Growing Up Mizell

A Little Circus

2011-03-27T11:59:00.007-04:00

Contrary to my normal postings...no, I'm not referring to my family. Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey came to town! We went to the circus! Taking advantage of living in a great city with a lot to offer our family, we took the metro and hit D.C. to check out the circus. Fighting the crowds that were out shopping, finishing up the National Marathon, and off to see the beloved Cherry Tree Festival (Day 1)...we made it the circus.

I will admit that it was quite an enchanting and overwhelming experience. There were kids and families EVERYWHERE! Plus, many who were kids at heart (i.e. the lady in front of us who was so excited that she literally sat at the edge of her seat and would yell and clap constantly).

I don't know what the biggest hit was for us...the clowns, the elephants, the amazing ladies who would swing mid-air, the tigers, or the popcorn.

What a FUN day! Even if we only lasted through half of the show...

HOME!

2011-03-18T09:40:00.003-04:00

20 months after our family left California, John and I were FINALLY able to return for a weekend trip. The weekend was filled with spending time with our dear family and friends, a half marathon, lots of food and laughter, and short nights of sleep. Unfortunately we were so busy just being with everyone that I didn't take any pictures. Here are a few of the moments I remembered to pull out the camera...

Loving on Abigail Hart...Addy's BFF!

Enjoying a stroll along The Strand.

Only in Huntington Beach California do they start a half-marathon with old woody cars and surfboards!

John ran a GREAT time...1:23:14. I completely missed him at the finish line he was so quick!

Ready For Spring

2011-03-18T09:20:00.006-04:00

One of the nice things about not being at school (for John) anymore is that we can have a random family day again! John took off a random Friday in March so we can just hang out as a family. The day proved to be absolutely GORGEOUS as we explored River Farm in Alexandria - what a beautiful location along the Potomac. The landscaping and weather was a perfect tease of what is yet to come...SPRING! The boys had a blast exploring this acreage that we had completely to ourselves. Lots of games of tag, hide-and-seek, freeze-dance, and pure exploration was to be had.

(31 Weeks Pregnant)

Hurry Up Spring! We're ready to play!

Furniture Origami, Phase 1

2011-02-23T11:56:00.005-05:00

About a month ago John and I started to tackle the house in preparation for baby. Being in a 3-bedroom townhome has it's challenges, and one of those is dealing with the furniture that we have without any additional storage and such. I think we have managed just fine so far! We purged the "guest room/Miss Ariel's room/Grandma's room" in order to make room for Adelyn. Here is a little before and after shots of our guest "quarters".

The "Before" of the downstairs playroom...

"Before" guest room...

"After"

Pictures of nursery to come soon!

Snow Day

2011-01-12T17:59:00.006-05:00

We FINALLY had some snow to play with! After watching the rest of the nation receive snow, and kids everywhere getting to play in it, we finally get to join in the fun. Even if it was just for a little bit this morning...

The boys are ready to try out their new sleds from Grams...even if there isn't a lot of snow, there is ENOUGH for us!

We opted to just take a "walk" around the circle to try out the sleds. I certainly got my workout pulling these two!

Then we tried the "hill" across the way from our place...

It was a HIT!! Following a great morning playing outside, we had to follow it up with a little warm cocoa! Happy Snow Day!

A Texas-Size Trip

2010-12-23T09:21:00.006-05:00

The boys and I headed to Dallas to spend a little time with Mimi, Poppie and Aunt Kiki before the holidays. This was our first airplane ride after 2-years of self-induced exile from any aircraft (thanks to Luke's MAJOR meltdown two years ago). The boys did FANTASTIC on the flight for me (with a little help from two PEZ candy dispensers)! They were real troopers throughout the flying process, and of course everyone thought they were TOO CUTE! Of Course!

Anxiously waiting for our airplane to arrive into Baltimore.

We're ready for this 5-hour journey! Let's hope the computer battery can hold up for a couple of movies...at least.

A "new" thing at Mimi and Poppie's house is the "arrival" of Mr. Tree. Okay...Mr. Tree turns out to be our good old tree in the front yard with an added feature of a face. Turns out Mr. Tree leaves presents for little boys and their mommy when they visit. Too fun!

Good Morning Mr. Tree!

Reading with Aunt Kiki

Check out those glow-in the dark bracelets from Mr. Tree! Too cool!

Bath time fun = water guns..."Shoot the wall, NOT MIMI!"

We wrapped up Texas with John meeting us in Austin and spending a whirlwind weekend in San Antonio and Austin. It was a great trip with both families filled with lots of love and laughter.

A great way to usher in December!

The Pout

2010-11-27T18:26:00.004-05:00

Paden is our "Master Pouter". There is something about his little face and how quickly it can go from a sweet, smiley little boy to a fierce pout. He has the perfect lips for it too! Daddy asked him if he learned how to pout from brother Luke. Paden said "No, Paden." At least he claims it for his own!

FINALLY! All he wanted was a bite of Daddy's pizza. Guess that pout worked after all!

He's 4!

2010-11-15T17:00:00.015-05:00

This has been the first year where we have actually had to count down to a certain little boy's birthday. Once November hit Luke knew his birthday was coming up...it was only a matter of 12 days...11 days...10 days...etc. What a hoot!

Friday morning came and we were greeted two little boys (as usual), only the oldest proudly declared "Hey Guys, I'm 4 today!"...he was so excited. I had asked Luke several times over the coming weeks what he wanted to do for his birthday and his choice was IHOP for breakfast and the aquarium. So what did we do? Well, we went to IHOP for breakfast and to the Baltimore Aquarium of course! What a fun day as a family! (We threw in Chick Fil A for lunch...not a bad addition.)

Here is our 4 year old!

The pure joy of opening birthday presents!

Yummy IHOP!

Baltimore Aquarium

Tired and Hungry...Chick Fil A comes to the rescue!

Checking out Frank the Fish

Happy Birthday Luke!

Halloween 2010 - Buzz and Woody

2010-11-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

I owe you some pictures! We had so much fun this Halloween in our neighborhood this year. The young families got together for an early dinner/potluck and then split ways to take our kids trick-or-treating. We only did a few houses with the boys...we don't need a lot of candy in our house and the boys were tired too. Needless to say they loved their costumes!

Road Trip!

