A Good Hair Day!

I did it! I had Robin cut my hair off today and it feels great! Joe loves it! So funny that my husband likes shorter hair better than long hair...well short hair is what he prefers on me. It's going to be great for the summer and a lot easier to take care of. I will grow it out again, but change is good!

A Great Invention

Ya know, there just NEVER seems to be enough time in a day! I was supposed to be off of work today and the only thing I had on our agenda was to go have the kids pictures done by my friend Malin, who is an amazing photographer by the way (http://www.heartisfound.com/). Before we were even ready to head out the door I picked up my blackberry and started to read my emails, only to find a few that made me realize how important it was for me to make time to go into the office today! As Courtney tells me, I have entered the world of crackberry! There is just no way to avoid your emails and once you have read them, and realize you are needed for something, it's just too difficult to ignore...well for me it is! So, a few hours and a new stack of files later, I headed home in just enough time to relieve Joe for work. He had the day off of Karate Camp and didn't have to go in to work until 3:30, which is 2 hours later than his shift usually starts. So...needless to say, I didn't get to go w/ Joe and the kids to eat Partners pizza buffet...a favorite for Joe and the kids!

Well, when I got home, the kids were playing really well upstairs, and Ansley was in her Johnny Jumper, so I actually got to eat lunch! THEN, after Ansley started to get fussy and I still had a ton of stuff I needed to do that required 2 hands, I decided to try out her new little seat. It's not a Bumbo seat, but it's very similar. It was amazing!!! She sat in it for at least an hour and let me get some work done! If you have/are having a baby or know someone who is, you have to get them one of these seats! I was able to have my baby sitting safely next to me while I worked from home and got paid! Then, of course, the whirlwind starts! It's time for dance, so we have to leave 30 minutes early...pretty standard for us in order to get anywhere on time. After 2 hours away from home, and a few phone calls (on the way there and back) regarding work matters, it was time for dinner, baby feeding, baths, and getting Ansley to sleep! When I finally sat down to call my boss back, and Malin, who I really needed to talk to, my phone rang! I was on the phone for another 45 minutes w/ my friend Shelly from work (important), answered a few more phone calls in between helping my kids w/ whatever they needed and before I knew it, it's 10:00 p.m.! That's my cut-off. I don't call anyone that late...even if they say it's ok. My luck, I would call and that would be the night they decided to go to bed early. So....not only did I just share what a typical day in my life is like, I also explained why I think there is just never enough time in a day!

Roco 1996 - 2008

Today was a very sad day for my little brother Bryson. After less than a year without his sister, Raja, Roco was layed to rest today. They were told that he was getting old, losing control of his bladder and bowels, and it was only a matter of time. When Raja was put down my dad handed her over to the vet and let them take care of the rest. Today, Bryson chose to be a part of the process and held Roco's head as he was put down. Bryson wanted to bring Roco home and, with the help of my dad, burried him in the backyard. I know that Bryson had a very hard day with the loss of a dog that was nothing less than a good buddy to him with a big heart. Our hearts go out to Bryson and my parents who were so used to hearing the sound of Roco's paws on the hardwood floor to greet them when they walked through the door.

On a lighter note, the kids were thrilled to kick off their summer w/ their first day of Karate Camp. The summers are tough on Joe w/ the responsibility and long hours of Karate Camp, but it sure is nice for the kids to have a place to go and get out all of their energy and spend more time w/ their daddy. Now that the kids are older and can/want to go to camp all day, summers are a nice break for me. I still have the baby, but it's still a bit of a break. Chelsea will be coming in to town next week and the kids always look forward to spending time w/ her. She will be here all summer but she has been signed up for some Summer Activities to keep her entertained w/ a little more than AJ and Aleigh's company. The three of them argue regularly by the end of summer, but still complain when the day comes to an end and it's time to take Chelsea home. Next summer I am sure I will be a little more busy w/ a toddler on our hands!

