Our New Family Members

Here's a picture of Baby Em at my dad's wedding. She's happy in her Auntie Channa's arms. It was a nice wedding and everyone seemed to have a great time.
As a result of this union, I know have a new brother-in-law and
sister-in law, two nieces around roughly twenty- something, and
a new great nephew that is a little bit older than Cayden (my son.) It's funny to think you can be a great aunt at 34, but even funnier that Channa is a great aunt at 30.... LOL. Shirley (my dad's wife) is really nice and our kids really like her. We've decided to have the kids call her Mimi... Channa came up with that, it's a sweet name. Her dress for the wedding was gorgeous and my dad was a pretty handsome devil himself in a nice black suit... looking quite trim, too. Go Gary! I don't have any other pictures of their wedding yet, but will add them as soon as they've been shared with me. The Martins (Shirley's family) are really nice. Her son is a minister and also somewhat of a gourmet cook... he definitely knows how to make a killer shrimp boil. They were talking a lot about going campling... I was moderately enthused until Wendy described the camper as having a fireplace and a flat screen TV... now that's my kind of camping! Anyway, welcome to the family Shirley.... aka Mimi... looking forward to getting to know your family.

Emalee's Baptism

Emalee's Baptism was Sunday, October 14th, which also happened to be her father's 29th birthday. Yes, he's 29 for the first time. (I celebrated my 6th time turning 29 earlier this month.) The service was beautiful and Emmy was very sweet and happy throughout the day. Here's a picture of her cake and Emmy with her godmother, Natalie. More pictures soon.

Best Birthday Ever

Well, if you have to get older, the best way to do it is with your family at the pumpkin patch. We took the kids to the pumpkin patch yesterday and stopped for Mexican on the way home. It was a blast. I enjoyed half a margarita for the first time in ages.... delish! Here are some pictures from the Pumpkin patch, which is the point of today's posting anyway....

Love that baby girl!

Okay, so I've given in the hair bow thing. These bows are "guaranteed to hold, no matter how little hair." Emalee is definitely proof of that since she's practically bald. Mmmm, bald baby with big blue eyes, guess she takes after her auntie "K" on that one. Well that's all for today, many things going on today. My dad is getting married this weekend and then we have friends coming in to town for Emalee's baptism next weekend. Can't wait to see Jon & Nat. I promise more up to date pictures soon.

Size 15 in the making?

Will these be a size 15 like daddy's? I wonder. They are looking kind of big these days.

Cayden loves Peanut Butter

THE HAIRY SUCKER

Well, you might think this is a much more "saucy" topic that it really is...

Yesterday we took Cayden for a haircut at the mall. He hates getting his hair cut, but he was beginning to look like Shaggy, so we could put it off no longer. While we are waiting for our turn in the chair, Dad remember that a lollipop helps a bit (the screaming can only be heard here in Georgia, and not the entire Southeast.) Dad heads off to Sweet Factory to pick up the lollipop. Shortly he returns with a giant fish-shaped lollipop with a big eye at the tip. At first glance it appeared rather rude, and I wasn't sure what it was. Realizing it was a fish, I thought it was great since Cayden loves "gish" - his F's are pronounced a G's.

We take our turn in the chair and the screaming begins. Obviously this lady has a horrible memory since she claims he has never cried for her before... he has cried as though someone is torturing him with a slow and painful death every time... lucky for her she can block it out.

We take out the gish-sucker-surprise, and this takes the screaming down to a decibel level that most humans can survive. The cut continues... the hair is completely covering the sucker, and yet Cayden is continuing to lick it like it is the most delicious thing he's ever tasted... keeping him from completely losing his mind. He's sitting in his Dad's lap with no cape since apparently the cape is terrifying... I would have made him wear the cape, but the hair dresser insisted he didn't have to wear the scary cape.

I am sitting watching the whole scene from across the room as I am quietly attempting to nurse Emalee under a cape. This is my first attempt to breast-feed in public, but Emalee was screaming almost as loud as Cayden, having just finished the last of the bottle I brought with us. Many of my friends breast feed anywhere, (on marta, walking through the aisles of publix, etc.) They are always reminding me how discreet it can be. Personally, I think this depends on the size of the breast... and I'll stop there, but suffice it to say, I would never have done this in public without the hairdressing cape, and I'm sure most moms don't go under the cape with the baby...

