I love that we had our trick or treat night on Thursday! That way the kids had to come in at a decent hour and get to bed so they could be up for school! They were even eager to get out of bed because it was Friday! We had a great time in our neighborhood last night. Two of the lovely ladies on our street took it upon themselves to plan a neighborhood get together. We all met in the cul de sac and ate pizza and visited. As soon as the sun began to set the kids were chomping at the bit! Our family started off and hit several streets. We brought home more candy than we could carry and definitely more than any of us need to eat.

It was great fun! Just in case you are wondering, Sutton is a "skater girl", Jackson, the blue Teen Age Mutant Turtle and Manning a red ninja!

Happy Halloween!

Update

I know I have not blogged in a while. No particular reason, just have not had a whole lot to say. Still don't! So, I am just going to post some pictures from the past two weekends. 

The first weekend had warm and fuzzy family moments around the firepit and at Chewacla State Park. The second weekend, in total contrast, involved babysitters and costumes. Both were fun in very different ways. So take a look at how we roll!!!

Manning's Big News

It has been almost seven weeks since Manning broke his arm. He finally got his fourth cast off yesterday! He began the journey in a temporary cast and then after they set it, he moved to a hard, plain white cast. That wouldn't do, so after two weeks they replaced it with an orange and blue cast and two weeks later our final - short, green cast. Now he will wear a splint for about two weeks and should be good as new. 

The doctor let me look at the xray and sure enough, it still looks broken to me. However, the REAL doctor says it has healed perfectly and he should have no problems. Hooray! 

Manning has been a trooper. For those of you who have seen him over the past two months, you know this has not slowed him down one bit. He has played soccer, football, ridden his scooter and played hard at school the entire time. 

He is very ginger with it right now, but I am sure that will improve in a short amount of time. 

Just wanted to share Manning's big news!

ANOTHER STORY TO TELL

I thought of a couple of more stories to share. 

Back in January 2001, Jack and I spent a cold weekend in January in Washington, D.C. and watched the Presidential Inauguration of George W. Bush. We also saw the parade and thanks to little brother Bill, were able to attend a few of the Inaugural balls (unfortunately through all this no one taught us how to spell inauguration.) We watched George and Laura dance and tried to get a peak at the Bush twins - no luck. At the second party we went to though we did meet Bo Derek and Chris Matthews of Hardball (does that mean he used to be a Republican?). Pretty cool. Hard to believe that was eight years ago. It was quite an experience!

Here's one for you! Jack and I got married in 1995 only two months after I graduated from BSC. We honeymooned for a week and returned to Mobile on a Sunday to load up my things and move to Tuscaloosa. We rented a yellow Ryder truck to haul everything (which was not much) to our first little apartment. I don't know if you recall what was going on in the world around this time, but the Oklahoma City bombing had recently occurred and the authorities were searching for a young man named Timothy McVeigh who had been driving none other than a yellow Ryder truck. 

Jack and I pulled into Ttown and of course had to find a place to eat. (certainly you didn't think I was going to cook?!) So here we come hauling up to the Cypress Inn in our yellow Ryder truck and out steps skinny Jack with his military style haircut - do you see where I am going with this? Just suffice it to say that we got more than a few suspicious glances. 

Well the next morning Jack had to drive me to my first day of work in the Ryder truck (I can't remember how we ever got our cars up there). Following my graduation from BSC my first job was as a receptionist at a law firm making $7.00 an hour - don't you know my daddy was proud! 

The first day of answering phones was going okay when my speech began to slur and one side of my face began to droop. By the time Jack brought me lunch I looked like ... well let's just say he was rethinking his marriage proposal! So here I am 23 years old, first day of work, in a new town and I think I am having some kind of facial stroke. I talk to my new bosses, whose names I could not even remember yet, and they sent me to a dentist in town. He decided that I had some kind of lock jaw from snorkeling and plane travel - whatever. He took the longest needle I have ever seen and injected cortizone into my cheekbone. About that time the phone rang at the doctor's office - this was before everyone called on cell phones - and it was little brother Bill telling me that Jack's dad had had a heart attack and they did not know what was going to happen. So when Jack walked in the doctor's office to check on his deformed new bride, I had to drop the bomb about his dad! Talk about racking up the stress points! As soon as the doctor was through puncturing my jaw, we packed up and headed to Dothan to check on Mr. Smith - by this time somehow we had gotten rid of the Ryder truck!

