Future American Idol

Since my Dad owns a music store my children have never wanted for musical instruments. Zach has really taken to his guitar that "Pop" and "MiMi" gave him, and now doesn't do anything but "play" and sing! He has the ego down pat, too. Everytime I took a picture of him singing and playing he would say, "see me" and I would have to show him the picture. He is quite the little poser. Maybe if I invest in some lessons he will become famous and I can retire early!!

The Wisdom of a 9 Year Old

Joseph and I were driving the other day and I told him to let me listen to a song on the radio. Being the wise 9 year old he is, he used this to bring up the subject of doing two things at once by stating "Mom, you can do two things at once like read and watch TV" so I responded with you can't concentrate on what you are reading if you have the tv on. He said, "well, you can drive and listen to the radio at the same time. If you can't do two things at once you wouldn't be able to do that". I, in my 33 year old wisdom, conceded that I lost that discussion. However, he will still not be allowed to have the tv on while he is supposed to be reading just because "I said so" (I always hated that line growing up but it does come in handy now!!).

Friends For Life

I am always thankful when God blesses me with new friends and He has given me some great friendships, but I am especially thankful that I still have my very best friend, Sherri! She and I have known each other since 6th grade and have alot of memories! I love it now that my children get to know her family and be friends with her neice and nephews. Sherri comes to visit me for girl's weekends and we don't do a thing except watch "chick flicks" and catch up on what's going on in our lives! It is so much fun to have a friendship that has deep roots! Her whole family came to visit a few months ago and we went to the Aquarium. All of the kids had a blast! I can't wait for the next 20 years of our friendship!

Neighbors

I was going through our pictures and I saw this picture of the boys with our (former) neighbor, Vernon. We became very close to Vernon after his wife died and he was alone. We would go over and check on him and take him dinner or snacks. He is a very special person and we miss him alot. I love the story about how he met his wife, Betty. He was in the military and she was a waitress at a restaurant where he was eating. They were married within a few weeks of meeting each other and were married for 60 years! The last time I saw Vernon he asked me if I would be offended if he gave me some of Betty's clothes! I was very honored that when Vernon finally was ready (after 2 years) to let go of some of Betty's things, he wanted to give them to me! Joseph and Zach loved Vernon, too. Joseph would always watch for his car to pull in his drive way so he could go check on him! Vernon has since moved in with his son (and we are in TN) but we think about him often and hope he is doing well.

Peace & Quiet

In an effort to save money by not having to pay a sitter this summer, Dan and I decided that the boys would be little travelers and go back and forth between here and SC with him. At first I thought that it would be great! They get to spend more time with Dan and I would have a little break from having to do everything.....work, take care of the boys, keep the house clean (which never seems to happen except for the five minutes right after you get finished mopping the kitchen floor)!!, etc......Now that they have been gone for 3 days I realize that this wasn't such a good idea after all, at least not for me! They are having fun and don't seem to have any seperation anxiety, but I, on the other hand, am having a hard time! I miss them alot and wish they were here driving me crazy, pulling out every toy they own, spilling stuff on the freshly mopped floor and most of all wanting to cuddle at bedtime! I am sure that I will survive and they will be back this weekend to get my life back to "normal"! Oh, one good thing has happened as a result of them not being here....I cleaned out 2 boxes and a grocery bag full of toys along with a trash bag full of stuffed animals and gave them to the thrift store....Thus giving the "silver lining" to this temporary cloud!

Lunch with Friends

When I was home in SC this last weekend we were able to meet Joy, Nate and Henry for lunch at McDonald's (as all mom's know, your children get to dictate where you eat)! We had alot of fun....Zach was a wild man and Nate really hit it off with Joseph. I was so excited for Joseph and Zach to get to meet Nate and Henry. Hopefully we will get to do it again soon. Maybe next time Joy and I will have a chance to catch up with each other and not just catch our kids! By-the-way, Joy, we got the ginger bread man and he is the most annoying of the Shrek toys so far...just a warning in case you haven't gotten him, yet!

Potty Training 101

Well, I had hoped that Zach was going to be an easy potty trainee when at 18 months he knew how to stop pee-peeing mid stream and start again because he thought it was funny when we yelled for him to stop while changing his diaper! Any of you mom's with boys know the "shower" that I am talking about trying to avoid...HA!HA! But to my dismay he has been a challenge. We are now going through the "I don't want to wear a diaper stage" so every time I turn around Zach is running around naked (or with just a shirt) declaring that he is going to, has, or is in the process of going to the bathroom (#1 and #2 are both treated the same....we never know which we are getting until we hear him yell "poo"!). He also will bring me a diaper and wipes and lie down on the floor for me to change him. To this I declare that, "if you are able to bring this to me you are able to go potty", and this of course gets me a "NO"! He avoids the potty like some dreaded task! I have decided that this is one battle that I am not going to win (I'm wondering if I prayed for patience lately without thinking?!?!) so I will keep following him around the house picking up diapers and am considering buying stock in Pampers!!!