Once the cut was done, Cayden is both sticky and hairy... luckily Matt is just hairy... but can we really blame that on Cayden? ; )

Emalee with big cousin Robyn

Losing the battle while winning the war

Yesterday was Dana's 55th birthday, though she came to me in a dream and made sure to mention that you don't age in heaven, so she's still 53. It was the weirdest dream, she was making a phone call from Heaven and I asked her why she had waited so long to call me. She said she couldn't call me until the time was right. She didn't allow me to cry or to be sad. She said she was really happy, and though she missed all of us, she was free to be at peace because she knew we would all be okay. I was still a little mad that she waited 19 months to call me because I talk to her in my head everyday, but I did not get a chance to ask her in my dream if she hears the things I tell her. She did most of the talking (which if you know me very well, is strange.) She really sounded great. There was so much I wanted to ask her, things like, am I a good mother? Is she still proud of me? Did she get reunited with Rebecca and her parents? Ah well, just when I was about to get all the answers about the after-life, she hung up and said she would call again when the time was right.

I guess the point of my story is, there are so many things I want to ask her - i can think of a reason to call her at least every other day... but i guess deep in my heart if things get quiet around here, I can hear the answer. The answer comes in the quiet advice she gave me all of my life. One of her favorite things to tell me when it came to dealing with my brother, my boyfriends, my friends, and just about everything in life is to "pick your battles."

This advice comes to be very important when you enter the challenging world of "child-rearing" - or at least that's what my grandmother would call parenting . I don't think many people really know what "rearing" is. Yesterday felt like the battle of a lifetime. Cayden challenged me on everything from climbing in the fire place to putting his hands inside of his poopy diaper on the way to change him. What a nightmare! I was so frustrated and angry for most of the day. He knows he has me right where he wants me when I am nursing Emalee - because I don't have the physical ability to get up and go make him stop what ever wrong-doing is going on at the moment; therefore, I do in fact have to "pick my battles." When I am nursing, he pretty much gets away with murder - unless he's doing something that he could really get hurt, in which case, I pull Emalee off which is not only painful for me, but causes her to scream at the top of her lungs until I get her back on after taking care of Cayden's mischief. That infant scream will cause you to lose your mind in about a minute and 48 seconds (you can see this has been tested.) Cayden's toddler crying/whining can easily be tuned out for 10-15 minutes, though he does make real tears... he's such a faker... for no reason at all, basically just that he didn't get his way.

By the time Matt came home from work, I was war-weary and took a right to run some errands. I decided tomorrow would be another day, a better day, and it definitely was. I may be kidding myself that I am winning the war, but that's what it feels like today. Today was a great day, we read books, played with puzzles, watched Jack's Big Music show, Handy Manny, and Little Bill (Cayden's favorites) - and we made a few birthday cards together for some up-coming birthdays. He also took a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. Ah life's little blessings, take them when you can get them.

CB

CB

Cayden as his Uncle

Doesn't Cayden look like his Uncle Ben's baby pictures in this photo?

Emalee and Cayden Snoozing

So you get invited to a Green concert at Piedmont Park?

Hello Friends.



As Matt mentioned earlier, we were invited to a Green concert at Piedmont Park to see Dave Matthews and the Allman Brothers on Saturday night. We had already planned on spending the evening out to celebrate out 5th wedding anniversary, and Cayden and Emalee would be spending the night with Grampy Fred and Grammy Jeannine.... this being Emalee's first night away from home.



My good friend Beth called on Friday with an amazing offer (Lesson 1: what sounds "too good to be true" usually is. Beth works for a large telephone company in town (there is basically only one left) and the Dave Matthews Band needed to borrow a router to run the light show for their concert... someone took the call from one of the band's crew named "Smokey." Beth was later offered 4 expensive reserved seat tickets and back stage passes if she would pick up the router after the show on Saturday night. What a deal! I was lucky enough to be included on the short list that she invited to the concert, and another good friend offered her ticket to my hubby so we could celebrate our anniversary with Beth and her husband, Pete. Plans were set, and we were off to enjoy a great concert with amazing "seats" and the thought of getting to go back stage and meet Dave was overwhelmingly exciting. We were stoked.



Saturday 2:00 pm: I'm talking on the phone with Beth, she's shopping and looking for some flip open back support seats for the ground... I ask what happened to our reserve seat tickets. Beth says we're not sure that they'll have seats because it is Piedmont Park after all... true, good point. I call ticket master. The customer service rep has no idea how concerts are set up for Piedmont Park. Fearing that we will be seated on the ground, I re-think my wardrobe and swap out the dress for jeans and some cute pumps. I am still psyched.... will be a great night.



