A drive by results in a day spent with kids...

Mary's nephew is now deceased due to some type of gang related drive by in Virginia. Once the body got back to Griffin (two weeks ago) the funeral was today. Okay, two weeks is an exaggeration. Since she is never out of work, I obliged her the opportunity to fellowship and attend the procession. I came home at 12:00. Okay, 12:45 because I had a much needed waxing on my eyebrows and lip. This lip requires waxing about every 6 months. It was at that point. Lillee Grace, Baxter and myself went to Lowe's. No wonder home improvement stores are appealing to stay-at-home moms. We saw at least 6 different construction crew builder people!!! I assured all the Carhart wearing men I was just the nanny! We stopped and bought some ribbon so that I may attempt to sew LG some curtains. I did not begin that process today. Instead, I lived it up. I sat in the big chair, ate spaghetti for lunch and watched A Baby Story. I am now recommending water births to all mothers. You can birth a baby in the bathtub while your older child sits eating their Clif Bar, your doula scrubs in and your husband sits knitting a sweater out of organic cotton. It was nice being at home with the corn children today though. Bax still has a yucky cough so we're watching that.
Dropped LG off at dance and got a phone call that my third child was at home with his eyes dilated and couldn't hardly see the numbers on his phone to call. I came home and got the crying infant and belted him in so he could ride with me to stalk the neighborhoods around us to see what types of plants and pots they have outside their homes. Our agent wants us to "spruce" things up a bit. Well, I'm trying to figure out what to get so we've been doing some drive-bys of our own to see what other people are "sprucing" up their porches with. I'd say we better start by removing some of our redneck riviera plastic sandbox and kitchen toys from the yard.
In the car on the way home from dance: "Mommy, let's go get something to eat." "We're going to go home and eat, Lillee Grace." "Hey mommy, how about we go get some mexican." A very adult conversation!
Got the family fed and off I went to Pilates. New question: How is a 8 month pregnant person able to bend herself in positions I couldn't think of doing. We must have done 100 lunges and squats. There's no better way to cap off an evening than with a trip to your local Wal-Mart. Scott usually stays home and keeps a running tally of how many infants are out at 10:00 at night. Stocked up on SuperBowl items.

Not a typical Key family photo

Saturday morning while a cleaning crew pressure washed with Chlorox and ridded our home from the germs we had spread all week, we took a trip to Macon. It was a nice change from the Wal-Mart in Griffin. Isn't it funny how a trip somewhere turns into something like a four-tire change and pit stop at a Nascar race. Stopped at a children's shop - Scott sat reading the AJC while I shopped. Then, one child (LG) was added to my side while BSK slept away. Then the whole family shopped in the store together while LG tried on shoes. BSK pooped. Now it's back to just me and LG while Scott changed BSK in car. At Target, Scott drops LG and me off at the front while he and BSK go to Starbuck's and circle the parking lot. So what starts out as a family outing is always chopped up into who's going in where and which child are you taking?
Our last stop, Bass Pro Shops, was quite the experience. To all who are questioning why the Key family would be stopping at a place like this is slowly wearing thin on Scott's nerves. Every time my cell rang yesterday and I told the person we were in Macon to buy camping equipment, they said for whom? Scott believes he's truly been profiled incorrectly. So he doesn't know how to change a lightbulb or airfilter in our house, but he does think he knows which bug repellant works best for the outdoors. Truth be told, Lillee Grace's school is having an auction and her class is in charge of buying camping related items. Hence, the photo shows the family in the middle of the RealTree department. I explained to LG all about the decoys in the ceiling and the different types of ducks and blinds. When I started talking about the waders and calls, Scott felt as though my Jesup roots were really shining through. Time to go. BSK was fascinated with the boats outside so I had to give our family the low-down of the types as well as trolling motors. So I've seen a lot of Hank Parker and Bill Dance in my day - go figure.
Both kids are still really puny. Lillee Grace had two requests for food - ice cream and popcorn. We obliged both requests due to the fact she wouldn't eat anything. Baxter is so snotty but not one bit of his appetite is gone. They are both lying around watching TV. Friday and Saturday there was not much sleeping. A Dora slipper got some poop on it at 1 a.m. Friday night so we were washing clothes in the middle of the night. Sat. night LG coughed so much I gave her cough medicine via an IV drip and we slept in the big chair until 9:30 this a.m. Pretty quiet Sun. Scott represented the fam at church so Bax and I put on our sweats, LG in her dancing dress and we're all just kicking back.
This Sunday's country supper wasn't so country. I fixed the best spaghetti with meatballs you've ever had! Of course, LG had vanilla ice cream from McDonald's served by Tanisha herself. Scott commented about the jazz song "A Night in Tunisia" being a little more upbeat than the way our cup of ice cream was handed over. We drove around for a couple of hours looking at houses. Now, when you ask LG what she wants for her birthday, she will reply, "I need a new house." I think she and BSK watched Hello Kitty 17 times in the backseat. We've really had a battle of wills tonight while trying to drag that dancing dress off of her. She just loves it!