2010-03-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

John recently had a much needed Spring Break -- it was a LONG time coming for all of us! It was a great week of hanging out in Montgomery for a few days, just enjoying our home and time together as a family...but we also hit the road! We had so much fun with our friends David and Krista in Atlanta back in February that we decided to go back! We hit up the same hotel (the Embassy Suites in Buckhead certainly was a nice treat) as we knew we were within walking distance of the MARTA (Atlanta's metro), Trader Joe's, and a great selection of restaurants and shops.

Back in February we toured Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium...this time we hit up CNN and Zoo Atlanta. Of course it was marathon/half-marathon weekend so we had a few crowds to work around...but it was all so much fun!

CNN was a pretty cool experience. John and I don't find ourselves watching network nor cable news much, but we really enjoyed seeing the inner-workings of CNN. The building was HUGE, bright and very colorful. We took the 55-minute walking tour and were thankful for a fun, patient Kimberly (our tour guide) who used our boys and distracted them at the same time. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures during the tour...so if you ever find yourself in Atlanta one day, take the time and check out the tour yourself!

Had a very hard time telling this big boy NOT to touch the Humvee!

Saturday was such a beautiful day that we decided to hit up Zoo Atlanta. What we didn't realize was that half of Atlanta's families had decided to do the same! They happened to have their "Marathon" 1-mile family walk and 5K AT THE ZOO! Say what?! So we joined the post-race crowds and enjoyed the many animals and rides. At times we were tempted to leave our own little monkeys in the exhibits...but we would miss them so!

We wrapped up a great weekend in Atlanta with John running the half-marathon on Sunday morning. Now mind you, it was a race that began at 0700...in downtown Atlanta...on a dreary morning...there was no way on God's green Earth I was dragging two little boys to the race! John did GREAT even without our cheering him on...that man certainly has skills!

Atlanta makes for one AWESOME road trip for the Mizells!

Strange Sleeping Arrangements

2010-03-29T09:18:00.000-04:00

These days we're finding Luke in some interesting spots for naps and night time. We've had to hunt him down a few times...and this is what we've found!

I think he may be ready to have Paden join him in the "big boy room" when we move!

Boo-Boos and an ER

2010-03-29T09:07:00.000-04:00

We had our first ER experience as parents of 2 boys. Paden had a mishap with his feet and the edge of a McDonald's booth. Poor baby busted his upper lip pretty good! After much blood and a few tears, this kiddo was a trooper and wooed all the ladies working in the ER. Thankfully the docs opted not to put a stitch in (thankfully, I don't know how I would have handled that experience). What a big boy!

A Long Time Coming

2010-03-11T08:26:00.000-05:00

There is a very good reason why I haven't blogged in a few months. I have had no pictures of the boys to post! Why would I blog without pictures?

And WHY haven't I had any pictures? Well, that would be due to darling Luke. I walked into the kitchen one morning after a 2-minute break from the boys to merely get dressed and what do I find...but several books floating in the kitchen sink. Yes, they were floating because Mommy was going to wash the dishes. But lo and behold! There was more! Oh wait, is that my camera AND my phone?! Why yes!

Was the young culprit able to explain WHY he felt the need to put all of those EXPENSIVE items into the kitchen sink? No.

Ahhhh...boys!

A BIG THANK YOU to my in-laws, Walt and Ferne, for the new camera! And to my wonderful husband who finagled with Sprint to get me an AWESOME new phone. ALL of which are now being stored ON TOP OF THE FRIDGE!

Hopefully some new pics of the boys will follow soon!

Look Who's 3!

2009-11-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

Today our sweet boy Luke turns 3. So hard to imagine. I keep looking at this little boy and realize he's not so "little" anymore. He is a "big boy." My BIG BOY LUKE.

I'm not going to blog about what it was like to come home with this new baby, what being a first time mom was like, how each milestone in his life was such a new and wonderful experience...simply because I don't remember it all! We are so wrapped up in our everyday life, life with two absolutely crazy and wonderful little boys, that just thinking about the past is something that I just can't do.

So here is our precious and absolutely awesome Luke! The 3 Year Old!

This is our little boy who...
* Thankfully loves his Mommy, Daddy, Baby P, God, Jesus, all of his grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins... etc. etc.
* Makes new friends with everyone who comes his way (even our plumber!)
* Is ALL boy...loves to make noises, play with trains, trucks, puzzles (he's the "Puzzle-Man"!)
* Can run laps around the house or outdoors and still call it "walking"
* Is too busy playing to eat a meal, yet asks for snacks ALL the time
* Loves to watch Disney movies (even the princess ones)
* Is a great "helper" around the house
* Shares with his brother and others with a huge smile
* Still likes to play by himself at times, but is learning to play more with Paden
* And SO much more!

What an amazing little boy...what an amazing 3 years...

Disney Date

2009-10-23T11:25:00.000-04:00

Several months ago I noticed that "Playhouse Disney Live" was coming to Montgomery, how exciting! I thought "what a fun and cool treat to take Luke to, maybe for a 'Mommy and Me' date". So I ordered 2 tickets and waited patiently for 2 months while keeping our "secret" from Luke. (You see, we still don't tell Luke anything until the day, or minute, it's about to happen. One, he'd either obsess for an entire day, or he'd completely forget. So, "SURPRISE"!)

Finally, this past Sunday was our lucky day! John and I told Luke that he was going to see Mickey Mouse after nap...and it was going to be so much fun! Luke really looked forward to it all day, until it was time to wake him up from his nap and head downtown. Talk about a cranky kid! He just wanted to crawl back into bed rather than go see Mickey Mouse. Oh no, Mommy was not going to let that fly! So I toss the kid and a backpack full of snacks into the car and hit the road. Thankfully it was a 20 minute drive and Luke's mood changed dramatically for the better.

The Montgomery Performing Arts Center was a beautiful surprise. A lovely, intimate theater, quickly filling with excited kids and cautious, frazzled parents. And why were we cautious and frazzled? Maybe it was the maze of booths selling all things Disney and sugary that we had to navigate our children through just to get to our seats. And then we were dodging concession "hawkers" threading their way through the theater selling cotton candy, popcorn, and toys...all to the delighted squeals of children and the many parents forking over an insane amount of money for things that will end up in the trash by the end of the week. I hate to admit, I was one of those parents forking over $12 for cotton candy and a Handy Manny hat, but that was all! I swear!

