Not too shabby ...

This might be my favorite photo from our afternoon in the leaves. Not too shabby for an amateur photographer. Of course it helps if the subject (Kate) is really, really cute.

Leaves

Isn't it amazing the fun you can have with just what's around you? We recently had a picnic in the leaves. Kate's having a great time.

Maddie seems to like the leaves, too!

Now the fun part. How do they taste? Watch out for Jack he's coming in for a landing!

We had lots of fun - in a pile of leaves.

Telling Stories

If you've read my previous posts, you realize my Jackson has quite the imagination. Lately, his new fascination is telling stories or more importantly - you telling him stories of his design. In true Jack-fashion, their are rules and regulations.

#1 - You must tell HIM the story, not the other way around.
#2 - HE must tell you who and what the story is going to be about.
#3 - You must tell him the predetermined story on his time schedule.
#4 - He must be the main character of said story.

After following the rules above, the latest story that I was told by Jack to tell to Jack included Jack as the main character who went to visit Wubbzy (from Wow Wow Wubbzy) on his chocolate motorcycle. While on the chocolate motorcycle, he ran into a skunk who was very stinky. Begin story.

Costumes Revealed

After a long and sorted decision-making process. Jack decided that he would indeed be a turtle - a costume that Mamaw had found some weeks back and that Jack had been "practicing" in. Thanks to a quick trip to Toys-R-Us, I found some sweet little caterpillar costumes for the girls that not only went along with the forest theme of our Halloween but the colors coordinated perfected. I totally scored and the OCD aspect of my personality was thrilled.

So our Halloween went exceptionally well and thanks to lots of help from the grandparents, Jack had an awesome evening. The girls slept through a lot of it, but it's hard work to be this cute.

Day 5

I know I've kept you in suspense too long. Jack's latest costume idea (and I quote):

"I think I just want to wear a big ol' shirt."

That's my boy.

Game Day

Friday nights in the fall are reserved for one thing - high school football. Being a coach's wife has it's disadvantages, but there are perks. I get premium parking at home games and never have to pay admission. Since this is my coach's fairwell tour, I thought I would include some game day photos.

Let's start with getting ready:

A little instruction:

And the action shot:

The Costume Conundrum

Maybe I shouldn't have asked. Maybe I should have just said, "Jack you are going to be _____ for Halloween." Maybe that would have been the way to go. But I asked and this is what I got.

Costume choices from Jackson:

Day 1: Robot Dragon
Day 2: Upside Down Pumpkin Head
Day 3: Ear Monster (they eat ears of course)
Day 4: Blueberry Bush

You want to know Day 5, don't you? That will have to remain TBA until tonight.

Double the Fun (and the Photos)

The girls have started holding hands. That means that the picture quotient has upgraded from reasonable to ridiculous. It doesn't help matters that Auntee Amy hooks the twins up with the CUTEST little outfits ever. Want to see the proof?

Kampfest III - Bristol

So we started with the jumping pillow - one of the cooler KOA amenities. Then headed towards downtown Bristol TN/VA.

The Rhythm and Roots Reunion was an amazing blue grass festival.

A couple of beverages, lots of sunshine and very good friends made for yet another successful Kampfest! Next time, Charlottesville?

Faith Restored

Before this past Saturday, I could have taken it or left it - most likely leaving it. But I love my husband and he loves his alma mater so I sucked it up and went. I went to an Appalachian State University football game at ASU.

After the debacle that was the opening game last season at ASU, I had sworn off football in Boone. Mind you, I still saw plenty of ASU games including their National Championship win in Chattanooga but I refused to go to Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Lenoir-Rhyne game was awful. After the win over Michigan AT Michigan, we expected the instant sell-out to be rough but I had no idea. The athletic department was completely unprepared despite the weeks notice of the sellout. The stadium was over-sold. Those who weren't passing out from over-consumption of alcoholic beverages due to the lack of security were passing out from heat exhaustion due to the lack of concessions. I wasn't going back until I had a seat to sit in. No more general admission, no more coaches passes, and no way I was taking Jack.

