J. is...

Curious. Happy. Loving. Intelligent. Persistent. Witty. Compassionate. Mischeivious. Handsome. Stubborn. Brave. Amazing. Fiesty. Motivating. Generous. Sassy. Cheerful. Dramatic. Independant. Unique. Strong. Articulate. Quirky. Sensitive. Talented. Wonderful. Inspiring.

And last but not least, "O" is for ORIGINAL. OUTSTANDING. ONE OF A KIND. Best of all...he's OURS!

LOOK OUT WORLD...HERE I COME...

MG. has a new trick as J. calls it. As of yesterday, she's crawling! Slowly but surely she finds a way to make it happen and J. is not thrilled with her newly learned skill. She's "getting into his things" and we all know how sacred 4 year old "things" are. Huh...I guess this is only the beginning.

The Greatest Show on Earth...

J. went to the circus today with his Nanny. Here is his commentary...

Mommy: Did you have fun at the circus?
J.: Oh yes
Mommy: What did you see at the circus?
J.: It was TOOO loud Mommy
Mommy: Oh yeah?
J.: Oh yes, and there wasn't a cannon!
Mommy: Good, I know you didn't want to hear the cannon.
J: No Mommy I did not WANT to hear a cannon. They are TOOOO loud!
Mommy: Well what did you SEE at the circus?
J.: Dancing girls and an elephant named Henry
Mommy: And what else?
J.: That's ALLLLLLLLL Mommy! That's ALLLLLLL!

Not exactly what I would remember about the circus but to J. it was a great time! Thanks Nanny for the fun afternoon. He loves spending time with you. (Photo from last years circus adventure with Mommy and Daddy)

The Tale of Chicken and Crackers...

Once upon a time there was a little PRINCE who loved to eat crunchy things. He loved goldfish, graham crackers, veggie crackers, chicken nuggets, bacon, french fries, pretzels, and dry cereal just to name a few. For three years, the QUEEN tried desperately to convince the PRINCE that there were other foods in the ROYAL pantry. The KING and QUEEN endured many many evenings of crying and tantrums with food as the culprit. ROYAL fits were common...very common. But alas, one February day the PRINCE decided that perhaps the Poppyseed Chicken Casserole the QUEEN has been making his entire life might deserve a chance. The QUEEN had called it "Chicken and Crackers" tonight and the PRINCE thought that didn't sound so bad. So, the PRINCE ate "Chicken and Crackers", not one, not two, but three small helpings.





















He chose to forego the one green bean but endured one small bite of sweet potato to earn both dinner time smileys.
So, the KING, the QUEEN and the PRINCE all had a pleasant meal along with the PRINCESS who enjoyed her first green bean. This was her response.
At the end of evening, the KING and QUEEN were so proud of PRINCE and PRINCESS. The ROYAL family went to bed thrilled with their accomplishments...and they lived happily ever after. The End.

HELP?

If you are having difficulty getting into MG's pictures, email me and I'll try to help you figure it out.

Happy (Belated) Love Day...

I waited to post this until most of you received your Valentine via snail mail. Hope you enjoyed it!
Photos COPYRIGHTED by Courtney Marler Photography. Thanks Mrs. Courtney!!!

MG gallery...sweet baby pictures inside...

Click HERE

Password: (7 letters) first name of our feline friend
NOTE: Music will begin after PW entered

She was in a "mood" so we didn't get as many as we would have liked. Daddy is wondering when we're going to photograph her with her clothes on. Hahahaha. He just doesn't understand cute baby shots in the buff. Our photographer just received a super duper new piece of equipment that MG will be trying out very soon. I'm sure there will be more to share with you in the near future. Our little model baby! Enjoy the photos!

Photos COPYRIGHTED by Courtney Marler Photography

**If you can't remember the name of our feline friend, email me and I'll send it to you. I'm just trying to keep the weirdos from getting in.**

Where's Waldo?

I will never understand what the allure of a makeshift tent of sofa pillows does for a four year old...but it certainly floats his boat! It seems everyday at some point I walk into the living room and find this. Frustrating...when you're trying to sell your house and keep it picked up. Funny...when you see how much fun he has hiding inside with his head peeking out...I call that "Where's Waldo". Unfortunately, I couldn't capture that with the camera. As soon as he sees the camera come out he pops out and immediately starts smiling and saying "CHEESE". So, this is the best I could do. Fun times...

