Bow and Arrow...Uh Oh...

Layton wanted a bow and arrow from Santa. So, Santa delivered a child sized bow and arrow set. Layton tried out a few things that came with it.



But, he can't pull the string (or whatever you call it) back. It is a 15-18 pound pull. Layton only clocks in at a massive 28 pounds (fully dressed after a meal). I guess he won't be able to use it for a few more years.

Paula Deen Strikes Again...

Ella and I have a Christmas tradition. She and I make cookies every year on Christmas Eve. This year was no exception.

Paula should watch out! Ella has mad skills in the kitchen!

Germs Win...

Last week was the first week of Christmas vacation for the children. How did Layton spend his vaycay? Sick. His sweet feet had to visit the pediatrician. It was not fun. He was grumpy.


He did manage to put together a few puzzles. That's his favorite activity. He loves puzzles.



Best anecdote from the wave of illness:

Me: Layton, what do you want for breakfast?
Layton: Pancakes.

So, I gathered the ingredients and turned on the skillet. I was waiting on it to get hot when...

Layton: Make my breakfast!
Me: I am sweetie.
Layton: No you're not! You just standing there!

Yes, he really did say it like that. He was grumpy and hungry. It was pitiful.

Smell My Feet...

My six year old just looked at me and said, "Mommy, I want you to smell my feet."

She used half a gallon of hand sanitizer on her feet and was so proud of the way they smelled.

Ewwwww.

Give It Away Now...

I am considering doing a give away post. What do you guys think? A fun give away for after Christmas seems like a good thing to do! Suggestions?

Happy Christmas!!!....

Happy Christmas Blog World!!!

My Obituary...

So, I am an insomniac. I have always had a LOT of trouble sleeping. I'm guessing that's why my oldest child only sleeps a few hours a night. I'm also guessing that's why my aunt is awake all the time. Sometimes when I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, I think about calling someone to talk to.

Anywhoodle, my doctor recently prescribed some Ambien for me to use on nights when sleep seems to be further away than New Zealand.


I have taken some. I slept for right at 7 hours one night! You have to understand that I haven't had 7 straight hours of sleep in years. Years.

The point of all of this is that Ambien has a ton of strange side effects listed. Last night, I dreamed about writing my own obituary. All night long. It was the only thing in my head, and the dream seemed to last all night. It was so odd. I remember the way it started...

My name is Amanda, and I have lived a small life.

Who dreams about their own obituary? Strange.

Guess How Many Are Pregnant...

Not all that long ago, several of the girls planned a get together in order to celebrate a birthday. While we were there, a few of us ordered a beverage. It occurred to me that a number of my friends are either pregnant, breastfeeding, or just had a baby. Can you guess how many are pregnant?

Celeste is Blogging!...

Celeste is blogging! For those of you who don't live nearby, Celeste is the fearless leader of the Young Women's Ministry group that I have mentioned a few times.

Sights, Lights, and It Was a Fright....

A family in our community tends to go a little overboard with the decorations as Christmas. Their whole house is decorated....their driveway is in the shape of a U and goes all the way around their house...you get to drive through the lights that have gone one step too far...

This last picture is one take from behind their garage. Looking up. He has lights strung to something that resembles a radio tower way up above his house.

Hadley Got Artsy With It...

Hadley and her grandmother made a gingerbread house recently. Check this sucker out!! Hadley is very crafty and did an excellent job on the house.

Is This His Party Face?...

Recently, I attended Layton's Christmas party at preschool. It was quite an adventure! His class is a handful!

This was his first attempt at smiling for the camera.

He doesn't look too happy to me. What do you think?

Then, he decided to give smiling another chance.

Better but still not what I was hoping for. Oh well! I will keep trying to get some good photographs of him before the end of the year.

On a side note: Please say a special prayer for Mrs. Katie - Layton's teacher. She has a really rambunctious group. I'd probably take up heavy drinking if I had to deal with those children everyday. They are sweet, but they are very exhausting!

Three on the Floor...

Here they are on the floor asleep. This was before school one morning last week. Yes, I still move them to the den and let them sleep in front of the fireplace before school each morning. It just gives them some place to work on waking up.

Camera Thief...

The camera thief strikes again!! You might remember me blogging about Layton taking a series of strange photos a while back. Well, he took the camera again. Let's take a look at his artistic images...



"Gees Ma. Check out the giant R you had monogrammed right in the middle of my shirt."


