Ghosts of Halloween's Past

So far, I have been able to "match" Marky and Julia's costumes every Halloween. And honestly, I wish they would always do that- although I'm sure at some point they will get their own ideas. We have had (in order of the past three years): Winnie the Pooh:

And, of course, piglet:

The Lion:

The Lamb:

And then tonight's Knight and Princess:

Don't think I haven't already begun thinking about next year- I've got an idea if everyone will go along with it. These little things make mama happy!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Everybody! Our little Knight and Princess had a ball!

Here is Julia waiting for candy. She would say "twick or tweet" and then get her candy and say "tank you- happy hadaween".

We went with our friends Mary Hannah and Margaret (a.k.a. Cinderella and Minnie Mouse). Marky had a big job taking care of three princesses.

As for mama, when I put on my orange maternity sweater, I said to Marc, "I just feel like a huge pumpkin" and he said, "how about we make you a jack-o-lantern?" And so we did. : ) (I really felt like the Kool-Aid man and kept saying "Oh Yeeeaaaah" and tried to crash through walls).

Julia's philosophy:

Never sleep alone!

Soccer is over

Last night was the last soccer game. I, for one, am glad it's over. It was a LOT of fun- but it was getting TOO cold! Daddy coached the fourth quarter last night while holding Julia- the other coach/ref held his baby boy too. It is such a family friendly atmosphere.
And here's our little champion. He got a medal (all who played did) and he was so proud. He slept with it and has worn it all day. I think he got a lot out of this experience- learned a lot about sportsmanship and never giving up. I highly recommend putting your kids in- even though it is a little cheesy!

Punkins for Punkins

We finally carved our pumpkin that we got in Virginia. Marky requested two triangle eyes, one triangle nose and two sharp teeth- a very specific order. Daddy did a good job- he aims to please.

Of course, he had some big helpers.

Legal Ladies Weekend

My roomate from law school, Holly, is getting married on January 10th- my due date. Since I couldn't be at her wedding, I hosted a girl weekend for her to celebrate the upcoming nuptuals. Above is Dana and Holly- my two roomates. Oh the fun we had! I have always said that having two roomates in law school was so much better than just one. You were almost never alone- we always carpooled to school and studied together- and when we arrived at a party or event we were already a crowd.

Here is Holly, Andrea and Dana. Saturday morning Holly and I went walking at the Lakeshore trail. We walked there a million times back in the day- it was so much fun to walk and gab again. We spent Saturday afternoon at Ross Bridge spa. We ate lunch at the clubhouse and then they got massages and I had a facial. Then we hung out in the spa room having hot tea and snacks for literally hours. I'm so glad I had these girls in those hectic three years of my life. We all had meltdowns at some point during the first month of law school and we all pushed each other through. It's amazing how you bond with people through shared experiences- especially tough ones. Girlfriends are a gift!

Quote of the Day

Tonight at supper a tired and frustrated mommy says to Marky:
"I don't want to hear you complain anymore. I don't want to live in a house with a little boy who complains all day, I want to live with a little boy who has a happy heart."

Marky: "That will be Tucker."

Way down yonder in the punkin patch

Today we did the pumpkin patch thing. In the past we've gone to the BIG pumpkin patches with the hayrides, trains, animals, etc. This year is the first year we just did a little church pumpkin patch. And the truth is, I think I had more fun. There was NO crowd and the kids weren't so overwhelmed. They played in the jump castles, got their faces painted, got fake tattoos that said "shine with the light of Jesus", walked in the cookie walk (Julia kept walking) and decorated four small pumpkins.
Here is my pumpkin with his two scarecrow friends John Paul and Joseph.
And here is Juliabug's girlfriend, Ann Marie. And yes, Julia carried "tiger" everywhere today.
And now the face-painting shots. The painters said they liked that Julia gave them such a large canvas to work with! Those are some big cheeks little girl!

Get your stick back

Today we had our first REAL "bully" incident. These two sweet buddies were playing at the park so sweetly. They had spent almost an hour building an intricate dam over a little creek with rocks, sticks and pinecones. Out of nowhere, this older child (maybe 8 years old), runs over and trashes the entire dam and takes the sticks and runs off saying "These are mine now." Marky and his friend (remember Marky is only 4, his buddy is only 5), chased the boy saying "wait, those are our sticks." When they catch up to the boy, he turns around and starts hitting Marky. He shoves him to the ground pinning Marky on his stomach and the boy is literally punching him in the back with his fists. I, of course, have jumped up and am running over to get this much bigger child off my baby- I think the shock of it all had me frozen for a minute. Next thing I know- Marky literally throws the boy off of him, which knocks him to the ground and Marky grabs his sticks and starts walking back to the creek. He didn't cry, he didn't call me- he just handled the situation. He had successfully fended off an attack by a much bigger boy and he didn't make it personal, he just got his sticks and went back to play. We have always told Marky that God made him extra big to protect people, and today he protected himself.

I was actually very proud (I had many emotions as you can imagine- and my girlfriend had a talk with the bully and tried to find his mother). The most amazing thing is that after it was all over and the boys were back to re-building their dam, (at our suggestion) Marky walked over and asked the boy if he wanted to help them build it. And he did. The whole event was emotional for me and when we got home I asked Marky to tell his daddy what had happend. He said, "the big boy took the sticks off of our dam and then started hitting me" and Marc said, "what did you do?" All he said was, "I got my sticks back."

That's my little knight. When confronted, a Christian man has to stand his ground. We have to train our boys to stand to protect other people and even themselves from the bullies of this world. They must have a sense of chivalry. And when the battle is over, they must seek to make peace and offer friendship.

