Thank you, 'MAM'!!! (MAM paci's that is...)

And then there were two. Boppy-suckers, that is. O.k., so our dirty little secret is out. Allie still sucks a boppy (only at night, though) ...but now so does Wyatt!!! After months of trying to get him to take one, I finally gave up and threw it in with his toys. He'd occasionally play with it, and maybe chew on it, but never would he suck on one. Well, well, well... someone must have flipped his friggin' switch, because now he takes one like a champ. I mean all of the sudden! I caught him with it in his mouth yesterday and the rest is history! I waited a day to blog about it because we all know how the whole bottle thing turned out, but it seems to be official. He now scoots around with a boppy in his mouth and a blanket in hand. The house has been so quiet... I'm not sure what to make of it.

Here he is with the ever-present camo blanket and the apparent new fall must-have.... a boppy

Anyway, back to Allie. She still sucks her boppy's at night and it proving to be a tough habit to break. I guess I shouldn't complain... it's not as bad it used to be. This picture, along with exhibit B and exhibit C show that we have made drastic improvements. I have just worried about taking them away completely since Wyatt came along. I figure her sucking them for the quick fifteen minutes before she falls asleep isn't so bad.

Anyway... We finally got some rain today. Whenever it rains Allie always begs to go out and play in it. Being that it is summer, there is almost always lightning with the rain, but today there wasn't! I let her go out for awhile and she had a blast!

Here she is twirling her "um-bwa-wa"

Y'all have a great holiday weekend!!

"Queen Teef, Mommy! I have Queen Teef!"

Today Allie had her first trip to the dentist. Me being a photographer and now a blogger... naturally I took my camera. I was hoping to get some interesting shots for the blog... but Allie behaved quite well and did not freak out a bit. Not much to write about... the pictures pretty much tell it all...

Shelly showed Allie how she can squirt water in her mouth...

Checking out the 'baby mirror'...

Checking all the teeth...

a final check with Dr. Dale

No, she's not taking a dump on their mat, although it does look like it.... she's actually showing off her "queen teef"

I couldn't resist adding these of Wyatt. I bought him a cowboy hat on Ebay and of course it is too small for his massive head. Oh well, I guess I'll list it myself and look for another!

Not much else going on... Here's hoping Friday will be more blogworthy!

I'm sorry, but I like my Pampers Cruisers just fine, thanks!

O.k., so did y'all read this craziness on Yahoo news this morning???? I guess I respect them if they are trying to be more environmentally conscious or something, but really people. I'd know I'd sure hate to miss a 'signal' while shopping at Wal-Mart! "Clean up on isle 12!!" What do you all think???

School Days, School Daze...

Well everyone... Allie is back in school! (is that the Hallelujah Chorus I hear?!?!?) She was pretty tired from having to get up early for the first time in ages... but soon the excitement kicked in and she was just fine. I walked her in instead of doing the car pool line so I could try to get a few pictures of her and her classmates.

Here she is... all ready to go!

This is her teacher Mrs. Angie

Waiting in the hall during carpool

Finding their book bag cubbies

This is Allie with Sarah. They have been best friends ever since they 'did time' together in good ole' time out on the first day of school last year. They got in trouble because they snuck out of the gym during recess and went back to the classroom to play. Double Trouble!! The thought of their upcoming teenage years together frightens me...
An attempt at getting the entire class together (notice Allie next to Sam)

Everything seemed to go well. Allie is very eager to go to school and is so excited to be with all of her friends. She got a red sticker on her behavior chart today, which I think is good... but it said 'HOLY MOLY" so I hope that is meant in a positive way.

On Wednesday it is Allie's turn to bring snack for the class, which means she gets to be the 'leader' that day. Translate that in to three year old terms... 'I am the high and mighty, all powerful one who leads to the potty, playground, and music class. I am the first in line and will conquer any who may try to get in front of me!! I brought the highly coveted snack...so WORSHIP ME!!' You laugh, but really... this is a HUGE deal to them. I actually witnessed horns growing from Allie's head and flames shooting from her mouth as she went for the kill last year when Jonathan was first to line up on her 'leader day'. I kid you not! This week, she has selected pretzels, vanilla creme wafers, and HI-C fruit punch juice boxes for the occasion. Nice choice.

