How Did They Find Me?

If you look on the left side of my blog, I have a site meter that tells me all sorts of statistics about who is coming to visit my blog. It also shows me what magic combination of words people enter into google that bring them here. Ladies and gentlemen, we have some gems in this weeks summary.

First of all, I need to thank Jeremy for the 5 referrals that I had this week for people searching for something to do with "broken bones." Yes, breaking an elbow and dislocating a knee in less than one month will bring the klutzes out in force. No offense if you are one of those klutzes, but I'm thinking of putting Jeremy in a bubble before our trip just to ensure he doesn't get hurt again.

To the person who googled, "my house smells funny all of a sudden," have you checked for mice? If so, I have a solution for you!

To the person who googled, "whilst driving this morning I almost killed myself whilst to avoid a banana skin,"you made me laugh out loud. I imagine you were looking for this, but I actually caught myself swerving the other day when a driver in front of me dropped a banana peel out his window. I wish I was lying.

To the person who googled, "i'm imaginary smart" "remote in a room full of people" funny "just so you know"; I hate to break this to you, but if you are "imaginary smart" then chances are that you aren't "smart" at all. Hate to be the bearer of bad news on that, and also, just so you know, if you have to tell people you are funny, then you probably aren't.

To the people who googled, "little worms in bath water," and "what do worms in your tummy feel like", all I can say is ewww, gross! I think you probably ended up at this post, but if you really have worms in your bath water or think you have worms in your tummy, then I feel really sorry for you. And grossed out. But mostly just grossed out.

And lastly, to the person that googled "what was the wade skip the dog made?" I don't know what you were looking for, but I hope you found it!

And I'm also not going to do anymore posts about worms.

I Pledge Allegiance

I've told you before that we are very active at our Southern Baptist church and Jackson now attends a Southern Baptist church daycare. Every Thursday morning all the kids are taken into the sanctuary of the church and the pastor comes and does a chapel service with the kids. I know Jackson has learned a lot from attending this school, but only last night did he share something new with us.

I was reading some Bible stories to Jackson in bed when I decided to leave the lamp on for him and let him continue "reading" his Bible until he fell asleep. Jeremy and I went into the living room, put the closed captioning on "House" and muted the television. We were listening to Jackson "read" to himself when he said something we had never heard before:

"I pwedge allegiance to the Bible (loooonnnnnggg pause) God's Holy Word. (another long pause) Make it a lamp for my feet. And a light for my path."

You may (or may not) recognize that as part of the Pledge to the Bible: I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

It is something that our church normally only does during Vacation Bible School, but I'm guessing the Brother Mike has the kids saying it during their chapel service on Thursday's. Both Jeremy and I were very surprised, and proud, to hear him saying it to himself during his Bible "reading." We didn't even know that he knew it!

Of course when we realized what he was saying we had to go back into his room and tell him how proud we were of him. We then got him to "teach" me the pledge. It just warmed my heart listening to my precious little boy. I'm so glad to know that we are raising him in a Christian home, and that he knows about God's love for him, from his entire family, to his church, and from his school. We are so blessed!

Proverbs 22:6 (The Message): Point your kids in the right direction - when they're old they won't be lost.

My Boys are Back In Town!

Jeremy and Jackson got home around 5:00 yesterday from their trip to Mississippi. They had such a good time with Jeremy's family and I know that his family had a great time loving on Jackson! I missed them so much while they were gone, but unfortunately I had to go to a business meeting at church about 30 minutes after they got home, so we were like cars passing in the night. Luckily church only lasted an hour and I was home before bath time so I got to hear all about the trip from Jackson while I was giving him his bath.

Highlights from Jackson during bath time included hearing all about the Southern Miss football game which he loved with the exception of the cannon they shoot every time they score. Jackson said, "it was too loud and it scared me and it hurt my ears and I didn't like that cannon." He also liked watching the jets do their flyover, but he also deemed it "too loud and it hurt my ears." Other than that he LOVED the game, and he also told me he ate some skittles, but for some reason he calls them noodles. He "loved the noodles."

But what really held his attention last night was when he was telling me all about going to eat at a Mexican restauarant after the game.

