Florida trip

Just got back from Florida yesterday....we had a great time!! I told Brian he could just leave me in Atlanta on the way home (still missing that place!), but of course I was glad to get home once we got here (it's always hard to see vacation end!).

It was so good to see Brian's family and spend time with them. We also got to take the boys to Epcot and to Mickey's Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom with all of Brian's family - this was Ethan's first visit and they both loved it! Their favorite rides were Splash Mountain and the Haunted Mansion, and the Test Track at Epcot. They HATED any of the 3-D shows! Elliott wouldn't even put on the glasses at the last one - ha! We even got to meet up with the Glass family from Monroe at the Halloween Party and then ate dinner with Michelle, Abigail and Ella the next night....it was so so nice to see them again!!

And we took a side trip to Cocoa Beach - Elliott had been to the beach when he was about 8 mos., but this was the first time either of them had really been to the ocean to play in the waves, etc. They LOVED it!! Thought it tasted horrible, but they couldn't get enough of the water.

Brian and I actually got to spend time with Beth and Rick, which is rare now that we have to juggle our schedules, the boys, their schedules, etc. It was fun to hang out with them, and I'm sure Rick never wants to go shoe shopping with me again!

As we were driving home last night Ethan said he was ready to go play with Nana. So sad!! I hate that they don't get to see them as much as I would like. I know they enjoy their time together, and they boys are pretty entertaining (when Brian's parents asked Ethan if he wanted to go to the park after dinner, he said he thought he'd need directions! Too too funny!). I'm very thankful for such a wonderful family!

Ethan is 3!!

Ethan turned 3 last week, and I can officially say I am birthday-ed out! We celebrated at school, at home, at Cracker Barrel with my parents' friends from Carterville, and at Grandma and Grandpa's! Lucky boys! They had so much fun and Ethan was definitely ready for it to be his turn at having a birthday after watching Elliott celebrate the week before.

I don't think Ethan is quite convinced that birthday mean that you're a year older, though. Today in the car the boys were discussing if they could have some gum or not and the conversation turned to this:

Ethan: But I'm bigger than you.
Elliott: No you're not. I'm 5 and when I'm 6...
Ethan: Well, well, well I'm 2!
Elliott: You're not 2 Ethan. You're 3!
Ethan: (with the most serious and confused face) Are you just kidding me?!
Elliott: No, you're 3 now.
And then Ethan just looked at us with the same serious and confused look and then changed the subject. Guess we'll have to work on that math thing a little more!

Elliott is 5!!

Elliott turned 5 yesterday! We celebrated with pancakes and presents at breakfast since Brian had to work all day. He got a new bike which he had been wanting for a while (Ethan was not so thrilled that there was no bike for him!). For lunch, we met Vicki and Ben and Sam at our favorite place - McDonald's (okay, Vicki and I prefer other places, but since it was a birthday and all...). Ben was so nice and brought Tow Mater party hats for all the boys to wear - they had a great time playing and even got ice cream! Elliott celebrated with his school friends today and will have a small party at Chuck E. Cheese's next week with some friends. I can't believe he's 5!!!

Blue Angels

We had the opportunity to go to the St. Louis County Fair and Air Show a week or so ago (on Labor Day). I'll say we could have picked a cooler day to go, but it was fun anyway - at least for Brian and I. The one thing Brian wanted to see was the Blue Angels performance, and it was awesome!! Brian got this shot of them as they flew over us. It's really amazing how they coordinate everything and even fly upside down.....you really just have to see it in person to get the WOW factor. The boys were less than impressed and mostly complained that they couldn't ride the rides and that the airplanes were too loud...go figure. I finally took them and rode some rides - have to say there were many generous people there also....at least 3 families came up to us and offered us their leftover tickets at various times! And I now remember why I never really cared for that "buccaneer" type ride (can't remember what it's called).

Anyway, hope everyone has a good weekend! The boys and I are headed to Illinois for my Great-Uncle's funeral, so it will be a sad one for us. Take care!

Gotta Love Atlanta!

I got this email a few days ago from my friend Michele and had to share it with you. It's so funny because it's mostly true! And if you've ever been to Atlanta I think you'll agree.....

This is for anyone who lives in Atlanta , Georgia , has ever lived in Atlanta , has ever visited Atlanta , ever plans to visit Atlanta , knows anyone who already lives in Atlanta , or knows anyone who has ever heard of Atlanta .

Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way streets. The only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn around and start over when you reach Greenville , South Carolina .

All directions start with, "Go down Peac htree" and include the phrase, "When you see the Waffle House." Except that in Cobb County , where all directions begin with, "Go to the Big Chicken."

Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is not to be confused with:
> Peachtree Circle
> Peachtree Place
> Peachtree Lane
> Peachtree Road
> Peachtree Parkway
> Peachtree Run
> Peachtree Terrace
> Peachtree Avenue
> Peachtree Commons
> Peachtree Battle
> Peachtree Corners
> New Peachtree
> Old Peachtree
> West Peachtree
> Peachtree-Dunwoody
> Peachtree-Chamblee
> Peachtree Industrial Boulevard
> Peachtree City

Atlantans only know their way to work and their way home. If you ask anyone for directions, they will always send you down Peachtree.

Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. Coke's all they drink there so don't ask for any other soft drink unless it's made by Coca-Cola. Even if you want something other than a Coca-Cola, it's still called Coke.

The gates at Atlanta 's Hartsfield International Airport are about 32 miles away from the Main Concourse, so wear sneakers and pack a lunch.

The 8 am rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM.

The 5 pm rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:30 PM. Fri day's rush hour starts Thursday afternoon and lasts through 2 am Saturday.

Only a native of Atlanta can pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue , so do not attempt the Spanish pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you. The Atlanta pronunciation is "pawntz duh LEE-awn."

And yes, they have a street named simply, "Boulevard."

The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to immediately forget all traffic rules. If a single snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days and it's on all the channels as a news flash every 15 minutes for a week. Overnight, all grocery stores will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and beer.

I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta, which has a posted speed limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain 80 mph just to keep from getting run over), is known to truckers as "The Watermelon 500."

Don't believe the directional markers on highways: I-285 is marked East and West but you may be going North or South. The locals identify the direction by referring to the "Inner Loop" and the "Outer Loop ."

If you travel on Hwy 92 North, you will actually be going southeast.

Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta . Just go to one of the interstates and you will soon find one in the middle of the road.

The last thing you want to do is give another driver the finger, unless your car is armored, your trigger finger is itchy and your AK-47 has a full clip.

Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia .

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia , plus a couple no one has seen before.
If it grows, it sticks.
If it crawls, it bites.
If you notice a vine trying to wrap itself around your leg, you have about 20 seconds to escape, before you are completely captured and covered with Kudzu, another ill-advised "import ," like the Carp, Starling, English Sparrow, and other 'exotic wonders'.

It's not a shopping cart, it's a buggy.

"Fixinto" is one word (I'm fixinto go to the store).

Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're 2 years old.

"Jeet?" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"

"Momma-nem" means: How's Mother and all of the other children and other members of the family doing.

If you understand these jokes, forward them to your friends from Atlanta , Georgia and those who just wish they were.

Lordy, I love ATLANTA !

Cisne Reunion

A couple of weekends ago we all went to the Cisne Reunion. It's kind of a celebration/homecoming in my hometown that lasts for 4 days. I love going cause it usually means I get to see people that I haven't seen in a long time. It's also special to us, because it was here that we first met each other 13 years ago. This was actually the first time Brian and I had been there since we got married. And it was the first time the boys had gone (they LOVED it by the way). We had such a good time, so I thought I'd share some pictures.

The first one is the boys waiting for candy to be thrown their way during the annual parade on Saturday - they came home with plenty to share, thanks mostly to their Aunt Neva, Uncle Bill and my dad's co-worker, Mike. The second one is of the "Back Seat Driver" contest that Brian and I entered. The backseat driver had to get the blindfolded driver through this obstacle course of hay bales in the fastest time without knocking over the hay bales. Let's just say I'll keep my usual role as back seat driver. Somehow, as the driver, I ended up knocking over 4 bales and being disqualified! With Brian as the driver, though, we did really well and were just 1 second away from getting a cool 2nd place trophy...we'll definitely practice up for next year!

Ethan's First Day of School

Ethan had a little more to say about school than Elliott did yesterday. We were coming home, and Elliott was telling us that he learned counting in Spanish today so I asked Ethan what he did at school today. "I think we didn't learn anything...we just played and eat lunch and take a nap". He mentioned lunch a few times, so that must have been the highlight of his day! There were quite a few kids missing their mommies this morning in his class, so I'm surprised they had time to do anything at all! I'm sure things will settle down and he'll "learn" something in the next few days.