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Spring Break 2012

Monday, April 9th, 2012

We did the Spring Break thing. A few days on Hilton Head (Todd had a shoot this week: Bad advertising world! Bad!) and then we did the lake for Easter with the whole family. About 24 hours of my family in one small 2BR lakehouse is all I can take, no matter how much I love them. I think this is normal?

So busy after being gone – work, laundry, trying to get back into a diet and exercise happy place. I feel like a train that derailed in a fiery crash of fried, fat, beer and excess!

: Best five dollars you can spend on I-16. Really breaks up the trip. Also funny to hear people talk about animals.

: Pro Tip: See this guy? He will stalk you if you have food. Have an adult walk along the fence with him, leading him with a kernel here, kernel there, drawing him away from the kids trying to feed the other animals. He is the biggest pig!

: Tills was pretty scared to feed the animals. Course the evil Emu did almost take a couple fingers.

: Feeding the goats. Seriously. If you are on 16 and don’t stop to feed the animals, you are neglecting your children.

: My peeps. My reputation as the Goat Man’s granddaughter precedes me.

: So in love with goats.

: Squee. OMG. Baby Goat. LOVE. Want. I have a problem.

: Tiller is enamored of all things horsey. Like mother, like daughter.

: Lorenzo needs some dental work.

: Being goofballs after Salty Dog Easter Egg Hunt.

: Wearing mama’s shades.

: The girl, prancing around on a wall.

: R. still sits by me sometimes.

: Me, kids, sun, boat, love.

: He is just too cool for school these days.

: My sweet girl.

: Tills got pooped out on the boat ride.

: The Harbortown Lighthouse from the water.

: There were actually two dolphins.

: Coming close!

: Coulda reached out and touched them.

: Up close, right next to the boat. Didn’t get a head shot, unfortunately.

: Dolphin

: Dolphin

: R. holding on, just before he got soaked.

: Too sunny!

: Random Sailboat

: Little man looking cool.

: First boat ride on the open water.

: My little man. Sometimes I wonder if he is just handsome because he is mine.

: The Big C

: The Boy cousins. They are so stinkin’ cute together it hurts. Dash looks up to R. and does whatever R. does. And Rollie is maturing so much – helps Dash get around and in and out of the lake and carries him and puts him on the JetSki and stuff like that. Adorable. I know that this will inevitably lead to R. buying D. beer. *sticks head in sand like ostrich*

: Checking out the Easter loot.

: Chilling on the porch.

: Three cousins.

: Crazy kids waiting to do an Easter Egg Hunt.

: And they’re off! Uncle Mark lets the big kids out of the gate. Also, the only way to get Mark in a photo is by stealth.

: Look how many Dash got.

: Grandma and the kids.

: Grandma and all the babies.

: My peeps. Trying to get them all in these photos was like herding cats.

: Mom and Leelee

: My spawn.

: Grandparents and Grandkids. Um, not sure what Cecil is wearing.

: Three generations

: Our Family

: Sisters. Love her. So much.

: Little Dashie

: Me and the New Baby

Highlights of the week, not in photos: Fishing with my kiddos at dusk. Morning kids swimming with dog while I drink coffee at lake. Watching Brody revel in lake life. Puttering around with my dad for a day at the lake, fixing stuff, for once not snapping at each other. A rarity. Mom’s potato salad. My kids’ awesome manners while out to eat in HHI. I almost cried. Watching Venus in the Pleiades (spelling?) from the dock on a clear night. On the water at the beach. Seeing kids’ faces when they saw dolphins up close. Hearing their contagious laughter in the car on 441 – They had a “make each other laugh contest” and were killing Todd and I with their laughter. Such sweet music. Driving home on a sunny, perfectly-warm Easter afternoon with only Rollie and Brody in the car. Windows down, listening to an old mix CD of some of my all-time favorite songs, discussing them with Rollie: He asks a lot of questions, like “who is it by? What is it called? What is it about? Why do you like it?” Memorable discussions of songs – “Mayonnaise” by Smashing Pumpkins, “This Must Be The Place” by Talking Heads, and “Tempted” by Squeeze. R. thought it was so funny that I used to sing it to him as a lullaby when he would cry as a baby. Teaching kids to jump rope in the driveway last night. “Cinderella, dressed in yellow. . . ” (What are your favorite jump rope rhymes?)

