Layton...Vacationing in the Sand...

Layton loves playing in the sand. He loves to be buried in it and to fight his way out of the pit. True, he is adorable.

 

His hair is finally starting to get a bit longer. I took him for a trim a while back. It was over a month ago. I asked for the girl to trim it, and he got scalped. He cried right there in the salon and said he missed his curls. He picked a few up off the floor and put them in his pocket. For realz. He said, "I look like a complete stranger without my curls." So, I'm letting him grow it out as long as he wants. Goodness, he looks red in this picture, but he didn't burn. He was just hot.

 

He swam and swam and played in the surf. He also spent a good bit of time playing with his boogie board. He enjoyed this trip to the beach more than any other we have taken. At least, he seemed to be more at ease with the beach than ever before.

 

He's a great little vacation buddy.

At Last...

As soon as we got to the condo, we went down to the beach.

 

We were all very happy to be on vacation.

 

Obligatory names in the sand...

 

Vacation Over...Over Vacation...

Vacation. Ahhh. The sound and feel of relaxation. It's over now, but we had a nice time on the beach. The nuggets and J swam and got sun. I sat under the umbrella and watched. It was lovely. Be prepared for the ridiculous number of pictures I will be posting the next few days.

We took a few family pictures the last day. The children were not too happy with the kissing.

 

None of the codependents were impressed with the end of our vacation.

 

School starts soon. I am ready for some sense of normalcy.

Are You Talking to Me?...

Just when I think that Ella could not possibly be any funnier, she goes and gives me this face.

 

If you've met Ella in person, you know exactly what I am talking about. :)

Random Thoughts and Observations...

-Sweet Marky Mark. The hubs has been recording the Olympics on the Tivo in the bedroom. I am devastated when I realize the little red light does not mean that I am recording something that I love to watch. I didn't even know that BMX was an Olympic sport. I am glad the Olympics are over now. I watched part of the closing ceremony. I'll go ahead and fess up to the fact that I had downed two glasses of wine, but still, that was one trippy show. And why was everyone on a moving vehicle? It was swirly-twirly gum drops cray cray.


-Speaking of Mark....Marky Mark is crazy muscled. I would be really intimidated to see him in person. Mostly because his biceps are so big that he would probably break my hand shaking it.


-Wedding rings. I'm not sure I understand all the hooplah. If a celebrity is photographed without his/her wedding band on, the tabloids immediately jump to "Marriage on the Rocks!" I'm not sure I even remember the last time J wore his wedding band. Maybe 2009? And even then only for some occasion? I certainly do not wear mine 100% of the time either. I run errands without wearing my rings on a regular basis. With or without those rings on my finger, I am still J's wife. Or maybe we're just a progressive couple that doesn't require jewelry be worn 100% of the time. Where do you all stand on wedding bling?


-I totally love Big Tiny. Their sweet voices get me every time.

-Not surprisingly I am the only person wearing jeans on the beach. For some reason all of these people have no problem letting it all hang out. I prefer to keep my business covered up. There are some things that just cannot be unseen....my body in a swimsuit is one of those things. It's really more of a public service to keep myself covered. I should get a medal for protecting the eyes of small children. I am nothing if not philanthropic.

-I officially despise apple and all of the iphone worship. Hadley's phone crashed. Thanks to apple there is no handy-dandy reset button or easy way to restore the dang thing. Between Hadley, J, and me, we have spent far too much time trying to get the crap back to where it was. After this she might be tempted to go with a droid instead of holding out for the latest, greatest iphone release.

-If I could do absolutely anything, I would be a student. I would love to spend my days learning and listening. Too bad that's not a profession, and I can't get paid to audit college classes. Does anyone want to sponsor my quest to become a professional student?

-Clearly, this post was drafted off and on over the course of a week. I really should make an effort to sit down and finish blog posts in a timely manner.

-By the way, I'm no impressed.

Wear It Out...

Sonic. 
Cherry Limeade love.
The buttons that make up the zip codes here are worn.
I must not be the only person who loves to get a limeade from time to time.

 

Weight Limit?...I Guess Not...

So we took the kids to the park one day. We were stopping by the kick off party for a friend who is running for office. Next thing I knew there was a pile up of girls on a play thing. I'm not sure this is how the manufacturer intended the dinosaur be used, but it half cracked me up!


