All Fun and Games

Whenever I neglect to update regularly I’m stuck with one of two things: 1) Lots of blog-worthy pictures or 2) Lots of blog-worthy thoughts. It just so happens that today is your lucky day since I have oodles of both. I hope no one has anywhere to go, because this is gearing up to be a blog among blogs. Here we go!

There are lots of great parks in our county and three or four good ones within about three miles of the house. Needless to say, we manage to hit up a playground a few times a week. These two pictures are from early May when Juliana braved the bouncy bridge for the very first time. Despite her death grip on the bars and her rather grumpy face, she actually got a big kick out of the bridge and liked jumping up and down on it. I love how big brother is making sure to bounce extra hard and fast so as NOT to upset little sister at all. What kindness! We should all be so lucky.

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Behold! The masterpiece that is the finished 1,000 piece Thomas Kinkade puzzle. This puzzle was a toughie for a couple of reasons. First of all, it may be difficult to tell from the picture, but the sky pieces and the water pieces were almost interchangeable. VERY similar colors. Same goes from the grass and the trees. So basically once we finished the barn and the fence (and a bit of the bridge), all the other pieces looked like they could go almost anywhere. Second of all, with two little ones underfoot (three, if you count Lydia), there were always an abundance of tiny hands willing to grab pieces and drop them on the floor. It was a team effort though, so kudos go out to all the puzzlers. Glad everyone helped, but I have to admit, I was especially glad I was the one who put together the final pieces. I love puzzles!

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I was in Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago and saw “Clueless” in the $5 bin. Seriously, only five dollars for what is possibly the greatest movie of my high school years. I was excited to watch it again and honestly, it was even better than I remembered it. So many good lines! As I watched it now, as an ever-rapidly approaching 30 year-old, I got to thinking that there’s probably a few references that the younger crowd just wouldn’t get.

Like this one: “Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.”

Do kids today even KNOW who Pauly Shore is/was? Probably not. And I think we can all agree, that’s their loss. Anyone who’s ever seen “Son-in-Law” knows what I’m talking about. That movie is Pauly Shore at his comedic prime.

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Whenever my dad does yard work, he often has an eager helper in Everett. On this particular day, Everett wouldn’t rest until HE could help the old man push the lawnmower.

That’s right Son, learn to love yard work now. I foresee many, many more years of grass cutting in your future.

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We bought Everett a Spider-Man baseball hat a few weeks ago. And surprisingly enough, he loves to wear it. So much so that when I was enthusiastically trying to get his attention for this picture I got this:

And then this:

In which one do you think I annoyed him more?

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As I was blog surfing a couple of months ago I came across my friend, Christianne’s, sister’s blog (did you catch that?). Her sister (I’m drawing a blank on her name – is it Kari?) was talking about a book called “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” by T. Harv Eker. The way she described it seemed pretty interesting, so off to the public library I went. I was only on page two or three before I started telling everyone about it. It is an AMAZING book. It delves into one’s mindset about money and how to re-write your personal financial blueprint to maximum earning capability. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest library or bookstore and get your hands on a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed.

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Will’s cousin, Taylor, got married last Saturday. It was a sweet wedding and we are just so thrilled for the happy couple. I did a pretty poor job of capturing any photos, but I did manage to snap this gem. The lovely Laura with her brother and new sister-in-law, Kelly. Congrats again guys!

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Sometimes when I look through the pictures on our camera I find great shots like this one:

Awesome.

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Yes, my friends, I do live in the South. Born and raised, as was Will. Therefore, it’s only fitting for our children to be grits lovers. Grits, for those not in the know, are made from corn and, if seasoned correctly, are delicious. Grits are not meant to be sweet. They ain’t no Cream of Wheat or oatmeal nonsense. Grits need salt and butter to be delicious and judging from Juliana’s and Everett’s faces – that’s what they are.

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And finally, I was in prime Fun Mom mode last week and took the kids to some of their favorite stomping grounds. We started off at what Everett affectionately calls “The Choo-choo Shop” aka Barnes & Noble. In the children’s section of Barnes & Noble there is a Thomas the Train table, complete with 10-15 trains and lots of tracks. Everett (and Juliana, surprisingly) loves to go there and play around. It’s great for them and it’s a sweet deal for me since it gives me a chance to brush up on my celebrity gossip with such great reads as People, US Weekly and Entertainment Weekly. At this particular Barnes & Noble location there’s a cool fountain in the same shopping complex. Everett was in hog heaven trying to touch the water with a stick. And in a weather anomaly for May, in Georgia no less, it was quite breezy. I would even venture to say cool. In May! In Georgia!

Miss Sassy Pants is not much of a water fan. She wouldn’t even let me sit her on the ledge of the fountain.

I put this picture up to show how BLONDE Juliana’s hair is. How in the world did I manage to have two blonde-haired children? Genetics is amazing.

And after a fun morning at The Choo-choo Shop and the fun water fountain, we spent the afternoon over at the playground at Stone Mountain Park. I’m glad I have days like that where everything’s fun and the kids behave because it is definitely NOT an every day occurrence.

This was E’s first time reaching out and going down this pole all by himself. I wasn’t sure he was going to be ok, but the boy surprised me. He’s on a big kick of being a “big boy” these days. Because Everett is the big boy and Juliana’s just the baby (this is all according to his three year-old logic). Everett uses the potty because he’s a big boy, but Juliana goes poo poo in her diaper because she’s just a baby. He’s a big boy, that’s why he uses a booster seat. But Juliana’s just a baby that’s why she has to use a carseat. And on and on and on. This rationale is used repeatedly throughout the day. Every day.

So after Everett came down this pole, he jumped to the ground and yelled (for all to hear), “I did it, Mommy. I’m a big boy!” You sure are kid, you sure are.