Groundhogs

In a psychology class several semesters ago, I learned that the body goes into a sort of paralysis during REM sleep to keep us from sleep walking, acting out our dreams, or flailing about and hurting ourselves. Well... apparently no one has informed Sean's sleeping body of this fact.

Let me start by saying I am an extremely light sleeper; Sean, however, could sleep through a nuclear bomb exploding outside of our bedroom door and not even wince. So let me set the stage... the first time I discovered Sean's superhuman ability to move around while dreaming, we hadn't been married very long. I was peacefully sleeping on my side of the bed when I awoke to Sean staring at me... about 2 millimeters from my face.

ME: Babe... what are you doing... you're REALLY close to my face.

SEAN: you have a spider on your face

ME: WHAT THE !?! Quit staring at me and GET IT OFF!!

SEAN: Don't move

ME: GET IT OFF!!

SEAN: It's on your pillow now. It's HUGE.

ME: What the heck Sean. Quit staring at it and kill the freaking thing to I can go back to sleep!

Now I start looking around for this dumb, huge spider cause I'm already over it and ready to go back to sleep.

ME: Babe... I don't see a spider. Are you sure you saw a spider?

SEAN: Yeah... it's right there. (pointing)

ME: I don't see it.

SEAN: Right there! (pointing intensely at my pillow)

ME: Well I don't see it, so I'm going to sleep.

SEAN: IT'S RIGHT THERE!

I give up, roll over, and go to sleep. Sean lays back down mumbling something about me dying in my sleep and him not taking me to the hospital when it bites my face 'cause he warned me. Hmmm... that's kind of harsh, but it's the middle of the night so I let it go.

The next morning I casually bring up the conversation of the spider incident the night before and suggest calling the pest control people. He looks at me like I'm crazy, and says he doesn't remember anything about it. Hmmm... that's odd. Maybe he was just really tired and didn't remember waking up.

Well... a few weeks later it happened again. This time I woke up to him standing beside the bed yelling that a tree had fallen through the front of our apartment. I sprung out of bed and went running out into the hallway. Hmmm... nothing was out of place. When I turn around to look at Sean to ask him why the heck he got me out of bed for nothing, he says, with his hands on his cheeks, "What are we going to do?? It's a disaster!!" I spin back around... yep.... nothing. Am I crazy? I calmly say, " Ummm... I don't see anything..." to which he replies "Amanda... right there! Don't you see the branches all over the stairs and the broken glass... I can see right out into the parking lot." He was so angry at me for not seeing that I honestly though I was crazy for a second. After going up and physically touching the wall to reassure myself that it was indeed still there, I dragged my 6'4" hubby back to bed and made him lay down. All the while, he was protesting that he needed to fix it and it couldn't wait til morning. "How can we just go back to sleep with a tree in our house" he kept asking as he slowly drifted back to sleep. Oi.

The dreams haven't stopped.... at least once a month I wake up to him getting the insulation from under my pillow or to him trying to get dressed or make a phone call or to him trying to find my bosses wife's car keys because she called him and said they were in his pants pocket???? Last night it was groundhogs. More specifically a dead groundhog hiding in our sheets. Now I don't even buy into it anymore. I barely open my eyes and just tell him he's sleeping and to go back to bed. He just looks at me wide-eyed and says "Do I look like I'm sleeping?" Sadly, no... he doesn't look like he's sleeping at all, so I have no rebuttal. I just hope a catastrophe never happens in the middle of the night because you know what my reply will be.... "Tornado... there's no tornado....You're sleeping go back to bed." :)

Botanical Gardens

We went to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens on Saturday. It was HOT and most of the flowers were dead or wilted from the heat, but they have tons of water activities set up for the kids, and when we weren't in the kids sections, there were plenty of sprinklers to run through. We had a great time, but Alabama's horribly hot and humid summer months have officially begun!

Happy Birthday Love

In honor of Sean's 26th birthday, I offer 26 reasons why I love him.

Sean, I love you because...

1. you are loyal and completely devoted to the people that you love

2. you work so hard to provide for our family

3. you find humor in EVERYTHING

4. you don't bicker or hold grudges

5. you're so easy to talk to

6. you're trustworthy

7. you are such an incredible father

8. you can always make me laugh

9. you can eat ketchup with your breakfast.. you have no boundaries when it comes to food

10. you're brutally honest

11. you're an amazing friend

12.you never get embarrassed... even by my goofy, awkward mishaps

13. you are sociable and can even start random conversations with complete strangers

14. you aren't judgemental

15. you can cook spaghetti and grill anything

16. you love ALL music and can belt out the lyrics to any oldies song you hear

17. you care for your family more than yourself

18. you let me think I'm in charge

19. you can fix anything

20. you're always up for an adventure

21. you can play any sport

22. you're always willing to help a friend... or a stranger

23. you can put anything together without reading the instructions

24.you like a good challenge

25. you kiss me everyday

26. you make me a better person

I love you babe, and I look forward to celebrating a million more birthdays with you :)