 

I especially like the way Layton is just standing there. It's like he's wondering why there isn't any room for him. Or why is cray cray mother is taking a picture of this. Ha!

Do Not Doubt My Love...

I write letters to my children. Not everyday. Not every month. But often enough.
 I write about what we've done lately.
I write about what their latest obsessions are.
 I write about how much I love them and how badly I want them to know how much I love them.
I write about the challenges of being a parent.
I write about my hopes and dreams for them and how I struggle to put my hopes and dreams aside for their own hopes and dreams.
I write.
I started writing when the eldest was an infant, so I've been writing for 13 years now. I still haven't found the words to explain the depth of my love for them. I don't know if there are words to describe the constant pressure in my heart.

These books are full of letters all signed Love, Mommy.


 

I don't know when I will give these books to my precious children because I don't know if I am capable of finalizing the books. My journey as a mother is constantly moving onward and evolving. I do not foresee ever wanting to stop writing to them. Perhaps they will find the books years and years from now when I am gone. I hope that each of them reads the letters someday.
 I hope they laugh at the funny bits.
I hope they feel the impressions from my penmanship with their fingers and know that I wrote with love.
I hope the letters bring back fond memories and soften the scars of the not-so-fond memories of their lives.
I hope.

Jail Time...

This is Layton and Nephew Nathan's version of jail.


 

Only, they go to jail for fun instead of crimes. :)

Because She's Cool Like That...

Do you ever look at one of your children and think, "Gees, I'm lucky to have such a wonderful child."


 

Everyday I am amazed by my three offspring. I love them so much.

Love You Too...

I asked little Lacey to give me a smile. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out instead. It was followed by much laughter.


 

Bamboozled...

Hadley really wants a new iphone. According to her the latest and greatest won't be launched until October. For her birthday I told her that we would upgrade her phone, but since her birthday is in August, the upgrade will not be a timely birthday gift. She's willing to wait until October, so we gave her a new graphics tablet as a birthday patch so to speak.


 

That child does love to draw.

Pogo Loco...

Ella turned 9 recently. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, the first thing she listed every time was a pogo stick. I was somewhat hesitant to let her have one. Why? I know someone who broke his leg while pogo-ing. I would love to cover all three of my children in bubble wrap from head to toe. Knock on wood...none of them have had any broken bones thus far, but I know it is always a possibility. Hopefully, Ella's birthday present won't lead to any broken bones.


 

She's wiry and doesn't have enough mass to make the pogo really get going. It's more of an Allegro bounce.

 

It sure has made her happy though.

 

Bounce on, sweet girl.

Eat Responsibly...I Need Food...

Ya'll know I love to eat. I love all foods. Living in the South presents a challenge for a gal like me. Eat the fried chicken? Or be able to zip my pants in the morning? 9 times out of 10 I am going to have the chicken. Ha!

The Athens Grease Festival is coming up on September 29, 2012. The steering committee has decided that we would love to have individuals selling fried foods as well. There is going to be a cash prize to the "best fried vegetable," "best fried dessert," "best fired meat," and the "most outrageous." So, if you make a wicked fried pickle, shoot me an email at romine.amanda@gmail.com. 

P.S. It is entirely possible that we will have cholesterol screenings available, so you won't really have to eat responsibly. :)

The Sky is the Limit...

 

Limits.

They don't really exist, ya know? Anything is possible given enough time and effort. I forget that from time to time.

In the Kitchen with Ella...

Ella's obsession with cooking is priceless. She decided to make some soup one day. She browned chunks of beef before adding various vegetables...

...Dressed like a chef.


 

Tell me that doesn't make you smile.

 

She's Something...

 

Did I Really Just Hear That?...

Layton. Ya'll, this child makes me laugh all the time.

Some of the lovely things that have come out of his mouth lately:


-Bong hit - Thank you dear journalist who brought up this lovely gem about Michael Phelps. Layton has been asking, "What is a bong hit?" At some point, I will have to explain this one. Today just isn't that day, my friends.

-State farm agent - "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there with 100 Legos." Layton, thanks, I appreciate the fact that you want me to switch to State Farm, but the agents really don't materialize in the den the same way they do on TV.


-How do they get the baby out of your stomach? With a laser cutter, of course. - No, I did not try to explain to him that lasers are not regularly involved in childbirth. We left that one at "very carefully." He's not quite old enough for that talk.