A Night of Filing & Picture Walks

Not much to report. I have heard more feedback in the past few days so knowing that others are actually reading what I'm typing gives me a will to go on living (okay, and blogging.) Scott co-oped at the school this a.m. He said when he arrived, Mrs. Nancy had to get the kids from the carpool line so he stayed in the room with the others. He told about how it was a scene out of Kindergarten Cop and he had ten little eyes just staring at him. Mr. Mom said he looked at them and said, "It's not a tuma." Overall it went well. I think LG was well behaved which isn't a regular occurrence when her parents are in attendance. This afternoon was pretty uneventful. LG wore yet another trailer dress (Bethany's old dance costume) to Bo's house this afternoon. Both kids have snot dripping so we could be in for an all-nighter. My illness must have spread.
Since Scott has taken over the the bills, they seem to keep growing in the canvas bin I recommended he put them in to prepare for filing. Well, I just finished filing comcast bills from August '06. He did give a word of appreciation for the paper cuts on my fingers since that was a job he "really detested." While I've been filing, we've been fiddling with my iTunes as well. Scott was a little puzzled as to why I have Pussycat Dolls "Buttons" along with Amazing Grace. Seems like an odd combo. I enjoy a little variety in my life!
Since this is somewhat of a dull post, I am sending a link to Amy's blog. She has a great Top 10 List! Makes me want to visit Flynt River tomorrow. I'm on to my usual Friday night activity. When the USPS is on top of things, I receive my People magazine on Friday afternoon. The driver really does get the evil eye if I see a pile of white envelopes and nothing else. When all is calm and at rest, I position myself under a lamp in the den and do a picture walk in my gossip and entertainment journal. One of the most effective methods in teaching reading is to first have your readers take a picture walk! So I did learn something from Armstrong Atlantic!!

Back Among the Living

So I'm still alive. After staying home yesterday, I think I'm cured. While I was buckling Lillee Grace into Joy's van to go to preschool, Mary was in the house boiling a pot of liquor. I do mean Maker's Mark, a vat of honey and a squirt or two of lemon juice. We poured say 10 oz. into a large coffee mug and she said to drink it fast. Ten minutes later, I saw four Martha Stewarts on tv. A couple of hours later, I emerged from the bed a new woman. It was noon and Scott was already home. Cracker Barrel must have been on his way back from the Reidsville penitentiary because he came home with fried chicken, fried okra, mac -n- cheese and a big ol' plate of chicken and dumplings for me. So here we sat: Scott, Mary, me and Baxter enjoying our lunch on a Wednesday. I swear this family gets stranger by the hour. LG was supposed to come home at 2 so at 2:30 I became a little concerned. Turns out, her driver had an allergic reaction to some nuts and was unable to pick them up. Now I'm feeling like an all-star parent. I'm sitting at home sipping hot totties while my child needs a ride home. Lucky for all involved, LG's driver is the best and everyone turned out okay. Scott took Baxter to the doctor at 4:00 and I took Lillee Grace and Bethany to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart at 5 in the afternoon is never a good idea. It's the selection I always crave; something our local price gouger can never compete with. At 6:00, it was the weekly ritual of going to the feed trough. By the way, Fire Mountain's name has changed to Ryans. However, you don't tell a three-year-old with OCD this 411. There would just be way too much unnecessary discussion. A new dad and little girl joined the circuit last night. God bless them and their arteries.