First Words

Maddi is exactly 6 months old today, and she just happened to say her first word... Dada! Drew said his first word (Dada) at 6 months one week, and Maddi's been babbling for a while now, so we knew those sacred first words were coming soon. I was soooo hoping that Maddi would say Mama first just to balance out the parental egos, so when I heard her babbling today and I heard her saying certain other words (Dada and what seriously sounded something like brother), I kinda sorta ignored them, BUT tonight after Drew went to bed, Sean and I were sitting on the couch watching TV with Maddi when she looked up at him and said Dada...TWICE. Yep... there was no denying it then, and I just have to face the fact that my babies love their daddy more. It's so amazing to hear your little one's voice for the first time, and I can't think of a better father's day/birthday gift for Sean.

a weekend with extra kids

I've been watching my sisters while my parents have been working on their new BBQ venture. Sean works there also when he's not busy with his other jobs. The business is doing well and I love spending time with my sisters, so I guess it works out well for all of us. I took them to the water park downtown on Thursday.

Sarah loves helping with Maddi. Here is a picture of Maddi's messy little face after Sarah fed her prunes. yum. yum.

Here's the website for the BBQ business if you're feeling hungry: www.uncletommysbbq.com

P.S. This just happens to be the first .com website that I've ever made so it's pretty basic, but I did it all for $7.99 with free webhosting at godaddy.com

Little Sitter...and Booty Bouncer

Maddi is now sitting up like a pro. In fact, she is so confident with her perching abilities that she has started to bounce up and down to try and scoot around. She gets so frustrated when she wants something and can't get to it. Here's a video of her frustrated and trying to get to brother... until she bounced herself backwards... oops!

Read All About It

We went to a concert last night at Joe Davis Stadium for Armed Forces week. They had lots of helicopters and army vehicles in the parking lot and live music inside inside of the stadium. There were suppose to be fireworks at the end of the concert, but we got rained out half way through. Our short appearance did manage to make it onto the front page of the Huntsville Times though!

Bike Rides and Blow Outs

We went on a bike ride Saturday afternoon. It just finished raining, so there was that amazing, fresh, damp smell in the air, and we rode the greenway trail from Mountain Gap to Ditto Landing (about 3.5 miles each way.) We saw tons of dragonflies, some cows, a few puppies, a worm, some fat squirrels, and a butterfly, and we managed to make the trip with only one wipe out. We rode all the way to Ditto where we stopped to play on the playground and change Maddi. Drew had a great time racing me and doing tricks on his bike, and Maddi absolutely loves being outside, so she was perfectly content riding behind daddy. About a mile and a half into our journey back, Sean's back tire blew out, so Sean hopped on to my pretty purple bike and headed back to the car while I pushed his busted up bike and the pull along cart to the nearest road to meet him. It wasn't exactly how we had planned on ending the day, but we still had a great time together, and I honestly wasn't devastated to miss out on peddling the last two miles. :)

Drew waiting with me for Daddy to bring the car. Luckily we packed the umbrella, so we had some shade.

I like 'em chunky

I love every roll and pudge and squishy spot this little girl has. I love her little sausage roll wrists and her chunky thighs. I love her pudgy little fingers, her undefined knees, and both of her chins. I love you Maddi Moo.

A Concert in the Park

On Monday nights during the summer, Huntsville has free concerts in the park downtown. So this week we loaded the kids and dog in the car, grabbed a pizza, and headed downtown. We met Kevin and his puppies there and had a great time listening to music and people watching. People are amazingly entertaining to watch.

Grandparents

Sean's grandparents came to visit us this week. YAY!!!! While they were here we got to celebrate Grandpa's 80th birthday (a little late, but 80 is definitely worth celebrating anyway.) We got him a framed picture of Maddi and a webcam so we can start talking online. He's a gadget junky, and I'm sure he'll enjoy being able to talk to and see the kids on oovoo. We also grilled out, played wii, and then went to a Vipers game. What a day!

Sean's grandparents live in Naples, Florida, but they travel around the country in an Airstream. So we spent several afternoons visiting them at their camp ground by the Space and Rocket Center. We played football and baseball and just enjoyed spending time with them. I can't find words to describe how much these two people mean to us. They are an amazing, kind, and loving couple who freely share their wisdom and strength. I cherish every moment that I get to spend with them, and I am so grateful that my children get to know them and spend time with them too.

Apples

Maddi will only eat bananas. We've tried rice cereal and that was a bust, and yesterday when we tried apples, this is what we got....
'

She definitely knows what she likes and doesn't like :) I have also started making her banana baby food at home using this...

It's quick, easy, and preservative free, and she loves it even more than the stuff in the jar.

Sean put this song on the blog for me. I love when he surprises me with little things like that. He's such a sweetie. I love you babe.

