it's the most wonderful time of the year!

happiness

5 years

=

3 year old

+

2 year old

=

1 grateful, happy momma

4 a weekend off

thank you! thank you! thank you!

thank you! thank you! thank you!

love you!

love you!

love you!

so a friend finally called me out on not posting anything for an entire month. like i wasn't feeling guilty enough already. kids already ran in and are climbing all over me and computer after two sentences. i'll try to upload a few pictures reeealllll quick.

to be continued.........

neckid

i remember being made fun of once in elementary school because i pronounced naked like neckid. and i think i still pronounce it that way. i don't know. what i do find puzzling now is that most southerners add one if not more syllables to their word pronunciations. most common example? adding y's in the middle of a word. heyelp. bayud. (help. bad.) even my own kids are doing it. miyulk. (milk.) okay, back to the puzzling part. the boy that made fun of me was from the south too. so why did he have such a problem with it?

these days, as i look through pictures to add to this site, i notice that many of them are of my neckid kids. new puzzle: why are my kids always running around without clothes on? well, i've come to a few conclusions.

1. less laundry - foods that kids like always seem to make a mess. spaghetti sauce. macaroni and cheese. peanut butter. jelly. cheetos. pizza. syrup. greasy foods. chicken. pizza. so i've found that i strip my kids down upon sitting at the table. no, i don't want their good clothes to get stained much less have to add them to a laundry pile after eating a meal and find new clothes for them to wear. well, some of you may ask, "how about a bib?" my answer? that's just more pieces of laundry to wash, dry and fold. and it's a whole lot easier for me to hose off my kids after a meal if they are already, well, "neckid."

2. time management - besides not adding more laundry to the pile and the time mentioned above to wash, dry, fold....if i put clothes on my kids before the 15-minute-window of walking out the door, its very likely they will have spilled something on it, taken a dip in a puddle, smeared lotion on the clothes, or better yet, drawn on themselves with sharpie marker. here again, adding more time to our process of getting ready and out the door AND adding more and more laundry.

so after all my puzzles and solutions, i give you... some neckid kids.

(picture above is from davis and allison building a zoo in their room. and the video below speaks for itself. don't forget to pause the music to the right.)

to do list

1. add post to blog
2. soon.

hard of hearing.

we had so much fun tonight, its hard to settle down for bed. congratulations to jackie on her pretty, new gwu diploma. thanks to a graduation party equipped with backyard karaoke, davis is now a microphone hog. sympathies to the person who gets his microphone afterwards. just wipe off the cooties and saliva. he sings as he is trying to get the whole thing in his mouth.

allison is perfectly content with swinging her hips from side to side, dancing for anyone who's watching (or not watching for that matter.) just give the girl a tune.

davis has started conversations with god. he understands that god is in the sky. god can see you, but you can't see god. (except on a cloudy day when the sunshine streams through.) and we also get that god can hear you and you can talk to god. what we are still learning is that god doesn't exactly talk back to you directly. and that you don't have to yell for god to hear you way up there in the clouds.

davis (in the car): daddy, stop the rain.

zach: i can't stop the rain. god stops the rain, or moves the rain.

davis: i see god. over there in the clouds.

davis: can i talk to god?
zach: yes, to can talk to god.

davis: (yelling to the clouds) GGGOOOOOOODDD!?

......quiet......

davis: god can't hear me.

......laugh. chuckle..........

why is it that makes your second child skips stages and just progress naturally and instantaneously? allison didn't crawl, she walked. at 15 months she was doing everything right behind davis at the playground. slides? done. ladders? done. monkey bars? done.

now, it seems as she skipped babbling altogether. i wonder if she's thinking, "i'm ready to talk now. guess i'll use full sentences to get my point across." examples:

i need to wash my hands.

i want blue milk. (2%)

i need something. or i'm looking for something. (when she's trying to procrastinate.)

i want baby juice. (= boxed juice. don't know where that came from, go figure.)

i want my flag bow. no pink bow mommie, flag bow!

daddy's home! daddy's home! dadis! daddy's home.

wait for me mommie. wait for me.

i got to shut the door.

i walk myself.

i need my vitamins.

(and the ever-dreaded...) i pooped mommie. need to change my diaper.

where does the time go? quit changing the batteries and let it slow down a bit.

no likey-likey

zach doesn't like this song (chicken fried, zac brown). he tells me everytime he opens the internet. and then he tells me how much one of his friends loves this song (also everytime he opens the internet.)

how can you not like this song? it is appropriate in so many ways:

1. i just realized the first lyrics of the song and the chick-fil-a reference in the last blog is so fitting. that was SO not planned i promise!

2. it's the perfect summer song. how much fun it would be to still have the jeep and ride around with this song playing.

3. i'm from georgia along with those peaches, pecan pies, sweet tea and southern pines.

4. who doesn't like a cold beer on a friday night?

5. and a good pair of levi's?

6. i love, love, love to sing with the radio up.

7. you better like the love in my eyes.

8. i cherish my precious children's touch.

9. i now (really) know a mother's love.

10. hello? the artist shares your name!

11. i could go on and on.....but i'll end with this. it is the smallest things in life that mean the most.

so if you agree, raise your glass and let's have a toast. you know i'm always up for a drink.

holy cow

its quiet around here. davis and allison are at bobo's for the week. this morning was the first day waking up in the house without the kids. its so quiet you don't know what to do. but there is also so much to do without the help of four little hands, i don't know where to start.

so, i'll continue to procrastinate and upload our latest pictures from last week's cow appreciation day. what's that? some may ask. well, every year on or near july 10th, chick-fil-a will offer free food to all who dress up wholeheartedly or only halfheartedly like those gosh darn cute cows of theirs. dressed head to toe = free combo meal of your choice. cow print handbag or just a eat more chikin sign = free entree of your choice.

you know me - i'll take any opportunity to dress up. especially for free chick-fil-a......double bonus!

keep your eye on the grand ole flag.

i do believe the fourth of july is davis' favorite holiday of all. the music. the fireworks. the hot dogs. the parade. the marching. and the flag! how davis loves to march with a flag. every patriotic song is "his song." and every patriotic song deserves a march.

we started with fireworks at cowpens state park on friday night. most kids like to run around a chase each other or play games while waiting for the fireworks. but not davis. its off to the orchestra and a marching we go....

(i did it! video uploaded. press arrow above. keep your eye on the cute little flag carrier and wait....just wait for it! tip: turn your volume on and pause the songlist on the right.)

then on saturday morning, we head over to lattimore's july fourth parade. even more proof we are in the heart of small town america. beef. its whats for dinner.

and of course, davis has to join in the parade at the end.

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allison? well, she's not as enthusiastic about the marching or the music. but she does love to go, "whoa!" after every firework.