The Jones Family

Christmas Eve night...

2009-01-19T10:50:00.007-06:00

At our Christmas Eve Service, our family was asked to light the advent candle. It was such an honor to be standing with my precious family, remembering the birth of our Lord Jesus.

Parker and Peyton were excited about lighting the candle, but a little nervous about standing in front of everyone. They did great, though. And they both got to help me hold the candle lighter.

When we got home, it was time to get ready for Santa!!

Parker and Peyton were beside themselves! I thought we would never get them to sleep.

We went outside to put out food for the reindeer...

(don't judge...it was almost 80 degrees on Christmas...)

Then it was time for Christmas pajamas and cookies for Santa...

Something new we did this year was let the boys make a sign to put on the wall to let Santa know where to put their toys. I think this will become a new tradition for us. It really helped on Christmas morning. They knew exactly where to go to find their stuff.

Christmas Eve morning...

2009-01-19T10:48:00.001-06:00

We started out Christmas Eve morning by doing our family gift exchange. Parker and Peyton had a good time this year buying presents for everyone. They liked going to the store and picking out that special something for their brothers.

Although this looks like a fight, it is actually a hug. Christmas has a way of making everyone nice....wish it would last a little longer!

very excited about their new pajamas!

Christmas with the Jones family...

2009-01-19T07:50:00.004-06:00

We started out our Christmas holiday by spending a few days with Scot's parents. It was so nice to just do nothing. The Christmas season is so hectic and my work seems to go into double time right before Christmas, so I was tired!

Here are just a few pictures. (We got our new camera from Scot's parents, and it wasn't up and running until after the festivities....so not many pictures on this one)

Peyton showing me his happy face.

After we opened presents, Mamaw and Papaw took the boys to the garage to show them their last present.

It was four-wheelers!!

They were beside themselves. Well, Parker and Peyton were. Patrick was scared of his. He would have nothing to do with it. Even after lots of coaxing on multiple occasions, still he won't ride it. Fine by me.

Here the big boys are enjoying themselves.

I cannot believe you are still reading this blog...

2009-01-14T15:18:00.003-06:00

Seriously. After three months of nothing. Don't you have anything better to do??

Just kidding!! I am so glad you are still interested in my family!

Okay. I'm going to skip the excuses. (Even though you know I have a ton of them...like work still being so hard to adjust to, Christmas and all the busyness that comes with that and, well, my just plain laziness...)

We had a great Christmas. Oh, and a great Thanksgiving (it's been a long time!). New Year's was uneventful, which is pretty much the norm for us now. I was asleep at 11:15. I know, pretty pathetic. The boys are back in school and I am enjoying having a routine again. There's something to be said for having a schedule to stick to. It makes my life much easier.

Scot and I got a new camera for Christmas, so guess what....I've got lots of pictures to show you! I know you are excited. Scot put all of the pictures that we took this past year that were stored on our computer onto CDs so we could preserve them, and he said that we took more pictures in the month of December than we did the whole rest of the year. Wow. Don't worry, though. I will not bore you with 500 pictures of Christmas.

I do have more to share with you than I have time to post today. So I'm going to show you a few that were taken on those precious, carefree days right after Christmas when the holiday committments are over, but you don't have to go back to work yet. Those super rare days when you can sit around in your pajamas and just enjoy being with your family!

Our very blessed family.

My soon-to-be-five-year-old Parker. I cannot believe he is so big.

My sweet Peyton (who is in love with those shark pajamas by the way...he had a melt down just today because he wanted to wear them to take his nap, but they were in the wash...seriously)

My precious Patrick. The sweetest two year old I know.

I do not have time to put as many pictures up as I would have liked to, so I will be back tomorrow (or at least by the end of the week!) with a few more installments of pictures.

It's nice to be back.

boys will be boys...

2008-11-02T19:58:00.001-06:00

I know I've been MIA for a while, but I thought I would pop in with a picture.

Parker dressed himself for church tonight...

trick or treat...

2008-10-27T13:51:00.003-05:00

We had "Trick or Trunk" last night at our church. This is our Halloween thing. Our family does not go out traditional trick-or-treating. I just prefer this tradition instead. So as far as my kids know, yesterday was Halloween.

And I cannot tell you how excited the boys were all day yesterday. Scot and I heard Parker and Peyton waking up yesterday morning in their room and the first thing Parker said was, "Peyt! It's Halloween tonight!!" It is so neat how he knows what's going on and can anticipate things.

Here a a few pictures of the boys in their costumes:

Parker was an army man. A big shout out goes to General Papaw for getting all the army patches for his outfit. And the boots. And I've got pictures at the end with the green beret, so it's worth soldiering through this post to get to them. (excuse that ridiculous pun...I couldn't help myself)

Peyton was Spiderman. I feel sort of guilty because I spent so much time and effort making Parker's uniform and all Peyton wanted was the $9.00 old school costume from Target. But he was happy. (and I can always remind him of last year...)

Patrick was Elmo. He had an official Elmo costume, but he was scared to death of it. I figured this t-shirt would work just fine. (In case you are not up on your Sesame Street, his bucket is a fish bowl with Dorothy, Elmo's goldfish, in it.)

Okay. I mentioned Patrick was not happy with his furry Elmo costume. I should have known better. I tried it on him at Target and he screamed. I bought it anyway, thinking he would come around. Every time I pulled it out at home, he would cry and run from me. Last night I put it on him for the second time. At the church. With lots of people around. It was not pretty.

I tried my best to get a group shot of my kids. In the next picture, Patrick was so done with me. He was mad. He had just thrown his bucket and sunglasses down in protest.

I took the costume off right after this picture. I am not that mean of a mama.

The boys loved trick-or-treating. Patrick picked up on it really quickly. And he was not shy about going up and grabbing candy either. He even pushed some big kid out of the way to get to the candy. He was so into it that one car was giving away drinks out of an ice chest and they just had it open for the kids to walk by and grab one. Parker and Peyton both reached in and got a coke but Patrick reached in and got two pieces of ice, put them in his bucket and said "thank you". Is that not the cutest thing ever?

Patrick having a super fun time.

(and check out Papa the Ghost)

Now...what in the world are we going to do with all this candy??? It most certainly cannot stay at our house!!

Here is a picture of Parker in his army man costume. (I do realize that his beret is not on correctly, but it's the best picture I've got.)

And here is a picture of Scot wearing the same exact beret when he was Parker's age.
Cool, huh?

And, yes, I was a nervous wreck last night with that beret. I would never forgive myself if something happened to that thing!

jack-o-lantern fun...

2008-10-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

We carved pumpkins last night.

Parker and Peyton have been itching to carve their pumpkins for weeks now. Last night just happened to be the only night in a month that we have had enough time to actually do the thing.

They enjoyed drawing their faces on, but the rest was up to me and Scot. They were thoroughly disgusted by the pumpkin guts. Imagine that.

Here are the boys wearing their pumpkin carving aprons that were so not needed because they didn't touch anything remotely messy.

Here are the boys working on their little pumpkins. (We bought some kit that has little light bright-like pegs that you can stick in the pumpkins. Then you are supposed to put a candle inside and the pegs glow. We skipped the glowing part. The pegs were fun enough.)

And here are the finished products.

Parker and Peyton both drew their faces on by themselves. I thought they did a pretty good job.

this is fun...

2008-10-21T18:47:00.002-05:00

My friend Felicia sent me this cool link. You can enter your birthday and see what song was number one on the charts on the day you were born.

Just so you know, "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb was number one on June 27, 1978. It would have to be a song I have never heard before. (And I am pretty hip to the oldies...)

I come bearing sad news...

2008-10-17T08:12:00.003-05:00

This morning when we woke up, we saw our cat Champ lying in the front yard. And in an awkward way. Scot discreetly went to check on him and confirmed our suspicions. He was indeed dead. Looks like he had been in a fight.

Scot wrapped him in a towel and put him in a bag. (I had to help with this because he was pretty stiff...my first experience with that...)

Then I went in to tell the boys. They took it pretty well. They were not very attached to Champ because he was sort of a mean cat. But we thought they needed to know what happened. Parker cried. Peyton just wanted to ask a million questions. Patrick was still asleep.

We went out to help Scot bury him. The boys got their shovels and helped as much as they could.
Parker had the idea to make "something to put by the hole". I don't know how he knows about that, but it was totally his idea. We got a piece of wood and Parker wrote "Champ" on it and Peyton drew a picture of him. Parker then wanted to write "on the front...his birthday and how old he is and on the back...he got in a fight with another cat or maybe a dog". I opted to write just today's date.

Scot is more upset than any of us. Rightly so. He has had Champ for fourteen years. That cat has been a good friend to him and Scot will miss him a lot.

The Undisputed World Champion (Champ) 1994 - 2008

pictures from the pumpkin patch...

2008-10-15T18:52:00.006-05:00

Finally. Here are the pictures from the Pumpkin Patch last weekend. Lots of pictures, few words.

Papaw and the boys

Scot and his sister, Shannon, and Parker

Peyton the Cow

Patrick the Chicken

Parker the Peacock

scaredy cat...

2008-10-14T00:03:00.004-05:00

It is midnight and I am wide awake.

I am so tired and really, really need to get some sleep so I can face the day that I have tomorrow, but I can't. It's my own fault, though, really. I took a nap today for the first time in a long, long, long, long time. The boys and I needed to recover from the super busy, super fun weekend we had. We were all went to sleep at 1:00. I woke up at 3:15, Parker at 3:30 and Peyton and Patrick roused about 4:00.

Yes, I slept for two hours and fifteen minutes. And it was marvelous. And I am paying for it now.

I am wide awake. I should be in the middle of a dream, for crying out loud. But no. I'm wide awake.

And I am sitting on the floor of my bedroom trying not to wake my husband. I am in my bedroom because I am a little spooked from watching Heroes tonight. Anyone else watch that show? I think I am done with it. It has gotten too scary/gory for me. Anyway, I am sort of bothered by the fact that I feel like my husband has to protect me. I never thought I would be that way. I always prided myself in being brave. I didn't need anyone to protect me. When I was single, I lived by myself, three states away from anyone that I knew. I knew no one! And I was not the least bit scared. Never. Now, I get antsy when Scot is out late and I'm by myself in the house. What's with me?

Okay, now that that rabbit's been chased.... As I said we had a busy weekend. The boys went to Scot's parents' house Wednesday and they took them to the fair Thursday and Friday. (Aren't they brave?) Then Scot and I drove up there Friday when we got off work. We all went to the Pumpkin Patch Saturday morning. (I have some great pictures that I will post later.) Then we came back to Hattiesburg and took Parker and Peyton to the USM game Saturday night. That was fun. Peyton is not that great at sitting still, though, so I spent a lot of time corralling him. That was not fun. After church Sunday, I had to work so my parents kept the boys. Sunday night, we ate supper, played outside for just a little while, then went to bed early.

Whew.

I hope I will be able to talk to you more this week than I have been lately. I really do enjoy it.

Not Me! Monday

2008-10-06T20:36:00.001-05:00

Today, I did not take my kids to the Donut Shop, order 3 dozen donut holes for them, watch them eat about three or four each, and then eat the rest myself! Not me! I would so not eat 30 donut holes all by myself. That would make me a pig!

I did not pull over in a random parking lot and let Peyton pee in front of the van because I was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold it until we got to a bathroom.

I did not get all of my Halloween decorations out today and then put the majority of them back into the box because I was too tired/lazy to put them out.

I did not tell Parker to just wipe some snot on his shirt after he sneezed just because I was too lazy to get up and get a kleenex.

I did not make gravy for supper tonight. Not me, because gravy is so fattening and not on our diet at all.

I did not drink six diet cokes today. I mean, seven.

I did not spend 20 minutes in the bathroom tonight reading a book because I was not enjoying the peace and quiet.

And I most certainly am not watching tv all night tonight with my feet propped up. Not when I have a filthy house and Bunco Thursday night. I am not that irresponsible!

pictures...

2008-10-03T07:30:00.004-05:00

Since I haven't shown you guys any pictures in a while, I thought I would randomly show you what we've been doing lately.

In no particular order:

The lovebugs that I told you about in an earlier post. I finally got a decent picture. Keep in mind when looking at these that, in the first picture, those bugs are on the outside of the door and the inside...gross. Then, when you look at the second, that amount of bugs was collected in the matter of half a day. I was very diligent about sweeping them up twice a day...morning and night. Thank the Good Lord they are finally all about gone!

(and yes, my baseboards are that dirty...I'm ashamed)

This is a picture of Patrick at Firehouse Subs. He is cheetos-clad, but oh so cute. This child has turned out to be such a sweetheart. We love him! (duh)

I've told you before, but in case you've forgotten...our church is under construction. We went to "check on the progress" (aka snoop around) last week and this bulldozer was just calling to my three little boys. We probably broke all kinds of rules, but the thrill was worth it!

About three weeks ago? (I've lost all track of time...this is sad) We went to tailgate at a USM game with our friends Patrick and Lauren. The boys had such fun running and playing (I didn't take any pictures of that, though). The weathermen had all been predicting rain, so the boys and I had planned to go home and let Scot go to the game with some friends. (I am not all about sitting in the rain for football.) But Parker was so sad when we told him he wasn't staying for the game, that Scot decided he could stay. (He was break-your-heart-sad. Just wanted to clarify because we don't normally give in to our children that easily. It almost made me cry, he was so sad.) Anyway, it did rain....the whole game. But Parker was faithful. He sat through the entire game and when they got home, his little fingers and toes looked like raisins. But he talked about it for days.

Here is a picture of them before the game. And yes, that is a garbage bag on Parker.

One last picture. Our church was sponsoring the making of flood relief buckets for the people affected by the hurricanes. We decided to participate as a family. We took a trip to more stores than I would have liked to go to with three children in one day and got our supplies. (They provided a list of what needed to go in the bucket.) Then we went home and stuffed the bucket. It was fun and a great opportunity to teach the boys about giving to people in need.

Saturday morning....

2008-09-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

As I type this, I am sitting in my front yard in the shade and I am not the least bit hot!! I love it!!

My boys are playing football in the yard with Scot. They are dirty and a little bit sweaty. They are having the time of their lives.

We are fresh back from a trip to Krispy Kreme and Target.

I love this day.

I really have nothing of importance to say today, but I feel I've been absent too long. I really miss talking to you guys. Our lives are so busy these days and I'm sure it is just a sign of things to come.

OK, I have to go break up a fight...
Later

black eye...

2008-09-24T07:25:00.003-05:00

I feel like it's been a year and a half since I've posted! My life is crazy right now.

But I do want to play a little game with y'all. It might not work, but let's give it a shot.

On my last post I told you about Patrick and his many bumps and bruises and black eyes and such. Then my friend Sallie sent me a picture of him that I added to that post. Then...my sister-in-law, Shannon, sent this picture of herself in the second grade with a black eye and a broken nose! Hilarious!! (sorry, Shannon, we're laughing with you...bless your heart)

So here's my game:

Send me a picture of yourself (or anyone, for that matter) bumped up or bruised or whatever. (or cotton....AM) I thought it would be fun to see how many we could get. I will post them all in about a week. You can email them to me. (My email is on the sidebar)

Happy searching!!

playing catch up...

2008-09-15T13:55:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: **My friend Sallie read this post and emailed me a picture that she took at church Sunday of my Patrick. (She has a son named Patrick too :)) Scroll to the end to see the sweet rat...

I feel like it's been forever!

My life has been crazy busy these days. As some of you may or may not know, I have gone back to work. Only part time. Three days a week. But, y'all...it is kicking my butt!!

I know I sound like a spoiled brat, because most people have to work full time. I realize this. But it is still an adjustment for me. I have been working for about a month now. And I am trying to juggle getting all of my duties at home done, working three full days at work, and working on all of my other freelance projects that I started before I went back to work. It has been an adjustment, to say the least. But I'm getting there.

There it is. There's my excuse for not posting in a while. I honestly went three days with out even checking the internet this week. That's a long time for me. I'm accustomed to checking it multiple times a day.

Here's what's been going on this week in our lives:

1. One of the funniest stories I have from this week is a Parker story. The boys and I got in the car to go somewhere earlier this week and obviously Scot was the last to drive my car because when the radio came on, it was on a news station. (Anyone that knows me knows that I do not listen to the news by choice.) I promptly changed the station, but Peyton caught a word. (and really only about three words were spoken before I changed it...I was fast) Something new that Peyton does when a word particularly funny to him is repeat it in a loud, high-pitched voice. Then he laughs so hard like he is in on a funny inside joke or something. Well, after hearing the news channel for 2 seconds, he shouted "LIPSTICK?!??" and then proceeded to laugh.

Parker, who was a little annoyed by Peyton's humor, then said, "Oh, Peyt, they were just talking about that pig that wears lipstick."

"How do you know that?" I asked Parker.

He said, "They've been talking about it on the news every day, Mom."

Oh, excuse me.

