just a little conversation

Riding home from the Morgan County football game (that we won, by the way!), I had a conversation with my daughter that went like this:

Mak: Mommy, are you proud of me?
Me: Of course, baby, I'm always proud of you. (Side note: I'm not so proud when she's putting her hands on her hips, turning her back to me and shaking her hiney when she is mad. Which is exactly what she did to me at the football game last night. There were repercussions to that action, mind you.)
Mak: Why?
Me: Because you're my baby.
Mak: And because I make your feelings happy?
Me: More than you will ever know!

Don't you just love the short little conversations that you have with your children that simultaneously show that they are growing up yet are still so innocent and precious?

our first carving

Joey and I are lame. We have never carved a pumkin with our kids until this year. We don't have an excuse. We just haven't done it. But, we rectified that situation this year! The kids wanted to carve the pumpkins they painted from the farm, so carve them we did! It was so much fun for them! We'll obviously continue this tradition for all of the Halloweens ahead!

it's just a mask, sweetie

We went trick-or-treating yesterday in town to all the stores. It's always a big hit in Madison and every one turns out for the big event. Although Joey was gone, I tackled it on my own with both kids. They did great other than the fact that they were TERRIFIED of every scary costume. Hiding behind my legs, crying, shaking, etc. There were several times throughout that I was trying to walk with one kid wrapped around each leg. I don't know how many times I tried to explain to them that it was just kids in masks; they didn't care. My mom would say that I was the exact same way when I was a kid. In fact, I still don't like masks. Needless to say, I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked because it was hard to operate a camera, hold on to the kids, and hold out their buckets to the candy people all at the same time.

Two Taylor Swifts!

She LOVES this baby! Doesn't this pictures just SCREAM for her to be a big sister?!?!?!

Two Ainslie Indians!

Not wrapped around my legs for the first time!

all the single ladies

I respect and admire moms that do it alone in a whole new way after this week. I am "lucky" in the fact that Joey never has to travel. The main reason I wanted to move to Madison was because Joey would work 5 minutes from home and be home by 5:10 every day! I just really depend on him. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a definite thing. I have a TON of friends whose husbands spend a lot of time traveling, and I really don't know how they do it. I know that it's their "normal" and they have adjusted to it just fine. Me, however? I'm extremely thankful that this is the only week on my horizon that I have to be alone. My kids have been wonderful. But just the fact of having to do EVERYTHING for them by myself is draining. You don't realize how much you depend on the daily "help" until you don't have it. This week, the kids and I have been completely on our own Monday night, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Joey is staying in Atlanta. He came home on Tuesday night, but I'm not sure we said more than about 15 words to each other. He had to spend so much time studying, and I just continued taking care of the kids. It's been a hard week to be on my own because of all of the Halloween festivities going on for the kids. But, I'm making it! However, I am counting down the hours to Friday night when it will be all over!

A Pumpkin Day

We went to Twin Oaks Fun Farm yesterday with a group of friends to pick pumpkins. We decided to let all the kids wear their Halloween costumes and it was so much fun. The place had an awesome playground, hay rides, pumpkin painting and a petting zoo. I sure do love me some little Georgia football player and cheerleader!

Her KING!

Makinley is all about everything princess. Her favorite is Briar Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty), but any Disney Princess will do. She has one of the sweetest games that she likes to play. She will lay down and pretend to be asleep. Joey will lean over and kiss her and she'll open her eyes, jump up, scream, "MY KING!" with a huge grin on her face and they will start dancing around the living room. It's the most precious thing and I have got to get it on video. I pray that she always measures every guy she dates against her daddy! He has most definitely always treated me like a queen, and Makinley deserves no less than to be the princess that she believes she is!

It's About Time

In the last few days, maybe over the last week or so, Tripp has really started to understand the concept of time. Especially when it comes to the days of the week. It wasn't long ago that everything happened "yesterday" even if it happened weeks ago. Now that he's in school and they do calendar time every day, he understands that things happen on a certain day of the week.  He knows football comes on on Saturdays, he knows we go to church on Sundays, he knows we go to the candy store on Fridays, etc. Makinley has now entered into the "everything happened yesterday" phase. It's so funny to listen to Tripp try to explain to her when it actually took place. I love it because now I can explain to him better when we are going to do something. For example, he understands that Halloween is next weekend and that he has to get through an entire week of school before it gets here!