Adam and Kim Plus One...Little Girl!

30 Month Check-Up

2011-10-19T18:59:00.002-04:00

Today we went for Reese's 30 month check-up, and she is a growing little girl!

She weighed in at 35.8lbs and is 38 inches which puts her in the 95% percentile in both categories.

Where does the time go?? I can't believe she is 21/2 years old....it seems like only yesterday she was 21/2 months old. She is so much fun to be around. Her conversations, giggles, and funny faces she makes always keeps us entertained. We were truly blessed with a little angel!

Just Chillin w/ Pup Pup

2011-08-29T19:55:00.000-04:00

Another year older....

2011-08-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

I remember when 37 was old.

Now, 37 isn't old...it's just hitting my prime. It's getting into the swing of things, hitting my groove, figuring it out, learning how to play....37 is the new 27. Right? Or no.....

I'm slightly immature for my age and I talk about things that most men my age would turn a nose up to or consider too crass. My mind is still young...my brain believes that I can run a marathon tomorrow if required but my body says no way, Jose. I can jump in the bed of a pickup standing flat footed and can jump right out but something between here and there - yeah - there.....hurts like hell when I do that. I can't eat what I want....for that matter, I can't eat what I don't want because everything lands where I don't need it to. I can't do alot of things that I used to be able to...but truth is...I don't want to do those things anymore so screw you 37.

I make it sound like I'm hurting but things do take a minute to heal now. All of the running that Kim and I have been doing lately has made me stronger but its amazing how quickly it leaves you. I ran my fastest 5K the other day and two weeks later, you'd think that I've never run before in my life. Consistency must be the goal at this juncture and I haven't been all that consistent since that 30.20 5K.

All in all, things are well at this crossroad. My life is doing fine...great wife, wonderful little girl, good job, nice house, safe neighborhood, good neighbors....I drink a beer when I want and I tinker on my 3/4 acre slice of this world. That's what this deal is about isn't it? Experience all I can and enjoy all I have? Love my wife and my baby girl and be the best man I can be....I've not been the best man in the world but I promise, like a fine wine, I'll get better with age. I don't want to sound all copy cat here but a song by Tim McGraw sums it up sometimes...My Next Thirty Years. There are so many did thats....and will start doing this. I can't keep up with it but you know, I just want to grow old with my wife, watch my family grow and start their own families and then become the coolest Grandpa on the block. I've got plenty of years to do that but the journey starts today I suppose. No time like the present to start drinking Scotch and doling out life lessons.

Or, I could kill that Bud Lite Lime in the fridge and go for a run. Think I'll pound the beer and run today. EF- You 37!!

Reesie pics

2011-08-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

So we may keep this thing running a little longer...seems as though the grandparents like it and some other family and friends too so, for now, it stays.

I would still love more traffic on this thing - NOT to make money because you can do that you know with ads. But to just have traffic. There's nothing like having a following and folks looking forward to an update. I'm not the best writer by a mile but it is nice to see that our little site is grabbing views. I'll probably spice up the colors and so on pretty soon but we'll do things slowly since August is hell month in terms of traveling more often than usual. Just part of the gig I suppose.

Ok...enough chatting. Some pics of Pooks.

The last pics in the high chair! Reese is a big girl now and sits in a booster!

Should I shut it down?

2011-07-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

So I've been wrestling with this question in my head.....should I just shutdown the blog?

For nothing more than time. I like posting, I like sharing our world with family and friends but I'll have to admit that it takes quite a dedication to this in terms of setting aside time with a clear head to document things that some folks may not really be interested in.

I don't get VOLUMES of traffic anymore but that may be because I don't post regularly. I'd love to have a blog that produced traffic in the range of 100+ hits a day but I gather a modest 25 or so and then on a big day with lots of pics, I've touched 70 or so. Maybe I should refresh the page a little....turn it into pics only and keep a hot update of it. Maybe I should talk about the blog on facebook and really push folks toward hearing what I have to say here. I mean I could really filet some folks with bad habits that I don't care for on this blog and they'd never know it.....or I could be equally as kind and they'd never know it either. Not that this is the venue for either but I've actually been trying to do the latter of late by recognizing good works vs. bad habits.

I think I've lost fringe family anyway....cousins don't check it much on either side. Friends check facebook and that's all...just the parents are the regulars and they can see us through facebook too. I never thought I'd admit it but it appears that facebook....the EVIL facebook is actually a decent tool for staying in touch. Hmmph. Whodathought?

Nothing is set in stone.....just a thought. If you like us, let me know. If you don't, let me know that as well. Maybe if I'd just be regular with updates, it would make the site more active. We'll see...

What is Reese doing?

2011-07-09T14:38:00.001-04:00

I've still got a ton of pics to post of Hawaii...But I decided to interrupt that to post some stuff about Reese and what she's up to. Besides, Hawaii seems to long ago now and unfortunately we're back in the grind of daily life. Work, Dinner, Play with Reese, put her down, Sleep, do it again....It's hard to get other things in there nowadays. The yard calls, projects around the house call, our basement SUCKS and needs work, I've started a patio in the yard, we have a massive ant problem to which I'll quickly berate Arrow exterminators - they suck, their bug killing stuff sucks, their ant killing stuff sucks even more - and I pay $85 for the joy of having these jokers spray something around my house. I swear I think they're spraying attractant because nothing dies. We've got bugs in every sink, both tubs, crawling on the floor.......Sorry. I digress but this bug thing is pissing me off.

So....while we were gone, Reese started showing interest with Nana to pee and poop in the potty. Speed up several weeks and we're running almost accident free on both poops and pees. The pee pee is money in the bank. We put a diaper on her when she sleeps but at less then 2 1/2 yrs old, she is on the pee pee wagon. The poops are getting better as well and I'm so relieved about that. If we can keep this process running, Reese will be completely potty trained in the next week or so and won't have to wear those crazy potty pants to the pool anymore!!! YEAH!!

What's even better is that she's now peeing and pooping on the insert that fits the big potty...vs. the little potty. Poo poo in a little potty is pretty rank. It's like hot chocolate cake icing. I've cleaned the little potty one good time and I'm pretty much over that. I like poop in the big potty (the water is the key) and just wiping bottoms. Honestly, I think I'd rather clean diapers over clean poop in a waterless potty.

Reese is also out of her highchair and into a booster seat at home and in restaurants. She's made a very nice transition there and has yet to be a problem at a restaurant...until she sees a White headed man. She is terrified of white haired men....not sure why but it's an issue for her.

Another change that we've hit is showers vs. baths...which is SOOOO much easier for us and she loves them. It's easier to wash her hair, its easier to clean her up and get things rolling vs. staying in the tub for 30 minutes. We love that she loves showers because bath time is a breeze now! The evenings are made easier as well because she really understands the routine. She closes all the doors, we put in the water for the humidifier, we say prayers - to hear her say them is so cute, and we give big hugs and kisses. It's an awesome routine and she knows it by heart.

I'm pretty sure that's most of the changes other than an increasing vocabulary. She's growing up and changing right before our eyes and I just hate that it's happening so fast. I want to slow time down and really enjoy this but its not going to happen. I've just got to enjoy every day to the fullest and soak up what I can.

FINALLY....the Hawaii post.

2011-06-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

Alright....My posting habits lately have been less than ideal, BUT (and I expect zero sympathy here) coming back from the Hawaiian islands and readjusting to the Eastern time zone has been a bit of a bitch this go around. Maybe it's because Kim and I are getting older...slowly but surely. Or maybe it has something to do with a little lady named Reese that we missed very badly while we were gone. Whatever the case....on Wednesday night, I finally can manage a little time to share our vacation.

This was our third amazing trip to the Hawaiian islands and all are thanks to the terrific company that I work for. When we meet sales goals and things go right....the company awards you with time and money to take a trip. I've been fortunate enough to win this trip 4 times and 3 of the 4 times....we've hit the islands. First, Oahu...what an amazing island. Full of bustle....full of life....but AMAZING sights to see everywhere you turn. Sure...there is a sense of commercialized hokey pokey but Oahu simply amazed us and we wanted more. After taking a cruise to the Caribbean the next year...we couldn't stand it....we had to go back. The second time, Maui. The locals say "Maui No Ko Oi" which essentially means that Maui....is the best. Not very metropolitan...Great scenery....nice hotels.....Country (if Hawaii can be country) but not too removed from civilization. Think of it this way....Atlanta = Oahu. It seems that the locals literally can't stand the entire island unless that's home. Maui = Adairsville and Barnsley Gardens. You have enough conveniences to make it great...but no big cities on the water like Waikiki or Honolulu.

That was five years ago. Since that time, the economy crashed and buying boats or recreational ANYTHING took a dive and incentive trips were out the door. Until this year! Our group had been dragging in the doldrums of goals. Literally half or less than what we used to be, but finally things turned around enough, goals dropped to the reality of the day, and we hit it. Kim and I debated on what to do. We had already booked the Vail trip just by saving dollars so we didn't want to ski with this trip. We froze our tails off skiing so we didn't want to do an Alaskan cruise with this trip. And finally we knew that future vacations would be Reese centered type Disney World-ish vacations for a bit....so why not splurge one last time. These pics....are our splurge. Maui is TRULY No Ko Oi.

The grounds at the Sheraton Maui....

Our room is the first floor....the last one on the left. Closest to the beach!

Looking for a waterfall on the road to Hana!

All I could see was bamboo forests.

Black sand beaches!

Shave ice....Kim says she doesn't like it.

A little tired of my sunset photo taking....to be honest, it was cool that night.

Kaanapali Beach

Cool beach access.

This will be part one....I'll load more pics shortly!!