Jackson: "We ate a Mexican after the game."
Me: "You mean you ate Mexican food."
Jackson: "No, we ate a Mexican. It was good. Mama, do you like to eat a Mexican?"
Me: "No, sweetie, I don't like to eat a Mexican, but I do like to eat Mexican food."
Jackson: "You don't like a Mexican?"
Me: "I like Mexicans just fine, but I don't eat Mexicans, and neither do you. We like to eat Mexican food."
Jackson: "We're going to a Mexican this week."
Me: "No, sweetie. We're going to Mexico this week."
Jackson: "Are we going to eat a Mexican this week."
Me: " NO."

Even with all the food choices on a cruise ship, I highly doubt that I'll see a Mexican on the Carnival menu. In fact, I'm willing to bet on it!

On My Own

The hubbie and kiddo are headed off to spend some quality time with his family in Hattiesburg, MS this weekend. I'm not making the trip this time because I'm thisclose to running out of vacation leave for the year, because I wasn't exactly prepared for taking half the month of September off for vacation, and let's face it, during cold and flu season you never know when you might need to have your 4 hours of vacation leave left for the year handy.

So I'm staying behind with Macy.

I know they are going to have a blast. Amy and Adam are also coming into town and I know Jackson will get plenty spoiled this weekend! They are planning on taking Jackson to the Southern Miss football game tomorrow and I can't wait to hear how that goes! I hope Jackson does well at the game, but I have the feeling that a lot of people will be taking turns walking around the stadium with him. Who knows...he could surprise me. Either way, I know he'll have a good time!

So Jeremy and Jackson are on the road now. Pray for safety and traveling mercies for them, especially considering that Jeremy is solo traveling with a preschooler and a bum knee.

And Jackson wanted me to tell Papa and Gigi that he's really excited about riding the lawn mower and the golf cart. So get ready. It's gonna be fun!

Ask Amy Anything Answers

Here goes my answers from last Thursday's "Ask Amy Anything" post.

Miranda asked me several questions last Thursday, which is good, and I guess it almost makes up for the fact that she just about never leaves me comments anymore.

Almost.

Anyways, she wanted to know: “What is one of your favorite comfort foods?”
Hands down, the answer is mashed potatoes, especially homemade ones. And y’all, I can make some mean mashed potatoes. Want the recipe? Sure you do:

Amy’s Mashed Potatoes
Dice and boil your potatoes in salted water. I like Yukon gold because of their buttery texture.
After the potatoes are tender, drain really well.

Now this is the part where you just have to play a little: Add a big splash of milk (I use fat-free), a big handful of cheddar cheese, a big pat of butter or margarine, and the secret ingredient: a big spoonful of fat-free mayonnaise. I use Kraft fat-free with the red lid. If the potatoes are dry, add more milk.

So simple and easy, but they are Heaven on Earth! And don’t be afraid of the mayonnaise. You can’t taste it at all! My Aunt Frances (may she rest in peace) refused to eat mayo and yet she always ate our mashed potatoes. She never ever knew! And in case you are counting calories, just remember that these have cheese and milk and butter in them which are dairy, and that means that they are totally good for you!

Are you concerned/worried/paranoid about the swine flu?
Yes and no. I don’t want any member of our family to get any kind of the flu, but I’m not terrified of the swine flu. Our pediatrician has assured me that the flu that is going around right now is a very mild strain, and if treated promptly, usually doesn’t have any complications.

That being said, we are getting the flu shots in our family, and we use healthy doses of hand sanitizer, but I haven’t decided if we will be getting the swine flu vaccine. I don’t feel great about the fact that the testing for the vaccine has been very hurried. I’m still thinking on that one.

How is Jackson doing now at his new school?
Fair. I’d give him a C+ or a B-. He seems to be having a great time when I go pick him up, but he just about always cries when it is time to be dropped off. I think it was an (unavoidable) mistake on our part to have him miss a week of school for our beach vacation after only 3 weeks there. He got very used to being with us during that time, and it hasn’t been the same since. I think he’s fine though during the day. His teacher says that he’s doing well, and I believe her when she says that. I have too.

