Washington Farms

We traipsed off to Watkinsville yesterday to strawberry pick. The berries were small, but delicious. I had help for about the first half gallon, and then I was on my own.
How about the cutest little strawberry harvester you have ever seen? I think that he consumed more than he placed in the bucket even with my constant reminders that they were not washed yet. Papa even joined us for some reinforcements, which was fabulous when all the boys deserted me to play on the nearby playground.
Jonah and Grant's favorite was the super high tree swing.
When I went to pay for my strawberries (only $8 a gallon by the way), the dude at the checkout was going to give me a discount because my buckets were not completely full. I told him that was to make up for the berries that were eaten along the way. After we finished at the berry patch, we had a picnic lunch, and came home for some R&R. Here is what three little boys look like after a long day on the farm.

Field Day and Last Day of School

I can't believe that Jonah is officially out of preschool. He made it, and it seems that his teachers survived as well. Of course there is an unwritten rule that all schools must cram as many activities into the last few weeks of school as possible, so here are some photos of field day and Jonah's graduation picnic...

I'm not sure what this little girl's name is, but I had to include her because she wore a tiara the entire field day. Because what field day ensemble is complete without my tiara?

There were Dizzy Bat Derbys...

Amazing displays of balance...

And even potato sack (or in this case, pillow case) relays...

Here is Jonah with his teacher, Ms. Holland on the last day of preschool. We had a wonderful year. Great job big boy!

Tagged again

loving. joy. friendly. mama. wife. child-of-the-king.



here are the rules for this meme:

1) Write your own six-word memoir about yourself.2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you'd like.3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.4) Tag five more blogs with links.5) And don't forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.



Try to ignore how I broke the rules by hyphenating and trying to make a phrase one word. :) consider the source. Six words could never be enough. I'm also a little disjointed, so I had to come up with six separate words instead of a phrase.



Andrea, you are tagged.
Kristina, you too.
Melanie, you are it as well.

Kum Ba Ya

We finally did it. We have been talking about taking the boys camping since Jonah left the crib behind- because who wants to take two pack and plays on a camping trip? Now that both boys are out of pack and plays, we finally planned a trip...

We took the Sanford's with us- or they took us with them, and we camped at Watson Mill Bridge State Park. Here is our campsite all set up.

Friday night we enjoyed Smores, and then we finally got the boys settled and asleep.

Around 4 o'clock in the morning, Chris woke up to use the restroom, and when he got up, he found Kristina and Christopher up as well. They had seen lightning flashes off in the distance, and although there was not a cloud in the sky, they decided to put all of our stuff away just in case. Within fifteen minutes, there was a HUGE thunder storm on top of us. It poured, and the lightning was flashing at the same time that the thunder was crashing. It lasted for about two hours. Good times in a tent.

By the time we got up on Saturday, the sky was clear, but everything was soaked (including a little inside of each of our tents). We got to enjoy our day though playing on the playground,

and on the rocks and waterfall.

Grant and Jonah also loved feeling like big boys and riding their bikes around the campground by themselves.

See the waterfall and covered bridge in the distance. It was beautiful.

We also hiked on some of the trails. I have never seen so many ticks in all my life. I pulled two off of Jonah that were already attached, and we pulled over twenty off of all of us combined. It was insane.

The boys also enjoyed a massive water baloon fight. You know the kind where the mommys spend twenty minutes filling the baloons, and the kids take two minutes to throw them at each other.

This is where poor Jaxon spent a lot of his time. Attached to the picnic table. Poor baby.

And, just in case you were wondering. This is what four boys look like at the end of a campout.

And, here is the end of the story...

Saturday evening, when we finished smores and baths for the boys, someone drove by to warn us that the storms coming through that night would be worse than the night before. Since we were going to enjoy pancakes and break camp first thing Sunday morning, we decided to see how fast we could load up and head home instead of braving the storm (again). Forty- five minutes later we were in our vehicles headed home. Jaxon was already asleep when we made the decision, and I don't know if you can see the pack and play in the middle of this picture of the boys taking the tents down. But, Jaxon is asleep in the pack and play. They literally took the tent down around him and he stayed asleep.

Good times were had by all.

I'm an ADD cleaner

I hate clutter. The Man and I were just discussing last night how we tend to err on the side of giving something away or throwing it out rather than hanging in to it (just in case we might need it later). But, I cannot stand to have clutter sitting around. Now keep in mind that I have children. Clutter and children apparantly go hand in hand. There are days when I feel like it is out of control, and those always seem to be the days when we are having company. Funny how that happens, huh?

When I am feeling overwhelmed, I have a tendency to start in one room (usually the kitchen) and never make it to any other room in the house. So, I have to limit myself. I will set the timer, start in one room and work there until the timer goes off. No exceptions. Then I move to the next room and reset the timer. It Works for me. Head on over to visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer to find other Works for Me tips.

