Waaaaahhh

Sorry. Had to whine a bit. We all feel so gross around here, and I certainly don't need to b-o-o-h-o-o to the rest of my family who are all in varying stages of this same junk. Aren't YOU the lucky one!!!

Thankfully we don't have anything truly serious like the flu. It's your standard cold virus that clogs up every piece of your respiratory system, makes your throat feel as if you swallowed sandpaper, and leaves you wondering about the truck that had to have run right over you as you were sleeping.

I think Jmk is on his way up out of the mire. Hopefully he'll feel better by Tuesday when he goes back to work. Poodle should be a day or so behind him. Ole Tooter and I will bring up the rear, I'm afraid.

I was so hoping we'd all be better by church tomorrow. Missing church just doesn't do anyone any good. BUT, a bunch of hacking Zoo folks isn't exactly what the congregation wants to hear, either.

Blech. Where's my kleenex?

Another Season Passes

The "I can't believe we're all in town at the same time again!" gathering. Lok on the floor, and Jaime (with Baby Audrey in tow who is scheduled to make her appearance in April'ish), then Jmk, Tooter, Granny (98 and holding!) with Poodle, then back row is GaGa, Robert, Leslie (aka Aunt Sessie), David, and last but not least MooMoo (the only one brave enough and cute enough to wear the reindeer hat!)

We had our last Christmas gathering last nite - with Lok's crazy but wonderful family. Aunt Jaime is really starting to show now, and we are SO excited about getting to see Baby Audrey (the name is official! Audrey Rune!). Jmk and I got all Nyquil'd up for the gathering, and sort of zombie'd ourselves around. The kids are doing okay. Still feeling poopy, but energetic in spite of it. Odd combo, really. Poodle doesn't have her full voice, and I am loving that. Ha!!! This thing is pretty much going to be a full cold with chest congestion and the works. Blech. To ME, it simply means that we need to hang around the house in our sweats all day and watch movies and veg on the couch. Don't you think?

As I watched my sister drive off from our house headed for Nashville this morning, I realized how much of a blessing it was to have everyone here. So many families weren't able to do what we did. Both Jmk and I got to see everyone this Christmas. God was and is so good to us.

Then, I realized that while I was sad to see Leslie go, I knew she was looking forward to getting back home and to her routines. And that is a nice thing too. To be able to visit with your family and still be glad to be going back to your own home.

Family is good and crazy and beautiful. And I love mine so much! Both the side that shares my genes and the side that calls me their own because of Jmk!

::sniff:: Merry...

..... ::cough:: Christmas!! ::cough, cough, sniff::

The Annual Christmas Eve PJ Party! We gather, eat wonderful party food, and do a lot of laughing. Pictured here are Lok, Poodle, Amy, Jay, Jmk, PopPop, SueSue, and Tooter. Please notice the distant eyes of the feverish Poodle, the "I'm ready to go to bed" cries of Tooter, and my lovingly redecorated Christmas tree complete with 5 or 6 decorations on one branch. I think Martha Stewart is jealous, frankly.

I do hope everyone had a wonderful, peaceful, and fun day yesterday. And, if you're like us, and have another celebration to go, I hope it goes well!!! The rest of the Zoo is in varying stages of some cold virus yucky thing. Praise the Lord, the Zoo Mommy hasn't caught it. [spoke too soon! We're all down now!] But it actually kept Zoo Daddy out of the woods this morning. Not good!!!

We actually have been able to do shortened versions of everything so far. Poodle's fever started Christmas Eve, and was making her feel poopy Christmas morning. But in her normal good nature, she wasn't too bad fussy.

The only thing we've had to miss out on was seeing a college friend who is in town today. She has 2 younger munchkins and rightly didn't want to expose them to whatever this current bug is. Especially her baby. I hated having to miss them, but I did encourage them not to come. Knowing that I helped to infect her little ones would have been no fun. But, other than that, we've been able to do everything else!

We have one more family gathering tomorrow night (my side), and then the festive decorations will be put away for another year. We have had fun this year - Santa Claus was a little more real for our 3 year old, even if she wasn't all that interested in anything except being held Christmas morning.

And everyone has been so good to us...... we are so blessed to be a part of our families!

However, as our preacher said Sunday morning, there is no better gift that a person can give another person than the gift of the Good News of the birth, life, death and ressurection of the Lord Jesus. Praise God for that!!!

Warning. Sense of humor required.

Again - more stolen goodies from SparseMatrix. This was highly amusing for me - take a moment for some fun!

Virtual Christmas Card

Thank you so much to everyone who sent us cards this year - the update letters are wonderful and we SO love the pictures. We sort of get to see these beautiful children grow up from year to year, and it's humbling and startling and precious all at the same time. God is so good!!!

We sent out lots and lots of cards ourselves this year, but just in case the USPS had a hiccup and you haven't received yours in the mail, here is a virtual card for you! (With the sensitive info erased, of course).

As Poodle would say, "we want to give you all a big, squeezy hug" - with extra "smoochy kisses" for the darling children in your lives. As we remember the birth of the most precious child, our Saviour, our prayer is that He will fill all our lives with His Spirit now and in the years to come! His glory first!!!

Website Update

There's a new link on the family website to the recent JCPenny portraits for Poodle's 3YO shots and Tooter's 1YO shots!

For some reason, the Smiles By Wire site is down, so the link may not be working right now. I'll try to remember to check it later today or tomorrow, and if it is still not working, I'll look into it.

To all who check in with us on a regular basis - thank you so much!!! We love you all!

Poodle's First Ballet

Poodle has seen her first ballet!!! December 17, 2006 - MooMoo, Poodle and I attended A Christmas Dream at Thalia Mara Hall!

She was wonderful, and enjoyed herself immensely. As soon as all the house lights went black, and the big red curtains opened, she was entranced. She had tons of questions (which was actually a problem as I will address in the critique later), was so happy to hear familiar music, and thought the dancers were wonderful. She even made it aaallll the way to the end of the show! Towards the end, she was all sorts of fidgety and ready to leave, but she did make it to the end of the finale. (Hopefully without disturbing those around us too badly).

One of the many questions she asked was "Can I go up there and dance?" Of course, my heart skipped a little at the thought of watching my own child dancing on stage one of these days, but all I said was "Not today, honey. But one of these days you can!"

As many of you who know me and my history, you can understand the importance of this particular event, at least for me. It was wonderful to be able to share this with the person who brought ME to my first ballet performance oh so many years ago. (And who carted me back and forth to years of classes and rehearsals, to boot).

NOW. I need to offer a critique of the show. This is where you can leave the post without feeling guilty, if you so desire. But I've gotta get this off my chest. The performance that we saw was Ballet Magnicat's "A Christmas Dream". Ballet Mag is a Christian ballet company based in Jackson, MS. And this performance was basically their "version" of the Nutcracker. Why did we go to this one? Two reasons. One, I missed the weekend of a "real" Nutcracker performance. Two, I was really, really curious to see how Kathy and Ballet Mag were going to interpret the Nutcracker.

Let's back up a bit, and let me admit something. I am a bit of a purist when it comes to many things surrounding the dance world. And, I don't think that the Nutcracker needs to be fooled with. AND, when I hear that music, especially at this time of year, I am instantly transported to my younger years. I have danced to almost every minute of the entire Nutcracker suite at some point or other. It ALL tugs at various heartstrings, and that music produces an actual physical reaction in me. (I apologize for the drama, but I'm actually not exaggerating). Thus, when I hear that music, and am looking at a stage, I need to see the Nutcracker in its true form.

