A What???

So last night was the Kaiser Corporate Run. Our bus driver had absolutely no sense of direction and took us on a very unique drive to Turner Field. We left the Chamber at 5:15 and didn't get to our tent until 6:15. Serious bummer since the run/walk started at 7 and there were mass quantities of Corona Light to be drunk. Then I found out that Paul didn't request enough race numbers so I gave mine up to someone who was actually excited to walk the 3 miles through downtown Atlanta. Hello Corona! Oh...no...wait. Daymia was kind enough to donate her race number because she knew how badly I wanted to walk with everyone. Bitch. Luckily I had my Georgia State shortcut so Max, Keion and I were back at the tent in about 30 minutes. After that I decided to let loose and party like a Rock Star. The Corona's were going down like water and since it's been a very long time since I had done this, I forgot that eating was a requirement for avoiding a hangover. The Chamber received an award for having the highest participation of all the other Chambers at the Corporate Run. Yahooie! Let's have another Corona! We made it back to the Chamber around 10 and instead of getting into my vehicle and driving straight home, I hung out on the rooftop with some of my fellow co-workers for one last beer. Bud Light...Corona...they were all starting to taste the same. Why does drinking remove every single brain cell from my puny little head??

This morning I woke up at 4:30 to Jameson crashing onto the floor from his crib. As soon as I put my two wobbly feet on the ground I thought....I have a what???? Oh ya, this is a hangover! Just fantastic. There's a staff meeting first thing this morning and I'm going to look like total ass. All I can say is that McDonald's became my new best friend this morning and I plan on polishing off the miniature Twix that are left over from last night before I leave to have lunch with my mom. Let's not mention the crazy amount of grociery shopping and cooking I have to do today and tomorrow for the Patriot Plumbing cookout that we're having at my parent's "old" house tomorrow. Jason had better appreciate this!

Wish me luck and speedy recovery!

Jameson Update

I took my little goober butt to the doctor yesterday for a follow up on his ear infection. Jameson hasn't been sleeping through the night for the past 2 weeks and I'm exhausted. Because he's figured out how to get out of his crib (landing head first on the floor) I've been staying up until he falls back asleep. The NP said that there is a small amount of fluid in his right ear but it's not infected. It could be causing enough pressure to be uncomfortable though. More than likely he's waking up because he's a needy momma's boy. They're prescribing a decongestant to get rid of the fluid before it can progress into another ear infection. At least Ayden has been staying asleep through all of the drama...he's a deep sleeper just like his daddy.

Cleaning The Cars

Daddy says the best preventive maintenance one can do for their vehicle is an oil change and a good washing.

Daddy washing the Expedition...

Ayden washing his Diego go-go bike...

Jameson manning the power washer. Go team!

NOPI Nationals

Jason looks forward to NOPI every year now. Last year it was just him and Ayden but this year the entire family went along. Fast cars are daddy's passion and we wanted to be a part of it. NOPI is held at the "prestigious" Atlanta Motor Speedway.Daddy and Ayden cruising the Mustang lane.Holy Cow! Check out that big truck! Ayden was totally impressed.Another big truck, but not quite as cool as the last one.I was finally able to get a picture of Jameson...he wouldn't stand still long enough all day.

Ayden: Super cool car mom! I wanna drive it.

Me: NO! Don't even touch the car.

So just to spite me, he touches the car anyway...go figure.

Another fun day enjoying one of daddy's favorite things...cars.

Founder's Day Festival

Every year Tyrone has their Founder's Day Festival the 3rd weekend in September. Nothing like spending a ton of money trying to win toys that are worth $2. It's always fun though and this was the first year Ayden was big enough to go on most of the kiddie rides.


For his first ride, Ayden chose the choo-choo train.















Next, daddy took Ayden on the Berry Go Round. They were spinning around so fast that I couldn't get an actual picture of them on the ride. Mommy would've puked.



