Jamaica Slide Show

Several of you have asked all about the trip, and I really have very little to say. We were basically lazy as hell for 5 days straight, and that's all there is other than how beautiful it was. So, here is a slide show with WAY too many pictures. Don't worry, this isn't all of them. :)

Home again!

Well, we have reluctantly returned home from our glorious vacation to Jamaica. The island was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the rest was perfect. We stayed at Sunset at the Palms in Negril, a small all-inclusive resort renowned for its beautifully maintained, tropical landscape and extremely laid back nature. And we were not disappointed one little bit. If you are looking for a quiet getaway, this is the place to go. If you want wild parties, you might want to go somewhere else. We did everything we wanted to do - rest, swim, sun, enjoy. Who could ask for anything more?

Although we were depressed to leave paradise, it is so good to be back home with my little buddy. He was so happy to see us this morning when he woke up (we got home very late last night after he had already gone to bed), he did a double take when he woke up to the sight of Joe's face.

Jamaica Bound...

See y'all next week!

Funny Faces

Jacks can make funny faces on cue, now. Also, he can imitate an expression from someone else or from a photo. We will probably be taking lots of funny face pictures from now on. Think of how cute these will look all together as a collage.

Attention family members: don't be surprised if your Christmas present looks very similar to this blog post.....

Serious about oral hygiene

Hummingbirds

Joe and I put out two hummingbird feeders very early in the summer, and we have been disappointed at how little flight traffic the feeders have been getting. But, in the past couple of days we've had some fleeting fly-bys. They peruse the feeder, then quickly move on before eating. So, I refilled the feeders with fresh nectar to tempt the little guys, and we've been having very frequent guests ever since! Jacks loves to see the birds come an go in an instant, and we are thrilled to have lots of hummingbird visitors.

My grandmother especially loved her hummingbird feeders. Later in her life, as her mind started to fail her, she started writing down each time of day when she saw a hummingbird at the feeder so that she could remember to tell her friends. Each time I see one at the feeder, I think of how excited Grandmama would be to see it.

Joe has started keeping his camera poised and ready late in the afternoon, when we see the most traffic, to try to catch some shots of our feathered friends. We've gotten a few good pics in, and we hope we'll get more soon.

Yard Sale

Joe and I had our annual yard sale yesterday. We actually don't intend to have an annual sale, but it kind of turns out that way every year. With each new purging, more crap begins to build up for the next year! In fact, a few hours after concluding our sale, my friend Bethel and I went to Gidget's Antique Mall to see what they were trying to give away (they're going out of business). Luckily, there wasn't all that much to pick from, but I did find a precious little toddler bed frame for $30!! (You knew I couldn't leave a 75% off sale without picking up something - hence the need for an annual sale)

Anyway, Jacks was a wonderful yard sale helper. He ran toward each new guest at top speed and greeted them with a loud, "Hey!" Most everyone was very nice, and we actually sold a few things. The yard sale regulars get a little annoying, complaining about your inventory as if you stock items for the pleasure of the general public. However, their complaints actually come off as veiled criticism of your rat packing habits. I often wonder what their houses look like. I mean, yard sale regulars make the rounds every week. Can you imagine the crap they have stowed away?

Jacks did a good job of retrieving items that really needed to go, and he ensured that they stayed in our house. He saved an oversized 'teacher' brooch (attention parents - please never give your child's teacher one of these as a gift), a natural stone necklace from 1992 (most likely from the Limited), and a handful of pieces from an old game of Risk. Hoo-freakin'-ray, I'm so glad we still have those things in our possession!

A good time was had by all, and now we have some pocket cash for our trip. Good stuff!

Summertime Birthdays

Well, Jacks has been making the birthday party scene over the past week. His future possible girl friend Winsley turned 1 last week, and his dear friend and namesake Jackson turns 1 this week. So, the celebrations have been monumental. The volume of pictures taken at these events is massive - over 600 pics at Wins's party, and a piddly 140 at Jackson's, so the slide show here is going to be kind of long. I hope this first attempt at a slide show is successful!! Although several pictures are included, lots were not. Can you believe that these shots barely scratch the surface? We had such a big time!!

Thank you to all of our party hosts. A first birthday party is a very special one, and it is very difficult planning the right event for your family (who to invite? everyone? just some? how to decide?). But, our friends are doing a great job!!! And, of course, Jacks thinks that every party is in his honor. He tries to open presents at every party, and he sticks his finger in every cake. Good to know he feels at home!

Project Runway starts next Wednesday!

Shealy just reminded me that Project Runway, the best show on television (other than LOST), is starting a new season on Wednesday.
Let the sturm and drang begin - fierce!!!

Swimmy Baby!!

We had so much fun over the 4th of July while visiting with my god-brother and oldest friend, Whitney, and his family - the perfect Amy (the best choice Whitney has ever made), and their kids Coulson and Laurel Kate. Also, Whit has this really great camera that can take underwater pictures. So, now Joe has a new toy to want!

