All Hallows Eve

This year, we decided to not travel outside of our community but celebrate one of the great things about Halloween.  It's one of the only times in the modern age when we come out of our homes and actually see our neighbors ... so we decided to stick at home and not head over the mountain to Vestavia.  It was GREAT fun!  The only blight on the night was an incident with Taco Soup that had a few of our guests with issues the next day (the beans didn't get done after 24 hours of soaking AND cooking for 6 hours - what's that about?). 

It really was fun and something we'll definitely do it again!  Holiday Party watching a movie in the front yard anyone? 

Getting ready for the big night.

The Bumble Bee was not buzzingly happy!

Mommy and her little poodle

SInce not otherwise engaged (with the birth of the much anticipated baby - GRRRR) the Hunters dropped by for a visit.

Mommy and her little Angel and Poodle.

Getting treats!

Check out the amount of trick or treaters we had!!!

And at the end of it all, Ding Dong the Witch was Dead!

Fall at the Bay

John and I decided pretty much last minute on Thursday that we were going to head South to the Bay for the weekend.  While it was pretty cold, the girls did actually dip a toe or two or their entire bodies into the water... for a few minutes.  The majority of the weekend was spent on Football.  Friday night - discussing Auburn's loss. Saturday - at the boys' ballgames and Saturday night - watching the Tide stomp the Vols. ROLL TIDE.

It was very nice to get away from the Ham for the weekend.  While John and I were connected with our phones, we were away from being able to do anything other than sit back, enjoy our family and take care of the girls.  John got some good running in and I was able to spend some time with my sister and mom.  We're back - refreshed and wondering when we can go back. 

Aunt Amy took some of the keeper duties during Chancellor's game so that we could watch him play.

Ellabee and her favorite (well one of her favorites) ball player.  Chancellor - the wide receiver.

Anne Bailey enjoyed being outside at the ball park.

Funny how nervous Daddy and Emery were during the game.  Chancellor and Ellabee joined them on the fence line to watch Garrison - the outside strong side linebacker who had a sack during the game.

Spending time with Daddy. 

Garrison's in there some-where.

Paw Paw and his girls on the Miss Ellabee Anne.

Ellabee got in Paw Paw's waiters... or is it weighters?

The whole fam turned our attention to Knoxville Saturday night.

The modern day family - communicating via iPhone and Treo.  Notice even my mom is on the iPhone.

Anne Bailey

Couldn't Resist!

Hairspray ROCKS My World

So, Ellabee got hold of a neon green sharpie marker yesterday while wearing my most favorite courdoroy smocked dress AND then John got black sharpie marker on a brand new Greg Norman (read: NOT CHEAP) golf shirt at an event last night.  After doing a little research on the web, I learned that I should try hairspray on the stain.  I sprayed it about 5 times, letting it sit about 5 minutes each time and scrubbing it with a toothbrush.  IT WORKED!!!!!  There is a tiny little mark where the marker was, but only I know it's there. 

Nothing like My Sister

The girls have been playing so well together lately.  Yes, we have our occasional blowups, but I expect that to happen well into their 30s.  Regardless, they are super cute when they play so sweetly together and I have to honest that it takes everything I have to not start laughing when they argue.  I see a great friendship blossoming. 

They stayed like this for about five minutes.  Anne Bailey had her head in Ellabee's lap and Ellabee was playing with her hair. 

Anne Bailey loves to read and Ellabee loves to "read" to her.  You should listen to the stories.  It all rhymes, but it's pretty nonsensical.

Sitting among the books.

Playing with the bubbles in the tub.

Racing for a Cure... With Hope

Last year in October, some of my girlfriends and I decided that we wanted to walk in the Race for the Cure 5K benefitting cancer research.  It was a great experience. Very uplifting AND extremely emotional but on a non-personal level.  I was amazed at all the "In Memory" of and "In Celebration" of signs everyone had.  I think I put my Aunt Renetta down on my sign, which while she was my aunt and she did have breast cancer, her diagnosis and treatment happened so distant from me and what I knew or even understood as a child.  

As I walked last year, I was thankful for the women who have fought this disease and won... I was sad for the women who had fought this disease and lost but most of all I was thankful that I knew very few people close to me that had been effected by breast cancer.  

1 month later, we found out that my dear friend and cubicle mate at the time - who was also 30 weeks pregnant and 31 years old - had stage 2 breast cancer.  We joked on this Saturday as we walked as part of the "Mac Pack" that "we'd been through so much this past year..." being sarcastic because of the praise they were heaping on the shoulders of the walkers for just being out there.  And yep, I have to admit that this time 1 year ago, there was a bit of pride in my walking... but this year, there was nothing about my pride or even me involved.  We were walking with hope, honoring a cherished friend who fought the battle of her life this past year and for the time being (and hopefully for the next 50 some odd years) has won.  I pray for all the women out there fighting that they will win this fight and I pray for my daughters that by the time they are 30 with daughters of their own, this disease will be cured so that we don't have to lose any moms or daughters, or aunts or sisters anymore.

