BUBBLES AND OTHER THINGS

I don't care how old you are, bubbles are just plain fun!

Reid got a bubble machine for his birthday and couldn't wait to try it out. It was quite windy that day so we had to take things into the garage.

I love the looks on their faces.

That sucker could make some bubbles - big bubbles, little, bubbles, little bubbles inside big bubbles. Bubbles bubbles everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. It's amazing the places that sticky stuff can end up.

The bubbles didn't entertain Bueller as long as the rest of us. He was busy trying to break his neck. Or some limbs at the very least.

How is it that boys manage to turn anything into something dangerous?

One day this week while the kids were away (at school of course), I got to play...

with this chunk-a-chunk-o-love. Couldn't you just kiss those sweet cheeks off! :) His name is Samuel. He's 16 months old and is just a sweet, lovable, happy happy baby who was so fun to play with.

He was also fun to give back to his mama. How quickly I had forgotten how active and into everything babies are at his age. It's one of the times I'm not so sad my youngest is now 4. Whew! Almost makes my pits sweat to think about doing that again. HA!! :)

Happy Friday!! I'm looking forward to the weekend.

WE TWITPIC'd JUSTIN BIEBER

The only reason I have any idea what that post title means is because I have a teenage daughter.

I don't Twitter. Wait... Tweet?? Whatever it's called, I'm not into it. I don't Facebook either. I tried my hand at FB and it wasn't for me. Who has time for that? Apparently most people these days because I'm most certainly out of the loop not being a participant. It's so funny to see the look on someone's face I haven't seen in a while when they ask if I'm on Facebook and I tell them no. It's like they have to pause for a moment to gain their composure. :) I know it can be a great tool for connecting with people and keeping up with people, but the way I feel about some of the stuff people put on FB is similar to how I feel about those stickers on someone's vehicle representing how many people/animals are in their family:  Unnecessary and annoying. Sorry if I just offended anyone reading this who is a vehicle sticker-lover. It's personal preference. They're just not mine.

Anyhoo, I think I mentioned in Reid's birthday post that he loves music. He seriously cannot hear a beat without moving to it somehow. We attended a funeral this past weekend for a relative, and he was even tapping his foot in the pew as a song was being sung. In particular he loves The Biebster. He goes around singing Baby without even realizing it. If he ever sees this when he gets older he'll likely hate me for posting about the fact that he enjoys the music of a boy teen pop star. ;) But hey, Justin Bieber has collaborated with the likes of Ludacris and Usher and now maybe Rascal Flatts. So I say Turbo has fine taste in music (he loves Beastie Boys too and sports a RUN DMC t-shirt) HA! But not only does he enjoy his music, Bethany and I have always thought he kinda favors the star too.

Turbo:

Bieber:

See??

So Bethany had the idea to TwitPic a picture of Reid to Justin Bieber in hopes that he would maybe give the Mini Bieber a shout out. I hated to be Negative Nelly but I told B that there's likely someone on the Biebster's payroll who actually handles his Twitter account and that I had serious doubts about a HAPPY BIRTHDAY REID tweet. She wouldn't hear of it. I do love her optimism. I believe she suffers from a bit of Bieber Fever herself. And proud of it. If I'm being honest I'm a fan too and really want to see his movie with Bethany.

As the day progressed B kept checking.

Nothing.

Jeez, I mean, doesn't this international pop phenomenon have anything better to do than check his Twitter account which likely has thousands upon thousands of whatever-you-call-them and make a four-year-old birthday boy's wish come true?!?

I hope it's obvious I'm kidding. So no shout out, but it's for the best because I think Bethany may have gone into cardiac arrest if there had been one. The whole thing was fun, though. Thank you for trying, Sissy! You're the best big sister ever and make life more fun!!

CHUCK E. CHEESE

As we did this past October for Mac, when Reid's birthday rolled around we opted to forego a big party. For now I've had my fill of them. I love getting to see and spend time with friends I don't get to see very much and of course the kids love seeing their friends, but it's always a lot of work. After the party is over I find myself feeling like I never really spent time with the person the day is supposed to be celebrating. Of course we have to have some type of celebration so Reid decided on Chuck E. Cheese. I discovered in planning it that the date and time we set was also when my cousin wanted to have his son, Ethan's 3rd birthday party. We decided to make it a full-on family affair and have them together.

