for now...

not too much to blog about right now

not at all due to a lack of things going on in our busy livestrying to slow downtrying to take breathstrying not to become overwhelmed, as i so easily dotrying to enjoy the moments as they happen, and savor them while they do...each and every little mundane momenttrying to look to the future, without losing the presentso i may be absent for a whilefor now...there's this
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Funny cat

Alfie is such a funny cat. He loves to snuggle, loves to watch squirrels from the deck, loves to blow air from his nose inside your ear...I could go on and on. He is just a lovey, special little kitty. He likes to sleep in the sink...
His favorite toy is a furry octopus thing...

And he LOVES to play fetch :)

Halloween fun

I wish my children were more into the pumpkin carving thing. I think after this year, Brad and I have made the decision that next year we're just going to carve the pumpkins when they go to bed :) They LOVE picking them out...but carving, digging out the seeds, etc., they could care less. So basically they just become an obstacle to Brad and I carving the pumpkins. They ran around, yelled...Luke kept throwing pumpkins like it was the shot put, we got buzzed by bikes as they went whizzing by...meanwhile we're dealing with knives here, people! So, here's what we ended up with...

Jackson's, MommyDaddy's, Luke's

Yes, the nose on Jackson's is a little large. But when your carving table gets rammed at full speed repeatedly by a 3 year-old on a big wheel, you do the best you can :)Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story
We live on a dead end street, so the extent of trick or treating in the neighborhood was to walk down to Mrs. June and Mr. Darrel's house...our Macon grandparents :)

Waiting...

Luke wanted immediate gratification
Then, as the rain started down, we got in the car and headed over to Ridge Ave, which is THE place for trick-or-treating in Macon.
In true Jackson fashion, he was overly excited about each and every piece of candy he received :)
Trying to stay dry...
Jackson chatting it up with another Buzz Lightyear...and Luke trying to score himself a princess (who is waaaayyy too old for you, young man)
The aftermath...

Apparently it tastes better when you let it drip out of your mouth and then suck it off of your arm

Day out with Thomas

Last weekend, Brad's parents took the boys and I to Day Out with Thomas in Cordele. It was AWESOME! To say that both of our boys LOVE trains and LOVE Thomas, is a gross understatement. They (well, Jackson) were so excited about going, and I was worried that it might not be as great as we were all imagining it to be...but we were not disappointed in the least! We can't wait to go back again next year, and I am already prepared for a weekly question by Jackson of "When can we go back to Day out with Thomas?" :) Thanks, Chief and Kikye, for such a fun and special day! I tried to edit the hundreds of pictures I took and show you a few of my favorites...ok, I guess this would not be considered a few. There were just so many to choose from! And make sure you get to the end of the pictures for a video clip reel :)

Waiting in line to get on the tram to take us to the stationIt was very cold and windy that morning!

Thomas!

All aboard!

Can you ride the train with a bank-bank?
Absolute bliss...

I can get a dog and 2 cats to take better photos together than these two ;)

Official Jr. Engineers
I think I could wallpaper my kitchen with all the rejects that came from trying to get this one picture
This is Luke and Jackson looking at Thomas at Action Canyon. The boy has been talking about this set and telling his Chief and Kikye they needed it for their track for MONTHS! So when we walked into the gift shop and they not only had Action Canyon, but had one on display...I thought he might pass out.
Bubbles
Putt putt
Face painting. Jackson picked a snake. And Luke picked....

...well, he picked Elmo..but kind of ended up with Elmo who had been hit by a train. I am not kidding you when I say that he sat PERFECTLY STILL. This was not the result of a wiggly toddler, just a young girl who has NO idea how to paint.
Jackson with a random clown and fire safety dog.

Sir Toppham Hat, himself!

He and Kikye got matching Rosie tatoosThis is intervention at it's finest for Jackson...he has a hard time being 3 and sharing trains and train tables with more than a few kids at a time. So, this was a MAJOR accomplishment that we made it through this area without any meltdowns. Way to go, buddy!
Luke is just in his own little world...
Did anyone make it through for the video?



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13 years ago today....

....a girl of 16 and a boy of 17 started dating and fell in love. Now, 13 years later, they have been married for 6 years, have 2 beautiful boys, and are more in love than ever.

Always and Forever....

(the oldest picture I could find on the computer...taken on our 1 year anniversary of marriage)

Halloween cookies

Every year, Jackson and I bake and decorate cookies for Halloween. And I don't mean slice and bake...we make the dough, roll it out, cut out shapes, make icing, ice, sprinkle, decorate, the whole deal. It makes a HUGE mess and takes several hours, but it is sooooo much fun! Next year, Luke should be old enough to join us....I shudder to think what my kitchen would have looked like had he been there to help this time ;) We had a great time, and turned out some pretty cute cookies. I treasure these special moments with Jackson and hope there are many more to come! You're such a great helper, buddy...I love you so much!

Catching up

WARNING!!!...this is a long post!

I have been absent from the blog for longer than usual. A few things have contributed to that...colds, food poisoning, interview dinners, cleaning, laundry, sick children, etc. So, a lot has been going on, and I'll try to catch you up a little bit.
First...our little kitty, Alfie, is doing just great and fitting right in as you can tell from this picture.I entered the boys in the Gap Casting Call contest again. Well, this is Luke's first entry, but Jackson's 3rd. We haven't had any luck in the past, and don't expect anything this time around either. So why do I do it over and over?
2 reasons...1-To get all these people off of my back who continue to say to me "Your boys look like models! You should really get them into modeling. (Grabbing me by the arm) No, I'm serious!" So this gives me the "I've tried" answer to all those that keep badgering me. 2- I get some FABULOUS pictures of my precious little ones during the process :) Here are a few from our "photo shoot".

Gap people...I will never understand how you can pass up the marketing possibilities these babies have to offer ;)

We also visited the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. As usual, getting any pictures where both of them were looking at the camera and smiling proved impossible.
And Jackson had it in for Luke on this trip for some reason. Notice the mischief in these first 3 shots...I think he had plans to poke Luke's brain with a piece of hay.Finally, a half decent one

Jackson found his pumpkin of choice
Luke finds one...
...and is happy to show it off.
With their final picks...

And whose children are these anyway? Mine are NOT this big, are they?

Hug at the pumpkin patch...
Choke hold at the pumpkin patch...
Time for a wagon ride so Mommy and Daddy can pick out the big pumpkin.


My boys and their pumpkins.

And here is Luke's reading of his favorite book...Wheels on the Bus

WARNING!!! The cuteness may be too much for some to handle :)



And finally, I'll leave you with a question.....

How do you eat your Oreo?