the verdict is in

Unfortunately the time has come to have my tonsils out.

After never in my life having strep throat-- and now battling it for over two months straight-- I have an abscess in my right tonsil.  That means I have a hole, or as Dr. Whatley calls it a crater.  I've had seven rounds of antibiotics and this infection isn't budging. 

Surgery it is... TUESDAY morning.  Yep, that's right.  

In less than a week my summer will be over.

toes in the sand...

Paradise has been vacated! We've returned from a vacation with Lofton's family and been hit by loads of laundry, the prospect of a tonsillectomy in a few weeks, and company arriving in a few short days.  Yikes!  Luckily the company is my family and they are well aware of my housekeeping shortcomings.

Back to our trip--

We had a delightful time in Sandestin with Sally and Lee, the Hurst crew, and John Lee.  

Lofton couldn't join us til Friday {silly work} and flying solo had me in tears a couple of times, but moments like those remind me of how much I love and NEED my husband.  I treasure our partnership. 

Reese was not so much a fan of the beach.  Luckily we had an amazing pool so he didn't have to suffer through the sand.  The beach was relatively oil free and unfortunately the restaurants were pretty free and clear also.  We never waited in line.  Not once.  And there were ten of us.  

This was the first time the kiddos have had extended play time together.  At the ages of four {Analee}, twenty eight months {Brenan}, and almost twenty one months {Reese} they had a blast.  The pitter patter of little feet and squealing voices could be heard all the way down the hallway.  I'm sure our neighbors were not as amused by them.

Reese renamed Luke {Lofton's brother} "Bull."  We aren't sure why-- he came up with it on his own-- but it's downright appropriate.  He also picked up on some of Brenan's tricks.  Pinching, saying no, and climbing-- JUST KIDDING TIFFANY!!!! 

Brenan is the most loving of the three but also the wildest.  He is wide open from sun-up to way past sun down.  

I adore him.

We splashed and played and swam and ate to our hearts content.  Analee is a mermaid in the water {not a fish, I've been corrected multiple times}.  The boys were pretty impressive too. Tiffany and I also enjoyed some uninterrupted pool time while the little tykes napped each day.  Books, drinks, and sisterly chats = perfection.

The sun was hidden by clouds this morning and a storm was rolling in.  It was the first sign of rain we'd seen in our five days. Reese said bye-bye to everything -- the elevators, the condo, the gate man and parking garage.  Everything except the sand.  He said "Please don't ever make me touch that yucky stuff again.  Ever."

Lofton and I had to make a pit stop for some exciting treasures before we headed home, but I'll tell you about that later...  

Thanks Mimi and Big Daddy for a fun and fabulous trip.  We love you both!  Can we do it again next year?

accident with injury

Sooner or later it was bound to happen.  We'd safely navigated playgrounds, crawling, walking and co-existing with two beastly dogs-- until now.

I was on the phone earlier, chatting it up with a dear friend, when Reese streaked down the hallway-- glancing back at me for a slight second-- before turning and running straight into one of our hallway doors.  
"SPLAT" "BAM" .... AND then dead silence as he sucked in air for the first of his many wails.

My sweet baby hit his head.  Hard.  

It's a nasty boo-boo.  The camera phone picture definitely doesn't do it justice.

Reese cried, I cried, Lofton ran to get ice.

We are officially traumatized. 

best job ever

As exhausting as this whole parenting full-time summer job thing is--

Kissing this sweet face all day - and listening to his joyful laugh - make it ALL worthwhile.   

clarification

Possibly you read the blog last night {or this morning} and noticed my slight mention of rancid bacon.  While it's highly unlikely you're now left with the impression that my mom is--A} trying to kill my dad or B} a horrible cook who serves us spoiled food, she would like me to clarify a few points.