C is for Cracker...

It is official...we have two cracker heads in our family! I am trying to stay ahead of the eating game with this little one. This afternoon, I picked up the baby's first year book and discovered I was already behind. I broke out the Ritz crackers as fast as I could just to see what she would do. Much to my surprise, she ate it like she had been eating them all her life. Yes, she is officially J.'s little sister...a crunchy salty carb loving baby. Now, let's hope we can convince her to eat from the other food groups...and maybe she'll convince her big brother in the process...MAYBE?

Let the games begin...

For those of you who haven't heard the news, there is a "For Sale" sign in our yard. We signed a contract this weekend to build a new house and we are SOOO excited!!!!! 439 P.N. Dr. will be our new address...FOREVER! This is where the Wombles will be living until we are old, gray, senile grandparents rocking in our rocking chairs. Here is a before shot from this morning. It will be August before the "after" shot is available. Wish us luck...they say building a house can be just a LITTLE challenging. So, let the building games begin...

Hangin' with my pal Jacob...

J. loves to have playdates. Monday, he had a playdate with his friend Elizabeth Ann. Wednesday, he had a playdate with his friends Kenzie, Braeden and Kylie. Friday, his pal Jacob came over to our house for a playdate. They had so much fun playing in Jonathan's room and wearing their "hats" all afternoon. Jacob had to go home with his Dad right before J.'s nap. When J. woke up, he cried for him to come back. He wanted to play again with his pal Jacob. There is something to be said for socialization and I think he's getting the hang of it...
YIPPEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

J.'s first snow day of 2007 and MG.'s first snow day EVER! We made it about 15 minutes and that was it. Once J. got snow on his face it was OVER! They humored me for a few pictures (like they had a choice) and then we were back inside to warm up. It was COLD! Here's a few more of our fun morning!

Baby face...you've got the cutest little baby face...

We had a little photo session with MG today. She was a trooper...but we still didn't get all the shots we wanted. Maybe she'll be up for modeling next time. Either way, it sure is fun to have amazing pictures of our daughter. Special thanks to our friend Mrs. Courtney...photographer extraordinaire!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. When I receive the gallery I'll post the link here for you to view.

Our Little Einstein...

Isn't it interesting how an old pair of glasses can become one of your child's new favorite toys? I now have the answer to the question "I wonder what he would look like in glasses" (Hopefully they would be right side up and a little smaller). It gives him the sophisticated intelligent scholar look don't ya think? :-) JK. To us, he is definitely our little Einstein...using words like "actually" and "excellent", adding "big" numbers as he calls them, memorizing his states, their color on the puzzle and what they are famous for (Ask him about Georgia and he'll say they have peaches), recognizing names and familiar words, reciting all 9 planets including color and shape, and a whole host of other amazing things. It's fun to watch his wheels turn as he learns something new. We can't wait to see where all of this four year old knowledge takes him.

P.S. He had a bit of a run in with the carpet at his friend Brock's birthday party last Sunday. That's where the red spot on the nose came from. Oh, it's so fun to be four!

Seven months and counting...

In seven short months we have gone from this...


to this...

She's growing so fast it's hard to keep up with all the new things she's doing (or trying to do). She really wants to sit up like a big girl but seems a little frightened at the prospect. She can easily do it sitting in your lap. However, when she's on the floor and you let go she let's you know very quickly that she does NOT like it! She's so laid back most of the time but when she's unhappy the whole world knows it. Ha...wonder where she got that fiesty temper from? Maybe it's from her Daddy? Maybe???? She can squirm her way around the room in a matter of minutes. I keep thinking she's going to crawl before she sits up. I can leave her by the sofa and find her three minutes later by the fireplace. She loves to lay on her tummy and push up like she's doing in this picture. It's like she saying, "Look at me world...look what I can do". Oh, and we have discovered a new tickle spot on her neck that makes her laugh. You know the laugh where her whole body shakes and it is the sweetest sound your ears have ever heard? It makes my day every time I hear it. Maybe just the thought of a sweet baby named MG laughing a big belly laugh will make your day too! Happy 7 month Birthday Baby Girl...we love you!