The show included most of the Disney characters that you find on the Disney channel in the morning -- which is usually on 5 days a week in our house! We got to see Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Handy Manny and friends, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darby, and The Little Einsteins. Whew, what a crew?! And was it exciting? Thankfully, YES! Luke seemed to be in awe and love every moment of it, sometimes sitting with his mouth wide open, and sometimes dancing in the aisle. Mom on the other hand sang along with the music and tried not to go nuts by the insane degree of lip syncing!

I will admit that I had few moments of "moist eyes" as I watched my little boy totally engrossed and thrilled with what was happening on stage. Every moment was worth it: the grouchy boy being awakened from his nap, the circles being driven around downtown as I was trying to figure out where on earth parking was, the mass/mess of "trinket s***" being sold everywhere you turned, the lip syncing...all for a little boy who has continued to talk about seeing Mickey and Friends the other day. And that Handy Manny hat that is now in a toy tub at the bottom of the closet!

I think Mommy was more excited at this point!

Mmmm...Cotton Candy! It took Luke's second "try" to even like this sugary treat...does that tell you how little "sweets" he eats, or maybe he's like Mommy and prefers chocolate.

Yeah! The show started...and it's loud, colorful and exciting for this 2-year-old!

Winnie the Pooh, Darby and Tigger

Handy Manny and friends. (OMG, Handy Manny was SO cute!)

The Gang with Handy Manny

The Finale - finally!

How cool was that?!

Our Attempts at "Fun Times in Montgomery"

2009-10-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

I've had several people say that they figured from my tone of voice and such that I'm not a big fan of Montgomery. I would have to say that they are correct. Big time. This is not an easy place for me to live and it doesn't help that it has been very difficult for John at school. BUT, we're trying to make the best of this year. So I decided to share some of the "crazy fun" that we have shared with the boys this past month.

1. We draw pretty pictures for Daddy.

2. We eat spaghetti.

3. We read LOTS of books.

4. We take bike rides with our new, cool bike trailer.

5. We attempt potty training -- which isn't working.

6. Mommy bakes like a "mad woman" for Luke's classroom -- isn't that what a "Room Mom" is supposed to do?

7. We just "hang out" -- and sometimes let everything hang out as well!

8. We fingerpaint!!!

8b. And make a huge mess in the process!

8c. Cute, but messy boy #1.

8d. Cute and messy boy #2.

9. We fall asleep in places other than our beds.

10. We cuddle with our brother!

11. We explore new parks on chilly October days.

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Labor Day Weekend Getaway

2009-09-14T11:42:00.001-04:00

John has decided that we need to leave town every chance we get -- and I would have to agree! We hope to get to the beach most of the 3-day weekends and were successful in doing so over Labor Day Weekend. We hit up Gulf Shores, Alabama for the first time, along with thousands of our nearest and dearest friends!

Gulf Shores is an interesting place...a very crowded beach town with lots of high-rise condos all along the shore. John and I often wondered if these places were truly full and in use often. It's surprising to see all the condos, hotels, etc. that are along the beach, but not that many restaurants or grocery stores that can keep up with the demand. Oh well, thankfully I brought a bunch of food from home and had a little kitchen in our condo. Speaking of our condo...quite disappointing! So small, hard to move around, a disgusting layer of dirt, dust and grime, and brown water out of rather old pipes (which thankfully cleared up after a while). Thankfully I was able to over-look all that after a while...especially when we were stuck inside most of Sunday due to the rain.

It was a nice treat to be away from our "norm." I think we all needed a break and an opportunity to just hang out as a family. It was also great to be at the beach again! The boys certainly loved it! John said it seemed that Luke forgot how much he liked the beach. The boys certainly played to their hearts' content in the sand, building castles, destroying castles, pushing around trucks, running, finding sea shells, etc. They even got into the water! By the end of the weekend Luke was standing on his own in water up to his waist while laughing as the waves came crashing in. Paden, being the little guppy that he is, wasn't content being in Daddy's arms, he'd much rather be on his own swimming -- crazy kid, doesn't he know he's too small?!

Needless to say we had a lot of fun!

Paden's first taste of a fried-pickle...

Rainy day activity -- Luke giving John a manicure!

1, 2, 3, 4 Haircuts!

2009-09-13T20:27:00.000-04:00

We have been starting to look a little shaggy these days. I decided that it was time to chop off my hair, found a stylist that came "highly recommended, he's the best!" and took my picture...so excited yet nervous! Turns out it was something to be nervous about, I will post a picture but I believe this is the worst haircut I've ever had...I'm trying to grit my teeth and bear it.

The big news isn't my haircut, but my boys! All 3 (including Daddy) were loaded up yesterday after nap time and we hit a local salon. This was going to be Paden's first haircut -- yeah! John needed his usual shave down (I didn't really have time to do it myself before his trip), Luke needed his just cleaned up on the sides, and it was time for Paden to lose his "old man hair" in the back. Luke hopped up and acted like an old pro and Paden was amazingly well behaved for a newbie while sitting in Daddy's lap. I'm so proud of my boys - and they look great!!!

Happy Birthday Paden!

2009-08-24T11:16:00.001-04:00

It's hard to imagine that it has been a year now that we've had Paden join our family (August 9th). Of course at this point in my blogging I'm at least 2 weeks off from that day of celebration -- surprise, surprise!

We kept P's day pretty low-key. Grandma Mimi (Char), who was in town for a couple of weeks to help us finish with our unpacking and decorating, and Mr. Eric (MackDad) joined us for lunch. Even though it was just the 6 of us I still spent hours preparing and ordering just the "right" items for our lunch and working on the cupcakes. A momma has to go all out for her babies, right?! We opted for a firetruck themed lunch -- of course! Hats, balloons, tattoos, and fireman-ducks all covered our table. I found some awesome cupcakes on the web and of course had to copy them myself...and I'm rather pleased with how they turned out too (it only took me 2 days to bake the cupcakes, make the gum-paste firetrucks and whip up the frosting)!

A few "notes" about my precious Baby P: easy to smile (except when he's teething), adores his Daddy, follows big brother around, has the sweetest personality and disposition, eats like there's no tomorrow, loves to play with big boy toys, started walking the day before his birthday, climbs all over the furniture and whatever he can find to use as "steps", cries when he gets the tiniest boo-boos, looks a lot like his Daddy (is a perfect match to John's baby pics), doesn't like it when Luke tells him "no", and so much more!

