Tricks, Treats, and Pizza...

Some of our neighbors go all out on decorations. This is their front door; you should see the rest of their house! They do this every year; last year, their front door was a giant coffin.
We only had the two youngest with us. Hadley went to a big party with her grandparents.

Layton was Batman, and Ella was a witch. Obviously. Please ignore my lack of good material lately. I haven't been feeling well. The pumpkins on the left of the picture above were carved by Jay, Hadley, and Ella. The pumpkins on the right were painted by the three children at a party last weekend.

Since I haven't been feeling well, we ordered a pizza for supper. It was nice to sit on the sofa and be a lazy bum. I know I am forgetting something though. I have had this feeling all day...you know the one...you know you were supposed to do something but can't remember what. I didn't even bring my calendar in from the car yesterday. My cell phone battery is almost dead. It's just been one of those weekends.

New Deli...Not New Delhi...

Recently, a new deli opened in downtown Athens!!! I am so excited about it! I have already been several times. The broccoli cheddar soup is wonderful! The prices were reasonable, and outdoor seating is available. I give Wildwood Deli a thumbs up. If you're ever in Athens and want to go to lunch, head to Wildwood Deli...but not before you call me to meet you there. Go downtown Athens!!

P.S. I totally swiped this photograph from www.enewcourier.com. Kim Rynders took it; I can take no credit. Besides, you guys already knew I didn't take this picture....it's not covered in red eye and blurs.

My Little Pumpkins...

Saturday, Jay and I took the children to a local farm. It's not too far from where we live.

The farm boasts an impressive amount of land covered with pumpkins that you get to pick yourself. Before we actually picked the pumpkins, we went on a short hayride from the activity section of the farm to the fields of orange.

The aforementioned activity section has slides, a hay maze, farm animals to pet cotton to play in, viddles, swings, and more. They all had a wonderful time!

Layton had a minor come apart when we got to the pumpkin farm. He wanted to take all of his Batman toys in with him. I insisted he leave them in the car. Obviously, he got over it.

Just a quick photo of Layton when he's not screaming. What a sweet boy!

I'm the Queen of the World...

Ella went all Leonardo on me the other day. While we were in the car line to get Hadley, Ella opened the sun roof and stood on the console in order to feel the breeze. For some reason I kept thinking about that scene in Titanic.

Southern Shorts Film Festival...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-xf27x3Xo


The premiere party was last Friday night. I was honored enough to be a part of the committee that planned the party. I thought the whole thing turned out beautifully. Please look at the photographs and see for yourself.

Another Present...

Layton received several wonderful presents for his birthday. Among the gifts was this Spider man bicycle. He loves it!

Outdoor Fun...

We have tried very hard to enjoy these last few days of warmth and sunshine. After school, I have been letting the children play on their riding toys.

Hadley is still in love with her new bike.


Ella and Layton have been sharing Layton's new four wheeler toy. It's not a combustion engine; it's simply a power wheels. It's plenty big for him though. He got it for his birthday.

Two Sleepy Babes...

For some reason, I compulsively take pictures of my children while they are asleep. Well, two of them anyway. Hadley doesn't sleep much.

One night, Jay and I discovered Layton sound asleep on the coffee table. Who can fall asleep on a hard table? Not me, that's for sure.

I am a Loser...

I used to have 21 followers. Now I have 20.

Old School Equals Jail Time...

This article was on Drudgereport the other day. Yes, I am embarrassed to be posting this article, but it seems so ridiculous to me. Do you think that the mother and boyfriend actually intended to cause the child harm? Do you think they should have been arrested for this?

A Palm Bay woman and her boyfriend were arrested Monday for child abuse after the couple went old school to punish their 8-year-old daughter for swearing.
They washed her mouth out with soap.
We don't know about you, but we would petition President Obama and Congress to make it mandatory for every parent to carry a bar of Irish Spring in their back pockets with all the profanity kids use today.
Police claim Adriyanna Herdener and Wilfredo Rivera went too far by placing a bar of soap in the girl's mouth and letting it stay for 10 minutes. Herdener did not intervene in the discipline.
The girl eventually vomited and Rivera took her to the local hospital, where hospital staff called police.
No one wants a child to be hurt or inhumanely punished, but parents' discipline choices in this country have come down to calling Dr. Phil or hiding the joysticks to the Wii.
Next time your kid has a potty mouth, just give them some gum.

Birth Control...

When Hadley is Away...The Little Ones Will Play...

As I mentioned yesterday, Hadley is away on a school field trip. Layton and Ella miss her already. This morning when I went to wake them up, they were both in Hadley's bed. Keep in mind it is a twin size bed, so they were cuddled up really close to each other. It was sweet though.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day...

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is a day of remembrance for all pregnancies and infant death which includes but not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or the death of a newborn. It is recognized in the United States and throughout Canada on October 15th of each year.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is observed with Remembrance Ceremonies and candle lighting Vigils which coincides with an International Wave of Light with participants lighting candles on October 15 at 7:00 p.m. around the world to honor and remember our children.

A Great Moment in History...

4:00 AM...

This morning, before the sun had risen, I took Hadley to school. She is going on a field trip to Dauphin Island with her school. I wanted her to have a good breakfast but didn't want to make a lot of noise cooking, so we went to Hardee's. We were the only car in line when they turned on the lights at 4:00 AM. That's right. 4:00 AM. I stood in the rain and watched her bus pull away. It was a sweet moment; I will remember it always.