Between all of us, just family mind you, we had 13 children. Oh my word that place should dispense alcohol for adults like it does tokens for children. :)

But it was as easy as a trip to Chuck E. Cheese can be, the kiddos enjoyed themselves as did the adults, and most of all it was what Reid wanted.

 

 

We were home in time to enjoy soaking up another beautiful day of sunshine and warmer temps. Warmer temps that made two certain crazy teenage girls put on their bathing suits to lay out then subsequently beg me to let them swim.

Ummm, not no but HECK NO!

They begged and pleaded until finally I agreed to let them see for themselves that we are still a couple of months away (at least) from enjoying the pool. As quick as they went in...

They came right back out. I TOLD YOU SO!!! ;)

COACH CHRIS

This past Saturday was baseball tryouts here in Wetumpka for Grant and Mac. Chris and his friend, Jay, our coach from fall ball, had decided to coach a team together. Jay would be the head coach. Jay's business, Collier Ford, would be the sponsor. Chris would be assistant coach. Chris said he didn't think he was quite ready to make the plunge into head coach - that it was too much responsibility. Well on Saturday, acting on impulse (which isn't surprising because Chris can be quite impulsive), he obviously thought different. When he saw the need for at least one more team he stepped up to the plate (pun intended). He is now the official head coach of our team, Norton Vinyl Siding. I have to admit I wasn't too thrilled about the idea when he called to tell me what he had done. I know it's just little league but it's a big commitment for our family. But seeing how excited Chris is about it (think designing uniforms and already scheduling batting practice here this week) has me looking forward to it too. It's something we're taking on together, and I think it will be a fun ride. Grant and Mac think it's pretty cool too. ;) Turbo doesn't really care yet but I have a feeling when he's getting to hang out in the dugout with us he'll be all about it too. Besides, like Chris said last night, "Baby, we get this one year under our belt and we'll feel like pros." HA!

Coach with his two favorite players: 

Headed to tryouts:

I don't know about the feeling-like-pros thing, but I do foresee more of this in our future. At least until the boys get older and it becomes totally uncool to them. ;)

CELEBRATING FOUR YEARS OF REID

Four years ago today, February 19, 2007, our little Turbo was born. He entered this world at 12:10 p.m. weighing 7 lb. 9 oz. and was 20 in. long. The births of all of my children were sweet, sweet days, but his was especially sweet not only because we knew he would be the last but because there were times during my pregnancy we weren't sure we would ever see his sweet face.

But God had other plans. And boy am I glad HE did. 

A little about Reid:

He's my meat and potatoes little man, just like his daddy. He likes steak (ribeye or fillet) pork, chicken, deer meat, pretty much anything his daddy grills. He loves potatoes in just about any form and loves, loves, loves Mrs. Hazel's Kiddie Kollege rice and mac and cheese. He loves hotdogs, yogurt, pigs in a blanket, applesauce, and could eat pizza for every meal. He's not much on sweets or candy but loves my "hot gum" and pink bubble gum. 

He's my little sidekick - literally - he's on my hip more than he's on his own two feet. Sometimes it's what drives me crazy about him. Sometimes it's what melts my heart because I know he won't be like this forever. He tells me he loves me a few times a day, and every time I leave him somewhere (whether it's preschool or at Mimi's) he gives me no less than 10 kisses. 

He loves his blankie, Justin Bieber, rap music (he can't hear any type music without dancing to it) being outside, helping me in the kitchen or around the house, taking a bath, and could watch Despicable Me over and over and over again. He's hilarious, strong-willed, and so far has proven to be a bit accident prone - stitches to the head/a bat to the mouth. He has a wild imagination. He can carry on a conversation with me for quite some time talking about absolutely nothing that makes sense. :) He makes me laugh every single day. 

His little life was unexpected and as I said, the pregnancy was rocky, but look at him now. He blesses our family each and every day. 

 

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, TURBO! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

REID AND HIS MONKEY BALLOON - BOYS WILL BE BOYS

We gave the boys a balloon and a little candy for Valentine's Day. I chose the monkey for Turbo because he's a little monkey himself. The very first thing he noticed was this:

He said it was snot coming out of the monkey's nose - that it had a cold.

