I'm Outta Here!

I'm off! Headin north for about 3 weeks. I will be able to blog from up there though so I will be putting pictures of my trip up as soon as I take some. Going to be a busy trip! Graduation party, bithday party, concert, gambling trip, swimming, and lots of other stuff! Can't wait!

Jayke has been asking to go all week. He was so excited running all over the house today helping me pack and running the vacuum for me. He even asked his dad to take him to get his hair cut! Mike said he did great too. Walked in and went right off with the girl all by himself. Mike got his hair cut at the same time. He wasn't even in a chair near him. He said he sat there and talked to the girl the whole time and even wore the cape! When he got home he ran in to show me his hair and annonced that he didn't even cry. When he decides to become a "Big boy" he doens't mess around. I've talked about how he hates getting his hair cut here, it was such a treat.

Now that he is a big boy he is wanting other things too. Today he came in and asked me if we could, "Go get a girl now". I asked him what he meant and he said, "Can we go buy a baby sister now?" That led to a big discussion on where babies come from. Not how they are made, just where they come from. He thought about it for a minute then patted my belly and asked if there was a baby in there now. Nope, just looks like it, sorry kid. He moved on then but I'm sure we will have to talk about this again. Maybe someday he will get that sister, just not right now.

I didn't take any pictures of the new hair cut because I had already packed up the camera bag and didn't want to have to go get it all back out. I will put one up when I take some pictures up north. Now I have to go take my butt to bed about 3 hours before I normally would go so I can make it there without falling asleep behind the wheel.

Too Sexy For my Bucket Hat

Note: Edited to add the WCW theme! I'm lazy like that ya know. I didn't want to have to come up with a whole new post for WCW so I am just sticking the button up on this post. If you wanna play go see TKW to find out how and let her know you are playing. No bonus points this week, I don't have a W theme.

Yesterday my boys were outside being one with nature, swatting at bumblebees, shoeing flies, and what not. All of a sudden the small boy came running in yelling, "Moommmmmiiiieeeee!" It wasn't a hurt yell so I kept reading blogs and waited for him to find me. When he did he kept showing me his thumb. His dad then came around the corner cracking up. Apparently they had caught a lizard and while Jayke was holding it it bit down on his thumb and was hanging there. He wasn't scared or hurt, I think he was disgusted that that crazy lizard dared to hang off his thumb like that. If only I had been out there with the camera. I would have made him stand there with the lizard hanging long enough to take several pictures to make sure I got a good one.

We had another night where the kiddo stayed up all night. When I say all night, I mean only until 4a.m. or so. No more late naps for him! He napped right through dinner so then he went to bed and woke up around 1a.m. wanting to eat. Luckily for him I stay up at least that late every night so I whipped him up a PB&J and let him watch news with me. After eating he had to play a few minutes with his cars. I finally go him to bed but then he wanted to watch cartoons for a few minutes. I drifted off and he was watching Sagwa or Jakers or something. Woke up at 4a.m. because he and his dad were having an arguement about him going to sleep. No more tv at night. I guess I will have to find a way to sleep without it.

Since he was up all night he was crabby all day. I told him to go take a nap. He did but a few minutes later was yelling from the bedroom, "Mommy! Can one of my eyes stay awake?" The way their minds work...I tell ya! After convincing him that both eyes were tired and needed to take a nap he finally dozed off.

Before taking his nap though we got a package from Brown (UPS) and the following cheesiness insued...

(cue the music...I'm too sexy for my shirt....)







He is all of a sudden strikin' a gangsta pose...don't know where he learned this...



The posing went on...



....and on...





....and on...




All of this started because he got that hat and these new shoes...



He is all about the shoes these days. Both came from Old Navy. He got some flip flops too, but they are a little big still. If anyone knows were I can get some black Vans in child size 9, please let me know. I need them to go with his AC/DC t-shirt. He really got his Vogue on this afternoon. AJ, you would have been proud.



He even had to run into his Dad's closet to get one of his hats to model too. He got darn mad when I wouldn't take any more pictures.



So that is what we did today...along with MORE laundry and packing. Tomorrow is my last day before I head North. Yes, I am still leaving on Thursday regardless of pleas from more than one person today to leave tomorrow. I have to have one more day to mentally prepare myself to sleep in the sweatbox that is my Dad's house. A little AC won't kill ya, man!

To Opa!

Today is Jim's (my step-dad) birthday! If ya see him wish him a happy one!

Win Free Money

Free Money! Win a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate! All you have to do is hop over to Pediascribe and leave a comment to be entered to win! It is a great website hosted by Dr Mike and his wife, Karen, They share the craziness of everyday life and their knowledge in pediatrics. You can also sign up to get their podcast or sign up for email newsletters from their site to stay up to date on the latest in pediatrics. The more comments you leave the more chances you have to win! Good luck!

Lazy Pool Weekend

Happy Memorial Day! Hope everyone enjoyed their day off. It wasn't much different at our house than any other day except Mike was here all day. He got home from Indiana Friday evening. We ran errands all day Saturday, watched racing all day Sunday, and today watched movies and did lots of this...