Here is Jacks taking a dip!

He liked it!

Here is Whit imitating Jacks's favorite funny face. He clenches his teeth and shakes, as if he has just eaten something especially sour. Jacks first made this face after sucking on a lemon, but it got such great laughs that he does it all the time, now.

Once swim time was over, Jacks could not resist climbing in the cozy coupe for some cruising time. And yes, those are Space Invaders on his swim shorts.

One of these days, I'll get better about making sure we get more "together" pictures. We really need some shots of the kids all together. But, we all get so busy having fun that we forget to stage good photo ops.

Been a while!!

It has certainly been quite a while since I've posted anything. I'm kind of stagnant with good pictures right now. We forgot our camera on our recent trip to Pensacola, so we are beholden to others for our photo ops from the trip. So, while I patiently wait on my dear god-brother to send me some pics (read your emails, Whit!!!), I should be uploading the pictures from Winsley Williams' first birthday party to share with all of you. However, there are about 600 pictures from said event, and it is going to take eons to get the whole lot on my lap top. In fact, I got it started last night, and it took so long that the camera battery went dead before it could finish! Very frustrating......grrrrrr!

update: lots of the party pictures did end up in my I-photo. I'll work on a post about that circus fiesta soon. For now, see above.

So, in the meantime, I'm preoccupied with your and my favorite pop culture icon, Madonna. If she were within my circle of friends, I would make her my nemesis. She is so bizarre and hard to understand, I would so love to hate her in the flesh. Now, I'm sure you're thinking I am going to go on and on about the rumors about her affair with some ball player, who apparently has P.O.ed his wife so bad that the whole thing has turned into a horribly distasteful stink. No, I could honestly care less about her totally predictable behavior. That is not the topic of my current beef with Mrs. Ciccione-Ritchie. Right now, I am wondering why she has taken to wearing old lady lingerie as clothes. See red petti-pants below:

Perhaps she is going for a boxer who is looking for more of a grandma chic look. I can't make heads or tails of it. The shoes confuse me more than anything else. They seem an odd choice, no?

For those of you unfamiliar with petti-pants, here they are:
Our grandmothers call underwear "britches" because of petti-pants. These lovely little gems can be bought at places like Sears, JC Penny (aka Penny's, to those who say words like 'britches'), and The Vermont Country Store (if you're not familiar, please look them up - there are no words). It is basically a slip that has been turned into pants.

Here is another troubling example of this little fashion kick she seems to be on, just so you know that the above outfit is not an isolated event.

Are those knee length pantyhose???? Underneath another pair of petti-pants!! Now, she probably bought all these beauties under the impression that they are satin formal shorts. Someone needs to inform her that they're not and that formal shorts are very wrong on several levels. They look like the pajama bottoms I bought at Wal Mart toward the end of my pregnancy so that it would be easier to roll by behemoth self around in the bed. In fact, it looks like she has the whole pajama set, as the shirt she's wearing underneath that sweater vest is also satin (the most unforgiving of all fabrics). And there are those shoes again! They really are cute, don't get me wrong, but it is the context that worries me. I mean, I spent the better part of a year trying to make a pair of leopard print loafer mules match with every outfit I owned, but my attempts never made it okay.

I am so morbidly fascinated at how she picks up some crazy style and totally commits long term. It makes me miss this:


Ok - that is my Madonna diatribe for now....

As for everything else that is going on in our lives, summer vacation continues to dwindle away. Joe and I planned our Jamaica trip at the end of July for several reasons, but the greatest of those is that we would look at the end of summer with excitement and expectation instead of dread. Now that summer school is over, I have turned my attentions to helping Joe with our home renovation projects. So far, the master bedroom, the hallway, and the living room have all been repainted. Very, very, very old wallpaper that was under layers of paint in the foyer has been stripped, and the walls are anxiously awaiting a fresh coat of paint. New curtains have been hung in the living room. Tons of junque has been moved to the garage to hopefully be sold in an upcoming yard sale (I'll let you know when - we're looking at July 19th). Joe also built a platform deck in the back yard, and he is working on plans to level off an area for a play set. Other odds and ends have been done around here, as well. The work here is never done due to the age of our house and the fact that we are total pack rats. But it really is looking good, and we would love for you to come by and check it out. Anytime! Really!

As for Jacks, he is growing and learning more and more everyday. He recently rediscovered his love of Elmo, which is nice for us as it gives us a little break from Blue's Clues. It is clear that he understands every word that we say, and when he doesn't respond to something I ask or tell him, he is obviously ignoring me. He has started calling Joe "Mama," which Joe doesn't like at all. Joe preferred it when Jacks called him "Joe." I have noticed when he does say Dada, it comes out more like "Ah-da." He is also learning all about time out, because he is BAD. He has mastered the "hit and run" style of martial arts, but he has not mastered not getting caught for it. No matter what, he is still my sweet baby, and I will cuddle and kiss on him until he forces me to stop!

I guess that's enough rambling to catch you up for now. Love - K