How was your weekend?

Ours was great!! How could it not be with this weather!?! All weekend we enjoyed blue, sunny skies and temps in the mid 80's. Perfection!

I picked up Reid from preschool Friday and had a little time to kill before an appointment. Reid wanted to go to the library. When we got there the parking lot was full. What a blessing that turned out to be! We had to drive past the library toward the river and discovered a hidden gem (at least to us) right here in Wetumpka. We've been to this park at night for Christmas on the Coosa, but we've never ventured that way during the day. I'm not sure why - just haven't.

It is absolutely beautiful, and I can assure you there will be many more walks along the Coosa in our future.

After I got my hair cut, as Reid and I were getting back in the car I felt someone "goose" me right in the side. I turned around and there stood my beautiful B. I didn't expect her until later that evening, but she left early and knew where I would be so she came to surprise me. So sweet and I love it when I don't know she's on the road because then I won't worry. :)

Grant had a practice game in Holtville Saturday. Mac had practice in Wetumpka at the same time. Since Grant's practice was a game he really wanted Sissy to see him play. Mimi was so sweet to take Mac to his practice and spend some time with just Mackey so that Sissy, Reid and I could go to Grant's scrimmage.
I have absolutely no pictures from this and it makes me sad. :(

We met back up with Meems to get Mac and headed home for our first swim of this year.

Sissy had had enough of the sun by this time, but she did have one request for the evening:  Chris' salmon for dinner. So Chris headed to Montgomery to fulfill that request. By the time he got back a friend had called to ask him to go to dinner so he left us with strict instructions on how to cook it. I don't know if we're chef material or just good at following directions, but our dinner of salmon and asparagus was absolutely delicious. We ate all of it. Every.single.bit. The boys were tuckered out after a full day of sun, so we tucked them into bed early with a movie and watched a movie of our own until Chris got back. The movie sucked (My Week with Marilyn - just wasn't good to us) but I always love girl time.

Sunday we decided to head to Selma/Marion Junction to Chris' parent's place so the boys could fish. I say boys because Sissy is not into the great outdoors and fishing isn't something she particularly enjoys. However, since it has been a long while since Big Daddy and Grandmama Norton have seen her we decided it would be fun for Chris to go ahead with Grant and Mac, and Sissy and I would follow with Reid later in Sissy's car. That way B could visit with the Nortons for a bit then head to her Grandmommy (yes, she still calls Sandy that and I love it) and Pop's house to visit them as well before heading north.

I don't know how I have no pictures of my girl from this weekend. I guess when she's here I want to soak up every minute with her so it just doesn't occur to me to get my camera. Well, that and I always hear "MOOOOOMMMMMMM" when I do. We'll have to work on that. :)

But since I found some treasures while cleaning out the inside office I thought I lost, here's a sweet one of her I love:

We had a great visit with Grandmama Norton. We toured her sewing room, saw the quilt she's making for the boys, Reid found his stash of toys, and we drank homemade lemonade while catching up. Reid didn't last long. He couldn't stand knowing his brothers were at the pond so he made the trek by himself. Big Daddy came back up to the house for a bit and of course provided many laughs. He's a mess. So is Louise. You put those two together (for almost 41 years now) and it's a riot. Bethany and I joked it was a glimpse into my and Chris' future in about 30 years. :) After Bethany left Grandmama stayed behind to make us cookies and Big Daddy took me down to the pond. Chris and the boys were all out in the boat.

BD and I fished from the bank for a while - we had a little luck. This was our view.

It wasn't too long before the boys (and Chris in the boat with the boys) were ready to call it a day. I guess so. By that time they had caught around 70 or so fish.

I love how they all three ran to me like they hadn't seen me in forty forevers.

We made our way back to the house for cookies. After a little breather Chris wanted to go back out in the boat once more. The boys stayed behind so he and I could go together. Chris caught 6 or 7 more. I caught none. I think he gave me the bunk rod and reel and/or lure while he fished with the good one (because he knows I wouldn't know the difference) just so he could say he caught more. ha! I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I go fishing roughly 2 times a year and consider it a good day when I leave without getting my line caught in a tree. All total we caught 85 fish. They're small, perfect for filleting and eating. We can't wait to go back.

See!?! I told you my weekend was great.

Happy Spring!

A little of what we've been up to

I have the greatest sisters and parents ever. Seriously.
On Thursday, thanks to Dawnie, Chris and I got to sneak away to Birmingham for a boat show. You know, because over the summer our boat + a tree...

Yeah. Still makes me so sad to see that picture. :( WAAAH!