Speaking of arteries, my dad underwent a MRI of his brain this a.m. as well as an ultrasound of his carotid artery. Wow - when my mom told me that my dad had somewhat of a stroke I was shocked and very upset. I kept it together and was able to mask my feelings because of my wretched voice I already had. Then I spoke to my dad and found out the tests he was about to undergo. My phone beeped and it was Amy. Thank goodness her head is screwed on as loosely as mine because I did have a little hysterical moment. I swear one day they'll make a Desperate Housewives series about us. She always seems to call and be there at the right time and I love her for that. We should find out more tomorrow afternoon.

My pics are of the children this afternoon. It was nice coming home knowing we didn't have too much to do. However, when I left home at 7:30 this a.m. LG was wearing this satin nylony nightgown AKA "trailer dress." Well, when I got home at 4:30 this afternoon, this seems to be what she was still wearing. It got cuter when she put on the red Elmo sunglasses but I was without camera for that shot. After taking Mary home, I was getting supper ready when I realized Baxter was too quiet. I found him here, under the dining room table. Despite what the picture may say, he was happy as a lark. LG and I made a box of Valentine's cookies for her class tomorrow. Scott is co-oping so that should make for a very interesting dialogue tomorrow night. As long as Nancy, LG's teacher, draws crayola diagrams of where Scott should sit and what he should do, things should go smoothly.

Cure for the Common Cold: Hippie Night with a Theraflu Chaser - A GUEST BLOG

Hello everyone! This Scott, your guest blogger for the evening. Jenn is out with bubonic plague. Jenn is wrapped up in three layers of blankets holding onto the remains of some hot tea, and watching the State of the Union as the Theraflu fog descends over her eyes. Since I have no way to justify the use of over-the-counter narcotics to get through the speech, I have decided to go ahead with the guest blog. As Bush just said (I can hear the tv in the backgound), "we've got to show each other some love."
If the plague continues to afflict the house tomorrow night, it may be time to bring out the big guns. My friend, Ricky, has the ultimate treatment for cold and flu. It may well be the cure for the common cold. His recipe: two cups of Jack Daniels heated and mixed with Theraflu, a little elixir he calls, "Jack da Flu."
To celebrate the winter of love, with all the OTC narcotics being used here, Lillee Grace and I decided it was time for Woodstock night. So we dressed up in our best hippie garb and had Baxter snap a picture of us. I hope you enjoy it. Until tomorrow when Jenn returns or when I return to give you pictures of tomorrow's theme night to cheer up mom, stay warm.

A Face Only a Mother Could Love

Scott chose to take Lillee Grace (in her Dora pajamas) with him to get Chinese take-out. What was he thinking? Leave someone who has overdosed on Airborne and Zicam all day to watch Baxter? It's tough duty when mom is sick. Another box of Puff's, hot and sour soup and a Vicks rub down from the mister, I'll be on the road to recovery. On a better note, LG is sleeping in her bed all night, thanks to one pink princess telephone. As long as the bribery continues to work, Big Lots will be in business.

Degree from the internet

We've just returned home from a luncheon at church. After church, we picked Mary up so she could watch the kids. She and Lillee Grace decided on a low-carb lunch from Louise's where their meal consisted of dressing and macaroni and cheese. After Scott and I spent some much needed alone time riding around looking at houses and drinking Diet Cokes, we headed back to the church. The new president of Mercer University was to speak and have a Q&A session. I was a little intimidated to be among such scholars and we sat with three ministers from the church. The tables, flowers and food were beautiful. Scott enjoyed being able to pontificate with the make up of this crowd. He truly was in his element.
There were lots of interesting conversations at our table. I commented at what smart company I was in. Seminary graduates were discussing their competing schools such as Emory, McAfee, Stetson, Southwestern, etc. when someone announced they went to Baylor. I remarked how I loved my George. Scott had to make his political views known by rescinding, "speaking of smart people." There was another couple discussing their fasting and how awe-inspiring and what a refreshing thing it is. Someone who overheard the conversation mistook them for speaking of colonics. Now I was in my element. Everyone was talking about the prestigious schools they went to and how their seminary differed from others. Bringing Scott down a notch, I turned to the person sitting to my left and said, "This is so nice; you can't get all this from a degree on the internet."