Hope you all had a great Easter, Seder, spring break, etc.

Tags: Easter, Hilton Head, Lake
Posted in Beauty, Brody, Cecil, Dash, Family, Holiday, Life, Lisa, Memories, Mushy, Music, Rollie, The Lake, Tiller, todd, Travel | No Comments »

What are you gonna do when you’re dead?

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

The kids and I were driving home from QT (Yes, Todd, i returned the movie!) and we had the following discussion:

Rollie: “Mom, what are you going to do when you’re dead?”

Me: “Um. . what?”

Rollie: “Like, are you going to go under a tombstone in the ground. Or are you going to let your family burn your skin, so they can keep your ashes? Or are you going to give your body to scientists to use?”

Me: “Uh, I don’t really know yet, baby. Daddy and I have talked about it a little.”

Rollie: “Daddy wants to have his family burn his skin and keep the ashes.”

Me: “You realize that they burn the entire body? But the body is just a vessel for the soul while it is on earth, so it isn’t in the body anymore, so it doesn’t hurt. Because you’re dead.”

I look in the rear view mirror: Rollie and Tiller are staring back at me in the mirror.

Tiller: “So, what does Mr. Poole* do with the bodies?”

Rollie: “He plays with the skulls.”

Now, there’s a comforting thought.

*Mr. Poole is the school science teacher.

Tags: Death
Posted in Humor, Parenthood, Rollie, Tiller | 4 Comments »

Funny Notes from The Boy

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

This gem somehow got lost in the leaning tower of procrastination on my desk.

From Rollie to his elf, December 2011

My transcription:

Note to elf. From: Rollie
Elves are good at: Being funny and messy, good with forts, hard to find at morning, good at being awesome, and cool, and small.
Note to Rollie: You are good. I lik cookey.

It cracks me up that he wrote back for the elf and purposefully misspelled the elf’s writing. Funny kid.

But this one, this one will always and forever be my fave. It is hanging on his bedroom door.

“No cheating. No abbreviations. Just words.”

Awesome.

Tags: Notes
Posted in Family, Home, Humor, Parenthood, Rollie | 4 Comments »

Baby Nostalgia

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Another way that I know I am old? Nostalgia for the good old days. You know, back when I had babies. I was sick yesterday and got into the old videos. Any parent knows that this is a downward spiral. Videos of my babies when they were babies are just like crack. Sweet, sweet crack. That makes me cry.

This one killed me:

And this one . . . ah, the good ole days.

Now Todd and I do the dancing and they roll their eyes at us. . . .

Posted in Beauty, East Atlanta, Family, Life, Memories, Parenthood, Rollie, Tiller, Video | 1 Comment »

Part II, a.k.a. Shotgun Blast of Thanks

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

I am thankful that I happened to come across a blog post i wrote two years ago on the Winter Solstice. I am thankful that I spent that lovely evening with my dog, Quint. I am thankful that I wrote about it, so I can remember what it was like to sit in the cold on the lake with him and watch stars. I am thankful I still remember what his ears felt like.

This year has been rough and a lot sad, and it has made me even more sad that I haven’t written as much as I normally do. This is part two of looking on the bright side, so that two years from now, I will maybe look back and remember the good things, not the sad ones.

I am thankful for this little guy, and that he likes baseball.

That I had the pleasure of seeing Harmony at baseball games, and know the strangeness of old friends having kids play sports together. Always surreal.

Thankful for the wonderful people who always step up to the plate and coach my kids' teams. This guy cracked us up by coming out to pitch the last inning of a v. close final game dressed as Braveheart. I am thankful for the weird and the absurd in people.

Thankful for Yankees in rural Georgia. They make me laugh.

And for quiet, woodsy solitude at sunset.

And that I had time to play hair with friends. I miss those simple time-wasters.

And good Chardonnay. Don't get the good stuff nearly often enough.

For a sunny cool day spent shopping with friends.

