Tis the Season

I really can't complain, because Bird has been SUPER healthy this fall/winter. Especially compared to last year when he had numerous ear infections, several stomach viruses, RSV, and a perpetual cold. This season, so far, it's only been a cold. But ohhh the snot!!! Poor Bird had a fever, cough, and lots of green snot for about 4 days this past week/weekend. And of course the plethora of snot and frequent coughing leads to throwing up. Yuck. Today, though,  the fever is gone, the snot has slowed down and the cough is better... but now my nose is drippy, I'm sneezing my head off, and I sound like I'm in a barrell. Thanks for sharing, Bird! Oh well. Tis the season.

The toddler and the toilet

So last week I had the bright idea that I could get the bathrooms cleaned while Bird watched The Jungle Book (which he watches at least twice every day). After turning on "The Book" as Bird calls it, I started my least favorite chore by pouring cleaner in both toilet bowls. As I was returning from a quick papertowel run in the kitchen, I found Bird in the bathroom elbow deep in the toilet bowl. He was swirling the water around, soaking wet, and having a GREAT time. What a great helper! :)

Fall Fun

So I'm a bit behind... sorry.
The last weekend in October, we went to the lake with Mom and Dad. We had fun just being together. We sat in front of the fire, watched football, played outside, and walked around Downtown BlueRidge.

When we got home, it was Halloween! We carved a pumpkin, Bird dressed up like a giraffe, and we took him to a few houses for candy. And oh my goodness, he LOVED the candy! He ate 2 mini Snickers bars and a sugar cookie in one sitting!

Last weekend I worked a vendor table at the county schools' Holly Jolly Market. It was a long time to sit, but it was definitely worth it. I signed a new recruit and booked several parties!

This week, Jacin has been working 12-hour days with head-to-toe hives and Bird has been cutting some back teeth. Whew! And I can't believe Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks from today!! C R A Z Y !!!

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend Bird and I were in Gwinnett with Meme & Big Daddy for a wedding shower. It was a busy weekend, but we were able to fit in a quick trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

And just for kicks.... here's a pic of Jackson Bird at the Pumpkin Patch LAST YEAR.

Fall-Like Weekend

This past week has been pretty laid-back: errands, housework, playing with tractors, and naps. This weekend we went to an outdoor wedding, and it actually felt like fall!!

Here are a few pics from this weekend:

 I can't wait to go to the lake in a few weekends to see the leaves and eat caramel apples!

Chooo Choooo!

So Bird is LOVING trains. It probably has to do with the fact that, from our own living room, we can hear trains go through town no less than 20 times every day. That's not an exaggeration. I've often wondered how we never once heard a train when we were looking at this house to buy it. Anyway...

Bird also loves dinosaurs. He likes watching the PBS show Dinosaur Train, and he has some coloring books and board books with dinosaurs.

Put all that together and... whenever Bird sees a dinosaur (like tonight on his PJs), he points to the dino and says, "chooo choooo!" Silly Bird. :)

Fall!!!

I've held out as long as possible. I decided today was the day to decorate for fall. But my rule for decorating is the house must be clean before I get out any decorations. Sooo... today was full of laundry, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning bathrooms. (I HATE cleaning the bathrooms. All the other stuff I can handle, no problem.) Luckily, Bird was very content to follow me around or sit behind the couch and play with his tractors, so I got a lot done in a short amount of time.

When Jacin got home tonight, I baked Peach bread (Laney's recipe), made dinner, and decorated!! It feels like fall inside. Now if only the weather outside would cooperate. And it's crazy to think that in 2 months, I'll take down the fall decorations and put up the Christmas decor! Time flies when you're having fun!

And in other (but more important) news:
Bird has figured out how to climb up and sit down in the kitchen chairs. He thinks he is big stuff. And once he gets situated, he grabs whatever's on the table (magazine, newspaper, etc) and "reads" it. :) Very cute!
Also, tonight he ate green peas!!!! This is a huge deal!!! Yay for my Baby Bird!

"The Sun'll Come Out...

...tomorrow, so you'd better hang on till tomorrow! They'll be sun!"
Is the tune stuck in your head, yet? ;)

After a rough day yesterday, the sun came out today. We had a great Saturday just being together and doing some around-the-house chores. Here are a few pics of the Bird helping his Daddy with the yard work on the 1st Official Day of FALL!!!!