My heart is filled with joy and love for this little dude! Happy Birthday My Precious Boy!

A Big Boo-Boo

2009-06-12T12:30:00.000-04:00

You know you have a little boy when you have Band-aids and Neosporene in nearly every room of the house. Okay, maybe not every room, but there are definitely more than one package of each in my stash!

Luke had a nice "ooops" yesterday afternoon that resulted in a major boo-boo. Playing around like he usually does Luke fell and busted his lip. He didn't only bust his lip, but it looks like his teeth went through his lip. I haven't actually been able to take a good look at it, but having done it myself twice in my life I kinda know what it looks like. Poor baby! We tried to keep cold packs on it as well as frozen yogurt sticks, but alas, it's a big-fat-puffy lip!

2 Months Overdue...April Part 2

2009-06-07T23:42:00.000-04:00

Here's a continuation of April...

* A Day Out With Thomas The Train! OMG! What an exciting day we had with the boys! John took the Friday off (April 17th) and we all drove up to Filmore, CA (northwest of LA) to enjoy a ride with Thomas and everything you could possibly imagine that was Thomas-related. I think I was more excited to see Luke's reaction when he saw the life-size Thomas than he was when he actually saw him! Of course we didn't tell Luke what we were doing or who we were going to see, he is certainly a kid of the moment. I believe he truly enjoyed his day seeing Sir Topham Hat, riding Thomas (only a 25-minute ride), jumping in the bounce-house, eating hot dogs and snow cones and everything else! Paden was such a trooper too, they both passed out in the car beautifully on the way home! John and I were certainly pleased with ourselves and the wonderful day we had as a family.

Luke's first ink!

Seeing Thomas roll in to the station -- too cool!

Family pic with Thomas

Boarding the train

Wow!

Mommy and Paden chillin' out during the ride

Isn't it cool how they even decorated the inside of the train?!

Enjoying the view along the way.

My happy boys!

Mommy and Paden enjoying the shade on this beautiful CA day.

One cool dude (new Thomas sunglasses)!

And he's out!

So is Paden! A nice quiet ride home for Mommy and Daddy!

* Paden's 3rd and 4th teeth made their debut (along with him pulling up to his feet and lots of vocalizations)!

This never happens! Luke passed out on the couch one afternoon before nap time, watching basketball with Daddy too! I think John's feelings were a little hurt that the little dude couldn't hang with the basketball game! Ha!

Paden loves hanging onto the baby gate and rockin' it like a crazy kid!

Playing with Luke's "old" activity table -- still interests the big kid too!

One very early morning...

Yummy Cheerios!

* We have a new nephew!! Kade Gordon Mizell joined proud parents Mike and Dawn and the rest of the Mizell clan on April 22nd. We can't wait to see him during our time in Austin in July!

And that wraps up April! Tune in for May's update and pictures!

2 Months Overdue

2009-06-07T22:59:00.000-04:00

I haven't let myself blog because I have so many other things on my "to do list" that I saved this as my "prize" for getting them done. Needless to say I haven't gotten anything done and it's now been over two months since I've caught you up on our family.

I'll try to do a brief synopsis of these last two months with a few pics as well:

* April 3-6 found Grandma Ferne and Grandpa Walt visiting as they made their way to Australia. We filled that time with Paden's first swim lesson (and a refresher for Luke), an awesome Children's Museum in Pasadena, and of course plenty of play time.

* John sold his Trooper to our friends David and Krista -- that was one sad day for both Daddy and Luke!

* April 8th found Denise and I at the Aquarium of the Pacific with the kids, all by ourselves! Whew! What a fun and crazy outing...the things we do to entertain ourselves when we don't have our church activities for the week!

* We spent Easter Sunday with our good friends the Mills and Sidro. It was a small gathering, with lots of food and plenty of colorful plastic eggs (no candy for these kiddos!).

So that was the first half of April...here are a few pics...

Paden and Daddy after a cool swim.

Luke swimming under the tube...he certainly liked all the attention.

Tons of things to climb and jump off of at Kidspace Museum.

Oooohhh...what do we see?

One brave little lizard...didn't run away from the curious little boy and his momma!

Water, water everywhere!

Paden was one patient little dude while Luke explored Kidspace.

Run, boy, run!

Luke loved reading the Texas Magazine with Grandpa Walt!

Luke's last drive in Daddy's truck.

So Sad...goodbye Gonzo!

Our little crawler...loves to explore the entire house on hands and knees!

Anything in here for me to play with?

Hide and Seek -- Luke's favorite post-bath game.

What a face!

Bailey and Luke trying to pet the rays -- can you see Denise holding onto Luke's pants to keep him from falling in?! :)

Luke truly loving the "wet zone" -- and it was a perfectly warm day for playing in the water.

Paden and Laken hanging out while Luke and Bailey get soaked.

Not a dry spot on his body!

Two little boys...one toy...how's this going to work?

Bailey, Luke, John, Paden, Jonny and Laken...ready for an egg hunt!

Bailey and Luke ready to find some eggs to put in their big buckets.

Here's another one!

Paden and Daddy watching the older kids in action.

A Funny Thing Happened One Evening...

2009-04-02T11:40:00.000-04:00

A couple of nights ago we were experiencing our usual post-dinner craziness -- trying to get P settled down for the night and trying to wrangle Luke into the bath. I handed the boys off to John for a few minutes so I could clean up the kitchen. As he took the boys into Luke's room to play John took a phone call from a friend. You can just imagine the craziness that began! I could hear screeching and laughter coming from the bedroom with Daddy's voice trying to speak over it all. Less than a minute later John drags the boys out of the room pleading with me to take them (they apparently were cracking each other up, getting louder and louder, making it very hard for Daddy to be on the phone). Being the wonderful wife that I am, I told him to suck it up and get back in that room! Surprisingly it was rather quiet within a couple of minutes. I could hear John talking...but nothing from either of the boys. After a few more minutes I was rather curious to see what was going on -- mostly curious to see what happened to the boys. This is what I discovered...
Curious as to what it is? A+D Ointment! Yes, that's right, Luke was putting diaper rash cream all over Daddy's head! And John just thought it was regular lotion. Oy! That's what the man gets for talking on the phone rather than playing with his son! HA!!

