Halloween

My little "cowboy girl" and my "super Rosie - shooting star" had a fabulous Halloween. We went to a friends house in Birmingham and we had over 300 kids come for candy. That's no exaggeration either, we kept a tally sheet!
The girls looked fabulous but we didn't really get any good pictures. They were way to enamored of the baby we were visiting and just in awe of all the people streaming by. I think I'm going to make them put them on later this week, Mimi put way to much effort into those costumes to not have them properly documented. Thanks Mom!
They each decided what to be, Evie's was easy. A super Rosie- shooting star costume took a bit more imagination, what you can't tell in the pictures is that her skirt had fiber optics in it so it lit up!

the pumplin place (as Rose calls it)

Look, I do exist. Really, the only reason I stuck this in is because you can kinda see the bump. It was pretty windy and this was a couple weeks ago so it's not all that accurate. But I will say that I definitely look pregnant. Feeling lots of movement, mostly at night though. That's done wonders to make me more positive about the outcome, even if she is kicking the location that's causing the spotting! ( We have no for sure reason to think "she" even after 5 sonograms - we just think it!)



They were pretty excited about the face painting - usually they run screaming wen I suggest it. Evelyn wanted the "pigeon", lol! The lady doing it said "that's supposed to be a eagle"!
Fun times, even if I did feel silly paying $6 to pets goats when we have a whole herd next door.

Just a couple from IL. Not much else going on, just lots of resting!

Some more Rosie gems

We live on earth. DADDY lives on another earth.
Mama, come snugglebug me.
I love everybody. Mama, cheese, Evie, me, etc... (if you know her you were in the list, don't worry)

hiking in the battlefield

Looking out the window Sunday afternoon it seemed so pretty. Cloudy and lots of wind blowing about. Too bad when we got to the park we realized it was actually about 100 degrees and the air was thick enough to swim in. Plus the wonderful wind didn't exactly make it deep into the woods. We still had a lovely time, especially after Daddy pulled the car over on our way out to watch hay being made. Evie's been asking about this a lot lately(because you know, HORSES eat hay) - "but how do they get it round" or "how does the tractor do that". We see fields of hay everywhere but we've never actually seen a tractor in the fields. So we were able to sit long enough so she could actually see the tractor drive around and release one of the rolls. You would have thought we took her to the circus - it was that magical.



Rosie learning ow to read a trail sign. Good thing because there were several times on the way back that we'd hit a fork and I realized that I had no idea which way to go.
HORSE tracks! They were continuous because the park trails are used quite a bit - we even met a pair that she got to pet.
She was telling us she was cold. Ummm, okay kid. I think her internal temperature monitor must be off.
Looking one of the many markers. Rosie didn't last long walking. She cut her foot earlier in the day and she was sleepy. We were amazed she actually fell asleep in the wrap.

warning: changes ahead

Not only did she get her hair lopped off, she also got bangs. Yes, it's as short as it looks. Her choice and she LOVES it. But she wore a fancy pink dress and her hiking boots to the store yesterday so we're not going to assume that her fashion sense is decent or anything just yet.
In other slightly more important news, we started school yesterday. If I'm honest I'll say that it didn't exactly go as well as I had hoped. I think the main problem(aside from it just being the "start") is that I bought the materials toward the beginning of the summer and I think she's just beyond them now. So I did things a little different today and about a half hour ago she came and gave me a big hug and said "I love my school". I'm sure it will take months, if not the whole year before we finally get this whole thing figured out.

bubble painting

Bubbles+paint = two happy little girls and one messy deck

a little bit of random

This is just too fantastical not to share. There just happened to be an article in some travel magazine Nathan subscribed to. We never have enough frequent flyer miles for actual plane trips, just lots of weird magazines.
The city of Dubai as explained by wikipedia
BBC Link that explains it a bit more

If you don't feel like reading, here is the breakdown. It's on the coast of the Persian gulf. Basically 30 years ago there was barely anything there and now it's a major city. Somebody said they're attempting to build 100 years worth of city in 10. One site said they currently had something like 20 % of the world's cranes! It's not just a city though. It's like this wild theme park, like all the architects were told they could build their most fanciful ideas. There are palm tree shaped islands that can be seen from space and a building where every floor rotates and the worlds tallest hotel located on it's own artificial island. It's just mind boggling. Like something out of a science fiction book.
Do yourself a favor and google it, you'll see some of the most astonishing architecture! Or you can pick up a copy or Travel and Leisure and read the article but the pictures I found online were much better.

