer without seeing the school bus drive by, but at least we'll have a little reminder of this sweet age of his life when as a young boy he was obsessed with school buses, airplanes, tractors, and big trucks. Then, one day I'll be able to tell Jackson's first real girlfriend all about when Jackson was little and he just "had" to go wave to the school bus driver every morning!

Blessings Abound....

We have taught Jackson about saying the blessing before supper, but last night was the first night that I've heard with my own ears Jackson say the blessing all by himself. Jeremy has told me that he's been doing this occasionally, but I've never heard it before. It was the sweetest thing ever listening to him, even though I did quietly laugh just about the entire time at how sweet and cute he sounded.

He sang, "God our Father, God our Father. Once again, once again. We thank you for our blessings, thank you for our blessings, Amen. Amen."

Then he started in with, "I thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Macy and Nana and Tata and Shadow and KK and Jason and Gigi and Papa and Ben and Tanner and Mimi and Adam and Albe and Chuck!"

At bedtime he sang "God our Father" again and added, "I thank you for my trucks. I thank you for my toys. I thank you for my bikes. Amen!"

I love that kid! He just continually blesses my heart...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Did you hear that joke?

You know, the one about the girl who was recovering from throat surgery and was at the point that everything she ate or drank (including medicine) burned like hydrocholoric acid going down her throat.

Turns out it wasn't funny at all.

I have decided in all honesty, that giving birth is much less painful than having your tonsils removed. Seriously.

Enough about me. I headed home early yesterday afternnoon and then went and got Jackson after I had rested for a few hours. We enjoyed an hour or so out in the sunshine where Jackson had a blast running and playing in the backyard. Around 5 or so, my sister Kellyn called to check on me, and in the midst of our limited conversation, I hear all this commotion behind me. Jackson had thrown his leg on top of the playset he was on (like he always does) and was hollering, "Come help me. Help Me!!! I need an ambulance. Call the fire truck. Call the medics. Get the ladder truck!!! I need HEELLLLLPPPP! I'm stuck!!!"

He's such a little drama king! Kellyn and I were cracking up, and the irony at a little boy calling for help when his mother can hardly talk is pretty hilarious!!

In other news, I wanted to thank Jeremy for still loving me and caring for me despite the fact that under my pain and duress I told him that I wished Jack Bauer would die during the season finale of 24. Jeremy was not amused. Clearly, I'm still not impressed by Jack, but let the record show that Jack Bauer's torture methods have got NOTHING on a tonsillectomy.

I'm just saying....

I Will Survive

I'm back at work today after a week from you know where. The week is still in full force. I literally was ready to die over the weekend. It was misery. It still is. The hardest part is that I'm hungry and thirsty, but it hurts so bad to eat and drink, that I just can't to do it. The result of that is that I've lost 12 lbs in 6 days. I wanted to lose weight, but this was NOT what I had in mind. I told Jeremy yesterday that I would rather he just take me to the hospital for IV hydration, than try to drink anything. And y'all, the ear and jaw pain is excruciating. It feels like a major ear infection and lock jaw combined. The doctor is calling in some steroids for me to calm the inflammation, and I go back for a checkup tomorrow afternoon.

I was told before surgery that having your tonsils removed as an adult was harder than if you had them removed as a child.

Understatement of the century.

Meanwhile, I'm just trying my best to keep quiet and keep telling myself, "I will survive."

And I just found out that the New Kids concert I was so excited about has been cancelled. It's just the icing on the cake...

Just Keeping It Real

The first two days of recovery from my tonsillectomy were nothing. In my mind I think I even started to mock those little weaklings who complained about how bad this procedure stinks on an adult.

Now, on day three of my recovery, the ghosts of tonsils past have officially made their move.

I'm miserable.

It hurts to talk.

It hurts to eat.

It hurts to drink.

It just plain hurts.

I'm putting "having a tonsillectomy" at the top of my list of things I never, ever want to do again. I guess that's good, seeing as how I could never, ever have this procedure again, and I can only say "Amen" to that...