He catches so much more than we know. That scares me. (a side story...when I told Scot this story, he said that the day before when he was watching the news, Parker came up behind him and said, "Oh, here comes that John McCain again." ...I thought he was a four-year-old)

2. On the way to my parents for lunch Saturday, we came across a moving sale and stopped to look around. We came away with two lawn mowers (the guy threw the second one in when we bought the first one...I guess it's a piece of junk not worth selling), a patio table from Australia, three antique looking oil cans, a bedside table (also from Australia...he was orginally from there I guess...he sure sounded like it anyway), and three huge garage shelving units.

So we spent the rest of the day cleaning out our garage to make room for the shelves, something that was not on our agenda for the day. But it was so nice to just relax and be together as a family. (Believe it or not, cleaning out and arranging is my idea of relaxing, in case you were wondering. I do not believe it is Scot's idea of relaxing...but he did get to try out his brand new-to-him lawn mower!) We watched the boys play in the yard, ride their bikes and just have fun. And my garage looks great!

3. The lovebugs have invaded!!

If you are not from this area, you probably don't know about these lovely insects. I had never heard of them before I moved here. Even growing up in north Mississippi. I guess it's just a deep south thing. (I haven't googled them yet, but some day soon....)

All I know about them is they are extremely annoying! They travel in pairs. Yes, they are attached to each other. Not sure what that is about, but I can only guess based on their name. They blew in with Hurricane Gustav. My first year here, I remember them being around, but they were mighty after Hurricane Katrina. That was an infestation. It hasn't been very bad since then. Actually, I don't even remember seeing them last year. But, have no fear, they are back. And they are everywhere.

I took a picture of my back door, but I didn't turn out. The sun is too bright or something. There is a slight crack between the door and the frame so we not only have them all over the outside, but now on the inside of our house, too. I'm talking hundreds. And they stink when they die...

Thankfully, they don't bite or anything. They are not shy, though. They will land right on you and crawl around, waiting for you to push them off. They will not be shooed like a fly. They have to be pushed.

I told you all about these stupid bugs, to tell you a Peyton story.

Yesterday, while we were working in the garage, we heard something that sounded like a bat hitting something. We couldn't see Peyton so Scot shouted, "Peyton are you hitting my car?"

He said no.

We heard it again. Scot shouted, "Stop hitting my car, Peyton!"

"I'm not!" he shouted back.

The sound again.

This time Scot walks over to where he is and finds Peyton sitting on the hood of his car hitting his windshield with a metal baseball bat. When Scot asked him what he was doing, he said he was killing the lady bugs. God love him.

4. I will leave you with a Patrick story, so he is not neglected.

Last week when we were in Clinton for the circus, Patrick fell outside in the driveway and skinned his forehead, nose and chin. It was bad. The forehead and chin cleared up pretty quickly, but the nose wound has hung on for dear life. It still looks bad. But on top of that, he fell at mother's day out Monday and now has a black eye to go with his awful nose.

It looks like we beat our child.

I would show you a picture, but I'm feeling very lazy. Maybe later...

**Thank you, Sallie! This is a great picture! (well, he looks sweet, but terrible at the same time...you know what I mean)**

the circus...

2008-09-07T20:22:00.004-05:00

Mamaw and Papaw got us tickets to the circus!

Friday we drove to Clinton and went with them to the Ringling Bros. Boomerang Circus. We did this last year, but Mamaw stayed home with Patrick because he was too little to go. But this year...Parker and Peyton were so excited because Patrick and Mamaw got to go with us!

Peyton enjoyed his humongous bag of cotton candy.

Patrick enjoyed the hat that came with the cotton candy.

Parker and Papaw

Patrick was so excited to be there. This was his very first time going to any kind of major event with us and he really showed out. He laughed, he clapped, he ooohed and aahed. He was so fun to watch.

After intermission, they brought out the tigers. My boys were mesmerized.

Towards the end of the show (it started at 7:30 and finished at 9:00), Patrick started winding down (he usually goes to bed at 7:00).

Bless his heart, he just couldn't make it. This was five minutes before it was over.

We had such a great time!

Thanks, Mamaw and Papaw!!

some of the times that make the best memories...

2008-09-04T23:35:00.000-05:00

On my last post, I showed pictures of our family playing in the rain and mud. There were a couple of comments that I would like to comment on.

First, yes, our whole family played in the rain but I did not show a picture of me. There was, in fact, one picture taken of me but I didn't include it because 1. it is a horrible/embarrassing/retarded picture of me and 2. there is a naked child running behind me. (I know you guys were thinking to yourselves, "Her kids wear more clothes running in the rain than they do inside." But, don't you know, those clothes came off as soon as the camera was put away.)

So...against my better judgement I am going to show you my picture. Just to defend myself, we were having so much fun and I was just caught up in the moment. And please disregard the streaker.

Second, my dad sent me a picture from 1965 of him, my uncle and two of their cousins. He says, "It had rained most of the day and we had great fun playing down in the hollow in all the run-off. Those are some of the times that make the best memories!"

I thought yall would get a kick out of seeing it, too.

My dad is on the right. Strangely reminiscent of my picture above it....

I hope my boys will look back on their childhood and think, "We used to have so much fun."

Thank you, Gustav...

2008-09-03T16:01:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Gustav, for not wrecking our lives like we thought you just might.

But, we thank you more, Gustav, for all the great mudpuddles you made in our backyard!!

When Scot got home from work last night, he declared, "The boys are going outside to play." I reminded him that it was still raining and he said he didn't care. They had been couped up inside for too long. They needed to run. They needed fresh air. So out they went. (and we went with them!)

These carefree moments are what kids remember when they get older. We should have so many more of these than we do, but I'll take what I can get.

Look at these faces....they say it all...

labor day....

2008-09-01T20:42:00.003-05:00

We had a fabulous Labor Day despite Gustav's best efforts! We were blessed with no damage and only just an annoying wind and a few tornado warnings. Our friends, Annah Mary and Steve, came to visit us again (we never get to see them this much!!) and we had a great time visiting with them and their little girl, Amelia.

I have to say though, that Peyton is so completely enamored with "Annamelia," as he calls her. Peyton has always had a soft spot for girls, but Amelia has won his heart. He told me Sunday that he had fun playing with his girlfriend. I said, "Well, who's your girlfriend?" and he said, in a tone that insinuated I was very dumb for asking, "You know...Annamelia!"

It does make my heart proud. I have secretly always wanted Annah Mary to be part of my family. Maybe this is my chance...

I do think the feeling is kind of mutual. What do you think?

I feel I must explain this next picture. Peyton loves to give and get zerberts. (Not sure if that is how it is spelled or if it is really even a real word, but it's when you blow on someone's tummy and it makes a noise. Did Bill Cosby give zerberts on his show?) Anyway...Peyton is giving Amelia a zerbert. I know the picture looks scandalous, but it is, in fact, very innocent.

We had a great time with you guys! Come see us any time! Maybe we'll come see you next!

In other news, we spent most of the day today in our pajamas doing absolutely nothing.

We watched the news and the weather. We played games. We played blocks. We played little people. We all took a nap. And then we went to my parents' house to eat supper with them. It was so nice to just do nothing. We don't get to do that very much.

Here are a few pictures of the boys vegging out today. (I feel the need to apologize to yall again for my scantily clad children. We just don't make them wear clothes around the house and I never think, or care, to make them put clothes on before I take a picture...please excuse them, even though it will probably not be the last time you see them naked...sorry)

bear with me, guys...

2008-09-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Now that my parents have moved to Hattiesburg and are no longer in their house of almost thirty years, they have a lot of stuff to go through. They pared down most of it before they moved, but they still have a shed full at their new house that they are trying to go through. And most of it is mine and my sister's. Which means I am now the proud storer of all my childhood toys and memorablia.

While going through all of it to put up in storage at my house, I have taken lots of walks down memory lane. And I know you guys are probably sick of all my nostalgia, but I had to share just a few of the things I've rediscovered.

My only two Care Bears. I say "only two" because so many of my friends had lots more (except Annah Mary...sorry to bring it up, AM). But I loved my Care Bears. I can't really remember where or from whom I got the pink one, but Love-a-lot, the brown one, was a gift from the Tooth Fairy. Yes, you heard me right. My Tooth Fairy usually only brought me change, but this one time (I believe it was my first tooth), I had the chicken pox and the Tooth Fairy left me a note under my pillow that went something like..."Since you lost your first tooth while you have the chicken pox, I decided to give you a little something special. But don't get used to it! It won't happen again." OK, the Tooth Fairy had a little more tact than that, but I got the picture. I still thought I was special though.

My collection of Little People. Does anyone else remember putting them on all your fingers?

(My kids want to play with these so very bad, but how do you explain to them that they are probably ridden with lead paint and are most surely a choking hazard?)

Two magnetic belts. The smurf one is a little stretched out, but if people wouldn't talk about me, I would sure enough put that Big Bird one on Patrick!

Is this a Mon-chee-chee or a knock-off? I loved it either way.

My beloved Strawberry Shortcake collection. These babies saw a lot of playing time. Look closely at Apricot ________ ? (I'm drawing a blank...Dumpling?... Nectar?...Pudding?...help me out people!) Her hat is filthy. I also found a random pair of tights and a lone shoe. Who can keep up with that tiny stuff anyway?

One of my favorite dresses. If I had a little girl now, I think this would still be in style. (Maybe?)

One of my favorite dresses that my mother made for me. And let me tell you...she made me a ton of dresses! I don't know how she did it. Now that I'm a mom and know all the stuff she had to do and work full time too, her domestic-ness impresses me. I think I had a super-sweet yellow duck pin that I wore with this dress. And of course I wore pigtails. I always wore pigtails.

Easter baskets that my awesome mother made for me. Check out my name on the handle.

My favorite book. Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I still enjoy this book today when I read it to my boys. Check how nicely I wrote my name in the back.

My Strawberry Shortcake lunch box that I took to Kindergarten. It is aluminum. The next year, my Care Bears lunch box was plastic, which was the beginning of a new era. Now, I've noticed that all the lunchboxes are cloth.

That is a picture of me in a Frankenberry cutout (I have no idea where...very random). My mother has never told me this is the reason there is a picture posted on the inside of my lunch box, but I can only assume it was so I would know which lunch box was mine? And, seriously...that thing still smells like peanut butter and jelly. Seriously.

who's the leader?

2008-08-30T13:49:00.000-05:00

We have been blessed at our current church to be on staff with a wonderful senior pastor, who just happens to have a super wonderful wife. Tommy, our pastor, is actually Scot's old youth minister, so he and Scot have had a long relationship. He was very instrumental in leading Scot closer to Christ and molding him in his vulnerable teenage years. And then guiding him through his first years in the ministry, as Scot was an intern in Tommy's youth group.

Tommy and his wife Paula have three children who are about the same distance apart as our boys. (They have two girls and then a boy.) Only their kids are all in college right now. And let me tell you, Tommy and Paula are some good parents! Their kids are so polite and friendly and just all around good kids. They love their family, they love their church and, above all, they love Jesus with their whole hearts and it shows on their faces.

So, as you can imagine, we go to them pretty frequently for child-rearing advice. They have given us so many good ideas, most of which we have put into practice already. (Some things have to wait until they get older.)

But my favorite idea they have given us is the Leader of the Day. This has been a life saver for us! What they said they did (and there may be more that I'm not remembering) was every night at dinner the leader would lead the conversation and they would tell one good thing about their day and one bad thing. We started out doing that, but it has now evolved into an all day thing for us. The leader has now become the go-to to end most arguments. My boys have to compete over everything. (I guess this is normal?) "I want the blue cup!" "No, I want the blue cup!" It would go on all day long...with everything! But now we go to "the leader". "Who's the leader today?" I say. "Well then, Parker gets the blue cup. Peyton, you can have it tomorrow when you are the leader." And it always works!! They can't argue with fairness. They know that even though they don't get it now, they will most certainly get it tomorrow.

This leader business has permeated our life so much that the boys use it to see who gets to sit by Mama at supper, who brushes their teeth first, who gets their story read first, which direction we go when coming into our subdivision (we have basically a circle subdivision so you can get to our house two ways...Parker likes to go one way, and Peyton likes to go another...of course), who gets to pick the show on TV, who goes last when getting fingernails cut, and on and on and on.

There is only one problem with the Leader of the Day:

Mama and Daddy have to keep their days straight.

Right now, since Patrick is still not quite old enough to be the leader, we alternate days. Parker is evens, Peyton is odds. And on more than one occasion, we have forgotten what day it is and there are major meltdowns. There is nothing worse to my kids than starting out the day thinking they are the leader, then (after the non-leader child says, "But he was the leader yesterday!" and Mama realizes what day it actually is) finding out they are, in fact, not the leader.

another first...

2008-08-25T13:37:00.004-05:00

Today was the first day of school!! Yea!!

Parker is starting 4-year-old preschool and Peyton is starting 3-year-old preschool. They had so much fun. They couldn't stop talking about all the things they did and all the kids in their classes. I think it's going to be a great year!

We took a "first day of school" picture this morning...

Then I compared them to their past first-day-of-school-pictures. My, how my little boys are growing...

a perfect Saturday...

2008-08-23T21:40:00.003-05:00

I'm back. It's been a while, but I'm not even sure if I've been missed! I sort of had a little pity party the other night and told Scot that I was done blogging. "Why?" he said. "Because no one reads my blog!" I said. He assured me they did and that no comments was not a sign of not reading. I tend to disagree, but the sweetie that he is left an anonymous comment the next day to try to make me feel better. I was not fooled. I knew it was him. However, the next commenter was a real live person, at least I think. So I feel a little better. And I'm over my pity party. (They're fun while they last, but the fun can't go on forever...) I love blogging anyway, even if only three people read what I write.

Today was one of those perfect days that I wish would last forever. It started by everyone sleeping until 7:45!! Not the norm around here, so we were excited. We lounged around for a while, then went to the mall to buy the boys some new tennis shoes. (School starts Monday...I can't believe it's finally here!) It was a pretty calm trip and everyone behaved in the four shoe stores we had to go to.
The sweet little girl that helped us in one of the stores asked me kinda hesitantly, nodding her head toward the boys, "Are they all brothers?" This is a pretty common question for me. I have found that people don't expect you to have so many kids so close together. I, now a little annoyed, say, yes, they are all mine. And then she says, "Wow. I hope if I ever have three kids that I look like you. I never would have thought they were all yours." Well, now I love this girl and feel bad for getting annoyed. She was sweet.

We went for pizza after the shoes were bought. The boys all wanted to wear their new shoes out of the store and Scot and I started reminiscing about how much fun it was to wear new shoes out of the store when we were kids. It brought back some very warm memories for us both.

Later, we went to my parents for supper and played for a while. Then we went home and Parker and Peyton watched "Madagascar," which was on TV tonight, while I finished up some pajamas I had started making them earlier. They were so proud of them that they had to sleep in them, even though it was really too hot for them tonight.

We let them stay up late to finish the movie, then I got some sweet alone time with them as I put them to bed. Talking before bed is one of my most favorite things.

It was a great day.

a few questions on a Monday morning...

2008-08-18T12:06:00.003-05:00

(Just a note...I am not trying to copy Sarah, even though I think she is super awesome and I am not above copying....this just happened to be a coincidence...I didn't even realize it was Monday when I started writing this!)

My kids left yesterday for one last visit with Mamaw and Papaw before school starts (next week...yea!!!). I always pray for my kids, but I tend to pray a little harder while they are gone. Something about them not being right here with me, I guess. As I was thinking about them/lifting them up this morning, I realized that I am prompted to pray for them by some of the strangest things and at some of the strangest times. I do realize that this is a God thing and that I should most definitely pray at exactly the time that God prompts me to because I have no idea what is going on with my children at that moment of time. So I do. But it made me wonder....

1. What strange (or not-so-strange) things prompt you to pray for you children? (or spouse, or family in general)

2. How exactly do you pray for them? (like specifics)

Now, I would love, love to hear from some of you on this, but it requires you to actually leave a comment!! Sometimes I wonder if people really read this silly blog of mine (besides my good old faithfuls....). If you don't feel comfortable leaving your name, you can most certainly comment as anonymous.

Here are my answers:
1. This morning I was folding one of Scot's shirts and I was thinking about how lucky I was to have such a godly husband that loved me unconditionally and it prompted me to pray for my boys that they will grow to be just as godly as their Daddy. Another strange thing is seeing little girls that are my boys' ages and thinking how cute they are and then realizing that my boys' future wives are little tiny girls right now (or not even born yet!) and it makes me think to start praying for their spouses. Some of the ordinary things that remind me to pray for my kids are things like making their beds, watching them play, or talking to them one-on-one at night.

2. I love to pray for my boys specifically. I always start by praying for them as a group, that God will start now turning their hearts to him. Giving them a heart like His, so that they will never have to know a day when they didn't love Him. Also, that He will give them Christian friendships that will turn into life-long friendships that endure the test of time and trials. That those friends will be like brothers, will keep them accountable for their actions and will stand by them when the pressures of the teen/college years start getting to them.