A day spent trying on hats.

and being reminded of my long-gone hat collection and how much joy it brought me. (i am a freak!)

And girls drinking in trucks.

Thankful that I rarely forget to take in the view.

And for time spent in front of outdoor fireplaces. (I will have one, one day. I will!) And for the sweet gift of the MacQueen tartan scarf my Daddy gave me. I love it.

And thankful that I have more girlfriends at 39 than i ever did as a young girl.

Thankful that Mom finally made it to Alaska and loved it as much as she thought she would.

Thankful for the beautiful day I spent with friends in Athens.

And that my husband still takes me to the game every other year.

Even though I bark in the Auburn section, and I am usually bad luck for Todd's Tigers.

Thankful for my sweet, artistic girl, and the chalk drawings she does in the garage.

Sad that they are not permanent, but that Todd and I managed to capture her precious misspellings. Thankful she lists the things she loves - the cuirur green, sparkely shoes, her dog. - Perhaps she is a bit like her mother sometimes.

I'm thankful for decorative gourd season, mutherfuckers!

Because it still makes me laugh every time I think of it. It is a cornucopia of laughter.

I am thankful that I know what it means to have a daughter.

And for a most peaceful thanksgiving with my parents. Also, for a husband who has the patience to show my mother how to put books on her iPad. He is worth his weight in gold.

And that we still do EAV Santa.

Thankful for my husband's brothers' wife and fiancee. I am lucky we have no drama. And that we all talk when the boys are stoic and quiet.

Thankful for my sweet niece, Luci. Lucky to have a niece and a nephew.

Did I mention Tills? She is my heart.

And thankful to know what it is to have a large family. My in-laws are so devoid of drama. They are so very normal. It is nice to have something to balance out the crazy.

I am so thankful for happy engagements.

And that my children will know the love of cousins.

For the wonderful Johnson men. It is a comfort to know that they are such a wonderful example for my son.

And that I still love my husband and he still (I think?) loves me.

Thankful for Ned and Vanessa and their sweet girl Scarlett, and for the wonderful afternoon we spent tailgating for Iron Bowl. I love that our kids experience that tradition every year.

And there you have it. One huge shotgun blast of thankfulness. My life is good. Really good.

Tags: gratitude
Posted in Athens, Beauty, Cecil, Family, Football, Friends, Holiday, Life, Mushy, Rollie, Tiller, todd, Writing | 5 Comments »

Yeah, I Wore Pink Tulle. So what?

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

“Mama?” Tiller said.
“Yes, baby?” I muttered while cooking dinner.
Tiller: “Mama, will you be a fairy with me?”
Me: “huh?”
Tiller: “Will you be a fairy with me?”
Me: “I don’t think so, baby. I’m not pretty enough to be a fairy.”
Todd: “You know, we just did a tooth fairy spot. I can get you a fairy costume easy.”
Me: “Shut up, Todd.”

And that’s how I came to be a pink fairy for Halloween.

A little background first:

: Brody was not allowed to help with the Pumpkin, and he wasn’t happy. He always wants to be with the rest of the pack.

: Todd and the kids carved the pumpkin while i baked. Yes. Baked.

: Pumpkin bread and my fave, roasted pumpkin seeds. Yummers.

: Tiller’s fairy makeup was courtesy of Mama Fairy Productions. Tiller makes the best faces when she has makeup on.

: The kids were pretty proud of their makeup. (Zombie makeup courtesy of Todd Productions.)

: I mentioned the tulle, right? You can’t see it well here, but yes, tulle. Pink tulle. And wings. And golden hair. And glitter on my face, with lots of makeup. Lisa wanted to know if TIller was a sad mormon (with apologies to my mormon friends. And my sad friends.) Rollie is a zombie baseball player.

: So, I feel pretty fat in this photo, but the glory of the pink tulle must be shared. Also, a dirty-minded neighbor asked if I was “a stripper fairy,” and I wasn’t really sure whether to be flattered or insulted, because maybe he’s into fat chicks, but I am going with flattered, because who has the time to get bent out of shape over fairy insults? I think the photo cut my legs off, which is too bad, because I was also wearing purple glitter platforms, and let’s be honest, purple glitter platforms don’t get enough attention. Also, sadly, the platforms blew out right when we got home. I fairywalked the heels right off those bitches. RIP, purple glitter fairy shoes. . . .

