Birthdays...

So I was thinking about what to do for Maddie's seventh birthday party. Yes, it's in 4 months. Yes, she's only 7. I know. But I love doing over the top birthday parties. (And Aaron hates it.) So I was looking at a friend's blog and I found a site called "Birthdays Without Pressure." (It sounds like "Parents without Partners" or something like that.) There's a Birthday Pressure Quiz you can take.

I scored a 7 out of 20. I'm not as bad as some, but more stressed than others. I'm still deciding what to do. Maybe I'll just take the easy way out and go to Pump It Up, the local blow-up castle place.

In Remembrance....

WARNING: There is some not-so-nice language in this video. It's not vulgar or gross--just the reaction of firefighters watching an airplane smash into the WTC tower.)

I can still remember September 11, 2001 like it was yesterday. I was teaching 3rd grade remedial reading with a bunch of rowdy but lovable boys. Someone came into my room and said the twin towers in Atlanta had been bombed. (There are two towers, called "The King and Queen" off I-85.) I climbed up on a table, turn the wall-mounted TV so my kids couldn't see it, and watched (I had muted the sound) in horror as the second plane flew into the second WTC tower on live TV. Several parents came and picked their children up. I wanted to run to the security of our little duplex, as well. I'm honestly not sure how I got through the rest of that day. I was pregnant with Maddie and all I could think of was that I was bringing this sweet little thing into such a ugly world.

Curious Wesley

Wesley isn't content to play with his toys when he's in my sewing room. He wants "shissors" and my little machine. And he's super-fast. So before I knew it, he was on top of one of my tables and into everything!

(He's offering me the tool, I guess in the hopes that I won't make him get down. Sneaky kid!)

Oh, Wesley isn't exclusively walking yet, but he does take a few steps here and there. He's totally capable of walking, but finds it much faster and easier to crab-walk everywhere. He is talking. Yep, talking. The kids is 16-months-old and speaks in complete sentences most of the time. "I want blankey." "I want milk." "Mom, Get me." And he counts to 5 and can say his ABCs up to F/G. And most people can understand most of what he says. People in public are so funny about it--they look at him, then look at me and ask skeptically, "How old is he?" I love telling people he's only 16 months!

(I don't know why the camera is making everything look blurry. It's my new camera-argh!)

Beach 2008

So we went to Ormond Beach back in July, but I just got the picture CD from my dad.
Wesley "inherited" Aaron's love of the beach. (ie--They tolerate it because they love Maddie and me.) They spent most of the day inside so Wesley could nap and Aaron could eat ice cream and watch ESPN. Actually it worked out perfectly, because Maddie and I could stay on the beach for at least 10 hours, so I was grateful to not have to give up my beach time to sit in the room while Wesley slept. We have decided that when Wesley's older, they'll probably end up playing golf the entire time Maddie and I on the beach. Sounds good to me! :) As long as I have a good book and some good SPF!!

My grandmother very generously lets us use her week at the beach. (Thank you, Grandma Charles!!) We went to the beach for the third week in July and my parents came the next week. Our times there overlapped, so we got to spend time with my mom and dad before Aaron, Wesley and I left to go home. Maddie was a lucky duck and got to stay an extra week with my mom and dad. Aunt Corie, who lives in Athens, was there with her boyfriend, Josh. They were going to bring Maddie home when they left at the end of the week.

Aaron--being a very good sport--with Maddie and my cousins, Nicole and Natalie (He will only do this one the last day we are at the beach, right before we go in for the night. He HATES the sand.)


Sweet, sweet!

My Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Jamie and cousins, Nicole and Natalie

Wendi, Aaron & Wesley on Poppa's dune buggy (This thing is famous! Seriously! People will stop us and ask to take pictures when we're riding down the beach.)

The little fish.

Wesley LOVES to swim! Once we figured out he could float with the swimmies, he was a happy little boy! He's in the baby pool here, but he loved the big pool too.

Sassy pants

Wesley, tolerating the sand, sun and salt water

Since Wesley was still crawling when we went to the beach, he developed his own kind of crawl--the crab walk. His poor little knees couldn't take the sand, so he starting crawling on his hands and feet. He's been doing it ever since. (That kid is FAST!!)

My family is BIG into the beach. My parents bring nice patio chairs to lay in, big umbrellas to provide shade, coolers, a boom box, a dune buggy that acts as a fun way to cruise the beach and a way to get everything down to the sand every morning. My dad also has an icee machine that he hooks up to the dune buggy's battery to make shaved ice on the beach. No need to run upstairs! Maddie LOVES going to the beach and she loves going with her Poppa and Nonna!

Silly girl!

Not happy with sand on his face. :)


Playing

Maddie and her beach twin :)


Maddie, on her way to becoming a professional surfer.

Flying a kite--it's hard enough with one spool of string, but two?
Playing Bocce ball--Maddie's telling everyone which ball is closer to the target ball


My youngest sister, Corie, and her boyfriend, Josh, drove down to the beach. Josh brought his skim board and Maddie tried learning how to do it. It didn't quite work, because she ended up stepping in front of the quickly moving board and it smacked the side of her foot. She was pretty upset and ended up falling asleep from the exhaustion of staying up too late, playing too hard and crying because her foot hurt so badly.


Maddie, the budding actress, pretending to be scared of the cemetery at the pirate-themed mini golf place.

My little beach bum.
If she ever runs away, we know where she'll be!!

Welcome to the 21st Century

I finally did it...I bought a digital camera!!!! Target was having a sale on an 8 mega-pixel camera that I couldn't refuse. So now I can actually post current photos. YAY!

I'll start with little Wesley. He was a MESS last night after dinner and Maddie was taking a shower, so I decided to throw him in the kitchen sink. Yes, we have another bathtub, but this turned out to be SO much easier. (Well, other than the splashing.) I think they should install industrial-size sinks in every house so parents can bathe their little ones without killing their backs and knees!!

Wesley had so much fun playing in the sink. He loves the water and loves to swim! Put some swimmies/floaties on that kid and he's off.

Disregard the HIDEOUS fake green marble countertops!!! I know they are so ugly, but they're not high on my priority list of home improvement projects.

I've jumped on the bandwagon...

Okay, so I was NOT going to read these books. I mean, they're about vampires and werewolves and raging teenage hormones. But I needed something to read while I was blowdrying my hair at my sister's house and they were the closest thing available, Holy cow--I have pretty much done nothing but read these books since I started on Tuesday afternoon. I finished the first three; now I've GOT to get the fourth one tomorrow! I'm not sure exactly what the draw is because the books are really about vampires and werewolves and raging teenage hormones. But I'm Team Edward all the way now. (I told Aaron I wished he was a sexy vampire and he just looked at me like I was a lunatic. lol)

PS: I'm diasppointed in the guy they got to play Edward in the movie. He's no where near who I pictured in my mind--he's not "greek god" enough!

Day at the Park

The Cousins

My grandparents were passing through town on Sunday, so we played hooky from church (we meet in the afternoon) and went to Fort Yargo in Winder to see them. Cristie & Eli and their kids met us there as well. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins! The only problem was the sugar bees that were EVERYWHERE! Thankfully they don't sting!!

Carissa (8 1/2 years old)

Carsten (6 1/2 years old)

Maddie (6 1/2 years old)

Caitlin (4 years old)

Wesley (15 months)

The cutest kid ever!

(I know you all think you have cute kids, but seriously, Wesley is the cutest! lol)