Yes, I swam too. We blew up lots of floats trying to find one that Jaykeb liked. He still doesn't like the water on his head but he is getting better about not screaming if he does get wet. We put up a smaller pool for now. One that he can touch in. We will put the bigger, deaper one up later after he learns how to swim.



We love having the pool. Something I didn't think about though is the extra amount of laundry it would cause me to have. Towels and swim suits all over the place.



We watched the Indy 500. I had forgotten all about it. After living in Indiana where you can't escape it, it was kind of weird to have it sneak up on me like that AND to be able to watch it while it is happening instead of having to wait until later that night when they finally show it. They don't show the race in Indiana while it is happening...blackout rules. Stupid. I'm not a big fan of the Indy cars but I watch this one race each year. Much more of a NASCAR fan.

We watched Night at the Museum today. LOVE it! Jayke only liked the middle when the animals and museum characters come to life. I think Mike liked it too, although he would never admit it because he called it stupid before we watched it and also because I picked it.

Other than that I just did laundry and started packing for our trip to Indiana on Thursday. I will be glad when I am there and the drive is behind me. I'm dreading it. I used to love to drive, but not so much anymore. It is just the last three hours that are hard because by that time you are over looking at the scenery and you just want to be there. Plus, Jayke has usually had it by then and wants OUT! Hopefully the new DVD/game system will keep him entertained enough and we won't have any problems.

The Crash Gene Runs Deep in My Family

Jayke and I broke in the new pool yesterday. It wasn't pretty. He screamed for about the first 15 minutes until he realized I wasn't going to push him under water and hold him there until he drowned. It had been awhile since I had been in a pool and swam with rafts and tubes and stuff. I had the bright idea to sit in the inner tube. I hopped up in the air to come down on the tube. When I was a kid this was routine. Apparetnly it is not like riding a bike because I ended up flipping over backwards with my feet up out of the water, sending a huge wave over my child. Funny how that water in his face didn't cause him to shriek as if someone were pulling out his toe nails. He thought that was the funniest thing he had ever seen. "You went upside down Mom! You about drowned me too!" Sorry 'bout that. I tried several more times all ending in the same fashion. Finally I gave up and flopped down on it on my stomach to float around with the kid.

I think I have finally found my excercise routine to kick my butt back into shape. Swimming. I am so freakin' sore today because the entire time I was in there I tried to kick and move to excercise. I think it will work and the bonus is it eliminates the reason I hate to work out...sweat! I hate to sweat. Can't stand the feeling at all. In the pool it doesn't matter. I think my summer is going to be spent in the pool. Better go buy some new suits!

We had a crisis last night. Lost the very last binky that we own. Luckily Mike was out of town so the screaming all through the night didn't keep him awake. He finally went to sleep but kept waking up crying for it. First thing this morning he woke me up and asked me to go buy a new one. I am torn. I don't know how hard it will be to deal with him for the next few days without one. If he is that upset about it maybe he still does need it. On the other hand, we made it through a night so why not continue to try to live without it? I don't know what to do. He is waiting right now for me to go buy a new one. What to do, what to do?

I would like to go on record that there is someone else in the family who is a worse driver than I am. Let me correct that...I am a great driver...I just used to be wreckless. My aunt has now taken over the title of "Crash" in our family. My mom taught her how to drive the big Scag mower on Wednesday. She got on drove 10 feet and slammed into a tree. My mom said that she could barely stand from laughing at her so hard. It isn't the first thing she has crashed, although we have all done our fair share. Must be in the genes. Just wanted to give a shout our to Crash Hayes...way to go! I hope the "crash" gene skips my child.



Mike gets home today. Jayke will be thrilled he has really missed him. Last night in bed he was laying with his head on my tummy and he said, "It's jut you and me Mommy, just you and me." He then went on to tell me how much he missed Daddy and wanted him home right then. He has even been scared in the house at night since Mike has been gone. Okay, I admit I was the first night too. Darn dogs freak me out sometimes when they start barking in the night. We will both be glad when he gets home this afternoon. I know that thrills my grandma to hear me say that too.

We are off to Greenville now! Have to pick up Mike's car which is finally fixed. Well, I can't pick it up with just Jayke. I have to pay for it and get the keys then go back to Greenville tonight after Mike gets home. Nothing is simple when you are on your own.

Something Pink

Today for SPF we were to photograph something small and pink. Hhhhmmm. I couldn't find anything small and pink which is surprising considering how into pink I was a couple of years ago. I finally decided on this.



My video Ipod with it's pink sleeve on. I got the protective sleeve/sticker last year in Vegas. It is a decal or sticker that is the same thing they use on cars so it peels of easily and can be change. I won't be changing it much though because at Thirty bucks a pop I can't afford to.
Didya play? If so let me and Kristine know.

Raising a Rockstar!