Just a sample.....

2011-06-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

Back home....

2011-06-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

We've been idle for a little bit on the posting because we've been across the globe in Hawaii all of last week. Some fantastic pictures are coming so stay tuned.

Wedding update....

2011-06-13T22:08:00.000-04:00

So, the "Event" is over.

I kid because I care but I've had a little fun with Nicole's wedding, calling it the EVENT because she had like 30 attendants or something like that. Ok, ok....it was approximately half of 30 but still....it was more folks standing in identical outfits for something than many collegiate marching bands. I don't think I know 15 people that I could convince to stand up for me so it's a testament to the likability of this couple on both sides.

The wedding seemingly went off without a hitch. If something went wrong we didn't know it - that's a good thing. No one stood up and protested the wedding. But now that I think about it, no one really had the opportunity to argue the cause. The pastor didn't offer that option....maybe those days are over or maybe society has gotten so bold that we don't need the invite to protest something, we just do it without being told that we can. Anyway...no one complained. NO one fell....I don't think. No fights. No drunken issues. No ambulances. No fainting. Success is always in the details isn't it?

The reception was very nice. A neat little food station thingy, decent music....with the typical wedding music (YMCA, Celebrate Good Times, We Are Family, Cupid Shuffle, the Sliiiiide the Left song, two hops one time...turn it up! Every-body clap your hands.......oh, sorry...I digress.) That's not necessarily anyone's fault. I think its the cheesy DJs that do weddings these days or maybe its because at some point, the drunk aunt or cousin will request those songs anyway so just play the songs and save the argument. Not that the description fits any person, place or thing from the McGivern wedding.

I think the moving moment for me was the Father/Daughter dance - seeing that it had all the makings of never happening several months back. For all practical purposes, John (Nicole's Dad) came about as close to dying as you can come without seeing the bright light at the end of the tunnel. Too many details there but John was incredibly sick and he walked his daughter down the isle, with no hip joint in one side, and then danced with her - or more importantly hugged her while a beautiful song played. Pretty moving stuff even if you don't have a heart for stuff like that.

I met Ryan and Nicole when they were probably still in preschool and now Ryan and his girlfriend come and hang out with us like we're they're age and Nicole just got married. It's pretty crazy how time flies and how things just happen right in front of your face. Kim and I wish Michael and Nicole nothing but the best and I just hope that Nicole is as good to Michael, as Kim is to me. Congratulations guys.

Reese says Daddy....they're getting married...shhhhhhhhh.

Keeping little bit quiet during the wedding.

Very good pic of Lance and Celeste.

Rick did something to piss off Aunt Nina....just saying.

Paw Paw and Reese doing Cheesy-wheezy.

Something is on Paw Paw's face..oooooooo!

More cheesing.

Kim, Reese, and Nana.

My dancing queen.

Best pic ever.

Second best pic ever.

Third best pic....EVAR!

Chilling with Mommy.....

2011-06-05T21:30:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend....albeit hot as all get out right now.

I'd love to type up a nice update but we ran our 4 miler today and since I finished that run, I've felt like caca. Nauseated, tired, lethargic, and just icky. So, I'm posting this pic from the other night and I'm going to bed. I'll give an update later this week....when I feel not so much like hammered dammit.

Already a music nut...

2011-06-01T21:13:00.000-04:00

What an accomplishment....

2011-05-28T15:05:00.002-04:00

Adam completed his first 10 mile race today. I'm SO proud of him and how committed he was to sticking to the 10 mile race versus the 4 mile race that was the other option. He has been pretty nervous about it, but during our conversation last night we talked about finishing the the race without a concern of the time. He was extremely happy to know that he was NOT the last person to complete the race, as I new he wouldn't be.

GREAT JOB!! GO DADDY GO!!

Reese talking with all her friend and family on her blackberry telling them how proud she is of her Daddy!!;-)

Sobering Television....

2011-05-26T22:31:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that we use this blog as a platform sometimes...To prove a point, to ask a question, and sometimes to urge action. What am I saying this time? Well, I travel for a living but not like a typical road warrior. I've got a tremendous balance of home life and road life. When I'm traveling I enjoy HBO because I'm too cheap to buy it from Directv. After dinner tonight I caught about 90% of a show called "How To Die In Oregon". I recommend watching if you can make it through the whole thing.

It's an incredibly sad story about several individuals but mainly focused on a 54 year old woman named Cody Curtis. She shows grace under strenuous and painful circumstances while dealing with a rare form of what I assume is liver cancer. She gets to a point where she is of sound mind but failing body and decides that assisted suicide is her answer. She's doomed by this disease as it is....to cut short the pain of her last days seems only a blessing. I can't explain how touching it was to watch her family deal with this decision...what almost seemed like a necessary decision. The weeks leading up to her decision found her feeling oddly - ok. She had little pain, very little suffering...but the doctors knew her plight and suffering was only days around the corner. Her husband, realizing that he had to say good-bye to his wife of 36 years on a Monday evening, was supportive and loving the whole time. Knowing that once she drank a cocktail of some powerful pill that had been crushed and turned into a slurry, she would be gone in mere minutes. From outside her bedroom window, the camera caught her last minutes on earth.

How do you hug someone enough, kiss them enough, tell them how you feel enough to make sure that when that time comes...they do it with the full understanding of unconditional love and support. Could I do the same for Kim...could she do the same for me? God forbid we ever have to cross such a horrible path but I'm certain that the Curtis family would have said the same thing had they watched another family on TV do what they did. When does the pain of life give way to the pain of separation....and when does the latter seem easier to deal with?

Its very moving to see love like that. Very moving to witness that decision and the way it was portrayed. Say what you will about assisted suicide...this was an incredibly interesting documentary and it was not done in poor taste. I love my wife so very much. I've run her through the ringer over our years together. I've pushed her to her limits and all she's ever done is love me back.

I've got a keeper. She's my partner. She's the one I'm meant to be with no matter what happens in this life. I want to hug her bigger everyday, kiss her more every day, appreciate her more everyday, and support her with love and encouragement...because like it or not, our days are truly numbered. It's not that I realize that today and plan to "change" my life by watching this show, but it certainly brings into perspective what is important in this world. My wife and my little girl are my everything and I want to be the best husband and daddy that I can be....you only get one shot.

The Zoo....

2011-05-23T22:04:00.001-04:00

In the search to not only build memories but create experiences for Reese that are fun and at the same time educational....boy do we sound like the "perfect parents" COMPLETELY KIDDING.....we decided that a trip to the Zoo might be fun for Reese. The operative word is might.

I'll say this...when I write in the blog, sometimes the level of detail is such that it seems as though Reese reacted differently than she really did. Like the Luigi story. I can't possibly type words that would take you to our car that day so you could see her eyes literally grow to the size of saucers. At the same time, while thinking of descriptions for the Zoo outing...everything that I'd say would make it seem like Reese had a horrible time when in fact it seems NOW that this was quite the opposite. You remember the days of riding a ride or doing something that you were petrified of doing but after having done said petrifying thing, that was all in the world you could talk about? This was Reese at the Zoo. Everything was just a little larger than life for her and there was a level of uneasiness about the whole trip. At the same time there was also a level of tolerance that was just open enough to the idea of checking things out, but on her terms.

For instance...the Kangaroo.

She was interested for sure but you can see the clinging little girl in the bottom picture. She was a little stressed by the whole experience. Kim would pick her up to show her something and Reese would protest by saying that she wanted to get down. I'm not certain if her perspective was more comfortable or the clearer view sometimes made it a little too close for her.

In reflection of the day, Reese now proclaims that she saw GORIRRAS. And we did.

What humors me about these pics is that they resemble the Patterson-Gimlin film hoax of Bigfoot - reminder pic included...Pretty similar if you ask me but only my warped mind would link these two images. But I mean seriously, I'm not crazy am I?

Anyway....we saw Pandas.

These jokers were behind glass and Reese was still a little skeptical of the whole thing. I think stress of the day caused Reese to constantly pull up her dress...or she's turning into an exhibitionist.

This is a PG rated pic. She was putting on quite a show for some of the toddler boys in the park on Saturday morning.

Finally we took a break, ate a snack and finished off the day with tons of parakeets, some more crazy swooping birds, lemurs, zebras, giraffes, and ostriches. By the end of the visit, Reese was sort of hitting the wall. She walked the entire park and was pretty much overwhelmed from the minute we walked in and saw the flamingos. Even still, she was a little trooper with the whole thing and proves to be very tolerant of just about anything. We had her so far out of her comfort zone Saturday that she was literally stuttering most of the day...something that continued even into Sunday (when Google'd it turns out that stuttering is pretty normal for her age as her brain is outworking her mouth but she was overwhelmed as well so it should pass - we hope.)

So today, when we were playing after dinner....guess what she was talking about? The place that pretty much scared the hell out of her....the Zoo. My little scaredy-cat.

Warrior Dash 2011

2011-05-16T22:40:00.000-04:00

This.....

Is the Warrior Dash.

Athletes...drunks....hot women....not so hot women....everyday Joes.....and everything in between. It's an excuse to be a kid again on an adult playground. Complete with grown up Koolaid in the form of free beer for your efforts.This is the kind of thing that boys dreamed of while playing GI Joe in the backyard but all we had was a jungle gym. The scene is pretty awesome as the fun never really ends. You get there, a wave takes off and you watch as some suffer and then admire as some effortlessly jump everything in their path.