• The bacon was not technically rancid.  I might have stretched the truth a little, but hey sometimes I need to spice up a story.  Call it artistic liberty.  The bacon was, however, grey once cooked and it did have a slightly odd odor.  Not something I thought we should consume.
• My mom ate a piece of the aforementioned bacon and is still living.  Granted anyone who grew up in my grandmother's house has a Teflon tummy...
• The culinary abilities of my mother are superior.  I learned to cook by sitting on our kitchen counter and watching her.  She has never {to my knowledge} made anyone sick with her food.  

good friends and other stuff

There is something to be said for friends that have known you since bangs were cool.  

Cassie is one of those friends.  And together, these two rock.  They make me laugh so hard I cry.  And they stayed with us Thursday night to spend some qt time with little man.  He thinks "hoo" is amazing.  And I guess he likes Cassie too.  Except he called her "ass" a few times.  

This weekend was a time to gather and celebrate one of our treasured friends.  Brittany and Dave are tying the knot in October, and her bridal shower was held Saturday in Pensacola.  She was positively beaming.  A beautiful, relaxed and blissfully happy bride-to-be.

It was so fun to watch her open her gifts.  It reminded me of my showers five years ago.  Have we really been married almost five years????

Reese spent lots of time with his favorite peeps while I was out partying.  He is rotten.  And adorable.  Which makes punishing him for being rotten oh so difficult.   

He said almond yesterday.  ALMOND!  What?!?!  The more he talks, the more I laugh at myself.  How was I ever worried he'd grow up to be a mime?

Today is father's day.  We showered my dad with gifts this morning.  Then Mama made him breakfast.  She almost served us rancid bacon-- but I stopped her.  She can go back to trying to kill Daddy tomorrow.

Lofton, Reese and I gave Buck an Auburn coaches belt.  We also gave him one for Christmas three years ago and he lost it-- or left it-- in a Birmingham hotel room.  He's whined about it ever since.  I thought three years was punishment enough, so I replaced it with strict orders to NOT lose this one.  

The road warriors {that would be Reese and I} were hungry about Montgomery, so we had a delicious lunch celebrating our favorite daddy.  Reese stuffed his face with french fries and I ate a calorie inducing double cheeseburger.  Mmmm, Mmmm, good!

Happy Father's Day to all our favorite men!  

Buck, Big Daddy, and Paw Paw-- Reese loves you so, so much.  

Thanks for loving him back! Goofy faces and all.

the superhero

With Father's Day just around the bend, it's time for our yearly post exclaiming all Lofton's virtues.

He is quite the wonderful husband.  And Reese would agree he is quite the wonderful daddy as well.  

And he's handsome, oh so handsome.  I try to remember that when he annoys me.  It's hard to be angry with someone whose smile is so perfect.

He unclogs the sinks, mops the floors, reads the stinky feet book ad nauseum, and always gets up during the night when we have bad dreams.  He never complains when I don't cook-- or do laundry-- or dust.  For the most part he lets me choose what we listen to on the radio and watch on television.

The hubs bathes Reese every night so I can have twenty minutes of peace and solitude.  It's a gift that I don't thank him for nearly enough.

He may not wear a cape, but Lofton is our superhero.  No x-ray vision needed.

birthday celebration

Lofton's mom, commonly referred to as Mimi around here, celebrated her birthday on Monday.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday {hello abscess on my right tonsil} and she insisted volunteered to drive over and keep Reese.  I took this as the perfect opportunity to prepare her a delicious {and well deserved} birthday dinner.  Lee even drove over from LaGrange to partake.  He's a sucker for my cooking. 

Reese and I whipped up this delectable cake from my Bon Appetite Cookbook:

It's a lemon blueberry cake with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting.  Ummm... yummy.  I made a few tweaks to the frosting cause I've made their frosting before and hated it.  Mine was better.

Oh, and for dinner I served Lasagna Rolls from Giada.  Love her too.

Dinner was a success and Reese impressed Mimi and Big Daddy with his mad verbal skills.  I'm telling you, this kid has picked up at least five new words in the last two days.