Driving home from the grocery last night I was talking to my mom and Jaykeb was quietly riding in the back. I had the radio on very low since I was on the phone. All of a sudden, from the backseat I hear, "THAT'S MY SONG! TURN IT UP MOM!" What? Do I have a three year old or a thirteen year old riding back there? So now you want to know what his song is right? It is Party Like a Rockstar by The Shop Boyz. He likes a lot of songs but this one is HIS song. So he says.

Good Thing I'm Medicated!

What kind of a child doesn't want ice cream at an ice cream party? This one right here.

 

What was wrong with him you ask? Who knows. It took him forever before he would finally start playing with the other kids. First Abby, who is Ainsley's mom, had to take him out in the yard and play ball with him. That got him warmed up enough to go play. He doesn't really play with the other kids though. He played ball with Ainsley for a minute but basically ran around and did his own thing. I noticed most of the three-year-olds did this though so I'm not worried about it.

After not eating any ice cream at Mom's Club guess what we had to go do afterwards. Yep. We had to go straight to the grocery to buy ice cream and toppings. I spoil him you say? Nah. I was going to the store anyway and the ice cream was buy one get one free. He had been really good all day so it was no big deal. Maybe he has issues eating food at other people's houses. You just never know how clean people are...or aren't.

While in the grocery I was standing in front of the freezer reading all the different kinds of low fat ice cream when I had this terrible pain on my foot all of a sudden. I turned and some woman was "Oh My Goshing!" me to death. She then said, "I wish I had a bandaid." and walked off. The woman had just run over my bare pinky toe which was just inocently resting in it's flip flop home. I am not saying she barely tapped me with her cart, she ripped flesh from my toe! So I'm standing there with a throbbing toe, Jayke is asking me about my foot in his worried voice, and I'm watching Miss Hit and Run walk down the aisle caually doing her shopping. I think I must have been in shock. Normally something like that would have been grounds for spastic, eyeball bulging, Wendy to appear but she didn't. It was either shock or the meds are doing a fine job on me.

Mom's Club keeps getting better and better as I get to know some of the girls. A lot of them have boats so maybe we will get to do some boating eventually. We have playgroup tomorrow at another Mom's house. As of right now we plan to go. If the toe falls off in the night we will be staying home.

Note: For those of you counting...that is now both coffee and spagetti sauce I have coated the kitchen with. (read below)

Whoops!

Being the dutiful wife that I am...snicker...I always make my man's lunch and coffee before I go to bed. I also always make sure he has clean work shirts and pants hanging in the closest so he doesn't have to look for them. Boy did I drop the ball this morning.

Mike is going on a trip today. Just a short one but he will need to take a bag, as it will be over night. I heard him getting his bag out this morning and realized I didn't make the coffee before I went to bed. I jumped up and ran into the kitchen to get the coffee started. Right in mid preparation he walks in and asks me if he has any clean shirts. I stopped making the coffee and ran off to grab the stack of shirts I just washed yesterday. Crisis averted. I finished the coffee and went back to bed.

When I got up this morning I realized I had made a little mistake. There were piles and piles of coffee stained paper towels sitting all over the kitchen. Oops. I must not have had the carafe lined up under the coffee maker correctly and all that coffee ran out all over. Just what Mike wanted to do this morning...clean up a lake of coffee in the kitchen. Sorry Mike! He hasn't said anything to me about it yet but I know it is coming. He probably needs time to come up with a witty remark. That is good, gives me time to come up with an even better response.

Where is Mike going you asked? You didn't ask? Oh, well, I will tell you anyway. Indiana. He will be working in Ossian for a couple of days. I guess it is better than him going to Germany for a week.

Jayke and I have an ice cream party with The Mom's Club today. I will be sure to take my camera and a tub of baby wipes. Now I'm off to work on my response to the coffee incident...I'm already forming a plan to blame it all on him. I will let you know how it goes.

My wake up call this morning.

Jayke: MOMMY! Wake up and take me to go pee!

Still sleeping...

Jayke: MOMMY! Take me to go pee and I have poop in my pullup.

Me: What?!

Jayke: I tried to wake Daddy up last night to tell him I had to poop but he didn't wake up so I just went.

Me: You went and then slept in it?

Jayke: Yep. I said 'Daddy. Daddy! DADDY!!!' and he didn't wake up so I just went in my pullup.

When your day starts out with poop you can pretty much guess what the rest of the day is going to be like! Just sayin'.

Happy Birthday to my SIL atFull House! Hope you have a great day and warm food for dinner!

Blinded By The Light!

I am typing this half blind. I had to go get a check up at the eye doctor today. In Indiana I knew waht to expect when visiting the eye doc. I was in for a surprise down here though. I had to take Jayke first of all, no babysitters ya know, but I figured this would not be a problem. My appts with the eye doc are usually in and out.

We got there and waited about 20 minutes before getting called back. Everything went as usual until the doc came in and first put some weird yellow stuff in my eyes that burned like crazy then shined a bright light in there as if I werent' already in enough pain. Next came another drop. This one was to dilate my eyes. After the drops went in he sat me in another waiting room for an hour. A WHOLE FRIGGIN HOUR! Like I have nothing else to do. This would have been fine had I known a head of time. Jayke fell asleep and took an hour nap.