Okay, so, back to A Christmas Dream. First, the dancing was wonderful. It wasn't as technically professional as I was expecting, but then, Ballet Mag isn't a tu-tu ballet company. Now, Kathy Thibodeaux is still dancing (at 51, thank you very much), and she is as nimble as someone in their 20's. And JUST as beautiful as she's always been. She is truly an amazing human being. She danced the role that in the traditional ballet would be Snow Queen. There was no Sugar Plum Fairy equivalent, so the Snow Queen equivalent (I think she was an Angel, maybe?) was reintroduced often thruout the 2nd Act. (KDBoo, stay with me. I know you're already shaking your head!) ANYway, Kathy was amazing and beautiful, and that needs to be said.
The choreography was very good, and so much of it was some of the traditional choreography that you would see at a regular company's Nutcracker performance. It was altered to fit the theme of this show, but overall, it did have a traditional flavor.
The costuming was good - especially the Waltz of the Flowers equivalent. However, Ballet Mag doesn't wear tu-tus, so their costumes have a different feel altogether. Side note, though, the Harlequin Doll DID wear a tu-tu. Not sure how that was justified, but I'm glad they did. I would have been 10 shades of annoyed if they had put a long skirted costume on that role.
The staging was excellent, the lighting was excellent. The scenery was lovely and appropriate for the theme of the ballet.

BUT. (You knew it had to come, yes?) I, personally, had to shoebox too much of it. (Shoebox'ing something is akin to eating the chicken and throwing out the bones). In those terms, there were just too many bones. Here is the gist of the ballet: It uses the traditional Nutcracker suite music. But, it is set in the Old South. The Clara character is named Kathryn, and she receives a Bible instead of a Nutcracker. Her dream is one where the Angels, led by Michael, defeat Beelzebub who is the Lord of the Flies. (And, thusly, the angels defeat the flies). She is then transported to Heaven where she sits on the right hand of Jesus Christ, at which point all the nations dance for and worship the Lord. The dream culminates in her marriage to Christ. (To symbolize Christ's marriage to His Bride, the church of the Lord).

Okay - right there, you see my problem. Firstly, I had to be very vague when I answered the "who is this" questions from Poodle. I didn't want her to equate this music with the non-traditional roles, and most certainly didn't want to say "that man is supposed to be Jesus Christ". I don't know where that would have gone in a 3 year old's head. Secondly, there were so many things going on there - and for me, I don't easily stomach a portrayal of Christ in this manner. It was done as respectfully as it could have been done considering the fact that they had Christ dancing with Kathryn. And I understand the HEART of these people who are performing. Their hearts would break if they thought they were doing anything sacreligious. So I feel somewhat bad by criticizing the story of the ballet. But, I just couldn't go where they wanted me to go.

I understand what they were trying to accomplish. They wanted to give their kids a chance to perform to the classical Tchaikovsky music at Christmastime. And they wanted to stick with the original storyline as much as possible. But, they wanted to keep with their mission of spreading the Good News through their dancing.

Okay. That's all well and good. But is this a doable thing? I don't know...... there were some extremely poignant moments. Seeing Michael standing behind Kathryn's chair at the end of the show. Watching Beelzebub being forced back into hell (i.e. - the character jumps into the perfectly lit orchestra pit from the stage). The latter produced an audible response from most people - it was very creative and very well done.

But, for me, I think there are some things that should remain secular. The Nutcracker is a beautiful story; a wonderful foray into a child's imagination. The music is magical. The dancing can accomodate the best of professionals or the most precious of children. And, for some, the setting is just as much a part of Christmastime as decorating the tree, sending Christmas cards, singing carols. In my opinion, I think some of the Christian message was lost because the message was trying to fit into a shoe that was the wrong size. And after walking around for a couple of hours in shoes that don't fit, this writer's feet were uncomfortable.

Will we go back next year? Probably not. I'd rather take Poodle to a traditional Nutcracker, even if it is done entirely by students. We may go back to A Christmas Dream when she is older and understands what she is seeing and is able to verbalize her questions about it all. But I'll cross that bridge later. With Sunday's packed house, I have a feeling they recouped their investment for the ballet's premier shows. So, this ballet will most likely be done each Christmas from here on.

And, in a way, I'm glad that it was a success for Ballet Mag, because I love the heart of what they want to do. And I'm so glad to live in an area that is so supportive of their mission.

I just don't think we'll go back. I want to see the Sugar Plum Fairy dance with her Cav. I want to see the Nutcracker defeat the Mouse King and turn into the magical Prince.

I need tradtion.

I need to keep the Holy separate from the "profane". (I don't think either the Nutcracker or ballet in general is profane - but you know what I mean).

I need to end this post, because if I don't, I'm going to start repeating myself!

For Balance

After bragging on myself like I did in the last post, it's only fitting that I tell a whole different story for balance.

So, a few days ago, I'm attempting to get the kids home from some pre-lunch errands, with the challenge being to keep them awake. (So that they would both take their naps after lunch. At the same time.)

So, I put in a Muppets tape, and start singing "Happy Feet". (Who can keep from singing when "Happy Feet" is playing???)

I guess I should insert here that while there are some talented singers in my family, and I even married someone with a beautiful voice, I am not exactly blessed with angelic pipes. While I'm not entirely tone deaf, I'd be a hungry girl if I sang for a living.

So, after barely a few stanzas of "Happy Feet", I hear this from the backseat, (and I kid you not):

"Mommy, please don't sing. It hurts my ears".

lol....... yep..... at least she's an honest 3 year old.

I did it!!!

WARNING:
Blatant self-crowing session about to commence. If you, understandably, don't feel like listening to me brag on myself, then you'd best skeedaddle!

Still here?

You sure you want to read this?

HeeeeHeeee - OKAY!!!

I just thought I would let the wonderful Zoo readers out there know that I just replaced the heating element in our dryer. All by myself. Yep. The dryer quit heating up to dry the clothes, and I figured it was the heating element that had died. (My last old dryer did the same thing). I watched my dad fix that one (this was pre-Jmk days), so I had seen the guts of a dryer before. AND, with the "magic" of the internet, I had a go-by pulled up on the laptop and brought it into the laundry room with me.

And this morning, I just decided I wasn't going to wait till this weekend for Jmk to get into it and fix it. I just had to do this myself. Or, at least, I was going to try.

AND I DID IT!!!!! The dryer is working!!!!

Man. Do I feel like a Mrs. Fix-it right now, or what??? heeheee!

For all those people who know that replacing a heating element (this was NOT the kind that has to go around the drum of the dryer) really isn't that hard, y'all just hush. I'm still on a DIY high over here.

I'm sorry,...... really, Verizon? You don't get this?

To quote the Blog from which I borrowed this: Truly sad, depressing and more than a little frightening. These people run a significant portion of the wireless industry. No wonder I keep getting calls from people who dialed numbers different than my own.

This is Verizon at its best, ladies and gentlemen! I just don't really know quite what to say. I'm still chuckling in amazement.

Post Addendum: As I was just putting Tooter down for his nap, it occurred to me, that, really, that customer wasn't "trying to teach math" like he said. I mean, I would have been frustrated with those employees also. BUT, I can think of a couple of different ways that he could have explained this to them so as to make them understand what the problem is. That's the problem with some minds. The subject matter is so.... well... obvious to them that they can not understand why others can't understand it. Thus, they lose all ability to figure out different ways to explain a concept.

That's the reason that a good math teacher is a priceless commodity. When you have someone who has the brain to understand mathematic principles AND has the ability to teach them - you have a gold mine!!!

(Thanks Mrs. Luscomb!!!)

Thar's Teeth A'Comin

Eventually, anyway. Teething with Tooter is something of a "process", considering how much they bother him. He's got two on the way. According to the chart (which is an actual baby tooth chart, as opposed to the old one I was using), it looks as though his first molars are coming in, top and bottom on his left side. He's noticeably uncomfortable, and they aren't all that close to erupting. Joy!

All part of it..... Poodle got a lot less uncomfortable with teething as she got older, so hopefully the same will be true for the little man!

It has finally happened.

We have lost one of Poodle's loveys. She isn't attached at the hip to any one thing at all times, but of all her "favorites", Suzanne is at the top of the list. Suzanne, (named for Amy Suzanne, the original purchaser of the prized pup), is a little white plush puppy with pink heart shaped polka-dots. We had it at church yesterday, and that was the last time we remember seeing her.

