Holy Halloween!

Most people know that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I don't know why, but dressing up and begging for candy simply does not interest me. That said, as a mom of young kids I realize that I need to put on a brave Halloween face... thus we decorated our house and took part in lots of Halloween fun this year.

The boys chose their costumes without hesitation. Brady immediately wanted to be a Star Wars Captain Rex Storm Trooper (no, he has NEVER seen Star Wars) and Parker without a doubt demanded on being Spiderman.... with muscles, of course! The trip to the costume store was quick and uneventful. They both gravitated directly toward their prescribed costumes and both refused to even consider anything else.

I decided to "go big" with the costumes, allowing for months of playtime long after the candy high fades. Lucky for me we were headed to Florida... and Grandma could shorten each costume by the necessary 4 inches! Shout out to GRANDMA!

The only snag with the costume store came upon leaving. We were headed to the grocery store next, and Brady was careful to fold his costume and neatly place it back into the bag. Parker, however, refused to remove either the costume or the mask. So, off to the store we went... Brady, Spiderman and me. As you can imagine, we received lots of smiles and giggles that day. It is still EARLY October at this point, mind you. On with the festivities!



Our true Halloween activities began in Florida at Sea World where the boys wore cute t-shirts and did some trick-or-treating (pictures on that to come soon, I promise!)

Here in Atlanta, the kids headed to the ATL Botanical Gardens last weekend with Nana... Shout out to NANA who took both kids by herself! They wore their costumes proudly and had a blast! Upon their return we settled onto the driveway for some pumpkin carving, outside play and cool-weather chili!



This past week the boys each had parties at school - and they both came home with pencils, erasers, cups, toys, candy, etc. What a haul!

Then for Halloween Fun Friday we headed to the GA Aquarium with our great buddies the Pryors for an aquatic trick-or-treating extravaganza. There was almost no one at the aquarium... and the day was fabulous!



And then, the moment they had been waiting for... REAL HALLOWEEN! Our neighborhood held a Fall Festival party from 5-7, with trick-or-treating immediately following. The festival was fantastic - BBQ catering, cupcakes and cookies, live music, balloon animals, face painting, a magician show and a costume contest! WOW! Add in our neighborhood friends, and the party could have been enough. But no, we then had to disband to run - and yes, the kids ran! - around the neighborhood collecting candy.



We were blessed to again be joined by Nana and Grandy for Halloween, and they were happy to greet the little gouls and goblins while Bill and I walked with the kids. Brady, as expected, hit every house with full force. Parker faded quickly, and he and Bill headed home for the warmth and fun of more chili with Nana and Grandy. After a month of anticipation and excitement, Brady and Parker had a wonderful Halloween!





















Despite all the dressing up and candy receiving, my favorite part of the holiday was the very last hour. After the boys headed home, discarded their costumes and scarfed down some candy, unknown kids (mostly from outside our neighborhood at this point) continued to ring our bell. Each time a new group stepped onto our porch both of my boys went running and screaming with excitement toward the door.

They wanted to GIVE the candy as much as they wanted to receive it. Watching their joy in passing out candy to others, I was pretty proud of them. Maybe Halloween isn't so bad after all.

Sharks don't eat the government

Driving to school the other day Brady asked me where I was going after preschool drop-off, and I told him I was headed to vote (early, that is.) As expected, he then asked me what “vote” meant. Hmmm…. How exactly do you explain government and voting to a preschooler?

Well, I thought, he’s captive in the car for a few minutes and he’s a pretty smart little kid, so I started with the basics. And it went something like this:

“Remember in your book about the Pilgrims, why did the Pilgrims leave their old country?”

“Dunno.” This might be harder than I expected.

“Because they wanted the freedom to practice their religion without anyone telling them they couldn’t. Our country was founded on one core principle –people should be free to do what they want, say what they want, eat what they want and pray like they want … as long as they are kind and don’t hurt anyone else.”

“Oh! Like in the movie Hercules where Hades offers Meg her freedom, but Hercules has to go into the pit instead?”

“Well, kinda. But while we want to be free to live as we choose, we need a group of people, the government, to help take care of things like building roads and schools and to make sure that we take care of the environment and each other and that we follow the laws. So, every few years grown-ups need to decide who they think will do the best job taking care of our country and running our government. We get to vote, or pick, who we think the best person is for the job.” Now I'm truly doubting my attempt at this lesson.