A group of tickets that were previously spoken for were returned and this past weekend we got the opportunity to get three tickets in the new section of seats on the east side for the home opener against Jacksonville. I agreed, I'd give it another shot and Jack would get to see Kidd Brewer for the first time. Everything that was so wrong on the opening game last year was not only righted but improved over years past. The facilities were amazing - clean, safe and upgraded even while obviously in a construction zone. Security was prevalent everywhere including in the bathroom (a first for me personally). Concession stands were overstocked and readily available. The only over-indulgent student I saw was sitting with a police officer taking a breathalyzer test.

As much as I railed the University last year for the LR disaster, I salute them for making the first game my kid saw on the ASU campus a great one. He didn't like the fireworks but that's not really their fault. My faith was and is restored. Season tickets for next year are a definite possibility.

Your Local Delivery Frog

Meet your new delivery frog: inexpensive, efficient and so darn cute!

He will be happy to transport any item that fits within his messenger bag as long as he deems it necessary. Be aware that if your item is not ready for delivery when he is ready, it may be ignored completey. He will also be glad to let you know that said item will be delivered upon his convenience even if that happens to be after the Goodnight Show.

One more item to note. If it is close to either nap time or bed time and/or snacks have not been eaten lately, all the above is rendered null and void.

Thank you for using the Delivery Frog Service.

Where to Park?

I tried to bribe my son today with a trip to park in exchange for a nap. I know, maybe not the best parenting technique but with his latest trends of screaming with even the notion of sleep, it seemed like a good idea. So after an hour of my future lawyer 'resting' - we throw around the notion of when and where to park.

Our resident source of family fun, my husband, has been holding onto the nugget that Newton's Southside Park is having Shakespeare in the Park at 5:00. AWESOME! Not only do we get to hold true to the bribe, but it becomes an excellent family adventure. So here we go to the southside and a little kid culture. Yeah, no. Due to the excessive rains we had the first of the week the park is CLOSED. I mean locked at the edge of the road closed. No Shakespeare, no park. We go to Plan B.

We drive to the other park in Newton with it's empty playground. Why you ask? That would be the blazing hot metal which burns you before you even touch it. As much as I love the Newton Recreation Department's offerings, should I question why one park is dead center of a flood plain and the other has NO shade trees around a full metal playground?

Plan C. Again, Stephen saves us. Let's go to Claremont park - it's not that far and gas just dropped down to $3.51. As you can see, my hopes for a pdf were not in vain.

Yo Gabba

I watch a lot of kids programming - a LOT. In fact, the majority of time that I spend watching television is spent on Toon Disney, PBS or Noogin. There are a few reasons for this. The first and main reason is I have a 3 year old. Secondly, I really feel like I should become familiar with the shows he's watching so I can gauge whether they are appropriate or not. Lastly and as much as I hate to admit it, some are down right entertaining.

One such show is Yo Gabba Gabba (http://www.yogabbagabba.com/). In the last two months, Jack has switched from picking what show he wants to watch off the DVR menu, to watching the shows that happen to come on a particular channel. Poor kid is watching live TV! As a result, he is widening his range of programs and I have more that I have to pay attention to. When I first saw Yo Gabba Gabba come on, I immediately turned the channel. I mean why in the world would I watch that mess. Of course, after the third day of me changing it, Jack decides he NEEDS to watch Yo Gabba and I, of course, give in and allow it.

You need to understand, if Jack watches it, I watch it and I'm not going to watch something I find annoying. This is why Sponge Bob, Barney and numerous other programs have been banned. Yo Gabba was on a short leash and then I watched it.

It opens with this retro black dude with lens-less glasses and a huge boom box, DJ Lance Rock. There is Bumo, a red, gumby looking character; Foofa, a tear drop flower child; Brobee, a green monster with excessively long arms; Muno, a cat/dragon sort of situation; and, Flex who is a robot. Yeah, I don't know what kind of drugs the creator was taking. So the first day, I'm thinking the show is SO not making the cut. The following day, I'm not so sure. Third show - hooked.