A Bit Behind

So I haven't blogged in a while. Honestly, I've had so many things on my "To-Do-After-Jackson-Goes-to-Bed" List each night that I haven't had time to blog. So here's a quick catch-up:

FUN IN THE SUN
Last week we went to Panama City Beach with Jacin's family. We stayed in a house that was right on the beach and had a great time.

The Bird Man playing on the beach.

Dinner at Angelo's Steak House.

New favorite thing: the water hose.

GOOD NEWS AT THE DR

This week Bird and I went to Atlanta for a neurology appointment. We haven't been since January, and he's been doing great! The neurologist said he looked perfect, and we don't have to come back until next April when he'll have his 2 year MRI. Good news! So thankful for a healthy little Bird.

MOVIN IN

For the last 2 weeks, Bird's big-boy teeth have been moving in. I know his mouth is hurting because he's drooling like a maniac and loving the Tylenol. Poor little guy. BUT, suddenly, like overnight, he has started eating table food. Boom! It just happened. It's like he woke up Monday and decided to stop gagging and throwing food and just EAT!!! No more dreading meal time! Nice!

TODDLER FOR SALE

Today was one of those days... and there are probably several contributing factors.

1. Bird is teething, so he's not in the best humor.

2. We're off schedule. Ever since going to the beach, we're going to bed later (like 9:30pm) and getting up later (like 9am) in the mornings. This means everything (including NAP TIME!!!) is off schedule.

3. Bird loves being outside so much that being indoors simply won't do. At all. He expresses his displeasure by flopping down in front of the garage door, kicking his feet, and crying.

4. I'm PMSing.

So combine all of those factors and maybe you'll understand why I briefly considered putting Bird up for sale. (Not really, but you're getting the point, right?) 

Here's just an example of today's frustrations. Picture this: Despite the fact that I took Bird to the park this morning to chase the geese for an hour, he refused to nap and insisted on sitting in front of the back door crying until I took him outside. I decided to take him out to play in the kiddie pool in the back yard. (After all, I'm hoping we won't have too many 80-degree days left this year!) I changed clothes and put Bird into a swim diaper, swim suit, shirt, and hat; doused him with sunscreen; gathered the phone, toys & towels to go out; filled up the kiddie pool; and took Bird out to enjoy the sunshine. We were out there for 10 minutes when the sun went behind the clouds and it started raining. Pouring. We had to come inside. He was NOT happy. Sigh.

I was SO looking forward to Jacin coming home tonight. We were planning to go to the park to walk/run and then cook London Broil on the grill for dinner. "How did that go?" you might ask??

Well.....I JUST got Bird to go to sleep and Jacin is STILL at work. It's 10:00pm. 

Time to read the Bible, pray for patience, and get some sleep so tomorrow will be a better day.

Apples!

The recent tropical storm has brought lots of rain and cooler temps! With that and our purchase of apples at Mercier's last weekend, it feels like fall! Since we've got so many apples (called Beni Shogun - close cousin to the Fuji - our favorites!), I made apple muffins and a loaf of apple bread tonight. The bread will be done in a few minutes, so I've got to hurry.

Here are a few pics from labor day weekend at the lake:

Driving the boat with Big Daddy

Showing Meme the moon

We ran out of gas in the middle of the lake.
Bird helped us paddle in. :)

Today, Bird was extra fussy, had loads of snot, and kept a low fever all day. Maybe it's his teeth? Who knows. Hoping he'll be back to his happy little Birdy self tomorrow.

Boxes, Wipes, and Donuts

I've been getting shipments from Pampered Chef pretty often over the last few weeks. Bird always gets so excited when a package is delivered because he loves playing in the boxes.

Yesterday, Bird's wipe box was empty. I opened his closet to get out a new package, and when I turned around, Bird was running around with the wipe box on his head - like a hat. He's still obsessed with hats.