Saturday 2:15 pm: I'm talking on the phone with my brother. He mentions this is a "Green" concert and you can't drive there. All local parking that would normally be permitted has been blocked off... patrons are basically forced to take Marta... ah well the cute pumps have now been swapped for crocs, jeans, and a plain black t-shirt.



Saturday 3:30 pm: Picked up Beth and Pete and head for the concert... can't wait to meet Dave Matthews...



Saturday 4:30 pm: After driving 40 minutes to the Marta station, we catch the next train to Arts Center (keep in mind, there are green signs everywhere about how great this "Green Concert" is for the environment.) As we exit Marta we are routed 2 blocks to 10th street and and then left for another block. Fearing that the port-a-pottys might turn us green, we stop at Einstein Bagel Co for some bottled H2O and one last wee. Off we go.... we arrive at Piedmont park 5:15 only to discover that we can't enter here because the only place for WILL CALL tickets is on the other side of the park. We are told to walk 3 blocks to Monroe, make a right and head toward Park Tavern. Off we go. I am glad for my choice of crocs... Beth is not so happy about the flip flops she chose to wear. It's starting to get ugly... meaning we are realizing this is maybe not our scene... however we are going to meet Dave Matthews, so who cares....

Saturday 6:00 pm: We arrive at the Park Tavern entrance. This is VIP ticket entrance only, surely we are VIP if we have back stage passes.... having given the band the means to run their lighting show. NOPE. We are told to head off to 10th street again and walk up the hill past the tour buses to Charles Allen Road. Just as we are heading off, two kids (read 19-20ish) that are so trashed they are holding on to each other to walk into the concert are escorted through the VIP entrance.... AH so that is what VIP's look like today. Got it. We will later discover that VIP tickets mean you paid $100 instead of $45 for your ticket, but you still don't get a seat... you just get to enter about halfway to the stage and fight for a smidgen of grass to stand on instead of entering further back into the park.

Saturday 6:20 pm: We enter the park! We got our tickets from will call... only there were no back stage passes in the envelope. Of course the people at will call have no idea what we are talking about... and don't know Smokey. Ah well, let's make the best of it. We still have to retrieve the expensive piece of equipment so leaving is not an option, and we have Smokey's cell number, so surely he will escort us back stage to meet the band.

I've never seen so many people in my life. No kidding, and I've been to Music Midtown several times... this crowd is unbelievable. The event was completely oversold... suddenly it enters my mind the real reason they call this a green concert... All these people paid a minimum of $45 to enter and many up to $400...this is the real green. I am sure Dave does care about the environment, but it takes a back seat to his wallet... that is surely loaded with green.

Now I do have a new 9 week old baby, so I mention having just had a C-section recently and buy us 10 minutes of recouping under the shade of the medical tent sitting in a chair.... whew this beats standing in that sun shoulder to shoulder with all of these sweaty people... meanwhile we watch the "real victims" coming in for treatment... almost all are young girls all dressed up... having been partying all day in this heat... and now suffering from alcohol poisoning and/or dehydration... getting hauled out on a stretcher before the concert even begins.

Dave Matthews Concert Ticket $45
Case of Miller Light $18
Trip to the ER that your health insurance won't pay $2000
Having no recollection of the evening: PRICELESS

So in the end, we wondered around finding a spot to sit outside of the main crowd while the guys waited in line for over an hour to get a few drinks. 2 beers, 2 mojitos, 2 cokes, and 2 waters for a total of $31. Beth and I kept shifting ourselves around on the ground between our feet and our butts going to sleep. Buy the time the guys came back we drank our warm mojitos and smiled!