“Mommy, big sharks can eat anything!”

“Yes, they can.”

“But sharks don’t eat government and hammerheads don’t eat people.”

“No. Sharks don’t eat the government.” I’m feeling weary. Why am I doing this?

“Mommy, I get it! God made everything. But God didn’t make the government.”

Wow – there it was. A simple statement of truth.

“No, you’re right Brady, God didn’t make the government. People make the government.”

And someday Brady’s Uncle Michael can give him a complete civic tutorial all about the importance of remembering the founders' intent of separation between church and state.

In the meantime, Music Class CD anyone?

Puppy Love

“There is no psychiatrist in the world

like a puppy licking your face.” Ben Williams

Sitting eating lunch today Parker was trying to get Jules to lick his hands, which needless-to-say I found pretty disgusting since Parker was also eating his sandwich with those doggy-slobbered hands. So, I asked him to please eat his lunch and stop playing with the dog.

Parker looked me straight in the eye, shook his head and responded with “No Mommy, wait your turn. I'm talking to JuJu right now.”

I’d like to believe that he was showing signs of respect, taking turns and overall maturing if only 15 minutes later he didn’t look into the toilet at his latest accomplishment and say, “Look Mommy! A lollipop poopoo!”

Ah well, at least someone around here is paying attention to old Jules.

We're BACK!

Greetings, Dear Readers! I apologize for the absence of updated material over the past few weeks! We have been extremely busy enjoying fall weather, choosing costumes and picking pumpkins, exploring Stone Mountain, traveling to Florida (including Disney's Magic Kingdom and Sea World!) and visiting pumpkin patches...

In all the hustle and bustle, I simply didn't feel reflective. And now that I have hundreds of unshared photos clogging my computer, I figure it was time to get back on the blogging horse.

If you've missed us (and even if you haven't), never fear, we're back!

After a teeball game a few weeks ago, we stopped in at a local pumpkin patch to search for our perfect pumpkins ... and after much decision swapping, I think we finally got 'em!

Hey Batter, Hey Batter, SWING Batter!

Brady started playing tee-ball this fall! He really seems to be enjoying it, and he's got a strong swing and a good arm. It's been fun watching him learn to bat, run the bases, field the ball and crouch in "baseball ready" pose. And his team has begun to actually play together as a team, though there are still several pile-ups per game over who can get to the ball fastest!

During games Parker sits with me in the stands and cheers, but on practice nights Parker generally wanders down to the field and entertains himself... in the dirt! While it's messy and nasty, it's also what little boys do, right? And it's nothing a good shower can't fix!

Tee-ball has been great fun, and I have found myself being an excited baseball mom. This is definitely a sport I could continue to enjoy... oh, and did I mention the donuts at the concession stand? Though that would not sway my opinion in any way.

Here are some fun pix from our season. Enjoy!

Heart and Soul

No, this post is NOT a tribute to Huey Lewis and the News!


Brady had a routine follow-up appointment today with his cardiologist. When Brady was a baby his pediatrician noticed a murmur (essentially a non-textbook sounding heart) and she sent us off to Children's Healthcare for further investigation. We have followed the murmur for several years, and it appears to be completely innocent.

At age five, the murmur is still present and still strong enough to be heard in his neck and other areas of his body, so the cardiologist today decided to perform an ecocardiogram in addition to the standard ekg. While it is clear that his blood flow increases speed just below the aortic valve , it is unclear as to why. There are no visible signs of narrowing or tissue malfunction, and the flow appears consistent and unstressed.

What does this mean? Brady has some funny, funky thing with his heart, and it's inexplainable. Diasnosis? We'll continue to follow the murmur as his body grows to ensure that the aortic valve doesn't begin to narrow, but other than that ... Keep eating healthfully, keep exercising, and just keep on keeping on.


Today's appointment really got me thinking about the best ways to keep my kids healthy. And, the answer is clear - be a good example.

So with that, I want to take a few moments to showcase the man who works hard to keep this family safe, secure and most importantly, very well loved.



Just about two years ago Bill had a wake-up moment and realized that his physical health was not top-notch. Looking forward to our future and the boys’ futures, Bill decided to tackle this situation as he does all others – head on.

He began eating better and exercising. He would get up early in the morning, wander sleepy-eyed down to the treadmill in the basement, and in the beginning, he would walk. As he began to lose some weight and strengthen his body, he began to run within those walks. And as time went on, running became easier and more enjoyable, and he found himself being rewarded with the results.