I also pray that my boys will guard their bodies in a world where that is just not valued anymore. That they will save themselves for their wives and their Lord. I also pray for their future wives and their families. I mostly pray for their safety...that God will keep them from all malice and harm. But I ask him, that if he can't spare them, to please give them the strength to praise Him in all situations....to not blame Him or give up hope, but to draw others to Him through their struggles.

I pray for Parker specifically...that he will be a leader to his younger brothers. That he will be someone that they can look up to and go to with advice. I pray that he will use his stubborn nature to be firm in his beliefs and not back down to peer pressure. I pray that God will make him into a humble young man that glorifies God in all things.

I pray for Peyton specifically...that he will use his happy-go-lucky, friends-with-everyone nature to reach people for Jesus. That he will not succumb to the "fun-ness" of going with the in-crowd, but will find a group of fun friends at church to run with. I pray that he will be the peace maker of his brothers (as he already is), but will not feel the usual woes of a middle child. I pray that he will feel special and loved and very much a part of our family.

I pray for Patrick specifically...that God will light a fire in him that will ignite everyone around him, using his smile and personable nature to reach other for Christ. I pray that he will not feel entitled, but will be thankful for what he has. I pray for him to not feel slighted by the one-on-one time he has missed out on in his little lifetime (and is sure to miss out on later).

I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say...

Happy Birthday, Peyton!....again....

2008-08-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

It seems like we have celebrated Peyton's birthday a lot this year. (because we have!) But Saturday was his official birthday party where all of his friends came to celebrate with him. It was a blast and Peyton really enjoyed being in the spotlight.

Ever since Parker's party in January, Peyton has said that he wanted a Dora, Boots, Lion, Circus Party. (This is probably because he saw an episode of Dora that was about a circus and there was a lion in it.) Since he is a boy and Dora is really a "girl" cartoon, we talked him away from the Dora, Boots part and focused on the Lion, Circus part. We had circus/carnival themed activities and decorations and I made Peyton a lion cake.

Everyone had fun jumping in the bouncy house....

playing in the tree house...

and in the sandbox....

and on the swingset...

We even had a special artist who came to paint faces...Aunt LB!

Peyton did not want his face painted, so Parker had to be my model. He picked M-State on one side and USA on the other. (the Olympics are a huge hit at our house right now...) Great job, LB!

Peyton blew out his candles like a pro.

And everyone got a shot at the pinata. Even little Patrick. (who had a surprisingly good swing...)
It was a fun party. When everyone was leaving, Peyton told them all, one by one, (and I quote) "Thank you for my party and thank you for eating my birthday cake." Then he hugged them goodbye. Such a sweet boy.

finally....

2008-08-17T14:45:00.005-05:00

Here are the pictures I promised of the completed deck. It feels good to finish a project, but I'm also kind of sad to not have anything to work on. I guess I need a new project now!

This is my new favorite spot to sit and relax. It's just not so shady some times of the day...like nap time, which is when I most want to sit there. Oh well, I still love, love, love my back porch. And we've already entertained on it. More on that in my next post....

sometimes they are right...

2008-08-14T14:37:00.004-05:00

This afternoon, Parker and Peyton were playing and I was in the kitchen. It was one of those rare moments where they were playing so sweetly...no arguments or whines, no need for Mama. It was nice. I was sort of listening to what they were saying (which I absolutely love by the way...I love to hear what they come up with in their imaginations...they are so inventive) but I was trying to concentrate on a recipe too. So I didn't catch all of what they were saying.

But I did hear Peyton say, "Noah's a bad guy."

Now, there are two options here, I thought. Either he is talking about Noah from the Bible or their friend Noah. Which ever it was, neither one is a bad guy. I had to ask him why he said it even though I hated to disturb their peaceful play.

I asked Peyton, "Why do you think Noah is a bad guy?"

He said, "Because he is, Mama." I asked him if it was Noah-and-the-Ark Noah and he said yes. I then proceeded to go over that story with him and talk about how, no, Noah was not a bad guy. He was, in fact, a very good guy who did exactly what God asked him to do and pretty much saved the human race.

Then Parker chimed in and said, "But Mama, Noah really is a bad guy. Look at him." Peyton then holds up a little man that had been in his hand the whole time I was delivering my speech. It was the Noah that came with our ark and animals.

"See," he says.

"Well, yes, boys, I guess you're right. He does look sort of mean. My bad."

a glimpse into the future...

2008-08-13T08:02:00.004-05:00

Walking into my living room last night, this is what I saw...

That is most surely a sign of what is to come in my not-so-distant future. All the guys kicked back on the couch watching sports! They were mesmerized by the Olympics. Even little Patrick. They started stirring a bit when I got the camera, so you'll have to believe me when I tell you...they looked like grown teenage boys to me in that moment. Whew! I'm not ready for that!!

it's craft time...

2008-08-12T14:37:00.002-05:00

If you remember, the Jones boys were the official winners of the funny food contest, vegetable category, at The Crafty Crow.

And our prize came yesterday!!

Can you believe all the fun stuff???

Check out our prize ribbon!! Completely homemade...I'm am so impressed.

And, out of all the stuff we got, this was the prized possession. Yes, it is a 28 cent foam paint brush that we usually have a hundred of. But when we stained the blue table, I could only find one, so they had to share. When Peyton pulled the brushes out of the box (there were two), Parker said, "How did they know we needed these??? And how did they know there were two of us????" You would have thought it was Christmas...

So after seeing all the wonderful crafty supplies, the boys wanted to know..."What can we make, Mama?!" And that was a good question. I had tons of ideas of what we could make, but Parker had his own ideas...he wanted to make a bird. A bird? I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to make a bird with what was in that bag.

I stalled by having them paint the clothespins. While they were drying, honestly I tried to think of how to make a bird, but in the end I just decided that we could make a butterfly instead using the pipe cleaners. Maybe they wouldn't know the difference.

That so did not fly! (no pun intended...) Parker took one look at his "bird" and he said, "Mama, that's a butterfly, not a bird." So matter of fact. So not amused. I told him we could make a bird another day...when I get a little more creative.

Peyton loved his butterfly though. He flew that thing all over the house.

a few not so random things....

2008-08-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

I thought I had three random things to share with you today, but after getting them all down, they really are all kind of related!

Just a little update for you...

We finished our deck!! But I'm not going to post a finished picture until my porch swing comes in, which should be Thursday. I want it to be all the way complete before you see it. So be looking for it... I will, however, show you a few more pictures of the process.

That's me and my dad. I have to say, he scared me to death sitting on top...I think he was on a skinny 2x4 at one point. But there were no accidents, injuries or fatalities. Thank goodness.

Scot and Daddy...such a great team. They even coordinated their uniforms.

Moving on...

In order to lay the upper deck, we had to dig up a pretty good amount of dirt. (There was a flower bed there before, which was filled with great soil) We hated to let it go to waste, so we used what we could in our random flower beds and even made a few more beds (with no flowers to put in them, by the way...that will just have to wait until next spring). My dad wanted to take some to their house, so one morning he brought over a couple of containers to put it in. Both of the big boys wanted to help him shovel it in, but Parker was the only one who actually did it. Peyton got distracted by something else and ended up running around the yard the whole time. Paker was so cute helping. Papa let him fill his own little washtub and he did a great job actually.

The funny part is when I started taking pictures, Peyton came over and decided he wanted to help again (I guess because Parker was getting some attention and recognition with the camera...typical Peyton). Parker was not happy about Peyton butting in on his "job". This picture makes me laugh...poor, pitiful Parker.

One more story....

I decided we needed a table to put in front of our new porch swing to put drinks on or feet on or whatever. So I went to Lowe's to get some wood. Parker and Peyton had so much fun helping me pick out the pieces of wood and especially helping me pick what color to stain it. (Have you guys seen all the different colors you can tint stain?? They are amazing!! It makes me want to stain everything I can get my hands on! I love the look of wood, you know the grain and all, but yall know I LOVE color too...so I've always been torn...do I paint or leave natural? But now...colored stain!! Heaven.)

So anyway, I let them help me stain the table. They were so excited and they were actually pretty good with it. I taught them how to go with the grain and how to wipe it off after you paint it on. They were very patient and careful. I was very proud.

(And I promise my kids do wear clothes! It seems every time I pull out the camera, they are naked... here are my excuses...1. we were painting and I didn't want them to get their clothes all painty...2. it is very, very hot here...3. Peyton is potty training and it is much easier when he doesn't have pants on... 4. they took their clothes off while I wasn't looking... 5. Scot was in charge of clothes that day......will one of those work?)
And this is what our little rat did the whole time... Isn't that baby sweet??

an explanation...

2008-08-08T10:01:00.001-05:00

I just took a super cool brain test at Mind Media after seeing what The Preacher's Wife's diagnosis was. How fun! I really think they hit it on the head. Turns out I am 61% left-brained and 38% right-brained.(I have no idea what happened to the other 1%...) I am also a 50% auditory/50% visual learner. That explains a lot. Here's just a little snippet of what they had to say about me...

Your tendency to be organized and logical and attend to details is reasonably well-established which should afford you success regardless of your chosen field of endeavor, unless it requires total spontaneity and ability to improvise, your weaker traits. However, you are far from rigid or overcontrolled. You possess a degree of individuality, perceptiveness, and trust in your intuition to function at much more sophisticated levels than most.
Having given sufficient attention to detail, you can readily perceive the larger aspects and implications of a situation or of learning. You are functional and practical, but can blend abstraction and theory into your framework readily.
The equivalence of your auditory and visual learning orientation gives you two equally effective sensory input systems, each with distinctive features. You can process both unidimensionally and multidimensionally with equal facility. When needed, you sequence material while at other times you "intake it all" and store it for processing later.
Your natural ability to use your senses is also synthesized in your way of learning. You can be reflective in your approach, absorbing material in a non-aggressive manner, and at other times voracious in seeking out stimulation and experience.
Overall you tend to be somewhat more critical of yourself than is necessary. You feel somewhat constrained and tend to sometimes restrict your expressiveness. In any given situation, you will opt for the rational, and learning of almost any type should be easy for you. You might need certain ideas explained to you in order to fit them into your scheme of things, but you're at least open to that!

2008-08-07T21:55:00.001-05:00

America now has two new winners. They crowned Jennifer the new Design Star this past Sunday, which is who I started pulling for after Mikey V was kicked off. So I was glad of that. And Iliza Shlesinger is now the Last Comic Standing. I wasn't as happy about this win. She was pretty funny, but Jeff Dye was funnier and Marcus should have won. Oh well, who really cares, right?

In other TV news...the Olympics start tomorrow!!!

I am so excited!! I love the Olympics. I plan to watch as much as I can. I've tried to get my boys excited about them too because I am going to do my best to watch them during the boys' regular morning TV watching times. Not sure if that's really going to fly, but I'm definitely going to try.

ode to Annah Mary...

2008-08-03T20:20:00.001-05:00

Last week I had a special visit from my very best friend, Annah Mary. She and her husband Steve and their little girl Amelia were passing through Hattiesburg on their way to the beach. We got the pleasure of housing them on their trip down and then meeting them at Chick-fil-A on their way back home. I just really don't get to see Annah Mary enough. I so wished we lived closer to each other.

Annah Mary is one of those friends that when you haven't seen or talked to each other in a while (like months...) you can still just pick up like you just talked the day before. We have been friends since birth. Really. I believe our mothers went to prenatal visits together. We have been "best friends" for ever. Here is a picture from our early days...

The back of the picture says 1983 (thanks, Mama!!) so we would have been five. Yes, we liked to match our clothes, and everything else we could get our parents to buy the same. (I specifically remember going back-to-school shoe shopping with our moms and buying the same color Nikes.) We were inseparable. When we started kindergarten, we were not in the same class, but after a couple of days of Annah Mary escaping to my class, they finally put us in the same room. You can't keep us apart.

I was totally devastated when Annah Mary's family moved after kindergarten. Thankfully, her grandmother lived in our home town, so she came to visit pretty often and we kept in touch. She always stayed my best friend. She makes fun of me because I actually told one of my friends in elementary school that I couldn't be her best friend because I already had one that lived in Starkville....I was faithful.

But Annah Mary moved back to Senatobia in the middle of our seventh grade year. YEA! We picked up right where we left off. It was great. Here is a picture of us in the seventh grade...please be gentle...we all go through a gawky stage, right?

She is such an awesome friend that I can't say enough about her. She has been there for me during all the ups and downs of teenage/college years and all of the happy times of marriage and kids. I can always call her when I need to talk and I know that she will be honest with me whether I want her to or not. I love that girl.

One last picture....this is of us before our senior prom. Let me just tell you, I look like a ghost (but what's new) and there's a reason I love my Chi. God was not very good to me in the hair department...oh well, I have other attributes, right?

Oh, I lied...one more picture...

Here we are at Chick-fil-A with our kids. I can't believe we are old enough to have children! It seems like we should still be in high school goofing off.

I love you, Annah Mary! I hope I didn't embarrass you too much with the pictures. Scot said I should probably expect a phone call about this post...

And you know that I am always ready for potato chip time! Just come on over....

whew...I am not spam...

2008-08-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

You will be glad to know that my blog is officially NOT a spam blog.

Why would anyone think that anyway? The internet is so weird to me...

Anyway, I've got a lot in my head that I want to post about, so I'm just going to start from the most recent and work my way backwards. I may not get to it all today, but don't fear...I will get to it...you will not miss one single detail about our so facinating lives. (I know...please)

First...

Parker, Peyton and Patrick just got back today from a short visit to Scot's parents' house. They did not get a nap today since they were traveling back right after lunch. (I told you that to somewhat explain the behavior of the child in the story I'm about to tell you....when my children are tired, they are not very fun to be around!)

About 7:00 tonight, right before we were about to put the big boys in bed (Patrick went to sleep at 6:00...gotta love that kid). They wanted a snack, so I told them to pick out a healthy snack from the pantry. They both came back with a juice box and crackers. I told them the crackers were ok, but they would have to choose either milk or water to drink. No juice box. Neither was happy with the news, but Parker did put his back. Peyton didn't. He took his to Scot and said in his sweetest, cutest voice, "Daddy, can I have this juice box please?" Scot, who had heard my proclamation, stood firm and said no to the sweet boy. Peyton then stormed into the kitchen, threw his juice box on the floor and shouted at the top of his lungs, "IT'S NOT FAIR!!"

What in the world?? Since when does a three year old sound like a teenager? Parker has never even said something's not fair... I don't know...that boy...

Second...

While the boys have been gone the past couple of days, I have been working on yet another project at the Jones house. I vow to finish this one!! My sweet, sweet daddy came to help me and he always keeps me on track and insists that I not only finish my projects, but that they are done right. We are in the process of replacing our back deck with a bigger and better deck. (We are not finished yet, but I will press on...)

When we first bought this house three years ago, this is what the deck looked like.

There was a railing all the way around which was super weird to me because the deck is ground level. Were they worried someone would fall off? It was very unnecessary to me and frankly just plain ugly. It really made our yard seem smaller. And it was annoying because the opening to get off the deck was on the opposite side from the door. Anyway, this is not a very good picture, but you get the idea.

One of the first things I did after moving in was knock down most of the railings. (about two months after we moved in) I left the ones that attached to the siding because I wasn't sure about how to remove them without tearing up the siding.

Here is what our deck has looked like for the last three years. Pretty sad, huh? (Excuse the underwear picture...only one I could find)

So we are getting it done. My dad and I pulled up all the old decking on the existing deck, and Scot and I replaced it with new deck boards. (Same shape and size, just no railing posts) We did all that a few weeks ago. Yesterday and today, Daddy and I worked on what I like to call the "upper deck". It's really only a six-inch step up, but whatever. It will be in front of our kitchen window and will be covered with a pergola. I am so very excited about it! I will definitely have to show you some pictures when it is all done, which I hope will be next week. (Anyone want to keep three little boys one day while we finish? My babysitter has gone back to school...thanks a lot, Gigi! :) just kidding)

Here are the two hard working men in my life

I have no idea why this was done...really, are we 14?

Third (and final for the night...I'm sleepy)

I have a few things to say to the Coca Cola Company.

What is the deal with the new twist off caps? Has anyone else noticed that they are almost impossible to twist off? I'm talking about the ones that come on a 20 oz. bottle. I think they might even be on the 2 liters now too. Anyway, they annoy me. What was wrong with the old ones? They were about an eighth of an inch taller and really, that made all the difference in the world. I feel like I have blisters on my hands from trying to open the stupid things. (Does that mean I drink too much Diet Coke? kinda sounds like it, doesn't it?)

Ok, but I'm not totally mad at the Coke Company. I do have to say that I love love the new bottle design of the 2 liters. I think they are super cute. Kind of like a fat 20 oz. And a little bit retro. So, good job on that, Coca Cola. Even with the cap situation, you are still my number one drink company. I think of you as family.