When I finally got called back in there was more light shining and pulling on my eyes. Never had I had most of this stuff done during an exam. I don't know if this means I'm getting a more thorough exam now or what but I didn't like it at all. Not to mention that I was blind driving home. That was fun let me tell ya.

I had Mike meet us at McDonalds to eat real quick since it was already 5o'clock and the boy was starving and wanting to play on the playground. The Boy is a chic magnet. He immediately hooked up with some little blonde girl to play with and help him with a boost up on the higher parts of the playground. He even got her to take off his socks and bring them to me! My boy knows how to work it. He is going to be a ladies man. I have other thoughts about that though.

He came home and went swimming but I'm not going to talk about that right now. This is too hard on my eye. I'm heading for the couch and possible a beverage...I don't know.

Another Sunday in Greenville

I was in trouble again today. I slept in this morning. It wasn't my fault though, no one woke me up and they even were extra careful not to. When I did get up Mike was mad though. I guess I ruined his plans for the day which included driving up to North Carolina to some park to hike to another waterfall. Did he tell me he was planning this? No. Did he try to wake me up so we could go? No. Yet, he is mad at me. Oh well. He did finally get over it around 4p.m. when I got ready so we could go take his car to Greenville to be fixed tomorrow morning. Something is leaking.

Here is Jayke with his new headphones that won't stay on in the car. Yes, he still has that stupid binky, but only in the car and in bed. I didn't want to traumatize him by potty training him and taking that away at the same time. It goes next though for sure!



We decided to go out to eat since we were already in Greenville. We ate at a restaurant called Smoke on the Water. It was right next to the falls I've talked about before. After dinner we walked across the suspension bridge that spans the falls.

I know I've shown pictures of the falls on The Reedy River before but this time I took a picture from the suspension bridge. You can get a better perspective of how big the falls are from this. I know it sounds like we are obsessed with waterfalls and all. We are. Jayke loves them. He asks to go to The Reedy River any time we head out.



This time we got to see something new. My child will not be doing this when he is a goofy teenager out doing goofy things with his friends! If he does do it I will take away everything he owns and ground him until he is 40! I guess that will be if I catch him though.



See that kid on the fall? That is a teenage boy sliding down the falls which basically is a straight drop. It looked like it hurt too. I bet those kids will regret it tomorrow when their butts are bruised. When you get to the bottom there is a big bump that sends you flying out into the water. Nuts! Two girls went down with their legs wrapped around each other and I thought for sure they would get knocked silly. They promptly left after going down. I don't know if one was hurt or not. We had a great vantage point from the bridge and every time someone would get ready to go the crowd would start cheering them on. I don't care how much cheering was going on, I value being able to sit too much to try something like that. Man I'm old to be saying this. I also got really upset at some kids for chasing a family of baby ducks trying to force them to go over the falls. I wasn't the only one though. Luckily their parents finally told them to stop before the poor things went over the edge.

We left the falls before I got really fired up and started yelling at kids who didn't belong to me. Greenville is filled with historical facts about the town, cute little buildings and shops, sculptures everywhere, and restaurants. They were having Shakespeare in the park and The Greek Festival this weekend. We didn't go to either of those but we did take a couple of picture of the boys with some of the sculptures.



They mix the old with the new as you can see one of the modern sculptures in the background. The red twisty thing. Look at the cheesy grin on The Boy's face. They also have a sort of scavenger hunt thing you can do by trying to find the mice hidden around downtown. We have never done this but while walking the 6 blocks back to our car from the restaurant, we saw 3 of them. Jayke had to have his picture taken with all three. The mouse is that tiny brown thing he is looking at. I don't know how many there are.



And he had to have his picture taken holding these kids hands. He never holds still for the picture anymore so I get him doing weird things sometimes.



So that was our evening. We went home and Jayke and Mike went straight to bed. Just in time for me to watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. I hate when the shows end for the season. After this week there will be no more Dancing with the Stars, no more AI, no more Lost, etc. What am I going to do?

WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

We tried out the dvd in the car today. I'm not sure this is going to be a good thing. It came with two sets of wireless headphones which are great if your head is big enough to hold them on. Jayke's is not so the entire time we were in the car he was yelling...and I do mean yelling because he had the volume up so loud...that he couldn't keep them on. He would yell, "I told you to stop hitting bumps 'cause my things fall off!" Then everytime we would say something to him, or each other, he would yell WHAT because he couldn't hear. I am only hoping that before we drive to Indiana I can come up with some way to make the headphones fit better.

We got a solar blanket for our pool today to maybe we can get it warmed up enough to be able to get in it before leaving for Indiana. Jayke and Mike tried yesterday but the water was way too cold and the air temp was cool too. I know I'm not getting in that thing until it warms up! I now understand why my dad would never go swimming until the pool reached a certain temp. As kids it never bothered us, but as you get older it gets worse. I guess I'm old because I hate cold water.