Over the course of the evening we kept thinking about the dinner we could have had at Stoney River... Filet with Bernaise sauce, carmelized onion mashed potatoes, a nice glass of red wine, maybe even a shrimp cocktail, and those wonderful little rolls that melt in your mouth... guess I was consoling my loss when I continued eating $70 worth of food at the concert... a cheese steak, chicken fingers and fries, frozen cheesecake on a stick - dipped in chocolate of course, slice of pizza, frozen lemonade, and a funnel cake... (Ginny this makes your 2 bags of cotton candy look like a celery stick.) Good thing I don't have to take my blood sugar anymore (just recovered from gestational diabetes.) I don't normally eat like this, but you know the thing is I never ever felt stuffed, or even really full at all. This was odd.. really odd since I don't eat that much sugar or carbs at once anymore - nor the volume of food this was... I guess when you walk 4 miles, you can eat a lot without that weighed down feeling... too bad I will never walk 4 miles again. (LOL) The Allman brothers did draw a 70's rock crowd... bringing with them their THC vitamin supplements... wonder if overeating was just in the air? Good news is I woke up Sunday morning 1 pound less than I weighed Saturday morning, so apparently all that walking allowed me to be a glutton without paying the piper.

Saturday 11:00 pm - the concert was over (Dave was actually really great... all of the band is so talented.) and the fabulous light show ended.... thank you Beth... .and we head off to find Smokey. Beth gets smokey on the phone and he tells us to meet him near back stage area just outside the barricades... guess we are not going to meet Dave afterall.... believe I knew that somewhere between the frozen cheesecake and the funnel cake. ; )

As we wait to meet Smokey just outside the barricade... we are standing beside the 25 tour buses that are running and emitting hot air... just in case it was hot enough... and I laugh at the idea of this Green concert... sure we didn't drive in to the city... but the park was trampled... these 25 tour buses were left running for hours... beer was served in aluminum cans... people were allowed to smoke cigarettes (aluminum and cigarettes being produced with large amounts of the chemicals known to contribute to global warming.) The Atlanta Police made a big show of staging 8 horse-mounted police officers near the back stage entrace.... they basically marched in and marched back out... just long enough for the horses to leave enough poo in the street to make the walk back interesting to say the least, especially for the flip-flop wearing crowd, the scent of the horse poop heavily transmitted into the air by the hot air emitted from the tour buses.

Saturday 11:30 pm - walking back to Marta... the street is a sea of people... the crowd is mixed. The teens and college students look like they haven't sweated and are still wearing dresses and strappy sandals and stumbling around... I imagine myself being filmed for an episode of fat march... having just eaten one of everything served at Piedmont Park... by the time we get back to Marta, squeeze ourselves onto the first available train, pick up the car and get home it's 2:30 in the morning. I take a percoset and head to bed... thank God for pain medication. I am definitely too old for this... the next time I am invited to a concert at Piedmont Park, I will graciously decline and opt for an evening out with a nice quiet meal in the air conditioning with a nice cushy seat. But the thing is, in the midst of it all, we still had a good time... the important thing being we were together for our anniversary, and with good company and last but not least, a night out without kids, is still a night out without kids.

I'm the DA!!

At least thats what Cayden calls me. Much of my time online is reserved for fantasy foosball, so my posts may be rare. Today I am resting from my evening with a bunch of wasted people, and the Dave Matthews Band. So much for a green concert. I'll let my other half tell you about that...
Ok, thats all for now. Meester is waking up, gotta go..

MB

Ta Da!

Ta Da!

We have a blog. I am not so hot at this techno stuff, but wanted a place to share funny stories and pics with family and friends... so here we go. Today is our fifth wedding annivesary... funny how life can change in five years, or even less. 19 months ago it was just the two of us. Now, it's the four of us. Life has gone from working and long commutes and juggling a social calendar to wondering if I will get a shower today between nursing a 9 week old, feeding a toddler 3 meals plus snacks, washing clothes, changing diapers, picking up toys, and desperately trying to stay in touch with the "outside world." Life has gone from

Desperate Housewives to Diego and Dora
Sea Bass to Fish sticks
Filet Mignon to Hot Dogs
Risotto to Sloppy Joes
HGTV to Playhouse Disney...... you get the idea.

Sometimes I find myself inserting adult plots into the shows that Cayden watches... I am always wondering if Kelly has a thing for Handy Manny. Anyway, though life has changed, it has changed for the better. My children have changed the way I look at almost everything from my political views to noticing the trees blowing in the wind and the shape of the clouds in the sky. Its funny these little beings that come into your life and make you feel in places you didn't even know existed. I was lucky enough to be a part of my nieces and nephews lives prior to having children... and I thought the love would be the same... and though I love each one of them dearly... having this little person that depends on you so completely is just such an overwhelming feeling, you want to do everything in the world for them. Ahhhh... I hear one now, time to go and rescue Matt since he's handling it all at the moment. More to come....