Today, we ran to WalMart for a few things. While there, I picked up a chocolate frosted donut for Bird and I to share. He finished it in the car on the way home. I had already prepared myself for a chocolaty mouth and hands, so I thought it would all be okay. I scooped Bird out of his car seat, brought him in the house, and put him down while I got some wet paper towels for the clean-up. During the 2.5 seconds that I wasn't holding Bird, he ran over to the kitchen wall and smeared his chocolaty hands and mouth all over the yellow paint on the wall. I'm really not sure what possessed him to do it, but he thought it was very funny. Thank God for clorox wipes. :)

Excellent Quote

I'm finishing up my reading in our book club book, Premeditated Parenting by Steve Nelson. I read a quote in the last chapter that I though was excellent:

"Your children will either be missionaries or mission fields. Your children will either be actively trying to reach someone else, or someone else will be trying to reach your children. They will be proclaiming the word of Christ, or they will be having some other message proclaimed to them. They will be visionary, or they will be open to someone else's vision."

Pretty thought-provoking.

Beatin the Heat

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but Jackson doesn't get to go outside to play a whole lot right now. Call me crazy, but I'm just not super excited about getting lathered up with sunscreen and bug spray just to go out and have a heat stroke in the Georgia summer sun. I'm not really a fan of this intense heat. BUT... this afternoon, the sky clouded over and a delightful breeze blew in, so OUT we went!

We ran around in the yard, spent some time swinging, and played in the wading pool. It was GREAT! Thank you, Lord, for comfortable outside weather (and for an $8 wading pool)!

The pasta fork is one of his favorite water toys.

Trying to drink the pool water

He even reads in the water!

The Blessing of Multiplication

Right after college, I was the youth ministry for an incredible group of kids at Calvary Baptist Church in Rome. Those kids and their families were exceptional in so many ways. I call those youth "my kids," because I felt a huge sense of involvement in and responsibility for their spiritual growth. God used me to teach them, and them to teach me. Those were years of INTENSE growth for me. And now, it's such an awesome blessing to see some of those youth as adults (some married with children!!) pouring their lives into the lives of the youth at CBC. Same church, but a different group of teenagers with a new generation of leaders. I am SO PROUD of each one of them, and it's always a blessing to hear from "my kids" to know what's going on in their lives.

This past weekend, a few of "my kids" led a Life, Love & Dating retreat for the CBC youth. I did this with them when they were in the CBC youth group, and now they're continuing the tradition using the curriculum I wrote a few years ago. Here's a message from Alyssa, one of "my kids:"

So, Josh Clark has talked to Taylor Vaughn and I about doing a Life, Love, and Dating Retreat again with the high schoolers. We have just been remembering how awesome that was when we were that age and how important it is that our high schoolers now hear that too. While doing some exploring and researching, I found the material that I believe you wrote back in 2006 when we did the last one. Would it be ok with you if we used your material? Just let me know what you think about it! Thanks Hailey! Love you friend!!

 Tonight, I received this message from Josh Clark, one of "my kids:"

I just want to tell you thank you for allowing us to use your material for this weekend. This weekend was awesome! We had a total of 19 youth there to enlighten! And also want to thank you for teaching us when we were that age. The youth that you had back in the day, are at the age now where we talk about what we did when we were in the youth and want today's youth to experience it also. It's funny how God uses you in situations to teach and to be taught. With the youth not having a youth pastor right now, it's taught your youth to stand in the gap to teach the youth there. Without you teaching us to bond and to stick together a few years ago (more like 6 years ago, wow), I don't think we would have done some of the things that we have done for these kids. It's been a team effort. (sorry if it sounds like i am rumbling on but it was on my heart)


Friends, I love you very much, and you are such a blessing to me! Josh & Alyssa - please don't kill me for using your messages to me. I just treasure your words and never want to forget how I witnessed God accomplishing things through you!


Thank you, God, for allowing me to be part of the disciple-making process with these incredibly special kids (now adults!). I pray that you would continue to use them to build your kingdom and bring you glory. May they teach others about your love, and those in turn teach others, who then teach others.

The Mystery Polka-Dot Virus

Well, so much for the humdrum week. I took Bird to the doctor Friday because he still had a fever and the spots had multiplied. After an appointment with the doctor and some bloodwork (NO fun!), it was determined that he has a virus. Can't remember the name of it, but I'm just calling it the Polka-dot virus. Poor little Bird. These pics were taken yesterday, and the dots are WORSE today (if you can imagine that). His fever broke today, though, so maybe tomorrow the dots will disappear.