What is one of your go-to recipes when you don't know what your family is having for dinner?
Breakfast: It’s what’s for dinner!

Seriously, this is a favorite of mine and Jackson’s! I just about always have eggs in the fridge, and usually a few pieces of bacon on hand. Add some toast and viola! Breakfast for dinner!

And the best part: I cook the bacon first (in my 10 lb cast iron skillet) and then drain just about all of the grease out of the pan, and then scramble your eggs with just a little bit of bacon grease. It’s slap your Mama good!

What one particular activity do you enjoy that you don't necessarily have a lot of time for?
Sleeping.

Reading.

Using the bathroom in private.

Candy at “Keeping Up With the Jones’” said, “I also would like to know a good, easy recipe? Or maybe 2 or 3....or maybe you should start a recipe blog! You know, you could do it in your "free" time! : )”

A good easy recipe? How about Chicken Taco Soup. I got this one from Jeni.

Chicken Taco Soup
1 chopped onion
1 16 oz can chili beans
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz corn, drained (I also added 1 small can of shoe peg corn)
1 8 oz tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 cans Rotel, un-drained (Use the mild Rotel if you're not a hot-spicy fan)
1 pkg taco seasoning
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat

Place ingredients 1-7 in a slow cooker. Stir in taco seasoning. Lay chicken breasts on top until just covered by other ingredients. Cook on low for 5 hours. Take out chicken breasts and shred and then stir back into soup. Cook 2 more hours. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. (I cooked the chicken a little longer than 5 hours to begin with, and the chicken was literally falling apart. I then added it back and cooked for about an hour longer).

And as for a recipe blog? I think I would get busted for plagiarism because just about all my other recipes come from other blogs, my Mom, and my Mother-in-law!

Ashley at Mom to the 3rd degree said... "My question is how do you handle melt downs with Jackson. (If he has them.) haha. I'm sure he does, most boys do. Also I would like a quick recipe as well.
As for the meltdown’s Jackson has, let me tell you, the child is a master! And he’s quick as lightening too! You can’t catch him when you are chasing after him in Wal-Mart. Talk about embarrassing…

Usually I try to just ignore the meltdowns, especially if it is just a temper tantrum, but it can be so very difficult, especially when he refuses to stay in time out and then I want to snatch a knot in his tail.

The one thing that absolutely makes me want to meltdown with him is when he goes into that thing that only kids and invertebrates can do; you know, when all the bones in their body turn into jello and they just wiggle out of your arms into a puddle on the floor and when you try to pick them back up they just hang limp like a sack of flour. Can't.Handle.It.

I guess it just depends on the situation. Sometimes I know he is very tired or hungry and then I just try to pacify him without giving in completely. It’s a very fine line to walk, but my pediatrician was dead on when she said that we’re gonna feel like all we do for the next year is fuss and discipline. Truer words were never spoken…

As for another recipe? How about Sloppy Joe Bake.

Sloppy Joe Bake
1 lb ground beef
1 can sloppy joe sauce
1 c. frozen corn niblets
1/2 c. chopped onions
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cans of crescent dough

Heat oven at 350.

Line casserole dish with crescent roll . Bake for 8 minutes until partially done. Cook ground beef with chopped onions and drain well. Add corn, shredded cheddar and sloppy joe sauce. Stir well and pour over baked crescent rolls. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake 10-15 minutes until hot.

Delicious!

My sister Kellyn asked several questions:

What is the correct order to inform your family of the sex of your unborn child once you find out?
Sister. Husband. Parents/In-Laws. Everyone else.

What do you want for your birthday? Or did we cancel birthday presents this year? I can't remember...and we'll be in Mexico, so keep it simple!
We cancelled b’day presents this year, but you can totally buy me dinner on the cruise!

Wanna help me make a baby registry in the near future? Where should I register? Sure thing! Let’s go to Target, Wal-Mart, and Baby Depot. It’s gonna be so.much.fun!

Did you comment on my blog last week?
Yup.

Is this enough questions to qualify me for the extra entry in the giveaway?
Totally, but I hate to tell you that you didn’t win! Sorry!

And yesterday Lianne over at Socks are NOT the enemy asked about crock pot baked potatoes. I got the recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking and they are so easy.