Mommy dared the feris wheel with Ayden. I can tell I'm getting old...I'm starting to be afraid of heights! It wasn't that bad until Ayden kept leaning forward to see daddy and brother at the bottom.



Next Ayden tried out the rocket ship ride....







and the merry go round. It was a fun night!

Happy Monday!

And it really is a happy Monday. Besides Jameson waking me up twice last night and Jason's farts being so bad they woke me up and made me leave the room a few times, we're doing pretty great. It was supposed to be an uneventful weekend, but we ended up being very busy. The boys both got haircuts, Jason worked on and off, I got some serious cleaning done, we helped (mostly got in the way) my parents move a couple of loads to the new house, played outside, took the boys for a walk in the wagon and got almost all of our errands done. I'm exhausted.

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon, I need to take Jameson back to the doctor (not sure if his ear infection is gone since he won't sleep through the night) and have the Kaiser Corporate Run after work on Thursday. Now those of you who truly know me, know that I'm not a "runner". The girls would be smacking me in the face if I actually ran. The way to make it through the 5 mile run is to walk the first 1/2 mile, cut through Georgia State with the excuse of having to go potty and walk out the opposite doors that just happen to be about 1/2 mile away from the finish line. I'm talking 30-45 minutes flat. Ayden also has school pictures on Thursday...I'm so excited! I'm totally swamped at work...month end, planning our Christmas outing and doing research for our new FMLA/ADA policy. My DVR starts working overtime on Wednesday with all of my favorite shows starting back up! Oh, happy times.

I swear I'm going to get the pictures from last weekend posted this week as well...promise!

I'm Feeling Lonely...

I know...boo hoo hoo. I live in a house with 3 males and 2 dogs so how in the hell can I be lonely? There are a few things contributing to my loneliness.

1. Jason has had one of those super crazy schedules again this week. He worked all day Tuesday, came home to eat dinner, take a shower and fit in a quick 2 hour nap before leaving the house around 8pm for a Chick-fil-A job. He didn't get home until 2am so wasn't about to get up at 6:30 to see his family off for the day.

2. Yesterday was the beginning of the big Rector move. Yes, they're finally moving to the new house. Normally my mom and I chit chat on her way to work every day from 7:45am - 8:15am. Every day! Not yesterday though. I left her 2 messages to see how the move was going and if we were still going to meet up for our bi-weekly nail appointment. I never got a call back. I'm sure you can envision the tears swelling up in my eyes at this point (no, I'm not being sarcastic).

3. Jason left work around 4pm yesterday to make it home for a longer nap before leaving again at 8pm for yet another Chick-fil-A job. Since daddy had to work, I picked up the boys (who were both in the middle of a melt down at Marguerite's) and took them to McDonalds for a nice nutritious dinner before Judy's (my nail guru). Mimi was nowhere in sight...this is where we ALWAYS go for dinner if I have the boys for nail night. The tears at this point were starting to crest my eye lids.

4. I got to Judy's and my mom wasn't there either. Oh well, I was on my own for the evening. The boys were relatively well behaved and we made it home by 7:15 for their bath and snuggle time before bed. Daddy got up at 8, gave us a kiss goodbye and left for Chick-fil-A. The flood gates were officially open. I put my babies to bed and went in the living room to sulk. I got so sick of myself that I went to bed at 8:30. I heard Jason come in around 2am again but didn't get any hugs or kisses this morning since he was still sleeping when I left with the boys.

5. The only other thing that could be contributing to my weepy mood is that my period should start any day now...can we say PMS???

I'm hoping for an awesome weekend of family bonding time. Maybe I'll fit in some much needed scrap time. Being creative always gets me out of a funk.

Divine Casserole

I finished editing last weekend's photos but ran into some trouble with Blogger so had to give up on my post. I'll try getting them up tonight but I've been up since 2am and am making no promises. Sooooo, I decided to post one of the boys favorite dishes. This is super tasty and is even better the second day.

