I'm not really a morning person. (at all) Some of the hum-drum activities like laundry, emptying the dishwasher and cleaning toilets (yuck!!) that must be done aren't high on my happy-happy-joy-joy list either. But my least favorite time of the day?
Dinnertime.
Why?
My children don't eat.
Carolina used to be an awesome eater . . . but for some reason for the past week or two she has been on strike, maybe after watching brother too much. (I do feel two teeth trying to break through - PLEASE let this be the temporary reason for her eating strike!) Because, he doesn't eat . . . dinner that is. Dinner that I have cooked. Dinner that I actually spent time on. Dinner consisting of yummy meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. Normal dinners.
Tonight we had to pull out the timer, say over and over again, "Eat, Lawton." We threatened no story time (devastating to him), tried to bribe him with desserts. Most nights he just doesn't eat because he would rather starve than eat my meals.
"How many bites?" "But I don't like that!" (it hadn't even touched his fork yet so how does he know?) "But that is crunchy!" "That has a black spot on it!" "It's too hot!" (it is room temperature the food has been sitting on his plate for sooooo long!)
The daily battle of getting him to eat dinner makes me want to bash my head in.
Oh yeah, and sister SCREAMED the entire dinner because she wanted no part in her meal either. Did I offer them food they would prefer, like goldfish and crackers? No way. That is the point of me cooking . . . so they will eat like normal people, expand their palates, and be able to go to a friends house and not offend the friend's mother. . . and embarrass me.
But this nightly battle at dinnertime? I loathe it. Despise it. Will my children ever eat?
Oh, did I mention that today at Daddy lunch at Lawton's school (pictures coming soon) one Dad brought his son SUSHI?? I know that there are tons of kids out there who eat. My nephew, on an "all about me" sheet answered EVERYTHING when asked what is his favorite food was.
Where did I go wrong? Really. Does anyone else feel me?
I'd like to keep my sanity. . . at least until November anyways.
(and you know what? I thought I had blogged about this before, and I found it HERE. Wouldn't you know, it was the same meal that we had tonight! hmmm. . .)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Fun Fall Camping
A week and a half ago, we went camping with a bunch of friends from church. Besides the downpour of rain all Friday night (and thus really early bedtimes for all) we had beautiful weather and a great time outdoors with friends and all our kids! :)
Carolina and Emery are about to go on a bike ride - all the kids loved taking turns - and the adults did, too! :)
Lawton and Annie had a great time hanging out all weekend together!
Throwing rocks into the lake (which our campsite backed up to!) I think all the kids could have thrown rocks in for hours!
A little swing time in the hammock!
Carolina busied herself for a long time lining up these bubbles and putting them in and out of the bucket. Anna and Annie finally joined her for the "fun"!?! Don't you wish you could squat like that for an extended period of time?
Some of the mommas preparing breakfast - yum!
Sadly, this is as close as I got to a group shot. Shame on me!
And aren't these the two cutest little campers you have ever seen? Carolina looks a little dazed from a fun weekend of camping! :) 
Carolina and Emery are about to go on a bike ride - all the kids loved taking turns - and the adults did, too! :)
Lawton and Annie had a great time hanging out all weekend together! 
Throwing rocks into the lake (which our campsite backed up to!) I think all the kids could have thrown rocks in for hours!
A little swing time in the hammock!
Carolina busied herself for a long time lining up these bubbles and putting them in and out of the bucket. Anna and Annie finally joined her for the "fun"!?! Don't you wish you could squat like that for an extended period of time?
Some of the mommas preparing breakfast - yum!
Sadly, this is as close as I got to a group shot. Shame on me!
And aren't these the two cutest little campers you have ever seen? Carolina looks a little dazed from a fun weekend of camping! :) 
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Our (LONG overdue) Chevy Chase Vacation part IV
The other night we were watching the new NBC show, Community, with Chevy Chase as one of the actors. It got my wheels to turning that "HEY! I never ever finished documenting our Chevy Chase Vacation . . . even after my friend Rebekah asked about it a few months ago!" So, this is for Rebekah and all my other friends who have nothing else better to do than to laugh at our expense! :) If you really want to get the full effect of our sad little first vacation, then go to my links below and read up! ha!