That is all for now, but I will have more tomorrow. I have someone special to post about, but I'm still working on the pictures. Have a fun day at church tomorrow (it will be my first Sunday back after missing three in a row...I feel like a heathen).

toot toot, chugga chugga...

2008-07-27T20:21:00.006-05:00

We love the Wiggles!!

The Wiggles were live in New Orleans today and, yes, we were in attendance! We planned this trip about two months ago and Parker and Peyton have been awaiting it not so patiently ever since. The big day was finally here and the boys had a blast. Actually, we all had a blast! It was a very fun day.

their wiggly swag

Peyton absolutely loved his "cock-con candy"

Patrick's First Haircut...

2008-07-26T10:07:00.001-05:00

I do not have a baby anymore. I just about can't stand it.

Patrick's hair was getting entirely too long and mulletish so we (I) decided it was time to cut it. (For some reason Scot wasn't ready to cut it....not sure why) He did pretty well considering I poked him with the scissors...twice. He was DONE at the end though.

He now looks like an official Big Boy.

I think I'm ready for another baby...

Happy Birthday, Peyton...

2008-07-25T21:43:00.003-05:00

My little Peyton is THREE!!

My, how time flies. His birthday was Tuesday and we had just a little cake for him and let him open presents from us and my parents. We plan to have an "official" party with all his friends after school starts. Summers are just too hard with everyone trying to get in one last vacation before they have to go back to school. Anyway, Peyton loved having all the attention. And he loved his presents. (Please excuse the pictures below as Peyton does not have any pants on. I realized about halfway through the fiasco that he only had underwear on...at least they kind of look like pants...sorry for the indecent exposure)

back from Jamaica...

2008-07-25T21:33:00.002-05:00

We've been back now since Sunday...
I've just been too lazy to post any pictures for you. I was tired and I've kind of been in a funk since we got back. Anyway...enough with the excuses. Here is a little taste of what we experienced in paradise...

The views are fantastic!! And it's nice to be just a stone's throw away from the beautiful beach, but don't let me fool you...we actually did some down and dirty work. Every morning that we were there we did some painting at a local home for abused girls ages 10 (or 12?) to 18. Not extremely hard work, but it sure is hot in Jamaica. Good thing we Mississippians are used to the heat!

Yes, this is my husband painting a MURAL!!! He actually did a pretty good job. Red, our Jamaican artist friend, said Scot followed instructions very well.

In the afternoons, we would do a Bible school for some of the kids at one of the churches "up on the hill". We had about 40 to 50 kids each day and, boy, was our team popular. They never wanted us to leave.

We always enjoy our mission trips to Jamaica, but I have to tell you that this year was so extremely hard for me. It was the first time that I have gone since I've had children. (Well, we went when Parker was 5 months old, but that doesn't count because he wasn't old enough to even miss us while we were gone!) I missed my kids like crazy!! I was homesick before we even got there. And it didn't help to know that Parker asked Scot's parents while we were gone if his mama and daddy were in heaven. . . . . .I'm crying right now just thinking about it.

a little tv while I'm away...

2008-07-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

As you know, Scot and I are in Jamaica this week suffering for Jesus. But while we are gone, we are missing some of our favorite summer shows. (I know I shouldn't be worried about this, but I really do love my shows...)

My favorite summer series is Design Star on HGTV. I pretty much have to beg Scot to watch it with me, but now that this guy is gone, he's a little more willing to watch. I don't blame him....that Michael really got on my nerves, too. I'm pulling for Mikey V. to win. I really like his designs and he is a likeable fellow I guess. I know I do NOT want Tracee to win. It is time for her to go.

Another favorite is Last Comic Standing on NBC. We have been faithful to this show since the very first season. It is such a good mood booster. I love to laugh. Laughing is the best. I'm still undecided on a winner. There are a couple I really like, but still hard to tell which one I'm going to pull for.

We also like Burn Notice on USA and America's Got Talent on NBC.

I really hope our Tivo doesn't fail us this week!

a jones family day...

2008-07-11T20:52:00.007-05:00

I know I've said it before, but it's been a crazy summer!

We have had a semi-restful week...we didn't have any formal plans or anything, but true to our family's nature, we stayed busy enough. We have had a crazy bout with strep throat at our house. All three boys had it last week (at different times, of course) and Parker and Patrick are still on anitbiotics. We had to take Parker back to the doctor Tuesday because he really held on to his fever...eight days, to be exact! And Peyton had to go back to the doctor today because he has had a terrible rash the last couple of days. Turns out he has strep AGAIN!!! What in the world?? He had already finished his antibiotics, so he got a shot of penicillin toady. My sweet, sweet little boy who was so unusually happy today all through the doctor's visit was so totally offended by the shot. He cried all the way out of the office and pouted for pretty much the rest of the day. I'm sure it did hurt, but he tends to be very dramatic when it comes to things like this. He also insisted on being carried for the rest of the day (the shot was in his leg) because "my boo-boo is hurting...I got a shot."

This afternoon we took a family trip to the mall. I needed to return a super thoughtful, but so not practical, birthday gift from my sweet sister. (Just in case you are wondering, she bought me this dress except mine was long, not short, which actually looked great on me, but really....when will I ever have a place to wear this dress?...my life is so not glamorous....but I did get this and this in it's place and I also got these great fitting jeans which have now taken the place of my old favorite Gap jeans as my new favorite New York & Co. jeans...I have always loved that store, but lately it seems that everything I try on fits me perfectly....I really love that store these days)

While we were shopping, we got thirsty and stopped at Chick-fil-A to get a coke. Guess what? Today is Cow Appreciation Day!! If you dress like a cow, you get a free combo. If you wear a cow accessory, you get a free entree (I guess that would be a sandwich or nuggets or something?)

We were so not dressed like cows, but they did give the boys a cow hat which they all wore proudly.

Then as we were about to move on, Peyton spotted the cut-out cow that you could take your picture in...
Peyton, who hadn't said more than three or four words all afternoon and literally had not put any pressure on his leg since "the shot," wanted to take his picture with the cow.

I held him up and he said cheese. Then Patrick had to do it. Then Parker. Then Daddy. Then they made me do it. (ok, I really wanted to do it, but for my reputation, I had to act like I was doing it against my will...people were watching us, for crying out loud)

After supper tonight we had our first ever Family Movie Night. I totally stole this idea from Jon & Kate plus 8, but I don't even care that it wasn't my original idea. It was so fun. And the boys had a blast. We waited until Patrick went to bed, then the boys gathered their pillows and 87 stuffed animals each and set up camp in the den. I popped popcorn and even added a special treat like Kate did. It was a couple of m&m's and some gummy fish. You would have thought I had given them the world. They could not stop talking about their "special snacks". We watched Shrek 2 and just enjoyed being together. These precious moments will be gone before we know it.

Then when it was time for bed, the boys wanted to "camp out" in the den. Since it was only 8:30 and Scot and I had some more TV to watch, we compromised and they went "camping" on the floor of their bedroom.

It was a great family day.

Scot and I are leaving tomorrow for a mission trip to Jamaica. We are going to miss our boys so very much, but they will be in good hands. We ask that you please pray for our team of eleven, as we travel Saturday night/Sunday morning, for the safety of our team members, as we will be doing construction and it will be hot, and for the hearts of the Jamaicans that we will be ministering to, as they will be touching our hearts, too. I'll have pictures from paradise in about a week!

a little vacation and some fourth of july fun...

2008-07-08T07:23:00.004-05:00

Last week Mamaw and Papaw took Parker and Peyton to Jellystone Park in Pelahatchie, MS. We've never been, but it looks so super cute. The boys had a blast and can't wait to go again!

You can't have a Jellystone Park without Yogi Bear!

Parker is getting so brave I can hardly stand it...

Peyton taking a slide

Peyton playing putt-putt

There is a movie screen just past the left of this picture that they show movies on at night....how cool is that?

In other news, we had a pretty uneventful holiday weekend. We shot fireworks Friday night and went to visit with my grandmother and extended family Saturday afternoon. It was nice to just sort of sit around for a change. It seems this summer has turned out to be way too busy for my liking. I was really worried about how I was going to keep my sanity staying home with the boys all day every day this summer, but we have hardly been home for me to go crazy. I really am missing my boys, feeling like I never see them!

This next picture is nothing special, just some extra super cuteness of my little Patrick who, incidentally, is not so little anymore! How do they grow up so quick right under your nose?

yuck....

2008-07-01T11:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, while I was at the doctor's offie I did some observing...

(turns out Patrick's fever Sunday afternoon was a sign of strep throat....wonderful)

First off, I am not a germaphobe. Sometimes I wish I was. But I am ok with picking a paci up off the floor, brushing it off and handing it back to my baby or wearing my shoes inside my house or letting my child eat directly off the table in a restaurant (ok that one is questionable...it depends on the restaurant) and I am not as diligent as I should be with handwashing. BUT when it comes to the doctor's office..."sick" waiting room to be specific, I am terrified of germs!

We have a nice doctor's office, but it's a "sick" waiting room for crying out loud! Here is just an example of all the germs in that place that you are just probably unaware of...the last time I was waiting with all three of my kids, a woman across the room was holding a child (about 2 or 2 1/2 maybe) and the child threw up, mostly on the woman's lap, but it got on the chair arm and bottom. Do you know what that woman did? She took her child to the bathroom, cleaned her up and came back with some paper towels. She then wiped up the vomit from the chair and threw the paper towel away and sat back down (in a different chair, mind you). That was it! She didn't tell the receptionist, she didn't ask for some Clorox. She just sat back down. That patient was called and then another girl, possibly junior high came in the door with her mom. You guessed it. She went right to that chair and attempted to sit down. Until her mom called her to the window to ask her a question. I mean, her butt was in motion...her knees were bent. She would have sat in the vomit that was less than five minutes old. I almost puked right then watching that whole episode!

So... doctor's office waiting rooms can be yucky. Yesterday, while I was waiting in the "sick" waiting room, a mother came in with two little kids, probably 2 and about 10 months. A little girl and a little boy. They sat down and the little girl immediately went to one of the little kid chairs at the little kid table. (This is where I get freaky...Am I the only mother that won't let her kid near the little kid table and chairs at the doctor's office? I mean, not even the one in the "well" waiting room...they have to be a breeding ground for bacteria...I won't even let my children get down and walk...seriously, I make them sit in my lap and play with my purse that is in my lap...I try not to let them even touch the arm of the chair I am sitting in...But, it has gotten harder now that I have so many children...when I have to take all three, which I try really hard not to do, I tell Parker and Peyton to sit straight in a chair and not touch anything!...and for the most part, they do...I think they pick up on my paranoia...) Anyway, I forgot where I was. Oh yeah, the little girl sat in a little chair. The mom then sat the little boy down on the FLOOR!! The "sick" waiting room floor at the doctor's office!!! The little boy then proceeded to CRAWL all over the floor while the little girl joined in with him, CRAWLING, even though she could obviously walk. I was so totally disgusted. I realized one time that my face had a disgusted look on it, you know, nose wrinkled up and all that, and I had to remember to hid my disgust from the nice lady that was letting her children frolick in germs and bacteria while she read a magazine. And then, I had to laugh...the nice mom did show some concern for her children's well being when the cute little girl took a break from her crawling on the filthy floor and stopped to pick her nose...the mom quickly jumped up and said, "No, we don't pick our nose. Let me get you a tissue." Then she went to the bathroom, leaving her kids on the floor and got a square of toilet paper and handed it to her daughter, who then politely blew her nose in it. The mother seemed proud.

surprise!!!

2008-06-30T21:57:00.004-05:00

I am officially 30!

Back around Christmas, Scot and I started talking about my thirtieth birthday and we decided we would have a big party to celebrate. But, my birthday was rolling around and no plans were being made. I dropped hints, but I had decided that Scot was going to have to initiate this whole party thing because, by golly, I was NOT going to plan my own party.

We had our friends Patrick and Lauren over for dinner one night about a month ago and Lauren asked me something like when my party was or something and Scot and Patrick got all weird on me, so I sort of thought, "Oh, Scot's planning me a party." But then all these "birthday" things started happening....like...the Herman's Hermits concert...a trip out to eat with my parents and sister....a surprise trip to the beach with no kids (which would have been present enough for me...did I tell you how wonderful that trip was?)....and, I haven't mentioned this to you guys yet, but while we were at the beach, Scot hired someone to come clean our house for me so I wouldn't have to clean when we got back!...as a surprise!...so after all those wonderful birthday prizes, I had convinced myself that the thing that happened with Lauren was just my imagination. It was nothing.

Then...Sunday morning at church, my friend Jessica asked if we wanted to come over and cook out with them that night. We do that kind of thing a lot, so I thought nothing of it. Then that afternoon, Patrick started running a low grade fever and I tried to get Scot to stay home. He convinced me that Patrick was fine and we should go. Reluctantly, I said ok. (really I was just tired and lazy feeling and didn't want to have to socialize) Luckily I did not wear the t-shirt that I was in all afternoon (I thought really hard about wearing it...I didn't feel like changing and it was just Brian and Jessica I told myself...but in the end I talked myself into at least putting on a decent shirt...however, I did decide against the make-up...darn my laziness!)

I was totally surprised to find that Jessica's house was full of my friends!!

and a band...

Scot had a sweet (sweet might not be the appropriate word here...) surprise for me....he "wrote" me a poem (aka...read me lyrics from a song) and sang a song that he dedicated to me...not sure if I should be flattered or scared.

Thank you to my wonderful husband for not disappointing me. Thirty is hard enough by itself. It helped to have some happy memories to associate with it. And a special thank you to Jessica and all the girls that helped her get things together...I know it was a chore. And a thank you to my "North Mississippi" friends for enlightening my "South Mississippi" friends on the true Leigh Ann.

I leave you with a video of my semi-talented husband and a very nervous me...

aaahhhh.....

2008-06-28T18:39:00.002-05:00

we are just back from the beach...

yes, we were at the beach again, but this time without the kids. Scot and I went with our friends Patrick and Lauren for a couple of days, mostly just to get away, but unofficially to celebrate my birthday. I am now....30. I am old. Enough of that. We had such a relaxing trip and ate such good food. I really didn't want to come home. I missed my boys, though, so we decided to come home as planned.

In other news...we won! The boys and I won the Funny Food Contest at The Crafty Crow. Thank you to all who voted. I really appreciate your time. I especially want to give a special shout out to my campaign manager who actually won the contest for me! Thanks, Papaw! I will definitely show you what we make with our prize craft goodies.

I need your help....

2008-06-24T13:46:00.005-05:00

please vote for me!!

I don't usually like to toot my own horn, but...well, it's not my horn, it's Parker and Peyton's...so I guess it's ok this time. In case you didn't know, the boys and I entered a funny food contest at The Crafty Crow and we made a super cute Eggplant Car. (You can read about it here.)There were five categories and we entered the vegetables category. Judges picked their top five from each category and now we (the public) get to vote to see who wins. Our Eggplant Car made it into the top five and we need everyone we know to vote us to the top!! If we win, we will get a tote bag stuffed full of craft supplies, a handmade ribbon, a special button to put on our blog and of course a feature on The Crafty Crow! We really want to win!!

So please go to The Crafty Crow poll and VOTE!! You can only vote once from your computer, so vote at the office too! (I normally would say I'm just kidding, but I'm not! I'm feeling a little competitive today!! What's up with that?) You have until midnight Thursday, June 26th.

Thank you!

we are so blessed...

2008-06-22T19:29:00.004-05:00

It sounds sort of cliche, but it is so true. We in America are some of the most blessed people in the world. We watched a video in Sunday School today called "Rich". (It is made by Nooma, which has a super video series that you should check out...maybe with your small group or something. I highly recommend.) The whole point of the video was to be thankful for what you have because, frankly, you have way more than most people in the world. And not only to be thankful, but to focus your life on giving of your resources and your time, instead of focusing on what you have or don't have. Here's a fun fact (or scary fact, however you want to view it)...How many people do you know personally that do not have a car? My guess would be, not many. Did you know that only 8% of the people in the world have a car? Not a nice car...just a car...period. Wow. How convicting.

And to add to my conviction, the sermon that my sweet husband preached today was on envy which seems to go hand in hand with greed. I spend way too much time thinking about what other people have and not nearly enough time being thankful for the things that I do have. I was folding clothes yesterday and I walked into the living room and said to Scot, "Do you even remember the last time that we bought clothes for the boys?" We both had to think for a long time... We bought Parker and Peyton a t-shirt at the beach and I believe I bought all the boys a t-shirt each at Target when the weather warmed up, maybe late March? That's all we could remember. We have been so blessed with hand-me-downs that we haven't had to (and won't have to) buy clothes for our boys for at least another year. (I have two bags full of winter clothes that Parker can't fit into yet in the closet.) That, my friends, is a huge blessing when you have three little boys!