Happy Girl!

Sweet MG. She is such a happy girl. A few of her favorite things these days...sweet potatoes, her big brother J., bath time, watching our cat (HK), chewing on anything that comes close to her mouth and flashing her big grins to anyone who will indulge. I can't imagine anything more cute or more special than your baby smiling from ear to ear. This time last year I was convinced she was a baby Nicholas (or Jack). I had no idea how I could love another child as much as I loved J. Boy, has she taught us a few lessons in the short time she has been here. The most important lesson...that the love you feel for your children is not divided when there are two of them...it is multiplied. Thank you God for a healthy, beautiful and happy baby girl and a big brother who thinks she is his best friend.

Best Friends...

J: Mommy, do you know who my best train friend is?
M: No, J., who is it?
J: James. (he's a train on his Thomas the Train game)
J: Mommy, do you know who my best real friend is?
M: No, J., who is it?
J: It's MG.
M: Oh, that is so sweet J.
M: Why is MG your best friend?
J: Because I love her.

Is there anything better than that? I don't think so.

I want to take a hot tub...

As some of you already know, Daddy received a new hot tub for Christmas as a reward for all of his hard work in 2006. It was a bit of a process to get it up and running...concrete, electrical, filling the tub, heat, chemicals, blahblahblah. After a long and dreadful week and a half of waiting (for Daddy), it was finally ready for occupancy on Saturday morning. Daddy was up bright and early for his first dip. He was like a little kid in a candy store and could hardly wait to get inside. Thank goodness the weather is not typical January fare or our neighbors would have thought he was nuts. A robe and swimming trunks outside in January? Huh?

After Daddy had come back inside, it was time for J.'s bath. I told him it was time to take a bath and he quickly responded..."I don't want to take a bath...I want to take a hot tub". I guess now he thinks we have three bathtubs instead of two? Ha. So, not too long after his comment, J. was off for his first hot tub adventure. He was so excited to get in he could hardly stand it. Don't worry, Daddy was with him of course.

From the looks on their faces, you know exactly what they are thinking...Oh yeah, this is the good life...

I.DO.NOT.WANT.TO.GO.HOME.

J. started a new preschool today. We began the morning with the typical first day of school routine...chose the "cool" shirt, packed the backpack, made the favorite lunch, took the picture and off we went. In the history of J.'s preschool life, first days have not been his strong point. History says he doesn't like change, new things, firsts, etc. So, I prepared myself for "the meltdown". I knew it was coming. I just knew it. It was only a matter of time. OH, when will I ever learn...

We arrived at Ms. Kara's school, as we call it, and he went right in without a fuss. He hung up his coat and backpack, went right in to the classroom, said hello to a few old and a few new friends and that was it. He indulged me by posing for a picture, blew me a kiss and I was on my way. WOW! That was easy. Now I should tell you that he knows Ms. Kara and half of the children there so they aren't perfect strangers. They are familiar friends so that of course made it easier.

When I arrived at the end of the day, he was outside on the playground. He saw me and kept right on playing. I let him play for a few minutes and then said, "Come on J., it's time to go home". He gave me the "I'm about to have a meltdown" look and burst into tears. "I.DO.NOT.WANT.TO.GO.HOME" he said in the loud crying whiny voice.

He earned 5 out of 6 "fun smiley tokens" today and that was a BIG DEAL! He couldn't tell us what he did to receive five tokens. His focus was on the one smiley he didn't receive. He said, "Ms. Kara said I have to try harder and I will get the #2 yellow smiley". We'll see how Thursday goes.

Well, I don't know about you, but I'd say that crying not to leave and 5/6 smileys equates to a great first day at a new preschool. Sometimes it's OK to be wrong and today, I'll admit it, I was. His first day was awesome. A HUGE thank you goes to Ms. Kara! We know this is the first of many firsts he'll share with you. We can't wait to see what the new year will bring for him.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2007! I can not believe the calendar has already turned to a new year. It is so true that time flies when you are a grown up. Gone are the days of endless summers and too much time on our hands. Those luxuries have been replaced by the chaos of everyday life. I have decided to begin this blog in response to continuous requests for photos and updates on J. and MG. I have no idea how often I'll update but I will try to do it as often as possible. Hope you'll check back soon.