I will say that this year the course was longer - it had to be about 2.5 miles last year and they stretched it to a full 3 miles this time....I think they added the 1/2 mile in the form of up hill trail climbs this year but it was fun. Toughest thing for me? Coming straight out of COLD lake water and into a series of chest high walls that you jump/lumber over and then get on your knees to crawl under a board about two feet off the ground. Of course it's muddy so you do this about 6 times and I was wiped....EARLY. Then go climb a 20ft. wall and see how you feel....

Over that and up a tire climb, over a cargo net wall and down, trail run for a while, crawl on your knees in total darkness...not hard but more a test on my knees, then STOP!!!!!!!!!! Somebody got hurt going through a rope course called arachnophobia.....We stopped for about 5 to 8 minutes on the course while they cut the ropes down. It killed our times but safety first....And I needed the break. I think I forgot some cargo net thingy in there but then we slid down a watery slip and slide type thing into a muddy mucky mess. Crawl through mud with barbed wires urging you lower only to get clean in another lake, jump some logs in the water, leap a fire line and move on to the finish line.

Kim and I finished together and it was quite an accomplishment for us. We've been pushing each other so hard with running - even though it didn't help here - so to cross with Kim was cool. I would have liked to have back the 5 minutes or more that we missed because I KNOW we would have been under 40 minutes and that's pretty damn sporty for a 5K with obstacles.

You get to see some skin.....

You get to see some crowds.....

You get a fire filled starting line every thirty minutes....

And finally, you get to hang with friends.

I'm so proud of Kim because she drank a beer in celebration, she ran like a champ in less than desirable conditions, and had a great time in the process. Did I mention that she drank a beer?

I'd share the details of getting clean in a yard with an ice cold water hose but we've got to keep this PG for the kiddos. We were all sharing more than we should have been but you do what you do to get clean after something like this.

It was a great time. Shoot...we're thinking of doing the Tennessee Warrior Dash in September. It's actually close to get to Manchester, TN than it is Mountain City, GA so we're contemplating it. We're just a bunch of grown ups acting like kids again.

Revenge of Luigi....

2011-05-10T18:50:00.000-04:00

I have to share this story with everyone because it blurs the line between the humorous and that part of us as parents or adults in general that feel bad for little ones when something happens that genuinely knocks them off kilter but again….we find some humor in it.

Background….

We live in a planned community that was built in the early 80s and is still sprawling today. The community consists of about 7 or 8 neighborhoods of varying price tags but most everyone here is just middle income America. In these typical areas, you have the normal shops that pop up eager to make life easier for such a large group of homes such as grocery stores, restaurants, and specialty shops….dry cleaners, gyms, salons, etc.

One of the shops that opened near us is a Video game store. Over the past year or so, the video game store has dressed up a couple kids in various costumes in order to draw attention to this little establishment. They had Sonic the Hedgehog for a little bit and then came The Mario Brothers. Mario made it the longest because whoever took over that role, seemed to enjoy dancing. Through heat and cold Dancing Mario was out there pimping the GameStop in the strip center. It must be that the Dancing Mario has moved on to bigger things as we haven’t seen Mario in a couple months but last Sunday, LUIGI (Mario’s brother from the game) was out there. Luigi didn’t seem too thrilled about being out there. There were no fancy moves but to be fair, I think the kid wearing Luigi had just gotten out there. Maybe he needed to limber up a little.

So, Luigi is walking away from the redlight where we are waiting to turn. Reese is in the back seat sort of waving good-bye to this person. In retrospect, I don’t think that Reese realized that Luigi was indeed a character and not a person per se…..

Luigi hears a honk from a car and quickly turns back toward us, and toward the honking car to sort of do the “bang!” right back atcha sort of move…..Cheesy guys do this with their fingers and then wink….you know what I’m talking about. It wasn't malicious but sort of an acknowledgement.

All of the sudden, Reese yells in agony and Kim and I turn to see what’s going on….she has her hands on her eyes like she’s stabbed a fork in them. She’s absolutely torn out of frame over something….is it her eye?, is she hurt, did something sting her, did she pinch her finger on something…..the series of diagnostic scans take place between Kim and I and then we realize – probably instantly – that this has something to do with Luigi. Reese pulls her hands down to see if he is still there and you bet….he’s walking back our direction. I’ve never seen her react so urgently, so violently, and so completely terrified as she reacted Sunday…We…well, I was roaring inside and sort of bursting with little puffs of laughter because Kim was doing well looking like she was crying holding back laughter. We both reach back, try to coddle our daughter and then she looks over again and sees Luigi still trudging up the sidewalk. She reaches out again, arms straight out, legs straight out head slightly tilted to see her enemy and everything waving in urgent desperation…..seemingly saying…GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!

Finally the light turns, finally Daddy catches a breath that doesn’t have laughter bursting out from it, Kim settles in and is smiling/laughing/hurting from holding it all back….and little Reese breathes a sigh of relief that we’ve moved on from the corner where the Devil incarnate (Luigi) lives. We spent the next two hours cuddling with her on the couch, showing her Luigi online through Google images and reassuring her that Luigi was not going to get her and was just a guy in a costume, we showed her Halloween pictures, etc….to explain that sometimes folks dress up and this was just a normal kid dressed up.

She was almost like a clinging monkey the rest of the night. She’d randomly announce, “He no get you….He no get you” to which we would of course reply, “No way…Luigi is nice.” Then we started sort of redirecting her with stuff that would confuse her like…”Puppa? (her little doggy) No way…Puppa wouldn’t get you, Puppa loves you.” Just trying to take her mind off things.

I suppose it worked because she slept sound that night and hasn’t mentioned anything about Luigi since….but what a funny moment, but at the same time a sad moment. Funny because of her genuine and cute reaction. Sad because she was really scared and her innocence in this world is being played on. She’s scared of something now….that sucks because Kim and I are forced to manage those fears now. I suppose there are worse things than Luigi…in fact, I know there are, but as she grows up these things will be ever present. We’ll deal with it the best way we know how but I’ll need Kim to pinch me next time because this one was probably the funniest thing our little Reese has done. One day she'll scare the hell out of me for laughing on Sunday.

Happy Mudders Day!!

2011-05-08T13:32:00.000-04:00

Three Mother's Day pics.....

To my wonderful Mother - get well and get back home soon! I know you miss seeing Reese so I hope yesterday was a good surprise. My Mom has been in the hospital nursing a horrible knee issue but we're all hopeful that this process is the last one and she can return to normal living. To my Mother-in-law, Nana, thanks for watching Reese Friday so Kim and I could go on a date night and thanks for everything that you do. MawMaw and Nana are both amazing.

Thank you to my Grandmother Helen for being the most watchful person in my life. If anyone could worry about me...it has been her. Now the tables are turned and we're worrying about her. She's been in the hospital for over a month now but she may be showing signs of getting just the slightest bit better. To my Grandmother Lucille - You've been gone for a long time now but I know you would just love Reese. I know you would love Kim and you would be so proud of us. I miss you so much.

Last....Happy Mother's day to Kim. You've amazed me with your instinct as a mother and your care. You love Reese with all that you are and that makes me love you even more. You are a wonderful, wonderful Mommy and we (Reese and I) love you so much.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-04T20:48:00.001-04:00

Good updates over at.....

2011-05-03T20:01:00.002-04:00

A Year in the Life of Us....Kim has been updating like crazy so check out some daily pics of the fam over there.

Few Easter pics

2011-04-25T13:02:00.000-04:00

Mom's THIRD Knee....

2011-04-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

So I mentioned the other day that my Grandmother is in the hospital and yesterday made two weeks with some pretty intensive care. During that time, my Mom's lingering knee issue came to a head (so to speak) with a very clear sign that something was terribly wrong with her 2nd knee. A massive infection essentially came to the surface and burst through her skin just below the knee...A sure sign that SOMETHING was wrong and pure, unadulterated proof of a problem that she had been reporting to her doctors for some while now. Well, she is in the hospital tonight with eyes on taking that knee out and installing a temporary knee with antibiotics infused (I guess that's the term) and then three months later, they'll go back in and put in a third knee. What an ordeal she's been through but she's strong and she's probably weathered the worst because at least there is action taking place now...versus nothing at all. She'll certainly have some struggles between now and then but if the pain of the infection will subside, this may be a blessing in disguise and a temporary burden to get to a final resolution....I sure hope.

Grandmother's prognosis isn't tremendously better from last time but at least she has stabilized. She has some pretty serious infections and she has a lot of things working against her....she has been idle so long in the hospital that what muscle control she did have is probably slowly going away. She's too big right now but I suppose that's the Hall way...a sure reason for my big arse to keep running. And she really couldn't care for herself if she wanted to and in many ways, it seems unlikely that any of the family can care for her adequately due to some of these infections and, again, her size and lack of strength. It would be like moving dead weight as she can't pull, push, or lift much of anything. Sitting up seems to require aid right now and that just breaks my heart.

Knowing that both of them are just dying to see Reese and knowing that it could be months before Mom gets down here (we'll be up there in between, don't worry) Kim and I decided to make a little get well wish from Reese. We'll get one for Grandmother Helen tomorrow....holding this sign was a wrestling match to get a pic so just bear with us.....nonetheless......Get well soon from Reese!

Love, Reese!

Pray for my family. My Mother for healing, a speedy three months, and finally a swift return to her feet, My Grandmother for healing and for decisions that need to be made long term for her well being. My Dad because he's stretched thin just doing the day to day with both situations, and everyone else because we just need them. Thanks everyone.

Quick pics...

2011-04-17T22:13:00.000-04:00

Reese doing her new favorite smile....CHEESY-WHEEZY and then sporting the Hollywood glasses. What a ham.

Untitled by marabh1 at Garmin Connect - Details

2011-04-16T14:23:00.000-04:00

Sweetwater 420 5K results...click this link to see the carnage.

