Mark and Deidre....way back when...

I thought I'd liven up the day with a funny post or at least some funny pictures. Sorry about the quality. These are before the days of digital so I had to take pictures of pictures and yes I have, in former years, been a scrapbooker hence the stickers and odd shaped photos. Mark and I started dating in the fall of 1994 at the ages of 15 and 16 and oh, the things I made him do during those high school and college years. Easter egg hunts in Nanny's back yard, trips to Norton's Art gallery to take pictures when the azaleas were in full bloom, chick flicks by the dozens, baking Valentine's day cookies together and elaborate picnics in the park are just a few of the things we did. There are still others that I could name that are far more silly but I have left them off for the protection of both of our egos. We were silly to say the least. Just two kids who greatly enjoyed one another's company.

I feel the need to explain the above photographs. The first one was taken at Nanny's house. It's hard to tell but that red thing above my head is actually a bow the size of Kansas. I wore them all the time. The second is of our second date. Homecoming. That large gargantuan thing on my shoulder is a homecoming corsage (or mum, if you prefer) that is common in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. I'm not sure if they do that here but they are really something. You must be careful not to wear an off the shoulder dress lest you find it and the HUGE corsage on the floor. This particular corsage, if I remember correctly, had many ornamental things hanging from the ribbons. For example, a cowbell. Yes, a cowbell, people. So to add to its bulkiness you also couldn't walk without clanging. To be fair, everyone had them. Did I mention we also wore the thing to church the next morning pinned to our Sunday clothes? Weird! The rest of the pictures were from college. Notice the bleached hair from a few bottles of SUN-In that I used that year. Not pretty. I look back on those times with many fond memories. I'm so glad we still have that much fun being together.

You're my WHAT?????

I just had to post this cute picture of Mark and Jack. What a funny look on Jack's face!! Too cute!

Princess night at Chick-fil-a

Last Saturday night was Princess Night at The Chick-fil-a Dwarf House. Unbelievable!! They had miniature ponies complete with hair accessories in their manes and one even wore a tiara. There were employees dressed as Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty milling around and taking pictures with children. The girls each got to chose a craft to make. A magic wand or a crown of course. Annie and Ella had a blast and I am continually amazed at what this Chick-fil-a does each week for their customers.

Our Little Reader

I know this is shameless bragging but it's my blog, right? So I'm going to use this post to say how proud I am of Annie. She has read 8 Junie B. Jones chapter books in 2 days. I have quizzed her about each and every one and she has truly read every word. It took her about 4 hours total. She still contends that they are boring (her way of saying that they have no color pictures) but has really enjoyed each of the stories. She starts 1st grade on the 17th of August and is getting excited about the upcoming school year. Annie, we are so proud of you.

The boy is 1 month old already!

Jack turned a month old on the 17th. Time is just flying by like it never seemed to before. I guess we stay so busy around here that it seems to slip by without my noticing. He has become so much more alert over the last 4 weeks. He loves to look at his toys and mobile. Those eyes get so BIG. He seems to be getting closer to smiling. He will almost smile then start to fuss. He still enjoys sleeping while swaddled or wearing his Woombie. That Woombie, by the way, is a fantastic creation, however will he ever want to sleep without it? He may look a little strange when he's 2 and still in a straight jacket type device. He is looking more and more like his big sister Annie at that age. Happy 1 month birthday Jack!

A letter to my dear husband

Dearest Husband,

Please do not bring me flowers. Please don't stop by QT for a 49 cent beverage for me. Please don't offer me a trip to Chick-fil-a for a cup of ice cream or a cookies -n- cream milk shake. I have decided that what I really want from you today is a snugli to carry our precious newborn son in while at the grocery store. I promise not to make you wear it - ever. The girls also make this request of you. They had to share their seat in the grocery store today with milk, tomato juice and other such bulky items that would not fit between the gigantasaurous car seat and the behemoth buggy we were forced to drive around the Wal-mart. Notice their distraught faces in the above picture. To make matters worse, it was the worst buggy of the bunch clearly engineered by an aerobics instructor to make post-partum women bounce back into shape after hunching over and lunging each time they start walking again. My abs feel tighter already. Thank you for your kind attention to this very pressing matter. You are the best and I love you dearly.

P.S. If you are going to QT, I'd love a frosty beverage.

Love

Grumpy in the Grocery store

The Big 6

This post is a little late but better late than never. Our little Annie turned 6 years old on July 1st. I can't believe it has been six years since we brought that tiny little baby home from the hospital and looked at each other and said, "Now what?" She is such a blessing in our lives. She keeps us laughing and seems more grown up each day. Her birthday party was wonderful. We had it at a local park and the weather was great. The theme was High School Musical which the girls are very into. They love to sing and dance around the house to all the songs. Mark and I even know the words and a move or two or twenty. There was one little something new about this birthday party as compared to years past. Girls. There were girls everywhere at this party. The very special boys were there as well, of course. Everyone seemed to have a great time and we all felt blessed to have so many friends there as well to visit with. Happy 6th Birthday, Annie Cate.

On my own...

Well, big Jack is now 3 weeks old and all family has left. I'm on my own with 3 under 6. So far, so good. Today we had lunch with daddy, went to the library and to Target, did laundry and am in the process of cooking dinner. Maybe this is doable. Of course, I haven't added in homeschooling yet but baby steps, people. Jack weighed 8lbs. 2.5 oz. on Tuesday so he has by passed his birth weight by almost a pound. He still is sleeping well for the most part. The girls seem happy to have me back to normal and more energetic. As I type this, Annie is sitting next to me going through an American Girl catalog and making a mental list of what she wants for Christmas. She is also talking about saving her money and buying some of the items which seems funny to me since she can't manage to save her allowance long enough to buy a toy for 14.99 at Target that she says she wants so badly.

July 4th was fun. We took the kids to a bank parking lot to watch fireworks. It was unseasonably cool outside and was not crowded where we were so it made for easy access to leave for home since we had church early the next morning. They were a little disappointed that we were further away than usual but all in all it worked out better for this year. Even Jack dressed for the occassion.