road trip?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

*calculates hours in the car vs. hours at the rally* *makes mental list of snacks and treats to keep the kids happy* *ponders clever signage options* *investigates hotel points*

i think i need to be there!

Fall-ish

I swear it's close...you can feel it in the air between the hours of 7 a.m and 10 a.m, and then again overnight. the rest of the time, it's still very much summer. we learned this yesterday at our town's annual festival, Buggy Days. (at one point, we were apparently a huge manufacturer of buggies. obvs.) i actually got sunburned and Charlie was so wiped out that he rode in the stroller. it was HOT. but we had a blast. Kids' park, great festival food....(fried green tomatoes and kettle corn) and a lot of really great craft vendors. both kids got a prize and bounced until we feared overheating. after the parade, we headed home to get some MUCH needed rest, then ventured back for the Pig Chase at the old football field. this is something that's been happening here for years, and i had never been. i wouldn't have been able to imagine the amount of people who were there. it was craziness. there are different age groups who chase a piglet around the field until someone catches it. of course, the prize is...the pig.

when CF heard about the chase earlier that day, he let us know that he really wanted to do it, and that he was going to win the pig. we thought it would be good for him to participate, but we kept on pushing the "it's not about winning, just have fun" speech. we settled in the stands until they called his group. because they are younger, Adam got to go down to the field and stand with him before the race. there were SO many kids. i started to get nervous, thinking that there is no way they would all get out of this uninjured.

for whatever reason, this little piggie didn't give much chase. but the fastest kid got there first and pinned it. of course, that kid was Charlie. the crowd was gathered around so much that we couldn't really tell at first, but the people around us in the stands were already cheering and telling me that he'd won. sure enough, adam broke through the crowd, carrying the proudest looking boy i'd ever seen, who was carrying a ticket. Charlie told the story to everyone around us and was so sweet about the whole thing. then we had to decide what to DO about the pig. i felt sure that it would be one of those things we embark on that turn out to be a huge mistake. so, after getting the champ's approval, we decided to sell the pig. now CF is the proud owner of prize money, and the reputation of being the fastest 4 year old in town. ;)

here's a little video i got of the chase...look for the red shirt in the middle of the crowd.













the night BEFORE, we were able to take the kids to Atlanta to see the Sesame Street Live show for the first time. all thanks to my love of Aretha's Freeway of Love. I won tickets about a week ago by being the 8th caller and knowing that song title. i have NEVER won anything off the radio, and when it happened, i was screaming so much that i'm sure people driving past thought i had won the lotto. i was SO excited to be able to take the kids. we don't have a lot (er, any) extra money to buy tickets to things like that these days, so it was great timing. the kids loved eating dinner in the giant CNN Center food court and were in awe of the show, dancing the whole time. so, we've had two busy, awesome family days that none of us will soon forget.







this weekend made me even more excited to do things with the kids this fall...all the fair and corn mazes we can stand. they are at such FUN ages. along with the fun does come some (lots of) defiance and energy, but we are getting better at handling it and diffusing tantrums. Charlie starting school has proved to be a HUGE advantage for him. in just a couple of months, he has learned so much. he can now write his name alone, he's writing simple math problems out on the magnadoodle, and he's (wait for it) saying "yes, maam" and the like ON HIS OWN. he sits for long spells just looking at books by himself and "reading". he memorizes songs even faster than before. yesterday he requested the Talking Heads "don't touch me, i'm a real live wire"....haha. the kid's still got taste.

Here we are, Sunday morning, a much needed day to recover from our rock star family weekend. we're visiting my parents, and rumor has it that my mom is making some of my favorite things for lunch. need i say more??

it's Sunday again!

Nah, it's Monday morning. Other than Adam being gone (headed to Cali for work) it feels like a perfect Sunday morning. Labor Day rules. Our holiday plans include : pajamas, grocery store, cartoons, grilled cheese and soup, laundry, and playing with Lanie, the chihuahua puppy we are dog-sitting for this week. She's Jessie's puppy...Jessie and her husband are off on a week long cruise....alone....no kids. I'm not jealous. Not even a lil' bit. ;)

Adam is in LOVE with Lanie. He's already mentioned some evil schemes to keep her here. He's been cuddled up with her since she got here, and calls her his tiny baby. Ha. It's the cutest thing ever, and also ridiculously funny. Don't worry, Jessie, we'll make sure Lanie gets home safe and sound. But Adam may try to move in with you.