Love you Lara and I'm so glad that you are my friend and a fighter. 

Lara with Bennett and Will

Ready to Walk for Hope and a Cure... for all our daughters

The Wishy Washy Woman

In the deep dark jungle, where nobody goes... there's a wishy washy washer woman ... vacuuming.

I love this Thing

OK, so I went on a bit of a spending spree - with the blessing of my sweet husband - this week.  This is perhaps my most favorite gadget ever (with the exception of the iPhone).  It's how I'm getting video of the girls... it rocks my world - check it out.  

The iFlip - LOVE IT!

Playing around in the Stone Home after Dinner

We're learning how to do this - bear with us.

Weekend in Review

This was a pretty filled weekend.  Mimi came in for the weekend to help out a bit and spend some time with the girls.  She was a big help indeed!  Friday night, John and I headed out to Columbiana for the Restoration Academy v. Sumpter Academy football game.  Yeppers, RA plays our home games at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Columbiana... we don't have a field and BSC's field wasn't ready for the season (and we couldn't convince the other private school in Birmingham - located on Lakeshore Road - to let us use their field).  Anyway, John claims to have never been to a high school football game, so we headed out to RA's first home game of season.  Go Bulldogs! It was a win - 18 to 6.

The Press Box Three - a scary combination...

Steve, Renji and Ben

(English Teacher, Math Teacher, Principal)

Saturday morning, after a great time in Columbiana, I packed the car with coolers of water and headed to Fairfield for the 2nd Focus on Fairfield volunteer event.  We had about 150 volunteers come alongside 20 or so students to do community service work in the Fairfield community.  We worked in the community garden, "limbing up" the sidewalks and clearing debris from three abandoned properties that we've been able to get through CityWorks in order to renovate and turn over into affordable housing for families in the community.  It was a fantastic day!

Is that a Bug or is it a Junior?

The youth group from Mountain Brook Community Church joined in our efforts and were assigned to help with the Community Garden... and respite in the middle of Fairfield.  I want a community garden SO bad.

American Gothic?  RA's own personal interpretation.

Our own Fairfield People Mover!  Thanks With These Hands for the Coker's new privacy fence!

After Focus on Fairfield, we hung out and watched the UA game - Roll Tide... and the AU game - Roll Tide.  Then we got up this morning and went to Whole Foods for brunch - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND... and then off to Montgomery for a Children's Hospital "Child of Children's" Event.  The girls got to go and had an absolute ball.  It was well worth the trip after a fun, but tiring weekend. 

Well, We figured out that Anne Bailey has an unnatural fear of characters.  What seemed to skip Ellabee, has landed on Anne Bailey.  She was TERRIFIED of the Montgomery Cardinal and Dora... oh well.

Ellabee got her face painted.  She was the prettiest princess kitty there!

Meeting Dora was certainly a highlight!

And then out came the cotton candy - oh my.

But nothing compared to the Black Elvis - no really, that's his name... The Black Elvis (google it)

Christmas and Confessions

So, it feels pretty nice to have Christmas for my girls (presents from the jolly man that is) done by the end of September! I finised off Anne Bailey's today and now have a 5 foot x 3 foot x 2 foot box in the back of my car that I am trying to hide from the 4 year old... yeah, didn't quite think that one out. Ellabee is getting a bike this year and Anne Bailey is getting a little roller coaster thing - like they have at kid's gym in Vestavia. The bike is still at the bike shop... didn't think that out either.

I found this at Sams - for about 1/2 the price they sell it for at amazon!!!! Of course I grabbed it, but without thinking through the ramifications of purchasing a very large present 3 full months before Christmas! HELP! Any storage space available? I'm hoping my parents will help me take it to F'hope, along with Ellabee's bike that we also found this weekend.

Ok... enough about Christmas... confessions. I have been thinking about confessing some things for a while.

Confession 1: I throw dog poop over our back yard fence into our neighbors yard... I must qualify this that his back yard is really a mosquito breeding battleground that is overgrown with weeds and various car parts he's thrown there. The area that I use as our personal pooper scooper removal depot is also the same place where, four years ago, he decided to burn trash, in the middle of Birmingham, and proceeded to build a 6 foot high bon fire that almost burned my house down AND melted the vinyl siding off his.

Confession 2: I called the fire department. He, to this day, doesn't know it was me... but it was. Our house is 102 years old - made of wood and would go up like London in the 1600s. I CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT

Confession 3: I ate two pieces of chocolate cake tonight... and justified it because the recipe had 4 zuchinis cut up in it - that makes it healthy, right?

OK, so I feel better. Lighter even... well, my mind is lighter... my body - well, heavier (remember, 2 pieces of cake).