A Nice Memorial Day

Today we finished cleaning house and then loaded the kids up for a trip to the Cheesecake Factory! I have been wanting to go there since my Birthday and my mom gave me a gift card, so we decided today was the day to spend it. On the way up we decided since we were going to be on the North end we would stop at Ikea and pick up a few things we have been wanting/needing from there. The kids were so excited to go to Ikea and play in the play area w/ the huge ball pit, that they hardly ate anything at the Cheesecake Factory. We couldn't have picked a better time to go! If you ever want to go to the Cheesecake Factory and avoid the crowds, go between 3-4 p.m! We were in and out of there in like 45 minutes! Ansley handled the trip well, until we were almost home, then she was just flat out pissed off that I wasn't feeding her!

We had a great weekend and spent a lot of time at home..well me and the girls did since we didn't go to the Braves game! It was really nice to wake up and go at our own pace w/out any obligations this weekend! That just doesn't happen very often! I know one of my obligations for next weekend is going to be to see the "Sex In The City" movie! I can't wait! I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend!

A little bit of a blast from the past!

So I wanted to add an extra post today because my mom sent me some pictures that I have mentioned in my previous postings. Remember the "Sibling Love" post when I mentioned that there was one picture of James and I showing any sort of affection towards one another when we were little. Well this is the picture of us at the Ronald McDonald playhouse w/ me in my red clogs (darn, you can't hardly see them and I LOVED those shoes) going down the slide together! It's a little blurry, but it really is us...don't know what in the world was going on w/ my hair back then!









This is the "Then and Now" photo of the three J's, James, Jena, and Jeffrey! The "Then" picture was taken when they were 2 years old in 1978! I love their facial expressions!!! I just had to share this!





So every time we fly out to Salt Lake City, I usually insist that we go by our old house. The only house I ever knew from my early childhood! I have very fond memories in that house...even though I shared a room w/ both my brothers! James and I had bunk beds and Bryson was still in a crib. It was very cramped in our bedroom w/ beautiful lime green carpet! ;) My mom and dad had baby blue carpet and the rest of the house was burgundy carpet. We had two bedrooms and just one bathroom! We did have a basement, but my dad never did get a chance to finish it. In our backyard we had a cherry tree, strawberry bushes, and a sandbox w/ a swing set cemented in...which was a big deal! That meant that we could swing as high as we wanted and the swing set wouldn't tip over! We had a trampoline and spent many slumber parties sleeping out there! Many family get together's were spent in that house. I had a Strawberry Shortcake toy box that was just one big giant strawberry and me and my cousins would empty it so they could hide in there and hopefully get to stay the night! My childhood best friend, Amy, lived next door and in the summer our families would play "Red Light, Green Light," "Ring Around the Rosies," "London Bridges," and "Red Rover Red Rover" until dark! It was a fun place to grow up and I had a lot of friends that lived on our block! To this day my mom is still best friends w/ an old neighbor who lived down the street and went to work for Delta w/ my mom, Lesa Frakes. Well, the neighborhood is not a nice looking place AT ALL anymore! I got a very yucky feeling driving through there this last time, and decided it was the last time I needed to drive through there! AJ and Aleigh were like "You lived here mom?! These houses are so small!" The black and white photo was taken back in 1981. The colored photo was taken from the car window last week while we were in Salt Lake.














I figured since I just posted on "First Time" I could share memories from the first home my parents ever owned. We lived in this house from 1979 - 1988, and I have many fond memories in that house. Thanks for listening to me reminisce!

First Time!

As promised, I am posting photo's of AJ at his first Braves game! Joe insisted on staying up late to make that poster for AJ in hopes that they would put him on the screen or throw him a ball. Well the poster turned out great, didn't it? They didn't get there as early as Joe wanted them to and missed seeing the players practice, but I don't think that was as important to AJ as eating his "Oh's" cereal and cinnamon toast! AJ came home and told me all about the coke bottle made out of baseball bat's, ball's, gloves, etc. He was really intrigued by Turner Field. His favorite part of the game was watching the Pitchers. He couldn't believe how fast they could throw the ball! However, it didn't entertain him enough to want to stay for the entire game. They left after two hours. He didn't like the sun beating down on him, so we will have to try a night game next time!