Have NO idea what happened.

Poodle is taking it pretty well. Right now, we're telling her that we left Suzanne at church, and we'll get her next time we go.

So what did I do last night? Of course. Got online and started hunting. Finally found it on Ebay, and ordered it immediately. The new Suzanne will hopefully be here in a few days!

This is why "they" say to help your child get attached to a lovey that is easily replaceable. Yeesh!!!

Finished Product

Just in case you were wondering about the paintbrush prowess of my 3 year old. ::grin::

For full disclosure's sake, I painted the handprints. But Poodle was the artist-in-residence for the ornaments.

This was what I signed up for.

Okay, see, Jmk and I started buying a meaningful ornament for ourselves starting with our first Christmas together. These days, getting to Hallmark together is more of a job than fun, and shopping online for the ornament just doesn't have the same feel to it. Sooooo, the kids and I just made up a batch of ornament dough, cut them out into fun shapes, and I'll let Poodle go crazy with the paint for the "special" tree ornament! We'll just write the date on the back. Who needs Hallmark? (And all the extra ones are likely to find themselves serving as gift tags).

We even did handprints of both Tooter and Poodle. heehee.... THIS is the kind of thing I signed up for in my mind when I thought about being a SAHM during the Christmas season. This was so fun!

Thus, for all parents so inclined - here's the recipe I used. But I think you should Google "ornament dough" and find a recipe that calls for a 2 to 1 flour to salt recipe. Mine needed extra water, and it didn't specify an oven temperature. (I think 300 degrees is probably best. I tried 200 and 250, and I don't think that was quite hot enough).

Overall, it's easy breezy - go have FUN!!!

Pancakes are Pink.

Way back when, I made pink pancakes for Poodle's bday.... her 2nd I think. Since then, we only have pink pancakes. And, we have pink pancakes OFTEN. Not a big deal. Except that Tooter has seen nothing BUT pink pancakes. And he quite enjoys his pink pancakes these days.

I wonder what he's going to think when he sees a real pancake. The poor thing has no idea that pancakes are not technically supposed to BE pink.

I need to go get some camo on the boy. Yeesh.

Website Update

Can you even believe that I already have November's pictures uploaded? Shocking, but true! See the top of the blog for the website address.

Military Hero - another side

I actually caught this very story on t.v. when I was flipping channels one day. (It was a news commentator that I never watch, but the picture is what made me stop flipping). I wanted to share it with everyone, but didn't have a good link to do so until my cousin, Bryan, sent these to me:

Snopes link
Military link

Such a beautiful story of the GOOD work that our faithful military is doing!!!

I want that oven.

Picture the scene:
Christmas decorations are not finished.
House is definitely not clean.
Laundry is nowhere close to complete.
Still in pj’s at 8:30am, even though I’ve been up with the kids since 6:30am.

As you can see, I certainly didn’t NEED to be watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Poodle. But, Toot was taking his nap, and she asked so sweetly, and quite frankly – sometimes all that other stuff can just wait.

So, there I am watching a thought provoking ::cough:: little diddy about Minnie’s surprise birthday party while cuddling with Poodle on the couch.

They put the cake batter (made from just eggs, milk, and flour mind you) into a single 9” round baking pan and put it into the clubhouse oven. And in 15 minutes they pull out a perfectly complete 3 layer cake, beautifully iced, already lovingly placed on a delightful serving platter.

Uh HUH.

Do you think that model comes in stainless?

Fun with Christmas catalogs

This year we have been particularly inundated with obscure catalogs - companies have been spending quite a few bucks buying mailing lists, it seems. We received one yesterday from Herrington, I think it was. It's essentially a gift catalog. Anyway, as I was breezing thru it, something caught my eye. The product isn't the funny thing - the name of it is brilliant! Had to share.....

(You may need to click on the picture to be able to see its name).

You want to eat what?

Our dear Tooter, practically overnight, decided that he no longer required the services of baby food, leaving us with a freezer full of homemade eats for him. That, however, isn’t really the issue. The issue at hand is the fact that his diet for the past couple of weeks has consisted of goldfish crackers, peeled apple slices, and milk. Ahthat’s it. I mean, he won’t even eat yogurt – his favorite food from not too long ago. But, Jmk and I have done our duty and continued to offer foods over and over again, hoping something will stick with him. Well, yesterday, something did.

He decided he would eat green peas!

Frozen.

MmHmmm.

Directly from the freezer. As in no heat added AT all, thank you very much.

::shrug::

Hey – whatever works. About 14 years from now, Lord willing, we probably won’t be able to keep enough food in the house for him.

Wednesday morning update: he actually put a few bites of scrambled eggs into his mouth! Woohoooo! At least he’ll eat those cooked.

Website Update

You know the drill. Website address explained up there at the top of the page. October pictures are finally posted!

Pic from Thanksgiving

Not sure who actually took this one, but Steph just sent it to me. That's Poodle with cousin Robert, the handsome groom-to-be!!!

By the way, we apparently have some extra Prissy around the house now, if anyone needs some. ::wink::

Check Ups and Updates

We sort of disappeared last week from the Blog world! It was a busy one. Jmk's dad, PopPop, went into the hospital on Tuesday for heart issues (he had a heart attack, well - 2 actually, 10 years ago), and just got released yesterday. (Yay for being back at home!) I don't know how much he would like for me to be sharing online, so we'll just say that while everything isn't "fixed", he was well enough to go home, and praise the Lord for that! We love you PopPop!

Tuesday night, the stars aligned properly, and all of my siblings were under one roof for about 2 hours. (obviously, that doesn't happen very often). Everyone was over at our house for a brief time. L was down from Nashville, and D came over from Birmingham, so we gathered! Jmk had been up with PopPop during the day, but SueSue spelled him and he came home to the craziness of my family. Good man.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We left Thursday morning for Gulfport, and spent the day with Jmk's aunt and that side of the family. (Came home Thursday evening). It was wonderful, and Aunt J's house looked amazing. It is extraordinary how much she and DB have been able to accomplish since Katrina. I mean, if you didn't know that she had done some interior updating, you'd never know that flood waters gutted their home.

I had wanted to tour the Coastline a bit while I was there, but didn't get a chance with all the baby chasing and food eating that we did. However, we took the long way to J's house and drove down Hwy 90 from 49 to Courthouse Road.

All I can say is wow. First thing that got me was not being able to tell where I was. I think I was expecting complete desolation or something, but it wasn't quite like that. It amazed us how many of those big beautiful live oaks were still standing. But, see, that's all that was there. The big houses were all, just, gone. The large home where I learned to ballroom dance - gone. Chimney's (the new one) - gone. Just not there anymore. I couldn't tell where I was. When we were coming up on the Courthouse road intersection, I told Jmk that I thought this was where we turned left, but I wasn't sure until we got up on the road sign. Because all of my visual landmarks were just not there.
It was weird.

What struck me is how tired everything seemed to feel. Not tired in a "everything looks run down" sort of way. Because I saw some brand new gorgeous homes already erected. But the spirit down there just seemed in dire need of some rest. You can imagine.
I was sort of disturbed by the time I got to J's house, and that was from the tiny little bit that I had seen. I can only imagine what has been in the hearts of those who live there and are working to literally rebuild not just homes but an entire feeling and state of mind.

I lived in Gulfport for a couple of years after college, and it IS true that Mississippi is a different state below I-10. In a good way - don't misunderstand. So, working to rebuild that coastal state of mind is going to be an ongoing thing. I know it will return, though. As long as the coastline doesn't turn into one big casino. If THAT happens, then things really will feel different.

ANYway..... so, we are back to "normal" life now. Jmk is back at work. (Took most of last week off). Tooter has the sniffles again. Came down with those on Friday evening. We're all in the "get back into it" mode.