Our Chevy Chase Vacation part I, part II, and part III!!
. . . After our quick PB&J sandwich, we headed to our campground. When we pulled up, there was, as promised, the quintessential covered bridge. The check-in place was nice, with a well stocked little store and even a covered porch with swings. We had never seen such nice amenities at a campground before. Chad and I were excited to get settled and just relax. So, we crossed the covered bridge and then realized why there was a little store and an on-going game of checkers on the front porch. We were spending the night at a trailer park. a trailer park. and here came Cousin Eddie, ear flaps waving and Becky Sue running to greet us.
Oh. my. goodness. The campers/trailers had porches attached to them. Weeds knee high were surrounding all the campers. Bicycles and push toys littered all "the sites."
We had been out of our car 2.2 minutes when this little five year old boy came running up and wanted to help us set up our tent. I'm sure his momma had sent him over to meet the new neighbors. After skirting the little boy with the two sizes too small tank top and old school Garanimals shorts, we checked out the ONE bathhouse for the entire "campground". Ummm. . . I thought I could "hold it" until the morning. yeah.
Our relaxing afternoon was turning out to be less than desirable, because more and more children were coming by to meet the newbies in town. We decided to head out to the local town to their mall until we could swoop back to our tent after dark. You know what kind of malls exist in towns of less than 10,000 people? We walked in, saw the four shoe stores, two sports stores, the essential Claire's and Hallmark stores, and the Dollar Tree-like store within the mall. You know it's bad when the mall is so empty you can hear every note of the elevator music playing in the background. It was eerily empty and quiet. So, what to do?? We found the nearest pay phone (since our cell phone had been stolen earlier in the trip), called both sets of parents and (I) cried telling them how horrible our day/week had really been. I think they just sat there in silence while we (I) rambled on and on . . . imagine that.
After getting off of the phone, we left the bootleg "mall" (instead of being in the fabulous historic Boston) and selected one of the three restaurants in town, a local pizza joint. To us, it was the best pizza we had ever tasted . . . maybe because we had eaten PB&J for 12 out of the past 15 meals or so. maybe.
Thankfully, when dinner was over, it was dark and we snuck back into the trailer park. After peeing outside beside our tent (the "bathhouse" was THAT nasty) and brushing my teeth in the bushes, we called it a night. In the cover of darkness the next morning, we slipped out before Cousin Eddie and Becky Sue could bid us goodbye!!
We were very excited to arrive at our last leg of the trip, Camp Shiloh, where Chad and I had worked the summer of 2000 as an engaged couple. After several hours of driving, we were excited to pull into camp and see familiar sites - the outhouse in the middle of camp, the mess hall with the sagging front porch, sweaty kids who hadn't showered in days, and staff members and friends weary from working a long, wonderful summer. We thought we were in heaven!
Lucky for us, we arrived for a yummy lunch of cold turkey sandwiches and a bag of chips, a dinner of goulash, and for the next morning some stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal! We were so happy to see some of our friends and co-workers from the previous summer, and many campers who we'd grown close to and mentored. We were even able to make it for the Luau banquet the last night!
In 1999 when I first arrived at Shiloh, well, it was rough. I won't lie, that first summer we didn't have running water for two days one time because the well pump broke. If the health department had caught us, well, I don't want to think about what would have happened . . . (There was no kitchen at camp because arsonists had burned it to the ground in '96, I believe, so all food was brought it for every meal. We had to have lots of jugs of water around camp for drinking water and flushing toilets!) Since then, MANY improvements have been made to the camp, with the help of work groups from our church and another church every year since 2001. Camp Shiloh is a totally different place than it was then - and the new kitchen and "Celebration Center" is due to have it's ribbon cutting next spring!! I write all this to say, even though Shiloh was (cosmetically speaking) in shambles, it was the highlight of our Chevy Chase vacation. Spending time with the children of inner city NY and friends from all over the country made all our troubles worthwhile.