Whatever It Is - the Zac Brown Band

She's got eyes that cut you like a knife and lips that taste like sweet red wine and pretty legs go to heaven every time. She got a gentle way that puts me at ease when she walks in the room I can hardly breathe. Got a devastating smile knock a grown man to his knees.
She's got whatever it is. It blows me away. She's everything I wanted to say to a woman but couldn't find the words to say. She's got whatever it is. I don't know what to do because every time I try and tell her how I feel, it comes out "I love you." You got whatever it is.
You know I've never been the type that would ever want to stay. Bring 'em home at night and they're gone the next day, but that all changed when she walked into my life. People ask me what it is. I tell them I don't know just something about the woman makes my heart go haywire. She's gonna be my wife.
She's got whatever it is. It blows me away. She's everything I wanted to say to a woman but couldn't find the words to say. She's got whatever it is. I don't know what to do because every time I try and tell her how I feel It comes out "I love you." You got whatever it is.
When she loves me, girl, that's how I feel. When she loves me I'm on top of the world because when she loves me I can live forever. When she loves me I am untouchable.
She's got whatever it is. It blows me away. She's everything I wanted to say to a woman but couldn't find the words to say. She's got whatever it is. I don't know what to do because every time I try and tell her how I feel It comes out "I love you." You got whatever it is.

Falls Mill

Sean and I both had the day off yesterday, so we decided to take the kids up to Falls Mill in Belvidere, Tennessee. It was an old Mill that was originally a Textile Mill but is now used to make Corn Meal. It was built in 1906 and is still completely functional. It was amazing that a little trickle of water could create enough energy to run the entire factory. Simply amazing. So we toured the old mill and then walked around the grounds and saw the dam, the mill run, and a few other things on the property. When we finished, we loaded the kids in the car and then I ran back inside to buy a bag of fresh yellow corn meal. When I paid, the lady gave me some old bread for Drew to feed the fish at the bottom of the Mill. So, I got Drew back out of the car and we ran back down the hill so that he could feed all of the fish that he saw earlier. As we were walking down the hill, I realized I was going over in my head what to do in case he was bitten by a snake and ways I could carry all fifty pounds of him back up the steep hill with my limited upper body strength. I know... I can be a little paranoid at times, but it's my job to protect my babies, so sometimes I just have crazy thoughts like that.

Well, we make it down the hill and through the woods and take the path down to the waters edge. We walk down the little stone path steps and as Drew steps off of the last step, a snake rears up his head, hissing, and ready to strike. He must have been laying under the last step and Drew almost squashed him, so he was MAD. I started screaming like a banshee and stomping my feet from behind the snake which startled him (and Drew). So here I was... a nightmare I've dreamt a thousand times. Just feet away from my son, but a huge angry poisonous snake between us I know I have crazy dreams, but this time it was a real situation. a horrible situation. I was memorizing every single scale on his body in case I had to tell a doctor what he looked like because unfortunately I had no idea what kind he was, but I knew pointy heads were a dangerous sign. So, after concluding there was no safer way for Drew to get back to me, I screamed & stomped again hoping he would bite me instead of Drew. He was startled again and must have felt threatened with us on either side of him, so when he moved to get both of us positioned in front of him, I screamed for Drew and we both made a run for it. On the way back up the steps we saw another huge snake slithering down the side. I seriously felt like we were in one of those horrible Indiana Jones snake pit scenes. As we walked back up the hill with Drew crying because he didn't get to feed the fish (seriously!?!) I realized I had learned several things during this terrifying event...

#1 Never ignore my intuition.

#2 Screaming like an insanly intoxicated woman at a NASCAR race and doing the footloose dance stuns a snake long enough to make an escape.

#3 Never ever volunteer to be the parent to take one of the children through the woods; instead, sit in the car with the sleeping baby.

(no I did not stop to take a picture of the snake. When I got home I looked through bazillions of pictures and this was definitely the one I saw... a copperhead)

a true story.

I was working the Keith Urban concert on Saturday, and I had to run to the gas station to grab a few things for back stage. I made my purchases and walked back outside to get into my car when I heard someone shout "I SAY-ED SCOO ME WHITE GIRL !!" Hmmm... I turned around to see something like this glaring at me...

I shielded my eyes from the sun's reflection off of the gold outlining her front tooth and politely reply "Yes mam, Can I help you?" She just stared at me for a minute and then said "Lemme ax you a qwerstion. Were Wheela at?" All of the possibilities of who or what Wheeler could be were rushing through my mind, and I wasn't positive that I had correctly deciphered what she said so I quickly replied "pardon me?" She repeated herself and all I could think of was the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. She didn't exactly look like the bird watching type though, and as I was scouring my brain for other alternatives, she said "Wheela... the jail... I gots ta go see my Boo." Yep. She had given Madison County's correctional facility a name and was shamelessly asking for directions to get there. Sometimes I seriously feel like the South is a world of its own and I am an alien wandering its streets.