Home and Love

I realized that I have not mentioned that we took our house off of the market. We did it about three weeks or so ago. We were getting so weary with having to keep it perfectly clean 24/7 and as time went on the house we were trying to buy became less appealing to us. Also, and probably the main reason, I am 7 months pregnant and Marc is super busy at work. So if we were to sell, I would have to be the primary packer and I'm already busy enough with raising my two little ones and homeschooling. Anyway, I'm totally okay with it. I thought I was dying to move, but now I'm totally content to stay. Maybe it's this economy making us all take a look at our lifestyles and wondering if we are grasping for too much too soon, or maybe it's looking at my grandparents and how they dug their own well and built their own home with their two hands with a toddler in tow that makes me feel a little bit selfish for not staying content with what I have. We have been given so much. I am so grateful.

Just Home and Love!
the words are small
Four little letters unto each;
And yet you will not find in all
The wide and gracious range of speech
Two more so tenderly complete:
When angels talk in Heaven above,
I'm sure they have no words more sweet
Than Home and Love.

Just Home and Love!
it's hard to guess
Which of the two were best to gain;
Home without Love is bitterness;
Love without Home is often pain.
No! each alone will seldom do;
Somehow they travel hand and glove:
If you win one you must have two,
Both Home and Love.

And if you've both,
well then I'm sure
You ought to sing the whole day long;
It doesn't matter if you're poor
With these to make divine your song.
And so I praisefully repeat,
When angels talk in Heaven above,
There are no words more simply sweet
Than Home and Love.

Robert William Service

Home again, Home again

We're back from Virginia! We had the best time! One day we went to the Peaks of Otter for lunch and to enjoy the mountains. Here we are exploring the woods off the Blue Ridge Parkway with my grandparents. Below is Julia enjoying the lake at the lodge after lunch.

Afterwards, my grandfather took us to an apple farm so my little apple-lover (he literally eats three a day) could stock up on his favorites and see real, live apple trees.
Most of the time, we just hung around their wonderful home. We took the kids "gator" and they rode it like crazy. We took the governor off of the throttle and now that thing will fly. Julia always lets Marky drive and he is really good at shifting gears and even making 3-point turns.

Who has the best grandparents? My kids! Here are my parents, BB and Poppy, taking the babies for a ride on the riding lawnmower. They LOVED this and we even raced the two tractors.
My grandparents have an AWESOME, huge, flat, circular driveway that Marky can ride his bike on for hours. Much different from our driveway which I call the death drop.
All in all it was a relaxing weekend. I'm so glad Marc had time to get off work to go up there. (I say "off" work- I drove and he worked on the laptop on the way up and back- but you get the idea). I know I'm blessed that I still have my grandparents and that my kids have active, vibrant great-grandparents. I want to sit in the swing with my grandmother as often as I can because I know our time is precious. Oh, P.S. we told them the baby's name is Tucker (my maiden name and their surname) and they were thrilled!

Off to the Blue Ridge Mountains

Just letting you know we are heading to Virginia to visit my grandparents. We go at least once a year if not more. It is gorgeous up there- we love going and even enjoy the drive. This picture was taken in 2001 (newlyweds) on my grandparents' mountain. Country road- take us home!

Quote of the Day

"We now see in the collapse of the great banks: money disappears, turns to nothing. And all these things, which seem like the true reality on which we can count, are realities of a second order. One who builds his life on these realities, on objects, success, on everything that's visible, builds on sand. Only the Word of God is the foundation of every reality, fixed as the heavens and more than the heavens. So we must change our concept of realism. The realist is the one who recognizes that the Word of God- a reality that appears so weak- is the foundation of everything. The realist is the one who builds his life on this foundation that remains permanently."

Pope Benedict XVI
October 5, 2008

Date night

Guess who we went to see last night? If you don't know country music- that picture is Brad Paisley and he puts on a heck of a show. All of his songs are either very funny or very sentimental- there's little in between. Jewel opened for him- she sang her new country stuff- but she also sang the sad love songs we all remember from high school so that was fun. We had a double date with our friends Rob and Minda- a date that was long overdue. It was nice to get out with my hubby. Although I would just like to put out here on cyberspace that I don't believe concerts are the time to slow dance and kiss your partner the entire night (yes, I'm talking to you- drunk strangers who sat in front of me and made us uncomfortable all night).

Yay for Grandparents!

We just had the best little mid-week visit from my folks! BB and Poppy came up from Mobile to see Marky's Tuesday night soccer game. Wednesday we spent the day at the zoo and stayed longer than usual, taking time to see the sea lion show, eat lunch, and ride the train. And Thursday the kids went to moms-day-out and BB and I got to go to the Southern Women's show at the civic center and shop, shop, shop! Thanks for coming up mom and dad- we had a blast and the kids ADORE you!
This is BB and the kids getting ready to head off to the soccer game. And below is Coach Daddy lining up the team! (Marky is the last one in line with white socks) Marky actually calls him "coach" during the games and practices.

Sara Smile

I thought she did well- at first I thought Biden was doing better and she seemed nervous- but she got better and better quickly as the night went on and he seemed to get worse. To see a woman that has been on the scene in national politics for about five weeks hold her own against a senator with 30 years experience was fascinating. I think some telling evidence that she did well is NPR's coverage of it this morning. A friend called this morning and said "NPR hasn't mentioned the debate at all" and usually all they talk about is Palin's weaknesses. When they eventually did mention the debate all they could say was "both sides exceded expectations."