We decided to go back home a different way than we had come because my good college friend, Belle, had her first child a few days earlier in Lexington, KY and we thought we would "swing by" on our way home. So, our journey took us through West Virginia - the long, east to west part of WV. Have you ever driven through West Virginia? The mountains are beautiful. Well, the first one or two were. Let me explain . . . Outside of Chattanooga, TN, I-24 takes you over Monteagle. Anytime we are heading south, we kind of "gear up" to go over Monteagle and consider that a stake in our journey to our destination. We likened driving through WV like going over Monteagle - only 17 times. Oh yeah, and in the rain. It was a long drive. But, we finally made it to Lexington and saw sweet baby Tucker, who unbelievable turned eight this July. Wow.
Lesson learned from our Chevy Chase Vacation? Never try to go on a trip for $500. Oh, and every memory, even though they were mostly bad, are priceless, wonderful memories of our first "vacation" as a married couple. I wouldn't trade them for the world. :)
Our Chevy Chase Vacation part I, part II, and part III!!
. . . After our quick PB&J sandwich, we headed to our campground. When we pulled up, there was, as promised, the quintessential covered bridge. The check-in place was nice, with a well stocked little store and even a covered porch with swings. We had never seen such nice amenities at a campground before. Chad and I were excited to get settled and just relax. So, we crossed the covered bridge and then realized why there was a little store and an on-going game of checkers on the front porch. We were spending the night at a trailer park. a trailer park. and here came Cousin Eddie, ear flaps waving and Becky Sue running to greet us.
Oh. my. goodness. The campers/trailers had porches attached to them. Weeds knee high were surrounding all the campers. Bicycles and push toys littered all "the sites."
We had been out of our car 2.2 minutes when this little five year old boy came running up and wanted to help us set up our tent. I'm sure his momma had sent him over to meet the new neighbors. After skirting the little boy with the two sizes too small tank top and old school Garanimals shorts, we checked out the ONE bathhouse for the entire "campground". Ummm. . . I thought I could "hold it" until the morning. yeah.
Our relaxing afternoon was turning out to be less than desirable, because more and more children were coming by to meet the newbies in town. We decided to head out to the local town to their mall until we could swoop back to our tent after dark. You know what kind of malls exist in towns of less than 10,000 people? We walked in, saw the four shoe stores, two sports stores, the essential Claire's and Hallmark stores, and the Dollar Tree-like store within the mall. You know it's bad when the mall is so empty you can hear every note of the elevator music playing in the background. It was eerily empty and quiet. So, what to do?? We found the nearest pay phone (since our cell phone had been stolen earlier in the trip), called both sets of parents and (I) cried telling them how horrible our day/week had really been. I think they just sat there in silence while we (I) rambled on and on . . . imagine that.
After getting off of the phone, we left the bootleg "mall" (instead of being in the fabulous historic Boston) and selected one of the three restaurants in town, a local pizza joint. To us, it was the best pizza we had ever tasted . . . maybe because we had eaten PB&J for 12 out of the past 15 meals or so. maybe.
Thankfully, when dinner was over, it was dark and we snuck back into the trailer park. After peeing outside beside our tent (the "bathhouse" was THAT nasty) and brushing my teeth in the bushes, we called it a night. In the cover of darkness the next morning, we slipped out before Cousin Eddie and Becky Sue could bid us goodbye!!
We were very excited to arrive at our last leg of the trip, Camp Shiloh, where Chad and I had worked the summer of 2000 as an engaged couple. After several hours of driving, we were excited to pull into camp and see familiar sites - the outhouse in the middle of camp, the mess hall with the sagging front porch, sweaty kids who hadn't showered in days, and staff members and friends weary from working a long, wonderful summer. We thought we were in heaven!
Lucky for us, we arrived for a yummy lunch of cold turkey sandwiches and a bag of chips, a dinner of goulash, and for the next morning some stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal! We were so happy to see some of our friends and co-workers from the previous summer, and many campers who we'd grown close to and mentored. We were even able to make it for the Luau banquet the last night!
