Warming up...

In preparation for November (see post below), I'm going to do a little warm-up in the next few days and try to post three or four times before the challenge starts.
If you haven't wandered over to Sunny & Brandon's blog in a while, click on over and look at their little cuties (soon to be one year old). Here's a picture I stole from their most recent post... If you don't think these are some of the most adorable children, you probably need to go see your optometrist. Happy Thursday (especially for us Grey's Anatomy fans - tonight we get a double dose).

Challenge accepted

Mighty Girl posted a challenge she heard about over at Fussy for National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). I'm taking the challenge although I might fail horribly at it. Since that is my fear, I'm hoping that my recent purchase of Maggie Mason's (aka Mighty Girl) book, No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog, will help me out with some inspiration for the 30 posts I just committed to. So, my faithful readers, all two of you, if I fail to post on a day in November, please remind me, gently or not-so-gently, to get my butt in gear and post something.

POTW...rock 'n' roll boy

Okay, so I have a really good excuse for not posting last week. Our dog, Molly, got hit by a car and died. We only had her for a little over a year, but she found her way into all our hearts and is dearly missed. I caught myself looking out the back window for her as I folded clothes this afternoon. I know what we are dealing with is not nearly so hard as losing a human family member, but it's still difficult. Wesley and I both have shed our fair share of tears in the last few days.
On a happier note, we want to say Congratulations to Jody & Heather on their recent marriage. For those of you who don't know already, Jody is Wesley's father. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of them to post on here.
What I do have a picture of is a very cool lil dude who either wants to grow up to be a "rockstar" or a "policeman." Seriously, if you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he'll say a policeman, but every now and then he'll volunteer out of the blue that he wants to be a rockstar. The rockstar always cracks me up. Of course, I think he can be anything he wants to be. I was trying to get a good picture of him the other day to use instead of his school picture to give to family (he always has his fake smile on in those) - didn't get a good one for that purpose but did get some little gems like these...
I'm jealous of his shoes...want me some just like em' but can't find them anywhere

















rock on lil' buddy
















showing off his shoes...

a t-shirt he picked out because it was "cool" - I agree

Personality Quiz

Found this personality quiz over on Haley's blog... Like Haley, I'm not real sure this describes me, but it's nice to know I would have been a good veterinarian :)

You Are An ISFP

The Artist You are a gifted artist or musician (though your talents may be dormant right now). You enjoy spending your free time in nature, and you are good with animals and children. Simply put, you enjoy bueaty in all its forms and live for the simple pleasures in life. Gentle, sensitive, and compassionate - you are good at recognizing people's unspoken needs. You would make a good veterinarian, pediatrician, or composer.

What's Your Personality Type?

POTW...babysitting

Anthony & I kept our niece & nephew, Trinity (2 1/2 years) & Landon (almost 2 mos.), over Labor Day weekend so my brother & Jennifer could move from Illinois to Tennessee (yay!) and Anthony got a crash course in just how much work newborns can be. Here's a couple pictures of them... I've been having troubles with my photo editing software - everytime I save edits, it mysteriously messes up the color and makes skin tones look all orangey, so until I get it fixed, all my pictures will have to be in b&w.

POTW...random photo

Nothing exciting to post...just plugging along with school & work & trips to car shows (for Anthony). This is a photo I snapped when Wes was messing around with our kitten being silly. He looked out the window for a second with this serious expression on his face and I captured it. If you know Wesley, he's not a "serious" child. I wouldn't want it to be any other way, though. I've become really sentimental in the last few weeks about how fast he is growing up. It's all too true what people saw to new parents all the time, "Cherish them while they're babies. The next time you turn around they'll be starting kindergarten." So, for all you new (& old parents out there...and to myself), remember to really be in the moment with your children...hear what it is they're saying, study their expressions and their mannerisms so you won't be sitting at their high school graduation thinking, "Where did the my little boy/girl go? I can't believe this is already here." So, that's my philosophical moment for the day (if you can even call it that). Happy Thursday to all you faithful POTW readers :)

Our crazy little family...

