he'd rather be outside.

I took P to the new Jump and Play at the front of the neighborhood one day last week. It's a really great place that has loads of inflatables for kids of all ages. Small bouncers for the little tikes, medium slides for the middle-aged kids, and great big steep slides for the grown-ups big kids. Kids two and under play for free, so for us stay-at-home/part-time moms that have little or no income, this is a great guilt-free thing to do with your kids. However, if your child is like my child, don't waste your time and energy on this place. They would rather be outside.


I finally convinced P to try some of the inflatables. He was too big for the small bouncers, too bored with the medium ones, but the great big gigantic steep slide....it was just right. Let's just say that I got a phenomenal workout carrying P up the steep ladder then sliding down the fast and scary slide about a hundred times. All the while, P is squealing with excitement. And I couldn't let him down. So we kept climbing and sliding and sliding and climbing until he was slap worn out. I'm just glad he gave the indoors a chance. It can be fun, too.

junk yard sale.

My sister, my mom, and I all organized a multi-family yard sale on Friday and Saturday. I cannot stand clutter, so I was happy to contribute some of my junk to the sale.


It was a lot more work than I expected, but we made a decent amount of some much needed cash. I still cannot get over the things that these people bought from us. A used trash can. Cheap tote bags with pharmacy software logos stamped across the front. One lady even tried to buy a newborn onesie that had "Phoenix" monogrammed on the front. Seriously. How many people have children named Phoenix? I quickly told her that it was not for sale. I guess "one mans's junk is another man's treasure" is a very true statement. P tagged along on Friday to witness the madness. He was a trooper. He ate his breakfast of o's (Cheerios) in his high chair on the front lawn.


He made it clear to the shoppers that several of his old toys and a few of my dad's gadgets and gizmos were no longer for sale. He was not sure how they got mistaken as junk, but he would just take them back home with him. He even got stickered along with the gazillion other items for sale. (Seriously. I really had at least 10 people ask me how much I wanted for him. I just stated that he was priceless.)


And then he took a nap until the sale was over. He was a cooperative little fella. I had a great time with my mom and sister and we shared a lot of laughs. I will never forget our little junk sale.

15 months.

Phoenix is


months old today.

He loves....
fruit of all kinds.
dogs.
cats.
the color yellow.
his Curious George stuffed animal.
vanilla soymilk.
golfing with plastic clubs.
his crib.
his blankie.
his paci.

His vocabulary includes....
nite-nite
bye-bye
momma
daddy
banana (nana)
dog
cat
hot
yellow
truck.
He also knows about ten additional signs.

He can point out body parts on demand. "Phoenix, where's your head?" He can also show you his belly, nose, ears, eyes, mouth, teeth, feet, and hands. But he doesn't point at his mouth. No. Instead, he sticks his tongue in and out like a lizard. Silly boy.

He gives good hugs and kisses. He even gives George hugs and kisses. And he gets excited about going night night. He loves his crib. Loves his blanket. And upon awakening, he will stay in his crib talking and playing, content as can be. He goes to sleep at 9pm. Wakes up at 9am. Very nice.

We are loving this age, to the max. Fifteen months is the best age yet. We love our little buddy to pieces.

indoor pool.

We are a creative bunch, me and P. It is too hot to play outside. Too hot to go to the park. Almost too hot to go to Target. (God forbid.) So we play in our imaginary indoor pool. P plays with his indoor shovel while floating in his indoor float. I enjoy the wee bit of sunlight that creeps indoors through the foyer sidelights. And we stay cool indoors. With our new and improved indoor air condition. P is happy. I am happy. Life is good. Indoors.



(And, yes, I realize that P's float is a tad bit girly. I truly believed that I was buying a frog float, not a frog princess' throne float. Oh, well. P likes it. And he has not yet learned that pink is for girls. So it will do for now.)

splish splash.

These summer days sure have been sweltering hot. Too hot for Granny and P's traditional Monday morning wagon ride to the park. Granny came up with an alternative great way to keep P entertained, cool, and outside. A splash pool! This has to be one of the greatest blow up toys on the planet. You inflate the inflatable parts. Attach the water hose to fill. And, voila. You have a tropical oasis designed especially for a toddler. Complete with a whale slide, stacking rings, and water spraying action. (That came straight from the box.) This thing is great. And it's portable. Inflated, it is 7 feet long. Deflated, it will fit in a shoe box. We will definitely be taking this one to the lake in the near future.