Tales from the Lunch Hour

In counting down my final meals until surgery, I decided that I wanted to eat something a little different for lunch today. I was enjoying my sandwich from Subway, which was delicious, when a middle aged woman walked in and ordered her lunch. She had on a super cute knee length skirt and I thought she looked really put together and sharp UNTIL.....Dum, Dum, Dum.....

I spotted these peeking out from underneath her skirt.

Seriously, a grown woman wearing pantaloons. In 2009.

In case you wondered, I didn't quite know the correct name for these things seeing as how I've only seen them on baby dolls. I kept trying to google "pantyloons" which wasn't too far off.

Now I'm wondering how I even knew the word "pantyloons."

Even weirder, the website for the pantaloons describes them as "fashionable" and "sexy" which are definitely not two words I would have thought of to describe a middle aged woman wearing knee length bloomers.

Just so you know...

Super Busy, Super Fun Weekend

Hey y'all! I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I did! It was a perfect weekend, and I loved every minute of it. I've got pictures galore today!

First up: On the way home from work on Friday I turned into our neighborhood and spotted a turtle crossing the road. I knew Jackson would love to see it, so I did what any mother would do; I stopped my car in the middle of the street, rushed out to go pick up the turtle, and put him in the floorboard of the passenger side of my car. I got him out when I got home and Jackson loved him! We ended up driving him down to the creek close to our house to set him free. We got to watch him swim off and Jackson has talked about it ever since!

He was a Southern Painted Turtle.

For the record, Jeremy wouldn't touch the turtle. I should get "Super Mommy" points for bringing him home!

Free at last!

Then, Friday night, Jeremy and I took Jackson over to play with his buddy "Laytnon Lewis." His name is really Layton, but ever since Jackson met him, he has been "Laytnon Lewis" and Layton calls Jackson, "Jackin." They are too cute together!

Isn't Layton a cutie!

Jackson had a blast!

On Saturday morning I did my usual morning routine, but after lunch I headed off to Auburn to go watch Amy's husband, Dr. Adam Charles Knight, walk in his graduation service. We are very proud of Adam for his hard work and dedication. He is an Assistant Professor of Sport Biomechanics in the Department of Kinesiology at Mississippi State University. Just so you know, I felt smart just typing that last sentence, so I can only imagine how smart he feels!

Then on Sunday, it was Mother's Day and I decided to invite my family over for lunch at my house. I cooked a ham, made homemade mashed potatoes, butter beans, and cornbread. It was delicious, and we had such a good time. After everyone left Jackson and I had a wonderful nap and when we got up, it was play time! Jackson loved Layton's pool so much that I bought him one on Saturday morning. I set it up on Sunday afternoon, and spent the final few hours of my amazing Mother's Day just enjoying the sunshine with my wonderful little boy. He had such a good time in his pool, and his favorite part was splashing me!

Jackson loved filling the pool.

The water hose got away from him!

This is the life!

My precious gift from God!

Such a cutie!

That's all. I hope you have a wonderful day. I've got my tonsillectomy scheduled for tomorrow, so I will be out of pocket for awhile. I hope you have a terrific week!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my amazing and beautiful Mom. You are an inspiration to me, and I'm proud to call you my mother. I love you!

Toe the Line

I've mentioned before about how much Jackson loves waiting for the school bus every morning. It is the highlight of his morning! I thoroughly enjoy this time with Jackson every morning, and I only have one rule about this activity: Jackson cannot step over the line at the end of the driveway. The reason is simple enough. As Jackson's mom, I know that if Jackson steps over that line, that means that he is out in the street, and for his safety and protection, I can't allow that. It's pretty common sense, and Jackson knows this rule very well; he hears it every morning. However, that doesn't mean that he always follows this rule.

Today was one of those days.

It was one of those very foggy mornings, and visibility wasn't the best on our street. I headed down the driveway with Jackson and gently reminded him about staying away from "the line." Jackson said, "Okay." but then I quietly watched Jackson edge closer and closer to the line when he thought I wasn't paying attention, until his toe was just touching the edge of the line.