And I'm sure you noticed, of course, that this mystery illness has not affected his hat fetish. Love my baby Bird!

This and That

I haven't blogged in a few days, primarily because I don't have anything very interesting to say. I'm not complaining - I'm just saying that life has been blissfully humdrum this week. :) But, here are a few things to keep you up to date:

1. Date Night - Jacin took me on a date Saturday night. We went to see a movie (the 1st in the last 3 years for us), dinner at Olive Garden, and dessert at Brusters. Yum!

2. Hat - Bird has decided that hats are mandatory accessories. Not only does he wear one when we go out to run errands, but he also wears one at all times in the house. If it happens to fall off or he misplaces it (for 2 seconds), he grabs my hand and pats his head with his other hand, trying to tell me he's lost his hat. Here are some pictures of the hat obsession (take on several different days):

Helping with laundry (with his hat on)

Eating lunch (with his hat on)

Riding Rascal (with his hat on)

Peeping out (from under his hat)

3. Dog Hair Reduction - So I've blogged before about our dog hair woes. BUT I now have a furminator. It was quite expensive, but I see it as a home improvement investment. So far, it's really helping! The other factor to consider is that, due to Bird riding Rascal like a horse (see above pic), the dog now spends most daytime hours hiding from Jackson, so the dog hair is more confined to one room.

4. First Day of School - tomorrow is the first day of school for Gordon County. I went up to AMS today to leave a few notes & candy bars for some of my teacher friends. I have to say that I really do miss being at school, working with other teachers and anticipating a new group of kids. However, I do NOT miss the dread and guilt I felt all day, every day, when I had to leave Bird in daycare. Even though I loved teaching, I  L O V E being at home with Bird. No contest.

5. Pampered Chef - my new Pampered Chef business that I started in April is growing! I have a friend working with me now, and I'm hoping to continue adding to my team. For the months of June and July, I've been the top seller in my director's cluster! And, in just 4 months, I've sold over $10,000 worth of products! This means I'm only $5,000 away from a pay raise! I love being my own boss and growing my business (from home!!).

6. Fever + Spots - Bird had his 15 month vaccinations 2 weeks ago. They warned us that some kids (less than one-third) develop a fever and a few red bumps about 7 to 14 days after the injections. Well, of course Bird would be one of those kids. Today is his 2nd day with a fever of 102 and lots of tiny red bumps on his tummy. He's a trooper, tho, my baby Bird. :)  If he's not better tomorrow, I'm calling the doctor to find out if it's just a reaction to the ChickenPox vaccine, or if he has the Pox for real.

Happy (Late) Mothers Day to ME!!!

Jacin gave me a backyard swing for Mothers Day (it just wasn't built yet). Now, 2 months later, my handy hubby has built and hung the swing. We've also hung Bird a swing, too! Now I just need to buy several gallons of insect repellent, and maybe an outdoor air-conditioning unit so we can enjoy it. Sheesh. Gotta love Georgia summers.

Check this out:

Looks pretty professional, doesn't it? Jacin's proud of it, and so am I! I have a very talented guy.
Thanks, Jace!

Book Club Fridays

For the last few weeks, some of my Mommy friends have come over on Fridays for a book club. We're reading Premeditated Parenting by Steve Nelson. Great book. Based on the Bible and full of practical suggestions. The chapter we discussed this week was on discipline. This was especially relevant for me because Jackson definitely understands "no," but often chooses to ignore it. Repeatedly.

What I loved about reading and discussing this chapter was the Scripture the author used. Who knew there was so much in the Bible about discipline?

Proverbs especially has lots of advice about discipline:
Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death. Prv 19:18
Discipline (or lack thereof) can have life or death consequences!

Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. Prv 29:17
This, after all, is what I want - for Jackson to bring us peace and delight and to please God.

One of my favorite quotes in this chapter -  When I first read this, it made me think of my Dad. This is something he might write. :)
"Don't waiver on this. If your child wants to challenge your authority, rise to the challenge. It's time to go to battle. That is the loving and right thing to do. God has put you in charge, and He expects that you can and will win."

Dog Hair

I love Rascal and I love having him inside for Bird to play with, but I HATE dog hair in the house. If you know me well, you know that I vacuum our entire house EVERY DAY. Like I said, I don't like dog hair.

