Are we there yet…

Playing catch up…

Posted on April 25, 2011 by carly

I’ve let 578 pictures on my memory card keep me from my blogging duties. I’m behind by at least a week. Most weeks, that wouldn’t be a problem. But this past week, we kinda had a life…

The fun started last Saturday afternoon, with an Easter egg hunt hosted by two of MR’s most favorite friends, Ali and Rhodes. The event was a scene straight out of Southern Living. There were hundreds of eggs to hunt and even an Easter Bunny wearing pearls, but the real fun was seeing the kids dressed in their Sunday best.

After the hunt, it was time to head to Athens for a quick visit with Gran C and Big Daddy. Between the Easter candy and all of the excitement from seeing her grandparents, MR’s mouth never stopped.

Nor did her search for bugs, thanks to the “bug jar” that Gran C and Big Daddy gifted her. This little guy decided to hitch a ride with us and was not discovered until we were almost home. He somehow escaped the death jar and now resides near Spaghetti Junction.

On our way back to Atlanta, we made a quick pit stop near Lawrenceville to pick up an early Easter surprise for the kids me. I’ve been wanting a Bob Revolution double stroller for a long time now, but could never justify the cost for a brand new one. Thanks to a girlfriend (thanks Mande) and the power of facebook, I am now the proud owner of “Robert” ; the name “Bob” was just not formal enough for the new man in my life. He swears to have me bathing suit ready for our trip to the beach in June. If he doesn’t, the real man of the house is going to ban him from the garage and turn him into a backyard planter or wheelbarrow.

On Wednesday, MR had her classroom Easter party. She also got to see some cute baby ducks at school. Soon after picking her up, MR confessed to wanting to “borrow” one of the baby ducks so that she could take it home to show Hutson. When I explained that that would be stealing, she remarked, “well that will be ok. Jesus will forgive me because he died on the cross for our sins”. Lord help me in raising my sweet, yet head strong and all knowing little girl.

On Thursday, we celebrated the warmer weather by having a Mexican fiesta with 7 guests and 4 kids under four. MR enjoyed every aspect of entertaining. Since Friday was a school holiday, we let her stay up way past her bedtime. One of our guests was G’s mom, Danette (Danny). MR and Hutson loved spending the Easter break with her and I loved (and took full advantage) of the extra set of hands! Danny (along with sweet Aunt B) not only took MR to see her second movie at a movie theater (Rio), but she also cooked two meals and went grocery shopping for us. She was an absolute God send and we were thrilled to spend some time with her.

Huttie especially loved all of the attention he received during Danny’s visit.

Our Saturday started out with a hike on Kennesaw Mountain. This time, I beat the mountain. There were no stops on the way up and most importantly, no cuss words or regrets. Robert (the new stroller) drove like a dream. G and I both agree that he was worth every penny and more!

Later that afternoon, MR participated in Easter egg hunt #3 at our neighbors house. The couple has 9 grandchildren and are always kind enough to include Mary Reese in their holiday gatherings.

Easter Sunday came with lots of surprises for the little ones, a fantastic church service, a southern lunch prepared by Danny and G, and some great outdoor fun. I’ll post pictures from our Easter later in the week…

Posted in Hutson, family, holiday, mary reese, memories | Leave a comment

Does the Easter Bunny have a facebook account?

Posted on April 14, 2011 by carly

MR spent the majority of the day reciting her Easter list to me. She wants sand for her sandbox; a pink Barbie Laptop; Moon Dough; gardening gloves; a princess water bottle; loads of candy; a trip to the beach; a TV for the playroom…the list goes on and on….

Somewhere along the way, sweet MR must have gotten Santa Claus and the Easter bunny confused. I tried to explain to her that Santa brings lots of gifts because he has a sleigh to put them in and reindeer to fly him all over the world. The Easter Bunny, on the other hand, had to deliver baskets of goodies by hopping to each house. He would get mighty tired, if he had to carry loads of presents on his back. Not satisfied with my explanation, MR looked at me and said “well the Easter Bunny should facebook Santa to see if he can borrow the sleigh because I want lots of gifts.”… Her reaction kinda got me wondering, does the Easter bunny even have a facebook account?

