Teachers - meet your new Brats - er, I mean students

Yesterday. Hot day. VERY hot day - 92 degrees and major humidity. Decided to go to the YMCA pool. We've been several times before - no big deal.

Actually - BIG DEAL!

Had a good time throughout the morning hours. Ate our "brought from home, I'm a cheap mom not willing to pay for a $2 concession stand soy burger made by teenagers who probably spit on the food", picnic lunch. As we made our way back to our spot at the pool we saw some friends - mom & 2 daughters. One of the girls was in Anna's preschool class and the three are big buds now. They played for the next hour - no big issues.

Side note - have been visiting a new church for a few months now. Already knew a couple people that went there - saw one of them at the pool.

This nice lady I already knew that attended this church introduced me to two other very nice ladies that were at the pool with their well-behaved critters as well. We were chatting a bit and I found out that two of the three would be the girls' Sunday School teachers (we haven't made it to Sunday School yet). Great! I already felt more comfortable about our choice regarding this church. Then it hit the fan!

The girls were tired. I could see it. And when tired hits, whining begins. So - at the next break I told the girls we would be leaving.

Holy Crap!

The girls had a melt down. I mean whining, crying, hanging onto my legs, towels swinging through the air melt down. Ashlyn even takes off running to the pool and jumps in (kiddie pool) trying to evade my grasp. And - let me remind you - we are sitting RIGHT NEXT TO the two women that will be their Sunday School teachers.

Ladies - let me introduce you to my daughters (who are now doing fantastic reenactments of the spinning head scene in Exorcist). The pleasant (fake) smiles on their face were polite, but unnecessary. They had every right to show the fear that was surely in their minds of having these two kreachers in their class. I can tell you my face was showing NO sign of happiness.

So - after gathering up the 3 HUGE bags of stuff we carried with us and doing all but dragging my children behind me - we made it out of the pool and out of the Y into the van where they fell asleep before I even got the key in the ignition. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

I was SO mad and mortified that I don't think I even breathed until I got home. And - of course - the girls were able to get a 10 minute power nap on the way home so they were ready to play the rest of the afternoon with NO break for me. We had a discussion about what happened at the pool and then had the same discussion when Daddy got home. We discussed that this will NOT happen again, but if it does I will drag them by their toenails all the way out the door and we will NEVER go back.

Now I can only hope the Sunday School teachers will develop some sort of amnesia over yesterday's events. We are actually heading back to the pool today as we had made plans with another POTATO mom, so we'll see how it goes and if the girls come back with all their toenails in tact. We'll see...

Karate Kids

The girls got in Daddy's drawers a few days ago and found his dress socks. They've been big into karate lately - ever since they saw a karate class taking place next to the pizza place we go to on Monday nights. So they thought these socks were perfect for their ninja-wear and put them on. Here's what happened afterward...

It has been a while since we have done this, but this week the topic was "stinky" so we just had to participate. For those of you who are scratching your heads over what "Sunday Six" is - just click here for an explanation. Oh - and I separate my kids when I ask the questions so they don't hear each other's answers.

What stinks?

Ash: a stunk*

Anna: a stunk*

*A "stunk" is Ash & Anna talk for skunk.

What do you do to make something stink?

Ash - spray it

Anna - (giggle, giggle, snicker)

Name something stinky?

Ash - a warthog

Anna - a fox?

How do you make the stink go away?

Ash - hold your nose (she actually just held her nose and I interpreted the answer)

Anna - smell a marshmallow

Who stinks the most in our house?

Ash - Mommy

Anna - Mommy

*side note - I asked them these questions about 30 minutes after I had come in from walking for an hour and had already commented that I needed to take a shower because I was "stinky". I really do take showers and wear deodorant and - very occasionally - I actually put on perfume. SO THERE!

Fishing on Father's Day

Just a few pics from our short fishing expedition/picnic lunch on Father's Day.

This is Anna concentrating on reeling in the big one.

Ash (foreground) caught onto casting quickly.