Go figure. :)

BUELLER LEARNS TO RIDE

First off let me say thank you Jesus for the beautiful weather we've had this week and supposedly will be blessed to enjoy through the weekend. It makes me one happy mama that we were outside for a big part of the day yesterday in almost 70° weather. And today is forecasted to be even warmer than yesterday. Hallelujah! I've lived in the deep south all my life so I know it's just a spring teaser and that we have more arctic blasts in our future. But we are soaking every bit of it up while it lasts.

We've been working with Mac the past couple of weeks on riding his bicycle without training wheels to no avail. He would get frustrated. I would get frustrated. I would run up and down our driveway with him until either my legs felt like spaghetti or I needed oxygen - which ever came first. He would have it for a minute then lose it, and he was constantly watching to make sure I was right there to catch him if he fell. And I did. Quite a few times. I kept wondering who was going to catch me when I fell because it was sure to happen if we kept going the way we were. He finally decided he just wasn't ready and chose to ride the bike with training wheels for the time being. Me and my noodle legs didn't argue.

My friend, Shea, posted on her blog the other day that both of her kiddos learned to ride a bike the same day. But it was because she insisted her daughter try it that it happened. And whaddya know, it just clicked and off she rode. Her son not wanting to be left behind hopped on his and off he rode too.

So I decided yesterday was the day for Mac. Yes, I decided. The weather was perfect for spending as much time as we needed to to get him riding that sucker. And guess what...

it totally paid off. Bueller is officially riding his bicycle without training wheels. YAY!!! And he is oh-so proud of himself!!

Because I posted a video of Grant when he learned to ride I decided to do the same for Mac, for my benefit.

A few more pictures...

Mac couldn't wait for Professor to get home from school so he could show him his surprise. Grant was genuinely excited for his brother, and they couldn't wait to take off. Practice makes perfect so we're still working on steering and turning. He wound up needing a band-aid or two and kissed a few shrubs. :)

He also "kissed" his younger brother.

The jury is still out on whether or not that one was intentional.

Every time he fell, though, he got right back on it and tried again. In true Professor fashion Grant tried to give him some pointers:

Brotherly love. This picture was their idea if you can believe that:

I couldn't. But I love it! Maybe it's the weather that has everyone sharing the love. Mac went inside to get something to drink and came back out with one for Grant too - even opened it for him. 

Three tends to be a crowd (especially when you're getting run over by a bicycle) so we let the older brothers have their fun while Turbo and I did some swingin'.

This was after about one of three or four shirt changes for Reid. He would get hot and want a t-shirt then get in the shade and want a long-sleeved shirt. That boy changes clothes more than his Sissy used to - and that was a lot. Turbo has a mind of his own, that boy.

Speaking of Sissy, Mackey couldn't wait to tell her:

And after all that excitement, you'd probably be sacked out too.

But not so sacked out that you can't still hold on to your Valentine's balloon. :)

BETHANY'S FIRST FORMAL + A DATE WITH MY SISTERS - ALL ROLLED INTO ONE DAY

Do you see these three girls?

Well I love them all three with all of my soul. I keep telling the boys that their brothers are the best friends they will ever have - friends for life. I know that to be true because my two sisters are my best friends. Of course my Sweet B is my heart. And Martha, your not-so-subtle "gesture" that you're not a big fan of my incessant picture taking is ever so apparent in that picture. Heehee

Saturday was JUG’s (Bethany's sorority) winter wormal. This was a first for Umby for something like this as far as getting all gussied up (Do people still use the words "gussied up"? It was the first thing that came to mind but made me laugh when I typed it out-like it was something my Granny would say), going with a date, lead-out, etc. I wasn't going to miss it. Our first stop as soon as we got into town was the McClendon house. Tara, being the southern girl she is, always makes something yummy for us. Only this time it wasn't just something yummy. It was a spread of yummies. :) It was delicious and as always, we appreciate the hospitality. Being there also meant I got to spend some time with Bethany's two little sisters who I'm just a tad bit smitten with. ;)

After visiting, filling our bellies, and fixing a few minor dress issues (although after seeing some of the dresses those girls had on it made me realize what I thought was an "issue" with Bethany's dress paled in comparison to some things that should've been an issue on some girls' dresses. THEY'RE ONLY 15. But... moving right along), it was time for Sam to arrive. Now I'm not one to get choked up easily but I have to admit I had a lump in my throat when I saw her like this:

Watch those hands, mister! He's a tad on the vertically challenged side (and those four-inch heels B's wearing don't help- HA!) but he's a cutie.