He's Crawling!

2009-04-01T10:31:00.000-04:00

One Last Thing...

2009-03-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

6 years ago yesterday (Sat. the 28th) John asked me to marry him. It is so hard for us to fathom that we had just begun this journey only 6 years ago. But yes...6 years ago...

...I almost didn't let him come to Dallas for the weekend.
...I told my sister that if he asked me to marry him I'd say "no".
...I was late picking him up at the airport.
...we ran through Chick-fil-a, Bass Pro, and the Gap with a "strange tension" in the air.
...we were alone in my apartment as I was packing my bag to spend the weekend at my parents'.
...I walk into my bedroom and find John holding something in his hand.
...I looked closely and realized that it was a diamond ring he was holding as he took to his knee.
...I fell to my knees asking "Did you talk to my Dad?" "Are you serious?" "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
...I said "yes"!

John -- I still say "Yes"! Every day I say "Yes"! I love you. Thank you for asking me to marry you.

One Wacky Weekend

2009-03-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

Our lives are not that quiet with these two boys and it's never boring around here. But this weekend was one crazy weekend! OY! We had some great plans to check out the children's museum in Pasadena on Saturday...enjoy dinner and games with some friends...do the church thing...and just enjoy another beautiful weekend. Most of that got scrapped when P began to "wake up" at 3:15 on Saturday morning...off and on the crying went until 6:00...and sleep was all but impossible for those 3 hours. I think our great "plans" went out the window before we even started the day!

Poor little guy was not himself this weekend. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that he had his vaccinations on Friday morning. Yippee. After our "rough wake up" I decided to ditch the road trip and museum and just spend the morning at home so P could take a good nap. It wasn't just a "hang out" morning -- by 7:00 we were all loaded up in the car on our way to the grocery store (forgot to buy syrup the day before -- hard to have pancakes without syrup), Starbucks and the youth garage sale at the church (they helped us unload of some unneeded baby items and such -- purging before the move). Thankfully he did take a good 2 hour nap after our "outing".

Luke and Daddy enjoying some play time during P's nap.

A happy baby even when he doesn't feel well.

Instead of finding some games to play outside, or head off to the park - we decided to have a family outing at the mall! What the heck were we thinking? (Oh wait, Mommy really needed to have her eyebrows threaded.) We opted to enjoy the food court for lunch and wrap up our time at the mall with a little "lookie-loo" at the Disney store. Luke must have been tired because he road the stroller throughout the store and didn't even seem to recognize any of the Disney characters that we watch constantly. Hopefully our trip to Disneyland will prove more exciting than that!

So...(my diatribe will continue)...naps came and went (thankfully they both took good naps so we could get our taxes done)...and the madness continued. Our friends David and Krista were joining us for fajitas and a game of Wizard -- usually a festive get together...but the craziness continued. Before dinner Jonny came over with Bailey and Laken so we had all the kids in the driveway. I prepped dinner, bathed the baby, put the meat on the grill and changed a big-girl diaper -- while the "boys" chatted in the driveway. (I believe my "Super Mom" cape is at the dry cleaners now after that one!) We convinced the Mills to join us for dinner -- and the rockin' fun-mad-house continued! David and Krista always joke that hanging out with our boys is good birth control (really it just fills his need to hold a baby and play with kids), but having two 2 year olds (who were running around, screaming, fighting like husband and wife, laughing, you name it...) and two babies came close to pushing their 5-year plan into a 10-year plan! (Here is my props to parents of twins!) We finally got the big kids bathed and the Mills sent home, frozen yogurt picked up, Luke in bed, and we were able to sit down to our game...only to have P wake up and need some loving. Did the day ever end?!!

Bailey and Luke having their fun in the bath -- this photo is going to haunt them one day!

So...here we are to Sunday (I'll keep today's diatribe shorter). P is tucked in bed, Luke is bathed and ready for books, all while Mommy and Daddy are somehow staying sane. Not a normal weekend needless to say. Crazy but fun. Luke pushing every button, but cracking us up at the same time. Paden feeling the effects of his shots, but happy just the same. Basketball brackets totally busted, but do we really care? And one tired, but happy set of parents!

Polliwog Park is one of our new favorite outings...

Luke is "selling" "donuts" to Daddy...thankfully we gave up baked goods for Lent!

This is what I did part of this Sunday afternoon while we watched our Elite 8 bracket get busted...

...and this is why I do "what I do".

A is for Azusa

2009-03-29T20:27:00.000-04:00

On Mondays you can usually find the boys and I scampering around the house in our pj's taking it easy as we recover from the weekend. If we head out -- it's usually just to the park or in our driveway to burn off some left over energy. However this past Monday found us in Azusa instead! Grams lives in Azusa (my grandma) and it had been probably since early February when the boys and I made it out there last -- so it was about time for a little "road trip." Thankfully the "road trip" is only 45-minutes (on a good LA traffic day). The "kids" (my 4 cousins) were visiting during their spring break, so instead of Grams' and my usual trip to Flappy Jack's for brunch, we loaded up the kids with a picnic and headed off to the neighborhood park. It was so nice to have young blood chase my boys around while Grams and I chatted and got caught up. It was "one of those days" with Luke so I was more than ready to have someone else entertain him. We all certainly had a good time and of course it was a beautiful Southern California day!

The girls "introduced" Luke to those hot Cheeto-things...

...he turned out not to be a big fan of them!

Grams and Paden

Hannah & Tabitha taking turns with Paden

Can you believe her? She's 80 and nothing stops her from sliding with the grandkid (Rebekah) and great-grandkid

Uncle John loved how Luke and Peanuts were the same size! (I do believe the dog is heavier than Luke though!) (And how ironic is this? Luke is allergic to peanuts and dogs -- but he's okay hanging out with Peanuts!)

Guess who's taller?

This visit was certainly a "God-thing." I was about to back-out (it was one of those mornings with Luke) but Grams and the kids were really looking forward to us coming out. We did end up having lots of fun and the boys did great, even slept all the way home. But the most awesome part of the day was my opportunity to have a "sit down and come to Jesus" with my uncle John. God had been weighing my heart with a desire to just encourage him...and the time finally came. I think John cornered me and kept me talking for almost an hour after our park time. God does work in mysterious ways.

Seriously?!