We're headed to P'Cola tomorrow to celebrate the upcoming wedding of my dear friend Brittany.  She and Dave are tying this Fall.  Last time all the friends were together I looked like a beached whale.  Hooray for trading pregnancy for a super cute kid like this:

Next up... War and Peace.

at last, he speaks

My heart and my head have been at battle for some time. Reese's speech has been a constant worry, something Lofton and I have fervently prayed over. My heart knew it would come in its own time, my head couldn't help but agonize and fret. We were actually scheduled to attend a speech screening at AU on June 4th, however life interceded and our appointment has been pushed back to the end of the month.

As is usually the case with this headstrong little boy, he is showing me that he'll do things when HE wants, not when I want. I'm learning God, I promise.

Over the past few weeks we've noticed him saying more and more real words. He still doesn't talk as much as I'd like {lofty goals}, but we are a far cry from where we were a few months ago.

In the last few weeks he has started saying-- clock, mimi, car, book, night-night, golf club, thank you {unprompted and in the correct context I might add}, i love you, baby, Ashley, mine, and hey boo {which is what I always say to him}.

He still says-- hey, hello, bye, ma-ma, da-da, please, juice {which means cup of milk and/or cup of juice}, moo-moo, nonna, buck {which now sounds like bach not buh}, ball, and bah {our beloved pacifier}, and bath. Buck and Moo Moo are said in one breath, as almost one word. Woof-woof means dog and Meoooow means cat.

He moos like a cow, growls like a lion, and simulates a trunk like an elephant. And if you mention giraffes he'll stretch his neck really long and make a goofy face.

You have to know him quite well to distinguish between ball, bath, and bah... which basically means Lofton and I have to interpret for anyone else other than my parents.

He has also started singing along to the radio in the car, so we will be carefully editing the i-pod selections from now on!

Life is about to change around here now that the little ears are repeating what our big mouths say...

summertime...

... and the living is easy!

What a beautiful Sunday we're spending together.

duck, duck, goose

While we were in Cleveland, Mama and I got out on the sweltering heat to take Little Boo to feed the ducks. When I was a little girl duck feeding was one of my favorite activities.

We would scrounge in Granny's cabinets for old crackers and bread. Then we'd head to the park, treats in hand, to feed all the ducks and geese. There was one unfortunate incident with my finger and a goose, but otherwise it was my favorite thing to do during the summer.

The park is no longer as magical and the pond has been overtaken by thousands {i'm not exaggerating} of turtles.

Reese enjoyed himself though.

More than the ducks, he loved the new playground equipment. His Moo-Moo was a trooper and climbed on all the tall stuff with him.

This is one of my favorite pictures. It perfectly captures how much fun they are having together. They are really the best of friends.

I did not enjoy climbing on the tall stuff. Nor do I enjoy being outside in the sweltering heat. I'm a weenie like that.

Two things I wondered while at the park:

1. At what age do children realize it's hot outside? I can attest that my little hot box shows no signs of slowing down despite the 100 degree temps outside. He would bubble mow the grass, kick his ball, and dig in the dirt for hours. I, however, can barely breathe due to the oppressive heat.

2. When did playgrounds become so scary? I climbed up the stairs to slide with Reese and was literally paralyzed with fear. And the swings? I almost got motion sickness. Is it because I'm now a mom? Or am I just wacky? Never mind. Don't answer that!

delta detour

Situated somewhere a little east of the Mississippi River is a little town called Cleveland. My mama grew up here, met my daddy here, and my uncles live here. It’s also the home of my grandparents.

Mom and I headed that way on Thursday. We had lots of time to chat in the car as we passed field after field of soybeans, rice and corn.

It’s almost like time hasn’t touched these small delta towns. It’s beautiful-- in a desolate kind of way. And it reminds me simultaneously of how little --and how much-- times have changed in the last twenty years.

As a little girl, I played in the fresh picked cotton when Daddy worked at the gin. Cotton fields have gone the way of built in car phones as textiles are produced more economically overseas.

One thing that hasn’t changed? The mosquitoes. They are super sized and a bite like the devil. And they always find me. Always.

