Summertime

For me, summer officially draws to a close on September 1, and then we are on to fall. Last night, we were all in our back yard, watching Lil' C try to "pat the fishies" in our goldfish pond, when I realized how cool it was getting. BabyDaddy and I are both "fall people", so there's usually not a great deal of sadness in our house when summer is over -- Fall means hot apple cider, hayrides and pumpkin patches, hoodie sweatshirts, and most importantly, (at least in BabyDaddy's small world), deer season. (Insert cave-man snort and beating of chest -- all I can do is roll my eyes, and wait patiently for the testosterone surges to subside...) However, this summer has been a little different. Surprisingly, I am a little sad to see it go. Looking back -- the best of Summer 2008:

Popsicle Days and Sprinkler Afternoons

There is nothing better than sitting on your back steps with the sun shining on your face, and a cherry popsicle dripping down your arm. Popsicle days have become a tradition in our family this summer. Every evening, Lil' C would lead one of us to the kitchen, point up to the freezer, and say, "POP-SEE!" We would all get our popsicles and go outside, where he would "seat" us in a line on the steps, like a row of Russian nesting dolls. I kept picturing that scene in Forest Gump, where he and his son are sitting on the floor in the exact same position, with their heads tilted the exact same way. It would have made for an amusing picture.

The State Fair
Another time honored tradition in this family is the State Fair. This year was no exception, and we loaded up and headed out for a day of complete gluttony, carnival games, and fun. Between his inflatable Sponge Bob, his Batman doll (won by picking up the most expensive rubber duck I've ever heard of -- Thanks, Grandpa J), and the dancing pigs, the fair definitely delivered.

Sidewalk Art

Whoever invented sidewalk chalk will forever have my undying love and affection. And God bless the person who took that chalk, and decided to sell it in a huge tub for a dollar at Big Lot's. I cannot tell you how many hours we have spent outside creating mini-Picasso's on our sidewalks. Often I experience little moments in time when I realize that I am completely happy. I've had several of those moments this summer sitting on the concrete with my son and naming the colors in the rainbow.

The Beach

This summer, we had our first real, official, one-whole-week family vacation at the beach. We realized several things -- one of which is that during vacation, all bets are off. This means that there will be no naps, no healthy snacks, and there is no such thing as going to bed on time. I can't wait until next year!

Farm Talks (and River Bottoms)

Being able to see my son spend time with my grandfather this summer has been amazing -- a man who was so important to me as a child (and continues to be), is now a central part in the life of my son. Lil' C loves his "Pa" with a passion. (It makes for an interesting sermon when he sees Pa head for the pulpit to preach and tries to run after him screaming, "Pa! PAAAA!".) The most special times for me this summer were spent down in the river bottom with Pa -- along with Nanny, Nana, and Grampa J. Lil' C has no clue no how important these individuals will become to him later in life, just as I didn't know when I was small. Because I realize that every single moment spent together with them is a gift, I am that much more dedicated to savoring every second, (and making sure there are lots of seconds to savor).

Send them up...

For those of you who pray -- take a moment for my Uncle Doug. He is currently in an intensive care unit in Florida, heavily sedated and on life support. He has had some heart issues in the past, and I don't believe had been taking his medication regularly. Last night he went into both heart and renal failure. If you don't pray, send thoughts to our family.

Uncle Doogie is a man you will not forget quickly if you happen to meet him. He is as tall as a tree --well, really about 6'5' or 6'6. As a child, I thought he was a real life giant. He was always ready with a hug for everyone, (which made for some awkward moments with my new boyfriends), and quick to laugh. So today, I may physically be here, but my heart is in Florida. To Aunt Alana, Alex, and Hannah, I love you, and I'm thinking of you constantly.

Attempting to expel your bodily fluids during a movie is rude....

We made the trek home to God’s Country this weekend --

Our first stop was to visit our Canadian cousins, who were having a reception for Bebe’ T. Well, visit is a generous word, as I didn’t get to “visit” very much. I spent the majority of my time corralling Lil’ C. (“Please don’t climb on the chairs.” ** “Put down that fork!” ** “Get out from under the table.” ** “Those are NOT your presents!”) Still, chasing aside, I did get to spend some QT time with everyone, which was really nice. Bebe’ T is such a cutie! That new baby smell is intoxicating – toward the end of the visit, BabyDaddy ordered me to give him back to Ches. “I don’t like that look…” he told me. “What look?” I asked. “That sparkly, ‘I wanna’ look. Give him back!” **SIGH** Ah, well, the time for numero two will come when it comes. It was good to see them all, although I’m sure that I was not a very entertaining guest. I had a hellacious sinus headache (one of the unfortunate side effects of God’s Country), and was trying hard not to look like I was constantly squinting at everyone.