"Mommy, do you still love me?"

When I arrived home after school on Friday, Lillee Grace met me at the door with a look of "uh-oh, I'm gonna get it." Apparently, after some pretty serious rough housing with Baxter, Mary had started to get agitated with her. So it's said that she was in time out for quite some time. We didn't talk a lot on the way to take Mary home, which is quite odd for my little chatterbox. Finally, she said she was sorry for pushing Baxter and I told her it's not nice to do and it makes everyone involved feel sad. She was walking behind me into the house and I heard her say, "Mommy, do you still love me?" I wanted to stop there and cry. What a moment! Of course, I had the whole conversation about how I always love her but feel sad when she makes bad choices. A little while later, "But mommy I know you love me, but do you like me?" Don't they know how to pull right at the heartstrings?

Saturday was seemingly a slow day. We decided instead of our usual Subway meal, we'd drive to Fayetteville to McCallister's. CLOSED. When you've got four people who love food as much as we do, you musn't close your establishment without sending us a regretful letter with the next available location. So, instead we settled for Atlanta Bread Company. In the picture Lillee Grace is really enjoying her cookie. Both kids went to sleep in the car, which meant we were in for it later. When I declined to put on her ballet outfit, she decided to find it herself by dumping out the entire rubbermaid container of clothes in her closet. When Baxter saw this, he was fascinated to see he could climb all the way up the pile! Sarah called and needed us to watch Bo for awhile so I snapped some great pictures of the two friends. They truly have a love-hate relationship. One minute they're kissing and you're worried it's a bit much and the next minute they're hitting and you're a little relieved.

During our trip to town yesterday, I crossed three lanes of traffic to pull into the Big Lots. Scott was flabberghasted that I would want to rummage through this store. We all piled out and fastened in the smart shopper - that was a must. We ended up with five new toys for the bribe session that was about to take place. Baxter loves the fact that his puffs and apple juice are only $1 a box at Big Lots. More savings for his 529. When we got home, I lined up the new toys on the dining room table. I told Lillee Grace to choose her favorite. It was Daisy, Dora's cousin, and her 15th birthday cake. She was dying to open it. I told her that if she slept in her bed all night that in the morning she could have it. We've been having this problem for the past few weeks. She's no disturbance but lately she's been bringing the babies into bed with us at 2 a.m. When I awoke a couple of days ago with Bonnie's plastic head in the small of my back, that's when I knew an intervention had to immediately occur. So, as we tucked her into bed last night she put the Daisy toy in her refrigerator. Don't ask. At 7:45 this a.m. I went in to check for a pulse. She was snoring away. I woke her up and she ask if she slept in her bed all night? I told her she did so she jumped up and opened Daisy. What a milestone. We'll see if the other four toys will motivate her just the same?

Let the Good Times ROLL...

Rolling, rolling, rolling...Bunco is the game we play every third Thursday of the month. It's so much fun. It's just the 12 of us and a few substitutes at times.

Scott took the kids to Granny Burge's tonight in Jackson since I helped Sandra with the food. Of course, it was a blast! The food was great but we ran short in the beverage department. Hence, the trip to our local watering hole. After I made friends with the owner of the store and she made a few recommendations, it was back to the dice. We celebrated Christen's birthday by singing at least a dozen times. In her solo picture, you can tell she is not amused!

Our January meeting was a huge success! Lots of fun was had by all and the presents were a big hit. The topic at the end of the night was the same, as it always is when you have a room full of estrogen. Leave it to the female gender to have too much to drink and tell way too much! The husband of the house and kids came home and we had to vacate the premises. Here comes Wes with the yellow gloves and Oxi Clean spray. What a great time!