: We met at a neighbor’s house before going out for trick or treating. Here’s the whole pack of them. Damn cute. One of these kids even went trick or treating by himself with the big kids, and I can’t be friends with his mother anymore, because that is unacceptable. I am the mother of young children, not old children who trick or treat on their own.

: Did I mention the cuteness? This is my lil buddy Jake. I get to hug on him and watch him toddle around when I get sad that my kids are old enough to want their ears pierced and read Neil Gaiman.

: Tiller and I practicing scary face and spooky hands.

: Rollie practiced scary face.

: Tiller and Todd practiced surprised faces.

: Tiller and I took a moment out from counting the loot to cuddle a little bit. Fairies need some cuddling.

: Then they practiced Crazy. Todd didn’t have to work too hard at it, because he’s married to me.

: The Skull Punking (as r. called it when he was a baby.) Skull Punking loves you.

Tags: Fairies, Halloween
Posted in Beauty, Brody, Family, Friends, Holiday, Humor, Life, Rollie, Tiller, todd | No Comments »

Something that Scares Me

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Ferris Wheels. I actually cursed that Ferris guy for inventing the damn things while riding one last night. They really, really scare me. Rollie was determined to ride the double ferris wheel in the background of the picture below, and thank god in heaven, Todd took one for the team and rode with him. I would have had the big one.

So, Tiller decided she would go on the smaller one. I was all like, “Are you sure? It looks pretty scary up there, baby.” And she was all like, “YEAH! SCARY and FUN! Let’s go ride it, Mama!” and I was all like, Well, FUUUUCK. (In my head. I’m not that bad a mother.) And then, when we had to sit at the top of the damn thing, just a swangin’, while they loaded more people, and then the thing started up again, and we came around the front side, going down, nothing but clouds, trees, air and pavement in front of us, I said it again. Out loud.

“Fuck.”

Under my breath, one hand’s knuckles clamped tight and white around the metal bar in front of us, the other one white-knuckling a handful of Tiller’s shirt, my arm wrapped all the way around her back, under her arm, ready to snatch her from the jaws of death at any moment.

Tiller: “What’s that?”

Me: “Yuck. I said Yuck. Ferris Wheels make me feel yucky, like I might throw up.”

And the girl just laughed and laughed, kicking her legs, setting our seat to riotous swinging.

: Double Ferris Wheel – No Way for me

: Rollie Waiting to Ride

: Rollie riding the hossies.

: Tiller on the rope ladder

: Tiller with the big ferris wheel and the little one, too.

Tags: Carnivals, Cussing, Fears, Ferris Wheels
Posted in Beauty, Family, Humor, Rollie, Tiller, todd | 2 Comments »

One Eyed Willie’s Treasure Hunt

Monday, October 10th, 2011

The week before her birthday, Tiller was a show dog in the Kindergarten Circus. She was v. cute, even though she had some trouble jumping through the hoop. She can be less than coordinated at times. I thought she might cry when she fell (twice), but she got up smiling and tried again. I was very proud of her. I also am very proud of the fact that I sewed ears and a tail, which is why i included it in the birthday post. This is my blog, after all, even if I've been neglecting it.

So, about Tiller’s birthday. She turned six on Saturday. SIX. Hard for me to fathom. Tiller wanted to have a scavenger hunt party, and we had just watched The Goonies as a family, so I made it a One-Eyed Willie’s Treasure Hunt.

Every kid got a copy of One Eyed Willie’s treasure map when they arrived. (We also had pirate cupcakes, Twinkies and Baby Ruths. I also bought Rocky Road, but totally forgot to pull it out, which is a good thing, because i was worried about angry mobs of parents attacking my house after they found out how much sugar I gave their kids.)

Love that some of the kiddos' moms took it upon themselves to dress them like pirates. Fun!

Margaret and Leelee accompanied their boys to the party. Um, they don't have boys together. They have their own boys. With their husbands.

The kids are waiting to hear the next clue. Todd wrote the clues and i wish I could copy them down here - they were awesome. They all rhymed.