And on a side note... if you know anyone looking for a really good kitten please let me know. We have 3 strays that have taken up here and they are precious and soooo good with kids. I'd love to keep one myself, but someone would have no such thing. I really would love to find them loving homes.

Two of the three kittens.. the little black and white one was hiding
This is my favorite kitten. She even posed for a picture! I call her Tailor... comical because as you can see, she has no tail!

Preschool Registration, Dora, and a Date!!!

Well everyone, this week has flown by. It was the last week before school starts for Allie on Monday. (Yea for me!!) Thursday night we went up to the preschool to see her teacher Mrs. Angie. We know her well from church so it was fun go and see her and the classroom. (Oh, and Katie... I totally checked out her teacher's wall for you and it don't hold a candle to yours, girl!) There are eleven kids in her class and she knows all but one well. Lets just say that this class will be a riot to say the least! All of these kids have practically been raised together since birth and they are the best of friends, but not afraid to hold their own either. Plus, all of these kids have personality to the max so there is no telling what they will do and say together. I didn't get too many pics because it was a busy night, but here are just a few...

Allie was working a puzzle until she spotted Sam, one of her little boyfriends...

This is Efrain, Sam, and Georgia

This is Allie's all-time FAVORITE babysitter Kate. She in 9th grade and came to watch the all of the kids while the parents attended a meeting.
Another of Allie and Kate

O.k, so back to the boyfriend thing. Allie has two little boys that she talks about constantly. Bachelor Number One is Sam. He is just precious! I could just eat him up! He was in Allie's class last year and also goes to church with us. Bachelor Number Two is Dane... also very adorable and such a sweetheart! He too goes to church with us. Allie once informed me "Mommy, I don't like Dane... I LOVE Dane!". This is totally apparent in exhibit A and also in exhibit B. I guess only time will tell how this little preschool puppy love saga will play out. Who knows...watch her ditch em' both and go for someone totally different. Again people... we are in for a very interesting year.

Now on to Friday...

I am so excited because I got Dora (my Explorer) back!!

'Reunited and it feeeeeeels so gooooood'

Oooohhh yeah, I totally went there... a little Peaches and Herb for the occasion!! LMAO!! She looks great and the shop did a fan-tabulous job on her repairs. I don't think that I ever mentioned that less than a week after she got hit the first time, she got hit again!! This time it was by a huge riding lawn mower. It left about a foot and a half scratch across the back bumper. Naturally it was on the opposite side of the first accident so she looked like crap from both angles!!! Yeah, I was thrilled about that! Anyhoo... she is fixed and beautiful again. Now everyone needs to kindly stay the frick away from her!

We ended the day with a date! Like, a real date!! Like, with no kids, no 5 trips to the potty, no chopping up food, no eating with one hand and holding a kid in the other, just a nice, quiet, relaxing meal among adults! Can you tell it's been awhile???? We went out to Outback with some of our best friends and had such a great time! It was so nice to have an evening out. Thanks again Dee Dee and Dennis for driving up to watch our crazy kids!

I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

An update on Pam

My sister Pam had her surgery today and it went very well. Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for her. She seems to be doing well, and I just got an e-mail from my brother-in-law with a message form her...

'Hey everybody just wanted to show you my new trophy!!! Surgery went well. It took about an hour and twenty minutes. They completely put me under. The first thing I said when I woke up was, "I dreamed about web sites". :) I'm in a little pain now but I have a very good care-taker at home with me.

By the way, notice the very sophisticated "exercise device" they attached to the cast. It's a rubber band tied to my fingernail with sutures. Nice, huh? The doc who did the surgery is great...I was glad we had him.

Love you all,

Pam--'

Here's the picture I took with my crummy camera phone to send to Pam's phone when she was waking up in the hospital.