We went to Skins for some "Southern Style Dogs" for lunch. Mike hadn't been there before. Jayke and I had though and we love it. We sat at the counter which The Boy loved and ate our dogs where all the action was. People shouting out orders, etc. Jaykeb had a Weanie Bun, which is what they call a plain hotdog. This is the only place he will eat his dog in the bun. I think it is because the buns are super soft so it isn't too big for his mouth. Yum!

Mike sent me to get him some, "Beverage" as he puts it and I thought since I was going I would just go on it to Scrooges, the huge liqour store in town and see if I could find some other ciders to try. I found Pear and Berry so they are chillin' in the fridge for me to sample this evening. For those who have asked me what Cider is scroll down. I posted about it just for you! I will let you know which ones I like and don't like later.

Oh yeah, the picture of The Boy was one from my "Day from hell" that I didn't post. It was taken at McDonalds where Jayke had found himself two cute little girls to play with. Surprise, surprise.

Cider

I posted the other day that I was having a Cider adult beverage and now I have people asking me what it is. I didn't know what it was until I read about it on Katie's" blog. After the day I had had I thought I would try it. My grocery has one of those coolers where you can mix and match to make your own six pack so I grabbed different ciders to try. They are pretty good! I can see where drinking a lot of it would make me sick though. I hardly ever drink so I have to take it easy. Good thing for Mike is I'm a cheap drunk. Two drinks and I am pretty much at my limit! Lightweight, yes.So here is the definition I got off of the Wikipedia website for cider. There are a lot of different kinds. I have only tried the apple so far. Haven't found any pear cider yet, but I'm still looking.
Cider (or cyder) is an alcoholic beverage made primarily from the juices of specially grown varieties of apples and pears. In most places in the world, the term refers to fermented apple juice and pear juice, but the drink is known as hard cider or ciderjack in the United States and parts of Canada, where the term "cider" almost exclusively refers to non-alcoholic apple cider.
Cider generally has a stronger alcoholic content than typical beer, usually over 5%, and appears golden yellow and often cloudy. To produce cider, apples are washed and mashed, pressed (usually in a stone mill or hydraulic press), then fermented in oak vats using natural or added yeasts.
Click the link above if you want to read the rest of the definition. Hope that answers any questions.

Old and Southern...Love it!

One of the many things I love about The South is the history. I love driving around and finding old antebellum homes to take pictures of. I found this one in downtown Anderson the other day. It is called The Wilhite House and was built in 1885. It is available for weddings, receptions, etc.




here is another view...



This one is not as old as some others we have seen but still old and southern. I told AJ I would start taking some pictures of old homes to show her so here ya go, AJ!

Framed!

It is Friday! Time for SPF! This week the word was frame. This one was easy for me because I have several things I could use. I decided to go with a couple of things I "framed" myself. The first one was a gift for my husband 2 years ago on Christmas. While cleaning out the garage, cabinets, drawers, etc to get ready to move I came across all his stuff from when he was in the Army. I thought it should be displayed proudly rather than tucked away in a box or drawer so I made this for him.



I also made one for my son displaying some of his things from when he was a tiny baby. I have to keep an eye on this one to make sure it is still on the wall after my mom visits. She has talked about stealing it many times. I think it will be a great thing to give to him someday when he is expecting his first child. Sorry about the glare...you know I am a lousy photographer!



I have another framed item on the wall I have to make sure doesn't disappear when grandparents visit. It is also my favorite picture from when Jayke was a baby. I love the way it was matted and framed and I love the pictures! The first one is a close up of his face, the second is of his tiny hand holding my finger, and the third is of my hand holding his tiny feet. Adorable!



Now I also have to show another frame that I love simply because The Boy made it for me at school.



So there ya go. Framed and frames. Didya play? If so let me and Kristineknow so we can check out your frames!

A Big ol' Smelly Day!

Another day from hell today. It started off fairly smooth. I managed to get up on time to make it to my appointment to have the dvd/game system installed in the new car. And that was the end of the smoothness. We were given a loner car to drive since it would take about 5 hours. Right off the bat Jayke started complaining about the car. First it was ugly, then it was too dirty, then it smelled bad. I had to agree with him on the last one. Smelled like some large man had been driving around eating burritos in it for about 4 or 5 days. It wasn't so bad at first, but it seemed to get worse as the day went on. Probably from the heat.

I thought I could distract him from all his troubles by taking him to get some breakfast. McDonalds, of course. Where else do little kids want to go eat? He insisted we go in so he could play on the playground. That was fine since we had an entire day to kill. Turns out he was a tad too short to climb up the play equipment they had which meant, yes, I had to go in with him. This thing is made for kids not adults. I'm sure you can picture me trying to climb up in this thing with him telling me, "Come on Mommy, you can do it." Finally two little girls who were a little older than The Boy came to my rescue and entertained the little twerp for a while.