Imaginative Play

As I sit listening to the rain getting louder, I am dreaming of Monica Kauffman canceling school tomorrow. The weather is terrible, and all I can think of is sleeping late. When I got home today, Lillee Grace had on the same hoochie mama outfit she's been wearing for three days. I picked out a solid black long sleeves leotard with pink monogramming on it. Coincidentally, five of the seven girls in dance class this past Tuesday had on the same black leotard. Not my gem. She picked out the fuschia pink leotard with rhinestones around the neck and a big satin bow at the hip. NICE!

After picking up both kids and taking our Mary home, I ran by the local nursery and picked up a plant for my dear friend in Jackson whose father died this past Sunday. We ran by Sandra's to run through each decoration and food item that will be at Bunco tomorrow night. It's at her house, but I am the helper. I will be taking cookie dough truffles,the famous hot sauce chicken dip, sushi and the kicker: three bottles of champagne and the newly discovered Pama (Pomegranate liquor). It should be quite the party; since this is the first Bunco since my blog has begun, I will take lots of pictures. Hence, I have been slaving all night in the kitchen. Gnocchi and tomato basil along with green beans and garlic bread was the family meal. Then, I had the task of cooking two chicken dishes since I'm taking one to Bunco and one is going to my friend's house in Jackson. I really do try to be June Cleaver. It's just really difficult and one has to resign themselves to the fact that you must lose sleep in order to be June. Mind you, Ward always looked refreshed. Of course, he was in the bed at 9 p.m. reading The Stepford Gazette. It was June that had Wally helping with the trash, dishes and dusting after hours. I'll bet you she had a secret bathroom she would hide in and look at Playgirl. I'll just bet.

Obviously, with all the hoopla going on in the kitchen, Scott had to clock in to help. However, I'm wondering if she'll be scarred for life considering the conversations I overhead taking place. For some unknown reason, Lillee Grace's carseat is in our kitchen? Not to go unused, Scott placed her in it and said they were on their way to Fire Mountain. Here I am trying to get things cleaned up and put away and I've got a caravan following the imaginary Mr. Jim and Katelin to the feed trough while she's supposedly "watching Dora in the backseat." Well, I'll say, he's created a monster. Next, she wants me to sit on his darn stool he's concocted so I can drive the baby ring steering wheel and take her to dance class. After I got them from under my wing and had the last pot washed, I found them in the living room in a circle with a small silver angel (Ben), one of my grapevine balls (Emily) and "the king waiting to dance with her" in the chair. She was so excited that her daddy was acting like a complete idiot with her while she made up all of these stories and played. I guess these are the things we do for our kids and it's so much fun seeing the fascination with it all. Maybe one day I'll tell her the story of when mommy was a little girl and my imaginary friend, Squashes would come from North Carolina and hang out with me. Until then, we'll continue to have tea parties and road trips with whomever she thinks of!

Come on Monica, I'm waiting...

High Consumptions of Cholesterol

Lately, my grandmother's health has truly declined. She has just undergone surgery to remove a lump from her breast but thankfully, is now cancer free. However, her outlook on life and overall attitude has changed drastically. Her immaculate home has now become cluttered and disheveled. I noticed as we were hanging out this past weekend that Scott was missing. He was in the kitchen taking pictures of what he called "a must-blog entry." What was my mother thinking: "My mother is elderly and in poor health. What would be a perfect gift? I know, how 'bout a 12-gallon bucket of pork skins?" Well, grandma, your LDL levels should be on the rise at your next doctor's visit. But hey, they are Atkins approved!

