13 Weeks

How Far along? 13 weeks

How big is Baby? About the size of a lemon (3 inches)

Total weight gain/loss: a grand total of 1 and a half pounds.

Maternity clothes? Yep. There's no way around it with the jeans!

Stretch marks? I hope it's not possible for me to get anymore!
Sleep: What the heck is that?
Best moment this week: Visiting the Doctor and finding out that everything is just fine.
Movement: He/she is dancing around but I can't feel it yet.
Food cravings: Lemons, anything bland because every time I eat if feels like I swallowed a giant flaming soccer ball for at least an hour afterwards.
Gender: We find out April 12th.
Labor Signs: none, thank goodness!
Belly Button in or out?It's in for now.
What I miss: Sleeping on my back, sleeping on my stomach, sleeping.....
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender in a few weeks :)
Milestones: reaching the 2nd trimester

In other news, guess what Joe sings in the morning when he wakes up...(when he's not whistling)

The Canadian national anthem.

Let that sink in.....

I HAVE to delete the NBA all star game off the DVR...like, NOW!

My Little Burrito

Every night before I go to bed, I sneak into Joe's room and give him a kiss goodnight (even though he has long been asleep). Sometimes I find some very interesting things going on in his room. Sometimes he will be completely out of the covers, sometimes there will be Hot Wheels in the bed, sometimes he will be reaching above his head and holding onto the bats, sometimes all the lights will be on....you get the picture. He's a quirky kid.

One night last week I went into his room and what I found surprised me. The initial surprise came from me thinking "OH gosh, he's jumped out the window!" I turned on the light to assess the situation closer and this is what I found:



He was rolled up like a burrito with his head almost hanging off the bed.

Please don't ask me how this happened because I can offer no explanation.

He is who he is.

Basketball; White men can jump (kind of)

I wanted to share some photos from Joe's basketball game Saturday. My dear, sweet neighbors Lauren and Josh took these for me since I couldn't be there for the game. I actually won't get to see a game until February due to my class schedule. I think you'll agree, my neighbors really have an eye for photography.

Note: You will definitely want to click on these pictures so you can see the enlarged versions.

For example:

Just look at the emotion captured on Jason's face. You can definitely appreciate his talent for coaching Church league youth sports.


They were also able to perfectly capture Joe getting whacked in the back of the head and a walking zombie in the background.


Notice that Joe is squatting and still taller than his defender.


My goodness, look at that face!


And that impeccable form!




This is, perhaps, my favorite shot from the game. Conveniently, no one can tell me what the heck was going on or what he was doing, but this picture screams artistic genius.


When there were no more action shots to be had, my wonderful neighbors captured the spirit of the Saturday morning kid quite well.

Thank you Lauren and Josh for being awesome! Love Y'all!

Who Knew?

Who knew Joe was so wildly talented?

Case in point: He can hold 5 cars using only his toes!

Who knew I'd look so rough after 5 and a half hours in the car?

(...raises hand....I did!)

Who knew a temporary Alabama tattoo could be so stylish?


Okay, maybe not

Anybody order a glittery old lady with a side of back rolls? No?

Who knew my children could be so sweet?

Okay...I did.

Who knew my heart would melt at the sight of a smile and an ear flop?

Lord help me! This might be too much!

Who knew my cat was Linda Blair?

Everyone.


Who knew 2 little boys could wear a total of 5 pieces of Alabama apparel at one time?

We aren't even counting the 2 I had on!

Who knew my boy is about to be 7?

Sigh...

Who knew?

I guess I did.

A Plastic Paradox

On Saturday, Joe bought some action figure men at a yard sale. He named them Astro and Acai (yep, like the berry). These men have seen some interesting action over the past few days, I'm sure. They have fought to high heaven, laid on top of the dog and cats, slid down many stairs, and undoubtedly wound up naked under the bed.

Joe brought Astro downstairs naked around dinner time. This is what transpired:



Me: Joe, you can't have a naked man at the table!

Joe: Why, cause it's disgusting?

Me: Well, no...it's just not proper to have his private parts out on display.

Joe: But he doesn't have any private parts!

Touche Joe. Too-shay.

Joe: Boy Wonder

We spent a wonderful, relaxing weekend with our friends in Huntsville, Chad and Jessica.

I won't chronicle the weekend hour by hour because....well...I like y'all, and I want you to keep reading my blog. Besides, 6 hours in the pool and 6 hours of "Catch Phrase" can tend to get a bit monotonous on paper. I will, however, show you some photos of the amazing things Joe did this weekend. "Vacation Joe" tends to be more adventurous and less ill-mannered than "Everyday Joe."

I'll start with the single most amazing photo I have ever taken.

Are you ready?
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I mean, seriously, how amazing is this?

In the spirit of adventure, Joe ate sushi on his own accord.

The kid won't eat ketchup, but he will throw down on sushi.

He also ate a big chunk of tofu.

Okay, he ate 3 big chunks of tofu.

If you knew the stock that this child came from on one side, your jaw would hit the floor.


Joe also had great fun with the Sanders' dog.





We had a great weekend with our dear friends. What is it about people that don't have kids that makes them want to absolutely wear your kid into the ground? I'm not sure, but whatever it is, I like it. Because of Chad (and Jason), Joe was ready for bed at about 6:15.

If This Happens Again, I'm Moving Out!

Today, I experienced a meltdown of EPIC proportions, for which I was grossly ill-prepared.
By ill-prepared, I mean I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

You see, Joe doesn't typically have these types of meltdowns. His unpleasantness doesn't usually ebb and flow, rather, it comes in a steady stream to which I have become accustomed over the last 6 and a half years. But this time was different. THIS time, Joe had a blowout of tears, snot, and regrettable hatred.

Why?

