Just 2 pictures

Hello friends!

No, Anderson hasn't taken up smoking a pipe. This was Adam's papa's pipe. We miss you Papa! Oh how you would have LOVED this boy!
Stay warm this cold weekend!:)

When I was 19...

Hello Friends! I was looking through some old pictures today that I had taken. I took a photography class at Wallace. It was the "old" kind of photography class, our instructor taught us how to actually take pretty good pictures AND develop film in the dark room. That was A LOT of FUN! I LOVED being in the dark room and developing my own pictures...it was VERY therapeutic for me at the time. I think I was 19 years old when I took this class and looking at some of my work...I remember thinking A LOT of my skills and thinking I had talent like Ansel Adams...hence my using all black and white film. Ha! I look back now and go...what the heck was that? Come to think of it I still LOVE Ansel Adams work...it's so beautiful and relaxing.

I wanted to share a few with you just because. These aren't very good pictures, because I am taking pictures of pictures but you get the idea.

1. I LOVE this photograph because it's my Papa Ivey and he was 79 here, he's now 91. This is the drug store that serves coffee In Graceville, FL where he lives. He's been going to this store for over 40 years every morning. 2. This is my mom and Bob about 1 year after they were married. I LOVE it because look how in love they are and young too..hehe!
3. This is my grandmother Ivey and Papa Ivey again when they were about 79 and 80. My grandmother passed away when Anderson was 2 months old. I miss her sometimes. I think to myself about things and wished that I had asked her about some things like how to make her macaroni and cheese and our family lineage(not in that order...or her mac and cheese was that good...so maybe in that order:) They were married for 61 years when she died.

4. This is just the negative sheet that I printed. I know you can't see exactly what all is on it, but it gives you an idea of what all I photographed.
5. I took this picture the other day when Adam was pulling up in the driveway and I just thought it was so precious. I really NEED to get a nice camera so that I can take more pictures! :)

My boy loves to potty all the time!

Hello friends! We've been having a good day! It started with a nice walk in the park again and some playground time. I've also been cleaning too and witnessed a meltdown due to my lack of attention towards a little someone. Ha! But when I stopped cleaning...Wala-he's back to normal. This brings me to a silly question. Do those of you who have 2 or more children ever feel like you are taking time away from the first child when you had your second child. I'm SO AFRAID that I will feel like that and people tell me they don't, but I just want to know.

Okay, the title. I bought Anderson a little frog potty from Target yesterday and he LOVES sitting on his pee poo potty as he calls it...just with his clothes on. I put him on it this morning when we got up and he didn't do anything and then went and squatted down and pee-peed on the carpet!! It was pretty funny, I have to admit! So, we're not working TOO HARD on the potty training. But, the doctor seems to think since he's been telling me he's poo-pooing that he's about ready....ohhhhh....it's gonna be a tough time I'm afraid! :)

And if you were wondering about my friend Jessica. She had a little girl who she named Wesleigh Diane(Diane after her mother) and Jessica says she is "perfect". And that's just what I love to hear new moms say about their babes because it means they are already in love with their baby!

Sunshine on our shoulders makes us happy!

Hello friends! We've been to the park today and it was a glorious morning for it too! 57 degrees, clear and blue skies. Anderson LOVES the park...when he's not screaming to go "play" on the playground first and not wait like I ask him to until AFTER we finish our walk. This city park is one of the neatest parks I have seen. Not that I have lived in that many cities...but I digress... The park has a long 2 mile paved walking trail through the woods. I'm talking by horse farms, over creeks kind of walk.I am able to keep Anderson at bay until we get to the playground by showing him hawks, bird nests, pond cranes and other woodland creatures.
Even Annabelle and Gus enjoy it too!

In other news, I was approached by a mom and her posse today while walking at the park. She teaches something called stroller strides(click on the words to see what it is) and she wondered if we might be interested, for a price of course. We'll have to see how much that price is and then just maybe we might do it!

I need for you to say a prayer for my life long friend Jessica.(she is the one in the white shirt...this is a pic from our senior trip to Cancun,Mexico...check out my white skirt-ha!) She is in labor as I type with her first child. She didn't want to find out the sex, so she would be surprised. Please pray that her baby will be healthy and she will be fine. I know she would appreciate it!