The kids both had checkups this morning. Poodle had her 3 YO checkup, and Tooter had his 1 YO checkup, with shots. They both are looking good and are right on track with height and weight and all that. Toot weighed in at 24 1/2 lbs. It's a good thing he's walking! Still, though, he's following the normal curve for babies. Not that they all weigh this much at this age. lol...... but, his weight IS slowing down as it does when babies aren't nursing as much and are graduating to table foods and are more mobile.

Poodle got to teetee in a cup for the first time, and in her words, "that was fun!" ::grin:: Here's hoping she doesn't think she "ought" to do that now she's at home.

We got some other meds suggestions for Toot's eczema, but as usual, the doctor just said to stay on top of it, and try anything that we think might help. Eczema is notoriously fickle from person to person, and what works for one doesn't necessarily help another.

And, just in case anyone actually remembers that I said 3 months ago that I wanted to lose 5 lbs by this visit.... well, I did. Hold on - don't think I did anything good. Between the stomach virus a couple of weeks ago, and a couple of other things that affected my weight, I did lose the weight. BUT, I didn't actually do anything to make that happen. So, I'm not exactly proud. Now, what WOULD be good is if I can lose another 5 lbs "for real" before his next checkup, which is in another 3 months. And this time, I need to do it by actually starting to exercise! Riiiiight after I get finished with the leftover pecan pie that my mom made. ::ahem::

Wow. This turned into quite the long post! If you have actually made it this far, I am extremely impressed!!! Thanks so much for checking in with us. Keep PopPop in your prayers, and don't let those tangled Christmas lights get to you this year. Love to all!

Happy Thanksgiving to All

From the Old School Hymnal, #10, song #156

Come, Ye Thankful People

Come, ye thankful people, come

Raise the song of harvest-home:

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin;

God, our Maker, doth provide

For our wants to be supplied:

Come to God's own temple, come,

Raise the song of harvest-home.

All the world is God's own field,

Fruit unto His praise to yield;

Wheat and tares together sown,

Unto joy or sorrow grown;

First the blade and then the ear,

Then the full corn shall appear:

Lord of harvest, grant that we

Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,

And shall take His harvest home,

From His field shall in that day

All offenses purge away;

Give His angels charge at last

In the fire the tares to cast;

But the fruitful ears to store

In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord quickly come

To Thy final harvest-home;

Gather Thou Thy people in,

Free from sorrow, free from sin;

There, forever purified,

In Thy presence to abide:

Come, with all Thine angels, come,

Raise the glorious harvest-home!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KDBOO!

I hope you have a wonderful day today!!! The Zoo loves you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOTER!!!

To our precious, darling one year old Tooter Pooter!!! You are the belly laugh we work to hear and the smile we tickle to get. You are a blessing that we don't deserve but for which we are daily grateful. God was so good to us with not just your sister, but with you also. We love you so much, you precious, sweet little boy!!!

And, for everyone else, Tooter has said his first word! We were getting in the van after church yesterday, and as I'm buckling him into his seat, (we had already turned him around to face forward), he points right at Jmk and says "Dahdee".

At which point, Jmk steps away from the van, and does the "I'm the King of the World" pose. To which he gets a "yeah, yeah, yeah" from me. ::grin::

We had his first of 3 mini-parties yesterday. (He's having 3 small ones with various groups of family. I felt bad about planning one big affair this close to all the Thanksgiving gatherings, so we're working in several little parties as we are gathering anyway for the holiday. We'll have LOTS of cake smashing photos to share!)


Tooter - we love you so much. You're our groovy boy, and you never fail to make our hearts and faces smile!

A Cow WHAT?

A little history lesson..... waaaaay back in Junior High and High School, I engaged in the very serious business ::ahem:: of being a cheerleader. Did it for 6 full years. Graduated from HS as captain of the Varsity squad. And, in that time, we spent time selling a variety of things to help offset the cost of the various and sundry things that went along with being a cheerleader. Uniforms, shoes, camp costs, paper/paint supplies, and on and on. I have been responsible for selling a variety of things - the ones I can remember at the moment are sunscreen, sunglasses, candy, balloons, and spirit ribbons. (I know there were other things, but really, this was a LONG time ago). However, we didn't have the expenses or needs that a regular athletic team has.

So, when a couple of members of the girls' softball team from our local high school showed up at my front door last night, I was more than happy to buy a raffle ticket from them.

So, can you even begin to imagine what this raffle is for?

It is for their 3rd annual Cow Dump.

::cough::

For those who have heard of this prestigious fundrasier, carry on with your day! For those of you who have said, probably out loud, "cow what?", as I did last night, let me explain. At a Cow Dump, the team will lay out a grid on their playing field with a certain amount of numbered squares. Then, they will let a cow loose on the field.

For those who have started laughing, now YOU can carry on with your day. For the rest of you who are trying very hard not to have this crazy mental image, stay with me.

After letting the cow loose, they wait for the cow to.... well.... fertilize the field. And the person who holds the numbered ticket that corresponds to the... ah..... THE square wins $1000.

No, no - I'm not kidding. And, yes, I still bought the ticket anyway.

It's certainly a, um, creative fundraiser! Oh, who am I kidding. This is 12 year old boy'ish gross, but it's funny. Come on - deep down you know you want to laugh!

Only in the Deep South, honey. Only in the South.
And I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

This is Insane.

~You gotta see this. But my apologies for any eewwww links that show up after it's thru playing.

Valetudinarian

Mmmhmmm, yep - I had to look it up too. Queen at The Beehive clued everyone into this cool deal, and because I have never read Emma, I thought I'd jump on it to have some Jane Austen in the house. They came in last Thursday. Lovely books!

But I'm barely into the first chapter, and I'm having to consult my dictionary already.

Although, truth be told, it's really a cool word. I'm going to have to find a reason to use it soon.

Thank You

To our veterans, to their families, to those who are currently serving. To everyone who has ever been involved in securing and insuring peace for this country. Our military and their families are one of God's amazing blessings to this great U.S.A.

From a grateful heart, with true appreciation for all the sacrifices. So many of which the rest of us will never know or understand.

You are loved!

The Stomach Virus Hitteth.

And hitteth hard! Poodle woke up from her nap around 2:15 on Wednesday, started throwing up, and continued every 10-15 minutes until about 9:30 that night. It took the phenergan a while to kick in. It hit me by 6'ish, and hit Jmk by 11'ish. I have no idea how Chunk managed to miss it, but praise the Lord, he did. His eczema is acting up, but that could be nothing more than I didn't have the energy to give him the skin care that he requires the past couple of days.

Wow, WE were a deathly looking bunch yesterday. Just miserable. Poor Tooter was as confused as he could be because of how pitiful everyone was. He was quite whiney by the end of the day.

BUT, thankfully, we're all on the way to feeling better today. Still a bit shaky, and all that. But the effects of the virus - you know what I mean - are under control. Yay for that! This thing is a stinker. If you happen to catch it, and I hope you don't, then just plan on writing off a couple of days, at minimum.

Yesterday morning, I looked around the pantry and realized that we had no jello at all. So, what does this strong-willed mother of two do in this situation? Make a quick trip to the store to get Jello for me and my ailing family? Noooooo......... I call MY mom! But she doesn't just bring us some jello from her house. No, she goes to the store and brings us jello (box and pre-made), goldfish and saltine crackers, sprite, yogurt, chicken and stars soup, and even frozen blueberry pancakes for when everyone is feeling better. This was while she was in the middle of making my dad's salad for lunch, getting the morning stuff done for Granny, and getting ready for work herself.

Thank you so much Mom!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOOMOO!!!

You are due a most wonderful day today!!! To such a beautiful woman and friend and sister in Christ.... I hope your day today gives you a chance to feel as special as you are! You've always given so much to so many - there are times I wonder how you juggled the "everything" that went along with four kids. Especially now that I'm beginning to see JUST how busy things will always be as a mom myself. But, then I realize that the great love that you always had for us just pushed you forward, and for that love, I am so grateful!!!

You are a dear soul and a beautiful person, and everyone at the Zoo hopes you have JUST that kind of birthday today!!!