For those of you who don't know, she had a freak (very freak) accident earlier this week. She had opened a can of chicken to make chicken salad and when she was cleaning up, she picked up the can to throw it away and the lid was so sharp it immediately sliced through the inside of her little finger. She said it barely bled, but hurt like crazy and when she went to try to bend it she could not. She went to the ER and they gave her 3 stitches, but after two days she still could not move it. She went to a specialist yesterday where it was determined that she had severed both tendons in her finger and they had recessed back towards her hand. The Doctor immediately scheduled surgery for today during his regular lunch hour. She has to stay bandaged for several weeks, and then has to undergo months of therapy. I told you it was freak!! Anyway, she is doing well, and hopes she will be able to get back to her job as web designer soon. Thanks again for all of your prayers!!!

The New, Used Fall Wardrobe...

Well, the sale was a success! I bought all kinds of stuff for the kids, but nowhere close to what I usually buy. I actually got out for about $120 this time which is crazy-low for me. I always come home with way more stuff than I need and toys that I have no place for! This time I knew I was on a strict time schedule so I had to get down to it and get my happy self a place in line.

I found shirts and pants for both Allie and Wyatt, and even a few pairs of brand new shoes. One was a pair of Stride Rite boots that still had the tags attached and I got them for $2.00! Another was a pair of Robeez (which I am totally obsessed with and have way too many of) that looked like they were worn maybe once at most. I got them for $3.00 and they were perfect! I found Allie a new pair of Elefanten Mary Janes that are precious. I think they are pretty well set... just a few things here and there, but over all... not bad for a days work!

Here's a few pics of my finds...

Wyatt's shirts

Wyatt's pants

Allie's shirts

Allie's pants
I also found Allie a doctor's kit and she totally loves it

Oh, and I ran in to Andrea there! Or, I guess I should say she ran in to me. I haven't seen her since her baby shower, so it was so nice to get to see her and her sister! I was so hot and sweaty and looked like total crap, but somehow she got me to take a pic with her. Bloggers... ya know...

So what, you might ask, were the kids doing while I was taking pictures of all the new clothes to stick on this here blog? Well, they were playing nicely together with Allie's dolls. I won't worry about that too much until he's a little older...

O.k., wait a minute... What's wrong with this friggin' picture?
And here?!? What's he doin' now?!? This picture was taken about 2 minutes later! What the freak??? Is he trying to mess with my mind???

The bottle days have come and gone...

Well, the bottle days are over. Well, I guess I should re-phrase that... the one and only time he took a bottle is over. Ummmmm, yeah. He did it that one and time and now...NOTHING! It's like he never did it at all. I myself had to refer to the pictures to make sure I had not dreamed the whole thing up. Damnitol! (oh yeah... check me out using the little click-here-reference thingies. I figured it out all by my little myself!!) Anyway, sorry y'all... I know you all are probably sick of hearing about my bottle woes, but as I have stated before... blogging is cheaper than therapy. I would just love to get to go have a day to myself!! I do, however have another plan up my sleeve. If it works I'll let you all know. If not, well... crap on it all. I'll just continue to live my life in 3 hour increments.

On a brighter note... my favorite sale of all, the annual Kidsignments sale is here again!! I love this sale and I look forward to volunteering at it every year! I am a little bummed because I can't work my usual shifts because... well... you know... someone is all friggin' anti-bottle and all, but I digress. I am going to get to work one shift. Anyway, back to the sale... I am all about a bargain and this sale is full of them! I love to buy clothes and things for the kids and this is a great way to do it if you have time to spend and patience. It is major packed and the lines are long, but well worth it! If you have never checked it out you may want to.

No other major issues to blog about. School starts back for Allie in a week and I can't wait!!! Then I'll have some interesting stuff to blog for sure!

The day has come!!! It has happened!!!

He took a bottle!! A real bottle!! He actually drank it... like...all of it!! Can you tell I am excited?? We have been trying for 7 months to get him to take an occasional bottle with NO luck! So... over the course of the past 7 months, I have invested in almost every bottle they make....

1. The Playtex Nurser Bottle
2. The 'Traditional' Bottle
3. The Nuk Bottle
4. The Soothie Bottle
5. The HealthFlow/ TriFlow Bottle
and finally this little beauty...

6. The Adiri Breast Bottle
(yes, this is the entire bottle... it looks like a big ole' boob!!)

After all that... he decides to go with option 1. The Playtex Nurser Bottle. You know... the kind I have 25 of... the ones I've had all along that Allie took with NO problem. UUUGGGGHHH!!! But who cares?!?! I can actually leave him for more than 3 hours now! Oh, sweet freedom!!!

