tennessee baths

chris went to the race. i planned on going to roanoke for the weekend... but with kids under the weather it just would have been more work than if i just stayed at home. so chris went to the race. he took with him shawn and beau. jenn and emmie stayed with me as well as kendra, farley, and sandler. bath time friday night... my house had me, ella, fisher, jenn, emmie, kendra, farley, sandler, bubba, gracie, aly grace, and neighbor seirra. as i am starting the water for fisher and emmie... kendra says "farley smells like urine" well- my solution... throw him in with fisher! it worked out pretty well! so bath time went something like this...

farley and fisher

get farley out and dried-

emmie and fisher

ella and aly grace

we had a really great time dispite all the chaos. here are some highlights from bath time friday night. we opted for a dip in the pool on saturday-

the fair

we went to the fair last monday with jenn, shawn, and emmie--

the kids had fevers well over the limit- and constant runny noses... but, they were great! ella was a little timid at first but warmed up to the thought of riding some rides.

jenn and i rode one really fast, spinning, up and down ride- of course there are no pictures because chris and shawn were a bit busy with the kiddies.

the barnyard nursery was lots of fun... chris did not allow- and i use the word allow ella and i to get a baby chick, baby duck, or baby billy-goat. now i just don't understand why!

so... okay... here's what happened

on our actual anniversary- we had dinner on the deck with the kids. pretty low key and actually really nice... until fisher did this-

he has a really hard time being fed... he prefers to feed himself. but, there are a few things that he should not be allowed to feed himself, spagetti and chocolate pudding are two of those things!

chris had the great idea to "just let gracie clean it up"

i couldn't think of a better idea. so... okay... here is what happend.

jarron's party

here are a few pictures from jarron's going away party- it's a little later than i was hoping to get these up- but you will soon find out why i have been so busy...

also- thanks to evelyn, debra, lucielle, and jenny for coming- dad makes great food and i'm glad that we all got together again to get in his way of the kitchen, get fussed at for not eating quick enough, and just all those great jimmy-isms!

i had to put in a picture of kelsey and i- we are perfect and jarron's party of course is about us (and the kids)

fisher first

fisher and chris had their first "friday (on a thursday night) football game" outings. it was going to the four of us going... but luckily ella and i slipped out of it to take kendra to dinner.

so... chris and fisher went to the tennessee high football game in kingsport. chris said he had a fantastic time... love the lights and the ladies sitting infront of them. (he smelled like another woman when he got home... should i worry?) ha ha- they didn't get home till 10:00 and fisher was as happy as i have ever seen!

roanoke refresh

so we went to roanoke this weekend (left Saturday morning and came back Sunday afternoon) for jarron's going away get-together. i went for jarron- i am really sad that he is going to be going away to SanFran, but thrilled for him at the same time. i think that him leaving is going to be such a journey for the baby of the family and what a man he will be the next time we get to see him- when i left for school (etsu) in '99 jarron was only 10 at the time- as i was leaving he said "see you in four years!" like i wasn't going to be coming home the next weekend! but him being so far away makes me think a bit- see you in four months! oh- it makes my heart hurt a bit.

so- every time i go to roanoke i get a bit of a refresh- time with family- i get to look at my family- time with each other without the responsibilities of m MY house- you get the picture. so, in leu of the cooler weather, a trip to roanoke, and then a date with my neighbor jenn- i am soooo refreshed! my kids might just wake up to a new mom!

so i got to thinking what i want to have accomplished by the next time that i get to see jarron-

-ride my bike up the entire hill coming from the cows to my house (in honor of jarron's bike riding)
- lose a good 20 pounds ( in honor of the fact that i still weigh more than jarron- and i have a BIG problem with that)
- learn more about SanFran and what he is going to be doing there
- send him a package at least every month (and kelsey too since she is so far away)
- and start saving money to be able to fly my entire family out for his graduation in four years!

i will miss you so much litte baby brother- i think of you everyday and how much you have grown up. i think that you are one of the coolest guys that i know!

one of the funniest emails EVER

i know that i sent this email to most of you out there... but for those that didn't get it- have a look- it has ended my bad mood days forever! it might just be the best email that i have ever received! have a great day!
kara



This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse'? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough t ime for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants ... which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of c ramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'Are you kidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glo ry.For the love of God, pull your head out, man!