Our friend, Justin, took this picture of us on Saturday at my friend, Darren's wedding. You can see Wesley running off through the flower bed behind us. Darren & Jessica's wedding was so beautiful! I, of course, got teary-eyed during the wedding. I hadn't seen Darren since he & Jessica started dating so I had never seen them together. It was obvious by the look in their eyes how very much they loved each other. This probably comes as no surprise to anyone, but I LOVE weddings...not just any wedding, well, okay, any wedding...but I really love the weddings of people I know and love. So, anyways, I had a good time on my birthday (Sat.) even though we didn't do much besides go to the wedding in Dover and the reception. Anthony was a good sport about it. Even Wesley did pretty good, although he never did get up the courage to go dance on the dance floor with the other kids (Anthony did actually dance with me :) -- not with the kids). I saw several people I haven't seen in a while, and Anthony even saw a few people he knew that weren't acquaintences of mine. We saw this couple that got married on the same day as us in another church in Martin and that were on the same flight to Florida for their honeymoon as us. Okay....so this has turned into a very long post about absolutely nothing and now it's my bedtime. Until next week...

POTW...First Day of Kindergarten

Well, today was Wesley's first day. Don't worry, I didn't cry. I started to and it really took some self-control to not do it, but Anthony was with me so that made it better. Wesley was all dressed up in new clothes from head to toe and raring to go this morning. We took a few pictures in front of the house before we left. Anthony wanted me to leave him in front of the school with all the other kids that had already gotten off the bus or been dropped off, but I wouldn't. So, we walked him to his classroom where two of his classmates were already there, Kelton (a boy he went to daycare with) and another little boy. We helped him find the peg for his backpack. He took out his folder like he was supposed to. His teacher showed him where to put his lunch money, and he put his folder in the bin where it's supposed to go (Ms. Debbie will put notes and things in there each day for us to look at and help him with...which reminds me, I haven't looked to see what's in there for today........I'm back...he has a sweet note from his teacher about some of the things he did. He got a smiley face for the day [which means he did good - that's her behavior system - straight means not so great & sad face obviously means he had a bad day]). She said he was "a good listener....[and] a bit wiggly during rest time..." That's my Wesley....wiggly.
I'm sure he got tired of mine and Anthony's questions this afternoon when we picked him up. We probably sounded like detectives grilling a suspect..."and then what did you do? Did you like that? What was next?" He sounded like he had a big time. I asked him just now what he thought of his first day of kindergarten and he said, "I thought...um...if we was going outside to play & it's being a long time until we go out and play....it's just fun, okay?" You can see where my precious five-year-old boy's priorities are?! :)

POTW...PreK graduation

Wesley's daycare, Christian Wee Learn, always has a little program for the kids leaving the preschool part of it and going to kindergarten. They had that for Wesley's class on Sunday night at church (the daycare is run by the church). They sing lots of cute songs and recite the pledge of allegiance, the days of the week and the months of the year, then get a little certificate and go eat some cake and drink punch with their friends and family. Both mine and Anthony's parents came and Wesley's dad, so we had quite a crowd there. This picture is of Wesley (in the middle) with his friends, Dalton (left) and Joshua (right). Joshua and Wesley have been in the same class since they were 6 weeks old and their birthdays are less than a week apart. They have become like brothers, they're either hugging each other around the neck or their trying to beat each other up. Luckily for their kindergarten teachers, they will not be in the same kindergarten class.
Oh, and I almost forgot...Wesley got voted "Mr. PreK" in the PreK class superlatives. Imagine that? :)

POTW...

Some more pictures of Trinity & Wesley from the weekend she stayed with us. The motorcycle pictures are of the bike Anthony had for all of 2.2 weeks (or something like that) before he traded it in for a Buell (made by Harley Davidson). (I played with the contrast on the motorcyle pictures so that's why they look like that -- and I guess I should mention that Anthony took the pictures of the motorcycle).

POTW & Wonderful News!!!