It's officially official!

Just in case anyone was wondering, it is official that my children are boys.

Proof:
I just caught Jonah drinking water from the spout of the Brita pitcher in our kitchen.

Yep, It's a Boy!

A very sad confession

Okay. Here goes. I am finally swallowing my pride enough to admit why I haven't posted as frequently lately.

First and foremost, we have no way of uploading out photos onto our new computer. It makes for some very boring posts, in my opinion, without pictures. At least, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

Secondly, I am ashamedly adicted to two television shows that are not even on tv anymore. Okay one of them is currently still airing, but it is on season 4, and I am still way behind.

My first addiction is to Alias. I want to be Sydney Bristow when I grow up. Really I just want Jennifer Garner's body, and I want to kickbox bad guys. Is that really so wrong? Here is the beauty and the problem with getting hooked on a show on DVD. You don't have to wait to watch the next episode after a cliffhanger. You can just move right on to the next episode or even the next season when you find out that Sydney has been missing for two years. I mean seriously, who can go to sleep after that, when you know the explaination is in the next box?

The second show that I am addicted to is Lost. Although I like Alias better, I must admit that Lost is even more addictive. I really can't stop myself. I have been staying up way too late, way too many nights in a row, and I am even dreaming about the characters. See, I told you it was a sad excuse.

But it really is all about the lack of photos. That is the real reason. Y'all believe me, right?
So, there you go. Now the truth is out there. And to anyone who is looking for me, I'm probably glued to my tellie.

P.S. I was tempted to disallow comments on this post, because I don't want to hear what all of you have to say about it. But I am a big girl, and I can take it. I think?

Seven Things...Seriously?

I'm not that interesting. Andrea over at Braun Family Circus tagged me for a meme, and apparantly she thinks that I am interesting enough to share seven little known facts about myself. Here is my best attempt:

1. I have a phobia of elbows. I hate them. They are gross. They are usually dry, dirty, and nasty. I don't want them to touch me in any way, shape, or form, and if I do accidentally come into contact with someone else's elbow, I have to wipe my skin off. Is that a weird enough start?



2. I have always wanted a pair of red cowboy boots. I don't know why. I don't live anywhere near Texas. No matter how out of style they may be, I want to wear them with a short denim skirt. I wouldn't mind a cute cowboy hat either, but not at the same time. I tried some very loud black and red ones on one time with Nikki, and she swore that she would not be seen with me if I purchased them. Sorry, Nikki...One day I will own a pair. I just can't help myself.



3. When I was in Kindergarten, I was such a perfectionist that I wrote a lowercase "a" on my paper, and my teacher thought that I left the top of it open, and that it was a lowercase "u." I was so distraught that I got a 99% instead of a 100% that I cried and argued the grade. Wow! I was such a nerd. And, now I'm boring enough that I still remember it and am obviously scarred for life. This really is awful. I apologize to anyone who is still reading.



4. I made the cheerleading squad my freshman year in high school. I quickly learned that getting along with seven other females in a forced environment was not my forte. I know that this will come as a shocker to those of you who know me well, but I can be a bit bossy. I ended up punching a girl on my squad in the face during a football game. I didn't try out the next year. I only ever punched a person in the face one other time in my life. I will leave that one up to the imagination.



5. On our honeymoon, Chris and I ended up on a charter bus to get from the airport to our hotel in Miami. We were the only people besides the driver on the bus. We don't need no stinking taxi. I warned you that this wasn't worth reading.



6. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a hair stylist, a teacher, an American Sign Language interpreter, and Wonder Woman. I think there may have been a brief aspiration to be Princess Lea too until I realized that the underoos I had were not her "real" outfit.



7. To anyone who knows me, this is not a little known fact, but I am completely out of ideas. I could subsist on chips and salsa and popcorn if I knew that they weren't both horrible for me in excess. If I were ever stranded on an island, those would definitely be the two food items that I would request. My favorite salsas are homemade tomato salsa (recipe adapted from Andrea Braun) and Chili's salsa. Mmmmmmm. My current favorite popcorn is home popped in olive oil on the stovetop.

Here is who I tag to keep this meme going...

1. Kristina Sanford (so that she will actually post something on her blog)
2. My new friend, Jen
3. An old friend, Melanie Crozier (Melanie's not old. I've just known her for a while).
4. (and 5) The two smartest people I know, Nikki and Beth. I've only officially met Beth once, but I am nervous about tagging her because it means that she might actually read my blog, and that is just intimidating.

6. (and 7.) One of my favorite people that I never get to see and her son, Walker, Christy.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Jonah and Grant were playing Star Wars last week. They were running around rescuing one another and fighting the the "bad guys."
After a while, Jonah said, "I am going to be OB1."
To which Grant replied, "Okay, I'll be OB2."
Hee hee hee.....

Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The Globetrotters

Because we still haven't figured out how to load our current photos onto our new computer, I have decided to let you all live in our past.

Chris took Jonah to a Harlem Globetrotters game about a month ago. They met Chris' brother, Kes, and his boys, Hayden and Harrison at the V for lunch, and then went to the game. I'm not sure which part was better, the onion rings or the game. Hee hee!!!

Check out those cute hats...

The crew at the game.

Chris got Jonah this awful t-shirt with a spray painted jersey on it. He loves it, of course.

Mmmmm. Cotton Candy.

Jonah and Daddy at the game!

Statue

Jonah started karate this week, and he loves it. He is catching on quickly and doing a great job of figuring the "moves" out. Since it is an ongoing class, he just joins right in with other kids who have participated for a while. There is no specific instruction for the "rookies." The kids are expected to just catch on, and Jonah is acclimating very well.
Tonight was his second class, and the instructor asked them to gather around and "Stand like a statue." Jonah stood very straight with his right fist held up in the air.
The instructor looked at him and said, "Put your arm down Jonah. Stand like a statue."
Jonah firmly straightened his arm a little higher in the air, and with a puzzled look on his face, said, "This is how a statue stands."
I guess it's time to expose him to a few more statues than just the Statue of Liberty.

Happy Birthday Jonah!

Today is Jonah's birthday. He was born at 11:06 five years ago today. Here he is with his Daddy on his "Birth"day at Gwinnett medical Center.Here he is at a year old. I should have known he was going to be a mess from then.

Two years old...

We celebrated Jonah's 3rd Birthday in Savannah with his friend Grant Hampton. We had a construction party. Grant was only four days younger than Jonah. We called him "Wee Man" because he looked as if he could have easily been a year younger.
And, Jonah's 4th Birthday was last year. We had an alien party in the backyard. Jonah felt like he needed a "party" hat to be the birthday boy.
Breaking through the run through sign for his 5th birthday...

Happy Birthday Jonah!!! We love you!

Football Party

We celebrated Jonah's birthday football style. We had several Georgia Bulldogs (of course), a Cincinnati Bengal, a Green Bay Packer, a GT Jacket, an Atlanta Falcon, an Indianapolis Colt, and an LSU Tiger cheerleader.

Chris and I were officially the referees. Of course Chris was right in the middle of the game.

Jonah had a blast (and so did his Daddy). Of course, Jonah did not have to request Ibuprofen later in the day. Notice Gavin with the "medic" truck ready to take the injured off of the field.



Fumble recovery. Check out Jonah's Black out jersey!

A match made in heaven. Or is it? We all know that mixed marriages are doomed for failure!

Thanks to all who came to celebrate with Jonah.

Chronicles of Narnia

I know that many of you have never wondered what order to read the Chronicles of Narnia in because there are deceptive little numbers on the spine of most copies now that would lead you to read them in a particular order. Do not be swayed!!!

I asked my best friend, Nikki to write on guest post on the correct order of Lewis' beloved children's series because she could do it so much more eloquently than I. Her post follows...

In honor of the upcoming release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, I have the honor of typing a guest blurb on "A Day in the Life." I was asked because I love the Chronicles. I was also asked because the order in which they should be read is one of my favorite soapboxes. I have what can only be call "strong" feelings about it. The original order in which the Chronicles were written is as follows:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (L,W,&W)Prince Caspian (PC)Voyage of the Dawn Treader (V of the DT)The Silver Chair (SC)The Horse and His Boy (H & HB)The Magician's Nephew (MN)The Last Battle (LB)When you buy the books now, be it in a boxed set or as one large volume, the Magician's Nephew is the first book, followed by L,W,&W, then H & HB, PC, V of the DT, the SC, and the LB. This is not the best way to read these books, and there are a bunch of other bibliophiles with too much time on their hands who agree with me! C.S. Lewis did indeed at one point consider that a more "chronological" order (the new order) might be a better way to go. He however, never made any move to change them and finally decided that they should remain as they were. He wrote them in the original order, and the narrative was built on those lines. So much of the wonder of Narnia comes from the way in which the reader is slowly introduced to it in L,W,&W. The wardrobe and where it leads create a strong sense of mystery; you are intrigued and mystified by what lies inside. In MN, the word Narnia is stated almost immediately. There is no enigma, and there is an assumption of information. As a late sequel to L,W,&W, this is appropriate. As your very first introduction to Narnia itself, this is less than engaging. TThe texts themselves show that L,W,&W comes first with quotes such as "None of the children knew who Aslan was, any more than you do." If you're reading L,W,&W second, well of course you know who Aslan is. There are so many ideas, themes, and moments of character development that occur naturally in the original order of the Chronicles. Some of that is lost in the new order, and much of the magic is diminished.I strongly encourage you to read the books that have been a delight to me since I was in 7th grade. I have perused their pages many times and have always come away more enthralled and with an even greater sense of wonder. Go forth, read, and enjoy them yourself! Just do so in the best possible order!

