Something Old and Something New...

Several years ago, Jay and I knew a fellow by the name of Dan. Jay and Dan played basketball together. Dan and I went to the lead out together. Ten years ago, I would have never guessed that Dan would be sitting on my sofa fancying my baby sister. We are truly blessed to be able to spend time with friends from the past.

Vawentime's Day...

Today, I went to the girls' Valentine's Parties. Ella's was in the AM and Hadley's was in the PM. Layton's class didn't have a party, and I didn't lean in to say hello. If I had looked in on him, he would have cried for me to take him. He cries every time I drop him off at Mom's Morning out. He cries if I don't pick him up fast enough when I enter the room at the end of the day. He's MY BOY!!! It's so nice to be loved.
After work, I went to Huntsville and took Jay out to eat. I made a reservation at ShoGun Japanese Restaurant. It was WONDERFUL!!!!! Today was a good day. The adventures of Mrs. Jay continue....

Illegal Activity...

Even when they are doing everyday tasks (eating goldfish or drinking hot chocolate), my babies are so cute. They are so cute it should be illegal. The cuteness is almost too much. Whenever Ella does something really cute, I say that I have been "Ella-cuted." Sadly, her name is the only one that makes great words like "elladorable." We call Layton "Later Tater" sometimes, so when I fix a bottle for him, it's "tatorade."Ella calls Hadley "Shoo Shoo," so it's not that uncommon for me to holler,"Shoo Shoo Roo Shoo, it's time to go to bed."Yeah. I know. It's sad when you discover that you are a well educated, intelligent individual who makes up words instead of using real words.

Breathing is Hard To Do...

Ella has asthma just like Hadley and just like me. She has to take daily breathing treatments, and she really, really hates it.

Girls....

Girls are great fun.

Arrrrrrgggghhhh.....

Layton is trying to help reverse global warming.

Need I say more?

What will get me first?

Bird Flu. Global Warming. Inflation. War. Cancer. "It's the number one killer today, and it could be in your dinner. Stay tuned for the news at 10:00PM."
Geez. Could the news make this world sound any worse? I have become very concerned about global warming. Not because I am a tree hugging liberal but because I can't decide what to believe. As near as I can tell, every documentary, study, and research paper is funded by some organization, corporation, or municipality. Every organization, corporation, and municipality has an interest in the outcome...an interest. Think about it. You wouldn't hire a PR firm to make you look bad. You wouldn't pay for documentaries that wouldn't do what you needed done. Can we really trust the media? All of the scare tactics and misrepresentation is starting to feel old. Did the moon landing really happen or did some studio assist the government in selling all of us a load of crap?
I like to think that global warming is caused by humans. In fact, I believe that humans contribute to global warming, but I also believe that the earth tries to balance itself. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Earth will fight back. I'm not suggesting that Earth has a conscience and is seeking to take out humans. I am suggesting that Earth will make an effort to balance. It seems to me that a pandemic bird flu could be a good thing. Wiping out a portion of the population would reduce global warming. Survival of the fittest.
I can't go on like this. I get so upset by all of this that I just can't think about it anymore. I'm officially tapping out of this thought process for now. Please comment or email me with suggestions about global warming.

It's Snow Cold...

It Snowed!!! Can you believe it? It rarely snows in Alabama, but we got a light dusting of snow. The kids had a great time playing in it. Layton was the only one who didn't really care for the snow. He's too little; it was just cold to him. Hadley built two snowmen. They were small but cute. Ella enjoyed making footprints. Overall, it was a great morning. School was delayed which made it easier to enjoy the snow. Since I have been so sick, it really helped me out that I didn't have to get up so early to get the children nuggets to school. Stayed tuned for more adventures with Mrs. Jay...

This is An Update.

My Strep Throat is gone, but I have an unfortunate case of bronchitis. I am totally high on cough syrup. Codeine Rocks!

My Boys...

There is a TV show called "My Boys." It is cute. It's about a girl who has all male friends. She chronicles their adventures. My boys roll on the floor and watch football. Layton loves to chill on the sofa with his Daddy.

I have strep throat.

Nothing is getting done at my house. Jay is too busy focusing on getting me well to deal with the laundry that is piling up higher than my head. Please pray that Jay can put up with me a little longer until the antibiotics kick in.

Oh, he's a Massey...

Layton is adorable. He walks around stealing food off others' plates and grinning about his pacifier. Then, when he can go no further, he goes to sleep...even if it's on the floor beside his crib. He's exactly like me. I have the ability to go full speed for great lengths of time, but the moment I get ready to crash, watch out because I might land on you. I wake up in the morning and go non-stop until it's bedtime. Jay says that I reach "the point." I'll get in the bed and turn on mindless TV and start to drift. Apparently, I will answer all questions the same. Jay asks, "Are you sleepy?" I grunt. Jay asks, "Did you get the newspaper today?" I grunt. Jay asks, "How do you feel about the war in Iraq?" I grunt. It's the point. The point where I can't go any further. At least I am grown and get in the bed when I reach the point. Well, most of the time I make it to bed. Jay has roused me from the couch, surrounded by the towels I was folding, on more than one occasion. I love my little Layton.