So I challenge you today to think about the things that you have that you probably take for granted...cell phone, internet, running water...and think about ways that you can give to other people...take supper to a frazzled friend, clean out your playroom and donate to Christian Services, support a group going on a mission trip. And I'll be doing to same.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

my redeemer lives...

2008-06-20T12:09:00.004-05:00

Someone sent me this video today. I have seen it before, but I just really boo-hooed watching it today. It is such a wonderful example of the way God carries us through life. We may think we are running this race, but He is the one who is doing all the work...pushing us along and carrying us through. Get your tissues...you're probably going to need them...

Just a little background on the video:
A son asked his father, "Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?" The father who, despite having a heart condition, said, "Yes". They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, "Dad, let's join the Ironman together," to which, his father said "Yes." For those who didn't know, the Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together.

contest...

2008-06-20T07:12:00.000-05:00

Have any of you seen this contest at The Crafty Crow? What fun to play with your food! The boys and I submitted our entry into the vegetables category. There are five different categories and you have until Sunday to enter. A judge will pick the top five in each category, then we (the public) will get a chance to vote for the best for a couple of days. If you haven't entered, you should. It would be a great summer activity to do with your kids.

Here's our entry:

what in the world??

2008-06-18T08:32:00.003-05:00

I really wish someone would explain this to me?

How can anybody sleep this way?

This is Peyton and this is not unusual. Actually, Parker does it, too. Almost every night we have to go in and clean out their beds. Junk...pure junk is in there. The stuffed animals I'm ok with. The books I understand, because they look at them to fall asleep. It's the tractor, the ambulance, the little people I have a problem with. I was watching Jon & Kate plus 8 one day, and I heard them say that they tend to have this problem with their little kids too but they think it is because they really don't have any toys of their own...everything is shared...and they hoard things in their bed because that is the only spot in the house that they can say is only theirs. I guess I could stretch and say that could be the case with us, but I don't think so. Parker and Peyton definitely have their own things. They know exactly what is theirs and what is the others and they are very adamant about "you can't play with that...that's mine" (which is sad, I know...we have a sharing problem at our house!).

So, can anyone shed some light on this situation for me?

special summer fun...

2008-06-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

Our movie theater is having a program for kids this summer called "Summer Kids Flicks". We missed the first two because of Bible school and vacation, but we went today. Parker was beside himself, he was so excited. Peyton was a little apprehensive...he said he might be scared (I think he just wasn't sure what to expect). And Patrick was at Mother's Day Out.

We got to see Ice Age, which I had not really even heard anything about but knew it had to be appropriate to be shown for kids. It was pretty cute, but it was a little scary at times...mean tigers fighting and such. The boys had a blast and can't wait for next week. Me either...it's Charlotte's Web!

huge surprise...

2008-06-16T19:58:00.002-05:00

Well, you could knock me down with a feather.

Peyton is potty training.

This has come as a huge surprise to me and Scot. We have sort of been talking about it, but just randomly and saying things like "Not until you turn three" and "when you get bigger" but last night I was changing his diaper and I said "Do you want to go sit on the potty?" and he said "Yeah! I want to sit on the potty." Well, ok. We went, he sat, did nothing and got up. A little while later, he said "I need to go poo-poo." And he did! I mean, he just sat down and did it! And then consistently did it all day today. Even another poo-poo. Wow.

So some of you are probably thinking, "What's the big deal? Isn't that normal?" Maybe it is normal, but Parker was anything but normal. So we have a sour taste in our mouths about potty training. But maybe this time around will be better. Who knows. I'm just super proud that we are on our way to having one less booty to diaper. Won't it be nice to just have one in diapers? We haven't had that in three years.

beach pictures...

2008-06-16T09:41:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally got the pictures from the beach up. The battery in our camera died so I couldn't get the pictures off of it until I got a new battery.

We had such a great time. It was nice to get away and enjoy each other in a different, more relaxed setting. We were really slack with our normal rules because we were "on vacation" which generally makes everyone a little happier. The boys got to stay up later at night and even skip a nap here and there. Peyton even had ice cream for lunch one day.

The beach was a big hit with our boys. You really had to pull Parker away from it. Usually the promise of going to the swimming pool was the only thing that would get him to leave. Peyton and Patrick were really just content to sit and play in the sand, although Peyton did enjoy an occasional dip in the ocean.

Our first afternoon there, we went to ride go karts where they also had games and other little rides. Parker and Peyton loved it so much that we went back the next day. And they wanted to go the next, but we had to put our foot down. Seriously...

This is Parker being excited that he is big enough to ride the go karts.

I have some other good pictures I want to show you that Scot's dad took, but I can't get them to download for some reason. Maybe I can get them to work later.

happy father's day....

2008-06-15T23:15:00.001-05:00

to all of our special fathers!

The boys and I surprised Scot with a Father's Day gift when he got home from church today. Parker and Peyton decorated the wrapping and were so proud of their "portraits" of daddy. They were also proud that they thought to put glasses on their portraits....something they had not thought of before....it's the little things that make them happy.

And Scot loved his present. A Wii. He played it for four hours straight this afternoon! He is completely worn out. And Parker and Peyton both loved playing it too. They were actually pretty good at it, which was a surprise to me.

an early birthday present...

2008-06-14T10:16:00.008-05:00

Some of you may know that I have a birthday coming up. A big one. A dreaded one. The big 3-0. I know...I'm getting old. But I'm working through it.

My sweet, sweet husband bought me an early birthday present. We left the beach a day early (alone...) and drove to Biloxi to the Hard Rock Live/Casino. Tickets to the Herman's Hermits concert!! I am guessing that this present would not be exciting to most of you, seeing as the band is from the sixties, but I love, love, love Herman's Hermits! When I was in high school, I had an obsession with "oldies" and that is just about all I listened to. (Dork, I tell you, dork....my friends made fun of me...I was such a nerd.) Herman's Hermits was one of my favorite groups.

And this concert did NOT disappoint. Herman (aka Peter Noone) is so super cute and very, very funny. He is still (at 62) very in shape...he was dancing, running, kicking all over that stage. I'm not even sure I could do all the stuff that he did. And he sang all of the good songs. You know, sometimes at concerts the artists will play a bunch of stuff that you've never heard before...that really annoys me. I like to hear the stuff that I know. And Peter did that.

The only weird thing about the night...well, not really weird, just funny...we were, by far, the youngest people at the concert! Everyone was in their fifties and sixties! But we kind of expected that. There was this group of couples behind us that had driven together (we think from kind of far away) and they were all giddy and excited and just pretty cute about the whole thing. We got a kick out of them.

Peter Noone is still just as cute as he was back when. And he still has that floppy hair.

So...what a fun birthday present. Thank you, Scot!

on vacation...

2008-06-12T20:19:00.003-05:00

I am sitting on a balcony listening to the waves right now. It is so relaxing and peaceful.

If only the whole vacation were that way! Wow...three kids on vacation is a major handful...even with four adults. We are having fun and the boys are having a blast, but boy am I tired! We got here Tuesday afternoon. All three of the boys are loving the beach and really loving the swimming pool. (I'll have some super cute photos when we get home.) Parker got stung by a jellyfish yesterday, but it hasn't slowed him down at all. I woke up this morning with a horrible cold, so I haven't been the happiest camper. All the boys are sleeping in the same room, so last night was not the best sleep I've ever gotten. And there is sand EVERYWHERE. But it is all worth it to see the joy on my kids' faces. They are having so much fun and I know that they will appreciate these vacations later on in life.

Z is for...

2008-06-09T19:18:00.000-05:00

Big Z...little z....

What begins with Z?

A Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, as you can plainly see.

Y is for...

2008-06-07T21:04:00.000-05:00

YEA for relaxation...boo for chit-chat

I got a massage today!! Thank you to my wonderful boys (especially my biggest boy, Scot) for the most perfect Mother's Day present....a massage gift certificate. I strategically saved it for after Bible School because I knew I would need it. And I did. The guy doing it said my neck was really knotted up this time (his words, not mine...). But this time was not as relaxing as it has been in the past. I think my guy is getting too comfortable with me or something. My favorite thing about him was that he was so quiet and serene and he would whisper to me when it was time to turn over. But today he was wanting to chat. That kind of bothered me. But I shouldn't complain. I feel amazing tonight!

X is for...

2008-06-02T22:17:00.000-05:00

eXciting afternoon...

I am having a hard time being creative tonight...that's the best X I can come up with....sorry to disappoint.

We had a wonderful day today. This morning was the first day of Vacation Bible School and Parker is finally old enough to go!! He was very excited and had a blast. He said he loved his music teacher best. (that was me...go figure)

Then this afternoon, our friends Patrick and Lauren took us out on their ski boat. Parker and Peyton have been waiting for this day for a long time. And boy, were they excited! We really didn't want to take our little Patrick because we didn't have a life-jacket for him and, honestly, didn't want to have to keep up with him. But...no baby sitter, so we took him. (And, we borrowed a life jacket from a friend...don't fret...we were safe) We are so glad now that we took him with us because he had such a good time. He was not a pain and really, really enjoyed being in the water. The life jacket was an adjustment for him, though.

So, here are the pictures. Sorry there are so many. I am not very good at paring down. They all seemed to be good ones!

Patrick not wanting to wear the life jacket. We're not sure if it's because it was uncomfortable or because it was a girl's jacket!

Parker, so excited to get on the boat!

Patrick is still not sure about this boat situation...

Scot and Peyton playing in the water. Peyton was not scared. I'm not sure why he has that face in this picture.

Patrick was so loving the water. He really didn't want to get out. And once we did get out, he kept trying to get back in...kind of scary!

Peyton's taking a snack break.

Big Patrick and Peyton playing in the water. Peyton was a little top-heavy with the life jacket on, so he kept tipping over head first.

Me and Peyton on the tube. Peyton was brave and wanted to go first.

Me and Parker on the tube. I think he could have done this by himself. He held on the whole time and would even lean side to side when the boat turned. And, boy, was he proud of himself for riding. He was very reluctant to even get on, but I guess Peyton doing it showed him he could do it too.

Parker and Peyton playing on the tube.

Patrick having a snack with Lauren.

What a wonderful afternoon!

Thanks, Patrick and Lauren!!

W is for...

2008-05-31T10:16:00.003-05:00

What I can't live without...

I've been thinking a lot about all the modern conviences we have these days that I didn't have when I was little. Like the internet, cell phones, tvs in the car, Tivo, etc... It really makes me feel old. I used to hear my parents talk about when they were young and "had to wash dishes by hand because we didn't have dishwasher" or some other sad story, and I thought, man, they are old. Now here I am....

Scot and I joke about how our kids will never know what it's like to have to wait for your favorite tv show to come on. All they have to do is press a button on the Tivo. And forget waiting until the commercial to go to the bathroom...Parker now says, "Pause it. I've got to go to the bathroom!" That must be the life.

I also distinctively remember wishing on the seemingly endless car rides to my grandparents' house that we could just put a tv in our car. Now (I hate to admit this) my boys get to watch a movie in the van on a trip across town.

And the internet. I don't think anyone wished for this as child, but how wonderful is it? My mom and I were talking about how now encyclopedias and periodicals are just about extinct. We don't need them anymore. We have the internet. I sure love it. I am a little worried about it when my kids get older....there's a lot of crazy scary stuff out there in cyberspace.

And don't even get me started on cell phones....I do love my phone. The only time I am able to talk to anyone on the phone is in my car (probably because the kids are watching a movie! I am so bad!!) so this would not be possible without the cell phone. But the kids with cell phones....not so much a fan. I'm not passing judgement on the parents whose kids have phones, but I really don't think our kids will need one until they start driving. (OK, now that I've said this, I will probably have to eat these words one day....I also said I would never put coke in a sippy cup....)

OK, the whole point of this post was to list five things that I cannot live without. I am going to skip the obvious ones like cell phones, tv, etc. Here goes...

1. Hair Straightener

I have horribly curly/frizzy hair. It is such a thorn in my side. I have fought this hair all my life. My sweet mother used to straighten my hair with a blow dryer every morning before school when I was late elementary/early junior high. (It is quite a task to blow dry hair straight, if you've never done it. This was a big sacrifice for her. Thanks, Mama!) Then I started doing it myself, but took much abuse from my friends because of my hair drying technique. It is too complicated to explain but it involved a huge round brush and a handbell glove. (I am so red right now...I can't believe I just told so many people that!) Then in college I attempted to "straighten" with a curling iron. Not always the best tool for the job, but it worked okay. But right after college I discovered....the CHI.

What a gift from God. Seriously. I have never been so comfortable with my hair as I am now that I have my CHI. My first one died about two years after I got it, then my second (which was a hand-me-down) died last year right before Christmas. (I guess I'm pretty hard on them. I don't know.) So for Christmas, Scot got me a Rusk. I had never heard of it, but my hairdresser recommended it. I love it. I works just as well as the CHI. This is something I do not want to live without.

2. Diet Coke

I admit it. I'm addicted to Diet Coke. But I don't even care. I love it. It keeps me going and it doesn't make me fat. Until they come out with a definitive study that proves it can make you sick, I'm going to keep drinking it.

3. Chap Stick

I am also addicted to chapstick. But not just any old chapstick. Only the

black Chapstick brand will do. I use it at least fifty times a day. I have a tube in my purse, in my car, by my bed, in my shop, basically everywhere. I recently went on a retreat and I forgot my chapstick!! It was horrible. I realized before we even got out of town that I didn't have it, but Scot wouldn't go back "just for some chapstick." He just doesn't understand. I did get some while I was there, but it was the blue kind....not the same.

4. Junk Food

As much as I try to eat right, I cannot stop eating junk. I love it so much. Really. I love chips. I love candy bars. I love Little Debbies. I cannot stop eating junk. That's all I can say.

5. Some Sort of Craft Project

OK, I know this one is very broad, but I can't narrow it down to one thing. I always have to have a project going on, whether it's sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting, building something, whatever. I just have to have something going.

Now, you tell me what five things you can't live without. I'm very curious to know.

V is for...

2008-05-28T21:31:00.001-05:00

Videos, or lack thereof....

I wish I had some super cute videos of my kids to post on the letter V. But I don't. If you remember, we purchased a neat video camera a couple of months ago (catch up here, if you need to). But it only worked for about three days. We had to return it. And they didn't have anymore to exchange it with (hence the low, low price). So no new videos I have to post.

But I will direct you to a super funny news story that I came across today on Fox News (national news, I might add). It caught my interest initially because it was from Horn Lake, MS, a town just down the road from where I grew up. It turned out to be a story that made me laugh so hard I almost wet my pants. The father of this kid is just funny...some of the things he said...oh my. I do think he is a good father though. Not sure if I would make my kid stand on the side of the street, but I like the idea of him having to mow the yards of everyone in the neighborhood.

U is for...

2008-05-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

Urge to Garden

I have to tell you....I am not a yard person. I really don't even like to be outside. I don't like to be hot and I especially don't like to sweat. (And those who have been around me even for the shortest amount of time know that it doesn't take much to make me sweat!) I am one of those weird people who really kind of dreads going to the beach. It just isn't my idea of fun to sit out in the sun. (I will say though that I do love watching my kids at the beach, so the beach is growing on me....and I dread the ball fields too....maybe they'll start to grow on me eventually).

Anyway, although I'm not an outside kind of person, I have really gotten an itch to work in my yard. After three years of being in this house, I am ready to have a pretty yard. I have a lot to learn (I still need a lot of help, Mama) and I've got a long way to go to get my yard looking the way I want it to, but I think this is my year. I think I'm going to get some things done this year. Really.

The emptyness behind my bedroom windows. I want something pretty here.

The new flower bed my parents helped me with in front of my shop. So far, the flowers are not dead and are actually getting bigger. (fingers crossed) I hope to extend it around the side. We'll see....you know how I am about projects!

The two plants my mom pulled from her yard and so lovingly packaged for me. I hope I don't kill these like I did the ones she gave me last year.

The lantana that I planted two years ago. You just can't kill that stuff! I want to put a tree of some sort behind it on the corner of the house. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm kinda out on crepe myrtles.

I love this Japanese maple (?) but hate the sparse grass. I want something colorful here. Daylilies maybe?

This is something leftover from the previous owners. I don't like it. It's very random, but not sure what I want to put here.

So there is my summer project wish list. It will never happen, I know. 1. because I don't have the time 2. because we don't have the money (plants are expensive!) and 3. because I will definitely lose interest, I'm sure!

T is for...

2008-05-27T10:21:00.004-05:00

Trip to the Zoo

(Just a note: I wrote this last night but never got to post it because our internet went out. Scot stayed on the phone with various tech support people, mostly from foreign lands, for FIVE hours last night. Thank you so much to my wonderful husband for getting it fixed for me! I know it was exhausting.)