I was having some issues with my photo editing software so I didn't get to post this on Wednesday when I typed it.
I am now the proud aunt of another nephew. Woohoo! Landon DeWayne was born Friday, July 14th at 10:44 pm, weighing 6 lbs. 6 oz. & 18" long. We had driven up to Illinois after work and were there when he was born. We all got to go into the room and see him (the hospital was more lenient about visitors than I've ever seen - not the greatest thing for newborns, but I made sure Wesley and I scrubbed before we got close to the baby) and I got to hold him before we left. We also got to visit with Anthony's Dad, his wife and her daughter on Saturday in MS and on Sunday in Jackson. We also drove to Dover on the way back Sat. to pick up my niece, Trinity, because I wanted her to stay with us for a little while. My mom is keeping her for a week or so for Eric & Jennifer to get settled in with Landon. I took Trinity back to my mom and Wesley to Jody on Monday. Needless to say, my car needs a rest and so do I. But, I had the best time keeping Trinity and got really attached to the little booger. I wish so much that they lived closer. She just melts my heart when she says, "Mimi," her pronunciation of Mindy or, "Wuv you." So, anyways, back to the news....there's more. I found out yesterday that I will be promoted from my current position as a secretary to Business Manager (effective August 1st). Woohoo for me! I've known this was a possibility and that with all the responsibilities I've taken on at work in the last year that I would be getting a promotion, I just didn't know how much of one until yesterday. Comes with a nice raise to and that certainly doesn't hurt :) Without futher ado, here are a couple pics of Landon. The first one is of Wesley & Trinity watching cartoons in the waiting room while Jennifer was in labor. The second one is when Trinity saw her little brother for the first time. And, the last one is of Landon with his mommy.

POTW...I guess we can keep him

Our downfall was letting Wesley see him and get attached. Within a day or so of them meeting Wesley had named him Ace. His brother has a loving home with one of my co-workers and his two boys. Anthony got attached because of the all white whiskers on a black cat. I got attached just because he's so darn cute. Meet the newest member of our family. For those counting, we have one dog, two cats, and three and a half humans...(just kidding - seeing in you're paying attention). ETA: I guess I should explain how got him in the first place. I was driving home from my in-laws with their chihuahua(sp?), Buffy, in the car b/c we were dog-sitting for them and trying to keep Buffy from crawling all over me when I round a curve and see two black kittens on the right edge of the road a split second before I nearly hit one. I was so sure I had hit one that I stopped and turned around. I got out and called for them (I was nearly in tears at this point). I pick them both up and look them over by the light of my headlights. At this point I still think I might have hit one, but neither are bleeding, they're very tame and out in the middle of nowhere, so I decide to take them home for the night and then see if I can find homes. People drop unwanted pets off all the time in that area, which makes me angry. Anyways, long story short, Anthony didn't want to keep any of them because we already have enough pets, but he finally gave up the, "I guess we can keep him," last night. So, that's the rest of the story.

POTW...fireworks

Hope you all had a fun & relaxing fourth of July. The three of us watched fireworks at Paris Landing (Wesley with his dad) and Anthony & I ate dinner with Sunny & Brandon Hall, Sunny's parents, Russ & Diane Hammonds, and, of course, the triplets. Yes, that's right, I got to see the babies again and you would not believe how much they've changed in two months. The first thing I noticed was how thick their hair had gotten and the fact that they had necks (sounds funny, I know, but at 6 mos. their head just kind of sat on their shoulders). I had such a good time playing with them. They got me soaked playing in their little plastic pool on the back porch - which they love.
Without futher ado, here are the pictures of the week -- fireworks from last night...
If you've ever tried taking pictures of fireworks, you know just how hard it is to get any good shots. I got about 10 or 15 decent ones from about 80 shots. Good thing I'm digitial now! :)

POTW...

This is my older brother, Eric, with his family. I went up to visit him in Illinois on Sat. and to go to a baby shower for Jennifer. Their little boy, Landon, is due at the end of July. Trinity, my only niece, is truly a mess. She turned two in March and has started jabbering up a storm. They are planning on moving to middle Tennessee next spring, and I'm very excited about it. I don't get to see them more than a handful of times each year and I feel like I'm missing out on being an aunt. I'm hoping my mom won't be able to watch Trinity for a week after Landon is born like she planned so I can keep her instead.

Photo Tuesday again...