Ingredients:

1 (8oz) package egg noodles (I buy the mini size for the kids)

1 lb ground beef

1 (6oz) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 drops hot pepper sauce (I use about 6 drops)

1 pinch oregano

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 (8oz) container cottage cheese

1/2 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef until no longer pink, drain. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and oregano, set aside.

3. In a seperate skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion until translucent. In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and sauteed onions.

4. Place 1/2 of cooked noodles in the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Drizzle with 1/2 of the melted butter. Cover with cheese mixture. Spread remaining noodles over cheese mixture and drizzle with remaining butter. Cover with meat mixture.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

Swoon...He Said My Name!

I'm sure most of you have heard me go on and on about the differences between Ayden and Jameson. For example...by 16 months Ayden had developed quite the little vocabulary. He could say choo-choo when he saw a train and moo when he saw a cow. Sippy, mama, daddy, puppy and cheese (way to go my little Wisconsin man) were a few other words he knew. Jameson is a completely different story. At 16 months he can say dada, uh oh, oy...yeah that's about it.

When I got back in the truck this morning after buying my precious bottle of Diet Pepsi from our local Shell, Jameson screamed out MAMA! This one word practically brought tears to my eyes! Mama...he knows my name. All is better in my world.

Also, I have to quickly share this picture with you. I found this onsie on sale at Old Navy and already know that it will become part of Jameson's wardrobe this weekend. It's so appropriate for him. Again, another Ayden/Jameson difference. At 16 months Ayden was going into 2T's and at 16 months Jameson is still wearing 12 months clothes with no sign of being able to keep anything larger on his body for a while yet.

Tonight I'm going to do my best to get our pictures from this weekend downloaded so that I can show you all of the fun stuff we did. Last night it was more important to buy fire ant and roach killer at Home Depot.

Tree Love

I may not love everything about our house, but I certainly love our trees. Jason may have a different opinion since he's the one that has to rake up the leaves in the fall, but I think they're beautiful.
This is our beautiful black walnut tree. Every other year it produces hundreds of black walnuts that we have to pick up. Fun!


This pine is perfect for our tree swing. Ayden has spent so much time swinging here...Jameson could take it or leave it.












This is our super scary tree. We really have no idea what it is, but we think it's scary because we're convinced that one of these days its going to crash onto our house during a storm. We've seen some pretty big limbs fall off...


What makes it so cool is this weird moss/fern that grows on it. It normally looks brown and dead, but when we get a lot of rain it perks up. We had a pretty violent storm roll through last night so I had to snap these pictures while I have the chance.


You will probably be seeing a few more pictures in and around our house this month. One of my assignments for the Scrap Etc event that I'm going to next April is to take pictures of the things around our house that I want to remember down the road. For those of you who haven't had a chance to visit, this is the perfect opportunity to get glimpse of our home.

Season Premiers

I'm so excited I could just pee my pants! The last week of September couldn't be here soon enough. I think Private Practice will become one of my favorites so I had to add that in for good measure. Did anyone else watch October Road last season? I was totally getting into it and then it just disappeared. Their website doesn't say if it was canceled or not so I've got my fingers crossed that they're bringing it back this season.

Anyone keeping up with The Hills? Spencer and Heidi are such slime! Heidi just lost the last friend she had by stealing her dream job. The comments that Spencer & Heidi made to Lauren and Jason in the previews got me all excited for next week...

Tori & Dean crack me up! The last episode where they hosted a gay wedding was hilarious! I was bummed it was only a re-run this week...

I have to admit that I've gotten wrapped up in Newport Harbor (another MTV show) as well. There is something about teen drama that just intrigues me.

A Little Bit Of Everything

Poor baby Jameson has another ear infection. No mention of tubes at this point though since it's been 6 months since his last ear infection. Yeah! Hope you're feeling better soon goober man!

Speaking of my goober man, I did this layout Sunday morning. Simple but the journaling says it all.
Jameson - At 15 months you are still such a baby. Your brother has always been in a hurry to grow up, but not you. It's okay, let mommy cherish this time with you. You'll be all grown up soon. Love Mommy.