2009-03-18T11:15:00.000-04:00

Last night John and I spent a quiet evening reading after we put the boys to bed. As I was reading my Parents' magazine I realized how screwed Luke is! Sorry kiddo but from some of the articles I was reading between your genes and the moldy house we lived in the first year-and-a-half of your life you don't have much hope when it comes to allergies. It seems that children who are exposed to mold seem to have a higher allergy and asthma rate. That was proof last night when our poor little boy's face was red and his eyes were giving us that "allergy look." We have been working so hard to watch his food allergies and clearing up his eczema and after two days of playing outside it seems that the allergic reactions are coming back. Bummer!

And then I was reading an article about night terrors - and sure enough those can also have a genetic touch. Mommy is always having dream-filled nights, and now it seems little dude is starting to experience the same. The last three nights we have been abruptly shaken out of our dream world with a crying little boy. Poor baby! One night even found him in our bed after the 3rd "night terror."

So see, the kid has no chance! Night terrors and allergies...just a few of the "fun" things Luke gets to experience.

One fun note though...as I was putting Luke down for his afternoon nap he started to sing. The little dude was singing "Jesus Loves Me" while using hand signs! How cute was that?!! I wish I could have caught him on video -- but I will remember this one for a while! Thanks to the awesome ladies at church for teaching him this sweet song!

Let's Make A Fort!

2009-03-14T12:53:00.000-04:00

Luke was so excited to see Daddy this morning when he woke up. It was almost like Christmas morning! Absence certainly makes the heart grow fonder!

T.G.I.F.

2009-03-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

All I can say is Thank Goodness It's Friday! It has been one long week, especially without John home. It's been a little over a month since John has had such a long TDY so I can't really complain, but having him gone for the entire week can be long and boring (for me anyway). Needless to say I'm looking forward to having him home tonight and am quite glad that he'll be home a couple of hours earlier than originally planned (8 instead of 10).

I'm also thankful that today was Mom's Morning Out! I put both of the boys in this week as I knew I could definitely use the break. I was able to clean the house this week (and keep it clean) -- so today I got to chillax! A little coffee, mani/pedi and a trip to the bead shop -- whoohoo! I almost felt like a new woman!

I did have a couple of interesting conversations today during that MMO time. I spent almost the first hour of MMO chitchatting with Miss Kim (one of the teachers in Luke's room). It was encouraging to see her excitement and joy to see Luke today (she hinted that he's her favorite). It was funny to hear her say that her teenage daughters always look forward to hearing her stories of Luke on the MMO days. It definitely delights my heart to hear how someone loves Luke and so enjoys being around him -- especially when he's been whining and cranky at home! He was my little lover today though. Luke joined me in bed this morning covering me with kisses, licks and a little tickle-time. What a sweetie

When I was getting my mani/pedi I was surprised to hear a young lady chitchatting next to me mention that she lives in Plano. How random! We ended up talking for a good 30 minutes about our time in Plano, the ministries we were involved in before either of us got married (she worked for Women of Faith), finding good churches, and of course all things mommy!

Now I'm counting down the minutes until John comes home. I still need to toss Luke into the bath and put him to bed -- but it's nice to know that Daddy will be able to help me out with the bed-time routine for a little while before his next trip!

Here are a few fun pics of the boys from the week with Mommy:

He's trying so hard to crawl! He pushes back on all 4's and manages to scoot backwards or rotate -- no forward movement yet.

Luke was quite willing to "help" Mommy with the dusting. I am not quite sure where he ended up putting the feather duster though...hmm...

He was even eager to do the vacuuming!

Mommy's new discovery -- kiddo hangs out in the sink while I finish getting ready for the day -- and he's tickled pink about it!

What's up with this?

BTW -- Paden turned 7 months this past Monday. Time sure does fly by while you're having fun!

Polka Dots

2009-03-05T16:08:00.000-05:00

We have struggled for a long time in keeping Luke's skin blemish free. Often it seems like a losing battle. We have seen the pediatrician, a dermatologist and now an allergist to see what we can do about the never ending cycle of eczema and polka dots that covers his milky skin. I tend to also forget that the "winter" season tends to create more havoc on his skin. But we did go ahead and start the allergy testing to see if foods or other substances are irritating him. Looks like there are several things that bother this little dude: cats, dogs (great, what to do about Bailee!), peanuts, tree nuts (almonds), egg whites, soy (poor dude loves edamame), and tomatoes. We're going to take a break mostly from eggs and tomatoes and see what that does...but man, what a struggle for a little guy who loves salsa, barbecue sauce with his french fries, ketchup on his hot dogs, and all other "dips" that are made with tomatoes! Here's hoping we will be able to post a picture of a little boy with nice, clear skin! (Before and after pics to come later -- hopefully) Oh -- and we carry an EpiPen with us wherever we go now -- swell!

We Have Teeth!

2009-03-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

So our drooling baby finally has cut his first two teeth! What a long and painful process (for Mommy and Baby), and this is just the beginning! Oy! First tooth came in last Wednesday (2/25) and tooth #2 finished it's journey today (3/2). I can't believe how quickly Paden is growing! I was so eager to see Luke move to the "next stage" when he was a baby, but with Paden I can't believe how time is flying by!

I'll add pictures when we get some taken of this little guy's new toothy grin!

Tag You're It!

2009-03-02T11:42:00.000-05:00

For 4 weeks we were lucky to have the grandmas visit! It was certainly a tag-team effort on their part and ours with these active boys of ours! It was certainly an entertaining and crazy time. It seems that the boys "know" when grandma is here because their sleep patterns are completely thrown off (I believe because they want to play) and their antics are non-stop! Luke certainly picks up various new phrases from both Grandma Mimi (Char) and Grandma Ferne. Let's see what we here often from his little mouth..."Uh, oh sghetti oh", "I did it!", "chilly wompus", and much, much more! Paden started to roll over and "scoot" some on the floor, as well as work on his two new teeth (what a pain!). Never a dull moment in this house, and the boys certainly enjoyed sharing all those moments with the grandmas! Now let's see if they want to come back to help out so John and I can go to Hawaii...

Here are some pics that were taken over those 4 weeks, thanks to the grandmas and their cameras!

Food induced coma

What a smile!

Laughter fills the house! Auntie Paula and Grams with our funny boys.