After our breakfast we ran several errands then decided to make a trip home to unload so we wouldn't have to do it at the dealership. I drive all the way back to my house, pull in the driveway and realize I don't have my keys or garage door operator. I left them both in my car. Crap!(I'm keeping it clean...I really said something else.) I told Jayke to wait in the car while I went around and tried the back door. No luck. When I rounded the corner to come back to the car Jayke was standing up with a beet red face. I knew exactly what he was doing. I left him alone for 5 minutes and he fully took advantage of that freedom. I got him out of the car and took him back to the patio. Luckily I had our bag for Mom's club with us. Unfortunately I had forgotten to repack it after our last outing. I had a diaper and a pair of shorts. No extra shoes or socks though and we needed them. I never even considered I would have to change him from head to toe sometime! Got him all cleaned up and loaded back into the car. What to do now?

I couldn't go in any more stores because the kid didn't have any shoes or socks. I turned around to look at him and he was fast asleep. Apparently relieving himself in the loner car really took it out of him. It didn't improve the smell in there any though. Since he was asleep I decided to just drive. I was mad at this point and wanted to drive every last drop of gas out of that car before I took it back. I don't know why I was mad at them though, it was my fault I forgot my keys. I guess it is easier being mad at Efrem, my car salesman, than myself.

I finally got my car back and headed home. Jayke wanted to play in the sprinkler. I got it out and blew it up, yes with my own hot air, and it was huge. A huge beach ball sprinkler. I almost went out and laid in the middle of the front yard underneath it after blowing it up. I was dizzy and had a headache, but my child wanted to play in the sprinkler and damn it he was going to get to! I turned it on and he stood there and looked at then told me he didn't want to get wet. WHAT?!? What kind of kid doesn't like a sprinkler?!? What kind of kid doesn't like a sprinkler after their poor mother just about popped an artery in her head blowing the damn thing up!?! I will tell you what kind of kid, MINE! He wanted to go back in the house. Fine. I turned it off and we went in. He yelled at me until I changed his clothes...again. Then went off to play.

When Mike got home he had a little talk with The Boy about what he did in the loner car then went out to put up the pool. 5 minutes later the little turkey came in and told me he had to poop, went in, got on the pot and went. Good job, but um...why the hell couldn't you do that earlier. Oh yeah, because we were locked out of our house? No, not a good enough excuse. He could have gone somewhere other than in his pants. He even used a bathroom at the mall this morning which was an accomplishment since up to that point he wouldn't go in public restrooms. Now I know he is going to have accidents but that today, was not an accident.

Okay, enough of my day. I even took some pictures of all this but the camera is in the other room and I don't feel like walking in there to get it. I'm going to sit here and drink my adult beverage. Thank you Katie! I tried a Cider and really like it! Maybe too much.

Which do You Like Better?

I have an obsession with bedding. I am very picky about my bedding therefore making it hard to find a set that I like. I love the bedding that I have right now but it is getting worn from too many washings and starting to look bad. I have been looking for new bedding for at least a year now. Every time I find something I like there is always one little detail that causes me not to buy it. I had almost given up my search. On Mother's Day I was out shopping, not for bedding...just shopping, and happened to see a set that was the perfect color combination, the perfect design, and the perfect price. Clearance even! $170 off! I had to snatch that baby up. I still wasn't positive I would like it but I could at least take it home and try it. So, the first picture is the old bedding and the second one is the new set. Tell me which one you like best. I like them both so you won't hurt my feelings.



....and the second one...



The size of the second one is a lot better for the bed and I don't have the matching bed skirt on yet because it will have to be let out. It is dark green. Sorry the first picture was better but I was trying not to get the mess on the floor on the side of the bed in the picture. Distracting. So, what do you think?

Laundry, Mulch, Laundry, Mulch, Repeat...

I wonder if those wee little legs will ever be as long as his Dad's. This was taken in Augusta, Georgia last weekend. We went to a park down along the Savannah river. Nice park but we didn't stay long.

I got my tickets to Mexico yesterday.

Just as I thought, my Dad and MJ Mom are going now too. I knew they couldn't let us have all the fun without them. Right now the count is at 7 but I think my sister and her husband will go to so that will make 9. Fun! I can't wait.

We missed Mom's club this morning. I slept through the alarm. Guess I better start going to be earlier again. That means we will be home this morning trying to get the last of the laundry done so I will be totally caught up. My week of car shopping and running errands has caught up with me, as I am way behind on house work.

Two more loads of mulch and we will be all done. That is good because I am so sore in the backs of my legs from squating to spread the mulch. Jaykeb is a big help. He gets right in there and spreads it all over. Covers himself as well, but that was expected. I will take a picture when it is done. We will have to figure out a new project to keep us busy when this is done.

Okay, hopefully this will satisfy Gramma's need for a picture for today. I will try to be more entertaining later or tomorrow. I know laundry and mulch are not too exciting but sometimes I have to do a little work. Very little...just enough to keep from getting fired by Mike.

