Happy Halloween!

From Cowgirl Caroline and her trusty steed, Will the Thrill!

Happy 1st Birthday Will!

Today my little man turns 1! Looking back over the past year, I cannot help but thank God for the blessing he gave our family by sending us Will. During his first few months of life, he had everyone fooled into believing that he was going to be laid back. Even Nana made the remark that I may have to light a match under his pants to get him going he is so laid back. Well, once Will became mobile, he proved us all wrong. I have never seen a more energetic, happy little fellow in my life. He loves everybody he meets and melts their heart with his beautiful blue eyes and bright smile. I am especially proud of the strong bond he and Caroline share. I often find myself sitting back and just watching the two of them play together. As they say, actions speak louder than words and it is obvious that our two kids love each other immensely. I hope that this sibling bond continues to grow through the years and that they will always stay close friends. As for Matt, well he is tickled pink (or shall I say blue?) that his little man is going to be a true little rascal that loves sports and the outdoors. Will lights up every time he sees a ball and pitches a fit when it's time to come inside. Matt can hardly wait until he can take him to the baseball field. When I first found out I was having a little boy, I wondered if he would be a Momma's boy. Well, there is no doubt that he is that indeed. I must admit that there are times when this gets a little tiresome because everyone needs a break now and again. However, I'm going to cherish every moment he clings to me because I know the day will come when he won't need me quite so much.

Will, on your birthday, I pray today the same prayer I pray daily for you and that is that you will grow to be a man who loves God, your family and others. I pray that you will discover the purpose God has for your life and that you always know just how much your Mommy and Daddy loves you!

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On a lighter note...I let Matt read this post before I put it on the blog. He smirked and said, "Well, it is obvious it was written by his mother." I questioned him about his remark and he then came back with, "I mean, you did lay it on pretty thick. It appears that according to you, he is second only to the coming of Jesus Christ." "WHAT?" I replied. Well, perhaps I did lay it on thick, but it's Will's big day so please excuse a Mom when she brags a little bit. As for Will being 2nd, I must clarify and say that Will AND Caroline AND Matt are 2nd in my book! Matt is just feeling a little rejected because I've spent the last several nights putting this video of Will's 1st year together instead of paying attention to him!

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My new tricycle

Caroline finally got a tricycle! Yes, as a reward for learning to use the potty like a big girl, Nana bought her a tricycle. Though she's been potty trained for a while now, Nana waited to get the tricycle until things settled down a bit after moving into our new home. Not to mention the fact that our garage has been a mess ever since we moved in and we just now have room for yet another outside toy for the kids. Heck, it is beginning to look as if we need a separate garage for just our kids' riding toys. Anyway, Caroline loves her new trike and is trying to get the hang of it. Thanks Nana!

Sunday Best

I'm one of those moms who loves dressing their kids in matching Sunday outfits. I know I'm not the only one out there with this fetish, because as soon as we walk through the doors at church all of the moms say, "I sure do miss the days when I could put my kids in matching outfits. They are just so cute." Since most of the outfits tend to be on the feminine side, I know my time is limited as to just how long I can get away with putting my little boy in "prissy" clothes as his father calls them. So, until he reaches the ripe old age of two (or maybe I'll push it to three), I'm gonna take as many pictures of my little darlings in their matching smocked attire. Wouldn't you?

No deer and a sore rear

This weekend we had a great time even though the result of our fun resulted in no deer and a sore rear end. Despite getting up before the rooster, Matt didn't kill a deer. Maybe when his little man gets a little bigger he can bring him some good luck. If I were a deer, I would want to come out of hiding to see this little fellow, wouldn't you?


Anyway, my Dad and I went on an absolutely beautiful trail ride on Saturday. We rode a few hours in the morning, ate lunch and then hopped back on our horses and hit the trail for a few more hours that afternoon. The scenery was beautiful and what made it even better was that we were at home in Neshoba County! Who knew? I don't know why I told my Dad that my rear wasn't sore this afternoon because I should have known that just as soon as I bragged on being able to handle riding all day when I haven't done that in ages would eventually catch up to me. Yep, despite all my padding, I am a little sore from the ride, but it was worth every little pain.