Well, one day we'll think we are in the market for another one and the next we'll think better of it. Since we had free tickets to the boat show we thought it would be fun to just go look. Look was all we did. We had a good time. We ate dinner after then made it home in time to tuck the boys in. Many thanks, Snuggie! The boys always love when "Aint" Dawnie picks them up from school.

On Friday, Rachel texted me and said she missed her baby loves and asked what our plans were for the weekend. That's when I jokingly (or not) said, "Why? Do you want them for the weekend?" hehee And so the planning began. Because Martha is Martha, she and the girls drove to my parent's house Friday afternoon, first making a stop by our house to pick up the boys. FOR THE ENTIRE WEEKEND.

RaRa wanted it to be a surprise.

Go ahead and blow that one up so you can see Grant's face :)

M & M - nothing else matters in their world when they're together

I think it's safe to say they were surprised, especially since Maggie FaceTimed Mac as they were getting close just to "say hi on her way home from gymnastics," and kept him on FT until he saw them. Such a fun surprise!

They all kept each other thoroughly entertained (playing, games, the movies) while I was able to relax and enjoy a weekend with my man. It sure was needed, and I'm so very appreciative we were able to have some alone time. We didn't do anything really exciting. Dinner Friday night. Lazy Saturday morning. Did some running around and then went hunting Saturday afternoon. Came home to let the dogs out (we are turning into Big Daddy and Louise). Then dinner again Saturday night. We enjoyed a quiet house and each other. Dreamy.

See? Greatest. family. ever. Thanks to RaRa for making it happen and also to my mom who we can call on a Friday at lunch and say, "Oh, by the way, you're going to have a house full of grands. Today. For the whole weekend." And she says, "Sounds good to me. What time will y'all be here? Be sure to bring church clothes." I hope I'm like that when I'm a Mimi. ;)

As fun as the weekend was and as much as we recognize the need for couple time, I think it goes without saying that we missed our little guys and were very glad to have them back home Sunday.

Granddaddy finished the European mount on Mac's first deer. Dad did a beautiful job as always, and Mac was one happy little hunter to have it on his wall (although the fact that it's a spike makes the horns look sort of evil which creep me out but I've kept that to myself - he just sees his deer, which he should).

Jack the Taxidermist - who we keep telling should go into business - has a couple more he just finished (one for Grant and one for Chris). We can't wait to see them.

I hate these pictures didn't turn out so well because I love them. Chris was working the dog the other day (oh yeah, we have a lab now too... that's a whole other post in itself - he and I aren't exactly friends - lab puppies are psycho).

Reid was right there with his daddy the whole time and was mimicking everything Chris was doing. Love.

And in case you have forgotten the name of this thing (especially if you live in the south):

It is called the sun. S-U-N, sun. The past couple of days I have thought maybe it was just a figment of my imagination, like a mirage of sorts. But no! It was the real deal. Reid and I thoroughly enjoyed soaking it up while Chris and the other two boys were at baseball.

Turbo wanted Lucy to go with us and at some point it ended up with Reid carrying Lucy while I pushed his bicycle.

Poor Lucy looks like a hot mess in that picture. She has since had a bath. Chris was holding her the other night and said, "You ought to be ashamed for letting your dog look like this." I said, "I KNOW! I cannot believe I've let her get so nasty. I'll bathe her tomorrow."

And then it occurred to me... We have turned into those dog people - the ones I have always made so much fun of. Maybe I should change Lucy's name to Karma. It's fitting in more ways than one. ;)

One last thing...

It's January. And we're wearing flip flops. I could get used to winters like this (minus the bad weather of course - just got word school is closing early today due to inclement weather). I could also get used to putting my feet up. :)

Happy {almost} Friday!

Week in review: What I'm thankful for

I was under the weather this past week. And by under the weather I mean I should have been barking because I was sick as a dog - laid up for 3 days straight. Or maybe it was 4. I lost count after 1. I was  on the couch under a blanket only getting up and about when absolutely necessary. Feeling like poop. My mom has had it. Both of my sisters have had it. Chris has had it. The irony is I said just last weekend, "I never get sick." I take my vitamins every.single.day. I'll get through this unscathed too, I thought. HA! This one has been a doozie. I don't know if it was the flu or just a nasty nasty cold, but whatever it was IT SUCKED.

Sitting and lying around is not something I enjoy. When my feet hit the floor in the mornings they usually stay on the floor until I go to bed at night, as I'm sure is the case with most mothers. My hands are rarely if ever idle. There's always something to do or someone (or something, like a dog) to care for. Always. So for this to get me down showed me that I must have really needed the rest. Which ultimately led me to list what I'm thankful for this week. Actually I'm thankful for most of these things all the time so let's just say this past week I was especially grateful. And yes, some are trivial and materialistic. Let's start with those first.