Hutson turned 9 months old yesterday. He’s every bit of boy. He crawls from room to room in search of cords, power outlets, and things to put in his mouth. He already has an obsession with the remote and can spot it from across the room. I’m pretty sure he’ll be the reason for my first gray hair. At his 9m checkup, he weighed in at 21 pounds and 4 ounces (65%) and was 29 inches long (75%).

These pictures were taken last Sunday at church. Not only was it a beautiful day, but the sermon couldn’t have been better.

Posted in mary reese, memories | 1 Comment

Random ramblings from a mama who doesn’t blog enough

Posted on April 12, 2011 by carly

Because it’s late; because I am a lazy blogger; because I don’t update my blog enough, I feel the need to number my random ramblings. Numbers make me feel organized, and for some reason, random ramblings make me feel accomplished. A perfect combination for mama who continuously chooses Cheetos over exercise and playing with the kids over cleaning and organizing…

Random Rambling #1: MR had school pictures a few weeks ago. We did a lot of prepping so that there would not be a repeat of this photo…

That photo was taken at the start of the school year. It hangs proudly on the classroom wall for all of the students, teachers, and parents to see. MR and I talked about the picture. We talked about smiles; “princess smiles” to be exact. We talked about how Fancy Nancy would smile for a picture. Or how Pinkalicious would smile. We practiced smiles. We discussed the old “Oprah technique” that I learned a few years back; the one where you say “great” and take a deep breath right before the picture is taken. We went though this a million times before picture day. As the day arrived and we headed to school, I noticed MR was quieter than usual. Looking back in the rear view, I saw sweet MR with a “princess grin” frozen on her face. She smiled. And smiled. And smiled. In fact, she held that sweet smile past the horse fields; past her elementary school; past the high school that she swears Miley Cyrus goes to, and way past the azalea bushes that she’s been begging to pick….She smiled right up until we got into the carpool line. And then she had had enough. Her princess smile turned into a pout as she informed that she could no longer smile “because the bones in her mouth hurt”. Adding insult to injury was the fact that there were “no band-aids for a sore mouth”. Her reaction got to me. Bless her for trying, and for wanting to please her mama and daddy. And bless her for being her.

Random Rambling #2: The kids traded in their shaggy do’s this weekend for a more polished look. The occasion marked Huttie’s first haircut. And a reminder that our “baby” is growing up. MR got a bob. And Huttie got rid of his birds nest head.

Huttie did great until the clippers came out…

Random Rambling #3: G and the kids near about killed me this weekend. They decided that temperatures in the mid 80′s were perfect for an up hill hike at Kennesaw Mountain. The 2.1 mile hike, classified as “moderately difficult”, nearly brought me to my knees. It showed me that despite three weeks in the gym, I am more than “moderately out of shape”. Huffing, puffing, breathing like a hippo, and cussing like a sailor, I felt like a million bucks when I reached the top. And then I remembered that I still had to come down…

Random Rambling #4: Huttie is officially a crawler. He’s been scooting for months, but finally figured it out last week. He’s all over the place now. And, he’s fast. I’m blaming his mobility on MR’s recent obsession with hoarding. She’s been spending a great deal of time hiding/hoarding all of her toys so that poor Huttie can’t reach them. I’ve found her favorite “Mickey Friends” (Little People) in the refrigerator, bathroom, in between sofa cushions, and under rugs.

Note: this picture was taken before Huttie got his first haircut. It is also the reason I finally agreed to make him a much needed appointment.

Random Rambling #5: Huttie is rough. Real rough. He hits, scratches, and pulls hair, all while smiling and cooing. He’s not doing it to be mean, it just seems to be in his blood. I’m pretty confident he’s going to have his pick of MR’s toys in no time. Huttie also likes to play rough. He could roll on the floor with his daddy for hours. Much to his mama’s dismay, he prefers the Masters over the Real Housewives. And likes to swing much higher than his mama is willing to push.