Did I take away all of his toys? No.
Did I feed him his least favorite meal of hotdogs? NO
Did I force him to walk 10 miles in the Alabama heat? NO

I asked him to dust. Yes, that's right, dust.

Joe generally likes does not loathe chores. He (usually) always likes to "help" and I happily oblige his wishes.

This time however, he didn't ask me to help, I asked him, which apparently changes everything. Even the promise of Sno-cone truck money ($2) couldn't sway this child, whose mood swing rivaled that of a caged Siberian tiger who has just been told he's getting sterilized.

After a swift spanking, some "nap" time, and a discussion of why God says you should treat your parents nicely, Joe came around. He did his chores of dusting, wiping the bathroom counter and putting away the top rack of clean dishes from the dishwasher and happily accepted his payment.

Now it's raining so we probably won't see the snow cone truck today.

Next time a meltdown of these biblical proportions occurs, I will be ready. By ready, I mean I will direct all complaints to Jason.

P.S. At least I can be thankful that it wasn't as bad as this meltdown!

Who Knew You Could Have THIS Much Fun With Kids?

Due to.....extenuating circumstances....Joe is staying home the rest of the summer. Having never been a "stay at home Mother" I have given myself a challenge of coming up with fun things to do.

Fun things like staying up all night to write the papers I no longer have time to do during the day.

I kid. But seriously, Joe is the type of kid who needs constant stimulation. If he has something to do, he behaves. If not, well, that's for another day.

Friday, my best friend Tabatha and I took the kids to Helena where we played in a creek, played on a playground, and had lunch at a place called "The Depot."

We started on the playground.

Where Hartley posed like a supermodel.


Joe played on a tire swing.


Grayson barked orders at the rest of us.


And Tab and I took our first picture together after being friends for over a year!


They got good and sandy and Tabatha took pictures because "she loves butt!!"


We climbed trees and took pictures to document our bravery.


Or maybe to document our cute swimsuits.


Yea, that was probably it.


Grayson and Hartley showed us their tree poses.

After we got in the water...

Joe threw rocks, his favorite pastime.


I flexed my photography muscles.


Hartley took a faceplant in the water and WAS NOT happy. Check out that brotherly love in the corner! I love it!


I tried unsuccessfully to take a group photo of a 6, almost 3, and 1 year old.

It was a good day :)

Two Years (!!!)

Today is our anniversary! If you couldn't tell by my headline, it has been 2 years. Two years may not seem very significant to, say.....my grandparents who have been married for 50+ years, but I'm very proud of it.

How it started: I met Jason while waitressing (yeah....I know). I admired him from afar and one day something just clicked with both of us. So, no, it wasn't "love at first sight." I've always been a very self reliant person. You will never hear the words "meant to be" or anything like that come out of my mouth. I believe we make our own futures. But, let me tell you, when I started dating Jason, I got slapped across the face with a healthy dose of "meant to be."

I love him so much. Our personalities go together like warm pecan pie and ice cream.....but our temperaments....more like pickles and cheesecake! He is very sweet, easygoing, and patient. Me? Well, I'm none of those things. He keeps me grounded.

We got married on Friday, the 13th of July 2007. Our wedding was very low key and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

We were supposed to get married on the beach, but my sensitive eyes got the best of me and I decided I couldn't do it without my sunglasses, so we got married in a gazebo instead.

It still made for good pictures.

We had our reception at the hotel bar! (Yeah...I know)

This was my Daddy's favorite photo.

Then we went back to the beach for a few more pictures.

That sand was HOT!

Then we left! Like I said, very low key.


Joe and I both love him so much! I know we'll celebrate many more anniversaries together.

The Best (or Worst) Way to Spend a Sunday Afternoon

Here's how it started. I wasn't too fond of the idea. I wanted to stay in the house.
You see, I can tolerate almost anything, but there is one thing I just can't deal with.

Wet grass on my feet. I have a very hard time walking barefoot in wet grass.

Scratch that....my child would have to be on fire in the middle of the yard for me to walk barefoot in wet grass. My Mom says she took me out to the middle of the yard and left me when I was a baby. Rather than walking back to her, she says I stood there and screamed until she came and got me.

Serious stuff I tell you. But I digress.

Our neighbor Mr. Brad came over to get in on the fun.

Does his bathing suit remind you of anything?


Safety first.


The males of the bunch LOVED this.

I however, huddled on the sidewalk trying to keep my feet dry, thinking the camera in my hands would grant me immunity.

Boy, was I wrong!

For the people who were normal and enjoyed playing in the wet grass on a hot July day, it was refreshing.

For me, well, I went in and read a book on the couch with the new Kitty.

My Favorite Photo

Totally candid. Ridiculously sweet. Certainly rare.

Trying to Think Positive Thoughts About Summer

I hate summer. Wow, that wasn't very positive....it just came out.

But yeah, I really do hate it. I hate the HOT weather, I hate the bugs, I hate spontaneously combusting when I get in my car.

I don't see how it's possible for anyone who has grown up in the great state of Alabama to like this mutiny. Life would be so much better with a pool. Jason, are you reading this?

I'm trying so very hard to enjoy tolerate this summer because I am 20 pounds lighter than last summer and my skin no longer has it's vampirish hypersensitivity to sunlight.

In the spirit of being tan(ner), thin(ner), and surviving this summer, I thought I'd share a few positive thoughts about summer this year.



Summer means Barons games!


Summer brings new growth.

Like my new tomatoes!


And my gigantic blueberry!


And my wonderful gardenias!


And my knockout roses!

But...summer also brings loss....

Like the loss of Joe's second tooth!


Seems like just yesterday he was growing those teeth.

I'm determined to make this summer a great one. I still hate the heat so if you have a pool.......want to be friends?

Please?