Home repairs and a baby girl on the mend....

2011-04-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

So last Monday....pretty much a week ago, a series of storms rolled through. Much like the ones that are about to roll through tonight and they left this on the back deck.........

My tent was on the deck and it pretty much took a beating so I'm not so sure the UGA tent has much more life in it after the beach trip and now a hail storm. That being said...all of that hail came from the west - our house faces west - the rain, hail, wind, deluge pummeled our western facing house with sideways rain, hail, and wind - all of that equals...........leaking single pane windows.

So, in heat that was reminiscent of June/July I decided that I'd rectify this situation on Saturday. I have glazing. I have a ladder. Done deal. Well...some one that owned our home prior to the Hall family residing here felt it necessary to plant Holly bushes in front of the house and those bushes are in front of the windows that were beaten to hell and back last week. I'll cover up! So I put on an INSULATED bib overall that should be used in 30 degree weather when it was 85 degrees. Stood on a ladder and reglazed windows while my insulated bibs protected me from the devil bush trying to scratch bloody welts on my legs. I remembered doing something like this years ago when I worked at the Fields Ferry Golf Course one summer....I had to edge sand traps and the edger was throwing sand at you like a blaster so myself and a friend working there come up with the idea to wear rubberized rain gear as protection. It worked but I think we lost about 20 lbs that day...same for me this Saturday. Not my brightest moment but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes and windows pouring water were not going to cut it.....big test tonight!

Sunday had me repairing leaks around the front door and repainting that mess too. Our front door surround looked awful and something had to be done there as well because the caulking had dried and water was trying to come in behind all of that as well.....I'm telling you, we had one hell of a flood here and any crack the rain could find....it went there. Kim and Reese played outside while I was painting and caulking on Sunday morning and Pooks had a blast with a new bubble maker and the pirate boat. She LOVES bubbles and Kim got the king daddy of all bubble blowers so Reese was in heaven. Some of the neighbor kids came over and the normal terrorizer wasn't quite as terrorizing on Sunday....a nice change that won't last I'm sure.

I mentioned that Reese was on the mend as she had been wrestling with fevers and just general ickiness all week but while I was traveling, Kim brought Pooks home looking like this.

If you didn't know my daughter and had never seen her before - you could probably assume she wasn't feeling up to speed. Those aren't tears so much as just watery eyes. Yucky nose, cough, tired.....just blah! Poor thing was in a bad way but she got better over the weekend with a pop of Benadryl and some kids Motrin.(Grape Ape) Her fevers were being knocked out by the Motrin but the Benadryl was new to our list of tools. It sort of hops her up for a little bit but then in true Benadryl fashion....she was a goner and slept pretty decent.

After getting a little better each day..Reese was back to her normal self on Sunday and I was able to catch Mommy and Pooks playing around a little so I grabbed a few candids of Mommy/Reesie time.

I caught Mommy eating on the job. Poor little Reese is busy unwrapping and working while M-O-M-M-Y was stealing a bite. Daddy sees all!

That's pretty much the updates from our end. My grandmother is still in the hospital nursing an ever changing list of maladies. Reports are that she is getting a little better but some days are obviously better than others. I think that she's got a long road ahead of her and some huge hills to climb in order to be living in her own home without some supervision. Living in what I'll call the Sunset years of her life....she has to be a little over it. I know she misses Papa, I know she misses being the Queen that he made her, I know she misses being able to do what she was once able to do...It's such a shame that our reward for a life well lived is to sort of suffer through loss....tragedy....and being alone without the one or ones that you love. The term nursing home has been brought up and I've fought back a little - even gone so far as to doubt that the right thing was being done when that was mentioned. Nursing home always brought up the notion of "being put out to pasture". Sort of put some place to dwell but not live.

I should know my role in this situation and be supportive but sometimes I have a hard time doing that. It's hard to have these conversations with my family because I don't like to hear what they're saying sometimes and questioning a decision or not understanding a view point isn't an easy thing. I have a take no prisoners type of argument style....and when pushed to a point, I'll pretty much just let it rip. I don't have a governer on my tongue so what comes out is just passion and frustration. I'm pretty level headed up to a point and then....when I've reached that point where I can't take any more of whatever it is...well, I push back. Maybe one day I'll learn a life lesson there but Kim isn't a good one to learn from. She's too damn passive and I'm a little bit more like the bull in the china shop. Kim is able to can up those emotions and put them on a shelf to deal with at a later time - in a less emotional state. Maybe I should learn to can things and learn to leave well enough alone.

Or maybe stab something in my eye....I think that would be easier.

I digress....Pray for continued healing for my Grandmother. Pray that Kim will teach me how to can emotions someday (hahahahaha) and keep some good words in there for our little family. Everyone needs a prayer now and then. Thanks!

Running, Grandmother in the hospital, and a haircut for Reese....

2011-04-03T21:55:00.000-04:00

So it arrived....with little to no GOOD training I set out to run 6.5 miles on a trail here in Woodstock at the Old Rope Mill park Saturday morning. Nerves officially sat in mid-week when I realized I had sort of over committed. I mean I can run 5Ks and not really have an issue. 3.1 miles is a safe number and I can sort of click that off with no issues. 6.5 miles is quite a different story and on top of that....on trails. I ran a strong first mile...I was almost shocked at how quickly mile 2 showed up. Then mile three rolled up and I was hitting the wall. Usually the elation of mile three has meant I'm done, I've turned in a decent time and ready to go home. Well, I hit mile three on my watch at 32.50. I felt pretty good about that as the hills were steep and I never hit a "pace" so to speak I just struggled the whole time to find my rhythm.....WALL. ADAM. HIT. Mile 3.0 to 4.waterstation KILLED me. I found some strength at 5.0 and was able to finish somewhat strong but I was gassed. Completely done for the day and blitzed for the night too. I'm pleased with my running in that I finished but now I'm really pumped to go back to this course and beat my time. I know I can....I just have to ramp up my running and make it hurt more often.

This is me toasted at the finish line.

Reese giving Daddy some love....Daddy couldn't get up after this shot!

Saturday also landed Reese in the salon to get a little trimmy trim. Her poor hair has looked like Fop for so long and Kim decided it was time for a little girl "Bob" cut. I think she looks SOOOOO much better now.

She's playing in her new Pirate water set that Mom and Dad got her for her birthday and she loved that too. She was under the weather this morning with a bit of a temp but Children's Motrin to the rescue a few times today and she was as good as new.

Finally, my Grandmother had to be put in the hospital Saturday so I went to Calhoun to see her Sunday morning. She isn't doing well and her lack of taking medicine correctly sort of landed her in ICU yesterday. I think there are other things at play here but suffice it to say, she isn't doing all that well. I worry about this all the time. She's my last grandparent still with me and it just bothers me that sooner rather than later, I could lose that. Her stats changed for the positive before I left today but I still don't know what the long term holds for her. I worry that she's ready to go home....that she's ready to be with Papa again.....I can't blame her for wanting rest and peace and love that she's always believed waits on the other side but selfishly I hate to see her weakened by age and sickness. I'd want to go home too if I were 80 yrs old but at 36, I still want her with us as long as God will allow it.

My problems at work are pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things.....Things like running a long race or playing with my Reesie in the afternoons, seeing Kim be such an amazing Mommy and having the hots for her when she doesn't know I'm looking....I suppose that's more what this whole thing is about than outboard engines not being built and customers screaming at you about it.

Pray for Grandmother, pray that Reese is feeling better Monday....Thanks all.

I may run a little more this week to escape from the problems of the world....I find a bit of peace between pants.

Crazy and tired....

2011-03-28T21:42:00.000-04:00

Crazy....that part comes from our signing up for the Peachtree Road race on July 4th.....and actually being picked to run it! They draw from a lottery and I'll be damned if we didn't get picked. The Peachtree is a 10K which is 6.2 miles but even crazier is that I'm running a trail run this weekend here in Woodstock that is 6.5 miles and I haven't run 6.5 miles in forever. I see a tired boy on Saturday! But good training for our 4th of July throwdown!

Tired....because poor Kim has been under the weather with a stomach bug and then we both were jarred awake last night to the Carbon Monoxide sensor going berserk at 1am this morning in the kitchen. Um.....what do you do with that? I mean it was 1am and pouring rain. Do you leave? Call the fire department? Open a window....what? I "think" this was a battery issue, however, I could have made the dumbest mistake ever by just going back to sleep but I replaced batteries and moved the sensors so that they were more likely to detect anything coming near us but the damage was done at that point....You don't want to go to sleep for fear of not waking up and you don't want to just lay there and think when you need to be sleeping. So a cold rain fell last night while we slept with the windows open. Genius right?

Nothing happened today with the sensors and Kim stayed here all day - poor thing was sick as all get out. When it hits her, it HITS her. I felt so bad for her this morning. Anyway....all seems to be better and Kim is slowly on the mend....and we're not feeling terrible from any gases so maybe we'll sleep better tonight.

And start training like crazy! Peachtree Baby!!

Happy Birthday sweetie!

2011-03-27T21:53:00.000-04:00

Where has the time gone?

Kim and I were coming home from dinner tonight reminiscing about the night that Reese was born. We met her at 7:15p and to our surprise, we had a very big girl on our hands. 9 lbs. 10oz and literally trying to hold her little head up from the moment that we saw her. She gulped 2oz of food before the nurses knew what to do and was such an angel that first night while everyone poked and prodded on her. We were so nervous in that hospital room that night. I think every time she let out a whimper, we raised up to check on her....we slept like junk but we were so happy to have this little girl in our lives.

