Good Ole Rice...

This is Rice Hall. I live here my freshman year of college. It hasn't changed a bit! Ha!

Hail Dear Old State...

For the first time in more than a decade, I went to Starkville for a visit and for a football game. It was surreal. More to follow...

Sometimes, A Moment in the Sun Says It All...

Do You Ever....

Do you ever want to look at someone and say "get that thing out of my face?"
I think Lacey would have said that to me one day.

How adorable is she though??!?!?!?!? Some day I will look back at this picture and think....How lucky am I? I got to spend a ton of time with my niece. I saw the smiles and even the drop-dead looks. What an amazing gift that is!

When You're a Super Hero...

Being a super hero is tough work. There's the whole hassle of having to conceal your true identity. Then, there's having to sneak off and save fair maidens from certain doom.

And of course, you have to deal with the paparazzi your mother constantly photographing your every move.

Yes, being a super hero is a lot of work. 

Woot!...

Our favorite deli is staying open!!!!! Yay!!! We love Wildwood!!

Honest, I Didn't Smack Him...

The night before our Christmas card picture session a wicked wail came from Ella's bedroom. As I investigated the gosh awful wail, I discovered Layton curled up crying and holding his eye. There were two versions as to what happened. Ella claimed that Layton fell off her bed. Layton claimed that Ella helped him fall off the bed. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that he had one heck of a goose egg above his eye. Karma. I had mentioned the impending photo shoot.

I curled up on the sofa with little man and an ice pack. We sat on the sofa so long that he fell asleep with the ice pack resting on his face. I was sort of desperate to get the swelling down before the pictures. Vanity, I know.

The next day the goose egg was gone, but he had a lovely purple eye. It was almost the same shade of purple that I use as eye shadow. I don't think it will show in the pictures, and even if it does, Carla will photoshop it right out. That's just the way life goes with small children. The day before pictures someone will bust their head or rip their dress.

And

Just in case you were wondering

Yes, that is a scar above his eye. He actually did fall out of bed once when he was smaller. He hit himself just so on the night stand and busted his head wide open. It happened in the middle of the night. He didn't cry or come get us. He went right back to bed. When we went to wake him up the next day, he was bloodied and bruised something fierce. I felt awful about it. Mother of the year award...right here. Ha!

This Cracks Me Up...

This picture is hysterical to me. Kiddo looks shell shocked after a day with my crew. Layton is staring off in the distance. Ella seems to have a Napoleon complex. And Nephew?

He is ever so slightly spying out from around the corner. Ha! 

Because This Is What You Do....

Why else would someone have put this chain here? Duh. It's obviously for hanging on. :)

Just How Long of a Drive Is It?...

This is probably violating someone's privacy, but I have to ask. How freaking long does it take to drive from Alaska to Alabama??? Seriously. I saw this plate in town the other day, and I had to sneak a picture. I've been on a road trip to Mexico, and that was one heck of a haul. Alaska? Yeah, I'd probably never get brave enough to make that drive! HAHAHAHA!

Totes Adorable...

I love the fact that Nephew Nathan can make a chair out of anything. :)

Ahhhh. Boys are so much fun!

Oh My Ella...She Is So Happy....

Ella is my middle child. I was a middle child. I know what it's like to be squished in the middle of everything. The oldest child gets to do everything first. In my case and in Ella's case, the older sibling is four years older, so it always seems like your big brother/sister gets to do all kinds of great things. For example, Hadley has gotten to go on some amazing overnight field trips. After Hadley's trip to Dolphin Island, Ella wanted to know why she couldn't go to Dolphin Island too. I told her that her trip would be in four years. How well do you think that went over? Yeah, about like a ton of bricks.  "Four years!!!! Why do I have to wait four whole years?" You get the idea.
When you're stuck in the middle, older sibling seems to grown up and fancy. Baby sibling seems so special, and without fail everyone makes over the littlest of the brood. Oh yes, Layton definitely tends to get some special treatment especially since he has certain health issues. He gets away with behaving badly sometimes because he's little and honestly doesn't know that he's acting inappropriately. He gets help cleaning up his room and has a special section of food. The baby is just that. The baby.