■  Motrin. Am I ever so thankful for Motrin. It's a wonder drug. Fever is the pits, and I didn't have many body parts that didn't ache. It helped ease that in a big way.

■ Yoga pants from Old Navy. I know Chris is so sick of seeing me in them, but oh the comfort.

■ My TV - specifically the DVD player, DVR and E! They had a Sex and the City (my guilty pleasure) marathon on the other day. It prompted me the next day to find my DVD of the SATC movie. I watched the whole thing, beginning to end, without interruption... bliss in the midst of sickness.

■ Cool Touch Kleenex. I don't know what they do to these tissues, but they give you that just-flipped-your-pillow-over cool feeling. Awesome. My nose thanks you, Kleenex.

■ Chapstick. Just plain old cherry Chapstick. Need I say more?

■ Red Diamond coffee and Gevalia decaf coffee. I realize that's about like comparing jello to creme brulee (My Best Friend's Wedding anyone? clearly I watched too much TV), but I love Red Diamond regular coffee. However, the older I've gotten the more I have to watch my caffeine intake and one cup in the morning is all I can handle. I'm usually not a fan of decaf but Gevalia breakfast blend decaf is scrumptious.

■ Hershey's Bliss white hot chocolate. Because without it the above would be dead to me. Together they're my own version of a white chocolate mocha.

■ My parents and "Aint Dawnie." SO blessed that my parents and one of my sisters live close enough and are willing to help out. Mom picked up Reid one afternoon from preschool and kept him entertained while my other three guys hit the woods again. Reid said his hands were "so freezing" the last time he hunted so he didn't care to tag along. He had a great afternoon of one-on-one time with Meems. I think they wore each other out. :) Dawnie was off a couple of days and offered to help out. She picked the boys up from school and brought them home which meant after I dropped them off that morning I didn't have to get out again. Such a huge help! She even made a stop by Redland Market for some of their favorite treats. Many thanks!

■ Last but certainly not least, my guys. Especially my man. And that he got the crud first. hehee I'm kidding. Sort of. I hate any of us had to be sick, but because he knew how I was feeling he was very sympathetic. And for that, thank you, honey. The boys were very sweet as well. Mac told me he didn't like it when I was sick and to ask him for whatever I needed.

Chris took the boys hunting.

Because the hunting land is a little ways away, I think it's safe to say that for the car ride there as well as the time spent in the tree stand, everyone involved is thankful Santa brought these:

My kids' heads don't stay in a game or gadget at all times because I believe little boys should be little boys and go outside and be creative and get dirty. And thankfully my boys want to do that so I don't have to regulate the use of the iPods that much. But for some of the time we're stuck inside or in a car or, in their case, a tree stand, things like this are a lifesaver. Bundle them up, send them and daddy on their way to a shooting house with a heater, their iPod touches and some headphones (and don't forget the Hot Hands) and they're set. FYI, the Monkey Preschool Lunchbox app is worth every bit of the $0.99 it costs. It's a preschool app so Grant and Mac weren't interested. It's even a bit easy for Reid (who is 4) but Reid LOVES it. It's his favorite app. And it's educational. Score! :) I'm very thankful my boys have a daddy who understand the importance of spending time with them like Chris does. He doesn't even hunt much if they can't or don't want to go with him. It's their own special time. They listen to music and act silly. They always make a candy stop on the way. You can't hunt without Blow Pops, Air Heads and bubble gum. Then it's always Hunt Brothers pizza on the way home.

Because Chris is able to do these things it means I'm also thankful he is self-employed and has home-based businesses. There is so much I have learned since marrying Chris about owning your own business. There are pros and cons to everything. Depending on the time of year, the cons list can outweigh the pros list. While it can result in feeling the need to be "on call" all the time making it hard to ever feel like you're off work, it also affords us the opportunity of making our own hours.

■ This has nothing to do with last week, but of course I'm always at ease and feel complete when my Sweet B has made it safely home to Wetumpka. Which she did today bright and early. Her brothers were just a teensy weensy excited to see Sissy. ;)

I'm feeling better now. I made myself get up and be productive yesterday. Today is even better. My bark is now more like a wine.

I realize that should be "whine" and not "wine" but after I typed it I took it as a sign that tonight to unwind maybe I need some wine. Or some type of big girl drink. So that I won't whine. ;)

Happy Weekend!

You Can't get to Heaven in a Red Canoe...

'Cause God's favorite colors are orange and blue.

Kinda makes you wonder when you wake up to a sky like that. :)