Keeping Everybody Warm

The Hideousness Of It All

(As a preface, I must wish my mom and dad a very happy anniversary! I love you both so much ... And also a big good luck prayer for Uncle Michael and his football game tonight.)

And so today we are officially snowed in. I'm not sure what I expected after last night's mini-blizzard, but our usual Friday playdate/hanging out at the always hip and cool McDonald's couldn't occur because of the ice on the roads. To indicate the hideousness of the situation, all Williamson County schools were closed today.

My first thought was, "Oh, dear Lord, what will we do stuck in this house all day?"

Anywho, Annie and I have spent all morning together, and even I have to say she's been really good considering we've been confined to the house. (and yes, I realize we could have been out in the snow building a lovely Martha-Stewart-type snowman, but it's 25 degrees outside and COLD.) No kids in the neighborhood are out playing.

So we've read and read and read ... Annie has developed quite the voracious appetite for any and all books about Clifford the Big Red Dog. She's also developed the unending question: "What's that?"

Here's a sample conversation:

"What's that?"

"That's a tractor."

"What's that?"

"That's a cow."

"What's that?"

"That's a horse in some sort of clothes to keep him warm."

(at this point I check to see if she's actually paying attention, or if the entire thing has become a game.)

"What's that?"

"I believe it's a dinosaur, long extinct but somehow he has survived and is in our backyard."

"What's that?"

"It is Dolly Parton."

(and then, inevitably, the mind numbs.)

"What's that?"

"I don't know."

"What's that?"

"I still don't know, but I will find out."

Yep, tiny white lies in motherdom are certainly forgiven.

I hope.

Arrives the Snow

"Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Home Sweet Home

have returned from tour of southeast ... have posted various pictures from most recent trip and also Thanksgiving ... anecdotes from insane road trip to follow ...


From Gulfport trip:
Annie reading to one of Mom and Dad's cats:

With my cousins, Nikki and Danielle:

Annie and my Grandpa Calvert:

Annie with my Aunt Mar (Meme) and little Maggie:

From Thanksgiving trip:

Annie with Darby, Teri's new baby:


Our visit to Molly's, one of my best friends in Columbus:



Annie with the Barclays:

Anthony and his brother, James:

Annie, her cousin, Ethan, and Grandpa Barclay:

Annie and her cousin, Emma:

Bye Bye, Baby Ethan

on the road again ... Annie and I will be leaving in the morning to head to Columbus then Gulfport for my grandmother's 90th birthday weekend ... should be back sometime on Monday ...

'tis my most sad duty to report that the beloved Baby Ethan has suffered mortal wounds ... was passing through the living room after taking a shower and noticed sweet Mary Barclay chomping on something ... didn't have contacts in or glasses on so couldn't see what it was but assumed she was chewing on a bone ... upon closer inspection discovered that (for whatever reason) she was gnawing on Baby Ethan and that his hands were no longer connected to his body ... so sad and so unlike Mary (at least since she's well out of puppydom when anything was fair game to be chewed upon) but worse things could be happening here in our little world ...

As usual, life will go on ...

Pretty As A Picture

The Best-Laid Plans ...

oh, is so laughable when self decides to have a day at home to do laundry and the like and actually expects to accomplish these tasks ... had (ridiculous) visions of tiny child playing peacefully whilst I worked on laundry, swept kitchen floor, etc.

Not to be.

Have gotten most of laundry done, but only whilst working around the following:

"Need more juice, please, Mommy." (at least manners take Annie a long way.)

"Need to be covered up, please, Mommy."

"Need to find cup."

"Mommy, come watch Clifford."

"Mommy, read to me, please." (admittedly, I never pass this one up.)

"Want to put on pink boops." (her cute pink boots, which somehow tiny child decided she can recognize the color of.)

"Can't find boops."

"MOMMY?????"

Entire day has reminded me of saying friendly check-out person shared with me at Target yesterday: "Those of you who think you know everything really annoy those of us who actually do." Felt self had all bases covered today and would get chores done ... oh, well ... not end of world.

Is Bazillion Even A Word??

Well, we have returned from our Thanksgiving merriment, so I wanted to post a few of the bazillion pictures we have ... the first two are of Annie's haircut from today, but the last one of her in the football helmet is from the Thanksgiving holidays when we were at a friend's house. Trust me, there will be many more Thanksgiving pictures to come ...

Run, Turkey, Run!!