A big THANK YOU goes out to Mimi for agreeing to keep the kiddos so that Matt and I could frolic like we were kids again. Supposedly they were angels (though Caroline did spill the beans and tell me that Mimi had to get on to her for hitting her brother). After we all came in from our fun day, we headed to Mimi and Pop's church for their fall festival. I knew that when they said they would be serving stew that we definitely didn't want to miss it, but my husband could not truly appreciate what he was about to partake. Of course the cooks of Spring Creek didn't let me down and my husband was full as a tick when we left. As for the kids, they are really beginning to like the concept of fall festivals...especially Caroline who got to take her first hayride with me and Mimi. However, today when I asked her what she liked best about the Fall Festival, she quickly replied, "I got to hold Baby Lane...she dressed up like a lady bug."

Practice makes perfect

On Friday evening, we headed to Philly so that Matt could hunt Saturday morning and I could go on a much anticipated trail ride. We decided to stop off at my grandparents' house on the way to my Dad's so that the kids could get an early start on trick-or-treating. I don't know who enjoyed the visit more....my kids or my grandparents (just look at their face when they saw my little goblins at their door).


Cowgirl Caroline and her trusty steed Will the Thrill really put on a show. When I told my grandfather that we were on our way, he said, "I don't have any candy...can you bring some with you or do I need to run up town real quick?" I guess he forgot that I told him a week in advance that we would be trick-or-treating on Friday night and make sure he was prepared. For those of you who don't know my grandfather, this is quite typical, so I was already prepared and brought the candy my kids would be receiving from them so that Matt could run in the house to give it to them prior to Caroline and Will's big debut.

While we were there, Will showed off how well he can walk and for a moment disappeared. (Something I better be getting prepared for I'm afraid.) Anyway, about the time I said, "Where in the world is Will?" my grandfather said, "He's under the table because he just grabbed my leg." He thought he was pulling a good one over all of us and cackled when we realized where he had gotten off to. As we were leaving Caroline informed me that she liked to trick-or-treat and was ready to do some more. Good thing we got an early start!

Fruit Loop Fridays

It appears that a tradition may have started at our house on Friday mornings. A week or so ago, I allowed Caroline to eat some Fruit Loops in my bed while she watched cartoons as I was getting ready (without milk of course...I put them in a Ziploc bag). Of course, she loved this idea and on Friday requested to do it again. This time her brother was awake, so it added a whole different dimension to the request, but I figured I would give it a try. I quickly realized that this could turn into a daily request, so I notified the two Fruity Tooties (that's what I call them when they eat Fruit Loops) that this would be limited to Fridays only and would only be continued if they didn't make a mess in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Of course Caroline happily agreed, so we'll see how it goes.

Fall Crafts

Since I like to stay busy and try to avoid watching TV, I am trying to teach my kids to do the same. This isn't hard to do since they find plenty of things to do themselves; however, I have challenged myself to try and do some sort of craft on the days we are at home and not out running errands. So far, Caroline has loved the idea and is enjoying making all sorts of things. I hung a string above our breakfast window to display all of our artwork and ever time we make something or she brings something home from playschool, she quickly reminds me that we have to hang it up for all to see. Mimi gave me a great suggestion in that instead of keeping all of the artwork my little darlings make over the years, I should instead take pictures of it so that I'll always have the memories without all the clutter. That is great advice and as you can see, I better get to taking pictures because we're quickly running out of room on our art string.

Little goblins

In an effort to get into the Halloween spirit, Caroline and I made little goblin treats. As we were finishing up our first batch, our next door neighbor, Abby, came over to help us with batch #2. In case you are wondering, these little treats were as yummy as they were cute! I was just glad that we had a few treats left to share with Daddy when he got home since my assistant seemed to enjoy taste testing our homemade goodies .