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
Take 8-10 medium sized baking potatoes
Wash and Dry completely
Poke lots of holes in the potatoes with a fork.
Wrap in tinfoil and place in the crock pot with the largest potatoes on the bottom.
Cook on low for 8 hours or so, or until potatoes are tender.

Beware though, that sometimes the potatoes take on a yellowish color on the inside from being baked so slowly, but I promise that they taste amazing. I have never had this "not" work for me! This is so great if you are doing a potato bar because you really don't have to do any work at all other than turn the crock pot on, and that's my kind of cooking!

Whew. That took forever. If you have more questions for me, just send em’ on! Have a great day!

Frequent Flyer Card

Jeremy got the all clear from his orthopedic doctor on Monday for his broken elbow. Dr. Freeman said everything was looking good and Jeremy was given his walking papers. I was really excited about that.

Until yesterday.

Tuesday afternoon, also known as "the day after Monday" when Jeremy got his walking papers from his orthopedic, I was sitting at my desk minding my business and counting down the hours until I got to go home and enjoy my crock pot baked potatoes and chili when my phone rang.

It was Jeremy's boss, Wade, and we had the following brief conversation:

Wade: "Uh, Amy?"
Me: "Yes."
Wade: "This is Wade. I'm here standing over Jeremy. He's laying in the floor. He fell and we've had to call an ambulance."
Me: "You're kidding, right?"
Wade: "Afraid not."
Me: "What happened?"
Wade: "He twisted his knee going down the stairs and now he can't move."
Me: "Dang it. Not that again!"

We talked for a few more minutes and then I spoke with Jeremy. Apparently he was heading down the stairs to head home for the day when he realized that he forgot something. He turned around to go back up the stairs and his knee decided not to go with him. This is the 3rd dislocated knee he's had, but thankfully it was nothing like the last one.

With that one, he was playing church softball and when he hit the ball and went to run, his knee decided to stay put. By the time I got that phone call and got to the ER, I was shocked to see that his left kneecap was literally behind his leg.

Picture that for a second.

The first dislocation was during a wrestling match with cousin before I even knew Jeremy. It didn't turn out so well for Jeremy, but I would imagine that his cousin Jake learned a very valuable method for winning a wrestling match.

So back to yesterday.

By the time I got Jackson from school and got him settled with my Mom and headed back into town to the ER, Jeremy had already been to x-rays. I brought him some clothes to change into so they wouldn't have to cut his suit pants to shreds and about 5 minutes after I got there the doctor walked in. Diagnosis: his knee had popped back into place by itself but the MCL muscle is sprained. He has to stay off his feet for the next 2 days and then head back to Dr. Freeman for a recheck.

The same doctor that he got released from on Monday.

The whole trip to the ER took less than an hour and a half. I'm guessing part of the speed was because he arrived by ambulance, so thankfully, he didn't have to sit down in the lobby otherwise known as "the land of swine flu."

The ironic part of this whole thing? Jeremy wasn't even scheduled to go to work yesterday. He was filling in for someone who was sick. Now he's on mandatory sick leave.

The "you have got to be kidding me" part of this whole thing? We're going on a cruise to Mexico next week.

Jeremy is doing okay this morning. His knee is really sore, but hopefully it will feel better in a few days.

And now I need to call his orthopedic doctor and see if they offer frequent flyer discount cards. Something like "buy one visit, get the second visit free."

The Time of My Life

I was on my way home from work yesterday when Jeremy called me and told me the breaking news: Patrick Swayze had died.

I feel the need to take a moment of silence.

I adored Patrick in the movie Dirty Dancing. He wasn’t half bad in Ghost either, but Dirty Dancing has got to be in my list of top 3 movies of all time. Right there with Steel Magnolias and Pretty Woman. But it is the movie that hits the top of the list for me. I love it.

I watch it every.single.time. it comes on TV, much to Jeremy’s chagrin.

I think he’s just upset that he can’t dance like that.

So in honor of Patrick Swayze’s memory, I leave you with the best dance that ever was.