Then, I went home. I had just fallen asleep when my alarm went off. It was time to get back up and get the other two to school. It is going to be a long day.

Boy Baby...

Layton is four years old today. The last four years have been wonderful. His dimples and his curls captivate me. He calls himself, "Mommy's boy baby."



Layton's first movie.
Layton's third birthday.

A one year old sleeping boy.

Also at a year old, he discovered Captain Crunch. It is still his favorite cereal, and he eats it as fast as I buy it.

The boy baby explores the farm.

Redneck Picnic...

The Camera is Over Here...

Have you ever noticed that your children don't look at the camera when you want them to?

Instead, they look at the ground.

Sometimes they make crazy faces that you are embarrassed to have photographed.

The Helper...

Ella loves to help. She adores doing anything that could even remotely be considered helping. At the farm, she recently helped put a coat of polyurethane on some wood.

It's good to have a helper.

King and Queen of the Mountain...

Jay and I took the little children to the farm one weekend. Hadley was spending the night with my mother. They love playing at the farm. The house is currently being renovated; I can't wait for it to be done. I will put lots of pictures up!

Ella and Layton sat on the porch waiting for Jay to pull the rtv up. It was sprinkling a little bit, so they stayed dry.
Their favorite thing to do at the moment is climb my mattress. Since the house is not in living condition, the mattress off my bed is leaning against a wall. For some reason, they decided to start climbing it. They are pretty good at it too!

Did My Husband Create This Email Attachment?...

A client sends me lots of email each week. 99% of it is not related to our professional relationship at all. 85% of it could be classified as porn. I don't open those; I simply forward them to the hubs. :) Others, I open. This one is sexist, but I couldn't resist the urge to share it. What's the most sexist thing your spouse has ever done to/for you? I'll reveal mine if you reveal yours...

Old Times and Good Times...

Every year during the first week of October, our community hosts the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention. This event is a huge amount of fun!!! I even blogged about how much I love it a couple of years ago.

Here is a picture of one of the craft areas. The booths line campus in familiar spots every year. If you knit, paint, sculpt, leather work, iron work, wood work...ANYTHING...you should consider contacting the organizers for a booth next year. The dates are already set! Anyways, Ella always likes to look at the clothes. She racked up this year. She was able to walk away with four outfits and have two ordered. Layton got two outfits and a "sling shooter." I don't know why he calls it that. We kept telling him that it is really a sling shot. Yes, I can see the co pays in my future. We haven't let him use it in the house though. Only outside....with paper wadded up...unless daddy is helping...who am I kidding? I am betting money we'll have a broken window in less than a month.

The notorious sling shooter.

Layton loved the food. He sat on the bleachers and made a table for himself.

The drama queen finishing lunch and getting ready to spend daddy's hard earned money...

I Am a Ham...

I'm sure you've heard someone called a ham before. Typically, older members of the community refer to outgoing and showy individuals as hams. For example: the child in the class play who sings and shines like a Broadway performer. What a Ham!!



No, I do not have Broadway showmanship skills, but I am a ham. I have an amateur radio license. In the wake of a cataclysmic event, the only things left will be cockroaches, nuclear waste, Cher, and Morse code. Hey, I'm planning for the worst and hoping for the best!

Hadley's Many Interests...

Hadley loves lots of different things. Obviously, you have picked up on the fact that Hadley is an extreme animal lover. She's interested in art and science too. To better explain the broad range of Hadley's personality, I have included a few photos from the last week.



These are her new shoes. You can't go wrong with Chucks.







This is the ecosystem that she made in science class. It has a cricket, snail, fish, and roly poly. She spent a great deal of time explaining the hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere to Ella and Layton. Neither of them cared; they just wanted to look at the critters.

This is her new purse. It's pleather. It matches her duffel bag that she is taking on a class field trip next week. They are both polka dotted and cute. Very different from the chucks.

When we went to the Fiddler's Convention, Hadley sat in the bleachers and read for a long time. The book she is reading is called Eragon. Apparently, she loves dragons too.

I'll try and remember to post some pictures from the fiddler's convention when I get a chance.

The Thumb is Not Happy...But Mommy is...

Our middle child is a thumb sucker...an equal opportunity sucker. It doesn't matter to her which thumb. She gladly puts either one in her mouth all day and night. In her sleep, you can remove the thumb from her mouth, and her arm acts like it has a spring in it. The thumb automatically pops back in.

Last week, we paid another visit to the orthodontist. He is a lovely man who tries very hard to make corrective procedures comfortable and fun for children. He decided some time ago that measures were going to have to be taken to stop Ella from sucking her thumb. We just completed phase one of "operation cease and desist the thumb sucking."

After nearly a week of this lovely contraption in her mouth, she is not sucking her thumb. I am choosing to treat this like a substance abuse situation though. An addict is still an addict even if they are not using. The behavior still exists, so I took away her pillow - Spiky. She holds Spiky in her arms and sucks her thumb. She has had the pillow since she was a baby, and she drags it everywhere! Some children have a teddy bear or blanket; Ella has a pillow. He (yes, she claims it's a boy) used to be bright blue and white ticking, and now he is white all over from years of washing. She is not happy with me for signing the consent form or for taking away Spiky, but when she grows up and has a beautiful smile, she will thank me for this. At least...that's what I keep telling myself.