Happy Anniversary to me and Anthony (about 2 months early)! Anthony has been wanting to get bikes for a while so we can all three ride together. Wesley is itching to ride somewhere other than the stretch of sidewalk directly in front of our house, and it would just be fun to be able to ride around Sharon. So, upon my suggestion that instead of going away for the weekend for our anniversary like we did last year, maybe we should buy each other a bike, he decided we shouldn't wait until August, that we should buy them now so we could enjoy the summer weather and get a little exercise (we both are in bad need of that). We headed over to Wal-Mart on Saturday afternoon, picked out our bikes, came home and took a ride around the block before we went to a little get-together with our Sunday School class. Anthony's is the one in the foreground with the red seat and mine is the one with the pink lettering (of course). I just snapped some shots on Sat. when Anthony was taking all the tags and stickers off and didn't get an overall shot of them, but they're bikes so you get the idea. And, I kind of like this shot anyways...looks like the bikes are intertwined, like mine and Anthony's lives (I know, how cheesy is that??? - give me a little break. It's about two hours past my bed time.) Anyways, so far, we've gotten up early and rode about two to two and a half miles two out of the last three mornings. I'll let you know if we're still doing it by the end of the summer.

Another annoying quiz...

Well, not really annoying, just another quiz. I'm usually not one to take all those quizzes people email you (although I used to be, back in h.s. and early college when I wasn't aware of how much free time I really had - now I have too many things that need to be taken care of to take quizzes).
Saw this one on Karen Russell's blog, My Life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good) and copied it. Thanks, Karen, for providing goof-off material for my lunch hour :)

I am: learning to cherish the little things in life & stop sweating the small stuff.
I want: to be skinny again & to have more babies (in the future).
I have: plans for this afternoon to take Wesley to the movie Cars…his second time seeing it, my first.
I wish: life didn’t feel so much like a balancing act.
I hate: it when my days starts off in a funk because it’s so hard to get it going in a good direction after that.
I miss: my friends who have moved away…I’m not so great at long-distance friendships.
I hear: nothing…everyone’s gone to lunch.
I wonder: when I’ll actually feel like an adult – at 23, I still don’t.
I regret: not trying harder at things…classes, relationships, work, etc.
I am not: outgoing.
I dance: at home when no one else is there to laugh at me…except myself.
I sing: in the car all the time, usually when I’m alone so I can blast the radio.
I cry: when I’m really mad, at weddings, during sad movies…
I am not always: confident in myself…I fake it a lot.
I make with my hands: lot of things for the people I love – quilts, cards, scrapbooks – I’m very ‘handy’ (and also not good at telling jokes that aren’t cheesy) : )
I write: in my journal sometimes (used to be better about that) – used to also write creatively for fun.
I confuse: people when I give directions, just ask Anthony.
I need: to be loved & appreciated.
I should: go on more trips to places I want to experience.
I start: way too many things for one human to actually finish (see “I make with my hands”).
I finish: most of the stuff that I start. It’s sometimes late (either by my own deadline or someone else’s), but it does eventually get finished.

Feel free to copy and paste on your blog with your own answers.

Picture of the week...

This is a picture from last night at the T-ball awards (where they give out the trophies and take a team picture). The little boy with Wesley is Logan, one of Wesley's friends from daycare. Aren't they cute in their little jersey's? : )

Happy Tuesday!

Picture of the Week

This is my sister-in-law Lynsey and her boyfriend, who recently became her fiance, Jordan. Congratulations you two!

Picture of the week...

Anthony and I had a nice, relaxing Memorial Day weekend. One of the fun things we did was go to a car show in Big Sandy with some of his friends from work. It was so hot and humid, but we still had a good time and I got a few cool shots of the cars. If you're into classic cars/hot rods, you may recognize some of the ones in these shots...I can only identify the Mustangs :)





































In this last one, you can see (from L to R) Anthony, Rick Legens & Chris Legens (two of the guys he works with and good friends of his) and of course me taking the pictures. We laughed when we saw this picture because the three of them look like midgets, especially compared to the people on the left.
Happy Thursday!

Picture of the week numero tres

Got home last night and realized I forgot to bring home my laptop so I could post a picture, so here's today's and yesterday's...













The first one is Braden and Jace Brawner, Anthony's brother and his son, at the carnival last Saturday. Isn't Jace cute? He's a sweet baby.
The second one is of Wesley on the carousel. That's Mary Ann and Jace in the background. Jace was loving the carousel until it started moving and then he DID NOT like it. I'm sure it scared him when it all of a sudden started moving. In fact, I think this is only the first or maybe the second time Wesley has ridden on a carousel without me there beside him. One time he got on one by himself and started crying once it moved. The guy operating it had to stop and let me on. Happy Thursday! Maybe tomorrow I'll have something other than carnival pictures.