Dirty Dancing - Final Dance - Time of my Life
Uploaded by Schutzengerl1205. - Watch feature films and entire TV shows.

Jackson and Allison

Jackson has a friend at his new school named Allison. He is all the time saying, "Allison did this" or "Allison did that." I hear about it when Allison gets in trouble and when Allison hits Jackson and so on and so on. I I hear it all. For a while I thought that he was confusing the name "Allison" with "Harrison" which is the name of another child in his class, but then I would hear him talking about Harrison also, so I figured that I was just mistaken.

Only during the last few days did I piece together a few more things about Allison...

1. Allison is a boy. I started listening really closing to Jackson talking about Allison (which he does a lot) and picked up that Jackson would say things like, "Allison wasn't nice today. He didn't share." I would say, "She wouldn't share, Jackson, not he wouldn't share." Jackson kept saying, "But he wouldn't share." I finally gave up and realized that some crazy parent had named their son Allison, which wouldn't really shock me these days.

2. Allison is a frenemy. Jackson is all the time going back and forth about whether or not Allison is his friend. One second he's one of Jackson's best friends and the next second he's tattling on something Allison did to him at school that day. It reminds me of the 5th and 6th girls I work with at church with the "friends one minute, enemies the next" business that I'm hearing about.

And the most important thing I have learned about Allison is....

3. Allison is imaginary.

I got to talking with his teacher on Friday about Allison and found out that there is no Allison in his class. Or the school. Allison just exists to Jackson and I have to give him credit for coming up with some of the ingenious things Allison has gotten into.

So apparently his imagination works in overdrive at home and at school.

And let the record show that I'm totally fine with Jackson having an imaginary friend. Apparently having an imaginary friend is a sign of being very intelligent, especially with communication skills. I'm just going to have to figure out how to get Allison to clean up after himself at home, because I'm tired of picking up the messes that he is making all over my house...

We Will Never Forget...

Eight years ago today we watched in horror as America's perfect little world crumbled. I remember the fear and wondering when it would all be over. It was a tragic day and one that I will never forget.

Please remember the families whose lives were forever changed that day, as well as the soldiers who protect us from something like this ever happening again.

We Will Never Forget...

Ask Amy Anything

Y'all, today is Thursday and I've got nothing for you. I've decided to do another edition of "Ask Amy Anything" and would love for y'all to leave me some questions. It would make my day. Really.

And if you want a chance to have your day made, drop in to my other site at Around the Wade's World. I've got a giveaway going on.

And because I'm feeling very generous (and because I'm all about bribery here) if you leave me a comment or question today, I'll throw in another chance for you to win.

You got nothing to lose. I'm just saying...

In a Decade or So...

Jeremy and I have a relatively extensive DVD collection that includes a lot of movies that are way too scary or intense for Jackson to watch. I'm a stickler for only letting him see things that won't scare the daylights out of him, no matter how much he wants to see a movie that he finds in our collection.

For some reason Jackson is obsessed with Spider Man and he must be hearing about it from someone at his school. He even knows how Spider Man throws his webs. It's beyond me how he knows this stuff exists, because it sure isn't because of us.

Anyways, Jackson will wonder into our office occasionally and pull out a movie. He will usually bring it to me and just to appease him, I flip it over to the back and look at the rating. 99% of the time it's PG 13 and I tell him that he can't watch it until he's bigger.

Yesterday Jackson went into the office and came out with our copy of Spider Man. He handed me the movie and said that he wanted to watch Spider Man because, "It's not too scary for me." I turned it over and spotted the PG 13 rating and gave him the usual spiel about it being too scary for him. Jackson grabbed the movie back, flipped it over, and very adamantly said, "Uh-huh. I can watch this movie. It says right here (pointing to the movie), 'This movie is good for Jackson.'"

Nice try little man....

When Ketchup Poots and Other Randomness from Vacation

We're baaacccckkkk! We had such a wonderful time at the beach. We went down to Fort Morgan, Alabama, right outside Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and stayed from Monday until Thursday. The weather was amazing! It was high 80's, clear sky's, and the water was so smooth that it looked like glass! We didn't see any real waves until we were packing up to head home.