Happy Daddy's Day

I knew...I just knew...something about him made me know in my heart that he was going to be a good Daddy. Not just a good Daddy really - a great Daddy. That was one of the reasons I married him actually. That and his trust fund (seriously - when is that sucker going to kick in - HA!).

Little did both of us know that we were going to get a crash course in parenthood with not just one baby - but two. I still remember that first ultrasound at 5 months along like it was yesterday. When the ultrasound tech (not sure what they are officially called) told us it was twins - twin girls at that - he just grabbed my hand and kissed me. I remember the absolute joy and terror in our eyes as we looked at each other and then to the monitor to see our girls for the first time. However, I knew if I had him as my partner then we could handle anything. And we've done pretty well so far. Sure, the critters get on our nerves and make us want to pull our hair out at times, but for the most part we have a great time as a family.

These two are definitely Daddy's girls. He would say one of them is Daddy's girl and one is Mommy's, but in all reality they are both his and they have him wrapped around their little fingers. When he gets home from work they want nothing to do with me. Their bright blue eyes (just like their Daddy's) light up and I quickly know that my turn as center of their world that day has quickly passed.

He is a wonderful pretender - becoming a horse, a cowboy, a giraffe or any other make-believe character is second nature to him. It is almost like he becomes a child himself which is why the girls love playing with him so much. He is always up for any crazy idea/activity the girls and I have come up with to spend time together as a family. And he never complains when the girls literally attack him and want to play with him the second he gets home from work. He doesn't get much down time, but that doesn't seem to affect him in the least.

We are so truly blessed to have him in our lives and I thank God each day for him. I just hope the girls grow up to know how blessed we really are.

Happy Father's Day Chris. We love you!

P.S. A BIG Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in our lives as well - Grandpa, Papaw & Pappy. Hope you all have a wonderful day! We love you guys!

Last, but not least...

The wedding was beautiful. Chad is now a married man - who woulda thunk it! I don't have a single pic from the reception as I didn't want to bring the camera in - it would interfere with my "bustin' a move" on the dance floor. Actually, I just didn't want to keep up with it. Plus, I knew there would be other pics from the wedding that I could see later. I saw some old (and by "old" I mean we went to high school together or are from the same town, not "old" in the antique sort of way - because we are all VERY young...VERY YOUNG DANG IT!) friends and we had a great time.

A BIG ***THANK YOU*** to my Aunt Syl and my Cousin Teresa for watching the girls while we went to the wedding. The girls had a SUPER time going on a picnic with them and then trying to drown them at our hotel's indoor pool. Luckily, Syl & Teresa are strong swimmers and were able to fend them off without injury.

The next morning we had breakfast with Tracie (from my hometown & my roommate in Lexington) & Kelly (graduated high school together) and their beautiful children. 4 adults + 4 children age 4 and under = a Perkins restaurant full of other patrons cringing at the thought of being seated next to us - HA! The power of critters! Actually, all the kids were well behaved and we were able to get in some real adult conversation. Amazing! It was great seeing them and we all promised to get together again soon.

And - last, but not least - we took the girls to Winton Woods Campground/Park. A POTATO pal told me about the great kiddie water fountain play area there. We thought that would be the perfect ending to our weekend, plus it would wear their tails out for the ride home - nap time anyone? Here is a video of them playing in one area of the water park.


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A Face Only a Mother Could Love

Saturday morning we went to the Cincinnati Zoo. As you probably already know we are BIG zoo fans and have posted a bazillion zoo pics on this site, so I won't bore you with too much here. However, the Cincy Zoo was privileged to have a Sumatran Rhino give birth to "Harry" on April 29th of this year. This little (86 pounds!) cutie is just SO ugly, but you can't help but love him. There are better still pics of him on the Zoo's website, but I was able to get some video of him "frolicking" around his pin with his mom. Animal Planet is not beating down my door to hire me as a documentary camera person, but you get the gist.


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A first crush!

Another installment from our weekend in Cincy. There will be several more throughout the day (as long as the girls keep letting me break away from the dance lessons and pretend restaurant - what has my life become...) so keep checking back.