There is this funky music and weird shows-within-shows and its completely whacked out but its SOO entertaining. Jack is glued and I'm starting to be. It's hilarious and actually teaches some pretty good lessons such as not eating food that has fallen on the floor. It evens wraps up everything you've learned in a cool montage, free-style rap sort of deal at the end. We are on week two and LOVE it. I season passed it yesterday.

Adventures in Baby Food

Baby Kate doesn't like cereal. So, being the creative mom I am I tried adding bananas to said cereal to make it more appetizing. I even tasted it and it's really not that bad. But, Baby Kate doesn't like cereal.

Now Maddie (above), she doesn't really dig it, due to the texture in my opinion, but she's dealing with it. She's getting the hang of the whole spoon thing and she's doing her best. Kate, nothing. No effort, no compromise, no cereal. She turns her head, spits it out, makes awful faces and of course my personal favorite, gags. It's lovely. What thrills me even more is that as soon as I finish the cereal battle, she cries for a bottle. That's okay because, as I informed her happy little bottom yesterday - mommy will win, she always wins.

My Baby Bee

Jack likes to pretend. We of course encourage it because one, it is supposed to increase a child's intelligence, and two and most importantly, it is extremely entertaining. As I was changing Kate this morning, Jack woke up, walked into the girls' room and stated simply, "Good Morning. What animal am I today?" This morning Jack is a bee. A baby bee to be exact, who lives in a hive and makes honey for everyone to eat.

You see Jack not only pretends to be an animal, he is very specific. If he is a chicken, as he was yesterday, he is a farm chicken who eats corn. He has been a pontoon cat who lives on a pontoon boat, a jungle mouse who obviously lives deep in the jungle with the jaguars. Sometimes he is a bulldog, sometimes a frog. Sheep, puppies, mice - they are all in his repertoire. Last night, he chose to be a can-backed tortoise who was going everywhere very, very, slowly. No regular turtle for my boy!

The newest development is the people around Jack take on his chosen animal persona as well. It is a bit difficult to explain to a total stranger that Jack is not saying he has a "big mouth" but is calling him a "big mouse". Try that one sometime. Jack decides not only what animal the surrounding people are going to be, but where they live, what they eat and what sounds they should be making. So this morning as I left for work, my Baby-Bee gave his Mommy-Bee a big kiss and told me that he would watch after Katie-Bee, Maddie-Bee and of course, Daddy-Bee. But, he would have to do so while flying around.

No means No

I'm doing it until they tell me I can't. Yes, dressing them alike in ridiculous striped pants. The only thing that holds these outfits together are the rocking Sadie Priss original monogrammed onesies. They love the outfits - you can so tell. Just look at Maddie's expression (on the right). She's totally into it!

Travelocity.Dog

Travel has been having a hard time lately. He's tired.

It all started on April 4th. I went missing for three days and then came home with two screaming little wigglers. Then I decided to stay HOME for eight weeks with said wigglers for three weeks completely disrupting his sleep patterns. Sleep patterns which consisted of sleeping 9 hours during the day on the couch followed by 9 hours later on the bed. So okay, he hears that I going back to work - finally some relief. I mean it's hard work looking out after me, Stephen, Jack and now the two new additions plus his yard, and all the neighbors' yards! He needed his rest for goodness sake. So then I go back to work, but much to Traveler's surprise - Mamaw moves into the day shift. Now he has ANOTHER person to look after and Jack and the twins are there too. There is no end in sight.

So now Traveler is spending his days "protecting" the homestead from the front porch, which basically means he's sleeping all day on the cool concrete rather than the couch. It's still not the same and with the new additions, it won't ever be. But he's dealing and as always, he's still Mommy's best baby puppy, all 85 pounds of him.

Thinking ...

Kate's been thinking.