On the move

Ready or not, here he comes! Will is now walking everywhere. His sister began walking at 10 months, so I just knew he would be an early walker as well. For the past several weeks, Will has been taking a few steps and walks when prodded, but it seemed as if he preferred to crawl rather than walk. I attribute it to two things: 1). His sister is at his beck and call and will bring him whatever he wants and 2) He figured out he can get places faster by crawling.

Well, today when I dropped him off at playschool, he began walking around the room rather than crawling. I, along with his teacher, Ms. Carrie, was taken by surprise. Well, when we got home this afternoon, Will decided he wouldn't take a nap and instead decided he would walk all around the house while his sister was napping. Just look at him go!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I was so proud of my little fellow today, but soon realized that trouble lay just over the horizon because since he started walking today, he suddenly thinks he is somebody. He began exploring in unchartered territory and as a result, broke 2 things...the first belonging to his sister and the second belonging to yours truly. It didn't take me long to realize just how different boys and girls are from each other. Girls (or at least my little girl) are drama queens. Boys (or at least my little boy) are little destroyers. Needless to say, I'm on a mad dash to lock all the cabinets and put up all valuables because my little Demolition Man is on the move!

Super Reader

Every Wednesday afternoon, I take the kids to the library for Tot Time. The children's coordinator, Ms. Lizzie, does a great job...she reads a few books to the kids, sings songs and has craft time. Caroline is a huge fan of the library, but especially Ms. Lizzie. Anyway, while we are there, we end up checking out a few books for us to read at home. The other day, we picked up one Caroline really liked entitled, This is the Farmer. Rather than telling you all about it, I'll just let Caroline read it to you. She's my little super reader...well, maybe she just has a great memory.

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What's a Mom to do?

It's official...I have a climber on my hands. I was folding clothes in the living room yesterday and took my eyes off of Will for about 30 seconds. During that time, he pushed the pillows from the couch up to the ottoman and climbed right on top. At first he thought it was hilarious until he realized that Mommy didn't like what he had done (as you can tell in pic #2). Well, that's not where the story ends. Nope, later in the day, he climbed on top of the school desk in our playroom which of course toppled over. Luckily, I caught it just in time. Then, Matt came down the stairs later that night and said, "The refrigerator fell on top of Will." WHAT? Matt then replied, "No big deal, he didn't get hurt, he was just a little scared." Supposedly Will decided to use the shelves in the kids' refrigerator to try and climb on top of it. I scolded my husband for not watching him a little better and you know what happened next. He did it again under my watch! I was picking up blocks off the floor while the kids were playing with the kitchenette. Next thing I know, Will is starting to climb again and I couldn't catch the fridge soon enough. Obviously, I'm going to have to either take the shelves out of the fridge or bolt the fridge to the wall. Either way, I know it's about to get very interesting at our house with my little monkey around. I can see him now....hanging from one of the limbs in one of the trees in our backyard. AHHH!

Tag...I'm it

Well, my friend Laura tagged me and requested me to list 6 quirky things about myself. Laura, I know it has taken me a while to do this....probably because I have so many quirks. Anyway, here goes...

1. I, like everyone else, do not like to be in pain. However, while some people cringe over the thought of giving labor, having a broken bone, etc., I dread the excruciating pain of having my eyebrows waxed and plucked. Silly, I know. I've given birth to two 9 pounders, broken both my tib and fib bones in my left leg and yet the thought of having my eyebrows groomed makes my stomach turn more than anything. When I get them waxed at the salon, I have to worn the wax lady that I will cry and cringe uncontrollably. Despite my desperate attempt to not make a scene, I just can't help it. Crazy..I know.

2. I cannot stand having to use public restrooms and this has been magnified significantly since my little girl is now potty trained. The thoughts that cross my mind...who cleaned the restroom, when was the last time it has been cleaned....oh how dirty this floor must be...etc.

3. I constantly make up nicknames for my kids and call them by those names all the time. For instance, there is Coupon Caroline, Will the Thrill, Tooty Fruity (to which Caroline responds: "We don't talk about tooties", Wilgy, Suzy Q, Willy Nilly, Prissy Britches...the list goes on and on. Funny thing is, they actually respond to all of the names.