Mama and I {plus the tiny toddler} were able to sneak away for some shopping Friday. Who knew this small town had such cute stores? I’m bringing home lots of treasures... including a few for little Boo.

Notice the big boy backpack?

Saturday we attended Aunt B’s service at a little country church in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is home to our families annual homecoming {which we rarely go to} and the final resting place of most of my mama’s family.

The service was beautiful. The pastor perfectly captured B’s essence-- you could tell he really knew and loved her, too. We saw lots of family, and ate lots of food, then traveled back to Cleveland for some more fellowship.

Reese slept none, but that was pretty par for the course most of the trip. He slept great at night-- not so great during the day. Especially if we were in the car.

Monday we traveled down the highway to an even smaller town called Mound Bayou. Home to the always unbelievable Peter’s Pottery. The Wood’s brothers do phenomenal work using the rich Delta Clay. They are world famous for their pottery and I feel lucky to own two of their pieces.

Now I own two more. I call them investment pieces.

For lunch yesterday we indulged in a sampling of treats from the Airport Grocery. Umm, delish is about all I can say. Mama and I split hot tamales, onion rings, and the most amazing cheeseburger I’ve ever eaten. I would have licked the plate if the restaurant wasn’t so crowded. Reese had a grilled cheese. He had no complaints.

Even better than food and shopping was the time we spent with my grandparents. Papa had never met Reese, but it’s safe to say he fell in love. He and Reese hit it off. Papa even let him pick some tomatoes from the garden.

This smile and those twinkling eyes will get ya every time!

Granny read book after book to our little nerd-- and introduced him to ice. Granny and Papa have an ice machine in the kitchen. Reese may need one now too.

It was a great trip and we were sad to leave, but all good things must end. We packed up the car and headed back home today.

Home to our Buck and Uncle J... until tomorrow when Buck returns us to our real home. This lady has really missed her man. And I’m pretty sure the youngest member of this posse has missed him too.

AND our house is now a different color. Evidently boredom led Lofton to productivity!

first leg

I know. I said I wasn't blogging for a week or so, but----

Just wanted to let you know we made it to Pensacola safe and sound. Buck picked us up early this morning-- and we were ready to go-- his whole car was LOADED with our gear. What can I say? I like to be prepared.

After we got to town and ate a quick lunch, Reese and I headed over to see Nonna {aka, Moo Moo}. She was uber-excited to see us, but not so excited about Little Albert Einsteins crazy mane.

It was off to Laurie's for a trim. Oh, who am I kidding, it's a cut.

Not the best quality {the picture not the cut}, but you get the idea. He's a stud.

Up and at 'em early in the morning. It's a zillion hour drive to the middle of nowhere Mississippi.

friends, family, and a farewell

This is going to have to be quick. I have lots of packing to do.

Reese and I are headed out tomorrow for a trip to Mississippi. Although we had planned to travel there this upcoming weekend, our schedule has been adjusted.

Sadly, my great aunt B {Elizabeth} passed away Saturday night after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's.

She was quite a woman. Feisty, funny, and a devoted member of two churches. Never married, she loved all of us like we were her own children and grandchildren. To know her was to love her. She would have been your best friend.

The last time I saw her was in July. It was hard, but I'm so, so glad I went. Reese went too and you should have seen her eyes light up! He has that affect on women.

Reese and I are going to ride with my mom to Mississippi, so my daddy is coming to pick us up in the morning.

I'm taking my computer but probably will NOT be blogging. I'm fairly certain my grandparents are not a wi-fi hot spot.

The weekend was spent with lots of friends and a smattering of family. It was lovely.

We watched a dear friend tie the knot, I went to a movie with sweet Morgan, and Sunday we played at the lake. Last night we traveled to Montgomery for a delicious meal cooked by Mary Beth and Holland.

We were busy all weekend-- but together-- and surrounded by people we love. It was perfect.

Goodbye for now! We'll meet again soon.