We love you so much!

To Tooter....From Papaw

Papaw was Jmk's beloved grandfather - SueSue's dad. He went home to the Lord over 20 years ago. But when Jmk was born, Papaw went and bought these overalls for his first grandchild. Over 30 years later, I think Papaw would have been glad to know that his first great grandson is wearing them also.

My precious boy, your baby blues aren't the only wonderful thing you've inherited from your Daddy.

And for the finale.....
"I'M LIVING IN A VAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER....."

Wiped any Cries lately?

Last night at supper, Poodle bit her tongue, pretty hard. And, subsequently, her baby blues welled up, and she let us know all about her discomfort.

After she calmed down and was ready to continue eating, she took her napkin and started to dry her teary eyes and cheeks and told us:

"Hold on - I have to get my cries off first, and then I can eat."

Walky Baby

I know I said that Chunk would be walking by Thanksgiving, but he's a little ahead of schedule. He still "drops into 4 wheel drive" as Jmk says, when he needs to get somewhere quickly, but he'll pull up and walk first before trying to crawl now. And this morning, he walked from the living room back to our bathroom while looking for me. So, we'll call him upright and mobile.

Although, it IS the incredibly cute sort of non-bended knee bouncy baby walk that precedes the more sure footed locomotion. So, he's not completely uncatchable. I love seeing his progression, but I can see the little baby slipping away!

In other news, John Kerry is a complete and utter twit. I'd like to cordially invite him to come down South, and say the same thing in between the 1st and 2nd quarters of the MSU/Alabama game. The subsequent reaction THERE ought to cause a re-engangement of his obviously defective brain to mouth filter.
There isn't enough education in the world to take the contemptible out of some people.

Feh.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!!

Or, should I say Happy BOOOthday?!?

lol...... I know. Don't give up my day job.

You are an absolute gem and truly one of THE sweetest people that I know. What a blessing to have you as a sister! We love you honey - have a wonderful birthday today!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBERT!!!

To a most wonderful brother AND friend. (And diving buddy!) And to a most excellent Uncle.

And to the fabulous to-be-father of my future niece or nephew!

We love you so much - have a GREAT day, despite the Monday'ness of it all!!!

Ammendment #1

Well - I just talked to my mom. I don't want to misrepresent anything, so I feel like I ought to add an ammendment to my last post! We don't go to evening services right now because the kids have such an early bedtime, and they aren't good about sleeping in church, so an evening church service tends to make them extremely unruly the next day. We'll be able to enjoy evening services before too much longer!

However, because we weren't there, we missed the actual very last service in the old church building last night. And, from what I just heard, it WAS very emotional and sentimental. And probably very, very beautiful and memorable. I most certainly don't want to make light of any aches in anyone's heart!

I just know that as long as the body is together, then joy and fellowship will be together always. And, truly, that's what will give the new places that same old comfortable and reliable feeling.

And the Holy Spirit will give us the same all-encompassing joy in worship in the new places. We could meet in a pup tent, and the Spirit would fill us with joy. The comfort level, of course, would probably be seriously lacking. ::ahem::

I just wish I could hug everyone who had tears in their eyes last night!!!

***For all of those who don't know, we have a small, close-knit, PB church, and we do everything together. Worship, teaching, singing - everything. We even have "family pews" - no church daycare even. So, a move like this is a bit like moving a regular family.***

But, y'all, it's going to be wonderful! And we'll all still be together!!!

Time Change Church Change

I never really cared that much about the time change before kids.... now? - don't get me started on the subject! Why in the world do we fool with changing the time nowadays??? It serves no purpose and it messes up the kids' schedules SO badly.
(And I don't appreciate having kids stirring at 5:45 in the morning because their little bodies think it's 6:45).

We had our last meeting at our old church building yesterday!!! It was sort of sentimental (I was baptised and married in that building), but I think most folks are just so glad to not have to drive that far to go to church, that I don't think I really saw any tears. I know I was more excited than sentimental. It was a strange combo of feelings.
We'll be renting for a few months while our new building gets finished, and we are going to have some nice temporary digs!
The cool thing for me - for the first time in my life, getting to church will take 15 minutes or less.
We explained things to Poodle, and I think she mostly gets it. But I know that when she gets into the "borrowed" building and then again into the new building and sees all the people that she recognizes, then she'll know that she's at her church.

And isn't that what the Church is anyway? The people? ::smile::

Who Doesn't?

Seriously, who doesn't like Chicken Noodle Soup? I mean, it's not my favorite thing to come out of a can, but, still - when I'm sickly, it has a comfort factor to it that is nice. Especially when it is served with lots of "oh, poor baby" and "here, this will make you feel better".

Both kids are under the weather...... Chunk is full on sick, with a decent cold, and Poodle is starting to get a runny nose now. (Although, if you ask her, she feels "goot").

So, I figure - give her some chicken noodle soup for lunch. Preventative medicine, or whatever. (I know it doesn't actually work that way, but I did anyway).

Y'all - she does NOT like CNS. I tried! And, I'll try again. But this girl does NOT like it. Weird, huh?

When Coats Don't Vote

In this election season, I thought it would be fitting (get it - post about coats?) ::cough:: to show what happens when coats just laze about in a coat closet off of the kitchen. When they think that it is not necessary to cast their vote about what they want to have happen in their own closet.

These coats seem blissfully unaware of the impending changes ahead, don't they?

Yep. Don't vote, and your closet will get turned into a pantry. And it will happen in a single day, too.

Btw, honey, I LOVE the pantry. Thank you so much for doing that for us. And, yes, we probably should have done this when you first mentioned it waaaaay back when we moved in. I'm not saying that you were right and I was wrong, though. ::clearing throat::

heeeheee!

But I love you!

Or something like that

Have you ever made up words to a song, just because you felt like it? Or, maybe, you couldn't remember the exact words, so you just sort of filled in with whatever came to mind first?

Poodle most certainly decided to do just this very thing the other day. Jmk had just gotten home from work, and we were sitting on the floor playing with both the kids. Poodle breaks out in song, with an Etta James'esque delivery, and gives us this new (and not exactly improved!) version of Jesus Loves Me.

Sing with us everyone! (and please, for the full experience, sing really loudly)

JESUS LOVES ME
HIM'S TELL ME WHAT TO DO
WE'RE GONNA BE HAPPPY
HE TELLS ME SO.........

Thank you, thank you ladies and gentlemen, thank you. She'll be here all week. Try the veal! Goodnight everybody!

Website Update

The Website has been updated with the latest picture link! For September. If my calculations are correct, then you'll probably be getting October's pictures sometime around mid December. ::ahem::
The address is the and our last name with an "s" dot com.

Thanks for visiting!

Um, yep, that about covers it.

We have this book of Bible stories that Poodle love love loved when she was little. It isn't really geared towards little children, because there aren't a lot of pictures, and no color on the pages. But, what she liked was for us to read to her as she was being rocked to sleep. Gosh, she was probably somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 before this book wasn't a necessity at night.

So, anyway, I've started reading the stories at night to Tooter when I'm putting him down. And even though she hasn't asked for her "stories" in awhile, Poodle saw the book in Toot's room and asked about it. I told her that I was reading the stories to him at night, and he was so glad that she was sharing her book with him.

She thought about that for a bit, and then she opened the book and said "I'm going to read the stories to him. Sit there Tooter."
"Okay. God loves you. And you need to be nice to people. Okay. That's all".

:-)
Yes, my darling girl, that's a good summary.

Potty Talk

Poodle was remarkably unconcerned with the potty when she was little. Don't get me wrong - I rarely went to the ladies' room unaccompanied. But the results of said action weren't interesting to her. We never had to childproof any toilets, and never worried about things being flushed into oblivion.

Well.......
lol........

Not so with Tooter. I discovered yesterday how very much interested he IS going to be. He didn't manage to get a hold of anything, thank goodness. But we're gonna have to keep an eye on this one!