This weekend has been a great time for the most part. Friday morning started earlier that usual, because we had our big ultrasound appointment about 45 minutes north. We got there and waited another HOUR before being called back, but I was too excited to mind. The ultrasound equipment was amazing...a large tv screen positioned over my head so that Adam and I could see it better, and it was the clearest one we've ever seen. The tech was very thorough, showing us organs, head size, little fingers and toes, and finally, she asked if we wanted to know the sex. Wellyeah. I think it would be great fun to wait and be surprised, but come on. I could never ever be so patient. So the next thing we got to see on the U/S were....girly bits! yay! we have another lil sis on the way. Piper Ann Beauchamp. She is already so lovely.

After the tech was finished and I was sitting up, there was a moment of "uh'oh". She mentioned that I was to come back in 4 weeks for another ultrasound with a doctor present. She explained that the umbilical cord should have 3 chambers, and it looks like mine only has 2. Of course, I started spouting out questions like "is that common? what are the risks? is she ok?" She was very nice, but very vague, seeming to not want to worry us until we know for sure that that's what's going on. So, of course, I Googled. It appears that single umbilical artery has it's share of risks, but that in MOST cases, the babies are born perfectly healthy. We'll know more after October 1st, but for now, let's send out some good thoughts and prayers that Piper is getting everything she needs. I'm honestly not worried at this point. She looks great and right on track for her very young age.



After that we decided to have some friends over to cook out. We haven't done that as much this summer, thanks to our hermitage, and it was a lot of fun. I love watching our kids play together. The food and the company were both a perfect way to say bye-bye to summer.





Saturday the bestie came down with her son, Chase, who happens to be Charlie's idol and best, best friend. We had played outside all day. Rode bikes at the park, did a little geocaching, stopped for fresh fruit. All of this was set to the most beautiful weather I have seen in months. Bright blue sky, warm but crisp air, the perfect temperature. The only sucky party (ba dum bum) was the 4 million mosquitoes that I provided lunch for at the park. OUCH.



Yesterday we hung out at my parents most of the day. Laying on a blanket under a shady tree, throwing the baseball, eating even MORE amazing food with the family...another perfect afternoon.

And here we are, almost back to the real world, but not quite. One more day to play before reality sets in. As a mom with a kid in school, I'm REALLY seeing how great these 3-day weekends are. Bring on Fall Break! ;)

Happy Labor Day to all y'all!

gratitude.

the last couple of days have been...woah. i never, ever expected so many people to respond to that post, or to share it with so many others. the comments on the blog and on facebook...i can't begin to explain how much each one means to me. reading them made me cry, and they gave me so much more confidence that with THIS many like-minded people, we really do have a chance to make major changes. i have gone back over them so many times, lingering over each one and really paying attention to every word. to everyone who reposted or shared, thank you, too.
i'm sure there are at least a couple of people who are ready for me to get over myself...hehe. and i am. just with a little more peace of mind, thanks to YOU. <3

not ok.

here it is. the post that's been about one week, or ten years in the making. i have pondered, i have fumed, i have cried, ranted, and cussed. i have daydreamed about saying things that will never sound as awesome as they do in my head if i said them out loud. or write them here. but today, i realized that while my raving may be pointless and eyeroll-worthy, i want to do it anyway. when have i been known to keep my mouth shut?

what happened.

what happened was i made the mistake of commenting on the status of a Facebook friend that i don't know well. it was one of those "repost this if you believe in BLAH BLAH and BLAH. 98% of you are too chicken!!!!!!!!"

can i just interrupt myself to add that those status updates are ridiculous and most are probably written (poorly) by bored kids? write your own updates. mkay? mkay.

this particular zinger was about the tragic state of charity and how "we" send all our money overseas when there are people here who need things. troops who need supplies, and mentally ill who need hospitals. me being me, thought, oh, hey...let me shed some light. it's the nice thing to do. i politely explained that while it's true, there are MANY families in need here in the states, i feel it's important to remember that in some places, there are no programs in place to support the poor, the sick, and the hungry. there are earthquakes. natural disasters of all kinds. no matter where in the world these things happen, HUMAN BEINGS are meant to help one another.

i added something about charity being a personal decision and that i feel as long as we are giving what we can, to whatever cause we feel drawn to, then that's what will make the world a better place.

the response was all a blur except one line. to paraphrase, it said...

ready?

there are kids being adopted from other countries, while there are kids here in the US who need homes.

