Beach Trip-Day 1

Gotta stick the tongue out!

Fun with watercolors.

I can do it too.

Masterpiece!

I DID it!

Forehand...

AND backhand! What a pro.

Please stop interrupting me while I work and try and get me to smile for the camera...AGAIN.

I'm going to get you.

Important work going on here.

Just enjoying the view.

Dinner at last! The pizza was worth the wait!

Well, the boys and I are in Destin visiting MeMe and Poppy (trying to get as much beach time as possible before the oil hits). I'm going to post LOTS of pictures for David's sake. He really misses being here with us so I'll try and keep him up-to-date.

Day 1: pretty rainy on/off throughout the day, came up with some inside fun, did some shopping at the outlets, cleared up in the afternoon for some tennis (Brannon's first official tennis lesson) and beach time

Too Cute!

Moving up in the world

Brannon in front of his cubby in his new room.

Brannon and his good friend, CJ.

On Tuesday Brannon moved up to the next class. He will only be in there about a month until we move but I'm glad he got to stay with his friends. He was very excited about moving to his new classroom. One of his teachers, Ms. Sandra, actually moved with his class. We were happy about this because she is really good with the kids and they love her. His new teacher is Ms. Jennifer who LOVES Brannon and calls him "SugarMuffin". Earlier this year, Brannon didn't like his nickname but has grown to embrace it and realize it gets him extra attention. We are really going to miss Galloway, the teachers, and the friends!

Camera is back

I got my camera back last weekend just in time for lots of fun-filled activities around town: blues festival, art fair, and fun in the fountains.

Healing Touch

This technique is broken out at night every now and then when Brannon is desperate for one more excuse to get out of the bed. It started several months ago on Brannon's fifth or sixth excuse for getting out of the bed. He peeks around his door.
Brannon: Mommy (whisper)... Mommy (louder)... Mommy (really loud)
Me: Get back in the bed and don't get out. I'm not going to tell you again. (Since I've already told him this three times already I'm sure he knows I'm bluffing.)
Brannon (starting to cry): But Mommy...
Me (starting to weaken): What's wrong Brannon?
Brannon: My, uh, uh, (searching the recesses of his brain) , uh... my LEG hurts. I need Daddy to fix it!

SUCCESS! I can now pawn this off on daddy!! One of the many advantages to not being a "real" doctor!
So I send David off to take care of this little episode.

The next thing I hear is a very loud "SMACK"!

My jaw drops to the floor because this was not the way I had envisioned he was going to handle it. I stay in my seat and listen for the reaction. Well, no crying. Huh? I decide to peak in to the room just as I hear the smack again. Then I witness the pure genius of my husband. He is eliciting the Mr. Miyagi technique for healing on my son. Complete with a clap, the rubbing of hands, and eventually the laying of the hands on his leg to "heal". But the absolute best part is the look of complete awe in my child's eyes!

In case any of you need to borrow this technique it works for hurt legs, ears, fingers, toes, and pretty much any other body part you need it for (we've tested it all).

Another story about eating out

I think I should write an article for the Jackson metro area concerning family-friendly eating establishments. I've been to almost all of them since I've had kids and I can definitely give a rating on which ones are happy and accommodating and those that let you struggle with two kids, two bags, and two trays of food. Well, that's for another day. Today I'm going to talk about one of my new favorite places, Piccadilly. It's perfect for taking the kids by myself and they LOVE it! There are several vegetables that Taylor will actually eat (probably because they are cooked in lard but they're still vegetables right?). You walk in and the rolling highchairs greet you at the front door. So I shove Taylor in one, hang the diaper bag on the back, and Brannon pushes him through the line. (No lost digits yet thank goodness.) I push two trays through the line and someone is there waiting to carry our trays to the table. Perfect! The only problem with Piccadilly is the guilt I feel as our meal progresses. Throughout the course of the meal we proceed to go through many very messy foods. I pile lima beans (Taylor's favorite), mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, chicken, and whatever other foods we choose that day onto Taylor's tray. They all sort of mix together into a pile of mush with a color that can't really be described. All the time he is shoving it in his mouth and covering his face, clothes, and hair with this lovely mixture. When he tires of this he starts sneaking it onto the ground around him. Brannon, on the other hand, has already demolished his shrimp (gross I know, but he loves it). He has taken the remaining ketchup, mixed it with the black-eyes peas, and dumped this into his green jello. He then stirs the concoction until it is practically liquid and then begins to eat it. Okay, so how many of you are disgusted yet? Exactly my point. I never make eye contact with the surrounding patrons. I don't want to know how many are having to get up and leave their meals because they are sick to their stomachs. I don't want to see the ugly looks and the judging stares. I too love Piccadilly and I want to keep going back. Oh, and the best thing about Piccadilly. We get to leave a big tip and just leave the mess behind! I guess except for the damage to my kids clothes (no Brannon is not bleeding, he's just covered from head to toe in ketchup). For this, I REALLY wish I had my camera!

Update

For those of you who still check the blog I have not stopped. My camera is broken and it's getting repaired (I hope). It's taking longer then I expected so I guess I'll have to post some stories without pictures. I'll try and stay on top of things. My memory is so shot though that I really need pictures to remind me of what we've done from day to day. Sad I know!