Into the big city we go

Hello friends! Anderson and I went to downtown Dallas today to visit the aquarium. It is SO. AWESOME! He loves it so much and I do too! It was the busiest I've ever seen it on a Friday. There were lots of 1st graders there...cute, but wild.

I told Anderson we were going to the aquarium because we were tantrum free this morning! Woo-hoo! Which is quite a feat for us lately! Yesterday afternoon he threw the biggest fit I've ever seen him throw. It was over wanting more animal cookies! Adam and I IGNORED him and continued to talk like we normally do and it threw him for a loop! He didn't know WHAT to think. I really been talking with him about minding us and doing what he's told. We'll work though it! I used to do this for a living. They were never my own though...so it makes it a lot harder when they are! Ha! Please DO NOT get me wrong. This is still the most wonderful child ever and I LOVE him more than life itself. We just hit rough spots sometimes:)
How cute is this McDonald's? It's directly beside the zoo in Dallas and we ate here! So stinkin' precious!! Happy Friday Folks!

Hardware on my cabinets...makes me....Happy!

Hello friends! I've been signing that John Denver song to Anderson all day. Not the hardware on my cabinets one...but this one. I LOVE that song and Anderson likes it too. When I get to the end he says "appy"! Which reminds me that he is not very "appy" these days. Like I mentioned yesterday, I think we may have hit the terrible twos and then my friend Brandi says that in her opinion, the three are more terrible....oh no! He's not being terrible...at all. Just squawking like a little parrot and testing limits. But that's what being a child is ALL about, right?

We've been busy this morning. We've been to do a walk through with our old apartment. Keep your fingers crossed that we can get our deposit back. We've gone walking, which makes us happy as well(including Anna B. and Gus) and makes my waistline happy. STOP READING RIGHT NOW IF YOU ARE A BOY!!!---- Since, I've stopped breast feeding in July, I've gained 20 pounds, YIKES! Seriously, and there is a little bit of milk still in my breasts...why? Anybody know...okay TOO MUCH INFORMATION!! I'm thinking of pumping until I die, just so I can lose 20 pounds...hehe, just kidding....maybe ;)

When we bought our house there was little we wanted to change. A few colors here and there. But, one thing we've really wanted to change was that our kitchen cabinets had NO hardware. That is just odd to me...I dunno why, it just is. So, sweet Adam put new black hardware on all our cabinets. Much better!And here is our bathroom rug. I am STUCK with what kind of theme or pictures or colors we need to us. Any ideas please?? You guys are always awesome with ideas.:)

One more thing before I go, Anderson is OBSESSED with his stuffed animals. In fact, he wakes up saying "animals". My dad when they were here, started covering Anderson up with all his animals and Anderson wants to "hide" as he calls it all day long!

A picture and a problem

Hello friends! Anderson and I have started walking in the mornings and taking the dogs along with us. We've found this fabulous park near our house that it just beautiful! It has trails through the woods and a little pond, complete with pond crane and all. I've cleaned the house this morning and used to like cleaning and vacuuming, but now it takes SO long that I am really not liking vacuuming so much.

And this sweet smiling face is adorable and has possibly entered into the terrible twos!! He has started pitching fits and I'm having to put him in time out because spanking doesn't work, it only makes him much worse and madder. And I didn't get spanked that MUCH as a kiddo either and I turned out okay, right?! I have a problem and it's not a bad one. Just one that makes me want to fire bomb somebody's car...too much information? ;) I'm kidding...kind of! There is this teenage boy that lives with his parents and he keeps parking in front of our house and our mailbox and the limb truck can't get in to pick up our limbs, so they don't. Then, his super cool friends come over and park in front of our house or other people's houses. UGH...What to do??1. It is just RUDE to park your car in front of other peoples houses! What should I do?? You know me...I don't want to be rude, but will be if I have to.