It turned out that Mr. Smith could go home from Dothan in a few days and he reported to UAB later in the week to have a pig valve replacement. Everything worked out fine, thank God!

Let me just tell you it was an interesting second week of marriage. 

I wonder what it would be like if we could go back and do it again?

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!

Is anyone else waking up when it is still dark outside? Stupid question, I know you are! But I just wanted to say that I hate it! I mean, I am a morning person, but only if the sun is up before me. 

Anyway, I don't know if this is bragging on my children or complaining about them, but I decided to share. 

Every morning Sutton wakes up to her own alarm at 6:13 (I think I have her clock set ahead, I need to fix that). She then wakes Jackson and Manning up and gets herself totally dressed before she comes downstairs and wakes me up. I have my alarm set for 6:20, which is really about 6:13, by the time my alarm goes off, Sutton and Jackson are downstairs dressed and ready and asking "what's for breakfast!" When I get in the kitchen it is only 6:15 and the sun is just peeking out. 

What am I complaining or bragging about you ask? I am not exactly sure. I am thankful that I don't have to fight with my kids to get them out of bed every morning, but I would love to sleep until the sun comes up. (I know daylight savings time is in a few weeks and that will change). For one thing I think I am going to go through my house and set all of the clocks to the same time. For another, I am going to sneak up and set Sutton's alarm for at least five minutes later! It's the little things!!!

Have a blessed day.

TAG - I'M IT!!

My neighbor and friend "tagged" me on her blog and it seems that the rules are that I have to share six stories from my life that you will find interesting. Three things you probably know about me already are that I am boring, I have a terrible memory for details and I am not a very good story teller. So with that wonderful introduction, here goes ...

1.  About ten years ago I spent the night in Brett Favre's house in Green Bay, WI! Don't worry, Jack was there too - I told you I was boring! We went to a Packers game with our long time friends Marty and Catherine. Marty played football with Brett at Southern Mississippi. We traveled to Green Bay via Chicago and Milwaukee and ended up going out with Brett and some of the other Packers after the game and staying at his house. Very cool!

2.  During the span of my 13 year marriage to Jack, I have held several jobs. Let's see if I can name them all - law firm receptionist, paralegal, stock broker (investment representative at a bank), marketing director at a bank, stay at home mom, advertising sales rep. at the newspaper, typesetter at the newspaper, columnist at the newspaper (Barclay's Beat), 9th grade Spanish teacher, Headmaster's administrative assistant and back to stay at home mom. 

mmm... I'm thinking...

3. Some of you already know this, but I will mention it since it was such a significant point in our lives. Right after Manning was born I only got to hold him for a second before they whisked him away to the nursery. After waiting and waiting for four hours Jack went down to the nursery and realized he was the baby in the room under the oxygen mask. He was having trouble breathing and the doctors in Dothan had no idea why. He was three weeks early and they thought maybe his lungs were not fully developed - wrong. For two days we worried while his oxygen rate only worsened. On the second day Jack took charge. He told the doctor things were not improving and he was not satisfied with the care Manning was getting. He told the doctors to contact UAB. The doctors at UAB sent the lifejet to get Manning and we put our two day old in the hands of the qualified nurses as they flew off to Birmingham. Jack and I jumped in the car and followed slowly behind. 

Jack's sweet brother, Bill, was in Bham and met baby Manning at the hospital. By the time we got there the wonderful doctors had diagnosed Manning with double pneumonia and started him on an antibiotic. I would spend the next ten days in Birmingham watching him slowly improve. The hardest night was the one leaving him in that hospital in downtown Bham. It was torture driving away and leaving him behind. After twelve days away from home. I returned to Sutton - 4 and Jackson 19 months. They were overjoyed to have their brother home and we were glad to be there.

 

I think that is enough for this post. I will give you and me a break and try to think of three more interesting things to tell you.

By the way, some of you have been "tagged" as well - Let's hear it!