We took the boys to the zoo today. We went right when they opened trying to beat the heat and the crowds. The Hattiesburg Zoo is pretty small and kind of sad, but it really is a good thing for us...we don't have to stay very long. We were in and out in an hour and 15 minutes!

Parker and Patrick looking at the goldfish. Peyton was a scaredy cat this trip. He just wanted to stay in the stroller most of the time.

Patrick looking like a BIG boy!

Parker posing in front of the zebras.

This tiger was a little too close for comfort (at least I thought so!).

Peyton thought so too. This was his reaction to almost every animal we saw. Terror.

Parker looking at the jaguar.

Patrick, not looking at the jaguar, just loving standing on the rock.

The first time Peyton got out of the stroller....to look at the groundhogs, or as he called them...the chipmunks. He is still keeping his distance, though!

Peyton says the one standing up is Alvin.

Waiting on the train to come...the highlight of the zoo trip. (The last two times we've been to the zoo the train has been "broken" whatever that means. Thank goodness it was running this time!)

Patrick patiently awaiting the train.

Here it comes!!

Parker and Daddy...such a good picture!

I took four of these pictures and could never get Patrick's face in the shot. I think I'm losing my touch, chickens!

So enthralled by the ride....

S is for...

2008-05-23T18:45:00.002-05:00

Summer fun, Sickness (again), and Super-exceptional artistic ability...

To start off, I wanted to show you some pictures of my boys having such a fun time playing in the water sprinkler. They love, love, love the water and can't wait to go swimming this summer. Parker asks everyday if it's time to go swimming yet. I keep putting him off because I just don't know if I can handle three little boys in a swimming pool....I'm delaying as long as I can. For now, the sprinkler is just as much fun.

The ball-popper sprinkler that Mamaw and Papaw bought for them last weekend.

Soaking wet Patrick. He seemed to have the most fun in the water.

The boys making a "choo-choo train."

OK, next on my list.

Scot had the stomach virus yesterday. Yes, we thought we had escaped it. Apparently not. Peyton and Patrick had it last week (Monday and Wednesday, respectively), but I don't think he caught it from them. It's been too long in between. Weird. Also, my mom had it yesterday, too. She called me around 12:00 to say that she was sick and Scot came home from work around 2:30 saying he felt sick. But they haven't really been around each other. I don't know. (For some reason I always want to know why people are sick, but I guess no one really knows.) I, however, have not gotten sick yet. I am praying so hard that I do not get it. I praise God for keeping me well this long and especially while my mom and Scot were sick...that would have been bad...all the adults sick and three little kids who are out of school and at home all day with no where to go. Bad. Thank you, Lord, for keeping me well. Scot is still puny, but is feeling a lot better. Maybe he will feel like going to the zoo tomorrow (we had planned to go today, but he was too sick...thank goodness we didn't tell the boys of our plans!).

And on to my last topic.

I think I have a gifted artist on my hands!

Okay, I am probably, for sure exaggerating. But see for yourself and you tell me what you think...
These are get well cards Parker and Peyton made for my mom and Scot. Parker colored one and Peyton colored the other. But you might be surprised to know that Peyton drew the man and the sun (up at the top...it's hard to see) on Gigi's and Parker drew all those scribbles on Scot's. I was so totally amazed. And, even more amazing, Peyton said the man is "Daddy with sticking up hair and he is sad." That's true...the man does look sad! Peyton loves to color, but he usually does it at school (I'm a bad mama for not letting them do it more at home...I don't have the energy for the mess it makes...terrible for an art major, I know) so I don't get to see his doodles. Parker, on the other hand, does not like to color. He will sit down and start something, but his attention span for it is very, very short. He got a sort of report card at the end of three year old preschool (they call it a skills sheet) and the only two things he did not get a "mastered" on were "initiates play in a group" (his teacher wrote that he is just shy) and "holds crayon with fingers not fist." He still holds it like Patrick does. He did have a "mastered" by the "draws stick man showing facial features and legs and arms (no body)". This was a surprise to me because I had never seen him do it (and he still won't do it for me) but I saw proof sent home by his teacher. He drew one for her.

So all this said, I am not too worried about Parker...he has been slow with a lot of his developmental milestones, but I think I am a little excited that Peyton may have some artistic ability! I can at least hope, right?

R is for...

2008-05-22T09:54:00.003-05:00

Rock On, David Cook!!

In case you missed it, David Cook is our new American Idol!

I could not be more excited. He is so awesome and was Scot's pick all along. I actually liked Carly Smithson, but when she left, I switched to DC. Although David Archuletta does have an amazing voice, David Cook is just a better performer.

Yay!

Q is for...

2008-05-21T13:25:00.001-05:00

Quiet Afternoons

I have come to love my peaceful afternoons. My boys are all very good nappers and I have, from the start, tried to coordinate their naps to all fall at the same time so that I can have some uninterrupted queit time. (Although Parker is getting to the point where he doesn't nap every day, he still has to sit quietly and watch tv for a couple of hours...rest time.)

In the past, I used my quiet afternoons to catch up on housework or take a nap myself (especially when I was pregnant or had a baby that wasn't sleeping through the night yet) or I would sit and watch tv. But lately, I have just been enjoying the quietness. We don't get much silence at this house. And I have come to love to just sit and enjoy the silence. For Lent this year, I gave up watching tv during the day. I think that is one of the best things I have ever done. I had gotten used to turning the tv on first thing in the morning and having it on all day long, whether I was watching it or not. It was noise. And I realize now that that noise was cluttering up my thought life. Instead of focusing on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable," I was concentrating on all of the rubbish that was running around in my head that I had not really invited in there. I now relish the idea of sitting on the couch and being silent...using my time to talk to God and listen to what He has for me that day. To rejuvenate my soul.

I know I won't have these quiet afternoons for much longer. My kids are growing up way too fast. But for now I will rest in these very special times.

P is for...

2008-05-15T07:00:00.005-05:00

Project-Starter, but not Project-Finisher

Hello, my name is Leigh Ann, and I like to start projects and leave them unfinished.

This truly has been a life-long problem for me. My parents can attest to this undesirable trait, as can my mostly-understanding husband. I consider myself a creative person. I have tons of ideas that pop into my head all the time. I mean, like, sometimes once an hour. This should be considered a blessing, but most of the time it's a curse. I fixate on the project that I'm most excited about, thinking about all the materials I will need to start, how I should go about making it (where to start, what to do next, what if I change this, how will the project be altered?). Then, now that I'm a little wiser, I usually talk myself into moving on...I don't have time to start another project, or that one is just too expensive right now...maybe later. But... sometimes I do start the project. And I am so gung-ho at the beginning. On fire for this project!

But then something happens.

I either get distracted by another project that has just popped into my head or the current project is taking so long that I lose interest in it or blah blah blah...there's always an excuse! I did this to my parents a lot growing up (OK, more times than I wish to remember...God love them for putting up with me...thanks, guys, for fostering my creativity). One project I remember starting as a child....not sure how old I was exactly...probably still in junior high...but my parents mentioned that they needed to get our storage building out back repainted. I, being the helpful child that I was, said I would love to paint the building for them. I don't know why, but they let me. I started so excitedly (that a word?) but, guess what? I fizzled out. I left that building with freshly painted trim (and brushstrokes that overlapped onto the actual siding) but did not ever get to the siding part. I never remember my parents saying anything to me. It stayed that way for a few months, until my sweet Daddy finally got out there and finished it up for me. I still feel guilty for that to this day! Mama and Daddy, will you forgive me?

Anyway, I have tried and tried to overcome this flaw in my nature. I really want to be a "project-finisher". Believe it or not, I have finished a lot of projects in my time and the satisfaction of being done is so rewarding. And getting to see what I have created is great, too. But I have a lot of unfinished projects still laying around my house right now. (In my head, I think of spending a week or two and going back to all my stuck-in-the-middle-stages-projects and FINISHING them....but, in all honesty....it will never happen)

Here are just a few of my unfinished projects:

The sock monkeys that I was making for the boys. Parker and Peyton picked out the socks at the store. Good thing they haven't asked where their monkeys are.

The super cute apron that I started for myself.

The "Five Little Monkeys" quilt that I intended for Peyton. (He is just like those monkeys jumping on the bed and bumping their heads!)

The Advent Calendar that I started this past Christmas. I have plans to finish it by next Christmas. ha!

The braided rug that I was super excited about...at one point in time.

The blanket I was crocheting for no reason in particular. I just wanted to learn to crochet.

The five scrapbooks that have been started, but not a one that has been finished. Three of them lack only one or two pages each. Am I pathetic or what??

There are many more projects that I am just too ashamed to show you. And a lot of projects that have just been trashed because they would have never seen the other side of finished anyway. I hope you enjoyed seeing the ugly side of me today...I don't like to show it off very often. Maybe I'm not the only one of my kind, though. Is there anyone else like me out there? I would love to hear from you.

O is for...

2008-05-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

Oh, great...here we go again.

Now Patrick has the stomach virus. I should have known....it always makes it's way through the family. But not last time. I guess I was fooled into thinking it wouldn't happen again this time. No such luck.

Patrick was at home with our super, wonderful, will never find another like her, babysitter, Lisa, when he threw up the first time. She was so great! She even cleaned it up for me. (She knows about me, but I think she is sort of like me, so I really, really appreciate her doing it!)

Well, I may be bellyaching for nothing, because Patrick is sleeping now and it has been two hours since he threw up. Maybe he won't have it very bad. We'll see.

I am so ready for school to be out and for summer to be here so we can leave all the sicknesses behind!

N is for...

2008-05-13T12:55:00.005-05:00

Not Again....

Peyton has the stomach virus...again! It seems like he has it all the time!! And really, he just had it two weeks ago. We got a nice wake-up call last night at 3:00 am, but luckily my wonderful husband took care of the whole vomit situation. He knows I do not handle vomit very well. In case you didn't know, I have vomitphobia. (Ok, I don't know if it is really a recognized phobia or not, but I have officially named my affliction.) I have been this way all my life. Anytime someone throws up (or sounds like they are going to throw up or makes that gagging face or even coughs too deep), I run. Literally. I have been known to jump up from a chair in a restaurant and run. It sounds silly, I know, but it is involuntary. I can not help myself. My heart starts racing and I immediately feel nauseous. And, an interesting fact about me...I have not thrown up since I was 7 years old. I dry-heaved one time when I was pregnant with Parker, but I don't count that because nothing came up. (Too much information?? sorry!)

So, back to Peyton. He is better today. Ready to play, to run, to eat. You gotta love children...they just bounce right back!

Note: I just found my phobia on the Phobia List. Emetophobia. That's what I have. It's official.

M is for...

2008-05-09T07:54:00.002-05:00

More Cake!!

We finally celebrated Scot's birthday yesterday. (Sorry, Scot, it was two days late...we just had a lot going on!) The boys really wanted to get him a Bob the Builder cake, but Walmart has discountinued them (the picture was still in their book, though, which is why the boys wanted to get it....why can't people do right??) So I opted for the homemade cake instead. They really are much better than store-bought, but I didn't think I would have time to make it. But...I made time...and the boys helped. They finally settled on soccer balls for decorations because, in the words of Parker, "Daddy very loves soccer".

I don't usually let Patrick feed himself when eating something as messy as chocolate cake, but I was in a hurry last night (trying to get out the door to go to Bunco!) so here is the result....

and Peyton usually makes a mess too...

and Parker is getting better....

but, at 42, what am I going to do with this guy???

L is for...

2008-05-06T14:16:00.000-05:00

Leaving the Lott House...for good

As many of you may know, my parents are moving. Thankfully, they are moving close to me and my family!! yea! But, so sad, the house that I grew up in has a "for sale" sign in the front yard. I really thought I was ok with this whole situation. After all, I have not lived at home in years. I have my own family now and my roots are starting to get deep in Hattiesburg. So, I surprised myself with my emotional reaction when the time actually came. I'm not ready to lose my house! My family moved to this house when I was three years old. My sister was brought home from the hospital to this house. There are a lot of memories here. (I am actually in the house right now. I'm in town for my dad's retirement reception Wednesday, which is another bittersweet emotion.)

Here are just a few of the memories I have of this house:

We lived on a dead-end street so I spent many long, hot summer days riding my bike up and down the street. (I was not allowed to get off the street, so it was a LOT of riding up and down the street!)

I have a mental picture stamped in my mind of my mother cooking in our kitchen. She could flow through that kitchen in one uninterrupted swoop, stirring this, chopping that and washing the dishes as she went.

I can walk through the entire house in the pitch black and not run into anything (which is a major feat for me, considering my klutzy-ness). I know where everything is...every light switch, every outlet, everything.

The basketball goal in our driveway that my dad put up (twice) for us.

The medicine cabinet in our bathroom that still has a toothbrush holder in it from when I was five, maybe!

The "sock fights" we used to have in the hallway.

The playhouse in our backyard that we wanted so bad to spend the night in, but were too scared to actually go through with. So my mom stayed the rest of the night with us, sleeping on a fold out lawn chair.

Helping my dad build a deck on the side of our house and thinking it would never be finished!

The closet in my bedroom that has mine and my sister's heights written on the door frames. It starts from when I was three until I was 17. Apparently that was when I stopped growing because I am still that height today. (I still think we should rip those door frames out and take em with us!)

My first kiss was in our driveway.

Having all my friends over to watch movies and piling up in our living room with snacks and people everywhere.

Decorating the house for Christmas.

The way the floor creaks when you walk. Something that I didn't notice until I was a teenager trying to sneak around the house late at night. And now, trying to stay quiet when little boys are sleeping!

And there are so, so many more memories in this house. But you know what? The number one thing I think of when I think of "my house" is my family. And I get to keep them!! They are going to be with me (well, 2/3 of them anyway...we're still working on getting LB to Hattiesburg). So, even though I am literally crying right now writing this, I know all good things must come to an end. There will be many more memories to be made in another house. And so, I say goodbye to Lafayette Street and all of the wonderful times. I pray that my children will someday have a house that they can look back on and say it was truly a home to them.

K is for...

2008-05-02T15:06:00.004-05:00

Kiss your Kids!

I mean it. Go do it right now if you can.

I have been enthralled by this girl's blog for a couple of weeks now. I have no connection to her...I just stumbled across her blog on someone else's. Anyway, she is a super wise Christian woman who just lost a baby at the beginning of the month. Her story is so worth reading if you have time. She is a wonderful writer and such an inspiring person. I am posting a link to a pastor in Nashville's blog. He did a video on Angie and her husband Todd about their recent struggle. I promise after you watch it, you will RUN to your kids and hold them for as long as they will let you. It is 22 minutes long, so just be prepared. (and have some Kleenex handy, too!)

http://withoutwax.tv/ (scroll down his blog...the post is titled "Rocked to My Core" The Smith Family Video)

J is for...

2008-05-01T14:08:00.001-05:00

Junk

Why do we have so much junk?? Where does it come from? It seems like we have a yard sale at least every other year, if not every year, where we get rid of all our junk. Then, we turn around and there it is again...invading our house from every possible direction. I hate it! I hate feeling cluttered. I hate feeling wasteful. And I especially hate cleaning it out!

OK, I sound very harsh about my junk. (As I tell my kids, we shouldn't "hate" anything...sorry for the overdramatization.) I have a pile of junk in my garage that needs to go to Christian Services. I have a pile of clothes (really, junk) in my closet that needs to go to the pile of junk in the garage that is going to Christian Services. And my kids desperately need to weed through their toys (mostly junk) and pull out some to donate to less fortunate kids.

Why can't I get it done? I don't know. I am busy, but I know my life would be much calmer if all this junk were out of my way. My mother and I just had a conversation about this yesterday. She heard that people who live in cluttered homes are more likely to be overweight. Maybe that could be a motivator for me!

OK, real reason I wrote about junk:

I was going through some old pictures the other day and I found a few from college. In Cleveland, there was a man (whose name I won't mention, but boy is it a good one...ask me sometime and I'll tell you....it really is a good one) that carried junk around in his car. A super compact car that was a hundred years old. Junk was stuffed in there from floor to ceiling, front to back. There was one little hole burrowed out for him to sit and drive. The trunk wouldn't even close it was so full of junk. My friends and I were fascinated by this guy. He had no job. He just traveled around town all day, digging through dumpsters and picking stuff up off the side of the road. I have no idea what he did with the junk. Still a big mystery.

We got brave one day and rode out to his house (which was a trailer in the middle of the woods...we probably could have gotten in trouble for trespassing....or gotten shot....and we probably could have gotten in trouble for stalking, too, because we pretty much stalked the guy...so bad, we were). Anyway, we rode out to his house and put a bumper sticker on his back window that said "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful". We were sure it would be gone the next time we saw him, but it wasn't. That thing stayed on his car for the rest of my time at Delta State. We even started something....he randomly had new bumper stickers appear all over his car. And, we are now legends (OK, not really, but let me have my moment of glory in my head). My sister, who still lives in Cleveland, was talking to our old BSU director and he told her the story of the bumper sticker. She had to call me to see if it was true. She didn't believe him! She didn't think we were cool enough for that stunt!