"I look so cool standing up over the camera. My mom is so dumb that she hasn't ever used the timer on the camera. I am four and have mastered it."

"If you stand really close to the mirror, you can take a picture of yourself using the camera. Wow, my fingers are glowing because of the flash!"

Bikini in a Bank...

I was talking to my friend Angela the other night, and we were discussing being pregnant. She's currently expecting her third child. We laughed about how your body is never quite the same after a baby. I mentioned that when I look back on my life, I realize how conservatively I have always dressed. Me show skin? Never! I am wrapped up like a burrito 90% of the time. I told her that sometimes I think I should have been dressing like a skank before I had children. That's when I decided to blog about....things I should have worn or done before I had children...



1. I should have worn a string bikini all summer long...even to the bank, post office, and Wal-Mart. Hey, I live in Alabama; plenty of people go in public while looking less than public ready. Have you been to http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/? The problem with this one is that my mother would have thrown a fit if I came home with a string bikini.



2. I should have gone to Mardi Gras and flashed the world. Ok. There's no way I would have done that...EVER! It would take a serious amount of alcohol for me to even consider doing that. And then, I would have awakened the next morning in a tub full of ice water missing a kidney. On second thought, this probably doesn't belong on my list.



3. I should have worn one of those ridiculously low cut and tight sweater dresses that Victoria's Secret sells. A woman in her 30s with three children probably shouldn't be wearing one unless she is a VS model with plenty of time and resources to focus on working out three hours a day.

4. I should have worn daisy dukes. Yes, conservative me never actually had a pair of really, really short shorts. Gosh, I dressed like a school marm!

I can't really think of anything else. I guess what I am saying is that...if you got it, flaunt it while you can! Too soon, your body will be a road map of all the events in your life....and it ain't always pretty.

If My Nose Were Running Money Honey, I'd Blow It All on You...

But it's not. My nose has just been running. My throat has been sore, and I have been coughing. The lovely virus that has been nagging me was an early Christmas present from my children. Ella and Hadley have both had it.

This is what Hadley wore on Friday. Floral pajamas, striped toe socks, and her black chucks. O, the joy of a sick day...

Ella Loves Her Pig...

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Deck the Halls...Or Area...

We cut our tree down over the weekend. The children decorated it a day or so later. Yes, I let them do all the decorating. I don't care that it doesn't match. I don't mind that ornaments get clumped in the one spot Layton can reach. I don't even let it bother me when the children insist on only using the ornaments they have made at school over the years. The tree is all about the children. It is all about what they want it to be and the magic of the season. My tree isn't covered in Radko ornaments, but it is doused with love.

Hadley can reach a little higher than the other two...

Layton had a ton of fun decorating the tree...

And Ella was as dramatic as ever...

For Noah...

A short time ago a precious 22 month old boy in my community was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Noah is an adorable little boy who is in need of some prayer.

Noah has a malignant tumor called Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor. He will most likely require chemotherapy. He is having surgery this Friday to put in his port, have a spinal tap to check for free roaming cancer cells, and to repair a burn on his arm. During one of his MRIs, the blanket he was covered with burned his arm so badly that he will have to have a skin graft.

Noah's family is blessed to be blanketed in prayer in our community, but he needs as many prayer warriors as possible. Noah's father is the minister of music at the church where my children went/go to preschool. Please pray for this family.

**Link and information used with the permission of Noah's father. "The more people pray, the more God gets the glory." - John David

My grandmother will be in the hospital for at least another day or two. Please keep her in your prayers.

He Asked For What?!!???!!....

Something I might not have mentioned in the past is that my mother-in-law is diabetic. The children are all used to her insulin shots and sugar tests. They used to be obsessed with watching her prick her finger, but now it's old news to them.

Something I know I have mentioned is my love of Tivo. He's my best friend. He knows what shows I like to watch. He knows when to record a few minutes longer, so I can see the previews of next week. He saves me from screaming children when they need to potty during a movie.


Layton and I were watching TV several weeks ago when the phone rang. I paused the show and answered the phone not paying attention to what commercial was on.

This is what the TV was paused on:



The phone call finished, and Layton told me he wanted a "sugar tester" for Christmas. Seriously, he pointed at the Accu Chek and told me that's what he wanted from Santa Clause. He explained that Mama Kaye has one, and he wants to check his sugar too.


My little cherub wants diabetes testing supplies from Santa. Wilford Brimley would be so proud...
Needless to say, he's getting Batman instead...