After we left the cousins, BabyDaddy and I got an unexpected treat -- A date night! Mom offered to watch the boys (my nephew was down as well), and so we scampered off to dinner and a movie. Things were going along splendidly, until about 3 minutes into the previews, when I realized that Larry the Cable Guy was sitting behind us. The rest of the movie (we watched Batman, and yes, I liked it.) was punctuated with a series of guttural interjections from Larry. First, it seemed he had a bit of a mucous issue – he spent a great deal of time hacking, snorting, and hawking, with several claps on the chest thrown in for good measure. On top of that, every car crash, fight scene, and explosion, (remember, it was Batman, so there were a lot of the above), was met with a hearty, “Day-yum!” or “Well, ‘e really got um that time!”, or “Lookit all that far (fire) – that Batman gitz um ever time…”. I had to bite my lip not to start jumping up and down and screaming profanities at him. He looked the type that wouldn’t be above starting a scene in public, and I really wanted to see the end of the movie, so we just sat it out. Toward the very end, every time he choked out another wad of whatever it was, I had the uncontrollable urge to giggle. People were being blown up, and there I was, laughing so hard my stomach was hurting. People probably thought I was nuts. We finished the movie, and luckily didn’t run into Larry on the way out.

Loving on Nanny -- notice Grampa's usual Sunday afternoon pose...

All the kiddos!

Isn't he the sweetest?

My son, the super-crazy freaking boy genius

You may have to listen to it a couple of times to understand him, but he's counting to ten!! At 19 months!! (And by the way, his super-smart mommy tried to say he missed the number four, but if you listen closely, he didn't.) :)

Welcome Home!

To my Canadian cousins -- (Hi Bebe' T!!!) I'm pretty sure you're back in the lower 48 now --It's great to have you home! Lil' C is ready to meet the bebe' and give him lots of slobbery kisses. We're planning on making the trip down next weekend, so we'll see you then!

Fun at the Fair

Seriously, where else would you see dancing pigs??

If only I could fit in a wagon and be pulled around all day...

We love cheap inflatable toys!!! And goats!!

The fan-damily

Meeting Butterscotch -- now Lil' C wants a pony!

Fried biscuits are my new favorite food....

Finally – after weeks and weeks of waiting, I got my trash on. Yesterday, we went to the State Fair! BabyDaddy and I played our “I-Spy-a-Redneck” game. (I won – I saw 3 mullets, 4 exposed butt-cracks, 2 fanny-packs, and a group of four “ladies” with bosom tattoos, cups of beer, and fluffy pimp hats.) I ate -- and not necessarily in this order -- a HUGE corndog, French fries, ice cream, grilled sweet corn, a fried biscuit with apple butter, and cotton candy. In order to achieve this feat, I ate neither breakfast nor dinner. If I had, I think my stomach would have exploded in protest. As it was, I still made myself sick. It was great! My mom and step-daddy-o met us there with my nephew. The boys sat in a wagon together all day, and were surprisingly well-behaved. Sort of. The big thing was who could touch who and get away with it the most. Lil' C would hit Kelt’s leg.. Then Kelt would hit Lil' C’s leg. So on and so forth. Other than this the only other issue was that they each had to have everything that the other had – Grandpa J had to pay for two "pick-up" ducks in order to win two batman dolls. Grandpa J also had to fight for two rubber balls at one of the shows. (He seemed to have handled the bulk of the boys’ requests, along with pulling their wagon all day.) They loved the animals – Lil' C was jumping down the aisle of stalls like a lit firecracker. Sheep! SHEEP! Baaaaa! Baaaaa! Cows! Mooo! Ducks!!! Woooooow – Cool! He fought sleep the whole ride home, and just as I thought we were going to be in for a long night, he conked out at the entrance to our subdivision. I actually had the chance to read a few chapters of my new book, and whine alternately about my feet throbbing, legs burning, and tummy aching. (BabyDaddy had the Outdoor Channel on, so I’m sure the encouraging nods, “uh-huhs”, and “I knows” weren’t quite sincere.

Back it up

Last night, I booty-danced in my car. It was glorious. It had just been “one of those days”. I dealt with impossible people, ate leftovers for lunch (blech), and listened to a man tell me the sordid details of his divorce (for 45 minutes), when all I really needed was for him to sign one blasted paper. (“And, I swear to God, I tried, I really did, but I just had it! And THEN, just when I thought we were getting somewhere, she pulled out a gun in marriage counseling...” –I’m not kidding. He really said that part about the gun!) I must have said the phrases “you poor thing”, and “my goodness!” at least three hundred times. Then he started talking about his efforts to “quit the booze”. Complete madness. So – when I got in my car, I yanked out my ponytail, rolled down the windows, and turned up the radio. When “Back That Thang Up” came on, I gave it heck. (“Girl you look GOOD when you back that thang up”…. Oh yeah, oh yeah.) Everyone should booty dance in their cars at least once a week. It should be a life requirement.