You know that when Jackson is concerned we always have adventures! This trip was no exception. It was only Jackson's second time at the beach and much like last year he was not a big fan of the ocean. He much preferred the sand! The only difference this year was that we saw tons of dolphins swimming not too far off the shore. They were really fun to watch, but when it came time to get into the ocean Jackson was a little freaked out by them. He kept saying, "I don't want those dolphins to come get me." In hindsight, we might not should have watched Finding Nemo the entire way to the beach. I think he was confusing the dolphins for sharks.

Duly noted for next year.

We got in to the ocean and imagine my shock when I look down and spot three sting rays right next to my legs. They weren't very big, but ever since Steve Irwin died, I'm not a big fan of the sting rays swimming beside me. We went ahead and let Jackson play in the sand and after a few minutes I ventured back out by myself.

Imagine my surprise when I got about knee deep and looked down and I was literally surrounded by sting rays. I was high tailing it to the shore then! I was talking with a mom later that evening about the rays and she said that just down the beach from us a dad and his son were swimming and the dad looked down and swimming right beside them was a 4 foot shark!

You would have seen me walking on water!

We went back out to the beach at dusk for pictures (that we never really got) and to let Jackson fly his kite. That was fun!

On Tuesday we had fun at the pool and in the sand in the morning and went out for lunch at Gulf Island Grill. It was delicious, and the only weird thing that happened was that we were literally the only people in the restaurant. That does make you curious about why no-one else was there. It might have something to do with the fact that it was off season and the restaurant was right next door to a Hooters. Hooters was plenty crowded. *(tongue in cheek) I can't imagine why.

We played in the pool more on Tuesday afternoon and then called it a day except for crab hunting when it got dark.

Wednesday morning we got up and headed into Gulf Shores for breakfast. We went to a pancake house that is inside the lobby of a hotel in Gulf Shores. The tables overlooked the beach and the pools outside, but basically the whole view was of the pool area. I was enjoying the view when I watched a mom come down and help her son get into the kiddie pool. She took off her cover up and turned around and I was more than surprised to see that she was about 8 months pregnant and wearing the skimpiest bikini. I'm not a prude, but I can't imagine wearing a bikini being that pregnant, but more so, could I NEVER imagine getting into a swimsuit knowing that people inside a restaurant were watching me swim. In a swimsuit. While enjoying breakfast. I.Think.Not.

And may I ask why it is that food costs so much more at the beach? I paid $12.99 for a ham and cheese omelet. That is insane, but I really wanted an omelet so I overlooked the price. Sort of. At least it was a really good omelet. Anyways, our breakfast was brought to our table and we were getting ready to eat. I got Jackson's food ready and he asked for some ketchup to be put by his eggs. I'm so glad he inherited that from me. Anyways, you know how sometimes when you squirt ketchup out it makes a pooting sound? We'll, of course it happened then. Without missing a beat (and loud enough for everyone around us to hear) Jackson pipes up with, "What does that ketchup need to say?"

I thought the guy next to me was going to choke on his overpriced omelet! I was cracking up laughing and of course then Jackson took the opportunity to announce, "Mommy, the ketchup pooted!" He's such a stinker!

After breakfast we drove out to Fort Morgan to see the civil war site. It was really fun to see, but it was hot! After about 45 minutes, we had had enough and were ready to get back to the beach and pool. We swam for a little bit and then it was naptime (thankfully!). I snuck out during naptime and enjoyed the beach again. We went out for dinner after we realized that no matter how hard we tried we were not going to be able to get a pizza delivered! We pretty much crashed that night. We were exhausted!

Thursday morning we got up and drove home. It was the only day of our trip that we actually saw waves in the ocean. We cleaned, packed, and swam one more time. We had to be out by 10:00, and we were on the road by 9:45. Imagine our delight when about 10 miles down the road we realized that we had forgotten to actually turn the dishwasher on (per our contract agreement) so we had to head back to the condo or face losing some of our security deposit. We felt like such doofs pulling back up to the security guard and having to say that we forgot something! Oh well! We had such a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. Enjoy the pics!

Could they look more alike? I think not!

Jackson and I on a sandbar

I love this kiddo!

Enjoying the water

Such a cutie!