Oh, and by the way, our upstairs air condition broke last night. On one of the hottest days of the summer. And where are all five bedrooms in this house? Upstairs. Nice. It is difficult to get comfortable when the inside temperature in our bedrooms was somewhere around 80 degrees. Needless to say, we were a sweaty and sleepy bunch this morning. But the nice A/C man came and took care of things this morning. Turns out we only needed to replace an $80 part. So tonight, I am cranking the A/C down super low and hoping for a cool and restful night's sleep for us all.

three father's days and a birthday.

Could be a movie, huh? Busy, busy (but fun) day. I'll try to recount....

Part 1
We took my father-in-law out to eat to celebrate his greatness as a father. And he is a great one. I couldn't ask for a better father-in-law. Took a few pictures, but the restaurant was too dark and I HATE FLASH and refuse to use it. Happy Father's Day, James!

------

Part 2
To the love of my life and the greatest dad a boy could ask for, happy father's day to my wonderfully perfect husband. He is our rock. He sets an incredible example for our son. He's fun, funny, caring, and patient. The perfect dad in every way. We appreciate him more than words can describe. Thank you for everything that you do. We love you very much.


------

Part 3
And a Happy Father's Day to my wonderful dad.


My birthday falls on father's day every so many years, and I always love to share this day with him. He always says, "It wouldn't be Father's Day for me if it weren't for your birthday." True. But it also wouldn't be my birthday if it weren't for my dad. Thanks, dad, for being a great father. You put up with a lot from us crazy girls. And for that, we will always be thankful. I will always be your little girl and I love you very much.

Part 4
Another year older, another year wiser. (Although I feel I am slipping in the wiser category. Nine years of college, now nothing. Maybe I should add a few more college years to my resume.) Yep. Today I turned twenty-nine. One more year before the big one. I better live.it.up. The family came over for a picnic (of course) and homemade ice cream. Yummy. Here are some pictures from our afternoon at the reservoir.









It's been another great year in the life of me. Can't wait to see what the next year brings.

picnic at the pool.

Aunt Jenny and Amy and her two kids came down today and we all headed over to the pool for a picnic and some playtime. We packed a yummy lunch of chicken salad sandwiches, fresh fruit, and chips and ate until our hearts were content, then headed straight for the water to cool off. Today was a scorcher....99 degrees! The water was refreshing and the kids had a great time.

Like always, P was more interested in the woods than the water.



Aunt Jenny is way too good to little P. She fixed his fishing pole.


Let him share her chair.


And fed him cookies.


He couldn't ask for a better aunt. Good thing he only has one, because she'd be a tough act to follow.

And here's Amy and six week old Tommy. As always, the baby was an angel. He stayed cool and comfortable thanks to his own personal mini fan. He had it made in the shade.



It was a great day spent with my favorite people. Can't wait until next time! But next time, let's make sure it's not the hottest day of the summer.

watering.

Watering the plants and flowers (and everything else) has become a new favorite activity for P. He actually "requests" to go outside and water. His request goes something like this: "Shhhhhh. Shhhhhh. Huh? Shhhhhh. Huh? Huh?" Translation: Can we go outside to water the flowers? Please? Please? You see, the "shhhhh" is his sound effect for the water hose. The same sound effect is used when he "squirts water" from the hose on his fire truck. It's just too cute. We've actually become quite good at interpreting P's baby talk. I would say we can finally understand about 75 percent of his babble and sign language. (He knows about eight American Sign Language signs. And he is learning more everyday. But that is for another post.) Anyway, back to watering.

Watering the driveway.


Watering himself.


Watering the air.


Good thing we're no longer under watering restrictions. Now, if we can just get him to actually water the plants.

discovery.

Ummmm....so I just discovered that Adobe Photoshop has a FREE 30-day trial for CS4!!! I am super excited! I have wanted this program for a long, long time, even though I have NO idea how to use it or how to edit photos, BUT, I am still super excited! Check out my first editing attempts.

Before

After

I used a vintage action and then tweaked his eye color just a tad. What do you think? I think I'm hooked. Too bad I only have thirty days to play....

point taken.