Fast forward two years and she's talking to us, she plays with us and makes us laugh so much. She is truly a blessing from God and Kim and I love her more than words can properly say. She's a ham when she wants to be, she's bossy sometimes, she laughs big and plays big....she is such a wonderful little person and I'm better off because I know her. If I didn't live with her, I'd want to....I'm so lucky to be this little girl's Daddy and I want to get better at this every day. I'm also lucky to have Kim because she is responsible for so much of the way Reese responds to challenges and the way she reacts with happiness and manners....yes manners at two. She says Thank you all the time and Kim introduced manners from the beginning so she understands it to a degree and doesn't act like we're putting her out to say these things.

So many kids buck authority and push back - and Reese does from time to time as well - but Kim has the patience of Job and stays the course with love, discipline, and more love. I've rarely seen Kim frustrated with Reese and that unconditional love is the main reason that our little girl isn't a hellion......yet. Sure, these are the "terrible two's" but we're not going to doom ourselves to that fate. These are the TERRIFIC twos, the TREMENDOUS twos.....She's a little girl learning the world around her. What can be so terrible about that. Kim will have to drag me along but her positive leadership and parenting is beyond compare....she was really made to be a Mommy.

All of that aside..today is about our little girl growing another year in life. Learning, loving, laughing and being our little pooks. We love you so much Reese. You've changed our lives so much for the better and I can only pray that your life is a charmed one. No challenges, no fear, no hurt, no tragedy.....I pray for a life that is full of opportunity and love. Happy Birthday punkin....Mommy and Daddy love you.

Kimmy did a 5K!

2011-03-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

We're really trying to get in shape and part of that plan is running 5k races and building to 10ks. As an example, I went online today and signed up for the Peachtree Road Race this year. It's a lotto system but I'm hoping that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE...we'll get picked. Another example - Kim just completed her first 5k this weekend. She ran the Eagle Mountain 5K which was put on by the Etowah High School track team to earn dollars for track equipment. A decent enough investment but they really should get the word out a little more. I'd estimate 75-100 people ran the race and half of those entrants were track kids that run like scalded dogs. I've been to about 5 different events so far and this was by far the fastest and least attended race of them all. I'll take a stab in the dark and say that of the estimated 100 runners, 70 finished below 30 minutes. Figure that out in your head - 10 minute mile pace equals 6 mph for the entire 3.1 miles...and you need to ratchet it up a little in there to beat the 30 minutes because of the additional tenth of a mile. Run that on a treadmill and you'll see why both mine, and Kim's aspirations of sub-30 minute 5Ks is pretty tough. 70 flipping percent ran FASTER!!! By alot in most cases!!!! Eh well.

The time was unofficial but Kim crossed the finish line just under 36 minutes. I'm so proud of her for doing this as this is a huge milestone for a non-runner. This will get in your blood and make you competitive and make you want to run harder. Here are some pics from the morning out....

Good morning sleepy head! She looks race ready.

It's a sunrise morning on the Etowah campus.

Kim mingles in the race crowd.

Little sprinter and Kimmy pose for a pic.

Reese using her "bull horn" to cheer on Mommy. This is hilarious when she does it.

Future track star?

Kim....upper right....kicks it to the finish line on the track.

We had a great time and Reese was so patient during the race. She had a good time running around the track while the race was going on and yelled for Mommy when we could see her. Kim was loaded with energy after the race and proceeded to kick my butt in the yard for the remainder of the day. Luckily for the both of us Reese takes a nap and I was able to get a little shut eye to make up for the early wake up on Saturday.

I've got more to cover this week including Reese's 2nd birthday and some musings from the road....I travel and think of things worth blogging or griping about and then put humor into them because I could never make it if I didn't laugh it off. Later folks.

Japan....

2011-03-16T20:54:00.000-04:00

I've been struggling with the idea to post something about the disaster in Japan because it is uniquely important to me and my family. I work for a Japanese engine manufacturer and I have a decent understanding of where some of these things are happening but I suppose anyone could do so by looking at Google Maps for any period of time. The long and short of it is that I travel for this company, I'm away from my family for this company, I've given almost ten years of my life to this company, and I love what I do. It sucks some days...I get upset with my boss some days....I get stressed out some days, but I never have to hold my head down and sell something that I don't believe in. I appreciate the civility of the Japanese people. They are very structured, traditional, and conservative people. They believe in respect and they will give up something of their own to help someone in need. Yes of course....there are just as many of these people in the U.S. but there are ZERO reports of looting in Japan, there are ZERO calls for the Government to come and save them, there are ZERO areas of blame outside of the issues with the reactors that - in my eyes - can't be averted. I mean Jesus people...the island moved nearly 8 freaking feet. Stuff is bound to happen.

I say all of that to say this....please say a prayer for these people if you haven't already. Not because I work for them. But because they need it. I know we live in a Buy American society and that truly does help our country. But this is a global economy - like it or not - and they are a tremendous ally to the U.S. They provide a way of life that wouldn't exist without their technical prowess....Flash memory, Flat panel TVs, Automobiles, motorcycles, boats, motors, toys, computers, lights, phones, routers, servers, on and on and on.

We need them to be ok and they need prayers. Thanks all.

One year ago....

2011-03-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

Almost one year ago to the day....so much has changed with Reese. She is so talkative, so interested in helping or just being involved. She's pretty much feeding herself all the time now but we help her from time to time. She isn't working on the potties nearly as much as I would like her to but we'll get there. She seems so much more willing to try things now but in trying things she's also learning fear and to sometimes be afraid of things. I hate that she's losing that innocence of being a baby and having to learn what fear is but that's just life. She's not a fan of the dark, she doesn't like to be without you for too long but she's fearless on the steps and trusts us 100% because she'll just lean forward and fall off the steps expecting us to catch her......that's pretty much like a heart attack for Mommy and Daddy.

She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she loves to sing, she loves controlling the TV while lying in our bed and she loves to crawl all over Mommy and Daddy any chance she gets. She loves to sing, laugh, play, and dance. She makes life so much better.....so much more fun. She's almost two. She's changing right before our eyes.....this time is going by too fast. I already miss the little girl in this picture but I'm having so much fun with the little girl from yesterdays post.

I hope I light up her life as much as she's lit up ours.

Huh?

2011-03-08T22:55:00.000-05:00

The post title and the pic have nothing at all to do with one another but I try to link the titles to the post in some way and the tie in here is......drum roll......still can't hear all that well. YEAH!! The Reader's Digest version is that left ear has essentially gotten no better and late last week, my right ear started acted like it was going to clog. Finally Sunday night, it did. I woke up Monday morning with about 50% overall hearing overall and with a right ear that was clogged something terrible. THIS was the line in the sand. Once I arrived to the office I began the process of getting a referral to an ENT locally. By mid-day I was able to obtain the referral but through nothing more than fear...I did a couple of those hold your nose and swallow tricks and it helped a little bit. Later in the evening I did a really good nose blowy thing at the house and damn near blacked out. I blew something out of kilter because my ear made a squeaky farty noise and I then discovered that the TV was incredibly loud! My right ear opened up completely! Nothing on the left side but I could at least hear ambient noise or things with a low hum.....the dishwasher, the dryer, our fans, anything like that just couldn't be heard earlier in the day but now I was not as scared.

So....ENT appointment today. The Dr. was super dry and pretty much to the point. He looked in my ear and made some comments about fluid behind my right ear drum and inward pressure on my left ear drum. He then sent me to an audiologist to have some hearing tests run. This young man couldn't have been 25 and he was a doctor. I started re-evaluating my sales career as this young fellow was called Dr. and he was at least 10 years younger than I.....who knew that you could be an audiologist and be called a doctor? Anyway....I highly recommend Brian Regan at this point because he does a great skit on hearing loss. The part about the hearing test is so relevant to my situation. I swear this kid was screwing around with me saying words that didn't exist. They test the right ear, then the left, then both, then they put something outside of your bad ear and on the bone behind your ear so you can hear things through your skull.......huh? Yeah, Junior said that I would hear the sounds through my skull bones and that would cut out any issues that my middle ear was having. Oddly enough, Dr. Spanky knew what he was talking about as I could actually hear BETTER with the audio thing outside my ear. Crazy.

So the end result was more dope, more nose spray, continue working the NetiPot magic and just be patient. In other words it will get better sooner rather than later. Not really the answer I was looking for.

Poor Reese is tired of repeating herself for Daddy's sake and so is Mommy. I'll come back later in the week with a Reese central post but for now, I'm tired and ready for bed. Good night all. I can't hear the crickets but I guess that's not such a bad thing.

Weeknights....

2011-03-01T20:57:00.000-05:00

Just chilling with my girls.

Ahtsiiide.......

2011-02-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

Trying to type the way Reese sounds is tough some times but that's supposed to say OUTSIDE. Reese's favorite place right now and her favorite word.

This weekend was a nice preview of spring - albeit a little too warm in February for my tastes - I know I'll catch grief for that but February is still winter....it should feel like it to a degree. 75 degrees is not winter time weather and it really isn't spring when you think about it. I'd like some 60's for a change and a nice breeze to go with it...today was just a little too warm a little too soon but it was still nicer than 30's. I guess I want perfect and its hard to find here in North GA.

So, updates. I ran the Guns and Hoses 5k this Saturday and did ok. I ran a 32.30 and I was pleased with that since I haven't really ran outside in a long time and on top of that, I haven't run a complete 5k distance in a while. I need to get back on the horse and this was the first step. Kim walked/ran the Towne Lake Loop which is about 4+ miles when I got back and then we proceeded to spread about 60 bales of pine straw in the afternoon. All of that = whipped Kimmy and Adam on Saturday.