Check out that belly!

Chasing Jackson down for pictures

He was in constant motion!

We had to trick him for these shots

...and practically hold him down!

Jackson flying a kite

Jeremy and Jackson

Gorgeous sunset!

Let's go fly a kite!

Jackson decided he wanted to be a snake!

Jackson at Fort Morgan

Jeremy and Jackson in a tunnel.

Another tunnel we found. It was pitch black and we went inside to walk a little bit. We had to take pictures with the flash to see what was ahead!

One of the turns.

Another turn. We turned around after this. It was way too dark and scary!

Jackson and I

I'm a little freaked out by heights and I could not, would not, climb down those stairs. They were wayyy too steep. I took the sissy route back down!

Going underwater

Riding the horsie in the pool!

Don't fall off!

Whoa!!

Our little fish!

He loved this game!

The best picture we got of him! 10 seconds later he was gone!!!

Having fun!

Mommy and Jackson back in the water.

Going for a walk.

Jackson walked to the beach with me on Thursday morning. It was really early so he still had his pajames on. Our trip lasted all of 5 minutes until he said, "I'm tired Mommy. I want to go back on the elevator!"

Cold water so early in the morning!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great day!

A Much Needed Break...

I'm taking a bloggy (and real life) vacation.

Take it easy and I'll catch up with y'all next week!

Just a Spoonful of Sugar (Or Zyrtec)

I've told you in the past that I have issues with hypochondria and that Jackson seems to have inherited that trait from me. Actually, he could have gotten from either me or Jeremy because we both tend to have a "sky is falling" mentality as far as our personal health care is concerned. But that is neither here nor there.

Anywho....

Jackson is on a maintenance dose of Zyrtec to help with his seasonal allergies and eczema. He takes 1/2 tsp every morning like it's candy. So this morning I was on my own with Jackson because Jeremy had to head out of town at the unholy hour of 5:00 this morning. Jackson was sitting at the table eating his cereal when he said, "Momma, I'm not feeling berry (very) good."

Fearing the swine flu which is rampant in our area right now, I asked him what was wrong.

Jackson said (in a completely normal voice), "I can't talk because of my allergies. I need my Zyrtec. In a cup, please." I got down the Zyrtec and poured the dose into a medicine cup. Jackson took it and about 2 seconds later announced, "I'm feeling all better now. My allergies are gone and I can talk now!"

It's so nice when Momma can make it better things better in less than 30 seconds!!

And you can just call me Mary Poppins...

Chicken and Dentists (But Not Being Chicken At The Dentist!)

Jackson is really getting the hang of the idea that God created the world. We were driving to church last night and the whole way there Jackson would say things like, "God made the grass. God made the trees. God made the dirt." and so on.

As we passed Zaxby's Jackson piped up with, "God made chicken and I like to eat chicken!"

I'm definitely not raising a vegetarian!

And Jackson had his first trip to the dentist this morning and did GREAT!!! The office is really cool because it has a caboose attached to the office that the kids can play in. His office is even called the "Chew Chew Train." Jackson had a blast climbing into the lookout window and watching the traffic go by. This is the same dentist that I went to as a kid and they still have several of the same hygienists. Two of them (and the Dr. Cumbus) recognized me from years ago! I was a little nervous because they don't let parents go back with the kids, but Jackson did fine. He had no cavities and the spacing in his teeth is really good. His baby teeth are perfect, and his permanent teeth look great on the x-rays. Dr. Cumbus did mention a slight under bite, but he said we will keep an eye on it and hopefully it will correct itself.

See the caboose with the lookout window? It made it totally worth it for Jackson! I'm so glad his first trip to the dentist was a great experience and that he did wonderful.

I hope y'all have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Only 5 days until I'm sinking my toes into the beautiful

Alabama Gulf Coast sand....

And 30 days until I'm heading to Mexico...

But who's counting, right?

Ruminations on Life

I found this list of All-time Favorites from Ruminations.com on Grass Stains yesterday, and I proceeded to crack up laughing. They are so funny (and true) that I just had to share. Tell me which are your favorites in the comments section. I put an * by my favorites, and I had plenty of them. Enjoy!