Annie and I are leaving in the morning to go to Columbus for the Thanksgiving holidays, and Anthony will be joining us Wednesday when he leaves work, so I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone out there in readerdom (yes, I think I made that word up) a very happy Thanksgiving! And please, pray that all the turkeys everywhere in the world are (literally) running for their respective lives ...

(Kayla, if you're reading this, I fear we're going to miss your being at home, and I can't tell you how much I hate that! We're not coming back until Sunday, so let me know when you're coming and going ... )

Values

So now I'm officially stealing from other people's writing ... oh, well ... this came from another blog I follow and asks you to list six things you value and six things you don't. Here's mine:

Things I Value:

1. Family (to include, OF COURSE, our pets)
2. Faith
3. Kindness
4. Friendship
5. The lessons I learned from all we went through to get our beautiful baby girl.
6. Life

Things I Don't Value:

1. Material "stuff" in general
2. Inconsiderate drivers
3. Rudeness
4. Cruelty to animals
5. Closed-minded people
6. Geography

P.S. While we're on the subject of things to be valued, may I just say that our sweet Mary Barclay celebrated her 10th birthday on Monday ... God bless her!

The Vanity of It All

We've spent most of the weekend helping Mom and Dad move into their condo in Franklin, which will be a sort of second home for them. It's so fun, and the pictures of Annie and her Pa are from the weekend. In case you can't tell, it's been really, really cold here!!

Of course the other part of the weekend was spend watching football ... NO COMMENT on Mississippi State, but we're really proud of Vanderbilt! I'm sorry because this is so vain, but I just wish Vandy's team colors were a little prettier ...

Isn't She Lovely?

I'm certain that all readers have been sitting on their respective seats just waiting for the next blog, but as we currently live on a tundra of sorts with bizarre weather patterns I've been a bit ill with some kind of sinus grossness. Therefore, I have now provided an explanation for my absence.

Where to begin?? Ah, yes, the beginning. Nah, that would take too long. Suffice to say that Annie continues to amuse us, especially with certain behaviors. For example, I'll be sitting in a chair in the living room while she's playing, and all is well in our little world. Then suddenly, things erupt: she comes to me and proclaims "ME SIT HERE" and tries to physically move me out of the chair. (Not happening, by the way.) Or she suddenly decides that sweet Mary, who is quietly resting on the couch and minding her own business, is in the exact spot Annie wants to be, so she tries to manhandle 80-pound Mary out of the way. Again, NOT happening. It's hysterical all the drama she puts into these efforts. Annie is SO dramatic, and as I've always said, I have NO idea from whence that came.

Still, toddlerdom is so full of paradoxes. Annie loves for me to read to her, and sometimes we'll be sitting side by side with her little leg thrown over mine, and she puts her hand on my face to turn it toward hers and just looks at me with her hand still on the side of my face, and I swear, I swear, I swear my heart skips a beat. Wow, is being a mom a roller coaster of a ride.

Shady Lady

Check out the cowlick, especially in the third picture ... that's our girl!!

Love Never Fails

And so tomorrow is our 10-year anniversary, which seems completely unbelievable!! How quickly time passes ...

I'm not going to mortify Anthony with gushing love poems, but I do have to say what an amazing husband, father, and friend he is. Of course I suppose if you've been reading this blog, then you already know that. We have been through a lot in our 10 years together, but all in all every single thing we've encountered and gone through has only made us stronger. We are truly a team, and that in itself is a wonderful feeling!

Anthony, I love you, and I always will ...

Baby of Mine

Just random pictures for all to enjoy ... one thing, though: the one of Mary outside with tennis balls in her mouth is her most favorite place to be, and getting two tennis balls in her mouth simultaneously is her greatest accomplishment. We're just so proud ...

As for Annie, well, today was "picture day" at Moms Day Out, which of course meant the never-ending battle with her wild hair and even wilder cowlick. We've pretty much tried everything to tame the cowlick, but I honestly think we could lay on it, and the thing would still be insanely unmanageable. Oh, well, if that's the biggest worry we have, then we're doing pretty good. But wow, did she look so pretty and grown-up this morning ... this growing-up thing is a bit difficult. I don't really think about it for awhile, and then it's like WHAM she's not a baby anymore.

On the other hand, she'll ALWAYS be my baby ...

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Just a couple more pictures ... a friend of mine took both of them, the first being at Kindermusik and the second taken at McDonald's with Annie and one of her little "boyfriends" ... I met a couple of my mom-friends there for lunch and big-time use of the indoor playground so the kids could run wild ... FABULOUS lifesaver when it's freezing outside ...