Wyatt says "This totally BITES, man!"

I had to take some pictures for a girl down in Atlanta today, so I dropped the kids off at my parents so they could watch them for me. I was gone several hours and when I returned home I found this...


Cute, huh? Well... look a little closer...



Um, yeah. See that? The mark on his chubby little cheek that strangely resembles the size and shape of say... a three year olds mouth??? Yeah, that.

I was like "Mom, what the frick happened to his cheek?!?! Did Allie... did she bite him????" and she was like "Ummm, well.... she's already been punished for it." I was so mad. I mean, what the frick would possess her??? Mom said they were just playing happily and rolling around on the floor when he suddenly screamed bloody murder. At first mom thought she had accidentally hit him and made his cheek red, but the longer she rocked him the more visible the little dots became.

I still have no idea what made her do it. I don't think she meant to hurt him at all. She's never done this before, and never been bitten herself. Mom said that she seemed totally shocked and confused when she told her that biting hurts. She said Allie immediately teared up and hugged Wyatt while apologizing repeatedly. I kinda felt bad for her when I heard that. Who knows. I'm sure this won't be the last thing she pulls that leaves me wondering...

Anyway. In other news... I know that I have neglected to post updates in awhile. Let me start to fix that now. Wyatt can now sit well on his own and has been able to for several weeks now. He's not smiling here because... well... he's still miffed about the bite.

But as you can see here... he gets over it quickly.

He has one tooth on the bottom that he got over a month ago. We're still wondering if he has another inside his gums anywhere. He is rolling all over the place and is starting to try to scoot a little. I have a feeling life is about to get waaaaaaaayyyy hectic. Oh, and if you are wondering... he still gets up anywhere from 3 to 7 times a night AND still refuses to take a bottle.

Could someone please pass the Damnitol??

Let me start this post by saying that my intention when I started blogging was not to have a place to vent, or bee-otch and moan about all of life's little frustrations... but lets face it... it's rapidly becoming just that. Hey, it's cheaper than therapy. Anyhoo... things have been so crazy. I've been so crazy. If you have a moment and want to read about the reasons that Damnitol is needed (btw...thanks for the prescription, Katie) keep reading. If not, be patient...I promise that my next post will be more positive!!

Common indications you might need one... or four of these powerful little pills...



1. You are shooting over 400 family pictures in 3 days by yourself for the church directory (maybe I should get 'Darnitol' for this since it does have to do with the church and all...)

2. Your husband gets sucked in to doing a out-of-town boat show the same week you have to shoot over 400 family pictures for the church directory.... and you have no family that live near you to help... and all of your babysitters are out of town or at band camp (o.k., I can't help but think "there was this one time...at band camp...")

3. You finally get your two kids in bed and get to enjoy a quiet bath... and get to shave your legs- uninterrupted- only to find out that you must have nicked your ankle and not known it until you start finding red dots on the carpet... 17 of them to be exact... that show you that yes, indeed you did cut yourself and you are tracking blood all the frick over your rug.

4. You don't realize that you are out of toilet paper. And I mean not just in the bathroom that you are in... but in the whole friggin' house. I mean not even a partial roll shoved a closet or under a cabinet... nope, notta, nothing. And the other bathroom?? It was left high and dry as well. Just a lone cardboard tube on a roll. Nice... (we resorted to baby wipes...)

5. A guy shows up on your doorstep with a bag full of about 40 golf balls and demands to know if it is "your husband who is responsible for driving golf balls into his pasture and almost hitting his mini-horse" (um...oops... my husband and about 4 other neighbors. The friggin' pasture was no ones until about a month ago when it finally sold. They have all been hitting balls out there for like 7 years now. There's probably 4000 balls out there! (and no... thank God it was not my husband that day!)

and last but not least...

6. Your brand new car... the one you've had only 8 weeks... that still has that heavenly new car smell...that you special ordered way back in February and waited so patiently for... gets side-swiped in the church parking lot while you are shooting said directory pictures. Yea... still waiting on the insurance guy to come and assess the total damage.

Yes, friends... this has been my week.

Damnitol!