So there you have it. Drop by your local bookstore or library today, and dive into the adventure. I assure you, you will not regret it!

Is it worth being friends with the nursery coordinator?

Have you ever noticed that when you pick your children up from the nursery at church, they always tell you that your children were good? Hmmm. I know my children. Am I living in a fantasy world to think that they possibly act better for someone else than they do for me?

Let me explain. My children were both screamers as babies. Some call it "colic," I call it "my boys screamed their bloody heads off until they were nine months old." Yet, I would always pick them up from the nursery at church- I went to every service offered, by the way, because that was my only break from feeling like I was going to throw them out of the window- just kidding (about going to every service, that is; not about wanting to throw them out of the window)- and they would tell me, "Oh he has been fine, he just started screaming like this," as she yells over my child who sounds like he should be in some excorcism type thriller film. I was blessed with this not once, but twice. But, I digress. My point is, I chose to believe that maybe they hadn't screamed the entire service and they had just started up, as they felt my presence approach the nursery. Not that I would have wanted them to call me out of the service to handle it anyway. This was the only break I got.

Was I fooling myself? I'll never know because we have moved since then, so there is no one to fess up...

But, now I am friends with the nursery coordinator, so I get to hear about the wonderful children that I have. You know this is going somewhere specific, don't you?

This past week, Daniel really wanted to go in Jonah's classroom to play with his older brother and his friends. When we told him no, he pitched the fit of all fits (okay every fit that is in front of other human beings is the fit of all fits, but this one was really bad). At that point of course, we had to follow through, and make Daniel go in his own classroom. He got to play with Mr. Cool Guy (his name has been changed to protect the innocent), who is Jonah's favorite teacher- apparantly, Jonah forgot to inform his little brother. Daniel goes into the classroom throwing toys and screaming, and Chris and I turn around and walk very quickly to the service without looking back, so that they wouldn't stop us.

When Chris picked Daniel up, Mr. Cool Guy said that he had pretty much screamed the entire time. I mean Daniel, not Mr. Cool Guy. Of course I am sure that Mr. Cool Guy went home and screamed for at least an hour. I'm sorry Katina that we are wiping your nursery workers out one by one.

Then, when I went by Katina's (nursery coordinator, if you haven't figured that out by now) house Monday morning, she let me know that not only had Daniel screamed the entire service but also that he had decorated his classroom wall with red crayon. LOVELY!!!!!

Here was Mr. Cool Guy's response to Katina about helping in the nursery this upcoming Easter morning:

"Sorry Kristina… I’ll be in AL.
But I did help decorate for the service… Daniel and I… little red celebration on the wall… it was the least I could do…
Cool dude"

Katina, he's going to Alabama. I would not expect him back any time soon. We have that effect on people. Sorry I can't fill in for him.

I wonder if I can sneak in there with a magic eraser before Easter?

I'm back!!!

To all (both) of you who have been asking why I have been posting so infrequently (not at all), I now have a computer, so I am back in the land of the living online. I currently have no way to upload photos, and am so busy trying to play catch- up after a week with no computer that I have absolutely nothing fun to post. We have been insanely busy, but with things that no one in this world cares to hear about. Jonah's class had a kindergarten field trip- Woo Hoo! We went to a four year old birthday party- double woo hoo! Seriously, why do I even blog?

US Government Concedes that vaccines are linked to autism

Recent Ruling

Father, Forgive him!

Blasphemous supper conversation:

Don't even ask how we got here.

The Man: Mama is the Queen.

...He is so right about that by the way...

Jonah: And, what are you, Daddy?

The Man: I am the King.

...He would like to think so, wouldn't he?...

Jonah: And, I am Jesus.

Father, forgive him, for he knows not what he says.

Yummy!

I must admit that I was a little nervous about the Chicken Lettuce Wrap recipe that was on the menu for last night. I had tried another recipe a couple of years ago, and they did not turn out like PF Chang's famous appetizer recipe.
Tita, as Daniel calls Kristina, sent me this recipe, and it turned out fabulously. Gracias, Tita. It is not exactly the same, but it was stinking close enough to become a regular staple in our household. I will aslo double the recipe next time and try to freeze some. This also includes the recipe for PF Chang's special sauce that they mix at your table. It is also a pretty close facsimile. It does make a lot of the sauce so it is still sitting in my fridge for whoever may want to drop by with Chinese take out for lunch. I want fried rice, please.
Nikki, you are more than welcome to try this recipe (I can't believe that I am actually passing it on prior to a visit), but just know that it will be served the next time you are in town. :) Lalu!