If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong', or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending crap. And that's a promise I will keep.
Always. . .Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

wisdom teeth

to add to my good mood of the past few days- i now get to have three wisdom teeth removed. two are impacted and very close to a nerve. one should be no problem to get out. i get to go under september 5 for the surgery. then chris will take ella and fisher to his parents house for the weekend and leave me to recover. then my mother will come that sunday night to help keep the kids for monday and tuesday. apparently the teeth close to the nerve have the potential to do some high risk damage to the nerve that they are soooo close to! whoo hoo!

but before all of this we have lots of family time and a couple of trips (roanoke/gatlinburg) and a race weekend! oh... how could i forget that it's almost FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE! (my fave! haha)

have a great day!

what a bummer

well- it's our anniversary today! (that's not the bummer)--

so... i worked really hard to get everything in line for this weekend- chris and i were to camp at the lake- no children or dogs-

our friends the lane's are signed up to keep the kids overnight- i have come to terms with the kids going away for the night- praying that they will be good and manageable.... jenn our neighbor has volunteered to take care of bubba and gracie.

friday- i go to the store and get food for chris and i- snacks for the kids
do laundry, clean up the house, pack the kids up, load up the jet ski, pack for us (it was 53 friday night- so packing bathing suits down to sweats to sleep in), find tent, chairs, lanterns, pack coolers, borrow pack-n-play for fisher to sleep in, I PUT THE JET SKI ON THE BACK OF MY CAR BY MYSELF, load up all suitcases, load up chairs, tent, blankets, bags, coolers, EVERYTHING.

chris comes home and is SHOCKED that i have done all of this for US. we get changed, load up the kids, and head out to elizabethton to drop off the kids.

we get almost- i mean almost to arnold and shonna's house- i mean almost pull into the driveway and chris says "i've got some bad news... the battery isn't in the jet ski- and it's not charged"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

never have i worked like this to plan something for chris and i alone. i cry. cry. cry. cry. and cry. we the kids stay the night- they were excited about that... chris and i come home- depressed and dissapointed. get dressed again and go to dinner and plan to go to a movie- dinner takes forever. it wasn't even that good. the movies were closed by the time that we got there... and so- i suggest "take me home- i am going to bed"

good night... happy anniversary to us!

the end.

park time

we also had a birthday party- ava's first- to attend last weekend- it was at the cutest park! all the equipment was smaller and the entire place was FENCED IN! ella and fisher both really loved the slides and the school bus. a train passed by next to the park during the party and fisher and ella both were so excited- ella started yelling "hello pop-pop- we're at a party!"

kelsey and jopo

kelsey and jopo were in for a quick visit last weekend... ella loved kelsey's heels so much that she didn't take them off much- not much at all :)

during the visit they tried out the trampoline with the kiddies-- here is a look at the jumpers!

backyard concert

we were so lucky last weekend- jill king put on a very nice private concert in the backyard. she is a country music singer and very talented. she is a friend of my neighbor. she came out for dinner at the house with chris and i, allen, ashley, stephanie, david, whitney, jenn, shawn, emmie, ashlynn, brennan, alex, aly grace, momo, jake, eli, malichi, sara, ella, fisher, cameron, payton, molly, jessica, and jason. fisher was in awe of her and ella really appreciated her "sparkly" guitar strap. it was lots of fun and all the kids really enjoyed her! thanks jill!

big man

well... it's official he is one. really a one year old. he had his one year old appointment today. he is weighing in at 25.7lbs and 30 3/4inches long. so... in one year he has grown over 16 pounds and grown well over 10 inches in length. uh... are you kidding me!!??? he is huge! he is walking all on his own and wants to walk ALL THE TIME. no more me holding him (unless it's naptime) no more dirty tops of socks... he is really walking-

at the doctor they checked his hemoglobin levels and they are really low. to check this, they had to prick his finger (the last time they did that to me- i about cried) fisher looked at his finger and when they started to squeeze the blood out of his finger he started saying "ooohhhh- oooohhh" as if it was entertaining! so, he has a screening on monday or tuesday to check and see if he is making enough red blood cells. but the most likely cause of the low iron is me giving him too much whole milk during the day. (mom of the year!)