Sunday had us going to Cartersville for a lunch with Kim's cousin who is back from Afghanistan on leave or break...not sure the technical term. Reese did very well today and I learned how to sew a button on a shirt from Kim's Aunt Nina......Kim couldn't sew something together if you put a gun to her head and any attempt at a button looks like FOP when I do it so I learned from a pro today. Pretty easy and that's one thing off my bucket list.

I've got alot of worthy photos to post from this weekend but just please accept apologies for the blue hue to the outside pics....Adam was playing with the white balance earlier in the day and it screwed up the pics and I've 'fixed" them as best I could.

enjoy....

See that blue hint? It was horrible until I dorked around it the pics in Picasa....anyway....here are pics from this evening with Pooks playing with us in the floor and one from the car ride to Nina's....seepy baby.

That's the run down folks. Nothing crazy but just a great weekend with the little girl. ON top of that...today is her 23rd month with us. One more month and Reese will be TWO!!!!!!! Where the hell has the time gone? Happy 23rd month sweetie.

Hey....so guess what?

2011-02-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

I can't hear again. Completely gone....nothing....nada. Even laying upside down is useless this time. I attempted a few days ago and Reese joined in of course but nothing...no relief.

Even more concerning this time is the complete lack of any significant hearing in my left ear vs. last time when I could hear something...faintly. So, this makes life interesting with a little girl that is learning to talk. Two year old jibberish becomes non-identifiable mumbles quickly. I'm sure Reese is tired of me saying, "what sweetie?" or "Huh?", "Say again...". Yeah, I'm tired of this mess. The Netti doesn't really provide relief and I take a cocktail of meds to clear my head to no avail. I think I need to jam something in there to stir things about but then I'd have to pick Kim up off the floor from the sight of something jobbed into my ear.

On to different things.....Reese updates.

This little girl is the copycat queen now. Everything you do....she'll do. If you say it with any amount of inflection....she'll catch it and repeat it. Having her say Hippopotamus back to you is hilarious. HIP-PPATOMOSAMUSES.....SES. It's good for hours of fun.

It's so much fun to communicate with her now. We don't just talk to her...she finally talks back and it's in context to the conversation which is amazing. She's pretty demanding though. I'm not sure where the bossi-ness comes from but she is a take charge kind of girl and wants things a certain way. We give her some leash with that to a degree but we make sure to reign her in before she gets too much attitude. We don't want a diva on our hands.

I think the best things that she's said is "I love you Mommy, or Daddy". Yeah, she may be repeating something but its the best thing in the world to have her say those words. Being a father seems more real right now. She needs me for things but she wants me to do things for her as well. She needs me to prep dinner for her but she wants me to rub her feet or scratch her back (believe me...she loves both). She needs Mommy to keep her safe but she wants Mommy to hold her when she's scared. Those needs are more real than ever but the fact that she wants to be near us or that she wants to spend time with us....is priceless. You can't get that from a dog or a cat. You can't find that kind of love just anywhere....it almost has to come from a child and what a gratifying feeling it is. I know it won't be like this forever and part of me wants to bottle this time to keep for a lifetime because she changes so much day to day.....but I guess each age or situation has it's rewards or pitfalls so we'll just keep moving forward.

She's growing up on us....she's not even two but it'll be four and then eight, and then sixteen......ugh. I wish she could stay small forever.

Thoughts from the dentist's chair.....

2011-02-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

Today is a holiday for me....lucky yes....somewhat of a yuck day...yes again.

I didn't start my holiday with a biscuit from Family Tradition or a donut from the local bakery. I didn't sleep in and I haven't been watching Regis and Kelly. Nope, I went to the dentist and for my troubles, I can't feel my face.

I'm difficult to numb and on my last visit to the dentist, they tried for almost an hour to deaden my jaw for a simple filling but my body was hopped up on Caffeine and that is a no-no when trying to deaden your smile. Today, I went in only armed with a chocolate milk from this a.m. and no food. They popped me three times and now, I can barely blink my right eye. My lip feels as if it is swollen from a fight, my tongue feels like its not part of my body and like a left over piece of flank steak that I've been chewing for the past two hours. I want to enjoy a lunch but it would appear that I may be sipping a milk shake for lunch today.

I need to be doing things around the house but I think Novacaine has an adverse affect on my desire to do anything as well. I think my "want to" is numb as well. I think I'll head for the couch and rest for a bit....and maybe swallow my tongue.

Been a while.....

2011-02-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

Yes....I'm delinquent on posting but I have good reasons. Since we've been back from the ski trip, I've been dead tired every night. Then, I traveled to Miami this week for the Miami International Boat show and I've just been behind on posting anything. But mostly tired....those mountains just pulled the life out of me!

ANNNNNND yet again....I'm borderline sick. Again.

This has been the worst winter and a few days in Miami just made it harder to absorb that February is still here. I'm actually ready for heat again. Sweltering, unbearable heat. I hope this summer is one to write the records for heat waves because this winter has absolutely killed me with sickness and general yuck.

The semi break in weather has put me on the Egg again cooking burgers, Pork butts, ribbies, and Italian sausages. I just love my egg and I can honestly say that this is one of the best investments that we've made in a long while...Kim even likes it and loves that food that we're cooking on it. Nuff said, the CFO approves of the capital expenditure therefore future projects "could" be approved. I'm thinking blender now....Blendtec baby.

The pic above is from last weekend and the 18 hour slow cooking Boston Butts. Slow cooked pork is the best!

So a few updates on Reese. The kiddo loves to sing. She is singing Twinkle Little Star, Old McDonald, One Two Buckle My Shoe, Happy Birthday, The ABC song, Ring Around the Rosie, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Little Ducks Out to Play, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Your Boat.....I mean seriously, this is out of no where. One afternoon she just started belting out a tune and it was pretty much spot on. Sure, she mumbles some of her words but all in all, I'm so impressed with all that she has memorized. Her vocabulary is really exploding now and she is having miniature conversations with us. It's hilarious to hear her bark orders at us like, "MOMMY sit!" or "Daddy! Play bocks"....(blocks). She is so demanding but she does it in such a nice way. You can't help but laugh at her.

We haven't been video people but Dad gave me this little webbie camera that actually takes pretty good video and we've just started to use it more and more. Today we were looking back at video that Dad took around her baptism when she was around 8 months old and the changes are so dramatic. It's funny to see her sitting there sort of yelling something but having no idea what she wants but look at her now and she is telling us what she wants. It's so amazing how time just escapes us and now a baby that whimpered is a toddler that talks.

She's such a happy little girl right now and we're just so lucky to have her. I've got some planned updates for later this week so I'll hit the creative vein then....Right now, I'm tired again.

Vail....part 2

2011-02-08T23:21:00.000-05:00

So I was talking about dropping into a Bowl and regretting it.....well. This is what a Bowl looks like.

Does it sort of make sense that Bowls are big and deep and steep and and and .......Get a little perspective with me. Look at the last picture. There is a natural center to the mountain and it forms a V...right above that V are two specs.....those are skiers. Oh and this is midway through the run on this particular Bowl. Vail has four bowls on the backside so you can understand where the vast terrain comes in.

Here are some more pics from this beautiful side of the mountain.

Lance at the top of China Bowl

Looking into part of Sun Up Bowl

Me in the middle of China Bowl

This is me taking a break in the Siberia Bowl on Bolshoi Ballroom....a long steep, powder run...Black Diamond baby...that's how Lance and I roll.

I've sort of been telling this tale with pics to accurately portray the times but now I've gone and mixed days with me in the bowls so here is the deal. I'll tell the tale and then put up pics that tend to correspond to the day or area as close as I can.

Day 1 in the bowls....Sun Up Bowl specifically....a disaster.

Day 2 in the bowls...China Bowl is groomed.....ah...the sun is out, I can see better...we ski better.

Day 3 in the bowls....Siberia bowl is powder and steep....and we're better at handling things.

That's sort of the tale for the bowls with Lance and I. I think the real story in all of this is how well the girls did but on top of that....the cold. Wednesday the high never got into positive digits. Thursday morning the low was -30 F. I mean really? Is that necessary?

I'll end this relatively short post with a series of front side pictures and then espouse about the cold and the experiences on the front side of the mountain on Vail part 3.

Tons of fun folks.....

I'll hit the high spots of the slopes on the front side and have a little fun with the pains of skiing later this week.

Hope you enjoy the pics.

Big Honking Update......

2011-02-07T23:20:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I updated the goings on with the Hall Clan. Well it just so happens that we've returned from an EPIC trip (not sure why folks use the word EPIC so much lately and why its always in caps but I didn't want to be left out)...........to Vail, Colorado. Story and pics in abundance follow!

This trip was planned back in the fall and the idea all along was that little Reese would spend the week here with Nana - either at our house or hers. That little fact alone caused some unrest with Kim and I....not that we don't trust Nana with Reese but there is a sense of - Will Reese behave? Will she be ok away from both of us for so many days? Will she go bonkers on Nana and drive her up a wall? I was going to be ok with the process because I travel all the time anyway but when I leave, Kim is there and Reese is at the house with familiar things. This time would be different though...even I was uneasy. So we packed up the world on Sunday night and took Reese to Calhoun....

This is for five nights. The entire back of my truck was full. Pack and play, high chair, food, sippies, clothes, toys, lovies (Puppa and Elmo), POTTY....I mean everything we could think of, we sent. I'm fairly certain that being removed from familiar things was not going to be an issue once we took a look at the situation.

We had a great meal with PawPaw and Nana and then put Reese to bed Sunday night. We left our little girl for a week long trip for the first time since she was born and this Daddy found it to be harder than I had imagined. Kim was strong...I was sort of weak. Oh well....