In 1999 when I first arrived at Shiloh, well, it was rough. I won't lie, that first summer we didn't have running water for two days one time because the well pump broke. If the health department had caught us, well, I don't want to think about what would have happened . . . (There was no kitchen at camp because arsonists had burned it to the ground in '96, I believe, so all food was brought it for every meal. We had to have lots of jugs of water around camp for drinking water and flushing toilets!) Since then, MANY improvements have been made to the camp, with the help of work groups from our church and another church every year since 2001. Camp Shiloh is a totally different place than it was then - and the new kitchen and "Celebration Center" is due to have it's ribbon cutting next spring!! I write all this to say, even though Shiloh was (cosmetically speaking) in shambles, it was the highlight of our Chevy Chase vacation. Spending time with the children of inner city NY and friends from all over the country made all our troubles worthwhile.
We decided to go back home a different way than we had come because my good college friend, Belle, had her first child a few days earlier in Lexington, KY and we thought we would "swing by" on our way home. So, our journey took us through West Virginia - the long, east to west part of WV. Have you ever driven through West Virginia? The mountains are beautiful. Well, the first one or two were. Let me explain . . . Outside of Chattanooga, TN, I-24 takes you over Monteagle. Anytime we are heading south, we kind of "gear up" to go over Monteagle and consider that a stake in our journey to our destination. We likened driving through WV like going over Monteagle - only 17 times. Oh yeah, and in the rain. It was a long drive. But, we finally made it to Lexington and saw sweet baby Tucker, who unbelievable turned eight this July. Wow.
Lesson learned from our Chevy Chase Vacation? Never try to go on a trip for $500. Oh, and every memory, even though they were mostly bad, are priceless, wonderful memories of our first "vacation" as a married couple. I wouldn't trade them for the world. :)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
My little player
We made the plunge. Lawton is playing fall ball, and I'm happy to say he loves it! Soccer was okay last fall, but not great, so we laid low this spring. Since he is now old enough to play (4), could be on a team with his cousin Hunter, and Uncle Brent is the coach, it is a win-win-win situation! Lawton listens much better to others, especially Emily and Brent over us when it comes to baseball, so this has been a perfect "fit" for Lawton.
Chad and I have been pleasantly surprised that he is able to focus, listen, and try for the 1 1/2 hour practices . . . and love it even though he has relatively few skills . . . ahem. 
He was so proud to have eye-black on for the first game! (And he got his first hit at his second game . . . I'll be honest, I wasn't sure when it would come . . .)
And isn't that the cutest ten inch waist you have ever seen? ha!Sunday, September 13, 2009
No Sister Allowed!
Last Labor Day weekend, we ditched Sister to have a little one-on-one trip with Lawton. He was in heaven . . . actually she was too, because she received lots of one-on-one attention from Noni and Dandy!
Here we are at the Georgia Welcome Center where Lawton excitedly found where we were on the map and how much further we had to go before reaching our destination of Atlanta. (Remember - he loves maps . . . and yes, he is on top of the map!)
We enjoyed a meal at Dave and Buster's (without the gaming - it was a little overwhelming and crazy . . . and late!) with the rest of the crew. I love this picture with the all the boys cozied up with their daddies. Houston and Brent, Ryan and Pat and Lawton and Chad.
And the reason we went to Atlanta? A Faith Day at Turner Field! It helped a little that Brent, my brother-in-law, was in charge of the entire thing and was able to get us some great tickets! Thanks, Brent! Here's skinny-mini Emily and her "brood" heading into the stadium. ha!
All the kiddos before the game - Lawton, Reid, Ryan, John Patrick, Hunter, Audrey Jane, Maggie, Cameron and Houston.
Before the game, all the kids were able to walk around the warning track of the field. How cool is this?!?
The sad thing is, Lawton has no concept of how big the Braves are and being on a major league field. . .
Father Pat and the kids . . . with a flight risk on the end - ha!
Larry and Bob even made it down to ATL! :)
Go Braves! Sadly, they lost to the Reds 4-2 after a LOOONNGGG 12 innings! (We got there at least an hour before the game and then waited after the game was over to hear Matthew West in concert. It was a long day . . .)
And isn't this crazy? Brent was on the jumbo-tron (and standing on the Braves dug-out) introducing a few speakers and Matthew West.