Creepy Crawlies and Things

Today was a day filled with wild life. Good thing for both Jayke and I, I grew up with a grandfather who taught me all about the outdoors so I am not afraid of the wild life. We started off our day with a funeral. Seems a bird has made her nest in my hanging fern on the front porch. When we got home from school one of the newly hatched babies was dead on the patio. Jayke thought we should take it to the hospital to make it better. I had a better idea and grabbed the shovel. We buried the tiny thing in the flower bed right below the fern where it's family still lives. As I started to cover it with dirt, Jayke started to panic. He cried and begged for me to uncover him. I had to explain to him that that is where he belongs now and he would go to heaven. Poor little guy, the tears just rolled.

I have already mentioned the snake that lives in the backyard by the creek and now there is a fox in the woods too. He ran out of the woods up in our backyard the other night sending The Boy flying into the house to crawl under the covers with his dad. He told me that "Big rustling dog gave him a heart attack!" I've heard rabbits, or something being killed in the night. Probably the fox having his dinner.

After dinner this evening, we went out to plant some flowers and spread mulch. Mike was using the push mower to trim up around the fence and found a turtle. We didn't know what kind it was at first so we googled it and found out it was a box turtle. He was terrified and wouldn't come out. I can't blame him with three huge heads hanging over the side of the cooler looking at him. He finally poked his head out after about 30 minutes and started making a weird noise at us. I asked Mike if he knew if they bite or not and Jayke decided right then that it was time for that turtle to go home. They took him out to the garden and set him free.





There were also several worms being carried around all evening until I finally convinced him to release them back to the hole they came out of. Remember yesterday when I said Jayke caught a toad and wanted to keep him in his pocket? Yeah, the day is coming when I find something either dead or alive while doing the laundry and I will not be happy. No amount of growing up with an outdoorsman will have prepared me to find something dead in my hamper.

Mom's Day weekend and Another Road Trip

Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day. Mine was pretty good. I had already gotten my gift so there were a couple of cards presented and that was about it. I did manage to escape on my own for a short shopping trip to Greenville. I don't get to do that very often. It is nice to get out on my own for a change but it never fails that I start missing the little bugger and have to go home. This time I was in Kohls and I heard a little boy crying and holding his bottom. His dad had just spanked him for something and he was telling him how it hurt. That was all it took for me to finish up what I was doing and hurry home to my boy. I know, I'm sick. It is good for me to be away from him and for him to be away from me but I can't help missing him.
I got home and Mike made steaks for dinner then we went out and weeded our garden. We may actually get something out of it since we managed to pull the weeds out of it for a change. Jayke caught a toad all by himself and was quite proud. He stood with it in his hand and kept shivering all over. He tried to put it in his pocket but I stopped him before the poor thing ended up with broken legs. It is only a matter of time before I end up with lizards in my house, I just know it!
I thought about going to get a mani/pedi but decided to wait until I go back home and can have someone go with me. Always more fun that way.
On Saturday Mike decided we were going for one of our big road trips. The kind where we hop in the car and have no idea where we are going. We ended up in Augusta, Georgia. Why? I have no idea. We didn't do anything but go to a park along the Savannah river then go find somewhere to eat and head home. We did see the golf course where the Masters is played though. Whoopee! It was a nice drive and we saw lots of old Antebelllum style homes. We saw several Piggly Wiggly grocery stores, Mike asked if I wanted to go in one, but I passed. Next tim. We also found a cute little historical town I want to go back to when we have more time to spend there. There was a plantation you could tour and an old Opera House. I am planning a trip to Charleston one weekend. Still planning that camping trip too, although that has been put off for now.

I took some pictures on our outing but haven't looked at them yet. I may put some up later.

Mother's Day, Mom's Club, Mommy and Me!

It's Friday! That means SPF time! Kristinewants us to show her a handful of something.

There ya go. A handful (or at least all I have left)of my "Happy Pills"! Better go get more tomorrow...no one wants me to run out!

Mother's Day came early this year! I must be one good mutha too! I was involved in the decision making somewhat but the fact that I was getting this particular gift was a total shock to me. I was surprised just last week by hubs when he took me to look at my gift and then made all arrangements and took care of all the details, something I would normally do most of. Very exciting! I usually tell him not to make a big deal. So have I drug this out long enough? Yeah? Okay, here is what I got...






Sorry I couldn't find a bigger picture and I have yet to take any. I got the white one. It is one of the cars Mike's company makes tanks for. A Hyundai Santa Fe. Very nice. I had never really considered them all that much but when we went and looked at the new style I liked them and after driving it, I love it! Jayke was excited to get a new car but sad to see the old Durango go. I was a little sad too. Tomorrow I have to take it in to have the DVD system installed then we are all set. I guess the pressure is on now for Father's Day! Thank you, Mike!