Random Rambling #6: MR has been selling these “clofers” all week. Unfortunately, she has yet to meet a buyer. If you’re interested they are $5 per “clofer bunch”. Proceeds will go towards the purchase of a “pink Barbi laptop”. If you’re confused as to which pink Barbie laptop, just ask her friends Ali and Rhodes. They have the one she wants.

Random Rambling #7: I’m now on week 3 of working out. Haven’t lost a SINGLE pound, but as of yesterday, rewarded my efforts (and my impulse to NOT go through the Chick-fil-A drive thru) with some new workout gear. I am now one of “them”. I whoop in class, wear spandex pants, and sport a neon pink razorback tank.

Random Rambling #8: Huttie’s version of Stevie Wonder has returned. His cousin, Boss, founded the “look” a few years back. With eyes shut tight, head tilted back, and a HUGE smile, the “look” is hard to ignore. It first surfaced with Hutson around 6 months old. It disappeared for while, but returned with the warmer weather. It’s priceless. And cute only to a mother.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Goodbye Winter Germs

Posted on April 7, 2011 by carly

After a month of being sick, we’re all on the mend! And praise the Lord, because all of the sickness drove me to endless bags of Cheetos, sleepless nights, and frequent trips to the grocery store to retrieve Gatorade for Garrett and MR and Little Debbie Fudge Rounds for my month long pity party.

We’re praying that this is the last of the winter germs. Surely this good ole southern sunshine will do us some good! It has definitely meant more time outdoors. And the delivery of 50 bails of pinestraw.

For MR, the spring air has meant a little time away with “Grance” and Big Daddy this week in Athens. Its also meant afternoon tricycle races and bath time with little brother.

For Huttie, it’s meant learning to crawl, clap his hands, and say “dada”, “mama” and “bye bye”.

It’s meant more time at the gym for me and less time with my hand in a bag of Cheetos. And for G, its meant the return of home cooked meals and evening playdates with the kids. Yep, it’s back to “boring”. And in our family, boring is good. Very good.

Here’s to more sleep and less germs. More laughter and less worrying. More time together as a family and less time at the doctors office. And above all else, less time complaining and more time praising God for all of His many blessings!

Posted in Hutson, doctor visits, family, mary reese, milestones | 4 Comments

Six months shy of FOUR

Posted on March 30, 2011 by carly

It’s hard to believe that MR will be four years old in just six short months. Many of you will remember that sweet Mary Reese was born 2 weeks after her expected due date. Looking back, that was sign of what was to come. Our girl knows what she wants and how to get it. She’s stubborn, head strong, and opinionated. And while many may see these as negative traits, I see them as the makings of a strong, southern girl.

True to her southern roots, she also has an uncanny way of making people feel loved. She’ll sit on your lap for hours, prefers to hold hands when out and about, gives the best hugs in town, and will smother you with kisses and compliments. She’s also pretty funny and has the vocabulary of a college freshman. MR’s love for gab started early. She said her first word “dada” at 6 months and hasn’t stopped talking since. I am constantly amazed (and occasionally embarrassed) at the things that come out of her mouth. As my mama says, “having a conversation with MR is like sitting down with an old friend. She can talk about anything”.

At 3 1/2 years old, MR’s favorite pastime is playing with her “Mickey friends”. Thanks to her Aunt Lynne, she has no less than a hundred of these little people lying around the house. She has names for them all too. There’s Mira, Mary, Sarah, Lori, twins Joe and Moe, triplets Gary, Larry, and Terry, and my favorite “Mirakeet”, who she insists looks like me. The twins, Joe and Moe are always in trouble. They own a construction company, but would rather eat ham sandwiches than build houses. And then there’s “Baby”. For some undisclosed reason, she or he (depending on which day it is) spends most of the time in the corner.

Besides playing with her Mickey Friends, MR also enjoys singing and dancing. Much like her mama and daddy, she’ll make up a song at the drop of the hat. Her love for music means that we have impromptu dance-offs throughout the day. She knows all of the words to Ray Charles “Hit the Road Jack” and is also a fan of Zac Brown’s “As she’s Walking Away”. Her favorite song though is Ke$ha’s, “We R who we R”, which is definitely an appropriate title for our little free spirit. Unfortunately, that’s about the only “appropriate” thing about the song. When I ask MR what she likes about it, she replies, “The beat mama. That song makes me wanna get up and dance!”.

