Wordless Wednesday

Nixon...The day he was born

Must be a guilty conscious

Yesterday afternoon, I picked Landon and Nixon up from the daycare like always. When we got home, Nixon set out to destroy the living room (his daily goal) and Landon cuddled up to me in the chair to watch Noggin. Now, this isn't really abnormal. This is how most afternoons go. Landon loves to snuggle! Anyway, he just looked at me all of a sudden and told me he had to sit in the chair at school. At first, I just thought he was telling me he was being a good boy by sitting when his teacher told him to. But there was something about the look in his eyes that told me he was wanting to tell me something else. So, I asked him if he meant time out and he said yes. I continued to ask him why he had time out and he said, "Well, I kicked that boy." This is not like Landon at all... Nixon maybe! So, I asked him what boy and he told me and I asked why he did it and he just said because. I couldn't ever get him to tell me why, but he did know that he needed to tell me in case the teacher told me first. I thought it was the sweetest thing that he wanted me to know. Of course, he told me he was sorry and he wouldn't do it again. But after we had finished talking, he said, "It's okay, right Mommy?" He wanted to know that I had given him forgiveness which is a very important lesson at such a young age. He's such a sweet natured boy and whoever he marries in the far, far future is going to be one lucky girl. But, she will have to fight hard because I'm not giving him up easily!

By Whatever Means Necessary...

When Landon was first born, we couldn't give him enough to eat. But for the last year, he's started being really picky. He'll gladly eat Pizza Hut, "Mit-Donalds", and Jelly Sandwiches, but anything other than that is a struggle. He even gets to point of gagging on food that just last week he loved. So...to the point of the story...tonight at supper, we were trying to get Landon to eat when Chris asked Landon if he wanted hair on his chest. Well, my poor little boy who hates any sort of change got this weird look on his face and said, "No..I not want hair on my chest." So, Chris played along, and told him if he wanted to keep the hair off of his chest, he had to eat all his supper. Chris showed Landon his chest and said, "See, Daddy doesn't have hair.. because I eat all my supper." It was the funniest thing. I've never seen the food fly off his plate so fast. Now, whether it lasts or not, I'm not sure. But if it works now, that's fine by me.

The Honakers' New Addition

Congratulations to Will & Tiff Honaker on their new bundle of joy. Lyra Grace was born on January 22, 2009. She weighed in at 6 lb, 7 oz. She is a precious baby girl who is going to break a lot of hearts one day!!

100 Things

I've seen this on two of my friends blogs, so I decided to participate also. The only directions are to italicize anything you have done.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii. (twice actually)
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain. (no, but Diamondhead in Hawaii!!)
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick. (Mental Health Day)
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance. (well, I was with Nixon)
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check. (I was in high school and it was an honest mistake)
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life. (Nixon choked on everything when he first started eating solids, we did the finger sweep MANY times!!)
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Wordless Wednesday

I've seen this on other blogs and I think it's a great idea. The point is supposed to be so that you just show a picture that doesn't need words..we'll see..I do like to comment on my pictures though, so this should be interesting!!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Well, yesterday, we woke up thinking I'd just have a two hour delay. Chris already knew he had the day off. Well, about an hour into my two hour delay, I got the call that I didn't have to go into work either. It was very exciting. The snow had just begun to fall heavily and Landon woke up excited! (He knew it was going to snow because he prayed for it the night before) Anyway, Chris cooked up some good ole' cheese grits and then we got dressed in our warmest clothes to go play in the snow. It was the perfect opportunity for the boys to wear their new Carhart overalls they got for Christmas. Anyway, Landon loved the snow and had a snowball fight with Chris. It took about two minutes for Nixon to be ready to go inside. Then, later in the day, Chris & I had all intentions of watching a Desperate Housewives marathon while the soup cooked all afternoon and the boys took their naps. Well, that was not to be! Nixon woke up after about a 30 minute nap with his croup ten times worse than it had been before the nap, so we called the doctor's office. Of course, no doctor's were on call, so we had to make a road trip to Wake Med Children's ER. The nurse said his respiratory rate is supposed to be in the low 20's and his was in the 40's. Good thing we took him! Anyway, they gave him a steroid by mouth that's supposed to last 3 days, plus a breathing treatment. After about 3 hours, we were able to go home, which I didn't think was a terrible amount of time, but definitely not what I wanted to be doing on our Snow Day!! Instead of our good soup, we had one of Landon's favorites, Mit-Donalds. It's okay though, just one of the many parts of being a parent. Plus, Chris had the day off today also and cooked up that good soup for supper tonight, along with some great cheese bread!!