4. Dirty shoes really bother me...just think about it...all shoes are dirty because they go everywhere...the public restrooms I mentioned previously, the park, the grocery store, everywhere. Then where do those shoes end up? They remain on the feet of everyone who walks in my house that then travel all over my floors where my 11 month old crawls. Oh the germs...I have to move to #5 because I am getting sit at my stomach just thinking about it.

5. I, like the friend who tagged me, wear my watch all of the time. Thankfully it's dressy enough for church, work, etc., so I truly never take it off. It's a Seiko Titanium watch a got for Christmas years ago and it is so light I hardly know it is there, but when I take it off I feel lost. So, it along with my wedding rings stay on all the time.

6. I like to having music playing all of the time....not loud music, just turned up enough to drown out the silence. You would think I would enjoy silence since it is never silent at my house except while the kids are asleep, but actually I find music very relaxing and upbeat.

Okay...now that I've listed 6 of my quirks, I tag KK, Brandi and Ashley and Caroline wants me to tag Granger and Eden!

Look at him go

Pushing his big sister around on their little car has become one of Will's favorite things to do these days. I caught it on video yesterday so I thought I would share it with everyone. Of course when you pull out a video camera with young kids, you should always be prepared as to what might get caught on camera. I thought about deleting the end of the video where Caroline provided a little entertainment, but instead decided to keep it so that everyone else might get a little laugh too.

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Happy Birthday, Mamaw Kat!

October 11th was Mamaw Kat's (Matt's mom) birthday. It just so happened that she was in town visiting us, so we helped her celebrate her big day. Well, actually, we started the celebration on Wednesday night when she arrived at our house. Caroline and I had baked her a cake, and after it was ready Caroline informed me that we would need to eat it when Mamaw Kat got to our house. So, the party started early. Caroline also gladly gave Mamaw Kat her birthday present early and while handing it to her informed Mamaw Kat of what was inside.

The reason Mamaw Kat came in to town during the week was so that she could go to the Canton Flea Market with me on Thursday. The original plan was for us to drop the kids off at playschool and then head to Canton for a few hours. Well, Mamaw Kat decided she would rather spend the day with the kids, so I jumped at the chance to have a few hours to myself. This was my first trip to Canton and the flea market and boy was I in for a surprise. I was stunned at how many vendors and shoppers there were. For those who know me, you know I like to shop but this was almost too much for even me. I only stayed for about 2 hours, but I did come home with a few cute items....for the kids of course!

Anyway, on Friday, we went to Chick-fil-A (Caroline's favorite place to eat) and Belk. As my husband would say....we should be thankful that the police didn't come after us after we left Belk because Mamaw Kat practitically stole the items she bought at Belk because they were so cheap! Just stick with me and Caroline and we'll show you where the good deals are to be found. To wrap the day up, Matt and I went out on a date and enjoyed a little peace and quiet.
You know the old saying...The best made plans of mice and men often go awry...well, that describes our Saturday. The plan was for Matt and I to get up early Saturday morning and go for a nice bike ride down the Natchez Trace. Instead, we woke up to MAJOR plumbing problems. So, instead of biking we were frantically trying to solve a problem that we believe originated with our daughter's infatuation with wipes. Thankfully my Dad was in town and voluntarily came over to assist Matt in his quest to clear our pipes out. By the middle of the afternoon, it appeared our problems had been solved, so we quickly got cleaned up and headed to the State Fair where Mamaw Kat and Caroline had gone to meet Janet, Mick and Mason. Once we found them in the huge crowd of people, Caroline quickly informed us of how much fun she was having. The kids had a blast riding a few rides, petting the animals and even milking a fake cow. I was shocked to see Caroline take to it so well...we may have a farm girl on our hands.



To top things off, Mimi and Pop met us at the fair. Of course before leaving the fair, we made sure that we all got a free homemade biscuit with syrup...yum yum! Needless to say, we had a pretty busy weekend and I think we accomplished our goal of keeping Mamaw Kat entertained for her birthday.