Ella is somewhere squished in the middle.

In spite of that....

She is so happy. The grins and giggles and hugs never stop. She smiles for the camera and nearly had a  giggling fit when she got a pair of Ugg boots. She has been begging for some for three years, but I just couldn't justify spending money on actual Ugg boots for someone who will grow out of them in 2.5 seconds flat. She didn't want off brand. She just had to have the word Ugg on the back of the boot. Not too long ago Mama Kaye ordered a pair for Ella. Mama Kaye is a middle child too, so she understands the feeling of not being the oldest and not being the baby. :)  We middle kids have to stick together and stick up for one another. Occasionally, we have to break down and buy expensive boots too. Keep on grinning Middle Friends....

You Know You're Jealous...

This is one side of the downtown in my hometown. Yes, one side. There are four. We call it the square, and it is wonderful. You know you wish your downtown was as happening as this one. :)

On this side alone there are two restaurants, a bookstore that also serves lunch, two gift shops, a drugstore, an artist's studio and quite possibly one of the neatest dry goods store around.

During the Storytelling Festival, there was no need to leave downtown. The streets were partially blocked, so we could walk freely. We ate in downtown at our favorite deli, shopped for books, and enjoyed the courthouse lawn.

If you're ever close to Athens, you simply must spend an afternoon in downtown. :)

Just Whack One and Go...

I'm not entirely sure, but have I referenced the infamous trip to the Christmas tree farm when I was in high school? It was particularly cold, and my mother still contests the details of that day. Our family walked all over 90 bazillion acres of land looking at trees. I finally had it. The day ended with me saying to my father, "Just whack one and let's go." It sort of became my catch phrase after all the flack I took for my lack of Christmas spirit. Anyhow.....when Layton was playing with Halloween decorations, I couldn't help but think....

...Just whack one and let's go...

Clearly, I Wasn't Thinking...

Helping Mama Kaye decorate for the Halloween party seemed like a good idea.

Thankfully, no bones were broken, but I looked at this picture and thought....Why did I let my child climb a ladder??? The boy's head is practically magnetized to the ground. Seriously, he's had two CT scans. He's knocked himself unconscious more than once. He falls and scrapes all the time!! Why the heck was I sitting around taking pictures of what clearly could have been another trip to the ER for Layton???

Flirt...

This little man is such a flirt. He poses and smiles and works a crowd.

What a hot mess??!!!?!?!?!!?

In the Event of Vomit....

Layton got sick in the night last night. He is such a sweet boy. Bless his heart. He threw up on one end of his bed. He didn't bother to wake anyone up; he moved to the other end of his bed and went back to sleep. When I went in to wake him this morning, I discovered the sick.

It made me think...what would the others do in the event of midnight vomit?...

Ella. She would no doubt come running to wake me while leaving a trail of vomit along the way. She would cry and need to be held and would be so dramatic about the whole affair that you would swear no one had ever thrown up in the history of the world. I would then spend half the night cleaning up the mess and mopping every floor between her bedroom and mine.

Hadley. She wouldn't bother waking anyone. She wouldn't bother telling anyone. She would quietly get up and go to the bathroom to tend to business. It is entirely possible that she wouldn't mention it for two days. "Mommy, I forgot to tell you I threw up. Circa two days ago." "Hadley, why didn't you come get me?" "Well, I forgot about it; it didn't seem that important." Yes, Hadley would forget her head if it weren't attached to her body. The fact that she is absent minded is her most frustrating and endearing quality.

Jay. Well, he would have checked into the Days Inn when the first one got sick and been in quarantine, so it's unlikely that midnight vomit would happen to him. Ha! Just kidding. He would be utterly discreet. He would need me to bring him water and tend to him some.