When we arrived in Colorado....it didn't look like this. (although we did get this amazing day later in the week...keep reading)

It looked like this.....

Cloudy. Gray. Cold...ish 33 degrees. Light winds. But still different than home. I think we were all expecting mountains and snow but what we got at Vail put this little pic to shame. The flight was non-eventful...sometimes you get those horrible flights that are packed out and other times you get half empty flights. This was a half empty flight where Kim and I were able to sit in a three seat row and sort of spread out. We were jipped the Westbound movie from our friends at Delta but that was ok. I listened to some old school iPod tunes courtesy of my very first iPod coming back to life recently. I digress....

We take our shuttle into Vail, CO which was about 45 minutes from Eagle County Airport....better than riding two hours from Denver but probably some missed scenery as well. We were the last stop and we were a little skeptical about our accommodations. They dropped us off but we couldn't really find a check in place. Oh, and it's a little colder in Vail than at the airport. Probably around 20-ish degrees and we're looking around for a check in desk.....nothing.

We FINALLY find the place to check in...tucked into a building we thought we'd never find and came back to a very reasonable place!

Lance liked the bear ottoman. I think he took it home.

Our view from the room was nice as well...

The first pic is from the balcony....where we had plenty of fire wood. The other pic is from a bedroom window looking into a portion of Lionshead Village and behind the buildings in the pic are the slopes. From this vantage point, things look steep and it also makes the mountain seem somewhat small in terms of trails. Um, no. Bad guess.

The next pics sort of drive home that steep mentality...the girls were trying not to soil themselves looking at this mountain before us.

You essentially see only three to five runs from here. That was just a portion of what was available to us. We decide to eat, chill, and prep for Tuesday morning...skiing at Vail baby!

Kim bundles up in the room....a process that deserves it's own post and will likely earn one. Not just her but all of us....what a task.

This is our first views at the top of the Eagle Bahn gondola. It was cloudy and cold and the view was borderline impressive. We had no idea what was hidden behind clouds but we felt sure we would get to experience it later.

We spent most of the morning getting our feet underneath us. We were just trying to remember what to do and how to do it....we've not been on a mountain in four years and on top of that, this is Colorado and not West Virginia! We needed to take baby steps. We hit a few beginner slopes that gradually turned into intermediates. We stayed with the girls for several hours and then stopped for a break. We asked this nice lady about how to navigate to some additional intermediate slopes and we essentially got lost. Things aren't mapped out all that well when you have no idea where you're going and we ended up "mushing", walking, dying, whatever you want to call it over this ridge that was not meant to be climbed with our equipment. It sucked. The first opportunity we had to bail onto a track....we did. I went first and sunk into soft powder immediately. I just cut a swath across the hill and turned to see where the others were......

This isn't a highly traveled section of the mountain and so it isn't easy to navigate. At this point, it looks like Kim is the only one successfully making it down the hill.

Somehow, Lance had gotten around Kim but she was resilient.....plowing the whole way down the hill. Celeste is in the background struggling to get her skis back on....she ended up walking down.

Same little road, same time basically....Lance is tired and I'm wondering where the wives went?

Later in this series of events, I dive off into the bowl that would be to the right side of this pic...my left. I thought the girls could do it. This road seemed to not have enough drop and we were all tired of mushing.....so I dropped in. Surely the girls could do it. I have never been so glad that they didn't in all my life. The vertical drop was terrifying. The steep grade was compounded by the deep powder that I just simply have not skied in much at all. That made for a cocktail of scared Adam going down this bowl....Kim and Celeste would have killed me had they dropped into this mess. Lance and I both tested ourselves that afternoon and decided that we needed to get a little more practice before we dive off into another steep bowl again.......

Part Two on Tuesday!

Thursday = 22 months....

2011-01-26T22:25:00.000-05:00

I was just asking Kim where two years have gone? Where in the world did the days go? I can remember coming home from the hospital with her and being scared as hell and then the weeks and months that followed simply seem like a blur now....22 months later and our little girl dances to a Toto concert that I was watching on the 101 tonight. (101 is a Directv channel that runs alot of concerts....and I was only watching it so I could hear Rosanna and Africa. After that, I was going to be done. That's the God's honest truth. I'm not a closet Toto fan.)

Reese is trying to potty for us more and more. She used it tonight and we had a little success with her and threw the normal party, she takes her sippy's after chugging chocolate milk (once known as Nook) and puts them in the sink without being told to. She uses a coaster of all things! She can put the right shoes on the right foot...when she wants to. And when she messes up (rarely) all you have to do is tell her and she fixes them. She eats vegetable soup and Italian like its her last meal. She's also like her Daddy and a fan of the Mexicali!!!!Ay Ay Ay!!!

She repeats everything you say...but I have yet to hear her utter a bad word. I know I jinxed myself but nothing yet. Pretty good considering the company she keeps around here. Her Mother has a mouth worse than a sailor....haha. Uh...maybe that'd be her Daddy again. She sleeps so well, she wakes up in such good moods, she LOVES LOVES LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and is a hoot when she does the Hot Dog Dance at the end of the Clubhouse. She pooches her lips now when she dances like "Aw yeah...look at me." She is all up and down the stairs, she washes her hands when we let her...it can be a 10 minute ordeal because she loves to just play in the water. She's jumping and actually leaving the ground now. She is mastering more and more words every day and uses them in sentences very well. When we get on to her about something she'll try to work us by smiling and saying "hi Mommy, Hi Mommy, Hi...Hi Mommy" and just smiling and squinting her little eyes. She thinks we're suckers but we're on to her.

Her favorite thing to do that we sort of don't like is to "Pay bocks." or play blocks. Playing blocks means getting my big butt in the floor and rolling around to play with her blocks but we like it....I just need to shed some pounds so rolling isn't so exhausting. She can say her AB's, counts to 10, sings the Monkey on the Bed song like a champ, and all sorts of other things that just blow our minds. 22 months.....what an amazing time its has been with her and I just want many, many years of joy and good health for her. She is such an amazing blessing and we love her so much. Happy 22 months Reese! Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Updates...

2011-01-23T22:25:00.000-05:00

Well another weekend is over and I think Kim and I are sort of sitting here asking what the hell just happened to our two days off? I was fortunate enough to have another four day work week but I made up for it with massive amounts of work to do during the week...In fact I enjoyed having tons to do so much that I decided to share some with this coming week as well. I'm just that kind of guy...what can I say. Suffice it to say that regardless of my lack of a full week (in numbers at the office) I was plenty ready to chill at the pad but it just seems that Sunday night gets here quicker and quicker.

The weekend wasn't anything spectacular but I was able to complete some to do list stuff in the basement (Installed two new doors and re-insulated everything around them) checked off the list. I can actually already tell a difference down there as most of the heat was escaping into the garage because the doors were just horrible. Interior grade doors in a situation that really called for Exterior grade...just another issue with this house that should have been addressed years ago. Papa and Mawmaw stopped by yesterday to pick up his table that I built for his Big Steel Keg, I hung door number 1, and then we went out with Lance and Celeste. Today was another round of door hanging, a longer stint with Papa and Mawmaw, and a little playing around with Pooks this evening.

Reese is really becoming her own little person right now....her sentences are getting longer and her comprehension is getting better as well. Sometimes I think Kim and I sort of pinch ourselves at what she understands and what she is able to do now. She's also into being a little ham for the camera and she's starting to show a bit of an impatient side when it comes to getting things her way. She doesn't throw a fit by any means but she will certainly raise her voice a little and get a little gruff in her voice to emphasize that she isn't messing around. When she does that, its all Kim and I can do to keep from laughing but we politely remind her to calm her nerves and we'll get to the situation that is confronting her....it really is funny though.

I had a little fun with the camera tonight and of course, Reese was glad to oblige with some CHEEZ pics.

This is the smile with my eyes closed and wrinkle my nose look....

Similar look but with the head tilted slightly and hair in a ponytail....

The lean in and scrunch the face look again...with Daddy puckering for a smooch.

The "I'm gonna get you sucka" from Daddy and Reese working the charm....

Rocking the pony tail....she looks so different with it. Too grown up looking!

This is a phone in the ear...I'm sure I'll get enough of this as she gets older. It's just a dead cell phone we let her play with but she's showing signs of loving the phone....oh boy.

And finally...just being cute.

Relief.....

2011-01-18T22:34:00.000-05:00

I have a copy cat.

The next question is why would I be hanging upside down off of the couch? Well....My left ear is congested. It's been this way for more than two weeks now and I'm pretty well miserable. I can't hear anything out of my left ear and the only relief....Don't ask how I found out....is to hang my head nearly upside down. I can literally feel the pressure in the ear open up and my hearing returns to probably 80% of normal. When I sit up...the hearing goes back to probably 30% of normal and clogs with pressure again. No fun.

I went to the Dr. for THIS ailment more than a week ago and they really didn't give me much. I got some nasal spray that is supposed to open my up and allow the congestion to release but to date....nothing. I got so desperate the other day that I went and finally bought a Neti-pot and tried it out just to see if that might help. Let me tell you how much of a fan I am of the Neti-pot! I thought that would be the devil and just some snot induced, nastifest. It turned out to be easy and MOST effective at clearing my nasal passages but not so much on my ears.

So back to the couch where Reese joins me for a little upside down time.

She is so much fun right now.

CHEEEEZ

A LOOOOONG week.....

2011-01-16T21:45:00.000-05:00

And there is still snow on the ground! A week ago almost to the minutes, I was doubting whether this much talked about snow storm was going to hit and now a week later...snow still lays in spots of my yard. It took a 50 degree day today or the whole yard would still be covered. That's pretty amazing if you ask me.