Evie and Rose have some news to share

They mean of course that they're going to be big sisters. Around about the beginning of April, should everything go well. We had meant to wait and share in person but it seems like a lot of our people need a lift today. So don't mention it to Julia unless you're certain she knows, okay? And no, we were not trying for a boy for Nathan, okay? He likes his girls just fine. And yes, we are super, super excited. Rosie said she "loves her little warm baby" and Evie promptly named it yellow. I feel pretty good, as usual for me and my pregnancies. Just tired and a little bit of that after thanksgiving stuffed nausea feeling.

Sunday at the park

So, at the risk of jinxing us, the weather has been beautiful. I'm going to go ahead and say it and not be all superstistious , almost like fall is on it's way. Last year at this time we were well into the drought and facing 100+ temperatures. For the past 5 or 6 days we've had cool pleasant mornings and hot but not deadly afternoons. It's been soo lovely and I do hope it stays. It's not too much to ask for actual fall weather in September, is it?
So sunday afternoon after I got back from Birmingham we haeaded to the park. It's a very small park that they built on an old orchard. The girls had way more dun climbing trees and counting apples than they did playing. We did convince them to get on the seesaw with us, I was a little concerned about the weight limit but it was one of those old solid metal ones so we were just fine.

new house

We've got a contract on a house in Waleska, Ga. That's just north of Canton for you folks familiar with Atlanta. We'll close in late September.

Here's a link to some pictures.
click here

shoogah fiend

I've been pretty lax with Rosie's candy obsession because we eat really well otherwise. That might have to change. The other day after being in the car for the entire day looking at houses we took the girls to the toy store for a treat. They had been sooo good we thought they deserved something. Rosie latched onto a Pegasus pretty quickly and try as I might I couldn't swap it out for anything - not even special things like barbies or my little ponies that I usually won't buy. The pegasus was pretty pricey so I was willing to make a deal. She wasn't having it. I gave in to keep the peace, after all she had just put up with an entire day of my neurotic house/area hunting. Fast forward to the candy isle where Mom and I were picking up our treats. Rosie spotted the lik a maid and in about .5 seconds picked it up and handed me the pegasus saying she'd rather have the candy. Good bye coveted, expensive, sparkly toy, hello shoogah! I can't tell you how disturbed that made me, enough to consider banning white sugar completely. At least after I had my chocolate.

smile!

There, now isn't that a lovely way to start the week?
How many teeth do they lose anyway?

Bluberry Picking

Color or black and white?


The girls and I went with some friends yesterday to pick some blueberrries. Yum! I loved that every possible generation was reprented in that field. It was one of our exquisitely beautiful summer mornings we sometimes to have here. Magical light with the air still a little chilly and the dew so heavy it was dripping off the pecan trees in the yard and just covering the berry bushes. The only way it could have possibly been more lovely is if the bushes hadn't been completely picked over! Probably by those experienced old timers that were there when the sun came up. We only came home with a1/4 a gallon. But oh were they tasty.
I just loved the way the sun made the dew covered webs look - it gave the berry field this mystical feel.

Guest spot by Mimi

Lesson from a 3 year old.

I totally enjoy reading Rae’s blog. Of course! She is my lovely daughter and has given me 2 most precious grandgirls and the blog is mostly about them. But just this once I’ve asked if I could have a guest spot on her blog. This just has to be shared.