Business School is the Way to Go...

Jay and I went to my company Christmas party. It was fun. It always is fun. The partners always rent out a country club and have an open bar. The pictures with this post are two of my favorite pictures from the event. One is of Jay with Paul. Paul and I went to high school together and now we work together. Lyn refers to our office as the Dream Team. I tell Paul he has to be Johnny Chochran because he's the only person in the office who isn't a caucasion; I get to be F. Lee Bailey cuz I rock. I don't think that joke would go over too well with someone I haven't know for 16+ years. The other picture is of my boss (Lyn -in the jacket) with Ralph (the striped sweater). Ralph is the "D" in MDA. He is one of the two founding partners of the company I work for. MDA Professional Group, P.C. is the largest privately owned accounting firm between Birmingham and Nashville. We have five offices: Athens, Albertville, Huntsville, Fort Payne, and Gadsden.

We are raising him right...

Layton is an Alabama fan...or at least I am trying to make him one.

It wasn't Carpet Burn...It was Newbern...

We went to Newbern Tennessee to visit Jay's aunt and uncle who live there. It was a wonderful trip. Steve (uncle) is a mortician; he really is the friendly undertaker. His wife Pattye is fantastic. They have two sons. Steven is a student at Vanderbilt; Patrick is a mortuary student. They have a lovely 150 farm with a great pond and fountain. It was a most excellent adventure.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out...

My mother gave Jay a most delightful gift.

Some More Stuff...

Two Things. One of these pictures is of Jay teaching Hadley to ride the tiny Motorcycle that his parents bought for him when he was 8. I know!! How crazy is it that his parents have kept it in working order?!?! The other picture is of my grandmother (Elaine) with 67% my children and my niece. Elaine doesn't really know who any of us are anymore, but she does know that we must be her family.

If Blogging Were Life Support...

I would be dead. Seriously, I haven't blogged in so long that I forgot my password. So much has happened. We had holidays. Ella had an ambulance ride and a hospital stay. Both Layton and Ella had surgeries. Layton had tubes put in. Ella had an adenoidectomy and a myringotomy. Hadley got her own computer and learned to email. I'm officially already stuck in tax season, and Layton can walk. Geez...my readers have missed so much. I promise to make a better effort keeping you all informed.

Marshmallows...

Recently, Jay and I bought a new camera. It takes really, really good pictures. The picture I have attached to this post is from the new camera. It's a pretty good picture...considering it was taken at night by a fire. I'll try to post some of my more recent pictures soon.

Ella likes marshmallows. It's the only thing that helped me get her to use the potty like a big girl. She was roasting marshmallows with Jay and his dad.

Why this place?

Layton is thirteen months old and all boy! For some reason, he loves the dishwasher. He climbs in it, he plays in it, he loves it. In this photo, we had just come home. I piled up all of the kids' school bags and the bags from dropping by the store and started to unload and reload the dishes. Before I even knew what happened, Layton had climbed in for some fun. Of all places to play!

More Halloween Pictures...

These are two more pictures from Halloween. Hadley was a fairy, and the other is of Ella with her preschool class.

Grandparents Week

Today was grandparents day for the second graders at Hadley's school. Her grandfather and great-grandmother from Mississippi came. It was wonderful to have so many people there for her.

My Favorite Time of Year

Christmas is the best time of the year for me. I love the smell of Christmas. I love the sound of Christmas. I love the food...the evenings and mornings spent with family...the lights on the tree...the excitment on the faces of children. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!! I have shared a few photos from Christmas past. One is of the Christmas right before Jay and I got married. One is from our first Christmas with two girls. The other is from the first Christmas after we got married; it was a good Christmas. We had just discovered that we were expecting a baby. Believe me, I am getting hammered already for skipping Thanksgiving, but I LOVE Christmas. Mrs. Jay promises to post some Thanksgiving stuff too this year. The Adventures of Mrs. Jay continue!!!

My Babies are Funny.

Seriously, How Cool is that?!?!?!?!?!?

Every year, I ask my children what they want to be for Halloween. This year, Ella told me she wanted to be, "Chuck Norris." Seeing as how there aren't a lot of Chuck costumes for 3 year olds, I asked her what her second choice was. She replied, "Green Pringles." Well, being the type of person who will jump through hoops of fire for my babies, I decided to attempt to make Ella into Green Pringles. As near as I can tell, it worked. She has a turtleneck and leggings to wear under the can. These pictures were of her final "fitting." More pictures of all the children nuggets in their costumes later...

ONE-derful!!!

Layton is one!!!

At least she tried...