This is my favorite part of our house. It's one of the walls in our bedroom that is devoted to our babies. I look at them as I'm falling asleep and they're the first thing I see in the morning. I may have mentioned this before, but I'm absolutely in love with my children. A little shout out to my bunny for taking the time to hang these up so perfectly. Love you bunny!

Yellow Daisy Festival

Two entire days with daddy. He finally put his foot down and demanded the entire weekend off from work to spend with us. We had a birthday party to go to on Saturday for his co-worker's daughter and then Sunday we were off to the Yellow Daisy Festival in Stone Mountain. We were there bright and early to beat the afternoon heat.

Ayden goofing around on hand made lounge swings. Mommy wouldn't have minded getting one of those!

Cool tents...not worth $65 though. Ayden didn't understand the money part of our "no".

These two guys were great entertainment for the kids. They sang Old McDonald and other classics. Ayden had a blast dancing.

Jameson took the opportunity to kick back and enjoy the show. What a goober baby.

Ayden showed off his big boy moves by climbing up this huge blow up slide. He sort of changed his mind about going down by himself so a volunteer at the top went down with him. Mommy couldn't have been more proud. Way to go buddy!

It's Going To Be A Good Day

So I'm typically a happy, upbeat, extremely emotional person. I know this...I've come to accept this. I cry at commercials and certain songs can turn me into a blubbering fool in my car. I'm not one of those people who depise mornings. Not me, I embrace the morning. There's a whole new day to look forward to. There is always the possiblity that instead of waking up crabby, sassy, whiney or whatever other mood my children may be inflicted with; that they could wake up and be happy, wellbehaved angels. Did I forget to mention that I'm also an optimist?

All of that being said, it's already been one of those really good days. I woke up Ayden and after having a discussion about why it was so naughty of him to push his brother off the bed last night while watching Scooby Doo, he willingly got out of bed to go potty, brush his teeth and get dressed. After settling him on the couch with a sippy and Charlie & Lola (thank you Disney channel), I moved on to Jameson. As soon as I walked in his room I saw this little face with a big grin peek over the railing. Then there was a flop back onto bed with a giggle. I couldn't help but think at that very moment how truly blessed my life is.

I know I'm lucky. I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful children, two adorable puppies and fabulous parents and in-laws. We own a house, have a nice vehicle to drive every day and we have the best sitter in the world for our kids. Would it be nice to have a larger house...of course. Would it be nice to make more money...of course. But we are so fortunate to have the things that we already have. It was only 3 years ago that I felt like my entire world was falling apart and I'm so thanful for the way things have turned out for my family. We are truly so blessed!

With the hectic lives we all seem to live, it's nice to take a moment and soak in all the good things surrounding us. Listen to your children giggle, instead of folding that last load of laundry cuddle with your hubby or read your children a book, cherish the butt slap that you husband just gave you (he still loves you and finds you attractive after pushing out 2 kids)! Enjoy your life and be grateful for the things in it...you only get one.

Powers Crossroads Art Festival

I LOVE fall festivals and I can't think of any better way to start off the season than with Power's Crossroads Art Festival. The ambiance is fabulous with all of its old buildings and old world artists.









There were photo-ops around every corner...if only Jameson didn't need to be attached to my hip.









Yummy! Pure sugar! This was Ayden and Jameson's first experience with cotton candy. They didn't really like that it was so sticky.















Ayden loved the tractor. He didn't understand why he couldn't sit on it though. Maybe because it was running??????












I found this funny...a Pepsi sign by the rest rooms sign.
Ha Ha Ha

















Baby Jameson got into playing with a freebie frisbee. Hey Mima...recognize this outfit? It's a 12 monther you bought for him and he still fits into it!



















I think Mimi & Bumpa enjoyed the festival as well. Thanks for spending such a wonderful day with us!