The last three and a half years with MR have been absolute joy. She’s my buddy, my partner in crime, and my #1 helper. Her favorite food is a quesadilla. Oatmeal is a close second. If it were up to her (which it is a lot of the time), she would live off of these two foods. MR certainly keeps me in check. She constantly reminds me to “smile” and to retrieve my cell phone before leaving the house. She reminds me to be “patient” at red lights and makes me laugh when things don’t go my way. She loves to play school and loves to “teach” her mama and daddy the “do’s and dont’s of life”. She goes to bed with a smile on her face and a prayer in her heart, and wakes up each morning ready to tackle the day. She rarely complains and for the most part is a flexible and easy going child. I could sure learn a lot from her outlook on life. It is both a pleasure and a blessing to raise sweet MR. Spend any time with her and you will see why she has captured her mama’s heart!

Posted in mary reese, memories, milestones | 1 Comment

The fire that could have been so much worse

Posted on March 28, 2011 by carly

I come from a long line of female “self fixers”. My mama is the most notorious of all. Unfortunately, we’re the worst kind of self fixers. We love instant gratification and tend to shy away from fixing things the “right way”. Instead, we prefer to fix things the “fast way”, which usually consists of one of the following: a sharpie marker (to touch-up nicks in dark furniture), a roll of duct table (for just about any and everything), a staple gun (usually to reupholster), a hot glue gun (one of my favorite fast fixers), or a lighter (to seal ribbon/fabric edging).

On Saturday, my fast fixing ways got the best of me. G and I were sitting in the dining room (which we never do), admiring the curtains that we had worked so hard to complete a few weeks earlier. As we sat and talked, I noticed a few pesky threads peeking out of the satin ribbon edging on one of the panels. Immediately, my mind went into fast fixin’ mode. Most would go to the scissors to fix the problem, but I grabbed my trusty old lighter; the one I have used a trillion times to seal the edges of unruly ribbon.

After sealing the edges of the ribbon, G and I walked out of the room. Several seconds later, G heard something and saw “flickering lights” coming out of the dining room. The next several minutes were a mix of a Saturday Night Live skit and a Dateline story on how to prevent house fires. When I entered the room, G had ripped the curtain from the wall and was hugging it in hopes of smothering the flames. His shirt was on fire, the carpet was on fire, the blinds were on fire, and the hardwoods and wall were covered in hot melted fabric. As G took on the curtain (shirtless and burned by this point), I did my best to stomp out the fire on the floor. If you’re not a believer in LL Bean’s Wicked Good slippers, you should be. These bad boys (along with my quick feet from participating in a few of those Latin Heat classes at LA Fitness) had the fire out in no time….

After hosing off the curtain (which continued to burn for at least 15 minutes after the fire), G and I were left to assess the damage. By the grace of God, it was not as bad as it could have been. We were burned; the ten hour/labor intensive curtain was obviously ruined; the dining room rug was destroyed; my wicked good slippers were “good” no more, and there was smoke damage and patches of sheet rock that needed to be repaired due to the melted fabric.

When it was all said and done, my sweet and badly burned hubby put his arm around me and said “let’s go ahead and tackle the panel; we’ll make another one today and have the painters out next week”. His statement reminded me of another thing that mama had taught me, “marry up”. Thank God I listened to my mama and married a man with a sense of humor and a whole lot of patience for my fast fixin’ ways.

One of the saddest casualties of the fire was G’s Franklin’s t shirt; a staple in G’s wardrobe.

Don’t tell G, but I’ve thought about taking a lighter to the bottom of my slippers to burn off the melted fabric from the curtain.