What A Friend

Friends. Blessings from God, and important to our hearts. Friends are like the contents of a library. Better to have a few really good books, then shelves full of nonsense and tripe. At some point, we all may have picked up an acquaintence who would be prone to sending a drive-by email on some random Monday, meant to kick you in the shins. (yikes!)
However for any of the above one might acquire during his or her life, I hope you all have twice the number of the type of friend who did this Good Thing for me a couple of days ago.

I was having a Day. One of Those Days. You KNOW what I mean, yes? I sent a quick vent-my-frustration note to Patty who is a seasoned veteran in the SAHM Army, and who is brilliantly sympathetic. That late afternoon, as I was carting my toddler and baby off to KayRoger for some can't-wait items, she calls me on my cell phone. Why? Just so I could hear HER littlest one crying, complaining, and fussing loudly in the background. Can you think of a better way to tell someone "I understand your frustration, and I'm walking the walk with you!" ?

Thank you for that Patty - you couldn't have "said" it better!!!

Plumber Bill

Yay!!! At least that wasn't too bad. Just under $115. It was the connection of the copper piping out of the house to the PVC piping that goes to the meter. Whew. The only part of the yard that will have to be fixed is the bed right next to the house. Beauty!

Although they did recommend that we move the Japenese Magnolia that is planted right on top of the water and sewer lines in the front yard. Especially now while it is still small. I'll have to see what Jmk says about that. We didn't plant it, so we don't have a huge attachment to its current location.

Anyway, praise the Lord that the plumber's bill wasn't any worse!!! They were in and out of here in an hour. I won't know about the water bill for another month, since that gets billed in arrears. ::gulp::

Oh horrors.

We have a leak somewhere between the water meter and our house. More on that later.

As an unrelated aside, Poodle had her first bad dream last night. Well, not her first one. I know she's had some before. But this was her first one that she was able to explain to us. You know what made her wake up crying? She dreamed that Custard had run away. Awwwwww!!!!

Okay, back to the oh, horrors. There is some leak somewhere between the meter and the house. Thus, it's "our problem" as the water department was SO kind to explain. (I wanted to snip back that I realized that and that wasn't the reason I was calling, but I didn't. I stayed calm). It probably leaked for at least 2 days before it was caught. UGH.

At this point, we have NO idea how it happened. Don't even know where the actual leak is. Honestly, I don't know that we'll ever know what happened. Maybe the plumber guys will be able to make some reasonable guesses. Who knows.

I don't want to even think about the water bill we're going to have, much less the repair bill. Jmk called Kevin, and he'll be sending some of his crew out today.... they should actually be here sometime this morning. So, it's nice that we had someone to call first thing on a Monday morning. But they're definitely not going to be coming out here for free.

sigh.......

Good grief. We'll most likely have to add the cost of repairing the yard to the water bill and the repair bill. Depending on where the leak is.

Don't want to think about what all this is going to cost, but it's ALL I can think about right now! Yeesh!

It Is Finished. What a beautiful sound.

We're Finished!!!

Jmk and I have finally completed reading the Bible from cover to cover. For the first time ever.

I know this may take some by surprise. A lot of y'all know our parents and our upbringing, and it would follow that we would have already read the Scriptures by now. And, we have certainly read them. Just not every word. And, it is something that we were neither proud of nor easily admitted. Despite having diligent parents, preachers, and teachers, we just had never done what we needed to do.

But, after starting a “Read the Bible in a Year” schedule, we are grateful to be able to say that we have read God’s Word, every word of it. It’s a cause for celebration!!!

We started this schedule around the 1^st of September last year. (wait for it……. There it is.) Despite our best intentions and efforts, it still took us a bit over a year. Katrina clean up contributed somewhat, but mostly, having a baby 2 ½ months after starting led to most of the delays. Like Jmk had to remind me many times, we weren’t in a race. We were just trying to finish.

And, OH, what a blessing it has been to complete this task!!!

Reading in this manner has a drawback in that in order to accomplish the day’s reading, one can’t always dwell on certain chapters or even verses that desire further meditation. However, being forced to push on through gets the words read.

And, the benefits have been so wonderful!

From my perspective (and maybe Jmk will post his thoughts later), I am acutely aware, more than ever, of how much I do NOT know about the Bible. Of how important true study of the Word is.

I’m so much more aware of how great of a sinner I am. Salvation by Grace is the sweetest sound to such a sinner as I.

The Old Testament isn’t actually full of “begats”. And learning to read the language in the KJV isn’t impossible. It just takes some familiarity.

Most importantly, I think Jmk and I both now have a springboard to go back and start true study of the Scriptures. For me, starting with the Pauline writings, I had to plum give up on reading the notes in order to get finished. (There were notes on just about every verse!) So, I think he and I both are going to enjoy being able to go back and read slowly and methodically. Reading the notes. Reading the cross-references. Contemplating what we have read. Talking about what we’ve read. Without a schedule nagging us to hurry up. With prayer that the Lord will bless our efforts.

We both feel that by doing what we were supposed to do anyway, we have been brought closer to the One who asked this of us.

If any of this sounds like bragging, then please forgive me. That is the farthest thing from what I intend. My only reason for posting this is to encourage anyone who might be rowing the same boat we were in to try doing what we did. Hopefully, you’ve all read from Genesis to Revelation. But, in case you haven’t, believe me when I say that the effort you put forth will be so very blessed. And you will be thoroughly happy that you have done this good thing.

Here is a good link to help you get started:

BibleGateway's Bible In a Year

It’s not actually the one we used, but I think I like this one better anyway.

God’s Word is so full of the encouragement and guidance and admonition and comfort that we need on a daily basis. You will be so very glad you read it all.

Praise HIM! Who was, is, and forever more shall be!

Time Marches On

6:30 yesterday morning.
6:00 this morning.

Wow.

First, let me explain that Jmk and I unknowingly started practicing "attachment parenting" when Poodle was a baby. It's not something we set out to do. It's something that we fell into by way of trying to survive a "high needs" baby as first time parents. It worked for us - that's all that matters. So, having Poodle sleep with us at night became normal, and didn't bother us. She'd start out the night in her crib, and when she needed to be with us, we'd bring her in our room. Later, when she was sleeping in a big girl bed, she was able to bring herself in our room whenever she wanted. (And, we found that she wasn't as in a hurry to do that, since she could do it whenever she wanted. Shocker).

These past couple of weeks, we've noticed hearing the pitter patter of little feet later and later at night/early morning. Then, yesterday, she didn't show up until 6:30am. And this morning, she didn't show up until 6:00am. And she wasn't coming in our room to go back to sleep. She came in because she was UP for the day, (the kids rarely ever sleep past 7am), and wanted to come in for our morning snuggle session. (Jmk leaves early in the morning, usually, and the kids and I stay in bed for 20-30 minutes and just snuggle after everyone wakes up. It's nice. I take full advantage of my opportunity to be a snuggle hog).
Anyway, there you have it. We fussed over her for sleeping all night long in her own bed, and she was so proud of herself. And we're so proud of her!

And you know what else?

I miss her!

I do. I miss her. I miss her smell at night, and I miss having everyone within arms reach during the night. Isn't that crazy? I should be jumping up and down for joy that we are finally on the actual path to one of the kids being able to sleep on their own, for real. But, mostly, I miss her.

I suppose it's because I know that every milestone such as this takes babyhood farther away. That wonderful time where Mommy's kisses can heal booboo's and the world is still an innocent place. She's 3. This is normal.... kids are more biologically ready to be alone all night and are more interested in trying to be in their own bed all night.

But that doesn't mean that I can't get a little verklempt when I think about it.
::smile::

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Happy Birthday to my darling Jmk!!!

You are such a devoted husband and a beloved father. You are the smile on our faces at the end of the day. We are so blessed to have you as the head of our home and the strength of our hearts.

Thank you for being so giving and loving and for being the epitome of dependability. Thank you for for being YOU!