One of the few perks of having a name that begins with the letter "A" is that I always come first in programmed lists on others cell phones. Whether they like it or not, my name is like a trump card. I'm trying to figure out a way to beat out all the Alex-es, Allie-es, and Ada-es of the world. Maybe I will drop all the letters in my name except for the "A." That's right. Oprah is O...I am A. I noticed that my relatives...The Fabulous Fondrens...have added me to their links of blogs, and as you may have guessed, I top the list. Jay got a new cell phone one time that organized the address book by something other than first name. I made him change my settings so that I showed up as number one. Sadly competitive. I've begged Jay to make my epitaph read, "At least she tried." When I was 13, I decided that I wanted to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Please, keep the "poor kid" comments to yourself. Wes told me that if I ever won it, he would learn to play the harpsichord for my mother's funeral. In an effort to help attain world peace (I know, "poor kid"), I have placed bets on various charities. By bets, I mean concerted efforts to further the cause of the organization. The housing ministry was my first bet. I have been thrilled with the response and results of being involved in Habitat for Humanity and three different international housing ministries. Then, there was my quest to get the "Anytown" meter maid fired. Wait, that wasn't a charity, but it would've helped countless citizens who work around downtown "anytown." You see, downtown "anytown" is comprised entirely of two-hour spaces, so if you work in downtown, you have to go out every two hours and move your car or risk a five dollar ticket. I prepared a lovely study for the city detailing the fact that no matter how many tickets the meter maid writes, the revenue from said tickets does not cover her salary and the repairs to the golf cart looking thing she drives. I got the info for her salary from the CAFR for our local government. A CAFR is a comprehensive annual financial report. Most municipalities and publicly owned properties are required to produce these reports. It's public info. You wouldn't invest in the stock of a company without checking on the performance of the company. I don't invest my tax dollars in a city without checking on it's performance. Aside over. So, I sent my extremely long report to the city. I even included another option. Sell parking decals to the employers in downtown for $50 a year. The decals would have to be turned over to the employer when an employee quits. I have never received $50 worth of tickets, and I have lived here right at 30 years. However, I would gladly pay $50 a year if it meant I would never have to get up and move my car during tax season. The city's response....They raised the price of tickets to $10 and sent me a thank you for bringing this to their attention. At least I tried. My most recent quest is bone marrow transplants. I recently signed up for the volunteer donor list. I am very excited by the possibility of saving someone's life. I know in my heart that if one of my children needed a transplant that I would pray day in and day out for someone to take a few days of their life to save my child's life. Well, my children are healthy, but that doesn't mean that all children are healthy. Almost anyone is eligible to be a marrow donor. Signing up is easy. You can go to almost all locations that accept blood donations to sign up. The test is painless and quick. You swab the inside of your mouth with four q-tip like things. You answer a few questions about your lifestyle and health history. That's it. Then, you could potentially give someone's child the opportunity to have their first kiss, to go to prom, to go to college, to get married, to have their own children, the opportunity to live. How great is that? You don't have spend months or weeks in the hospital to do it either. Most of the time it's a one day thing. ONE DAY!! That's a really quick life altering event. Having children takes months...Sometimes years to complete your family. Saving children or people who want to have children takes one day. It's at least a start....

P.S. I didn't even proofread this. How bad is that?

Fiddle = Funnel Cake

Some of my fondest memories of being a child are the ones I have of the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention. Boom Paw, my grandfather from Tuscaloosa, loved the Fiddlers Convention. Every year, he and my grandmother (Maw Maw) would come to Athens for the convention. Boom Paw and Ed would take us to hear the fiddle off on Saturday evening. Some years the weather would be so cold that my mother would bundle us up in layers and layers of thermal underwear. As soon as we'd get to the college campus, Boom Paw would purchase funnel cake for us. We would sit in the bleachers and eat funnel cake while sipping on hot chocolate. I almost never stayed awake until the very end. I can remember resting my head on the cold metal seat and drifting off to sleep only to be awakened when either my father or grandfather would lift me up for the ride home. Both my father and grandfather have passed away, and my fondness for the annual convention has become an even more sentimental. This year, Jay and I took our children for the whole day on Saturday. We took strollers and blankets. We bought pork rinds and funnel cakes. We sat on the same metal bleachers that my father and grandfather sat on for so many years. I was able to share something with my children that my father was able to share with me. I wish that I had pictures of Ed and Boom Paw enjoying the music.

What does "Alone" mean?

One afternoon I was trying to take a cat nap. Things didn't quite go as planned. Shortly after getting in the bed, Layton cried. I fixed a bottle for him and tucked him in with me. A few minutes later, here came Ella. For some reason she was wearing only a pull up. Nearly five minutes later, Hadley came bounding in too. Suddenly, my lovely alone time was covered in kids. They piled up in the bed with me...I didn't take a nap, but I had a lot more fun.
Keep your eyes out for more info from Mrs. Jay....