Well, last week I got the bright idea to borrow a steam cleaner to clean the carpets in our bedrooms. A friend from church loaned us one this afternoon, and I just couldn't wait to use it. I love a clean house! I (of course) thoroughly vacuumed before using it. Apparently it wasn't enough. Half way through cleaning, the steamer choked. Jacin spent an hour taking it apart, cleaning clumps of dog hair out of it, washing all the parts, and putting it back together. It was GROSS.

The whole time I felt HORRIBLE!  I was so afraid that we had ruined the borrowed steamer, and I just couldn't believe that much dog hair was still in our carpets after my obsessive vacuuming. And I know you're probably reading this thinking, "why is she blogging about dog hair?" Well, I just had to vent. Sometimes the little things can become a BIG HAIRY DEAL!!!

And just FYI: the steam cleaner runs just like new thanks to my handy husband, and we are now seriously saving up for a fence.

Bird Days

After traveling to Chicago last week for Pampered Chef National Conference, this week has been nice and calm, full of wonderfully normal things like cleaning, doing laundry, and running errands. Having said that, there are a few things worth remembering in the midst of the mundane.

1. Ball! Bird is lovin' balls right now. Monday while we were grocery shopping at WalMart, Bird reached back into the buggy, picked up a head of cabbage that I had selected, and threw it at a woman passing by. "Ball! Ball!" he chanted as I picked up the cabbage from the floor and apologized to the lady. Ooops! Cabbage is round, though, so I can see why he was confused. 

2. Vrrroooom. Vrroooom. That's all I hear all day long. Car, truck, and tractor noises are apparently appropriate for any toy he plays with. He even "vrooommm vrrooomed" from his stroller today while we were running errands. 

3. Slobber. Jackson is getting in some back teeth, and so the slobber is pretty intense. Yesterday he was leaning over Rascal, driving his tractor across Rascal's back. When he got up, I noticed that Rascal's fur was drenched with slobber. Gross. Poor dog!

4. Trouble! Bird is very busy and he loves to push the limits. Sometimes when I grab his hands and kneel down to scold him, he jerks his hands back, swats at me, and gives me a good dose of jibberish in his best scolding tone. It's hard not to laugh. 

5. Tomorrow is our last day of Summer Kindermusik. We have really enjoyed the "Mommy and Me" class. Here's a picture of Bird playing with an instrument at last week's session:

Mom's Favorite Things

There are many things I love about being a stay-at-home Mom. Here are just a few:

1. Time to vacuum - daily. I HATE seeing stuff (especially dog hair) on my floors. Bird loves each morning's vacuuming. He gets great exercise running back and forth in front of the vacuum.

2. No alarm clock. Instead of waking up (at 5 am) to Baaaa - Baaaa - Baaaa, I wake up to Mommmmma (at 7am)!! Which do I prefer? Little Birdy chirps, no contest.

3. No schedule. Most days I have a few things I need to accomplish at some point, but for the most part I don't feel hurried or overwhelmed (which is nice!).

4. Time to feel yucky without worrying about it. I was working out in the mornings (gym or walking), but right now I'm not feeling so great in the mornings (understatement!). I'm wearing support hose on my legs, and it's helping a little, but I think I need some sort of full-body support stocking. Do they make those? Maybe I should produce them on my own etsy. (Not really thinking there's a big market for such a thing.) Being at home, I can sit and put my feet up if I need to - no problem. Bird just thinks it's time to read "Go Dog, Go" again. And again.

5. Doing dishes and picking up the house. Good grief! I thought things would be cleaner and more organized now that I'm at home, but I was wrong! Being at home just means Bird has more time to pull EVERYTHING out for play. Including shoes. From my closet. Every day. I'm currently missing a few.... not sure where he hid them.

6. Being with Jackson Bird, watching him do and say new things every day. He's really a funny kid, full of personality (if I do say so myself).  Lately, his favorite thing to do is crawl up and sit on the couch with me to eat a snack. He thinks he's big stuff.

7. Time to run errands during the day instead of in the evenings or on weekends. Although, if Bird's behavior today at the mall is any indication of things to come, we may not be leaving the house again for a W H I L E.