We rushed home after all the festivities only to get up super early the next morning to cheer Daddy on in a 10K! We were glad to get back to Carolina, though, that afternoon. We all missed her a lot! :) 
Here we are at the Georgia Welcome Center where Lawton excitedly found where we were on the map and how much further we had to go before reaching our destination of Atlanta. (Remember - he loves maps . . . and yes, he is on top of the map!)
We enjoyed a meal at Dave and Buster's (without the gaming - it was a little overwhelming and crazy . . . and late!) with the rest of the crew. I love this picture with the all the boys cozied up with their daddies. Houston and Brent, Ryan and Pat and Lawton and Chad.
And the reason we went to Atlanta? A Faith Day at Turner Field! It helped a little that Brent, my brother-in-law, was in charge of the entire thing and was able to get us some great tickets! Thanks, Brent! Here's skinny-mini Emily and her "brood" heading into the stadium. ha! 
All the kiddos before the game - Lawton, Reid, Ryan, John Patrick, Hunter, Audrey Jane, Maggie, Cameron and Houston. 
Before the game, all the kids were able to walk around the warning track of the field. How cool is this?!?
The sad thing is, Lawton has no concept of how big the Braves are and being on a major league field. . .
Father Pat and the kids . . . with a flight risk on the end - ha!
Larry and Bob even made it down to ATL! :)
Go Braves! Sadly, they lost to the Reds 4-2 after a LOOONNGGG 12 innings! (We got there at least an hour before the game and then waited after the game was over to hear Matthew West in concert. It was a long day . . .)
And isn't this crazy? Brent was on the jumbo-tron (and standing on the Braves dug-out) introducing a few speakers and Matthew West.
We rushed home after all the festivities only to get up super early the next morning to cheer Daddy on in a 10K! We were glad to get back to Carolina, though, that afternoon. We all missed her a lot! :) 
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Melt. My. Heart.
Tonight as I was cooking dinner, I noticed it got quite all of a sudden and I went into the living room and discovered this. 
They had snuggled up under a blanket and were watching PBS together. Awww. I went back into the kitchen and then a few minutes later I couldn't help but sneak a peek again. That's when I saw this:
Oh my. My heart was melting. I thought this day would never come.
"I love my big brother!"
And he loves her. Just an hour earlier, I jokingly said, "I'm just going to give Carolina away. She makes too much of a mess!" Lawton piped up, "No! I love my sister! We can't give her away!"
And so it was. My heart was a pile of mush for my two sweet babies. Of course, until 42 minutes later he yanked some of his shoes she was proudly walking around the house in off of her feet to send her hurling to the floor.
They had snuggled up under a blanket and were watching PBS together. Awww. I went back into the kitchen and then a few minutes later I couldn't help but sneak a peek again. That's when I saw this:
Oh my. My heart was melting. I thought this day would never come. 
"I love my big brother!"
And he loves her. Just an hour earlier, I jokingly said, "I'm just going to give Carolina away. She makes too much of a mess!" Lawton piped up, "No! I love my sister! We can't give her away!"
And so it was. My heart was a pile of mush for my two sweet babies. Of course, until 42 minutes later he yanked some of his shoes she was proudly walking around the house in off of her feet to send her hurling to the floor. Friday, September 4, 2009
Diptacular - the BEST dip ever!
Boomama is having a diptacular day hosting everyone's favorite dips for the kick off of football season. We don't ever sit around and watch football regularly with dips and the whole spread, but I do like to make this for other occasions. . . Poor Chad, he has to spend his Saturdays mowing yards (for money) so he doesn't get to sit in front of the television all day and watch College Game Day and such. I appreciate him and the sacrifices he makes for our family! But you know who we (he) cheer(s) on? Roll Tide! :)Okay, okay. . . here's the dip: Chip Beef Spread
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 Tbs. cooking sherry (I have never done this because I don't have any . . . )
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 tsp. instant minced onion
1 2 1/2 oz. jar sliced dried beef, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped Spanish olives
Combine - Spread on Wheat Thins or bagel chips
+
+
=
DELICIOUS!!