Our first stop was at my wonderful friend Kari's house in Milford, Ohio. Kari and I met in college as sorority sisters (let's yell a few chants and sing a few sappy songs) at Eastern Kentucky University (Go Colonels!). We've been great friends ever since and try to keep in touch. That's a bit hard as she has three kiddies, a full-time job and a crazy hubby (just jokin' Mike!) to tend to and I have these nutty twins and my own crazy hubby to deal with on a daily basis. Anyway, we had LaRosa's pizza (a local favorite) and watched the kiddies play for a few hours before we checked into the hotel.

I was only able to pop off a couple pics, but this one just cracked me up. Kari's 7 year old son was fantastic with the girls (they have a daughter our girls' age too). He even put on a puppet show for them. So - of course - he became George Clooney to Anna. She was smitten (who uses that word anymore - apparently me). Just take a look at her eyes in this pic. She was ready to walk down the aisle.

Eat Your Heart Out Uncle Travis!

We had a FANTASTIC weekend including dinner and breakfast with some great friends, a wedding, a trip to the zoo and a trip to an amazing water fountain park. I will have many more details to post, but wanted to get these pics one here early so Uncle Travis could enjoy them as soon as possible.

One HUGE benefit of going up North (Ohio) is that we get to partake of a wonderful delicacy - Cincinnati-Style Chili. Now, those of you from (or living in) the South - this is not the chili you know of - far from it actually. This is a VERY different chili - made with cinnamon and designed to be runny as it is mostly used as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs. You either love it or hate it - there tends to be no in between. And they do not have these Cincinnati chili serving restaurants anywhere near Tennessee so it is a treat to get to have some. We love it! And Uncle Travis LOVES it! This is why we decided to take a few pics during our lunch yesterday before heading back home to Nashville - we love torturing our relatives! Drooling yet Travis...?

See ya!

I'm going to a wedding of a dear friend of mine this weekend. He was one of the 1st two people I met when my parents moved to a small town in Kentucky and we have been great friends ever since. Our fathers were both teachers at the local high school so every in-service day and every snow day we spent together from 4th grade til high school.

Anyway, he is marrying a wonderful girl who knows nothing about his sordid past (kidding Chad). She's as sweet as can be and I'm glad he has found someone that makes him so happy.

We will be heading to Ohio for the wedding, but I didn't want to leave you guys empty screened for that many days in a row. So here are a few random tidbits to keep you occupied.

This is a pic of the girls that Anna's preschool teacher sent me after the last day of school. The girls' teachers have always told me how sweet the girls are which tends to make me laugh out loud, but take a look at their faces in this pic. I mean - how innocent can they look. Puuuulllllleeeeaaaaassssseeee. They have those teachers SNOWED! Anyway, it is a cute pic.

This next item is my Ben & Jerry's flavor - if I was ever to be a B & J Flavor. Seems appropriate....

You Are Phish Food Ice Cream

You've been described as gooey and fudgey. Sorry.

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

National Geographic - Live!

We went to a 1st Birthday Party at the Nashville Zoo on Saturday. Miss Zoe Lawrence turned 1 and we were more than happy to help her celebrate this milestone.

One of the great things about having a party at the Zoo is you get these great foam board animal masks. Probably cost 2 cents to make, but they entertain 4-year-olds for hours. GENIUS!

Anyway, Ashlyn had the lion mask and Anna had the zebra mask. What happened next would make Jack Hannah take a second look. The "lion" started chasing the "zebra" all over the place. It was like watching an episode of National Geographic or a wildlife documentary on Animal Planet. The lion was even roaring while the zebra was squealing in terror/glee. Not sure if zebras actually squeal, but the sound effects were good none-the-less.

Here's a pic of the dynamic duo taking a break from the "hunt". And a pic of the wildlife with Daddy.

Amazing Video!

Ok - the video is not that amazing, but I'm just practicing using my camera as a mini-camcorder and downloading that video to dropshots.com. I'll have to say it was pretty easy and now all you wonderful readers can see live footage of the critters. Can you contain your excitement?!?

This video is from last night when we were outside catching fireflies. The commentary is awful, but the video subjects are cute as all getout!


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