As I mentioned, I had to take The Boy to my mammogram appointment with me yesterday. I was NOT looking forward to this. First of all it is an x-ray so I was worried about him going in the room with me. Second of all, I just knew he would have something to say that I was sure I wouldn't want to hear. You know how kids are...always saying things at inappropriate times or places because they don't know any better. Yeah, mine is pretty good at it.
He was perfect in the waiting room, sitting patiently. Probably because he knew it was my appointment and not his. Then we had to go back to the tiny little dressing rooms where I had to take off my shirt. Here is the conversation from that point.
The following all said in extremely loud kid voice. I take off the shirt...
Jayke: Why are you taking your shirt off?!?
Me: So I can have my doctor appointment.
Jayke: Are you going to take THAT off too? (Bra, for those too slow to follow...)
Me: Yes, I'm taking this off too.
Jayke: THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT!
Oh. My. Gah!
My son did not just say that. He especially did not just say that in his very loud bow-chicka-bow-bow voice! Where did he learn that?!? Then I put on the ever so lovely blue paper vest that has two buttons in the front that don't do a whole lot to keep the thing closed.
Jayke: Why are you putting that on?
Me: Because the lady told me to.
Jayke: I like that thing:
Me: You do?
Jayke: Yeah, you should wear that home. Daddy would LIKE that thing.
I am now all set and prepare myself to open the paper thin little door that has been seperating my tiny commentator and me from any other women who were waiting to be led to the exam rooms. Sure enough we open the door and a lady is directly across from me cracking up. I just nod my head and smile. Then my child runs across the hall into the woman's dressing room and yells hello at her. Great. Lucky for all of us it was soon my turn and we were lead away from our audience.
I thought for sure the next part would be the part he talked about but the tech had him sit behind her booth while she positioned me and took my films so he really couldn't see what was going on. I am still preparing myself for him to randomly tell some stranger that mommy had her boobs squished in a big machine though. I know he is saving it for a really good time to pop that on some poor unsuspecting passerby.



We had Mom's club today. Playgroup at Kid Venture park. My favorite moms were there today so it was fun. Jayke got all hot and sweaty playing with Luke, Katie, and Ainsley. All three year olds, so it works out well. Luke and Katie will be at his school he will start in the fall too. That will be nice for him to have familiar faces there.



After Mom's club we picked up lunch and took it to one of the parks along the lake. No eating in the new car. It has a light interior color so I am going to have to be more careful and remind Jayke to be too.




After Mom's club, a picnic in the park, and a little shopping we headed home. It was hot and we were hot and tired. We had things to do outside too so we had a very busy day and it isn't over yet. Also when we got home we had a box on the porch from Gramma Rain and Grandpa Dave. A little gift for The Boy learning to use the potty. In the box was also a bag of onions for Mike which caused me crack up. His mom must have read how the Earth comes to a hault if I cook hamburgers and don't have any onions. Thanks guys, I think you may need to send Tresa some trash bags for her kitchen, apparently the Earth comes to a hault up there if there isn't one in the can. Men, they may come in different sizes, shapes, and colors but inside, they are all the same!

I don't have time for a real post this morning. We have Mom's Club in an hour and I haven't even gotten in the shower yet! I have new pictures though and a story about having to take The Boy with me to get a mammogram, plus I will show you what I got for Mother's Day...a little early! So, stay tuned.

Angi, where were you last night?!?

Not Mad For Madras

First off, everyone give Jayke a big round of applause for becoming a big boy! He is now potty trained! Woohoo! A MAJOR accomplishment for us and he is very proud of himself as we all are. Now on to today's post.
It's Wild Card Wednesday and just to change it up a little the tutu making, flip flop wearing, TKW has assigned us a new letter this week. It is M as in Mother, Mad, Macho, Money, Meemaw, etc. I totally forgot about it but had promised my grandmother a new picture of the kid today and it turns out I can work it into my M theme. Bonus points for sure!
Along with being a Big Boy now, using the potty and all, The Boy has also begun to have an opinion about what he wears. I didn't realize this until I tried to get him dressed this morning. I grabbed an outfit our of the drawer that he has not yet worn and tried to put it on him. The shirt went on, the socks went on, but when I tried to put on his shorts he said plainly, "I am NOT wearing those pants." What? I thought he was just being silly, trying to irritate me like he does some mornings. I tried to put them on him and he flipped out. "I am NOT wearing those! I don't like those pants! Those pants are UGLY! No, no, no! I want different pants!" Since when does he have an opinion about his clothes? I mean, I knew he liked to pick out his new Big Boy underpants everyday but this was totally out of left field. I begged, bargained, and pleaded with him to wear them because I love them and they were brand new. Finally he gave in and said he would wear them to the bank but when we got home he was taking them off! Whatever!
Normally I wouldn't have taken a picture of him in this instance but since he made such a big deal out of it, I had to snap his picture looking ever so Mad about his Madras!



True to his word, when we got home he insisted that I change his shorts. I tried to talk him out of it but his dad said just change his pants so we can go. Jean shorts were much more to his liking. And there you have the beginning of the end of my getting to dress him in cute little outfits.


As I am writing this (at 2a.m.) he just appeared in the doorway clutching a pair of jeans, half asleep. Apparently he even has ideas about what he should sleep in now.