Last Monday I drove up to see Rae and the girls. We had plotted out the day for a house hunting trip. (read - lot’s of time confined with a 5 and 3 year old) So we spent the ENTIRE day in the car together looking at different areas/houses in and around Cartersville. The girls were wonderful. So patient and good. By midafternoon though a little crankiness started. So Mimi promised a shopping trip to the store with the big red circle, if we could find it, so they had to look very carefully. (Rae will always behave for the promise of a trip to Target – just kidding baby.) Anyway, 2 little girls spent several hours looking for the store with the big red circle – it has horsies you know. It took us quite awhile to find it. Imagine that, it wasn’t in any of those subdivisions we looked at!

We actually did not find that store until after we met Daddy, he had to show us where it was. (read – somebody had to stay in the car with Chloe – it was like 95 degrees) So, Target and horsie shopping with a little side trip to the dollar aisle to pick up a tiara or two. Then back to the car and dinner – then it hit me, who was going to sit in the car with Chloe while we ate. So Mimi declined dinner to start for home. With Chloe. From the back seat came a little Evie voice – “Mimi, you don’t want to leave us” and a Rosie voice – “I go to Mimi’s house!” Quick change of plans – Rae and Nate go out to dinner ALONE* and Mimi heads southeast with Chloe and 2 little girls, promising “just about an hour more in the cars girls.” BUT we headed southeast into one of the worst thunderstorms I have ever driven through. Our trip took more than 2 hours – driven in horrendous rain causing flooding roads with thunder and lightning cracking all around us. I hate driving in the rain anyway and add to that 2 precious little girls that were already tired and cranky. A nightmare for me. They were perfect. I think the storm totally awed them. I did not hear one single peep from them and when I glanced back their eyes were HUGE. About 10 miles from home the rain began to let up and within a couple of more miles it was gone – totally. That’s when I learned that Rosie had really been pondering the mysteries of life. Because from the backseat came this:

Rosie: Mimi where you come from?

Mimi: ummmmmmmm (rapidly sorting answers in my head – Alabama?, Texas? Um my mother?)

Rosie: Da God make you Mimi?

Mimi: umm – Well yes Rosie I guess he did.

Rosie. Da God make me Mimi.

Mimi: I know he did Rosie and I’m so glad he did.

Rosie: Da God make Ebie & Mama & Daddy AND ChloeClo.

Mimi: (trying to hold back a chuckle) Yes, that’s right he did.

Rosie: Da God make da wain & da twees & da plants & da peoples – short pause – AND da shoogah.

Mimi: (trying to hold back more than a chuckle) That’s so right, Rosie.

Rosie, with a heartfelt sigh: Da God’s a bery busy mens.

Mimi: (no longer able to hold back anything so a choking) uh huh, very busy, Rosie.

Silence from the back seat. I was afraid she had figured out I was laughing and that offends her but I knew she couldn’t see the tears streaming down my cheeks. About 5 minutes more passed without a “Why you laugh at me Mimi?” so I relaxed and managed to get my self under control. Thank goodness. Because the pondering wasn’t finished, that little voice popped up from the back seat again.

Rosie: AND da dishes Mimi!

Mimi (humor starting again): uh huh Rosie.

Rosie: Mimi, da God make ebrysing!

Mimi: Oh yes, Rosie he did.

*Just to add : We quite enjoyed our alone meal. $7.00 beers in an Irish Pub that served organic fare while listening to a jonny cash cover band. Slightly strange but enjoyable.

Something a little less pitiful...

Being pestered for posts again. Here's the thing, Rosie's haircut is bad enough to break a lens (although I suppose I should record it for posterity) and umm, I sort of didn't want to tell y'all that I cut Evie's hair. Again.
See, my reasoning is that she wanted so badly to get it cut "like Rosie's" that she would probably find a pair of scissors and just do it herself. Why my children can find scissors in this house when I can't, I don't know. They just do, okay? And they're stealthy. When I found Rosie with her shorn locks, she was under the covers, pretending to sleep.
Now that my confession is out of the way I can share some new randomness from our lives.
Trying to capture the cuteness of the new cut, the collar kind of swallowed it up though.
Part of our pathetic pepper pickings. If I had only know I could have had a REAL garden instead of the sad pathetic containers I have. Although the giant ground hornets did invade the garden spot again. I know it's not our worry anymore but how do you get rid of them? They're aggressive little boogers.
Again, the peppers are hiding the hair, lol!
I must say that this picture really makes me feel like I've done something right. She knows how to eat her chocolate cake and read at the same time. (okay "read" but we're working on it....)
I hope she never reaches a point in life that she doesn't have to hold up her pants when she jumps. Although that afore mention chocolate cake+reading habit might catch up to her. Also, I've come to realize why trampolines are for kids and men. Trampolines don't like Mama's bodies.