January in Georgia

Well, we're all back. I've been gone less than 48 hours, though it seems like much longer. Scott taking the kids to my parent's was very nice but I missed them alot. It really was the first time I'd ever been alone. I take the kids all the time to my parents and leave Scott and we travel together sans kids, but this truly was the first time I'd been alone. Leaving at 5:30 Saturday morning was rough considering I had no sleep Friday night. Lucky for me, Sarah drove so I was able to drift on and off. We arrived at my parents house around 10 a.m. I was so glad to see those munchkins. Scott immediately punched in his time card and clocked out. Of course, as soon as I got there he had to go make some deposits in what he calls "the Scott account." I call it sitting at Books a Million reading the Times, drinking a latte and buying some sunglasses that cost way too much considering he'll lose them in a few months. My mom and I headed to the dance store to rev up Lillee Grace's attire. Who knew buying ballet and tap shoes was such a daunting task? The owner of the store came over for her "fitting" while she tried on probably five or six pairs of shoes. All the while I was thinking, "Don't they sell these things at Wal-Mart?" However, she did love the attention she was getting while twirling all over the store and listening to the precious sound her tap shoes made on the wood floor. After a day of shopping, we headed home for a much needed siesta for the three of us. There's just something about curling up at my parent's house under a quilt made by my great grandmother and feeling the cold tile under your feet knowing it's 75 degrees outside.

I felt much better after the nap! Scott had come home and we decided on going to the playground at the village on St. Simons. Lillee Grace loves this playground and enjoys seeing the ships go by the pier. Baxter really enjoyed the swings. However, our favorite part is the ice cream at Zu Zu's! The black jack there is terrific. It has rootbeer, chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream. The superman "colorful" ice cream is a favorite of LG's. We headed to the north end of the island to Brogen's North for some outstanding chicken and pineapple pizza. Scott was excited to find out I had purchased Talladega Nights for him that day so he watched that while I turned in early with the kids.

This morning LG went to church with nana and I took yet another morning nap with Baxter. I really love going to my parents to catch up on some sleep. I don't feel anxious about cleaning, washing or any household chore there. Scott, Baxter and I grabbed some food from Spanky's and went to my grandmother's house. Btw, I highly recommed the tuna steak and shrimp quesadillas. My mom, Scott and I took the kids to Jekyll. The tide was coming in and the weather was perfect. Baxter and Lillee Grace thoroughly enjoyed themselves while Scott enjoyed looking like a tourist with the camera. Lucky for me, the Christmas gift he gave me has turned into his new hobby. Maybe we should swap gifts and I could go to the Daytona 500 and he can keep the Canon? After a bath in the laundry sink in my parents garage and a shower for LG, we were on the road again. Both kids and I slept from Brunswick all the way to Metter. We woke up and decided on trusty old McDonald's in Dublin. Scott and I both had the coffee, which I encourage him each road trip to get instead of the $3.50 Starbucks. It was much needed. He did drive the entire trip until we exited off of I-75 where he informed me he wasn't able to see 10-ft. in front of us. So we Chinese redlighted it and were home in 10 minutes. It was a short trip but very restful. Funny how you have to go out of town to get some R&R. Unfortunately, a great American icon died tragically. Fortunately, we all get to sleep late in the morning. RIP dear Martin.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Contrary to Wes' title, A Herd of Hussies, I have decided to name this post "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". My last night without children was action packed. I have filled my two days alonewith many exciting things. Here we are celebrating a three-day weekend thanks to our friend, Martin.

Be advised: am on hiatus. Will be continued with several interesting tidbits as soon as we return fromthe beach.

Retail Therapy

Wow - a night without children. What was I thinking? As I write this, I am wishing more than ever that my children were snug in their beds with visions of Little Debbies dancing in their heads. Basically, this is how the cookie crumbles. Scott had a great week at work. The children are as cute as cute can be. I'm as happy as a lark. However, when that expedition pulled away from the parking pad today I felt a sense of emptiness. A part of me was gone. Not to worry, Ann Taylor Loft and the Gap filled my sense of loneliness. At one point I thought about going to Macaroni Grille and ordering takeout. The sausage pepper classico is my favorite. Instead, I opted for a second round of Williams Sonoma and a trip to Starbucks. Mea Culpa I did not take a picture of my new friends that suggested the vanilla cinnamon dolce. It was great btw. The sugar free cinammon rocked my world. On the way home I pondered on the great time I had in PTC and the freedom I felt. The whole time thinking, did I buy Scott the acid wash that he likes? Did I buy LG the glitter lotion from BBW? Did Little Bax get anything? Sarah, the clerk at the GAP, my new friend, is dying to read my latest post. It is in a state of exhaustion Sarah, I'm sad to report. The shopping I did sans children was meaningless. I saw the woman with the stroller at the Gap and consumed myself in a 30-minute conversation about how old her baby was. She was nine months and cute as can be. This was my night of retail therapy and I honestly didn't know what to do with myself.