DFW : A 4 day tour

Hello friends! My daddy and mimi(step mother) have been here. They arrived on Friday morning and flew back to Dothan last night. Why is it that when you live far off and you have people visit that the house always feels a little lonely when they are gone?Anyways, we started off the day on Friday by...can you guess? Going to the mall and letting Anderson play and yes ride the carousel. What can I say...I'm a creature of habit and I think he is too!

Saturday was a fun day! We took them to Ft. Worth to eat at one of our favorite spots, Kincaid's Hamburgers which is awesome and delicious. We saw some Alabama fans inside and had to give them a "roll tide" and daddy and mimi LOVED the food!
Anderson and my...I mean HIS milkshake!Then we went to a fabulous grocery store...I know you're thinking grocery store on their vacation? But it's soooo much more than just a grocery store it's called the Central Market and they have acres of fruit...seriously and so much organic food that it will make your head spin! And the cupcakes....oh the cupcakes(made from nutella) were delightful! Anderson enjoyed those too! He's carried around a frying pan that mimi bought there.

Adam and my daddy were in awe of the beer selection! Wow!Central Market EVEN had a kids playground outside for the kiddos! So super cool! :)

Sunday: We took them to Dallas to look around and decided to go to the Botanical Gardens. We've seen better gardens...it was just ok. Everybody took a nap in the car but Adam and me and I guess Anderson didn't get long enough of a nap, because he was in FINE form. He's picked up this terrible ahhhh sound that he makes when he's frustrated or mad or whatever from yours truly..I'm really working on quitting making the sound! So, he wanted to walk, we let him. He didn't want to hold our hand etc. So we put him back into the stroller and he screams I think around 30 minutes or so. So in between temper tantrums we managed to get a few neat pictures..
Yesterday, Adam was off and daddy and mimi didn't fly out until 7:20 p.m. so we just went to the mall and shopped around, came back for a nap and a quick story and it was time for them to leave. We had such a good time with them here! We miss you already!

Lookin' like a fool with ya pants on the ground and Other Happenings

Hello friends! Yesterday, Anderson and I took off for the Ft. Worth Zoo. It was pretty awesome! A cool 54 degrees with literally 100 people there-total! We met another mom today and her son which is only a 3 months older than Anderson. They live in Mansfield. How cool is that, that they live in the same town as us? Anyway...back to the story, she and I were talking while our boys were playing together in the kids play area. Anderson comes up to me and says "Uh-Oh". I glanced at him, didn't see any uh-oh to be concerned about and went right on talking. The other mother cuts me off mid-sentence as she gasps "He's got no pants on"!!! What!! Me, "buddy, where are your pants" and another mom comes by and says "yea..mom, where are his pants". It seems that this uh-oh was sincere and he was genuinely Losing His Pants!! I quickly found his pants, which were only about 2 feet away from him and start putting them on...so stinkin' embarrassed the WHOLE time! Ha! And when we were watching "American Idol" lastnight, ...click here to watch it...SO HILARIOUS!!the last man that was on had an original song in which he sang "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool, with ya pants on the ground"....Ooops- what a bad mom! :)

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Today, we are good though. No pant mishaps here...almost but not quite! You see Anderson is tall for his age, but has a SMALL waist and is skinny and most the time if he wears jeans, they fall off of him!We've been cleaning our house because my daddy and stepmother are coming tomorrow. I'm pretty excited!

My tooth has been hurting today and so I've done the ghetto thing and put a towel on a hot iron and put it on my face for 30 minutes....WARNING...it works, but now I have a sunburned face....on ONE side. Lovely!

Since I've been talking about moving into our new house and I posted pics of the house BEFORE we moved in. I figured since the house was semi-clean that I would post pics of our house AFTER our junk was moved in.

Our master bedroom, that brown wall is screaming "please paint me" and I intend to soon! My friend Angela wanted to know what kind of mattress we bought for our king bed. It's a Serta from Sam's Club online, so it was a gamble. But we LOVE it, not too soft and not too hard. It was VERY well priced...$698.00 for a KING!The livingroomThe kitchen is STILL a work in progress....sigh!

The officeAnderson's roomThe guest bedroom, which STILL needs to be painted!