Oh, and the realtor came today. So it's official. The little yellow house it looking for new owners. Poor thing doesn't realize it will probably be bought up by the big bad relocation company :(
I did take the opportunity to shoot my favorite parts of our home while it was all clean and shiny, so look for that soon.

Just a little conversation I had with Rosie this morning.
We're sitting on the couch, I've got my coffee and she's got some life cereal in a ziploc bag.
R: look it's got shoogar!
Me: hmm, it does, doesn't it?
R: Where does shoogar come from?
M: I explain abt sugar cane
R:Where does cereal come from?
M: tell her they make it w/ flour, sugar etc... and bake it
R: The man makes it with the shoogar? And bakes it with the pants?
M: mhmm
R:Where does coffee come from?
M: explain about coffee beans and tell her Daddy's tea is like that too.
R: God made Evie, Me, Daddy, Momma etc...
M: mhmm
R: God made the computer?
M: tell her God gave somebody the idea but that a man made the computer. Explain that the computers not alive etc...
R: God made Word Girl?
M explain about cartoons etc..
R: God made the shoogar?

At this point Evie woke up and joined us, thank goodness! I think I was running out out answers.
She does make us laugh even if it's bittersweet because we never got that with Evie.

Rosie also cut her hair yesterday. I know,I know. It's not even upsetting at this point, it's just happened too often around here. So I wouldn't let her use any scissors yesterday and they cut up paper all the time so this was a huge punishment. Well, as I'm typing this she comes running in. She has her head hung and she's all sad looking. She says "Momma I want to tell you something . I sorry to cut my hair." I'm thinking "ooh how sweet". HA! She pops that little head up and says "NOW I cut with the scissors?"

Our toothless wonder. Love, love that smile. And I can't believe how fast that tooth is coming in! Do you suppose it hurts?
For our IL peeps. Sweet corn is practically a national past time up there. Eating sweet corn in IL is like being at a wine tasting. I'm pretty certain they can tell you what variety and how old and what the farmer sprayed it with... I eat it and I'm like "hmm, it just tastes like... corn". Actually, I'm not certain this even qualifies as sweet corn since it was Alabama corn.
Hmm, okay. I had some of her actually shucking the corn and they didn't load? I'll try tomorrow - I need to be in bed now!
Ahhh sparklers. Don't you love it when you get to play with fire and it's okay?
Yum! An edible history lesson.

We had a GREAT weekend,( hehee that's totally a lie ). Dad and Nathan rewired the ENTIRE house. Yep, that's right. I said the entire house was rewired. (Thanks Dad!)
Now we just have to fix the foundation, the roof , the bugs and the standing water issues and we're good for the relocation company to buy the house. Shouldn't me too difficult, right? It is supposed to go on the market this week so we'll see. Maybe somebody else is wacky enough to want a 150 year farm house? Please? Activities start up in Aug for the girls, double mortgage payments do not sound like a fun thing.
I promise Rosie celebrated with us! Our schedules ave been all out of whack since Nathan started this new job - she fell asleep on the couch before dinner and would not wake up. And of course it was the only time I had my camera out! She even slept through us dragging her outside for fireworks.
Okay, well if you read all of that you must be as punchy as me. I need to go sleep now so that tomorrow I can vacuum up all the insulation that's covering my house. And all the other stuff that needs to be done before you sell a house.

blessed

Whew, things have been downright rocky around here lately. It's nice to stop and remember that despite all the bad stuff going on that we really do have quite a nice little life.