Your day can’t possibly be as wonderful as you are, but I hope it’s at least close. We love you so much, and would be lost without you. You’re the best Scooper Daddy in the world!!!

Wiggly Wiggly

What's wigglier than a 10 week old yellow lab puppy? A 10 month old baby boy getting his nose wiped. Wow - Tooter does NOT care for the nose wiping. I'm sure Poodle didn't love it either, but I don't remember her being SO opposed to the idea. Praise the Lord, neither one of them has to go thru it very often.

We're all doing better - Poodle is even going to go to church today. MooMoo and GaGa are going to come pick her up, so I'm glad that she is feeling up for that. Of course, she IS a little energizer bunny, even when she is on the well side of a cold.

Blugh. I always feel so bad when I can't get to church. I know it's the best thing for both Tooter and for Jmk and myself, but still. I guess we've got to get completely over this junk before we get exposed to any new junk. Most especially Tooter. He needs to get this first cold thru and out of his system completely. Poor thing. Watching him figure out how to eat, drink, and nurse while breathing out of his mouth and not his nose is sort of pitiful. It will be funny when I know he's feeling much better.

Anyway, here's hoping that this takes care of our needing to have a winter cold. Blugh again.

Beware All Ye Who Enter Here

Break out the wooden placard, and post the Quarantined sign. Drape the windows with sheets to warn all who might come near. The Zoo home has been infected!

Okay, so it's not THAT bad.

But both kids are sick, and now Jmk and I are both starting to feel a little blech.

It's not a big deal. Just one of those dumb cold viruses, exacerbated by allergies, that isn't a major deal but will still make one feel like junk. I think Poodle probably picked it up from a munchkin she was playing with at Chick-fil-A on Friday. And, of course, it goes from her to Tooter, and on to us. Although, we're hoping to be able to fight most of it off. Tooter has it the worst. This is his first major cold to fight, so he's all a mess.
Poodle pretty much finished almost 2 liters of o.j. by herself over a two day period, so she is overflowing with good vitamin c and is doing fairly well. But she's pretty grumpy. (Translation: testing every boundary she has).

I, however, am beat. (b-o-o-h-o-o). Tooter "hasn't slept well" the past two nights. (Translation: he woke up every 30 minutes night before last crying because he felt bad and couldn't breathe thru his nose. Last night, it was still every 30 minutes, but at least he wasn't crying every time). And, of course, he isn't napping well at all. And isn't too thrilled with the idea of my setting him down. And, since I can't do much while trying to balance a squirmy 23 lb fussmonster, the household affairs have just about come to a standstill.

Again, b-o-o-h-o-o. Believe me, I know that we could have problems that are SO much worse.

But the grumpy house makes for a pooped mommy.

This really isn't a big news post. I just wanted to vent a bit. My sick ones are calling again. Loudly.
*smile*

The Party and The Princess

Everything was just wonderful for Poodle's 3rd Birthday!

First, she spent most of her actual birthday as a princess......

SueSue and PopPop and the puppies called her first to wish her happy birthday. And about 30 minutes later, Aunt Amy called! Then, later, we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch and played with MooMoo and GaGa. Daddy came home early from work so that she could get......

.......her big birthday present!

Yep, she's a bike rider now! We skipped the whole tricycle thing, since these cute little bikes with training wheels are available. She's doing great on it! Still trying to get the hang of how pedals work, but she just about has it down. Steering will come next, I'm sure. *grin*




And then the day after her real birthday, we had her party!

Tons of family were there, and everyone was SO good to her. Quite frankly, she was overwhelmed. After everyone left, she took my hand and led me into the living room. She looked at all the wonderful gifts and started to show me some of the things she received. I think that's when it finally started to hit home that these things were actually hers. Thank you so much to everyone for coming and helping her have so much fun. And thank you for taking the time to give the little princess such wonderful gifts!!!


Chunk, however, is having other thoughts........ "Hmmmm", thinks Chunk. "If she has a bike now, that must mean......"

"Yes!!! I get the car!"

We love you all so much for loving our children and being such a big part of their lives. Thank you for giving of yourselves and your time and your gifts. Jmk and I are so grateful to be blessed with the best family (and friends!) in the world!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!

Because today, you ARE a princess, my darling daughter. Three years ago, you came into our lives and changed the whole world for your daddy and me. We have learned a love that is all encompassing. A love that makes us even pray for our own safety so that we may always be here for you. A love that was given to us by our Heavenly Father.

The Lord blessed us when He gave us YOU. He gave us the precious gift of a beautiful daughter. All the praise is HIS that we can celebrate this day.

But all the celebration is yours, our Monkey Poodle Princess! The day is yours, and we will look for Nori, we will play at CFA, we will eat pink cake with pink icing, we will watch whatever movie you want to watch, all day long. You can wear your tiara that you made with Mommy for the rest of the day if you want. And if you want to take a nap in your princess dress, that's okay with me too.

Mommy will not worry about laundry or email or anything that will keep me from playing with you today. You may be excited to be three, but I get a poignant reminder of how blessed your daddy and I are. And our hearts are full. With love for YOU!

Small step for baby....

Giant Step for Babies-Who-Want-To-Get-Into-Their-Sister's-Things

Tooter has taken his first steps! To be honest, I think Jmk and I both would say that he did some steppin' 2 days ago. But, I'm going to call it official today. Got it on video for Jmk when he gets home. You should have seen his face!!! I would let go of him, pat the couch, and tell him to go for the couch. He'd grin, let out a little "heh", and then teeter forward a step or two. He's a groovy kid.

Y'all have to know that I really wasn't in a hurry for this, as you can imagine. BUT, I also could tell that he was ready for it, and wanted a bit of encouragement. Thus, I helped him out with the whole "go for the couch" thing.

I figure he'll be full on mobile by Thanksgiving. But, we'll see. It is insane that that this much time has passed this quickly. whew. Monkey walked this fast - actually she was walking by 10 months. So, it's not as though I wasn't sort of expecting it. It's just hard to see my baby leaving babyhood behind.

blech.

Jmk and I were looking at pictures from Poodle's 1st birthday party yesterday, and we were a bit overcome at how... well - little and full of baby'ness she was. I swear, it's hard to remember them that little. The pictures are wonderful to have. We know that we'll turn around twice and Tooter will be this little boy. Someone who is turning into a little person in his own right.
I just..... just want to... I don't know - have a better memory or something. I want to be able to conjure up the feeling of my babies as babies. Be able to remember every single moment of their childhood.

Might as well wish for wings to fly, huh?

Yikes - I'm getting a *bit* too dramatic. It's just Tooter's 1st steps. My baby's 1st steps. And I'm so proud of him!!!!

Deck - complete; Boy - cruising

The deck is complete! My dear Bob Villa/Weekend Warrior started this project around the first of September, and has already completed it! (It's beautiful, honey. Thank you for your hard work!) We had a very slight decline in elevation from the patio that Jmk wanted to take care of with some wood-buildin', and he did a beautiful job. (Wife bragging is allowed here). The cool curve on the right hand side goes around the goldfish pond. We still have some landscaping to do around the deck, and in the rest of the backyard, for that matter, but having this big project finished is sort of a cool entry into hunting season. (The time of the year when NO big projects shall be started, thank you very much). When you walk on it, or at least when I walk on it, there is a distinct boat launch/ramp feeling. Almost as though you ought to be able to sit down and let your legs dangle into some gently lapping salty water, with Mr. Buffett playing in the background.

I love it, honey!

In other news, Chunk is starting to cruise in earnest now. (For those who don't bother to keep up with baby lingo - and I don't blame you - cruising is comprised of the baby holding onto things as he/she "walks" around). I.e. - Chunk cruises across the floor by holding onto the couch. Make sense? (This is also known as this-is-your-last-warning-now-finish-babyproofing-the-house movement). He is still moving very slowly, but the movement is now in earnest.
Lucky for us, the house is already babyproofed, complete with green crayon on the walls.
(Jmk has to remind me weekly that we don't need to worry about redecorating, repainting, re-anything until the babes are old enough to understand that Mommy's sanity is directly tied to how much milk you spill on the couch and how many times you let the dog in the house with muddy feet).

