Dog Park

We took Sam to the dog park yesterday. He ran and ran and ran and ran..... Some of the folks there were kind of weird (like introducing their dog as their son/daughter kind of weird.), but we had fun together with our pup and are looking forward to fall weather so we can spend more time outside.

An Equation

Family + free dinner = happy heart and happy tummy

Eight Months

Miss Madison is eight months old, and life if perfect. I feel SO blessed. This year has had its crazy ups and downs, but through our trials I've gained a greater understanding of God's love for us and a greater appreciation for the ones that I love.

Maddi at 8 months:

She sits on her own and wiggles, squirms, and scoots to get where she wants to go

Says Mama, Dada, Drew, Boo Boo, and hungry regularly

Screams her head off if she's left alone

still doesn't sleep through the night

Has one tooth

LOVES whatever Mommy eats, especially fresh fruits

Is rather attached to mommy

wants to be held all of the time

Is coy, and buries her face in mommy's shoulder when strangers say hi

loves sitting in the laundry basket while mommy does laundry

Stares at strangers, and only shares her smiles & giggles with those she trusts

loves to make random noises & giggles when you mimic her

has happy hands... she wiggles them like crazy when she's excited

has GORGEOUS blue eyes

loves to sit and watch brother play with cars

loves music & being outside

pulls up on people to stand. If we didn't hold her all of the time, she'd probably be a little more mobile :)

I absolutely love this age! She's able to interact with us and express herself, and I cherish every moment that I get to learn and grow with her.

Mama

Maddi FINALLY said Mama yesterday. I thought my heart was going to explode!

I Am From...

I am from yellow cornbread, from Cox's creamed honey and banana moon pies.

I am from houses, both southern and yankee, notes echoing through the halls.

I am from the dandelions, arrowheads, limestone and granite.

I am from the one present on Christmas Eve and perfect public faces, from Worthington Stoddard Romney and Stone.

I am from sharp tongues and hateful hands, from fear and too few I love yous.

I am from pioneers and faith. Strength and hope. Searching, praying, believing.

I am from Columbia and England, funfetti cupcakes and cast iron skillets.

From Miles Romney who traveled across waters on faith and built circular staircases in temples, from Gammy Lou with crimson lips who let me sit and watch her paint, and from Momma Ellen who took me dress shopping and hid boxes of jewelry under her bed.

I am from leather bound photo albums, letters home from war, and church archives. I am but a moment in time.

www.swva.net/fred1st/wif.htm

A Man After My Heart

I've been in a total rut lately. It's seriously been school, diapers, work, clean, diapers, laundry, food, diapers, work, dishes, diapers, repeat. I've been bored and cranky and overwhelmed and definitely missing my hubby, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when Sean woke us up early yesterday morning and told me to pack the bags for Chattanooga. YAY!!

We found some coupons at www.chattanoogafun.com/coupons and then hopped in the car. There's just something about spontaneity that excites me, and I love having a hubby that knows when to shake up the monotony and throw in a surprise when I start feeling the humdrum of motherhood.

We started at the National Tow Truck Museum

Then we went to the children's museum downtown.

This children's museum was AMAZING. It was like Sci-Quest, the McWayne's Center, and Early Works all crammed into one. They had an amazing water area; a huge jungle gym; science and invention exhibits; an energy, robotics, and magnetism area; a baby play area; a pretend store; a pretend clinic complete with microscopes, x-rays, a miniature exam room, and a full sized skeleton; a dinosaur exhibit with live reptiles and a huge sand area to dig for fossils; an art studio, photography, sculpture, and textile area where kids could observe and create masterpieces; a music and theater area with instruments to play and displays to explore the history of music and instruments; then the second floor was a special Curious George display with a story room and tons of creative games and displays from episodes of the show. I could go on and on and on, but I just don't think I can do justice to its awesomeness.

After the museum we went to the Mellow Mushroom for dinner before heading home. It was the first time that we'd eaten there and it was soooooooo good.

Well... Maddi is waking up from her nap, Sean is working, and Drew is at school... just another day, but for some reason it's okay today because I feel renewed, refreshed, and ready to tackle the laundry and the pile of invoices on my desk with a smile on my face.

Point Mallard and Other Randomness

-I took the kids to Point Mallard, a local waterpark, this week. We weren't really able to take a vacation this summer, so I wanted to do something special before they went back to school. We had SO much fun!

-Ben is in town for a few weeks. I love spending time with him.

-Sean has been working A LOT lately. Sometimes I feel like a single mom, and lets just say I stink at solo-parenting. I don't have enough time, energy, or hands to cope on my own.

-Mikey got his release date! He'll head home on December 24th. YAY!!! He'll miss Maddi's first birthday. Booo!

-Maddi has a tooth coming in. She also said Drew and Boo Boo (Uncle Ben) this week. Still no Mama though.

- My back is KILLING me. If I could go back, I wouldn't have gotten an epidural. I know, crazy concept, but looking back, I would rather have suffered through two excruciating, raw pushes than deal with never ending aching.

-Drew lost his other front tooth in the middle of the night last night. I had just BaReLy drifted off to sleep when I heard someone whisper "Mama." I opened my eyes to see Drew standing beside my bed with blood smeared all over his face and arm. I flew out of bed and began feeling every inch of his little body to find out where the blood was coming from. Drew just looked up at me and smiled and held out his hand to show me his ity bity little tooth. I guess in all of his tossing and turning during the night, he managed to smear the blood all over his body. I'm just glad he's not snaggle-toothed any more.

- I think Maddi still wakes up 4 times during the night because of my inconsistency. We have an amazing schedule in the morning, but then the evenings are complete chaos. I'm hauling them to work at weird hours, feeding them junk when I have a few spare minutes, and then trying to put them to bed at odd times. Now that school is starting tomorrow, I've got to come up with a better plan.

-Dan Brown's new book comes out in October!!! This makes me VERY happy.

- I really want to learn how to sew. I have a million different ideas of cute little dresses that I want to create. I just don't know where to begin. Maybe step #1 should be buying a power cord for my sewing machine. :)

ok... I think that's the end of my randomness and definetly the end to our chaotic summer fun.

Cupcakes and Mortality

We had lots of extra kids over last week, so we made cupcakes and colored frosting, and then I let them create....

Several things have happened recently which have caused me to contemplate my mortality. Well... not my mortality specifically, but just the concept of life in general and how fragile it is. I've seen babies born too soon, but thrive and grow against odds in their new little bodies. I've reached out to friends facing devastating illnesses, and I've grieved with friends who are mourning the loss of loved ones. I guess I've just been reminded that each day is a beautiful gift, and no matter how hard we work or how much we plan, each day is in God's hands. So, with that in mind, I've recommitted to cherish the simple things... like making cupcakes and wiping off gooey faces and sticky fingers. Each day is a gift from God to me.

My babies

Becki Kanigan took pictures of my precious babies again. Thank you, Becki, for helping me capture these sweet moments.