Dropping weight and lowering pants sizes, people began to really take notice. Folks who hadn’t seen him in a while would be stunned at how great he was looking, and the many compliments were both hard earned and well deserved.

Always the goal-oriented guy, Bill began to set targets for himself. It started with simply participating in and finishing 10k races, progressed to a half-marathon this past spring, and these days he challenges himself with speed-focused 10ks and another half-marathon in the coming weeks. I have watched his body and his confidence transform – and WOW, I love what I see! I don’t even mind the doubling of laundry that this creates!

Bill is healthier than I have ever known him (and that’s been 15 years!) Today it’s as if running has become part of his being, and every day when Brady and Parker see him exercising he shares that commitment to health with them.

When Bill comes home on the weekends from a 10+ mile run, he is sweaty, smelly and tired for sure, but he is also clearly stronger and renewed. I watch the faces of the boys, and the enormity of their admiration amazes and inspires me.

Brady and Parker look upon Bill with such awe and pride, and he is teaching them that it’s important and worthwhile to keep their bodies moving and healthy – not by talk, but by example. What a precious and essential life lesson!

To Brady and Parker it is clear … Daddy is a real-life Superhero.

Clothing Optional

As discussed on previous posts, Fridays are often the time for adventure – out and about experiencing and enjoying the many cool places Atlanta has to offer. Sometimes, however, Friday is the perfect day for being totally unorganized, unmotivated and unclothed! Today was one of those days.

While I did manage to thankfully take a shower, neither boy emerged from his jammies – though Brady lost his shirt and Parker lost his pants at some point during the day!

After a few morning favorites (Curious George and Sid the Science Kid), the boys were off and running. We read books. We did puzzles. We played games. All in all, we slowed down, and it felt good.

We set up some fresh paint on the easel, and the boys found themselves out there several different times during the day painting masterpieces. And, encouraged by Sid (who did an episode this morning where the kids made applesauce), we decided it would be a culinary-inspired day. Along with sprinkling cheese on our quesadillas for lunch, we made homemade applesauce. And while Brady didn’t care for the “lumpy things,” it was fun none-the-less. Of course, we owe a shout-out to Grandma (whom Brady called to get some apple cooking specifics that Mommy did not know. Thanks Grandma!)

While Parker napped Brady worked on the ever-present birthday thank you notes that he’s been slowing completing – only a handful to go! We also made a lovely birthday card for our friend Maddie, colored a few pictures, read additional books and enjoyed some one-on-one snuggle time on the couch talking about all sorts of silly and random (yet seemingly important) topics.

After Parker woke up it was time to get cooking again! We baked chocolate chip cookies and even put sprinkles on two of them for special after-dinner desserts! And to round out the culinary extravaganza, we made homemade pizza for dinner, though I think the boys shoved more mozzarella into their mouths than they sprinkled on the dough!

When Daddy got home tonight he found the boys wearing the same jammies he saw the night before (at least the pieces that remained) and Mommy dressed in comfy clothes and no make-up.

And except for the mess in the kitchen, the mess in the play areas and the mess on the deck, it felt as if time stood still today. And as I said, it felt good.

Here are some pix from the day...

Buddies at last

Parker and Danny have known each other much longer than they realize. When I met Danny’s mom, Liz, we were both toting around tiny toddlers – though their names were Brady and Clare. We met at The Little Gym through a mutual friend, and as sometimes happens in chance meetings, we actually liked each other right away. ;-)

As our friendship grew, so did the time our little ones spent together. Soon we began playing together at least weekly (if not more), lunching, playgrounding, etc. Next thing we knew, we had more to talk about – the Number 2s were on their way!

Parker was born January 31, and Danny soon followed on May 1. They spent much of their first two and half years together at The Little Gym, The Music Class, playgroups, lunch, in strollers on the trail, and being babysat by one mommy while the other was off at the doctor or some other random appointment. And now they are together at preschool as little Cubs.

Despite all this togetherness, it is a relatively new occurrence that they truly realize they are together – playing together, being creative together, talking together and laughing together.

Today as Liz and I tackled a neighborhood hike and later sipped iced coffee – together as friends – our little boys were once again thrust into each other’s company.

No longer just playing NEAR each other, these cool dudes are finally WITH each other.

Buddies at last!

Now… where exactly did our babies go?