Me. I am the queen of the stealth puke. I prefer to avoid throwing up at all costs. I once had a multi-year vomit-free streak going. Pregnancy tends to ruin a vomit-free streak. I'm a genius and kept getting knocked up, so my vomit-free streaks have not been as long as I would like. I would quietly vomit and go back to bed. The thing is this....once you become a mother, there aren't any sick days. I would still need to take children to and from school and deal with household chores. Ergo. Stealth puke. Under the radar.

Each of my children has a distinct personality, and it shows every day. Whether they are sick or well, each one handles life differently....especially in the event of vomit.

The Caboose...

The codependents were in the homecoming parade. Ella and Layton were classified as big kids and rode in the bed of a pickup truck. Hadley opted to walk behind the trucks with the adults. She was, in fact, the caboose of the parade.

She had a ton of fun playing with the littles in the truck and waving to the onlookers. Believe it or not, she is already looking for opportunities to be in the local Christmas parade. That's how much fun she had!!

Cute Cousins...

This is Layton with his cousin Carter. They are about the same age. I actually lifted this picture off Jane's facebook pictures. Whoops. Did I just confess to digital theft? Hopefully, she won't have me prosecuted. 

Anyhow, Layton is wearing a Clarabelle and the Hen shirt. He has quite a few of them, and almost every time he wears one, someone asks me about it. This is one of my favorites of his. You're sure to see more over the next few months. :)

Make Me Beautiful....

I am a complete sucker for things that smell good. Yes, perfumes suck me in like a common crack addict. The smell of laundry detergent and fabric softener are of the utmost importance to me. If food doesn't smell good, chances are strong that I won't enjoy it. I would say that out of all five senses my sense of smell is the most sensitive. Rarely do I choose a shampoo or soap without smelling it first. I like for things to smell yummy.

So when my friend Salli sent me some samples of various Arbonne products, I was thrilled at the smell!! Some moisturizers and cosmetics have unnatural scents, but Arbonne? Smells delicious!! Not only does it smell really, really good it works really well too!


Here is a link to the Arbonne holiday guide.  If you've never tried it, you really, really need to!! Also, for anyone who cares, a lot of their products are gluten-free. I've been using several items and am thrilled with it!! I'm sure that Salli would be thrilled to have some additional customers too!!

It Just Got Real...

Organization at the farm has gotten serious. I don't think this building was intended to be a place for little boys to play, but that's were I found Nathan and Layton before dinner not too long ago. Lacey was inside as well. It was hysterical. All that land to run around on or to ride four wheelers or RTVs...and the kids decided to play in a building. 

How Cute Is This?...

A lot of you know that I positively adore Carla. She did our most recent family photo session and our Christmas card pictures. When the picture session for Christmas was over, she handed me this...

It's an Organic Bloom Christmas ornament! It's the perfect size for a wallet photograph! I can't wait to pick an adorable shot to put in it and hang on our tree. Carla mentioned that she was thinking of doing a special on wallet sized photographs with the ornaments, SO if you're looking for someone wonderful to do your pictures, give Carla a call!

Ella and Her Hat...

Now that's cute...

Hadley's Hand Art...

Hadley draws all the time. When you least expect it, you'll find something like this on her hand. Or leg. Or arm. Or ankle. Or knee. Seriously, she draws all the time.

Too Loud for Layton...What Was?...I Have No Idea...

Ahhhhhahahahaha!!!...

A friend posted this on twitter. I have no clue who took it or where, but it is such a terrible costume idea. 

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Have I Mentioned How Grown Up She is These Days...

It amazes me how quickly Hadley has turned from a little kid into an almost teenager.

Every now and then, I open a picture of her and just cannot believe that this is my child. It seems like only a small amount of time has passed since she was born. People tell you how fast it passes, but until you are a parent and looking at your more than half grown child, you don't understand how quickly time really does pass. It's been a wonderful 12 years with her though. I'm looking forward to the next 12.

The Fro Returns...

The fro has been out in full force for about a month. We finally got it trimmed up a couple of weeks ago, but I had to go ahead and post one last pic of the fro in action. :)

The Farm Through Hadley's Lens...

Leaf People

This was the craft that Layton made on his field trip. It turned out so cute!