Several generations (minus the mommy) -- Paden, Auntie Paula, Grams, Grandma Mimi (Char) and Luke

One content little baby with Grandma Mimi

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

Questionable maybe, but he was trying to get his fruit treat from Mommy. One persistant little boy!

Whee!

Luke sharing his slide with Baby P

Mommy and Baby P

Sunday morning actually finds us all "dressed up"

Daddy and Luke feeding the birds at Pollywog Park

Our Lukadelic!

A happy Paden (before the teething really began!)

"Music Machine"

Trying to get the pic to look like Luke's did...it turned out okay...

My sweet boys

Grandma Ferne and her grandsons

Is he cute or what?!

He's pretty cute too!

Okay, so there's a lot of pictures...but it's nice to have some help with taking pictures. I made one comment to Ferne about never having anyone take my picture with my boys, and now I have lots! Thanks for humoring us!

Paden's Dedication

2009-03-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

On February 8th we were able to participate in Journey's Baby Dedication Sunday. For John and I we just saw this as a "formality" and a "coming out" for Paden. One of the sweet things that we have done with both boys is give them to the Lord within hours after they were born as we were in the hospital. John and I both know that we are so incredibly blessed to be parents to these little boys that there is no way we can do this on our own without the Lord. So, within mere hours of their birth we surrender our babies and ourselves to the Lord.

As for our church's baby dedication...standing before our church family and asking for their prayer support and making the vow to raise our child to love and serve our God, is not just a "formality" -- it's a step of faith. I believe all parents can attest the fact that it is not easy to raise children, as many of us know we weren't easy children to raise. We can only hope that we're doing the best for our little ones, but the best way we can do that is to surrender all to God and rely on Him alone.

So on the 8th we, along with our friends the Mills, made that step of faith. Of course it came with a lot of laughs (especially towards Luke whom the pastor said will be a "lively" preacher one day!).

Pastor Glen, Paden, Kristen, John and Grandma Mimi (I think Luke was off flirting with Bailey at the time)

Paden and Pastor Glen Martin

Jonny, Denise, Bailey and Laken Mills

Luke was more interested in "flirting" with his friend Bailey and making cool "thud" noises as he jumped up and down on the stage. Oy!

And He Keeps On Running And Running And Running...

2009-02-18T16:17:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we made a trip down the coast to Carlsbad for a half-marathon. We can mark this as John's first for the year. Before the big run we took the boys down early on Saturday to the New Children's Museum in San Diego. It was a rare rainy day in L.A. so we opted to avoid the zoo as planned and find an outlet for Luke. It turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day in San Diego but the museum was really cool and blast! It turned out to be an art museum geared towards kids, bright, colorful and crazy cool! There was space to run, bubbles to be blown, blocks to build with, textures to feel with your hands and feet, walls to climb and a tent city to explore (and that was just Daddy!).

Besides John's big run and visiting the museum, this was the Mizell's first sleepover in a hotel with the boys! Yowzie! I will admit it went a lot smoother than I anticipated. I guess we wore those little boys out that sleep overcame their little bodies.

John did really well on the run Sunday morning. I believe all parties (Phil Lauri, Kim Lauri, Tyler and Denise Norden) are pleased with their times. It was fun to support them all (and easy since all we had to do was step out of our hotel and we were at the 5 and 7 mile marker)! Now we get to look forward to rooting on our traveling band of runners in Lo Jolla in April!

Mommy's Big Helper

2009-01-23T00:39:00.000-05:00

So many friends talk about what "big helpers" their daughters are...always wanting to be like their Mommy. I can say the same about my Luke. He is definitely a big "help" for Mommy. My precious son loves to "help" me around the house with various "chores" and of course with his little brother (and as we know, with my make-up too!). Here are just some of the things Luke likes to "help" with...sweeping the floors (the kid has his own Swiffer!), emptying the dishwasher (I have even found dirty utensils in the drawer), taking out the trash (he "helps" Daddy by pushing the trash bag down the stairs), etc.

This week he hit a whole new level of "helping" with Paden. I have seen him want to (and try to) pick Paden up from wherever he is hanging out at. Recently he announced that Paden had a stinky and started to change his diaper. Yes, you read that right, Luke attempted to change Paden's diaper. Before I knew it the baby's outfit was unzipped and he had a diaper hanging halfway off his little bottom! Thank goodness he was only wet (I can't imagine what it would have looked like if it was a stinky diaper)!!

So for all those moms out there who brag up and down about how physical/athletic/coordinated their little boys are -- all I can say is I've got one well-rounded, precious little boy. So there!

From Toilet Bowl to Kitchen Sink

2009-01-20T17:06:00.000-05:00

Surprise, Surprise...Paden loves baths!!! This kid is becoming a baby of routine, and one of those "routine moments" in his day is the evening bath. We threw out the plastic baby tub and tossed the kid into the kitchen sink (with a little padding of course!) and he couldn't be happier than when he's in there. He quickly becomes unhappy with us when the water is turned off. All I can say is "water baby much?"! So for all you wise-cracks out there, those early jokes of the kid being born and falling into the toilet...add this to your plumber jokes!

By the way -- the kiddo started cereal last Saturday. He is our big eater in the family without a doubt! So far an easy transition -- accompanied with a big mess! Followed with a bath -- of course!

2009-01-20T16:59:00.000-05:00

They were both fascinated with Elmo! How cute?!

Going to the airport!

Bailey and Luke were more interested in the books than the OU football game.
(Luke had a sweatshirt to wear, but Thomas won out.)

Boomer Sooners! Okay, so they didn't win but Laken Mills and Paden sure had the spirit going!

2009-01-20T16:54:00.000-05:00

Can I take a bite?

Lookin' good! Showing his "style" with Bailey's hair clips.

Post-bath babies

Luke's own "zoo" experience.

Our Chunky Monkey!

Catching Up

2009-01-20T16:02:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to sit down and catch up but it always seems that time slips by and my e-mails and blogs are ignored or postponed for "another time." Another time? What the heck is that? My days don't know time, just "time to wake up" (usually because one of the boys has decided to wake up before the world does), "time to eat" (Luke pilfering the snack basket), "play time", "nap time" (oh please, oh please go to sleep!), "bath time", "dinner time", and "bed time" (you're tired, please go to sleep!). Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy don't have much time for "fun" things let alone time to catch up on the computer.