Aleigh, Ansley and I didn't go anywhere. Aleigh wanted to stay home and play! We ate lunch together and played Polly Pockets while Ansley took a nap. Once Ansley woke up we sat with Aleigh as she organized all of her polly pockets, My Littlest Pet Shops, and My Little Pony's. She has WAY too many little things. We are going to have to do some serious toy cleaning w/ strict rules once Ansley is grabbing, crawling and putting things in her mouth!

We had another "First Time" today! My dad, who got Ansley to smile for the first time, recently discovered a new way to get big grins out of Ansley. If you take her feet and bring them to her stomach so that she is practically tickling her stomach w/ her feet, she smiles really big and acts like she wants to laugh! Well, today I thought I would take it a little farther and brought her foot to her cheek and patted her cheek w/ her foot! She gave me the cutest little belly laugh! It's just one of those milestones that thrills you to your core and brings you to complete tears of joy and laughter!!! I clapped my hands and said "I got the first laugh!!!" Aleigh looked at me like I was crazy and said "Mommy it's not nice to brag!" I was just so excited! She is the first child that has given me the first laugh! I called Joe and got her to laugh on the phone! He loved it!

So after a day in the sun at the Braves game, and a lot of laughs, we actually sat down and had dinner as a family tonight! The most amazing part is....I COOKED! I cook for the kids all the time, but I will usually make something different and Joe will eat whatever is left when he comes home at 10 p.m. The kids always love it when we have dinner together at home. They will say "Look we are eating like a family!" I wish that was something we could do more often, but with Joe's schedule, it just doesn't work that way! It is, however a nice trade to have him home in the mornings to make breakfast and get the kids off to school!

A Good Day for A Swim!

Today was a HOT day in Sharpsburg, Georgia! When I woke up this morning the house was nice and quiet, which is probably why Ansley and I were able to sleep until 10:30! I had to go looking for Joe and the kids and finally found them playing outside...well the kids were playing, and Joe was cleaning out the garage, loading up his truck with his 4th load to goodwill (4th load over the last month), and getting out the blow up pool we purchased for $20 at Walmart at the end of the season last year. As you can see from the picture above, he was able to get the pool put up for the kids and they LOVE it! I told them that one day we will have a house with a real inground pool in our backyard and AJ said "Well, can we take this one with us?" It's amazing how happy a $20 pool can make them! I love it because I can be inside and watch them the entire time, as you can see from the photo below. I took that photo while I was standing at the kitchen sink, I loved having them be so close and still be outside having a blast!

Needless to say, we didn't get out of the house today...well Joe went to Goodwill and to my parents house to borrow a bike so he could go for a bike ride w/ AJ this evening. Oh, and we did go to Kohls this evening to purchase Braves T-Shirts for Joe and AJ. They are going to AJ's first Major League Baseball game tomorrow and have GREAT seats right behind 3rd base! I will post on that tomorrow! They will have a great time! I asked Aleigh what she wants to do tomorrow since it will just be us girls, and she said she wanted me to go and buy a bathing suit so that I can swim with her tomorrow. Unfortunatly I don't see that happening w/ Ansley. That water is WAY too cold! Hopefully I can think of something brilliant so that we can have a fun day too, and Aleigh won't hold it against me for not going swimming! Do you think I can make shopping or a movie sound like more fun....I doubt it! It's amazing how the simple things make kids so happy, and it often doesn't even involve money! My kids love it when we sit down to play cards or a board game with them, watch a movie with them, or even just sit outside and watch them play! I will go outside with Aleigh tomorrow and hang out w/ her by the pool, I am sure that will make her happy too!