Prayer Request...

If you have a moment, please say a prayer for my grandmother. She is in the hospital. She doesn't live here, so that makes it a little harder for me to deal with.
We call my grandmother Maw Maw, and she is one of the strongest people I have ever met. She was the oldest girl in a family of 10 children! She has survived ovarian cancer. She worked as a nurse. She deals with Rheumatoid Arthritis. BUT, she never complains about anything!!!!
Please pray that the doctors will be able to make a quick diagnosis and for comfort and relief from the pain she is in.

Crazy...Strange...Seriously?...

Saturday morning it snowed.



Tuesday was warm enough that we were under a tornado watch all day and night. It rained so much that local creeks flooded and one school system had to close for the day due to not being able to get the buses in an out of necessary spots.

Let's recap. Snow. 48 hours later tornadoes. Hmmm. Strange weather in the Tennessee Valley.

The Oldest Incorporated City in Alabama...

Mooresville, Alabama welcomed its first settlers close to 1805. The residents petitioned to be incorporated as a city the year before Alabama became a state.

It is a wonderful city. The movie Tom and Huck was filmed there because the city appears to be trapped in time.

Every year, the residents have a progressive dinner followed the next day by a walking tour of their town.

We took the children to the tour this year, and it was well worth the short drive.

Here are the girls in front of the decorative nutcrackers at the restaurant in Mooresville....the only restaurant...

Here the girls are walking down one of the three blocks in Mooresville...

Ella inside the post office. This post office is the oldest post office still in operation in the state. The postmaster (who was working open house) told us that most agree that this post office is one of the three oldest in the country that are still operational...

This is why Layton is not in any photographs. He was a sleepy boy who had to be carried.

The girls outside the post office...

Ella beside the letter box installed way, way, way after the post office opened...

This is an example of the street signs in Mooresville. As I mentioned before, the city only has three blocks, so it's not a terribly large area to walk. The street signs and homes built in the 1800s make this a delightful place to visit.

O Christmas Tree...

Every year our family chops down a Christmas tree. We went to a different farm this year than usual, but we had just as much fun. I will post some pictures of the tree after it is actually decorated. :)


The obligatory shot of the hubs on the ground with a saw. I do this every year, and every year he tells me not to.



All three of my babes toward the end of our tree adventure...



Layton is easily excitable...clearly...

But he still loves to work his mommy's emotions....

The girls were absolutely precious the whole time...

It was super cold and a little bit muddy, but it was worth it to have a Christmas tree...

A Little Dusting of Snow...

We recently had a light dusting of snow. I know that an inch of snow that melts before lunch isn't really considered snow to many of you, but in Alabama...IT'S A SNOW DAY!!! Ella and Layton were the only two who ventured out to play. Hadley was still in the bed.


Layton rode his four wheeler...



He also wore his lucky hat in preparation for the game Saturday night...ROLL TIDE!!!



And, Ella made her best Elvis face...

By Zee Way...

I am a little tired. I am going to take a few days off from the interwebs just to gather my thoughts and catch up with laundry. :) I'll be back to posting and commenting by Monday...

You Could Fit A Mag Lite In His Mouth...

What on Earth would make Layton make a face like this?



Why would all three sit still long enough for me to snap a quick picture or two with my phone?





Why, it would be the Christmas parade in our home town of course!




I left my car in a good spot earlier today and spent the rest of the afternoon on foot. I carefully placed blankets and hot chocolate mix in the back. Jay brought one of his little heaters that he takes hunting. So, I was able to use boiling water from a nearby office to make hot chocolate, and the little ones were able to sit in the back of the Volvo with the hatch open for the duration of the parade.

Overall, it was a lovely parade. The "Friends of Ripley" had an awesome float! I am hoping to get some pictures of it to put up too. The hubs has promised to email me all of the pictures he took, so I might be able to show more another day...

Famous Quotes I Love...

Candy Is Dandy But liquor Is quicker.

Reflections on Ice-Breaking by Ogden Nash

Did I Mention He is Wild?...

In the car on the way to Dreamland, Layton was a cool dude. He was rocking the leather coat and batman sunglasses.


After he ate, he was just rocking the leather coat.



P.S. You are looking at my favorite feature in my car. It has a built in booster seat in the back. It's the reason I bought my car. Before I got the Volvo, I had a minivan. We also had more than one child in a safety seat. Upon learning I could reduce the number of car seats required, I told Jay, "I am buying this car."