In addition to fighting fires, we’ve also had several days/nights of bad weather

and an unwelcome stomach bug that got MR sent home early from school yesterday (after throwing up on her dress, this was the outfit she came back home in). We’ve had a lot of stomach viruses pass through this house, but this is by far the worst. As of 3 am, she had a 103.2 fever and had projectile vomited on her bed, in the bathroom, and all over her mama. Praying that this nasty bug will have mercy on the Huttie Cat and G, who canceled his business trip to NY to get an earlier appointment with the gastroenterologist.

Also praying that this little guy will slow down. He’s not crawling, but he’s scooting all over the house. He’s loud; real loud, and can now sit up from a crawling/floor position. This is usually how I find him in his crib; sitting up and waiving as I walk into his room. He is also in dire need of haircut, but this ole mama is having a hard time coming to terms with a haircut before his first birthday.

Posted in Home improvement, memories, pray | 1 Comment

Finding my inner whooper

Posted on March 26, 2011 by carly

Between balancing life as a mama, a wife, an errand runner, and a slave to my sewing machine, I’ve been busy. Not too busy to watch Housewives. Or to play on facebook. Not too busy to read books to MR or to make silly faces at Hutson. But definitely too busy to cook or clean. And especially too busy to workout.

As the dust bunnies collect in every corner of the house and my trips to La Parrilla and Chick-fil-A become more frequent, I have to admit, it’s time for a change. My goal is to lose this last bit of baby weight, 15 stubborn pounds to be exact. I don’t have a time line for when the weight must be off, but I do have a plan and a new gym membership to kick my butt in gear.

Last Monday, I canceled my old gym membership in favor of a brand new gym that offers cardio and strength training classes and a Kid Zone for the little ones. Shortly after joining, I mustered up the courage to participate in a few of the classes. After three days of sweat and sore muscles, I have come to a whole new appreciation for today’s modern gym; more specifically, gym attire and etiquette…

Attire: Most female members have replaced t shirts and frumpy mom shorts for sleek, black workout pants and fancy, brightly colored tank tops or sports bras.

Etiquette: Whooping (in a very high pitch voice) throughout the workout is a compliment to the instructor. The “whoopers” are usually the ones wearing the spandex workout pants and fancy tanks/sports bras. There are two types of whoopers: the young whooper and the middle aged whooper. The young whooper carries her smart phone to class and checks it during water breaks, while sipping water from her monogrammed aluminum water bottle. She rarely breaks a sweat, but if she does, she carries a towel in a trendy, brightly colored workout bag. The middle aged whooper is my favorite. She is insanely intense and says things like, “feel the burn” and “work it”. The middle aged whooper owns a pair of Spandex bicycle shorts and wears leather, fingerless workout gloves and Sketchers Shape Ups to get the most of her workout.

Whoppers (both young and old) are especially prevalent in the Latin Heat class (Zumba). These whoopers “whoop” no less than a dozen times, while shaking what their mama gave them to Latin techno beats. They gather on the first two rows, so that they can see themselves in the wall of mirrors.

I’ve committed the next few months to finding my inner whooper. Surely it lies within these last 15 pounds…

While I’m holding on to the last 15 pounds of baby weight, G is losing weight without trying. Over the last two months or so, he has lost 15 to 18 pounds. He’s done blood work (which thankfully turned out normal) and has scheduled an upcoming appointment with a Gastroenterologist. To add insult to injury, he has also had a pretty bad bout of food poisoning this week and is scheduled to leave on Monday for a 5 day business trip in New York. Please pray that he will feel better soon. I miss my hubby’s appetite and our weekly dates to Chic-fil-A and Mexican.

Posted in pray | 5 Comments

The good Lord knew what He was doing when He created weekends and perfect weather

Posted on March 22, 2011 by carly

I wouldn’t trade a thing for the weekend we had.

Perfect weather.

Lots of time outdoors.

Dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, which always ends in a balloon release.

Watching MR grin from ear to ear in hopes that her balloon would find Nene in Virginia.

A Saint Patty’s Day get together with tons of kids, green beer, lots of laughter, and plenty of great food.

A meaningful sermon at church on Sunday and MR’s first time going to “big girl church” (MR got to sit with us in church until the childrens sermon, and then she went with the big kids to sunday school).