Isn’t she beautiful! When she was first born I would catch myself looking at her thinking how beautiful she was saying to myself, “I can’t believe she’s mine.” I still do that to this day. She’s not only beautiful on the outside, she’s a beautiful person. And now she's old enough to be going to formals. With a boy. A boy. A BOY. Kinda makes me a little nauseous. Even with nausea and a lump in my throat (and maybe a few butterflies for her too) I snapped as many pictures as she would let me before giving me the "that's enough" look while still trying to be nice in front of Sam's mom.

It's so good I'm posting it twice:

It's been years since the three Burnside sisters have been anywhere together without children so Bethany's winter formal seemed like the perfect reason to make it happen. Everything fell right into place. Dawn is home now, Rachel got the girls taken care of, and Mimi and Granddaddy so graciously agreed to keep the boys for the night. I think we all were in major need of some girl time. And this trip delivered in a big big way, even if over 6 hours of that girl time had to take place in a vehicle. Hey, we'll take it however we can get it. I haven't laughed that hard or that much in a long long time.

Of course, history has a tendency of repeating itself when Martha and I are together. Which means there's going to be a glitch in the system somewhere. Some day I'm going to do a Nola/Martha post about everything we've ever tried to plan or do together and the misfortune/series of unfortunate events that have taken place with all of those. It's quite comical now and would probably be quite a long post. :) The glitch this time had to do with an expired driver's license.

We saw Bethany off to dinner with Sam and some other friends but not before a few more pictures.

He seemed to like this pose. Again, THE HANDS.

We three hermanas had a couple of hours to kill before heading to the Country Club for lead out. We wanted something quick and easy where we could sit back and chill with an adult beverage. It was 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday night which Martha and Snuggs informed me was the worst possible time to get in anywhere "quick and easy." The first place we went had a 45-minute wait. No thank-you. We drove a little further and ultimately decided on Chili's. They were just as packed but had three open seats at the bar. We'll take it.

We sat down, ordered a drink, and the young little I-really-love-my-job-as-a-Chili's-bartender girl asked for our ID's. Oh. Smiling as we get them out. Ok. Flattery will get you a good tip girl. She looks at Rachel's and says, "Do you know your license is expired?" Rachel said, "OH MY GOSH I had no idea. I'll have to take care of that Monday." Little bartender girl looks at us and says, "Well that means your license isn't valid and without a valid license we can't serve you." 

Me: "Are you kidding? SHE'S 35 YEARS OLD."

I-love-my-job girl:  "Yes, I can see that on her license, but it's not valid. So I can't serve her."

I won't say what else was said but let's just say she lost her chance for a good tip. I mean, I know we don't look our age but we certainly don't look underage. ;) We are adults. We were without our children. At a restaurant. With some time to actually sit and enjoy ourselves. WE WANTED AN ADULT BEVERAGE PEOPLE. Is that really too much to ask?

By this time it was going to be cutting it a little too close to lead out to find another similar restaurant, go in, get a table, etc., etc., etc. So we opted for pizza and beer at Pizza Hut across the street from Chili's. We crossed the street, pulled in the parking lot, and...

We discovered it's not a dine-in type Pizza Hut.

Seriously?

We all three busted out laughing.

Ultimately we settled for an even classier dinner than Chili's or Pizza Hut:  Beer and tacos at a local Mexican restaurant. Or as Dawn likes to call it, "La Chachinda."

We ate, drank, were merry, and laughed our arses off. Until of course it was time to head to the Country Club for the main event of the evening:

These pictures aren't the greatest but I'm surprised any of them turned out. I was so nervous for her - mainly because she had almost broken her neck in those heels at least two times earlier in the day. :) 

Being introduced and waiting for her date to come "lead her out." :)

Walking the walk:

The girls:

Of course the night wouldn't have been complete without a quick pic with Country Girl:

And then comes the hardest part of all:  Saying good-bye and sending her off for the party. I cannot believe she's old enough to be doing this. It's so bittersweet for so many reasons. One of the bitter parts being I vividly remember what I was doing at 15. Eeek!

What a day!

Many, many thanks to Mimi and Granddaddy for keeping my boys and letting them do things like roll down mountains of sand and dirt - and to Martha and Snuggs for making the day absolutely fantabulous!