*pause for suspense*

*pause for you to collect yourself"

*pause for you to go find another blog to read if you agree with this statement*

honestly, i know that fellow APs i know have been told this very thing. i know all the responses that we are armed with, and yet, reading those words made me blind with anger. blood rushed to my head, which immediately started pounding. it was as if someone had told me "your son shouldn't be your son. he doesn't belong HERE."

is that not what it sounds like?

i tried to formulate a response that reflected my hurt feelings, anger, and also could provide some education on the subject. like it mattered at that point. it didn't work. i'm not going to waste any more energy reliving the conversation. basically, i was furious, she didn't seem to understand why.

here's what i came up with today. i don't live in a world, mental OR physical, where i am better than anyone else because of where i HAPPENED TO BE BORN. because NEWS FLASH you didn't do shit to get here. our ancestors did, but that's another story, that so many people obviously choose to forget when they complain endlessly about "immigrants". i love my country. i do. but it makes me so very, very sad when i see my fellow Americans take patriotism to a level that is nothing less than ignorant. and it makes me want to shout to the world IT'S NOT ALL OF US! I'M HERE! WE'RE EQUAL!

years ago, a fellow business owner in my town used to come in to my studio to chat. more than once she brought up, in a hushed voice, the topic of "black people". make sure you whisper it. "black people". i would stare blankly at her, remind her that we were in the process of adopting one of those "black people" and i would proceed to act bewildered. but i didn't speak up.

i should have said something. i should have told her HOLD UP. don't put me in your little club just because our skin matches. our hearts do NOT. please leave.

how many times have people, some my friends, made comments that made me cringe.

taking the car to the Mexicans to get cleaned.
do you know that one Indian at the BP station?
black folks can't drive or swim. it's just fact. i'm not racist.

right there. those words. here's what i'm saying, or trying to, but not making clear.

IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO PREFACE YOUR FORTHCOMING STATEMENT WITH "I'M NOT RACIST, BUT..."

DON'T SAY IT TO ME.

ever.

it's not okay. i'm not okay with being hurt every day by people who should know better. it's not about religion, it's not about politics, it's about being a HUMAN. with a heart and a soul. it hurts me so much that people have so much hate in their hearts, even if they try to hide it. even if they make excuses about it "not being a stereotype, it's the truth". you don't know shit about any one's truth but your own.

it's not okay for me. it's not okay for my family. it's not okay for our future, for the children who are growing up in homes where parents use the "n-word" and "faggot". it's not okay that a good portion of the people i have been associating with in this world would have a problem with their child dating outside their race. if you say you love my family, then ask yourself that question. could your blonde haired daughter marry my son with your blessing? if not, that's not okay with me.

i think i had tricked myself into thinking that things were not so bad. now it seems every day i am slapped in the face with ignorant comments and it scares me. my small hope, the one thing that keeps me confident that it won't always be this way, are my kids. the kids of the beautiful families that i know feel the same way i do, down to their core. our kids will grow up and prove them all wrong. they will lead the kids that were lied to, to the truth. it's not their job. it's not even going to be something they know they are doing. but it can happen.

prop 8. the "mosque" drama. tea parties. arizona. people here, that i know, questioning the way we chose to start our family. as if they have the right. i don't have to agree with all of my friends' politics. we don't have to vote the same. i can be friends with people of any religion...
...but when you dehumanize someone by making their RACE, or where they were BORN, the main aspect of who they ARE as a PERSON, their ONLY identifying factor....THAT'S NOT OKAY!!!!!!

i don't know whether to run into the streets preaching equality (as if i could ever find the courage), or retreat into my home to keep my heart, and my family safe from hurt for as long as possible.

outwit.

tucking charlie in tonite, we had this conversation. i thought it was pretty clever...on his part, not on mine. :/

cf: "can i watch a movie?'

me: "nope"

cf: "but i'm scared! i'm scared without you in here or a movie on. what if bad guys come?"

me: "bad guys won't come here."

cf: "why?"

me: "because...all the windows and doors are locked. and we don't have anything fancy."

cf: "what if they break the window?"

me: "then i will call the police and they will go to jail".

cf: "what if they come down the chimney?"

(here's the part were i start uber failing)

me: "ha! no way. only santa can come down the chimney."

cf: "but what if the bad guys have a ladder?"

me: "wellll....they can't get in because...because there's a special lock on the top of the chimney so people can't get in."

(can i just say in my defense that this is the FIRST time i have tried to make up a ridiculous lie to appease my child. i thought i should give it a shot.)

cf: "what if they break the lock?"

(ugh. brace yourself)

me: "um, it's made of a special, unbreakable metal."

cf: (pondering) "so, how does santa get in?"

me: (proudly) "well, we unlock it on christmas, silly! duh!"

cf: (confused) "aaaand what if the bad guys come on christmas?"

me: (facepalm)

after that, i fessed up. i just can't do it. i can't make up crazy answers to questions that i know he will figure out anyway. i'm just going to have to get better about explaining hard things to him in a kid-friendly, but not idiotic, way.