Kate won the award for cutest pirate hat and sash.

Children are like sheep. One would think they had the answer and run off yelling, I know where the next clue is! and all the other sheep would follow, and Todd would still be standing there finishing the clue. And they would have the wrong location. Every time.

One of R's teachers does this thing in class where they have to decode an encrypted message to figure out what to do that day in class. So, Rollie helped us create one, and the older kids had to decode that clue for the younger ones. This is Rollie and Milo working with pencil and paper to decode the clue.

. . . with the help of the older twins, Leah and Sydney. Syd needs snack to help her think.

The girls use the map to figure out the next clue.

The girls (Matilda, Scarlett, Liliana - i think- Sydney, and Kate) working together!

Todd, the Cluemaster, about to be stampeded by children with the Ghoulish Garden clue.

The girls listen to clues intently. Boys mostly push each other and climb trees while they are being read.

Tiller blowing out her candle as Sydney and Chloe look on.

Me and the girl after she blew out her candles. Let's talk about the ponytail for a minute. Yeah, there's just one. That's her new thing. It cracks me up. It also reminds me of Natalie Wolfe and Elizabeth Wilcoxin wearing ponytails in middle school and putting their Swatches around them. That just kills me.

Not a great photo, but a rare moment where the kiddos are lovingly touching one another. Had to be captured.

Disappointed we didn't get Cousin Luci in there, but here are Tiller and R. with Baby Dash. He's not really a baby anymore.

Oh! There's cousin Luci!

Josie hearts cupcakes.

So does Chloe. I deduce.

Leah liked the rings from the treasure.

Syndey, wearing her beads from the treasure chest.

Sydney loves balloons!

Chuck and Cass helped us keep track of all the kiddos.

These two grew up together in Auburn. Always fun to have the 2nd generation at a party.

Okay, actually, Nathan listened closely to the clues. . . .

Treasure Hunters in a group by the tree. Surprisingly, the biggest hit from the pirate treasure? Balloons.

So, then we opened gifts. Tills got Ramona from Uncle Lyle and Aunt Denise!

My little nephew Dash, waiting to see the presents.

These three are crazy floor rolling laughers!

Normally, i wouldn't include such an unflattering picture of myself, but dang! I never think Tiller and I look much alike, but evidently, there is some resemblance. When we are flapping our gums.

She got pretty excited about Littlest Pet Shop. We have a LOT of Littlest Pet Shop. Like, nuclear levels.

And later that night, Tiller stayed up too late, and then fell asleep on my chest during the Georgia game. So sweet.

Happy birthday to my little girl. I love you very much, Tiller Badiller, Mac and chiller, Saspariller, Thriller from maniller!

– Your Loving Mama

Tags: birthday, One-Eyed Willie, Tiller's 6th Birthday
Posted in Family, Friends, Lisa, Memories, Parenthood, Rollie, Tiller, todd | 3 Comments »

A Mind of Their Own

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

“MOOOOOOM!!!!!” I heard from the basement. Rollie was clomping up the stairs, with his pants down around his ankles.

Me: “Uh, yes?”

R: “Mom, I need to change my underwear and pants!”

Me: “Oh, no. What happened?”

R: “Well, I was trying to aim for the toilet, but when I peed, it went straight down in my pants and underwear and everywhere!”

Me: “Okay, well, those things happen. Just put those in the dirty clothes and go change. It’s okay.”

Tiller, chiming in: “Did Rollie pee in his pants?!”

Rollie: “I didn’t do it! My penis did it on its own!”

Me: “Well, they do sometimes have a mind of their own.”

Posted in Humor, Parenthood, Rollie, Tiller | 1 Comment »

The Only Thing You Can Count On

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

So, the first thing you should know is that the Tooth Fairy is susceptible to strep throat, just like the rest of us. In fact, R’s Tooth Fairy seems to have come down with it at the same precise time that I did. Rollie lost another tooth on Monday night (after he went to bed, of course, prompting me to get up off the couch and deal with blood and teeth and find the damn tooth pillow while swallowing felt like eating glass). I warned him that there was a chance she wouldn’t know that night that he had lost a tooth, since it was so late, and that she might not show. Well, she didn’t show last night either.