The neat thing about snow in the south is that you find out things about people. Some folks have an incredible work ethic and will be where they need to be...when they need to be there. Others.....not so much. Some people are genuinely scared to get out on the roads for fear of wrecking or in constant worry about the other drivers. Some folks literally become stupid once the wheels start spinning.

I'd say that we didn't have it all that bad but seeing our "metro area" sort of shut down and wait on the City, County, State, WHOMEVER to come by and take care of things really sort of scares me. I get it that snow plows are needed and the response could have been quicker but the hide out in the house mentality just doesn't suit me. Case in point, I left town on Wednesday and traveled part of my territory and came back home...In one piece! No scars and no worse for the wear.....but adequately ashamed of our previously mentioned government services for allowing a small snow to kill the city for a week.

Last night, Kim and I went out with some friends to see comedian Brian Regan. It was a great night and Papa/MawMaw watched Reese so we could go out on our little date night but what struck me as funny was that even though there was still ice on roads....the restaurants that we passed were BLITZED with people. I guess its too tough to get out Monday through Friday but once Saturday rolls around well that's ME time so I gotta get out and get a steak. Yes, yes....I'm being a bit of a smarty but I've heard some doozies this week so pardon me while I have a little fun.

I've attached a few more pics of Reese from the snow to sort of signal the all clear sign and the OMG I'm tired of snow buzzer as well. We've got some pics to update so I'll try to do that Monday - oddly enough I get another Monday off because of MLK Day. I may work a full week sometime in June!

This is the "Daddy...I'm not really enjoying this," pose.

Candid pic trying to get Reese to look at me...rather than stare off into space looking at falling snow!

Happy Reese! Ready for spring with flowers on her shirt.

More snow pics....

2011-01-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

In reality...this was probably Reese's fourth or fifth snow fall since she's been alive. I mean we've had two ground covering snows in just four weeks but this one just seemed to be the one to test her desire for snow. I think she likes it!

it started like this...around 10pm

Then about 20 minutes later....

Then another 30 minutes.....nearly two inches

My buddy Steve tried to get out in it and drive around.....um, maybe that was a bad idea Steve-O

Of course I had to make the obligatory UGA and Little UGA pics....I need to make a calendar with these guys and the season changes. Maybe I can sell it and make a million....

Our streets on Monday morning. Normally flowing with buses and cars heading to work.....Not January 10th. Everyone was chilling at the casa this morning.

Let me vent for a minute now.

This is our blog and not a "Facebook" type of venue but then again I have to watch what I say because folks from work do read this blog so I'll be completely honest but respectful.....Our process at my office needs some serious tweaking for weather related events. We may get two of these events per year...if that....But to simply ignore that a process is required is nuts. This pic was taken around 9.30am after about an hour of texts and checking about the work situation. I'm essentially outside, taking pics not only for myself but in some form of justification that no one else was out there either. I'm being pretty tame but C'mon folks....let's have a plan in place next time?!.........off the soap box now. Isn't the street scene pretty....awkward silence follows from the co-worker group.

So after declaring a "mental health day" or snow day....we decided to wrap Reese in everything we could find and take her for a walk in the snow.

Reese was hesitant but as we walked into the cul-de-sac, she opened up and started having a good time.

I need to crop out the trash can to make a better overall pic but this is just a great picture of Kim. She looks so hot in her little snow outfit and her new boggin/cap

Despite loving this little red toy thing on dry land....Reese didn't much care for the idea of sledding down a hill.

Andrew showed Reese how to do things but I don't know that she was feeling the whole jumping down the hill bit.

Sometimes you try to force the pic and sometimes it just happens....this is one of those where it just happened. What a cutie.

And this one....this is like the pic in front of the Christmas tree or the little face at Burt's pumpkin patch the first time we took her. All of the sudden, a split second in time becomes a picture that we'll treasure for a lifetime and bond a Mommy and little girl for years. What an awesome picture.

January 10th 2011....Reese's first play day in the snow.

Whenever God closes a door, he opens a window......January 10th was a great day to spend with Reese and to cherish her little smile, her laugh, and the new experiences that she'll remember all of her life. I also remember January 10th.....Some dates just stick in my mind better than others. I can't clearly remember when Grandmother's and Judith's birthdays are....I'm ashamed to admit it but I just get confused and they've just been close enough that I could wing it. Sorry GMa and Sis! I don't remember the exact date that Grandmother Lucille passed but I remember getting the phone call while on vacation and coming back home. I've got Mom and Dad's birthday dialed in and obviously Kim and little Reese....but January 10th....that's when my Papa passed.

I hope you're seeing this little angel Papa. I hope you're seeing this little girl and making sure that Kim and I are doing it right. I hope you're quietly coaching her Papa and Pawpaw and showing them the way to love this little girl. I think you are.....She's got them wrapped around her finger, Papa. I know you'd love her with all your heart....and I know that you do. We miss you and love you.

Snow day!

2011-01-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

Cupcake recipe...

2011-01-06T22:34:00.000-05:00

This was completely robbed from a site called....www.kevinandamanda.com but I'm sure they won't mind. These damn cupcakes are out of sight! And we used Reese's cups over snickers for the obvious reason....Reesie Cups rock and we have our own little Reesie.

Decadent Snickers Cupcakes
with Chocolate Mousse Filling

1 box Devils Food Cake Mix
1 small box Jello Chocolate Fudge instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
Chocolate Mousse Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk chocolate chips
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 stick softened butter
2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 bag mini Snickers
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners. To prepare the cupcakes, place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, milk and sour cream into stand mixer. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Scoop the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes are cooked through and a toothpick comes clean from center. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let cool.
2. To prepare the mousse, melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream with a stand or electric mixer until it looks like whipped cream and stiff peaks form. Fold melted chocolate chips into whipped cream until well combined, then transfer batches into a piping bag. When cupcakes have cooled, press the tip of the piping bag into the center of the cupcake, about 1 inch deep. Squeeze the mousse into the cupcake while pulling the tip out. It doesn’t take much, just one firm squeeze is perfect. Continue filling all the cupcakes.
3. To prepare the frosting, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla until well combined and a nice frosting consistency. Spread over cupcakes then top with chopped Snickers.
Makes 24 cupcakes.

Messing around...

2011-01-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

I'm no pro with a camera by any means, but I find that I'm understanding more about the camera and especially flash and lighting so I'm trying different things. This almost looks like a fish-eye pic but in reality....

It's just an ornament on our tree. I caught Reese peering at herself in one of these ornaments the other day and just knew as soon as I even acted like I was going to get my camera...she would bolt and be on to something else. Turns out I was able to snap a few pics of Reese while she was still being inquisitive...

Nice face huh?

Uncrop the photo and it looks like this.

I wish I could have caught her laughing at herself....she was having a blast looking at her little reflection.

While I was busy playing with the camera...Kim was busy in the kitchen making something that is just too good for words. We're not cupcake people....mkay? We're not all into this cupcake frenzy that the world is into right now but I ran across this recipe on another blog and I begged Kim to try to make them. OH MY GOD - these are so good. This is Devil's Food cake that has been jazzed up a little bit, stuffed with mousse, topped with home made icing, topped with crushed Reese's.......Honey hush. The pics make them look good. But eating them was just too much. This is my new favorite. Bar none. You'll have to ask Kimmy to make some more because these were amazing and chase them with ice cold milk......Oh dear.

Mmmmmmmmmm Good.

This is the part that I hate.....

2011-01-01T22:59:00.000-05:00

Once September is over and October introduces itself on the calendar....I officially declare my favorite three months in the year. I love the fall and the stretch of holidays that follow just make it that much more enjoyable. I love the Apple Festival, fall trips into the mountains looking at leaves, cool nights setting in, the time change, Thanksgiving WEEK...I love that week, shopping the day after Thanksgiving - makes me sound weird but it puts me in the mood for the season, weekend shopping and preparation for Christmas....CHRISTMAS week, and then the holiday itself. I even like the week between leading up to New Year's Eve and Day but its all over now and I'm bummed. Just as soon as the decorations are put up...they come down. I was feeling this way last year but look what happened....the holiday came in record time! Maybe it's having a child that makes things fly by now. We had some good friends over last night for a low key dinner on NYE and Michelle said the same thing. I think days just buzz by now and having Reese makes them more special...but I think she makes them go by faster too!

I can't complain too much as we have a nice vacation to look forward to at the end of January and I'm hoping for good things from my job this year so I'm mildly optimistic about things getting better from that point of view. I think Kim has some good things in the works for her work so things aren't all gloom here right after the holidays....But I like this time of year and it stinks to watch it go.

I like all of the yards lit up with Christmas lights, I like to look in and see Christmas trees all decorated in each house, I like the craziness at the stores to a degree....or maybe not. I like the good food, the family, the overall message of the holidays - Give thanks for what you have and celebrate the birth of a savior. Now, it seems like it's back to work. Get on the grind again and peddle away. I don't want to and I don't like the transition from December into January through March. I'd rather pass and get back to September 30th if you don't mind.

Nevertheless.....Reese has had an amazing Christmas holiday and here are some pics that haven't been seen of her silliness and just show how much we love her.

New pics at A Year in the Life of Us....

2010-12-26T14:57:00.002-05:00

Click HERE to go there....

Dreaming of a White Christmas.....

2010-12-26T09:33:00.001-05:00

What an amazing scene today. I'll certainly post more later but I wanted to drop these images out here just to set the mood for the biggest surprise of the day....a white Christmas.

How awesome to have snow on Christmas!