Scott, my absolute best friend, confidant, editor, best person to receive a pedicure and easiest person to make fun of on the planet is snug in the bed at my parents house at the beach. He is dreaming of prisoners in GA. He is dreaming of each one of the Supreme Court Justices. He is dreaming of a life better than the one he knows and I love him. That person lives to make my life and his children's lives a better one. He now knows about spit up, grunts that mean Baxter wants more french fries. Cries that mean I want a Koala now - in a men's bathroom next to the urinals. Thank God that I am married to a man that is comfortable with his masculinity. He has now driven the children 4 hours, stopped at McDonalds, changed diapers on the 3rd seat of the and ordered chocolate milk as to passify a 2 yr-od. He has experienced traveling; he is a better person because of it.

I can say all of that because he is not here to edit my post. I have been to PTC. I have had my retail therapy. I miss them terribly. However, I know they are in good hands because they are now with my mother and father which will feed them pancakes and bacon and will treat them like a queen and king. Don't worry, Scott will receive the Uncle Hershel's Cracker Barrel Breakfast before he sets off on his trek to Valdosta tomorrow.

Sat. a.m. I will be back to doing what I do best - changing stinky diapers and watching Dora get to the Lost City by way of forest, bridge, tall mountain. The question now remains: what will I do on Friday with my last night of freedom?

Top Ten #1

Top Ten Blessings in My Life
#10 the outgoing personality of lively two-year-old Lillee Grace
#9 the smile and unconditional love of 9-month-old Baxter
#8 the dirty coffee cups, nose hairs in the sink, dry cleaning tags on the dresser and oh yeah,
the love and compassion I have from Scott
#7 snot on the desks, taps on the shoulder, hearing my name 100 times a day and endless
paperwork for a menial salary for one of the best jobs in the world
#6 A great church with a supportive church family. It also helps it's liberal enough for Scott.
#5 at the other end of the Jimmy Carter baptist spectrum, my wonderful and sometimes crazy
parents
#4 great friends in this little town who've taken us under their wing when I came from the
beach, and Scott came from the race track town
#3 George Dubya - what can I say, I love him. If it weren't for Laura, I would have
never come up with several holiday ensembles
#2 black coffee
#1 Andes mints at Mexican Restaurants

To write or not to write...

After typing for oh, 20 mins., Scott informs me that I must not post the blog due to some inappropriate comments I had written. That's what's so hard about knowing what to write and what not to write. This shows the difference in my blog and the little wal-mart notebook tucked into my nightstand. It will know the real truth. My mouth is large and my foot is even larger. Let me just say this. The painter is gone. The utility room and dining room are getting back to normal. The *&#@ prospects that were to come look today did not show.
Lastly, parenting is tough. It is hard to know what to do in some situations. I assume that the older your children are, the harder it gets. The management seems to get easier when they are able to function in the bathroom all by themselves. However, the emotional part gets more and more difficult. No matter how tough she is to manage though, she's still our tiny dancer.

Rolling On

Here is a picture of a usual afternoon strolling with the kids in the "big rig." Lillee Grace loves to call it that; better yet, she thinks it is great to tell passersby on the sidewalk that mom drives a big rig. Both kids love to walk around the neighborhood. Her favorite part is seeing the geese. She honks at them and then lowers her John Lennon glasses to get a good look. The rig has gotten a little difficult to push now that the load exceeds 50 lbs.