8. Nap time! Right now, Bird takes a morning AND afternoon nap. It's awesome! And he's really good about going down for naps without a fight. During his morning nap (usually 45 minutes), I have a cup of coffee while spending time with God. It really gets me in the right frame of mind for the day. During his afternoon nap (usually 2 hours),  I take care of Pampered Chef business and then take my own nap! Great stuff!

9. Time to start dinner before Jacin gets home. It's nice to have time to plan and fix dinner without feeling stressed about time constraints or worrying about all the other things I have to do before bedtime. Things are just much more relaxed.

Can you tell I'm loving my new job?!?!

Last Week

Last week we went to Hilton Head Island for our annual vacation with my side of the family. It was GREAT! The weather was nice, Bird loved the beach, and we loved spending time with my family. Here are a few highlights:

We went on a few bike rides. Bird chattered the whole time.

He LOVED playing in the sand with Daddy.

Fun in the water with Meme.

Being a Beach Bum is tough work!

Here's the whole gang!

Just for kicks, let's see a picture of the Bird LAST YEAR....

Add caption

And... a review of THIS year....

Time flies when you're havin fun!

A Few Favorite Things

Here are a few of Jackson's favorite things (subject to change tomorrow):

1. Just give the kid a spoon, hairbrush, or shoe and he's happy! It's the simple things in life.

2. The Bird loves his dog. I'm very thankful Rascal is patient.

Gettin some Rascal lovin.

3. Recently, Bird can't get enough of having books read to him. I've read Go, Dog! Go! so many times today, I think I'll probably dream about it!

4. Got a tight space or spare room underneath something? He's there. Over and over again. With his spoon. :)

A favorite spot - under the kitchen table. 

I feel so blessed that I'm able to be at home with him and watch him grow and learn.

4 Years Ago

4 years ago today yesterday, I married my sweetheart. Yes, yesterday was our anniversary, and I forgot to blog about it. Ooops! In my defense, though, it was just an ordinary day with pizza for supper, Vacation Bible School, baths, sandwich-making, and bed time. I must admit, though, that Jacin DID drive through McDonalds and bring me home a sundae on his way home from work. :) I love those sundaes (and him, of course!!).  So shame on me for forgetting. Sorry.

So 4 years ago yesterday...

Jace -
I love you! You are my best friend, and I'm thankful God is allowing us to build a family together.

The WHY

In preparing for my new adventure as a stay-at-home mom, a wise friend suggested that I take time to write a list of reasons WHY I am choosing to stay home. On tough days, I'll have something to give me encouragement and remind me of purpose.

This week I've taken her advice, and during my quiet times I've tried to ask myself WHY Jacin and I made the decision for me to stay home. There are many reasons, and it's hard to put a calling into words, but here is what I have so far:

1. Jesus tells us to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven, not on Earth. Having this mindset, I must evaluate things based on their eternal worth. Investing in my child, showing him the gospel and teaching him by example to love Jesus and others is worth so much more than making money or teaching literature.

2. Because I cannot serve both God and money, I choose to invest my time and energy in my family instead of in financial gain. I will trust God to provide for us. He tells us to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added."

3. By spending more time at home, I will be able to better attend to the needs of my family and our household. I want to make our home a peaceful and stress-free place where we can give and receive the love of Christ with each other instead of worrying about getting everything done before bedtime. Things like taking time to clean, cook dinner, make Jacin's lunch, and come up with new meals for Jackson are all important to enable our family to focus on what's important.  As the proverb says, "By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches" (24:3-4). I want this to be a description of our home.

I know that God wants me to become more like Jesus, and that's what I want for Jackson, too.  My prayer is that my life would be a living example of the incredible love of Jesus for my son to follow and emulate.

And finally, THIS is why I'm staying at home....

Peanut butter ... a new favorite!

Summer time!

So we've done a few fun little things this week.

1. We've discovered a new favorite treat - chocolate covered graham crackers! Yes, please!!!

2. Each night this week, I'm helping with VBS at Oostanaula Baptist. My title is "crowd control" in the three-year-old class. "Whew!" is all I can say about that.

3. Bird and I have run a few errands this week where he has behaved well enough to get out of the buggy and walk beside me. At Target with Mandy, he even pushed the cart!

4. Today we tried out our new $8 plastic wading pool. God bless it!!! What a wonderful invention, good for hours of fun! I'll post pics later this week.