The "what if" game

We like to play the "what if" scenario with our kids to prepare them for situations that they may run into. You can never be too safe.

For instance, the conversation in the car today went as follows.

S: "Alright Miss A, what if the doorbell rings and mommy is in the shower, what should you do?"

A: "Go get mommy!"

S: "Okay, what if somebody drives up in a shiny purple car with chocolate chip cookies and asks you to come over and pick one out....what should you do?"

A: "Go get mommy!"

S: "What if you were playing outside and someone tries to talk you?"

A: "Go get mommy!"

S: "You are exactly right A!!! Good job! Now G, your turn. What if a nice old man is walking down the street with a bucket full of bubble gum and offers it to you, what do you do?"

G: "I say THANKS!"


I think we will continue working with the little guy!

Yup, pink eye!

Confirmed double pink eye! Per the doc, it's a "nasty case".

I've never seen anything like this before and we have gone through this with Allie and her spells of pink eye.

This one is nasty!



When I woke G this morning, his little eyes were glued shut with green goo. S had to take Allie to school this morning because I did not anticipate spending 15 minutes prying G's eyes open.

I must say....he was a TROOPER!

He didn't cry, and I calmly explained what was going on. I picked him up and carried him down to our bathroom and began soaking his eyes with a warm cloth.

S walked in as I was soaking his eyes, and mentioned that because G has been a rockstar with this all, we should reward him with a balloon. And melt my heart, but a huge grin spread across G's face (eyes still goo'd shut).



Enter angry birds balloon!

On a side note, we are doing our best to take every precaution to not catch this ourselves. Allie has been walking around the house with anitbacterial hand gel and anytime G touches her, she disinfects her hands.

Sticking to docs orders, G and I continue to be holed up in our house until Friday. We will reevaluate then to see if he is well enough to venture out.

Pink Eye(s)

Our family doctor has not confirmed my suspicion, but I am 99.9% confident that G has double pink eye.

Little tears welled up in his eyes this morning when I broke the news to him that he would not be going to school and on their field trip today.

His eyes continue to ooze gunk and they appear to be getting pinker and more swollen as the day progresses.

Our appt is at 1:00, and it can't come soon enough. I wish there was something I could do to give my sweet little man some relief.

C Family

Meet the C family; another sweet family who I had the privilege of photographing over the holidays.

Below are a few images from their session.

If only every morning...

Ahhhh, if only every morning was a Saturday morning!

This was the scene in our household at 9:30 this morning. The four of us were still in our PJs all cozied into our bed; S and I sipping our morning coffee while the young ones watch Tom chase after Jerry.



The sleeping bags were set up last night on the playroom floor so the kids could have a mini slumber party together. All was well until....



1:30 when a whimpering G woke me from my sleep because he "fell" out of his sleeping bag and needed to be tucked back in.

This scene repeated itself at 4:00 a.m. as I stumbled upstairs to cover him up again.

7:30 a.m. I awoke to the kids just DYING for food. They almost starved and I couldnt get their cereal in their hands fast enough.

I crawled back in bed (with my still sleeping husband), and 15 minutes later heard G calling, "Mom, MOM, Mooooooom".

I looked at Stephen and kindly said, "Will you take this one"?

S popped his head out of our bedroom door and looked up to G who was sitting at the top of the stairs smiling....."I love you", G says...then heads back to finish his breakfast.

Now I wished I would have gone to see what G wanted that last time...



The kids begged to have another slumber party tonight.

I threatened to not allow it since G didn't sleep well, but Allie stepped up and said she would be happy to tuck him back in tonight if he "falls" out of his sleeping bag again.

We'll see. She is a pretty sound sleeper like her daddy. I have a feeling I will have another fun night tonight.

Family photos

I was holding off on posting these photos until after the holidays since we used a grouping of these for our Christmas card.

I also had a couple of other photoshoots where I promised to hold off on posting until all cards were sent out. Stay tuned for those in the coming days....

Nerf Invasion

Nerf guns have invaded our home.

3 nerf guns to be exact. The one pictured is easiest to cock (or "honk" if you ask Gabe), and 2 other 5 barrell guns for quick fire.

Plenty for everyone with 100 + bullets. (Yes we are all getting our excercise in picking up bullets after shootouts.)



Gabe has found his new favorite toy; he is for sure all boy!

Allie just doesn't get it like the boys....neither do I. We play with them, but the guys just get it. I don't know how else to put it.



G especially likes to watch Cars 2 with his nerf gun and shoot the bad guys when they are on screen.



This I love. Because (normally gunless) he will look at me and wink with his mouth making this clicking sound. I love it.



Gabe just couldn't part with his gun and brought it in the car with us today to pick up his sister from school. 15 minutes before he and I were in a shootout.

Treadmills don't have nothin' on nerf shootouts; pretty good excercise. You should give it a try.

6 years + Sunday stroll

Figures that when you go out and buy the kids snow bibs and jackets, the weather is anything but freezing.

This passed weekend we celebrated Allie's 6th birthday. The weather was absoulutely spring-like. 60s and sunny. The birthday party was a hit. I enjoyed spending the day with our sweet friends from SC who made the day trip up to help us celebrate. I also got to meet a handful of Allie's classmates and their mommas. She has made some really great friends in her kindergarten class, and for this I am thankful.



The milder temps continued through the weekend and we took the kids out for a Sunday stroll on their bikes.

This cute little pink feather in her hair was a birthday gift. One of her favorites along with a pink "princess" sweatshirt her 3rd boyfriend gave her. Yes, she has 3 boyfriends...and they were all at her birthday party.



On to other randomness, G called my dad this morning. Dad had him saying Roll Tide before the conversation ended. I guess it was okay just this one time. I immediately came home and put an Auburn shirt on him.

Our "Chmismas" Recap

I couldn't get enough of Gabe saying Christmas this year, "Chmismas".

Our holiday season was great, and crazy, and busy, filled with festivities of good old fashioned family fun.

Enjoy a few photos from our Chmismas.









Stephen read "Twas the Night Before Chrismtas" on Christmas Eve.



Pop (via the Bible app on his iphone) read the story of the birth of Jesus.



We also squeezed in a quick trip to AL to share some Christmas cheer with my sweet Grandma Dot.



Cute story. G started crying one afternoon when we were leaving my Grandma's place. He wanted to stay at Grandma Dots and out puckered his lip and water filled his little eyes.



We typically work a large Christmas puzzle over the course of the week. I realized every participant had to brag on themselves and announce every piece of the puzzle that he/she placed. SO, hence the bell. If you find a peice....the service bell chimed. A new Christmas tradition was born.

Blue Hair + Naked Nerf Boy

I was vaccuming the upstairs playroom this afternoon while they kids were playing outside on the front driveway. I checked on them through the window...they were playing nice together, drawing with sidewalk chalk.

I smiled to myself acknowledging a job well done with my two kids, because they were, for the time being anyway, playing nice and getting along.



I then walk downstairs to continue doing some household chore that only I will ever realize is done, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a wee tiny boy, with BLUE hair!



You just never know!

Two days ago, I walk out of our master bedroom into the den to find G running around the house in his birthday suit shooting his nerf gun at other family members.

I tell ya, you just never know what your going to walk into in our house.

Anybody wanna come over? I don't blame you.