Supper was leftovers from last night's country meal (just as the AJC recommends). Scott phoned to say he was late coming home and not going to be able to attend the deacon's meeting so he was eating with us. Don't worry, there was still lots of religion in the Key home as he wrestled with LG after her bath. It went something like him hitting her in the forehead shouting, "Be healed my sister and let the demons come out. I am the great Oral Roberts!!!" Just as he was to begin speaking in tongue, the doorbell rang and it was the youth minister's daughter. Scott's reaction should be on film ... priceless. As soon as we found her some diapers to use for our guest's science fair project, it was back to our usual "wind down," of watching Dora. Yes, Dora is used in our house at a crucial let's get Baxter down while you learn Spanish moment.

As if that's not enough, our realtor that wants to show our house tomorrow. I mean who wouldn't want to buy a house that has two men painting in the laundry room, a two year old watching Angelina Ballerina and dancing throughout the house only in her big girl panties, a baby crawling to point out every electrical outlet in the place and a dining room with golf clubs, rubbermaid containers and cleaning supplies on some stainless steel shelves. What a selling point - our dining room turns into a terrific makeshift utility room. Lovely. So tomorrow while I'm teaching our future leaders, my house will still be rolling!

A Cardiologist's Dream

Here's our supper from tonight. There was homemade mac n cheese (with three cheeses and egg...I opted to use milk instead of heavy cream...we're trying to be health conscious here, give me a break). Sweet potatoes consisted of brown sugar and marshmellows (those were put on by Lillee Grace so there could be some toilet paper swirling around in the orange root vegetable souffle due to the fact that there's always some tp left with her new wiping process. Then there's the butter with a side of green beans and Scott's smoked butt. He kept talking about some type of smoke rings all night but I never really asked him about it. As you'll see, that really irritates him because he LOVES for you to ask him questions about something he's done. But then again, who doesn't. So as my health conscious family sat down to our Country Sunday Supper with beer and sweet tea at our little table from IKEA there was another family somewhere pulling their chairs up to their granite countertops to feast on grilled fish and broccoli while sipping on red wine. They would be our future cardiologists.

Constant

Okay, I'm writing this because I'm obsessed with blogging. It's not such a new thing to our family, as we've read many blogs for the past year or so. However, since my handwritten journaling has gotten scarce, I've decided to give this a go. The word that seems to best describe our home recently is constant. There is something going on CONSTANTLY! Now that Baxter is mobile, it's a whole new world we were never exposed to with Lillee Grace. Lillee Grace, the princess of the house would sit on her butt for hours on end with two fingers shoved into her mouth waiting for us to leave the room so she could wail so loudly we'd run right back. Baxter, on the other hand, has discovered the wine bottles. Yes mother, there is alcohol in our home... not only is it in our home but I'm about to make a tap available for nights like last night when both kids seem to think the universe is actually revolving around each strand of hair in their heads.

Today has already been one of "those" days! Church is always a very big day. I feel like Paula Deen with all the prep work that needs to be done. Our recipe would read prep time: 2 hrs. church time: 2 hrs. Bottles, cheerios, diapers, wipes, Lillee Grace's hair washed and clip put in, this a.m. it was a MUST to wear her rain boots, change of clothes for both children, go through talk about doughnuts and the reason she cannot eat anything before we leave because the consumption of three doughnuts from Mrs. Alice will last her the entire Sunday afternoon. People with kids must know what this is like. Hard, exhausting, trying, complicated, and yes, constant.

Scott's new year's resolution is for ME to cook more like my mother. Okay, I thought we should do dieting resolutions but obviously he would rather pack on the pounds than hit the treadmills more. Fine with me!!! So last night he and LG took their weekly trip to Ingle's to replenish our fridge. He came home with boston butt to smoke. Well, after the torrential downpours last night, we awoke to a fully smoked butt and a puddle of water in his car from HIM leaving the sunroof open and a puddle in Baxter's carseat because HE let princess Lillee dictate that she wanted to sit in Baxter's carseat and have her window down on the way home from Ingle's. Nevertheless, LG rode in the very back of the car this a.m. while Bax took flight in LG's seat to church. Once again constant chaos!!!