Oh, how I love my first born!

This morning, on the way to get the boys ears checked for the third time, Landon started a conversation with me that went as follows:

Landon: Why aren't we going to school today?
Me: Well, baby, school is closed today.
Landon: Why does it gotta be closed?
Me: It's Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday, so school and work are closed for the day.
Landon: Ok.

Well, that was the end of that. We proceed to the doctor's office where Nixon's ears are finally clear and Landon has a little fluid, but not enough for an antibiotic. Hopefully, they'll clear up on their own. So, we check out and get back in the car. On the way home, it starts again....

Landon: Are we going to the birthday party?
Me: Who's birthday party?
Landon: I don't know.
Me: (Realizing he was talking about MLK) No, there's no birthday party today.
Landon: But you told me at home that it was his birthday.
Me: (Silence)....Well, they're not throwing a party for him today.
Landon: Oh...okay.

I guess he doesn't miss a beat, huh?

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I think most of you know that I've called Chris Pooky since we started dating 10 years ago. Well, I still call him that quite often and though he used to hate it, I think he's gotten used to it and doesn't even notice it anymore. Well, the other night, he was telling me something and I said, "Okay, Pooky." Well, Landon heard it for the first time I guess and he laughed and said, "Pooky?...Daddy's a Pooky?" It was the cutest thing and we both kind of laughed with him. What we never expected was that he'd remember it and continue to call Chris that. It's the funniest thing! Chris might not agree though!

2008 Year in Review

Last January, I started trying to remember the things that I've learned over the past year. It can be easy to forget those lessons learned, especially when they're not pleasant memories to start with. So here it goes...what I've learned in 2008......

January - Sometimes the scariest decisions end up being the best decisions.

February - Middle school baseball players have better aim and strength than one might think.

March - It's better to make sacrifices when you're young so that you can enjoy life to the fullest later on.

April - Dave Ramsey has some good points. Maybe I should've listened to him a long time ago. Live like no one else, so that later on, you can live like no one else.

May - It's very scary to see your little boy so sick that he can't even talk. Treasure the good moments because things can change in an instant. Also, budgets don't make themselves at work and it's a long process to get to the finished product.

June - Year Ends at work come much faster when you're the one in charge.

July - Sometimes the most simple birthday parties are the ones your kids remember the most.

August - Again, things can change in an instant and it's better to just go with the flow than to worry day and night about those things that you can't change.

September - If you don't defend your family, no one else will. What you believe in your heart is usually the instinct you should go with.

October - People do learn from their mistakes. It's okay to give second chances.

November - Sometimes people are just there for a season of your life and it's okay to admit that. Listen to your husband. Sometimes he might actually know what he's talking about!

December - Christmas is best enjoyed with those you love in the eyes of a child. While presents are nice, seeing others enjoy Christmas because of something you helped achieve is much more enjoyable.

I think it's nice to reflect on those things we've learned. Thank you all for being a part of our life this year. You've taught us a lot and I know we'll continue to learn on this journey of life.

Christmas with Little Boys

This Christmas was more fun than I ever dreamed of. Of course, I was the first up (I never have been able to sleep on Christmas Eve). I woke Chris up first around 6:15 and by 6:30 the boys were up too! Landon was still half asleep when he walked down, but he acted like he didn't know what to say about all those toys. When Nixon saw them, he just kept saying, "Wow! Wow!". He didn't know who brought all those toys, but he knew he liked him! Of course Nixon has been playing with all of Landon's toys and I'm beginning to think that maybe Santa just needs to bring one set of toys for the two of them together. Anyway, I got a few good pictures before I started helping to unwrap everything!

What Santa left Landon

What Santa left Nixon