Coupon Caroline

I'm sure all toddlers have a favorite activity of some sort...playing with their doll, their truck, swinging, etc. but I doubt very seriously that many enjoy clipping out coupons as much as my little girl. Yep, Coupon Caroline as we fondly call her absolutely LOVES clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper. It is the highlight of her week. I've always looked through the paper to find what is on sale and often clip a few coupons for myself. Perhaps that is where she first got the notion, but Coupon Caroline has now taken it to the extreme....clipping every coupon she can find. As you can imagine, it doesn't take long to accumulate a lot of coupons, so I try to eliminate a few here and there and just as soon as I do, she asks me...where did my other coupons go?

Sunday lunch with Reese

Just before we all sat down for lunch today, Caroline informed me that I did not have a place to sit. I asked her why and she stated that Reese would be sitting in my seat. Well, thankfully I managed to find an empty chair, so that Reece could enjoy a nice lunch with us.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

All week long Caroline has been looking forward to Hunter's 6th birthday party, and on Saturday the day had finally arrived. There was plenty of things for the kids to enjoy...pony rides, a super big slide, a playhouse, a trampoline and much more. Believe it or not, I even decided to try out the trampoline since it has been years since I jumped on one. I asked Mecie and Kevin if there was a weight limit before I got on to which they responded "I don't think so". I ensured them that if there was, I would let them know after I jumped.



I think Caroline's favorite part was just hanging out with her cousin Helen....well, that and the cake, ice cream and Cheetos! As for Hunter, he loaded up on new toys and a swanky cowboy outfit. Just check him out!

Dinner with Matt and Mandi

On Friday night, we had Matt, Mandi and their cute little girl, Anna Lauren, over for dinner. No, I'm not in a motherhood state of confusion ....their names are really Matt and Mandi. Matt Calvert was a good friend of mine from MC, and he somehow managed to marry such a great person who also shares my name. (Matt, I know you will be reading this, so I had to put that in here.) In all seriousness, Matt was one of the nicest guys I knew while at MC and I am so glad that he has done so well since we graduated. His family is precious and we had a great time visiting with them. Unfortunately, though, my kids weren't on their best behavior, so I hope they'll agree to get together with us again despite some of the more chaotic moments of the night! As for pictures from our little get together...well, I waited a little too late in the evening to get a good picture of all three of the kiddos together, but thankfully Anna Lauren was willing to give me a big smile.

Poor Little Fellow

Okay, in telling this story I think it will become abundantly clear that I am no longer in the running for Mother of the Year. As you can see in the picture, Will is suffering from a terrible rash on his face. Believe it or not, the picture doesn't even represent how bad it has looked over the past few days...the redness, the swelling, the flakiness....oh how terrible it has looked and probably felt as well. The rash began on Sunday afternoon, so I attributed it to me putting Will on a bale of hay to take a picture for his birthday party invitations. It appears that Will is going to follow in his mother's footsteps in having allergies, so I was pretty sure the hay was the culprit. Since we are a family who enjoys farm life, I was a little disappointed that my little cowboy would have to be medicated in order to enjoy the life of a farmer, but quickly realized that I should be thankful for the good health my children have been blessed with thus far in their lives.

Since I have had my fair share of skin irritants, I was sure that cleaning the area and letting time take its course would be the best treatment for Will's ailment. Well, as the week progressed, the little rash seemed to be getting worse instead of better. Then on Wednesday, I noticed a rash was beginning to appear on his bottom as well. OH NO....it hit me like a fast moving train! Will is allergic to the new knock-off brand of wipes I bought in an attempt to save a few measly pennies. Yes, instead of helping my son heal, I was in fact making his symptoms worse by constantly wiping his little face after he sneezed with the wipes. Thankfully, his little rear decided to oppose the wipes, otherwise who knows how long I would have subjected my son to such torment. Since I have destroyed all of the culprits, I can thankfully say that his symptoms are getting better and we may be turning the corner soon. As for the silver lining to this story...at least maybe Will isn't allergic to hay after all and can be a farmer when he grows up!