I LOVE this dip and even olive haters sometimes like this dip! I am very happy when all my guests don't finish this off and I get to eat it for lunch the next day! :)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
My roots
Over a week ago, we spent a Saturday night at an annual tradition, (at least since fifth grade) of going to the Wilson County Fair, my hometown fair. I don't think I had ever even been to a fair before then, but quickly immersed myself into all things "fair" for the summer leading up to the big week. I entered all sorts of things, crafts, paintings, sewing, baking, photography, and usually won about $50-$75 dollars worth. Big cash for a teenager (at least to me back then. . . ha!) If you want to see last year's fair trip, you can here.
We were planning on spending more time there, but since the weather was so unbelievable, everyone else headed to the fair, too. It only took an HOUR off of the interstate to get there! Aghh!
We met up with Kathryn, Andrew, Luke and my parents. Notice Big Girl's fair food - ha! (the cup was empty when we gave it to her in case you were wondering . . .)
This has always been one of Lawton's favorite things to do at the fair - climb on and off all of the tractors and mowers. They were pretty excited here!
Notice his "motor" is going here . . .
And now her "motor" is going . . . LOVE IT!
Long before I had heard of taking "bear" pictures, we have taken his picture on an ex-mark mower every year at the fair since his first one at four months old. I wish I could show them all to you, but I wasn't digital then, nor could I locate them at this point. One day!
Sister needs her ex-mark shot, too!
Noni and Lawton are discussing the goats that were about to be shown.
Carolina loved petting the goats!
Lawton wasn't too sure about "milking" the "cow". ha!
Noni and her sweet grandbaby!
I wish I had audio of how she was squealing over this pig!
Carolina was SO excited about this giant "Pooh" she saw in the Fairway!
I love this boy. I miss Disney World and Cinderella's Carousel. There. I said it.
And here is where Lawton was in heaven, believe it or not. He has developed a "slight" obsession with weather and checking the weather "scream" (screen aka weather channel) ALL THE TIME. For those of you who know Chad know that he loves the weather. However, he does not watch the weather channel all the time, nor do we talk about it that much. He really did develop this newest obsession on his own. . .
Here is he being Mr. Forecaster . . . (notice he is wearing a pullover? CRAZY!)
Sister couldn't take it anymore!
And the funniest thing of the night? Lance and my soon to be sister-in-law and some friends came up, too. Heather (on the far left in all black) was hypnotized in front of at least 300 people! Pretty funny! Love you, Heather! ;)
We were planning on spending more time there, but since the weather was so unbelievable, everyone else headed to the fair, too. It only took an HOUR off of the interstate to get there! Aghh!
We met up with Kathryn, Andrew, Luke and my parents. Notice Big Girl's fair food - ha! (the cup was empty when we gave it to her in case you were wondering . . .)
This has always been one of Lawton's favorite things to do at the fair - climb on and off all of the tractors and mowers. They were pretty excited here!
Notice his "motor" is going here . . .
And now her "motor" is going . . . LOVE IT!
Long before I had heard of taking "bear" pictures, we have taken his picture on an ex-mark mower every year at the fair since his first one at four months old. I wish I could show them all to you, but I wasn't digital then, nor could I locate them at this point. One day!
Sister needs her ex-mark shot, too!
Noni and Lawton are discussing the goats that were about to be shown.
Carolina loved petting the goats!
Lawton wasn't too sure about "milking" the "cow". ha!
Noni and her sweet grandbaby!
I wish I had audio of how she was squealing over this pig! 
Carolina was SO excited about this giant "Pooh" she saw in the Fairway!
I love this boy. I miss Disney World and Cinderella's Carousel. There. I said it. 
And here is where Lawton was in heaven, believe it or not. He has developed a "slight" obsession with weather and checking the weather "scream" (screen aka weather channel) ALL THE TIME. For those of you who know Chad know that he loves the weather. However, he does not watch the weather channel all the time, nor do we talk about it that much. He really did develop this newest obsession on his own. . .
Here is he being Mr. Forecaster . . . (notice he is wearing a pullover? CRAZY!)
Sister couldn't take it anymore!
And the funniest thing of the night? Lance and my soon to be sister-in-law and some friends came up, too. Heather (on the far left in all black) was hypnotized in front of at least 300 people! Pretty funny! Love you, Heather! ;)
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