Well, here's the picture of his car. We took this picture after we built a snowman on the top/in front of his car. Yes, that snowman had a pom-pom for hair. We were dorks. Those were the days....

PS...another fun fact about the guy...my sister saw him running down the street the other day in a full three-piece suit carrying a a stationary bike....such a strange, strange fellow...

I is for...

2008-04-30T12:51:00.005-05:00

Interesting Facts about Color

I love color and am fascinated by the way it can affect our moods. Below I am going to list a few colors and how you may be affected by them or how they may be pegging you without you even knowing it. Also, just some fun facts about color choices. Enjoy!

Black
Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil.

White
Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.

Red
The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.

Pink
The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

Blue
The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.

Green
Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth.

Yellow
Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.

Brown
Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

Food for Thought
While blue is one of the most popular colors it is one of the least appetizing. Blue food is rare in nature. Food researchers say that when humans searched for food, they learned to avoid toxic or spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple. When food dyed blue is served to study subjects, they lose appetite. Green, brown, and red are the most popular food colors. Red is often used in restaurant decorating schemes because it is an appetite stimulant.

What Your Car Color Says About You
Based on the DuPont Automotive rankings of most popular automotive colors in North America, here’s what Color Answer Book author Leatrice Eiseman says vehicles are revealing about their owners’ personalities:

Silver: Elegant, loves futuristic looks, cool
White: Fastidious
Vibrant Red: Sexy, speedy, high-energy and dynamic
Light to Mid-Blue: Cool, calm, faithful, quiet
Dark Blue: Credible, confident, dependable
Taupe/Light Brown: Timeless, basic and simple tastes
Black: Empowered, not easily manipulated, loves elegance, appreciates classics
Neutral Gray: Sober, corporate, practical, pragmatic
Dark Green: Traditional, trustworthy, well-balanced
Bright Yellow-Green: Trendy, whimsical, lively
Yellow Gold: Intelligent, warm, loves comfort and will pay for it
Sunshine Yellow: Sunny disposition, joyful and young at heart
Deep Brown: Down-to-earth, no-nonsense
Orange: Fun loving, talkative, fickle and trendy
Deep Purple: Creative, individualistic, original

H is for...

2008-04-26T12:54:00.001-05:00

Honkin' Orange T-Shirts!

These are the shirts that Scot got me for our anniversary present. Ridiculous, huh? But I'm not scared! We wore them over to our friends' house last night for Couple's Bunco. (ok, don't laugh at us for this...it is super fun...there are six couples from our church and we get together once every other month to eat, fellowship and, yes, play Bunco....all of the ladies are already in a ladies bunco group, but we thought it would be fun to let the men play too...and they really enjoy it...you know, competition is always a good thing with guys...they just probably won't admit it to any guy that's not in our group....) So, wearing the shirts to Bunco was not a big deal. Those people know us and know that we can be on the dorky side. But we decided to go to Target on our way to Bunco and I didn't realize until we were getting out of the car that we had these MATCHING shirts on! I mean, wearing them alone in public is one thing, but together...you couldn't miss us. (In case you didn't notice...they are super orange...like hunter's safety orange!) Nevertheless, I sucked it up and Scot and I proudly walked around Target with everyone looking at us. A few people even laughed when we walked by. So, thank you Scot, for a great anniversary present. I will wear my shirt proudly because I really do heart you!

G is for...

2008-04-24T16:27:00.003-05:00

GRANDPARENTS!

My children are so blessed to have such wonderful grandparents. Our parents are so involved in the life of our boys and I wanted to take a day just to thank them for all that they do. Their love and support is truly a gift from God. There have been many days that I just didn't think I was going to make it, but then they stepped in to help...to give me a break...to let me have just a little time to myself....so that I could become a better parent. Growing up, I was not able to be near my grandparents, and in return, I just really don't know them that well. That is something that I have always wished for my children...that they will be so close to their grandparents that they couldn't imagine life without them. So far, I think we're on the right track. These four special people are so involved in the life of my children that they deserve to be celebrated.

Papaw

Parker's favorite thing about Papaw... "when he takes me to school sometimes"

Peyton's favorite thing about Papaw...."going swimming"

MamawParker's favorite thing about Mamaw... "making cakes every time"

Peyton's favorite thing about Mamaw..."going to playground"

Papa

Parker's favorite thing about Papa..."takes me to Krispy Kreme for doughnuts"

Peyton's favorite thing about Papa..."he laughs with me"

Gigi

Parker's favorite thing about Gigi..."Pop-up Chicken"

Peyton's favorite thing about Gigi..."gets me snacks"

Thank you, Grandparents for all that you do for us! We love you!!

F is for...

2008-04-22T20:27:00.005-05:00

Five Years!!

This Saturday, April 26th, Scot and I will have been married for five years! I can hardly believe it! On one hand, it just doesn't seem like it's been that long. But...on the other hand....wow! It really seems like twenty. We joke about all the things we have done in our short five years. Really, we should have taken longer to do all the stuff we've done! (like having three babies! ha)

I went through some old pictures and found one from our honeymoon. That was such a happy trip. I can't wait to go back to the beautiful city of Charleston. (And I can't wait to be that skinny again either...what about you, Scot?)

I do need to take this opportunity to tell you what a wonderful husband I have. I am so blessed to be with such a godly man who loves me despite all my craziness and provides for our family so selflessly. A man that God purposed for me and placed in my life at exactly the right time. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that all of my prior experiences were in preparation for my life with Scot. What a wonderful feeling to know that I will be spending the rest of my life with my best friend. I love you, Scot!!

(And he is a darn good Daddy, too!)

and F is for...

Fat BABY!

One of my other best friends, Karen, had a baby today! Karen and Chad already have a little girl, Claire, who is three. They chose to be surprised this time, so how exciting today when we got the news that they have a new baby...BOY!

Benjamin James Barnette

8 lbs 15 oz, 20 1/2 inches

I have to say that before you think I'm rude titling this post "Fat Baby", my own Patrick was 8 lbs. 15 oz. And I love fat babies. I would much rather love on a fat baby than a skinny one any day. So, can't wait to squeeze you, little Ben.

interruption....

2008-04-21T09:00:00.002-05:00

...to the ABC game

for a little ABC concert from my boys! Hope you enjoy. (By the way, this was taken on our very cool, brand new....you guessed it.....flip video!! see previous post)

E is for...

2008-04-18T15:57:00.005-05:00

Electronics

I am married to an electronic junkie. Scot has to have the latest and greatest gadget out there. At first this bothered me a little because in my little mind I think once you have, say, a cell phone, why would you need a new one unless it breaks or something. Or if you have a perfectly good tv, why do you need to upgrade to a huge (and I do mean huge) big screen monster that takes up the whole living room? But I now know that you "have to keep up with technology".

When the iPhone came out, I saw it in Scot's eyes. He really, really wanted one. But he never said it. He knew what I was going to say....it's too expensive. It was. And I did. And he quietly admired it from afar. Thankfully, I was able to buy him one for Christmas and surprise him with it. He was (and still is) in heaven. (I have to admit that I really like it, too. If I didn't drop my phone at least twice a day, I would probably like to have one, too.)

So, here's the latest gadget he has his eye on.

It's a flip video camera. And it's on sale at Target. (I will give him props for that...he really wants to get a deal on things...he usually waits until the price goes down a bit before he "needs" it) It is a neat little thingy, but why do we need it? We already have two video cameras. Yes, two. One records on tapes and the other on cds. His answer to my question...it's cool and it's a great deal!

D is for...

2008-04-17T16:37:00.004-05:00

Diapers

I know this topic is probably of no interest to most people, but in our family we have been consumed by diapers for a little over four years now. Before I had children, I could count the number of diapers I had changed on one hand. I can now say that I have changed more than I ever thought I would....and, honestly, I probably have so many more to come!

Thinking about this topic, I decided to do a little math. We have three children, two of which are still in diapers. Seeing as how our oldest was a little older than three-and-a-half years old before he ever sat on a toilet (I know, people....don't judge me....the bright side of that situation is once he went on the potty he never wore another diaper...ever) I am just going to assume that my other two boys will be in diapers for three years each (probably wishful thinking, seeing the track we're on with Peyton!). Also, (this has nothing to do with anything, I just want you to feel sorry for me...) we had all three of our children in diapers at the same time for seven months! Seven months!!

OK...I estimate each child goes through six diapers a day. That's 6570 diapers in three years! The price of my brand of diapers (Pampers Swaddlers/Cruisers) is about 25 cents a diaper. Sometimes it is more if I don't have a coupon, but I usually have one! That would be $1642.50!! per child! Let's go ahead and figure in Parker's diapers since he went a bonus 7 months....he used 7847 diapers which cost $1961.75.

So, the total diaper use of my children....

20,987 DIAPERS!!!

and the cost for our family....$5246.75!!!!!! Oh....my....goodnes....

Alright....before I go feeling too sorry for myself, I must say we were very blessed by our wonderful, wonderful church family. They gave us diaper showers for both Peyton and Patrick and we received enough diapers to last us about five months with each of the boys. That was surely a blessing.....a $500 or so blessing! Praise the Lord!

So the next time you're changing a diaper, just think about how you are throwing away a stinky quarter....and another stinky quarter....and another.....

C is for....

2008-04-16T15:19:00.004-05:00

Crayons!

I love to color. Still to this day, it is so relaxing for me to just sit and color. Now don't get the wrong idea, I don't unwind at night with a box of crayons and a coloring book (that would be pretty pathetic, now wouldn't it?) but I do enjoy sitting with my boys and coloring with them. And there is something about the smell of a crayon that just takes me back to a better place in time....going shopping for school supplies and getting the big 64 count box of Crayola crayons with the sharpener in the back....then going home and breaking them open...the first stroke made with a brand-new tip....aaahhhhhh....I am there right now....

Ok, back to reality. I was watching Jon & Kate plus 8 and they took their kids to theCrayola Factory. How cool! I didn't know there was such a thing. But it's in Pennsylvania and it is now on my list of top five places I want to take my kids before they grow up. The other four would be Disney World, The Grand Canyon, Chicago, and Washington DC. What would be your top five? I'm interested to hear where others want to go....I might want to change one of mine!

B is for...

2008-04-15T09:41:00.017-05:00

I thought I wasn't going to get to mention these fun topics since I have begun the ABC game, but, yea! it works out. Sorry, I have three B's.

B is for Baseball...

Parker started T-Ball this weekend... It was fun. He had a great time and he was extremely cute. Here are some pictures. (He looks like such a big boy in that cap....don't you think?)

This is at the beginning of the game. They called his name and number out over the loud speaker like an official game. He was more than proud. (He is fourth from the right)

This is him getting his professional pictures made.

(I had to clarify so you wouldn't think he just stands around on the base with a bat in his hands!)

B is also for Bi-lateral Ear Tubes....

(This was a tricky one....thanks, Scot, for your creative thinking.) We took Patrick this morning to get tubes put in his ears. It was a pretty uneventful procedure. We weren't very nervous since we did the same thing with Peyton when he was about this age. Patrick was a good patient. He just really doesn't like anybody messing with him. He cried any time someone touched him...the nurse taking his temperature, the nurse putting on his hospital bracelet, and then by that point, Scot touching his blanket... But then, he got "the good stuff"...I can't remember what it's called, but it's that medicine that makes everything allllllriiiight....He was so pleasant. And we took pictures because we thought it was so funny.....the nurse gave him a sticker that had a picture of Elmo on it. We didn't even know he knew about Elmo, but he kept saying over and over again, "Melmo, Melmo, Melmo" with a silly grin on his face. He played with it the whole time we were waiting...about 20 minutes (which is a very long time for a 15 month old). (Here's another funny....When that "good stuff" was starting to wear off, he started getting frustrated because the sticker would stick to his fingers and he would grunt and whine to me like I did something to it. I would unstick it and he would hmmph and jerk it away from me like I was so mean...that was pretty hilarious too.)

and last but not least....

B is for BABY!!!

One of my best friends, Lindsay, had her second little girl today! Welcome to this crazy world, you sweet thing!

Katie Grace Jones

7 lbs. 7oz, 20 inches long

(Ok, obviously this is not Katie... This is Katie's older sister Libby when she was a baby. I just don't have a picture of Katie right now because they live five hours away, but I thought you needed to see a picture of a cute baby with this announcement. Libby (who is pictured) is now three-years-old. She is no longer a little baby, but is a very prissy, very grown up little lady, and, I must say, a clone of her mother. I just have to show you a picture of her now because she is just so darn cute!)

A is for...

2008-04-14T14:11:00.003-05:00

I got this super neat idea from my friend Heather. (She is so very cute and creative!) The ABC game. I hope I can keep it up....we'll see!

A is for American Idol....

I absolutely love American Idol! I have watched every season faithfully. I can tell you who won each season and who the runner-up was...and possibly the top five. I like it so much that last season I was in a praise band at church and we practiced on Wednesday nights during the kick-off show. My friend Lauren would text me during the show telling me the bottom three, then the bottom two, then who was leaving. Our leader of the band, Patrick (who just happens to be Lauren's husband...) wasn't too thrilled with our behavior. Sorry, Patrick, I know we're immature.

Anyway, although I am in love with the show, I do not particularly care for this new "Idol Gives Back" business. I mean, yeah, it's great that they want to do something nice, but why don't they just give the money that they are paying all these performers to come on the show and make an appearance to the poor children. I am not really entertained by the professionals. I want the idols. So, after watching last year's "Idol Gives Back" show and finding out that they would not kick off a contestant on such a good-hearted show, I decided that I did not want to sit through the TWO-AND-A-HALF HOUR show this Wednesday! (I was sick and really just wanted to go to bed, too) Scot vowed to watch it and let me know if anything fun happened. The next morning he mentioned nothing, so I figured I had made a wise choice....I didn't waste my time.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon....I'm at the hair salon getting my hair done and Scot calls me. (This tells you how much he likes Idol, too...he usually doesn't bother me when I'm getting my hair did....he knows that's my time!) So I answer the phone and he said, "They kicked somebody off Thursday night!! Guess who it was! Michael Johns!!" (please note the distress in his voice....) Whoa....I couldn't believe it! We loved Michael Johns. I was surprised to see him go so soon, but I knew it would be inevitable. You really can't have an Australian American Idol I don't think. That's probably why Carly Smithson is in the bottom three, even though I like her, too.

Well, that should teach me a lesson. That Idol....always switching it up. I was happy to hear that they sang this at the end of the show. Wow. Although I hear they sang it a little differently Wednesday night (this is from Thursday)....I think they sang "My shepherd" instead of "My Jesus"....the bad press must have prompted them to change it back to the original. I don't know.

2008-04-14T14:09:00.001-05:00

making up for lost time....

2008-04-11T21:46:00.003-05:00

wow....it's been a while! My life is crazy these days (oh, who am I kidding? it's always crazy!) so I haven't had time to post all of the things I've wanted to. A few weeks ago I put myself on an internet strike because I was wasting way too much time on this blasted computer! (and my house was showing signs of it...) But my official strike was only supposed to last for a couple of days...I just haven't had time since then. Here are a few things I've wanted to tell you about....

1. Parker has mono! Some of you may remember that this is not the first time he has had it! The week that he turned two, we took him to the doctor because of a fever, I think, and found out he had mono. That was sort of a scary thing for us because we didn't know what to do about it (turns out you can't do anything for it...just let it run its course), but at least we knew he was sick and we didn't push him to do things. All he wanted to do was lie around and watch TV. Had we not known he was sick, I would not have let him do that. Two-year olds need to be active!

This time was different. About two weeks ago, Parker came down with a fever and couldn't get rid of it. At first we didn't worry because there were no other symptoms, but after about 6 days I began to worry. I had taken him to the doctor around day 2 or 3 and he said, yes, it's just a fever...no need to worry...if it lasts a few more days, let me know. Well, on the 7th day, the fever went up to 104 and we had vomiting and such because of it. We went to the doctor the next morning. They did many tests on him, all of which were negative (including the mono test that they do in the office). Our doctor decided to get one more vial of blood (my poor baby...they couldn't find a vein at first....they were jiggling that needle all around....he was so brave, by the way...) to send off to the lab. This test is a more accurate test for mono. The results came back Wednesday....yes, he has it. Two times in two years??? Pretty strange, if you ask me.... He's just about over it now. He hasn't had fever since last Saturday, so he went back to school Monday. (And when we stopped and thought about it, he's had a fever on and off since Spring Break...about four or five weeks....we just attributed them to other things...poor Parker!)

Here is a picture of our brave little boy after he was poked and prodded at the doctor. He picked out a garbage truck for his prize at Toys-R-Us...(and this is his fake smile)

2. Our family dog, Sophie, had to be put to sleep last week. For those of you who know about me, this should not really be a big deal to me. And I will admit, I am not an animal lover. But Sophie was fourteen years old. She was part of our family. I really surprised myself when I got emotional over her. It really shook my mom and dad. And Laura Beth, too. (Sophie was really her dog....) But, she was old. It was time.... we will miss her.