She's not getting near enough publicity on Mommy's blog. She is going to need more posts, more photos and definitely more play in the world of e-journaling. Stat.

Prissy

I have this wonderful friend who makes things. She is the craftiest person I know and can make anything she puts her mind to. Lately, she's put her mind to making my girls especially girly which I'm completely down with! She's made custom onesies, both iron-on and applique (below), and the cutest little bracelets ever (left). It would take me forever to list everything but she has her own blog: http://www.sadiepriss.blogspot.com/ showing off her latest. She's the best and you should visit her site as often as possible and buy many things from her.

Mommy Rocks

So I've been told I must post about my addiction to rocking out. You see Stephen decided he would like a Wii for Christmas. Easy enough, I liked the games okay but nothing life changing. Then around Father's Day we picked up Guitar Hero. Again, it looked fun but I had three kids to watch over and precious sleep to think about. Eventually I was coerced into trying it out one weekend night after the kiddies were in bed and I've never been the same since. Before I knew it I had played 18 songs. I went through the easy level like Sherman through Georgia.

Now keep in mind, I do not rock - I play, simply and efficiently like I do so many things. I hit almost every note with a mechanical precision based on speed and distance and with no regard to the true spirit of the game. No, I do not have rhythm, I don't even know the songs. But, I can play for hours, hitting upwards of 200 notes in a row and getting 5 stars without ever moving from my perfectly still, knee-locked stance.

So last weekend we rented the new Aerosmith's Guitar Hero and yes - I've decided not only that I must have it - I must conquer it. It seems the twins, especially Maddie (above) prefer Aerosmith to Foghat so isn't that reason enough?

Looking for Fish

Have you ever discovered something in your area that you've never noticed before and don't know how you missed it? My Dad has been coming up to Lake Lookout in Catawba for over a year and driving an hour to do it. Yet we've never been and it's not more than 20 minutes from us! It's a great little lake and as I understand the fishing isn't bad either. As I'm not a big fisherman, I preferred the bank with the girls, enjoying the sites and sounds of the water. Dad took the boys out on the boat and Jack had a wonderful time. Of course, he had a great time playing in the water after lunch, too. All in all in was a great day at a really pretty spot, right in our backyard.

Auto-matic Memories

Thanks to my brilliant husband, our kids got to experience something most may not - a drive-in movie. Complete with playing in front of the painted tin screen, the blowing of a lot full of horns when dusk fell, and falling asleep to sound of buzzing speakers, the memories flooded back for my husband and I and opened up a new experience for our Jack.

Indian Jones was on the big screen and with the addition of ridiculously large fountain drinks, deliciously bad for you cheese fries and some much needed sugar in the form of blue cotton candy, the night was a huge success. One of the best family bargains I dare you to find, welcome to the Belmont Drive-In Theater, http://www.belmontbelmontdrivein.20megsfree.com/.

The weather was perfect and since we got there a little too early perhaps, we were on the front row with a perfect seat for watching all the kids play in front of the screen. With everyone from large families, guys in tank tops, hipster couples, and college kids - the scene was a virtual people-watching extravaganza. The movie wasn't bad either. Maddie managed to sleep through the entire experience although Kate did watch about 15 minutes of Indie besting the bad guys before she drifted back off. Jack played, watched, played some more and almost gave in to sleep. Now, for the next feature and who we will invite to go with us next time!

Adventurers

So I assume I should share more about me and the possible posts to come. I'm a mid-thirties mom that has her hands full. I work full time for a great firm handling everything from their technology support to answering phones. I have three beautiful children, a spoiled rotten puppy and an amazing husband who helps hold everything together. We live in a small town, in a small house which suits us perfectly. Our lives are very full and we would have it no other way. Let the adventures continue?

Beginning Again

It's time to be a grown up again. The twins are here and a routine finally seems to be forming. The days are becoming managable and the nights actually contain some sleep. So, it's time. Time to start being more than a mom - a person would be nice.