Snowy Saturday

Well, it finally happened. I had myself believing that we were only going to have beautiful mild weather this year......and then......the snow came.

The big kids loved it this year. Sam had a bit of a problem, when it was snowing hard, with the snow getting in his eyes. After all it took to get him all geared up for the snow.....his mama was gonna make sure he stayed out in it a while. So, I decided that sunglasses would solve the snow in eye problem..

Maddie and Sam awoke with such excitement over the snow. You would have thought it would have been longer than 9 months since they last saw it.

Even Jackson got a kick out of watching from the big window in the family room.

This evening, after J's afternoon nap, we decided to take the whole family out in the snow. This is probably one of the warmer snows that we will have. Wait, does that even make sense....a warmer snow?!? Meaning the temps were right around freezing and not below 0.

Let me tell you, dressing a wiggly 8 month old in a snowsuit is not for the faint of heart. It took quite a bit of tugging and pulling....and some tears (from both parties) but I got Jack Attack in his snowsuit.

My snow babies. Actually I have 2 Georgia Peaches and 1 snow baby......

And he is one cute snow baby.....even if he is mine.

Here's to hoping that you are warm and dry this cold winter night!

While he was......

While Wade and some of his colleagues were receiving a HUGE (hey, I can brag he is my husband) award in NYC and getting to attend the NASDAQ open bell ringing........


I was fishing a dead mouse out of my disposal.

No need to read that statement again, you read right the first time. What, you haven't ever had to pull a dead mouse out of YOUR garbage disposal?

I think you should. Everyone needs to have that experience. And everyone's father needs to receive the phone call asking what should be done about said mouse.

My father suggested grounding said mouse up in disposal. However, since my "monster" (that is how Maddie and Sam refer to our disposal) is very finicky about what he eats. I didn't think that would be such a good idea.

Your "monster" isn't finicky and will grind down and swallow whatever you give him?

Humph.

Aren't you the lucky one.

My "monster" chokes on noodles. He spits back up greens. He HATES any kind of shell or lumpy food. I know he would have had a fit if I had tried to feed him dead mouse.

So, in order to keep the "monster" happy (an avoid yet another call to the Roto-Rooter man) I pulled on some gloves and retrieved said mouse.

Aren't you curious how the mouse ended up in the disposal in the first place. Well you see it all started with BBQ. Isn't that the way all good southern stories start.....with BBQ? Okay, so I am not in the south anymore, but this story started with BBQ.

Chicken BBQ actually, but I digress.

I made BBQ a few nights ago in the crock pot. After cooking it, I put the crock pot in the sink and filled it up with Dawn water.

What's that? You always immediately clean your crock pot and not let it soak over night....(or um.....a couple of nights). Yea, I did too....before 3 kids, school projects, AWANA verses, teething babies, and a hubby out of town.

Back to the BBQ. I went to clean out my crock pot by dumping the Dawn water down the disposal. When the water and suds had receded all that was left was a tail and 2 hind feet sticking up from the disposal.

I can't stand mice. I HATE mice. I get the willys around mice. But even I thought that having your tail and back legs sticking out of a garbage disposal was a sad way to go.

Want to know what I did after I found the tail and legs?

I screamed.

Isn't that what all good southern ladies do when they see a dead mouse in their sink. Well, even if it isn't....that's what I did.

Then, I called my Daddy. Yes, I realize that my Daddy is 1800 miles away.....but Daddies can fix anything, right?!?! My Daddy talked me through the whole process (after I declared that feeding the mouse to the "monster" wasn't the best idea). My Daddy stayed on the phone with me through all my gagging and making horrid putrid noises while touching the mouse (with gloves and using a Target bag - just one of the many uses I have for Target bags).

So now Wade can come home to a house free of dead mice in the sinks. But, he had better come home with mice traps in hand!

A Brief Catch Up in Pictures

Jackson started eating baby food and now he is eating some finger foods too.

I ran my first 5k with my good friend Jennifer. It turned out to be a beautiful fall day, when the year before we had snow the same time of year.

My Littlest Pet Shoppe Kitty, Capt'n America, and Baby Pumpkin celebrated Halloween.

Brotherly Love.....most of the time.

Maddie lost her first tooth and then her second the next day.

We continued our tradition of pumpkin picking in the fall.

GA-GA CAME TO VISIT!!!!

Jackson turned 6 months....and 7 months.

Maddie played soccer.

Fresh Start

Hello....anyone out there?!?!?

If you are, you are super stars for sticking with me during LONG absence. Can I say, "sorry"? I was once told by a very intelligent lady that "sorry doesn't get it". But hopefully it will this time.

I haven't blogged in so long that I feel that I need to start again.

A clean slate. A fresh start.

Is that allowed in the blogging world? It is in my world. By the grace of God my sins are forgiven, when I repent, and I get to start fresh. A clean slate. And boy do I need that....often.

A clean slate. A fresh start.

So here it goes, my fresh blogging start.

My name is Christa. I am a slightly klutzy southern gal who finds herself living in the mid-west. Um, is that where I live? I guess it is more of the northern mid-west.

Is that an oxymoron? NORTHERN mid-WEST?

Anyhoo, I have 3 simply wonderful children who always greet each other with hugs and kisses.....What's that? You don't care 'bout my dream world? You want to know the nitty gritty of my REAL world......

Well in THAT case. I have 3 simply wonderful children. That love on each other as much as they try and kill each other. I'm okay with that as long as the lovin' and fightin' is bout 50/50. Just sayin' that is how it happens here.

I feel that God gave each of my children to a reason. My oldest, Maddie, was given to me to be my princess. She is a bow wearing, loving, southern belle. She is a 6 year old that has a spot of drama queen in her. She is a care taker, rule follower, and people pleaser. She loves to read, ride horses, and play with her brothers. According to a survery asked by her first grade teacher, she wants to be a missionary and her favorite night time activity is snuggling with her Mommy (can you just see my beaming face).

My middle child, Sam, was given to me to make me laugh. He is my prince. He is a wonderful 4 year old that I wouldn't change for the world....even if he goes to the beat of his own drum. Case in point, last year's Autumn painting from school. His was of a "funny wookin sha-ark". Why a "funny wookin' sha-ark" you ask (as did I), "Cause mama....sha-arks weve in oceans in fall time too". Can't argue that can you? I held my head high and was a proud mama when attending the "showing" of the 3 year old class Autumn paintings. There were a many a pumpkin and apple tree....but only 1 "funny wookin sha-ark" hanging on the wall!

My baby, Jackson, was given to me to always remind me of God's grace. He was born after a devastating miscarriage that rocked me to my core and shook (but not broke) my faith. He was given to me after he survived a placenta bleed and blood clots that required daily injections of blood thinners to keep us both going. He has kept us on our toes, requiring surgery at 3 weeks for a "non retracting" hernia, suffering from reflux and now battling eczema. Every time I look at his healthy glowing slobbery smiley face I know that God is in control and that His plan is bigger than me.

Now that you have a bit of history.....I can big blogging again......