Rollie’s Tooth Fairy sucks. Hopefully, she will get her shit together and make an appearance this evening.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s discuss this whole back-to-school thing. Yes, my county in GA went back to school. On August 8th. Yes, that August 8th, the one that is a full month before I used to go to school back in the olden days.

R. started second grade. I am the parent of a second grader. When I say it, it sounds like I am talking about some person I don’t even know. Who let me be responsible for a 2nd grader? Shoot, I still can’t believe they let me and Todd walk out of Northside with, not one, but TWO of these creatures. We just got in the car and drove off with them! No certificate or license or anything!

And the Tills. . . the sweet baby girl, Tiller. Tills started Kindergarten on Monday.

The first day was rough. When I left her classroom the teacher was trying to get a handle on the new students and calling for a translator. Tiller was sitting at her desk alone, in tears. (I may have shed a tear or two myself.) Our school gained a ton of new students through redistricting, many whose parents don’t speak English. We gained so many students that they hadn’t even hired a new teacher for the new Kindergarten class Tiller is in, so she has a sub this week. (Rumor has it the new teacher, who lives in our neighborhood and is a friend, starts tomorrow.) Not the perfect start to the week, but the sub is a retired veteran K teacher, and by the second day, she had that ship righted and set on a course.

Rollie has a male homeroom teacher for the first time. I am interested to see how his mostly-male class responds to having a man teaching them. Already, he seems like he is very active in his teaching, which i think these wild boys need. They had math class outside the first day!

Another change this year? The kids are in aftercare. I decided that i was ready to go back to work full-time, or at least take on more hours contracting. (Wink wink, nudge nudge – shoot me an email if you have the hookup on a dream job you think might be a good fit for me. You know – flexible, interesting, challenging, and financially rewarding! Is that so much to ask?)

So, starting next week, I am going to be looking for more work in earnest. I have been spoiled and lucky to have great, near-constant teleworking experiences for the last eight years, but i am ready to add more work to my plate. I feel like this is a brand new chapter in my life. My babies are not babies anymore. I am not a “new mom.” Wrapping my head around this has been pretty wild. I didn’t realize how much of my life revolved around keeping two kids alive for six and eight years! But they don’t need me quite as much as they did even two years ago, and I know it. I need to find other things to put my energies into. I have taken the PTA newsletter off my plate this year.

I am still putting together the quarterly Evansdale Education Foundation newsletter, though, and serving on the organizing board. That has been a very rewarding experience. Have a bunch of money bags lying around? Please donate to the foundation here! (Or just look at the newsletter to see some of the awesome stuff we funded this year – a new EIP teacher for the school, and gifted certification and guided math training for teachers. We raised about $50,000 in our first year. Amazing, since it started out as about 15 people sitting around every Sunday night at someone’s house, trying to figure out how to sustain and improve quality of education at the elementary school.) Whoa. Digression.

So, I was worried that the day, with aftercare, would just be too much for my five-year-old girl. But Tiller LOVED her first day of school. I thought she would be happy to see me when I picked them up that first day, and she was. She came walking out of the cafeteria and saw me, cracked a big smile, exclaimed, “mama!” and ran full speed into my arms! And then I said for her to get her bag and she burst into tears and said she didn’t want to go yet. I am glad that she is going to like it there and that I won’t feel bad about them being there all day, but I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a little tiny piece of me that wishes that she was going to miss our lunches and errands as much as I will.

And of course, Rollie was all, “Mom! Why did you pick us up so early?!” (It was after five.) “I was playing dodgeball!”

I missed you, too, Buddy.

So, i think this is a big year for us, and will be a big adjustment. But I’m starting to see that most change is good, and even if it isn’t, I might as well embrace it, because it is really the only thing you can count on in this life.

Still, how can this:

And this:

Become this?

We will make you love us and then leave you, Mama.

We are going to make you love us and then leave you, Mama.

Tags: First Day of School
Posted in Education, Family, Life, Mushy, Parenthood, Rollie, Tiller, Work | 2 Comments »

Dogwood Girl