I think P has made his point. No pictures on this Monday. No blog. Just quality time with my husband and some much needed peace and quiet.

a tad bit ocd.

We kept to our usual Sunday routine of picnicking at the reservoir. We invited our friends Jeremy, Jill and their son Jackson over to join us. Too bad P was a little cranky. But we enjoyed ourselves just the same.


Jack a had great time splashing in the lake.


And P had a great time sorting rocks in the fire pit.



Good job, P. Those rocks are so tidy and organized. All lined up like little ducks in a row. I'm so proud.


Can one year olds be OCD? He definitely has his momma's organizational skills.

He also watched the birds.



I think the little booger wore himself out. Maybe he'll sleep later than 4 am tonight. I'm crossing my fingers.


We had a great time with the Crosby's. Two gatherings in one weekend....this is the most we've hung out since the boys were born. Let's keep it up!

friend or foe.

P has a love/hate relationship with the leaf blower. He cries when we crank it up. He cries when we turn it off. He's not quite sure how he feels about the obnoxious noise it makes. And he definitely does not like the air to touch him. But tonight, he made peace with the blower.


The blower has buttons and switches. And P likes this.



They are new found friends. And this makes P happy.

saluting a hero.

This week, Henry county lost one of its finest in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Sgt. 1st Class John C. Beale received a hero's homecoming as his body was returned to his hometown of McDonough, where he will be laid to rest. The citizens of Henry county lined the streets along the route of the motorcade to show their sympathy, gratitude, and patriotism for the fallen soldier, his family, and to the other men and women who continue to fight for our freedom. Some waved flags, some cried, some saluted. And everyone was moved. Moved by his story. That he made the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for our freedom. I am forever thankful to him and to all the other soldiers that continue to serve our country.



It’s the soldier, not the reporter, that gives you freedom of the press. It’s the soldier, not the poet, that gives you freedom of speech. It’s the soldier, not the campus organizer, that allows you to demonstrate. It’s the soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is draped with the flag....
-Jack Exum




Today, I say a prayer. I pray that God will be with Sgt. Beale and his family. I pray that God will watch over and protect our soldiers as they protect us. Bless those that have fought for our freedom. And enable me to teach our son the awesomeness of the freedom we so often take for granted. Destroy all division. Take away violence and hatred. And give us peace. Amen.

sea creatures and kid monsters.

Aunt Jenny, cousin Amy, and I took the kiddos to the Georgia Aquarium for a day of fishy fun. Three adults and three kids, age range of five weeks to three years, met at Ikea then piled into Amy's FIVE passenger SUV and carpooled over to the tank to see some fish. (You cannot say we don't care about our environment parking fees.)

The kids were absolute angel(fish). The baby of the bunch, little Thomas, slept THE ENTIRE TIME, all three hours, and I'm not exaggerating. My son was not an easy baby, so I was amazed by this little one's cooperation.


We came to see some fish, and boy, did we see some fish! (And octopus, sharks, otters, squid, whales, urchins, sea rays and several other creatures that I was not able to identify.)




I don't know who was more excited, me or the kids. P was more amazed than excited. His neck will probably be stiff tomorrow from looking up so much.


P and his favorite aunt.


I said, "Phoenix, look at all the fish", and P grabbed the fish on his shirt. We specifically picked out this outfit for our trip to the aquarium and I had been showing him the fish on his shirt all morning. He made the connection immediately. I could not be prouder.


And here's the rest of the gang, Amy and Nicholas.


I think this was a freshwater fish, maybe a bass. I don't know. I definitely don't claim to be a marine biologist. But what I do know is that I heart this picture.


And this creature was a half creepy, half beautiful seahorse of some sorts.


We had a blast, although I'm not sure if we had more fun at the aquarium or on the ride home. Remember, six people in a five-seater jeep. And, of course, I get us lost and a cop pulls out right behind us and follows us for at least ten minutes. My sister is sitting in my lap in the front seat. Not cool. I think Jenny almost wet her pants she was so nervous. I think the cop ignored our law breaking once he realized there were three children under four safely buckled in the backseat. He knew we already had enough to deal with. The things we'll do to save a buck. I think we learned our lesson.