Papa and baby Parker with Sophie (June 2005)

3. OK, this is old news but I haven't mentioned it before. Patrick is walking. He's been walking for about two months now, but he is so getting around now. I mean, getting around good. Almost running. He is so mobile that I can turn my head for a nano-second and he's gone. I couldn't find him the other day (we were in the kitchen) and I went looking for him. He was in Parker and Peyton's closet....the whole other end of the house! He's a mess. And I must mention that he can hold his own, too, when it comes to his older brothers. If he is playing with a toy and one of them tries to take it from him (which happens so very often around here....am I the only one with this problem?...when do kids learn to ask for something before they snatch?...are my parenting skills lacking?)....anyway, if they try, and I emphasize try, to take something, he turns on the death grip and yells at the top of his lungs until they give up and let go of the toy. It sort of makes me proud. But then I think about him being in the nursery at church and I think, oh no, he's one of "those" kids....

4. One last thing....I've got to mention my sweet Peyton. This kid has really stolen my heart. He can be, as we say at our house, so B-A-D, but he can also be so incredibly sweet. Tonight we took the boys to Bops (our favorite ice cream place) and we caught Peyton feeding Patrick some of his ice cream. Patrick has not yet gotten to the point where we are ready to buy him his own ice cream. I mean, really.... So Scot and I usually just let him have a bite of ours. But sweet Peyton, we found out tonight, was sharing the love too....

Sorry, I went on forever. It's just been a long time!

Easter....

2008-03-23T16:11:00.003-05:00

It is so hard to get a good picture at my house!! Nobody wanted to cooperate. I guess I can't get too mad...Parker and Patrick are both sick. They have fever and runny noses. We did go to church, but they came to big church with me (not a very fun experience, by the way). And Peyton was just full of himself today! He loved wearing a tie "like Daddy" and thought he looked "cute".

Easter baskets.....

2008-03-22T11:34:00.005-05:00

The Easter Bunny has arrived!!

At our house, the Easter Bunny comes a day early. We started this a couple of years ago because Sunday mornings are just a little bit too hectic for us, especially with Scot having to be at the church before sunrise to get ready for the sunrise service at 7:00. So, this morning there were Easter baskets when we woke up!!

Parker wanted his picture taken with every single thing he pulled out of his basket. There are about 20 other pictures just like this one!

Peyton was checking out all the candy....and eating most of it until we made him stop!

Patrick was just proud to have a basket this year. He didn't get much, but he loved being included! He is so big!

getting ready for church....

2008-03-17T19:46:00.004-05:00

While I was getting ready for church Sunday morning, Patrick and Peyton were playing a game. I probably shouldn't have let it go on because it could have set a precedent for not so good behavior, but it was just a little too cute to stop. Patrick was getting CDs out of a cabinet in our bedroom and bringing them to the bathtub where Peyton was taking them (he was in the bathtub, mind you) and "cooking" pancakes with them.

In case you are wondering about the welfare of my CDs, they are probably all scratched anyway. We have always let the boys play with them when they are little because that cabinet is just too tempting for a little one year old. It is exactly on their level and the handles just ask to be pulled. These next pictures are of Parker who just happens to be the exact same age as Patrick is in these pictures...14 months old!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-17T19:04:00.004-05:00

We had a busy weekend! Saturday we had an Easter Egg Hunt at the church. The boys had a great time and lots of candy was eaten by all. I think I took too many pictures. It was hard to pick just a couple. Thanks for humoring me....

Parker got the prize "carrot" egg!

Peyton had to stop and open every egg he found to see what kind of candy was inside!

my peeps...

2008-03-14T14:19:00.006-05:00

I LOVE PEEPS!!! They are my favorite Easter candy! When I was little, it was such a treat to get them because they only came out at Easter time. Now, you can get them at almost any holiday....they make snowmen and jack-o-lanterns and even stars for Fourth of July. But, the traditional chicks are still my favorite. (I wish I had a picture that was taken of me in college showing how much I truly love peeps....anyone have a copy they would like to share? Bob?)

Today I read in my Parenting magazine a super cute section that I thought I would share with you because it is so true...and it really made me smile!

Four ways kids are like Peeps

1. They're sweet, though almost always a bit sticky.

2. You can give them a little squeeze if they're yours--but not if they're a stranger's.

3. They're a known cause of stubborn belly overhang.

4. It can be hard to stop at one, but after two or three, the mere thought of having another may make you queasy.

I love PEEPS!!!

Easter treats...

2008-03-09T19:43:00.003-05:00

Here is a fun Easter treat I made with the boys tonight. They are Easter Birdnests and I got the recipe from Child magazine a couple of years ago. It was super easy and the boys really enjoyed putting the eggs in the nests. Now if I could just get them to try them! (They only wanted to eat the jellybeans...they said the nests were "yucky"...go figure!)

3 cups chow mein noodles
1 7oz container marshmallow creme
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
mini jellybeans in assorted colors

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the noodles, marshmallow creme, peanut butter, coconut and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until easy to handle, at least 1 hour.
2. On waxed paper, form 1/4 cup mixture into a nest shape about 2" to 3" wide. Repeat with remaining mixture to form 15 nests. Allow to dry at least 20 minutes or until they are the consistency of Rice Krispies treats.
3. Fill each nest with five mini jellybeans.
4. Store nests in a plastic container with a lid. Put waxed paper between layers of nests to prevent sticking.

(Just a little note: I left the coconut out of half of them because Scot is "allergic" but the coconut definitely makes this recipe!)

cutest boy ever....

2008-03-03T18:51:00.000-06:00

Our church is in the midst of building a new sanctuary and, as most boys are, Parker and Peyton are fascinated by all of the construction vehicles that are in and out each day. Since Parker was sick today, Peyton went to school with Scot. When I came to pick him up, Scot had these pictures to show me. Peyton was so proud! I know I'm a little bit biased, but isn't he just about the cutest boy you've ever seen?!?

Parker's First Soccer Game....

2008-03-01T23:34:00.000-06:00

Today was the day. Parker had been waiting all week to play soccer. And this morning he finally got to do it! He had a big audience, too. Mamaw and Papaw, Papa and Gigi and Peyton and Patrick and me. We took up most of the sidelines! I thought Parker did a pretty good job. He is not a very aggressive little boy, so he stayed back from the crowd of kids most of the time. (If you've never seen a group of 4 year olds playing soccer, it's a sight! They just crowd up around the ball and kick each other. It's pretty funny!) He did run alongside the action. He got to kick the ball a few times and looked like he was having fun. He didn't feel very good, though. (We now know he has a fever virus...102.5 fever right now.) He was really tired when the game was over, but kept saying he had so much fun. He can't wait for next week.

Not only was I a proud mother, I was a proud wife, too. Scot is Parker's coach. I can't not tell you how patient Scot is with those kids. I know I could not have been. There was one little girl that just stood in the middle of the field the whole time she was out there. And another little boy decided he was going to quit. But Scot was so patient and kept encouraging them. He also ran up and down the field for the whole game (which lasted an hour!! I thought that was a long time for 4 year olds!) and it was hot yesterday. He really got a workout! He told me when he got home that today he got to do something that he has always dreamed of and wasn't sure if he would ever get to do....he got to coach his son.

the 5K....

2008-02-24T15:06:00.003-06:00

Well, I did it....

I finished the 5K Saturday! I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself. Our "group" sort of dwindled down to three people: me, the slow one, and the two fastest others in our club. I was really ready to chicken once I got there. It was so cold and I knew I would be walking by myself. But I was strong and started the race. My friends left me behind (not that I expected them to wait on me or anything...it was a race!). I started out jogging but I walked most of it. I finished in 39 minutes. My only goal was to beat the fat guy that was jogging behind me. I would have been really sad if he had beaten me.

Here is proof that I did it.

Jessica is on the right and Lindsey (the instigator of all this) is in the middle. Notice that they look so refreshed and presentable. Now compare with me... Also, a little sidenote: Lindsey just had a baby in December and she won first place. I'm in awe!

nap time....

2008-02-22T15:42:00.001-06:00

I love nap time. It is one of the best parts of my day. It gives me time to straighten up the house from the morning and catch up on my email or whatever. It's just a nice "me-time". But it's one of those things...it can set my mood for the rest of the day. If the all the boys sleep for a couple of hours, I will be refreshed and ready to make supper and play afterwards. But if one or all have a hard time sleeping....well. Take yesterday for example. Patrick only slept for about 45 minutes, then woke up crying (he has an ear infection...you can't blame him). But the crying woke Peyton up so then he was extremely cranky. My afternoon was filled with whining and kids hanging all over me because they didn't get enough sleep.

But today was different. It wasn't a typical "good nap" day, but I found myself enjoying it. Patrick went to sleep just fine. Then Parker and Peyton got in their beds and did their normal talking and giggling for a while. I went to check on them about 1:15 (they went to bed at 1:00) and Parker was asleep. This is unusual as Peyton is usually the first one out and Parker tends to lie awake for a while. (I think he is ready to give up his nap, but Mama is NOT ready!) Peyton was playing with his stuffed dog. Fifteen minutes later, Peyton is still awake. This time I had to take some toys away from him so he could concentrate on sleeping. Fifteen minutes later, he's still awake, singing in his bed. I went in and asked if he wanted to come to my bed and take a nap with me. Oh boy, did he want to! He jumped up and ran to my bed. He laid right down and asked me to rub his back. Then we had the best conversation. Peyton is just getting to the age where he can actually carry on a back and forth conversation. This one was so cute, I just have to share it with you.

P: "Mama? We not eat boogers, do we?"

me: "No way, Peyt. Yuck"

P: "That's yucky. That makes you sick."

me: "That's right."

P: ""Only food puts in you mouth.....and drink. Not toys. Not shirts. No, that's yucky. I not gonna be sick."

me: "Good."

P: "Mama? You eat you boogers?"

me: "No, Peyt, that's yucky"

P: "Yeah, it's yucky. Mama? I like boogers."

I sigh. What do you do?

then,

P: "I wanna get you a secret."

(This is his new game...He likes to whisper tee-tee and poo-poo in your ear, but Scot and I have been working with him, telling him that's an ugly secret. He needs to tell us a nice secret.)

me: "Ok, what is it?"

P: (he leans up and whispers in my ear) "I love you"

What a sweet time I had at nap time today. He went right on to sleep after that and I took this precious picture. Sorry it's so dark.

Valentine's Day Banquet....

2008-02-16T20:49:00.002-06:00

Scot and I didn't do much for Valentine's Day this year. Well, OK...we didn't do anything on Valentine's Day. I didn't even cook a real supper. We just sort of threw some stuff together when he got home from work. But last night we went to a Valentine's Banquet at church. It was a murder mystery that was set in Hawaii so they asked us to dress tropical. It was a fun
night....being out with my husband (no kids) and getting to eat with our friends.

what I thought it would be like...

2008-02-12T09:26:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: Let me just say before I get started that I am NOT saying that I do not like the actual reality of motherhood. I love my children and everything that goes with them. OK, here is my story.

Yesterday afternoon I was in my kitchen cooking supper. The big boys were in the backyard playing (it was a beautiful day!) and Patrick was crawling around on the patio, watching the boys and laughing hysterically at....well, I'm not sure what he was laughing at....it wasn't the boys. I had the back door open and the windows raised. And for about 20 minutes it was peaceful. I was standing at the sink cutting potatoes and I thought to myself, "This is what I always thought motherhood would be like. Mama in the kitchen lovingly preparing supper, not the least bit resentful that she has to do it. She enjoys it. It is an honor. Daddy at work providing for his family, proud to be the breadwinner. Getting ready to come home to his perfect family. The children in the backyard, not a care in the world. Happily sharing with their siblings, coming up with exciting games and wild adventures. Waiting for Mama to call them into supper, where they will gladly eat whatever she puts on the table, thanking her for the delicious meal. Aaaahhhh....."

Then it abruptly came to an end. Peyton runs in, "Mama, Parker's shooting me!!" followed by Parker, "Peyton wouldn't get out of my way, so I had to shoot him to get him to move!" followed by Patrick who is now screaming probably just to not be left out...he likes to do that. I then look at the stove where my ideallic gravy is now burning and has to be dumped in the sink. (I know I shouldn't be making gravy anyway because it is so unhealthy, but I love it! Is that bad?)

I guess in my heart I knew motherhood would not be like my daydream, but it is still much different than I thought it would be. There is an awful lot of fighting in my house. I don't know if it's because my boys are so close together that they play together more? My sister and I were six years apart and I don't remember fighting very much (although we DID fight...it just wasn't very often). Or then I think that maybe Scot and I aren't doing something right as parents because we have friends that have kids about the same ages as ours and their kids don't fight like ours. But whatever the reason, I guess it's ok. Everyone says that they will be best friends in the end. We'll see. If anyone has any advice for me to slow the fighting, I'll be happy to hear it! In the meantime, I'm still enjoying the memory of my 20 minute respite yesterday!

walking club....

2008-02-09T13:44:00.000-06:00

My friend Lindsey has started a walking/jogging club (for lack of a better name...I know it sounds very dorky) with some girls from our Sunday School class. Lindsey (who just had a baby in December) is super-fit and could probably run laps around the rest of us if she wanted to. But she wanted to inspire the rest of us to get moving. Because we need to! She wants us to train every Saturday so that we can walk/jog a 5K in about 6 weeks (She says walk/run...but mostly it's just walk for me). I thought this was a great idea. I need to be exercising and Scot was all for it. He said he would watch the kids for me...no problem. So last Saturday was our first meeting. I was actually kind of excited to go (and if you know me even just a little bit well, I don't get excited about exercising). So I met the other girls (I think there were five of us) at a neighborhood in town. We started walking and I was having a good time talking. It was a beautiful day. Then I realized where we were going. I guess I sort of thought in my head that we would be starting out kind of slow. Maybe a mile or so the first day. I don't know why I thought that. But we were walking around this enormous lake that this neighborhood is built around. I asked Lindsey how far it was around the lake. Five and a half miles, she says. Five and a half MILES!!!???!!! Oh my goodness. I was about to die! I have not walked in months. Maybe even since before Patrick was born...I can't really remember. But even the last time I walked it was no more than two miles. Probably just a mile because I'm usually very lazy when it comes to exercise!

But I did it. I walked five and a half miles and lived to tell about it. I was sore for about three days after, but I was motivated to walk once on my treadmill (only one and a half miles, though) this week. So, today we met again. This time in a different neighborhood. And there were eight of us this time. My friend Casey who lives in that neighborhood mapped out a route for us....only three and a half miles. I felt empowered. If I could walk five and a half without dying, I could do three and a half no problem. And I did! It really wasn't bad at all. I don't even feel sore yet (although it's only been about 3 hours). Having friends to talk to helps a lot. And having a set time with people knowing that I'm supposed to come helps to get me there. (This morning I was thinking..."instead of driving all the way over there, I could just walk in my own neighborhood and be done much quicker"....but let's be honest....I would have just kept my hiney on the couch and never gone walking....I know myself too well!)

So...two weeks down. One more week of "practice" then we have a "practice" 5K the next week. I will definitely keep you guys updated on my new fitness endeavor.

Parker's new passion....

2008-02-02T15:32:00.000-06:00

soccer....

OK, he hasn't actually played on a team yet, but from the moment Scot asked him if he wanted him to sign him up for Upward Soccer this spring, he has had soccer on the brain. Mamaw and Papaw gave him a goal, ball and "soccer socks" for his birthday. He runs around the backyard kicking that ball everywhere. I, as you know, know nothing about soccer but I think he might actually be pretty good! Maybe that's just the mom in me....I guess we'll see in March!

party updates....

2008-02-01T13:05:00.000-06:00

I know....you don't have to tell me. I'm very late with the party pictures. It's been crazy around here! Parker had a wonderful time at his party. Almost all of the friends he invited came and he was so proud to have them all at his house. The weather did not cooperate. It was rainy and very cold, so all activities had to be inside. We had planned to have our bouncy house outside and have a real tractor come for the kids to sit on. But the weather was too bad for the tractor. We were, however, able to put the bouncy house in the garage which turned out to be a big hit! All of the kids played well and my house was still intact when they left. Parker got lots of great toys and we got lots of great pictures!

Patrick's party was much more low-key. We went over to my mom's house after church Sunday and ate lunch. Then we let Patrick dive into his cake. We only let him eat a little bit though. We didn't want a repeat of Peyton's first birthday!! (In case you don't know, Peyton ate almost all of his birthday cake, which was only about 5 inches square, but still a lot for a one-year-old. Then he threw up in his bed that night and a few more time the next morning! Gross!)

OK...the pictures of Patrick's party are still in my camera which has a dead battery and I can't download them until I get a new battery. It might be a few days before I can get them on here. Sorry!