*I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase “Regards” again.

*Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQs. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.

*There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.

The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, both go left, both go right game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that’s is when I realized, yup, that’s a mirror I just tried to walk through. And the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.

*I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

*LOL has gone from meaning “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say.”

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

*Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart.”

How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

*I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a loser from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

*Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)...ummm…Goonies.”

*While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks, Mario Kart.

*MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

*Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

*Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!

Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

*Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

*Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.

****There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

“Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. "I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?"

*While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

*Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

*Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

*It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

*Even if I knew your Social Security Number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.

It really ticks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

He Said What???

Jeremy went to pick Jackson up from school yesterday and had the most interesting conversation with Jackson's teacher, Mrs. Deanna.

Mrs. Deanna: "We were talking about policemen today and Jackson told me about the time that you had to call the police to help get him out of a tree."

Jeremy: "Ummm.....excuse me?"

Mrs. Deanna: "Yeah, he told us that he had climbed into a tree and he got way too high and got stuck, so you had to call the police to come help. The policeman couldn't help so he called the firemen and then the firemen came out to your house. Jackson told me they brought the ladder truck and as they were raising it it was making a 'ssssshhhhhhh' sound. When they got the ladder up, the firemen climbed the ladder and got him out of the tree."

Jeremy: "I hate to tell you this, but that's a bedtime story Jackson's heard."

As Jeremy was telling me this story I was dying laughing. I immediately knew this was a "Reroy" story, but Jeremy told me that Mrs. Deanna was more than a little concerned about the thought of Jackson getting stuck in a tree.

And just think, he's only three years old. Imagine what he's going to come up with when he's a teenager!

Parental Karma

Once upon a time there was a man and woman who loved each other very much. They decided to have a baby and nine months later they welcomed a sweet baby girl named Amy. She was a precious baby (or so I've been told), but as she grew up it became obvious that she liked to eat. More so, as soon as Amy's brown eyes popped open in the morning she was ready to be fed. Not 5 minutes from now, but NOW!

Amy's parents quickly learned to adjust to this need, but the problem never really got any better. In fact Amy's first thoughts when waking up in the morning were of food. When she was going to get some,what she would eat, and then what her next meal was going to be. She would also barely let her mother get into the door after work before she would start badgering her about "what are we going to eat for supper tonight" because "I'm so hungry and I can't wait anymore!"

One might call her very predictable.

One also might call her a pain in the hiney.

Then Amy grew up and had a child of her own. She quickly figured out that, rightfully so, Jackson had to be fed before she could eat. And she also figured out that Jackson liked to eat now, and not 5 minutes from now, but she had no idea where he got that from! She quickly learned to be prepared before Jackson was supposed to be awake to have a bottle ready for when those baby blues popped open, otherwise chaos would ensue.

Then Jackson learned to talk.

Now Amy is facing parental karma of the worst kind when about 10 seconds after Jackson wakes up in the morning he's saying, "Hey Momma....I want some cereal!" and 15 seconds after getting Jackson into the car after school he's asking "what are we going to eat for supper tonight?" and throwing fits as soon as he gets into the house because, "I waaannnnttttt soommmeeee gooooollllllddddffffiiiisssshhhh" and Amy's panicking because "there is absolutely no way short of miracle to get supper done in 15 minutes, and no, you cannot have goldfish this close to supper because it will ruin your appetite and for the love can I just breathe for a minute!"

And Amy's mother is laughing hysterically about the whole thing....

The Shark In My Living Room

I don't know what possessed me last night, but after bath time, and before bed time, I lost my sanity played the role of cool mom and set up Jackson's tent for him to play in.

So last night there really was a shark in my living room.

Get In My Belly!!!

Hey Jackson!

Even Macy got in on the fun!

My, what big teeth you have!

The cutest kid ever!

And it was great fun until it was actually time for Jackson to go to bed at which point a total meltdown began.

Lesson learned.

And y'all, I want to formally introduce my amazing sister Kellyn to the blog-o-sphere. She, with a little help and harassment encouragement from her big sister, has started her own blog at Gibsonville. Everyone needs to hop over there and welcome her to blogging! Have a great Friday!