he only got two shots- chicken pox and hep. A. i backed out of the MMR and our pediatrician didn't seem bothered by it. i had been a little nervous about the connections with autism- so i backed out- one less hole in his leg. :)

some milestones:

he flipped himself out of his crib this afternoon- fully flipped. i was sitting in front of his crib after his nap- he and i were just talking a playing peek-a-boo. he started to lean over the edge and then leaned really far and started laughing... then all the way! i caught him and brought him slowly to the floor while he grinned the entire time! (bad news: his crib is at the lowest setting already)

walking- all through the house and even in shoes!

talking- mama, dada, elda (ella) bubba, dada (gracie) do-do (no), ball, bounce

eating- everything

sleeping- he is a great sleeper- still taking two naps a day 10-2 and 2-3:30 or so

i couldn't be a more proud mama- he is amazing-- so funny and smart-- i laugh at all the crazy boy things that he does daily!

and- to end- doesn't he have the best grin!

some much needed relaxation

to say that we have been going non-stop would be an understatement... we have been dividing and conquoring and checking in on each other since about march/april. chris and i have our 6th anniversary coming up on the 10th and i cannot wait! i am in the process of finding babysitters- overnight babysitters so that i can surprise chris with a little lake camping and jetski riding- alone- by ourselves- no children- no dogs- no groceries- no diapers- no "honey will you pick up that milk cup- it's closer to your side of the table" - no "ooops i forgot to ____" - did i mention no children? i am so excited and he has no idea! so... shhhhh! we aren't big into the traveling far from home- although it would be nice :) and we aren't into fancy dinners, or getting all dressed up to go and eat- (we would end up talking about the kids anyway) if we were to get a hotel room- we would request separate beds and fall asleep as soon as we got there- or we would get separate rooms altogether because when he is in a good deep sleep- he snores. so- camping at the lake- the way that we used to do- but... this time no dogs- is the best that i can do- and i think that he will really love it! however... his buddy called and asked if he wanted to go to a football tournament on friday night... i quickly had to veto and and call the friend- have a great day everyone!

oh no... i have THOSE kids

you know what i am talking about... the kids that YOU were never going to have.... the kids that you and your husband would see and talk about the rest of the night... the ones where oh, we will never let our kids do that!... the ones where you couldn't believe all the dumb things those parents were letting their kids do... you know... these

the ones where you were never able to sit down and have a conversation with another adult

the ones that back talk you (ella) and the ones that yell at you NONONONONONO (fisher)

the ones that you couldn't take to other people's house because you were worried that you didn't have enough money to re-buy all the things that your children were going to break

the ones that you don't take out to dinner because you and your husband start to speed eat and see you can eat the fastest so you can leave sooner

the ones that you let do things that you would NEVER let them do (example: paint your toenails on the couch) so that you could talk to another adult without them screaming at you

the ones that you bargain with throughout an entire meal just so they will eat one piece of peach, blueberry, etc.

the ones that you reschedule appointments for because you wouldn't wish them on your worst enemy

the ones where you feel totally outnumbered and defeated ALL the time

the ones that during your sisters wedding take a goldfish to the bride and groom and ask if they "want a snack"

the ones that need constant entertainment from you

the ones that sneak into your room at wee early hours and convince your husband to turn on "big big world"

the ones that wrestle each other at other people's homes, churches before weddings, during rehersal dinners, etc.

the ones that get into toilets and laugh about it

the ones that think they can do everything on their own... and try... so you have one more huge mess to clean up

the ones that appear out of nowhere when you answer you phone and insist on talking to the person on the other end

the ones that insist on going naked when water is near- (puddles, garden hoses, bathtubs- that don't belong to us, sprinklers, large dog bowls of water)

the ones that tell you to "be nice to me- i am a baby"

the list goes on and on- but this kept me up last night- help!



yup... i got 'em