An Outing to Subway...

Everyday is an adventure for my family. Even a trip to Subway can be an ordeal. Last weekend, we had Charsy with us. Just picture it. I was in line ordering sandwiches for four children and myself. I was calling out condiments like a crazed woman and trying to figure out what chips each child wanted. I was that mom. You know the one. The mom who is simultaneously ordering food, trying to get all the children to stay in place, feverishly avoiding an accidental chip theft, ignoring the ringing cell phone, paying with one hand, and balancing trays of food with the other.

I have no doubt that the other patrons of our local Subway were glad to see us leave after we ate, but the children had so much fun. They sat at the small booths while Jay and I sat at a table next to them. I asked them to let me take a quick photo before we left. You can tell that Ella and Charsy were not in the mood, but Hadley and Layton were eager to strike a pose.

Ella and Layton...

There was a nice lady painting faces at last week's Easter Eggstravaganza. Of course my little munchkins had to get in line for this!

Happy Independence Day!...

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.



I hope you enjoy your day of fireworks and barbecues!!

My Cowboy...

I got several emails about this picture of Layton. Some of you thought it was the best picture in the collage of our Nashville trip. I thought I'd go ahead and post a larger size of it.

Quiet As A Mouse...

Ella is definitely my loud and expressive child.

This one though...

Hadley is the quietest child I know. She will sit and read for hours! I have ironed loads of clothes and never realized she was in the room with me because she is so quiet. She loves books that are series. She read all the Harry Potter books and some series I had never heard of about Julie and the wolves. Now, she is really into Greek Mythology. We are thinking about taking her to see the new Clash of the Titans movie. When I was a child, I loved that movie. In the previews for the new one, it looks scary!! I told Jay it looks more intense because it is lacking claymation! Ha!! She is almost 11. Do you think it's okay to take her to a PG-13 movie?

What Else Does Ella Photograph?

Ella photographs my blog. She looks for pictures of herself, and takes a picture of it.

What A Face!!....

A few days ago, I mentioned that Ella likes to hang her body out of the moon roof. The day I got a picture of her smiling, I also got a picture of her making one of her quintessential "Ella faces." She has one of the most animated faces of anyone I know. When she talks, her whole face moves conveying every emotion and thought. Her eyebrows moves, and her nose wiggles. Ella talks with her whole body.

Waiting on Hadley...

While waiting on Hadley to get out of school one day, Ella insisted on a group photograph.

Obsessed with your camera, little girl?

1985 Called...

1985 called Hadley a few weeks ago. She got obsessed with crimped hair as a result. I am not very good when it comes to hair and makeup. I buy Mary Kay, and I use it the exact way Dana told me to. When it comes to hair, I am even more limited because I don't have anyone giving me instructions. So, when Hadley declared crimped hair this season's must have do.....

I put her hair in about a zillion little dreadlocks! It turns out really well for her. She has the straightest hair I have every seen. There isn't a bend in it, so braiding it with some gel while it is wet gets her that crimpy look she loves!

Does anyone else struggle with hair and makeup? Or is it just me?

Thank Goodness for Warm Weather...

I am so thrilled that we have had some warmer days here lately!!! Ella has enjoyed it too!!! She loves to stand on the console and hang her whole body out of the moon roof while we sit in the pickup line to get Hadley.

The Top 10 Reasons I Got Married...

There have been a lot of posts on blogs I read about marriage lately. Some good. Some bad. Some brutally honest.



So without further ado, here are the top ten reasons I married Jay...



1. I love him. That one is totally obvious, so I decided to put it first!



2. He has absolutely no clue how to launder slacks properly. I can't help myself; I totally love to take care of things for people.



3. On one of our first dates, I asked him what he wanted to do with his life. His response was genius. He told me he wanted to raise a family the same way his father did and his grandfather did. Be honest, that would have reeled you in too! :)



4. He is the only person I know who likes their tea the same way I do. Not too cold. Not too sweet.

5. He isn't bothered by my unhealthy obsession with my feet. He isn't bothered by my unhealthy obsession with other people's feet.

6. He would drive to Cullman for take out food if I asked him to. That's nearly an hour away from our house, but I know that if I really, really wanted All Steak for supper, he would go get it for me. Cuz he loves me.