So a few things to catch up on:
1. John is home! You may ask "what and why?" -- but John seems to travel non-stop these days...now he's home for 5 weeks! Yes, 5 weeks peeps! He's taking a class out here (Air Force style) so no travels for 5 weeks! Yeah!
2. Cranky, cranky, cranky -- that seems to be the theme both boys pull on us! I would believe with the amount of drool coming out of both of their mouths means we should be expecting some teeth soon.
3. Sleep? What's that? -- we've had some rough sleep spots. The biggie being both boys seem to know when Daddy is gone, therefore they wake up during the night, a lot! Luke wants to join Mommy in bed and Paden, well let's just say he wakes up a lot! We're currently working on Lil P...we'll see if we can make some changes in his sleep -- we can only hope!
4. New friends and good-byes -- we made some new friends this past summer (all of our kids are the same ages!) and some of them we've had to say "good bye" to. The Barfields packed up their family and household and moved on to Colorado. Luke often mentions Sydney and Miss Trisha, but always follows with a pensive look and "Colorado" -- he knows! Thankfully we've filled our time and play with the Mills family -- often with Luke in tears as he has to leave Bailey and Miss Denise for nap time.

That's about it. I'll follow this diatribe with some pics of our fun!

Concealer and Caffeine

2008-12-31T12:16:00.000-05:00

The two things most moms need are concealer and caffeine. I can't seem to make it through a day without these two must-haves! Some days start too early and I have to load up on both -- today being one of those. Why is it that little boys who refuse to take naps, want to go to bed early, and then wake up multiple times in a night, still want to wake up at 6:00 a.m.? Insane! I love these two little ones, and they are awfully fun in the mornings, but Mommy needs more sleep! I can only load up on so much caffeine and concealer in one day!

By the way, Luke has found that concealer is also a must-have. He has now made two attempts to "brighten" his eyes! LOL Check it out!

This was Luke's first attempt at mascara on his own -- he looks more like a hockey player (if he was missing a few teeth it would be even better)! (He got into Mommy's make-up while she was visiting with Mimi and Poppie in October.)

Here is Luke's most recent attempt at using make-up. The kid amazingly got the mascara on his eyelashes and the blusher/bronzer on his cheeks (and chest). (This time he got into Grandma Mimi's make-up while Mommy and Mimi were cleaning or with Baby P.)

Needless to say, this kiddo watches Mommy putting on her make-up a little too often. If this continues he may be heading off to the ranch with Daddy and Uncle Mike to get a little "man time" in!

Long Beach Outing

2008-12-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

Luke and Daddy feeding the pigeons some french fries!

Enjoying lunch on the patio at Gladstone's in Long Beach.

One contemplative and creative little boy.

Long Beach and Christmas

2008-12-30T17:09:00.000-05:00

John and Paden -- cool hat dude!

Mimi teaching Luke how to throw rocks into the marina -- and the cool "plunk" it makes!

Dad and I -- enjoying the beauty out at Long Beach.

Aunt Kiki and Luke -- reading one of his many new books on Christmas morning.

Paden is all smiles and laughs for Mommy and Luke!

Christmas Morning...and the days leading up to it

2008-12-30T01:27:00.000-05:00

Luke being entertained watching "The Incredibles" (at 6:00 a.m.) while waiting for Christmas morning to begin.

Luke and Bailey in awe of the lights on Candy Cane Lane (El Segundo, CA).

Great-Grams and Paden

Mimi and Luke blowing bubbles on a rainy California winter day.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T00:42:00.000-05:00

FAMILY -- that is one of my favorite things about the holidays. Being a military brat the holidays were usually spent with just the 4 of us (Mom, Dad, Katy and I) and maybe an occasional year would find us with our extended family. Now that I'm a mom with little ones myself, I'm thankful for the time the 4 of us are together, but am also thankful for the times when my whole family is together. This Christmas was one of those years. Our little house in Redondo Beach has been filled with little boys, grandparents, auntie, Grams and lots of laughter for a couple of weeks. Two weeks that were fun, exhausting, but will always be cherished. Four generations in one house is pretty cool!

Now I sit here in the quiet (well, at least the 2 boys are sleeping) and think about the whirlwind that was Christmas for the Mizell's. It was fun to see Luke interact with his Grandma Mimi, Poppie, Aunt Kiki and Grams. Of course Paden watched in wonder and amusement the entire time. Luke loved all his gifts from grandparents that truly spoiled him (though he doesn't know that some of them have been stashed away for later!). It was truly a "Thomas" Christmas for the kiddo -- trains, backpack/suitcase, towels, plates, fork/spoon, you name it, they make it, Luke has it! I do feel like a bad Mommy though -- I'm horrible about taking pictures, and I didn't even take a single one of Paden on his first Christmas day! Poo!

So I'll sum up this past couple of weeks...fun, tiring, joyous, tiring, yummy, tiring...you get the point! And now I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2009 -- crazy enough to think it's here in a matter of days! Wow! See you then!

A New Adventure...Blogging!

2008-10-26T21:59:00.000-04:00

After seeing so many friends' blogs -- I have decided to enter this blogging world. Maybe I can stay on top of this more frequently than my once a month postings on the kids' website. Plus, so much happens on a day-to-day basis with these crazy kids of ours...this crazy life of ours...that I would hate to "forget" what happens.

Right now the boys and I are in Texas visiting with the grandparents and Aunt Kiki. We have prolonged our visit for an additional week, and I think we are all beginning to question the decision in that one. Luke has been insane, and I don't say that lightly, and really pushing his limits. I don't know if there is something in the air (literally) or what...but it hasn't been too much fun. There have been some fun moments though...we took the boys to the Dallas Zoo on Saturday and saw a kid who was more enamored with the space to run, the bronze sculptured animals and the costumed zoo workers. It was a beautiful day topped with happy boys, no naps, and a "yucky" left on the bed (apparently Luke doesn't like having poopie diapers these days...emptied the diaper right on his bed during "nap time"! fun, fun!).

We miss John. He's holding down the fort back at home with Bailee and keeping busy with work (as usual). We're looking forward to seeing him next Saturday when we return home.

Oh, we found out that John was picked up for school (ACSC) and we'll be moving to Montgomery, Alabama next summer. Wheee! What a change from the beach living we've enjoyed these past few years. Maybe I should start therapy now...

PS I'll try to share pictures when we get back home to our own computer.