He just had to toe the line.

And it hit me like a ton of bricks: We do the same thing with God.

God, being our heavenly Father, has laid down some pretty simple rules for us. Nothing too complicated (although some are harder to follow than others), but simple enough for our small minds to be able to "get."

And yet, we are compelled to toe the line.

We do this in so many areas of our life. We watch television shows that demoralize family values in the name of humor. We pay good money to go see a movie that fills our minds with violent images and filthy language. We listen to music that we know is inappropriate or crude. How sad is it that we are so desensitized to foul language that we hardly notice when it is used? It's no wonder children's vocabulary has become so colorful. We are inundated with filth on a constant basis, much of our own choosing.

What's more, we live in a "gray" society. There is no black and white anymore. Everything is presented to us in shades of gray, and everything is "okay" as long as it makes you happy.

• The Bible teaches about creation; Society teaches evolution.
• The Bible speaks of keeping our bodies pure; Society talks to teens about "safe sex" and passes out condoms in health class.
• The Bible says to respect life; Society questions exactly when life begins.
• The Bible clearly conveys the sanctity of marriage; Society demands "equal rights."
• The Bible says that Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life."; Society tells us that there are many ways to Heaven, just pick one that makes you happy and go with it.
• The Bible says that we should help those less fortunate than us; Society tells us to worry about ourselves first.
• The Bible says to work hard for things, and you will be rewarded; Society tells us that we "deserve" anything and everything we want, and if you don't have money for it, just charge it.

Where does it end? When will we finally grow up and quit toeing the line?

Is God's word not enough? Are his rules so complicated that we can't follow them or is it that we choose NOT to follow them? All of them. Even the ones that aren't so easy to follow.

As a Christian I need to be held to a higher standard. I need to hold myself to a higher standard. God demands (and deserves) that from me. If I expect my two year old to honor and respect me by following ALL my simple rules, shouldn't I do the same for God? Let's face it: my parenting skills can't hold a candle to God's parenting skills. He is the be all end all of parents.

And I know that God has bigger plans for me than I could ever imagine.

It's time for me to see what God can do with me when I quit toeing the line...

You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.

Psalm 119: 1-8 (The Message)

A Real Toad Strangler

Y'all, it has rained, and rained, and rained in the Wade's World region of the South. Jeremy heard on the radio that our small little city was having lots of flooding going on, so I gave my friend Brittany (who lives across the street from us) a call to check on things.

The phone weren't working at all.

In my slighty over dramatic mind I took the fact that the phones weren't working to mean that our street was flooded out and Brittany and Layton were having to swim to safety. And then I started worrying about Macy because she's locked in our house, and how in the world was I going to be able to get to her to save her and all of Jackson's pictures and our wedding album in our house....

Dramatic much?

In reality, only the power was out.

Our neighborhood is fine, but there is a lot of water in the streets right now. Brittany was kind enough to send me some shots. Jeremy just called to let me know that the area in front of his work has LOTS of standing water around it, and one of the roads has water deep enough to be at hood level on cars, and my friend Miranda has some flooding at her house. Let's all hope this rain clears out soon, and doesn't cause too much damage. Please say a prayer for those who are being affected by the floods right now.

Wanna see something fun?

Sure you do! After surfing the internet for well over 10 years now, I've just ordered my first item from ebay, and I couldn't be more excited!

I've definitely got "the right stuff" now!

A Hint Like a Ton of Bricks

Since I know that Jeremy occasionally reads my blog, I wanted to drop a hint that this or this or this would be a great idea for Mother's Day, especially when I'm rocking it at this.

Just a thought....

I Birthed A Genius....

Jeremy was working yesterday, and the pastor of the church where Jackson attends preschool came up to him and commented that "she just loved Jackson, that he's such a great kid, and that we were raising a very gifted child."

Tell me something I don't know....

Jackson's Greatest Hits

Bear with me, I know this is a little long, but Jackson was being such a little monkey last night that we just couldn't resist getting out the camera. I hope you enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com