7. He would never intentionally hurt me. Ever. In fact, I think he would go Braveheart on anyone who tried to hurt me.

8. Even when I am looking my absolute worst, he always tells me that he thinks I'm beautiful. The spring before we got married, I had strep throat. He came to my parents house to see me. I was sitting in their sun room with a red nose, no makeup, without a shower for a couple days, fever, and glassy eyes. I will never forget the fact that he sat down right next to me and told me that I looked beautiful. In hind sight, he might have been sucking up to me; I caught the strep from him.

9. He likes zombie movies. He will sit through chick flicks without complaining though...just for me.

10. Because no one else has ever made me feel as special as he makes me feel.

Easter Eggstravaganza...

Has anyone noticed that my posts have been a little on the sad side lately? I have. I think it was the weather. No, seriously. We had so much bad weather...rain, cold, rain, cold...it was sucking the fun right out of me!! So, I decided to post this preview for you.

Last weekend, I took the children to an Easter Eggstravaganza!! The day began with a breakfast....with the Easter Bunny!! Ella was the only one of my children who wanted to sit with the bunny for a picture. Imagine that! A little later in the day there was an Easter egg hunt on the courthouse lawn. I have a number of photographs from this event. I can't wait to post them all!! The sun is shining, and I have my mojo back!!

A Stranger Cared....

I sat in the lobby and realized I was the youngest person in the room. This was not a shock. It wasn't the first time this happened. My mother has rheumatoid arthritis. She has had it for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I have been in many waiting areas. She used to take us with her to appointments when we were children. I was always aware that my mother was too young to be in a rheumatologist's office. Most of the patients were much older than she and didn't have three children tagging along. On Wednesdays Ed would take us to get frozen yogurt and to visit Roy D, our great grandfather. (I didn't like Roy D very much. He was rather grumpy. ) My mother would go to the hospital for blood work. She has taken gold, methotrexate, azulphidine, arava, plaquenil, vioxx, celebrex, humira...you name it...she's had it. Most of these drugs can cause damage to a person's liver or kidneys. That was the reason for frequent blood work.

I went to see a rheumatologist earlier this year. I don't have any problems, but given my family history of RA, I kind of feel like a ticking time bomb. As I sat in the lobby, I looked around at the familiar types of patients. The one thing I was shocked by was the woman who stopped me as I was leaving that day. She caught me by the hand and said, "I know you're young, but I promise you will be okay." After her touching display of concern, I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'm not sick; I was there simply for extensive lab work because of my family history. I smiled and thanked her.

What Happens to Layton...

...in the car.

He nearly slid out of his booster seat on this day!! Good thing we were parked and waiting to pickup Ella from school!

I Felt Sad When I Should Have Been Happy...

As I sat and watched Ella's class play, I felt very sad. I felt sad for some of the children I saw walking across the stage. They are sweet, innocent children, and their childhoods will be hard.

There was one girl who was overweight. I have no doubt that she will be taunted by her classmates.

There was another girl who wasn't very clean. Her shoes were well worn and her hair still had humps in it from where she had slept on it. As far as children are concerned, she might as well have a giant bulls eye painted on the back of her t-shirt.

There were children who were clearly not as bright as most of the other first graders. Will they be teased when they leave the main classroom to go to special math and reading classes?

It is hard to grow up, and I'm not always sure that I am making the right decisions with my children. I don't want the three of them to bully or tease other students. I pray that God will help me raise them to be sweet children.


How can we help them? What can I do?

Mooooove Over...

Oh Ella. What am I going to do with you?

My Sister, My Daughter, My Niece...

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They Are So Cute...

Southern Food is Yummy...

I love my Crock Pot. I use it for all sorts of meals. A few days ago, I made some beef and vegetable soup in it that was pretty dang tasty.

I also made a skillet of cornbread to go with the soup. It was a truly Southern meal. Ha!

I am always on the lookout for great Crock Pot recipes. I love being able to fix it and forget it when it comes to supper.

What are your favorite Crock Pot meals?

There's A Child In This Picture...

I would love to be able to take really, really good photographs, but photography simply isn't one of my talents. Often times a child will pop up in a photo when I wasn't expecting a child to be in the picture. I have tons like this:

This was at Dub's restaurant in town. Dub's is so good. It gives you an instant heart attack and 6,000% of your daily recommended cholesterol, but it is so good.....

Anyway, I am hoping to buy a new camera this year. I want one that takes really, really good pictures. Any suggestions?