Another note of interest, at least to me and Jmk, is that Chunk just fell asleep on the dog's pillow in the living room. I have pictures. Will post them in the next day or so. Why is this interesting? Because he just went to sleep. No rocking, nursing, nothin'. Monkeypoodle nehhhhver did that. Chunk never really has either. He's always been better about sleeping in general, but this is a first even for him.


Off the wall question: Any of you ever clean out your fridge of all the things that REALLY need to find their final resting place in your garbage can, and realize that half your fridge is now half empty?
lol.... oh well. At least now I know where all my tupperware is.

The Correct Order of Things

Jmk was putting Poodle to bed the other night, and I had just left Chunk's room from putting him to bed. Poodle saw me, and walked out of her room to give me a "hug and a kiss". There was a Friends rerun on tv, and she happened to catch Ross and Rachel sharing a smooch. She watched that, and turned to Jmk and me and said:

"they're getting married?"
We said "yes, they're getting married".
Then she said "and now they're married".
"Yep, they're married".
Then she says matter of factly, "And they live happily ever after".

**gulp**

And Jmk says to me "And may she never know anything but that".

What a precious thing the innocence of children is!

No, Ross and Rachel were not getting married. But, to her, when two people kiss, they are either getting married or are already married. At least that's what all the princesses do in all her movies! That's what she knows. That's what makes sense to her.

And, oh, the beauty of her understanding is enviable. It makes the Scripture teaching regarding "Faith of a child" make so much sense to me.

Weddings, Whys and Waves

There are a few things I wanted to share today! Y'all will have to suffer me a little parental storytelling here. The Blog is a sort of public journal that is helping me keep up with things for the years to come. First of all - 5 years ago today, Jmk proposed to me! Yes, 9/11 was an impetus for this occurrence. We had already talked about our future, and he had already been diamond shopping. But as we stared at each other the evening of 9/11, after watching the horrifying scenes on television, there was a palpable feeling of "why are we waiting". But it was a feeling to which neither of us gave a voice. And then the evening of 9/12, I agreed to do the smartest thing I've ever done in my whole life. And that was marry my best friend, my soul mate, my answer to prayers.

The Lord was so good to me when he gave me Jmk!

Okay - enough mush. Baby talk now!

Poodle has started playing the Why Game. We spent 15 minutes at supper Sunday night playing this game-of-no-end. It has already created fodder for amusement - specifically for me and Jmk.

"Why did the wolves chase Belle?"
Because they were being mean.
"Why were they being mean?"
Because..... because they didn't eat their breakfast.

Yes. I actually said "because they didn't eat their breakfast". Jmk lost it, and I couldn't keep a straight face at all. Y'all, please understand that this feeble attempt at answering her question came after 15 solid minutes of whys. I was worn down. My brain was turning to jello. My stamina had been depleted. I. was. spent. Thus, wolves became extremely grumpy and unsociable due to poor nutritional habits. It happens.


In Other News:
Chunk can wave bye bye now! Started that yesterday when he waved bye bye to Poodle as we were leaving her room at nap time. Poodle thought it was just SO cool that the first time he waved bye bye was to HER! He just waves that fat little arm and looks at it his hand as though it is about to sprout flowers. It is terribly cute. Poodle never did the wave bye bye thing when she was this little, so I'm having a grand time getting Chunk to do it.
(Of course, she makes up for her delayed bye-bye'ness by insisting on giving everyone a "hug and a kiss" when they get into their car to leave our house!)

I have another story to tell about Poodle (I know - you're just shocked, aren't you?), but I'll save it for tomorrow. Small children are hankerin' to go outside now.

Thanks for checking in!!!

BIG News!!!

There is a baby on the way!!! Nope, not us this time. It's Robert and Jaime! Big surprise. Big blessed surprise. Anticipated arrival on April 7th, or somewhere thereabouts. We are all so incredibly excited and happy for them - and for US too!!! heeheee!
Tax time baby - on the way!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAGA!

Yes - Happy Birthday to my sweet father! The man who for all my life has worked hard and loved his family hard. I have so many favorite memories of my childhood with him, but one that is standing out at the forefront of my mind today is how he used to hug me in the mornings before he left for work. I'd come downstairs for breakfast just before he left for work early in the morning. And he'd hug me, and I'd stay cuddled in his arms for as long as I needed to be hugged. Some mornings I only needed a short one, some mornings I needed a long one. And no matter what, he didn't move until I was "through" getting hugged. I know now how difficult that probably was some mornings. I'm sure there were times that he could barely stand still because of all the things waiting for him at the office that day. But I never knew it. He was there with me 100%. And he still is today - although now it's *my* babies who get most of the hugs. :-) You are the greatest Dad I could have had!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

I'm in love............

Every day when I come home, I fall in love all over again. She meets me at the door and jumps in my arms and squeezes my neck and laughs. We play and play and she helps me cook supper. She reminds me how fun it is to be young. After supper we have bathtime and brush-our-teeth time (with her Barbie toothbrush). We can't leave the bathroom without putting Barbie to bed on her "pillow". We put our night shirt on and brush our hair. We put our many MANY babies to bed and wrap them up in their own blankets (a seemingly endless process, but cute nonetheless). We lay down and we say our prayers. God bless Mommy and Daddy and Tooter. God bless MooMoo and GaGa and Granny. God bless SueSue and PopPop. God bless everyone else she can possibly think of that night. God bless all my family and friends. And God bless me. In Jesus name, Amen. Then we read our night time story. I tell her she's a stinker and she grins and says matter-of-factly, "I know." I sit in the rocking chair and read a little while she watches me or watches the fan or simply drifts off to her own world. Then I close my book and turn off the lamp and lean over and kiss her on the cheek. I whisper in her ear, "I love you babygirl."

......and she tells me, "I love you too Daddy"...........

And One More Thing

The Website has been updated with the link to the latest pictures. It's "the" and our last name with an s dot com. Please bear with me on the website. I'm fiddling with it in an attempt to streamline a few things, and things are a bit cuckoo. Once I have everything down to as few steps as possible, I'll leave it alone! (I'm mostly trying to get a simple site built without using Publisher, which just produces way too big of a "thing" for me to deal with).

love y'all!

Happy New Year!

Yes, for me and Jmk, the day after Labor Day has always meant a new school year. These days, the kids have already been back to school for almost a month already. Course, I think they get OUT earlier than we did. I don't remember exactly.
At any rate, I have that "new year'ish" feeling today. Almost feel like I need to write out some resolutions or something. The main one I have in my mind right now is to lose five pounds before Poodle and Tooter's 3 and 1 year checkups. (I made the grievous error of getting on the scale at Tooter's 9 month check up. ha! What was I thinking? And why do I still weigh so much?) That appt is in November. After Thanksgiving. lol.... nice goal, huh?

Anyway, let's all take a moment to say goodbye to summer and hopefully to the HEAT. Jmk is halfway thru the framing of a new deck/extension of the patio, and we are looking forward to enjoying that with some cooler weather.

Now, on to the really important stuff. Kids' News! **grin** Actually, no major news to report other than a new tooth on Tooter. He is trying to be like his friend J.D. and has finally gotten that 4th bottom tooth in. Ehhhhh - it's on its way in. We're still in the process. Which explains a LOT of the grumpy behavior over the weekend. Thus, we now have 4 on the bottom, and 4 on the top. You know, I'll have to go back and look, but I think Monkey only had 2, maybe 3 teeth at this point. Course, comparing kids is about as valuable as washing your car right before it rains.

So, happy new school year from us old timers who didn't start school until after Labor Day. Kudos to MSU for showing some good promise this past week, and way to go to MooMoo's Ole Miss for looking pretty darn good themselves!

Anyone else feel the need to go to pick up some brand new spiral bound notebooks?