-"This is the best day ever." My reply was, "How can this be the best day ever? You just threw up at Olive Garden." Layton said, "But I don't have to go with you to Costco now."


He hits me with the cuteness way too often.

Climbing...

 

They Walk Alike and Talk Alike...

I'm curious. Does that face look like anyone you know? Which face?


 

P.S. This is a picture of a picture, so I'm sorry for the quality...or lack thereof....

Another Special Day...

Today is Ella's birthday. She is nine years old.

It doesn't seem like nine years have passed since the morning she was born. She was born a few hours before I was scheduled to be induced. She was in a hurry that morning, and she has been in a hurry ever since.

Creek Buddies...

The last time we took the codependents down to the creek we saw this fellow.

 

Layton thought it was a lobster. J and I explained that it's a crayfish....or as we say here in Bammer...a crawdad. This was the first time I had ever seen anything other than fish, frogs, or snakes in the creek.
I wonder just how many are lurking down there. We might could gather enough to have a big boil!

Relaxing...and Scrambling...

He sits back and relaxes on rides. He's zen.

 

He's also as wild as a boy can be. He runs and jumps and squeals. All. The. Time. And then? Put him on a carnival ride, and he turns into the most calm person you've ever met. Ella says that Layton is bipolar. I think he's just a little bit on the fun side. :)

Random Thoughts and Observations...

-Ella is currently using one of my old cell phones. She found it, got clever, and inserted the SIM card from her phone, and she has been texting like crazy. It's a palm from 2007. Seriously. You'd think it was a space age iphone the way she has carried on with it. I don't even know why I kept it all these years. Well, it has provided her with so much joy.  I guess keeping it in the junk drawer was a good decision.


-Chocolate milk is tasty. I am planning to drink chocolate milk everyday for the rest of my life. Or at least until I run out of chocolate milk and am too lazy to go buy more. I refuse to go to the grocery store more than once a week unless I absolutely have to. It's too painful. And stressful. And time consuming. Hey, you try reading the label on 99% of what you put in your buggy and see if you can make it out of Publix without nearly melting down. Or crying when you realize you're paying $8 for one tiny loaf of bread. Once a week is all I can manage without taking up alcoholism as a hobby.


-I have zero desire to go to Disney World. I realize this is abnormal. I know plenty of people who have taken their children there and loved it and can't wait to go back. I have never been and never want to go. Would I go for the children? Maybe. But it would hurt. I'm just not the cartoon-y, theme park-y kind of person. Places I would want to take my children have nothing to do with rides or characters. I have always wanted to go to Mammoth Cave.  Well, not always. Just since 5th grade. Mrs. Arnold was one of my favorite teachers (ever), and she introduced me to Mammoth Cave. I hadn't heard of it before then, and the way she described it made me want to visit in the worst way. I would love to take my children there.


-Hadley was sitting shotgun in the car. She looked over at me and said, "I don't want to look like you when I am your age." It was brutally honest. It's okay, Hadley. I look in the mirror everyday and hope my reflection is just a nightmare. It isn't. I actually am the fat, old hag I never wanted to be. I told her to learn from my mistakes and lifestyle. She rolled her eyes. I will say, "I told you so" someday.


-You know the ole hypothetical question...if you could have dinner with any person dead or alive...yea, that one. I don't know that I could ever narrow it down to one person. I do have some choices for group lunch dates though. I would find it beyond interesting to sit down with Fred Phelps and Larry Flynt. At the same time. Just imagine that conversation. Insults would probably fly. I wouldn't say anything at all. Just listen. Even though these two men are opposites in many ways, they have both fought for freedom of speech valiantly. I might disagree with their ways of life, but I respect the determination. Yes, I think that would be a very interesting lunch.


-Ella just said, "Oooooo, I look GOOD in blue." Layton looked over at her and said, "You're not even wearing blue. That shirt is white." Turns out she was referring to her nail polish. Gees. These kids.

Today...

Today is the H-Dizzy da Dawg's birthday. I am officially the parent of a 13 year old girl. Feel free to send a bottle of wine or six to me this week. I will be wallowing in the fact that she is nearly grown and barely needs me anymore.

Bugging Out...

What kind of bug is that?

 

And more importantly, why was I taking a picture of it? Normally, I smash bugs and run. I must have had a momentary lapse in judgment.