(how does one do that exactly?)

what else?

oh, my new obsession. yeah, there used to be these vampire books that i read...? i kinda remember being addicted to them, and now i have found myself there again. which is why i am frantically blogging tonight's post while eyeing my new hardback on the end table.
apparently, people knew about this trilogy and i wasn't paying attention. PLEASE, if you enjoyed Twilight, READ THESE BOOKS. no vampires, but there's something similar in the writing. (yeah, both tweener books, but they feel mature enough!;)

presenting:



here's a review:

no, nevermind. all the reviews are too spoiler-y. you trust me, i know you do, so just go get it. or borrow mine. just make it happen so we can freak out together, mkay? mkay.

a few more quick things, since i now have a great book AND a strawberry milkshake awaiting me (are we SURE polygamy isn't legal? OHMYGOSH i'm kidding. calmdown.)

i'm seeing the cardiologist again due to some crazy heart racing spells. i'm sure it's nothing, and they aren't worried either, but we're doing some testing. better safe than sorry and all that jazz!

we find out the sex of hethen #3 NEXT FRIDAY! how is this flying by so quickly? eeek!!

more soon. by soon i mean, whenever i feel like bloggins. g'nite!

TREASURE!!

who doesn't dream about being a treasure hunter? as a kid, i was always looking for a good mystery, random clues to a long-kept secret, even ghosts. the thrill of finding something hidden never goes away. adam used to (back in the woo-ing stages, haha) hide little notes with clues on them that led to a prize. so of course i married him! ;)

a few days ago, my good friend Loyd told Jessie and I about Geocaching. we both lit up as he described the website, clues, GPS, and logbooks. over the weekend i registered for the website, and today we took some time in between selling (YES, we did work today) to do a little caching.

Our first adventure took us to a local spot in Milner. The hider of the cache, which can be anything from a pill bottle to a large bucket, registers the coordinates and clues on the website. they all have names and are rated by difficulty, so you know what you're getting into. in case you happen to be wearing dress clothes and sandals. ahem. this one was called I Can See The Light, and was rated a 1/5, so it's an easy one. BUT we were first timers, and this cache eluded us. quite the sight, us walking around the side of the road with our phones out, trying to match our steps to the exact coordinates. we poked around under bushes, in a hollow tree, behind a trash can. no luck. as we pulled away, defeated, Jessie said..."we should have checked back there near those trees." she was right....we later learned that it IS there, but we have yet to go back.

we still had a few minutes before my first appointment, so we read the next cache clue, titled Open House. as i read the description, Jessie let out a squeal. "i know where that is!!" off we go. we found the general spot, pulled over and got out. on the side of the highway. (yes, you must be very careful while treasure hunting!) it took just a few minutes, and i triumphantly pulled the cache from it's hiding spot. we were GIDDY. needless to say, i was hooked from that moment.

Jessie with our first find!




the rest of the day i had thoughts of bringing Adam out, how much Charlie would love it, about hiding our own and posting them to the site. this is something that we can do as a family, pack a cooler and go for the day. it's something different. a lot of people already know about this, but i had no "clue". harhar. ;)



next we pulled up The Big Red G, which instantly we knew was near the UGA campus in Griffin. the clues led us to a nearby bridge, and even though it was a little creepy, Jessie found the cache, again with the happy squeal. signing the log books is so much fun.
me signing in at The Big Red G cache:



throughout the day, we hit a couple more caches. Jessie is much more patient with it than me. at one point, while tramping through some wooded area and cursing the briers and mosquitoes, i was ready to give up on that one. i could tell that not finding it was going to drive her nuts. in fact, she may be back there as i type this.

one of my clients to see today was in Zebulon, so OF COURSE we went ahead and made a stop at one last cache. the clue led us to a place of business that was open. it also mentioned that the people there would know what you were up to, and not to be shy. after a few minutes of searching with no luck, we went inside and met a super nice man named Mike. Mike was very excited when we realized what we were up to, and immediately came outside with us for a little guidance. after signing his log, we talked about how it was our first time ever Geocaching, and that we both loved it. he said he's been at it for almost 5 years. :O where have i been??

there are over a million geocaches hidden all over the world. it can be something as simple as the thrill of the hunt, and signing your name alongside the treasure hunters there before you. to me, that was the best part. i am in love with this, and i can't wait to share it with my family! sign up if you haven't already, and go on your own adventure. just don't forget the GPS. this IS 2010, after all. ;)

jessie discovering treasure at Birdie Clubhouse:



the fun starts here:

http://www.geocaching.com/

i hope some more new people discover this and love it as much as i already do.