Once in a Lifetime

It's not often in Alabama you can experience 8 inches of snow and your team playing in the National Championship game all in one day. That's the epitome of once in a lifetime.

What a day! No matter what kind of season they have, it's always great to be an Auburn Tiger. Yesterday was like the biggest cherry in creation on top! I cannot wait to see pictures and get the recap from my friends who were there...hint, hint AK and Sixty. WDE!!!

We just thought we'd gotten our share of the pretty white stuff during Christmas. Turns out we hadn't seen anything yet! Sunday we braced ourselves for the winter storm that was rolling in. While J stocked up on necessities at the grocery that afternoon I took the girls to Madelyn and Braxton's 6th birthday party...
What kind of party would it be without the three stooges?
Brock, Cate and Ella were having a ball and burning up all their energy before we were officially home bound. These five are such sweet friends and get along famously...
While we were at the party, J sent me a picture of two men getting in a fight at Walmart when one man stole another man's gallon of milk right out of his shopping cart. Insanity! I mean, have you ever in your life? I don't think we really knew what was coming our way. It always seems like we get the opposite of what's predicted. We didn't take the forecast too seriously, but when it started snowing around 7:30 that night it was a different story. We definitely made the most of it. As in indoor snowball fights, J getting locked out of the house when he went to get more ammunition, freezing strawberry lemonade popsicles outside overnight, seeing how far we could slide down the street with slick shoes on, and riding around at 10:30 p.m. checking out the scene. Little did we know the roads were closed to everyone but emergency vehicles. Actually, I'm pretty sure my adventurist husband knew but wanted to take us for a ride anyway. Have you ever been out in the snow at night? It's the neatest thing. I couldn't get over how it wasn't dark outside at all. I took this picture at 11:30 that night of our back yard...

And that's without a flash! I'm not sure if that's the reason none of us could go to sleep or not. It's probably the lit up sky combined with sheer excitement. We were all like little kids and were up 'til midnight!
Monday morning when we first went out we had to see just how much powdery goodness we'd gotten overnight...
Right off the bat I spotted my red bird friend who has been hanging around our house for the last couple of weeks...
He's so pretty against the white snow!
Another way to tell just how much snow there was was to compare it to this bird bath that I took a picture of when it snowed Christmas morning...
That was then and this is now...
Doesn't even compare!

J had to go into work Monday morning to make sure his north Alabama offices were running smoothly. He left home at 6:30 that morning on his way to Huntsville which is usually only about a 20 minute drive. When he called me at 7:30, he was only halfway there. Truth be told, he probably could have worked out of Decatur. I think he wanted to try to get to Huntsville just so he could be one of the only people to successfully make it down I-565. Thank God he made it back safe and sound. If he hadn't have tried it, I'd think there was something wrong with him. He's quite the thrill seeker.

Him being at work meant I had to take charge and make sure we enjoyed the snow to the fullest. Usually it's J who's the fun one like that. I detest being cold and would rather have hot chocolate waiting for when everyone comes back in. I made up my mind to brave the cold for the girls' sake. It took what seemed like hours to get bundled up enough, but we finally did it...
Bethany's behind the camera because she had just rolled out of bed. :)
It was still early in the morning, but it was game day. It's never too early to get your game faces on! I bought those Auburn tattoos when I was on the Plains back in November and knew that I'd need them for a rainy day. Or in our case...a snowy day!
We tried to build a snowman. Our hands were frost bitten within seconds, though. So we opted for snowballs instead...
This was the last of the snow little blondie would see that morning...
She and her Bebby couldn't take it anymore. Cate and I stayed out for a while longer to go exploring...
I can always count on Buggy to hang with me!
With my car looking like this...
We had to use another method of transportation...
Our two feet!
All Cate-Cate wanted to do was see how far down the road we could go. It was doable because there were virtually no cars on the road. Until she spotted something...
The first sign of life! Another car was headed straight for us, but I assured her they were going at a snail's pace and couldn't take us out before we could move out of the way. She's such a worrier. Staying out of the street seemed like a much better idea, and she got the biggest kick out of walking around trying to see how deep the snow was...
It wasn't long before we desperately needed to thaw out and warm up. Nothing gets us going like making Auburn cupcakes...
Bet you can't guess who decorated them and whose fingers have been in one! Bebs got Cate's attention off of sticking her fingers in the cupcakes with this...
Squirting the icing right on in her mouth...leave it to B!
It seemed like forever before we could finally sit down to the ballgame, so we had to find something to do to pass the time. Call us crazy, but it involves an interstate overpass and inflatable pool floats...
Towns wanted to be the first to try it out...
Naturally, she loved it!
Buggy, not so much...
B was there cheering her on and subsequently loving on her when came back up the hill screaming her head off...
From then on our she was strictly a spectator. What really got her going was sending the floats down while we weren't looking and then watching us huffing and puffing up the hill after retrieving them. That was her idea of fun.
It was a good time and we all lasted much longer than I anticipated...
She's so stinking cute...And funny, too. Just ask her about the girl who kicked the hornet's nest.From our family (minus my Alabama fan husband) to yours...
WAR EAGLE!

It's Great To Be...

An AUBURN TIGER!

It always has been and it always will be.
Because like any true Auburn fan would say from the bottom of their heart...
I believe in Auburn and LOVE IT!

Almost everyone I know is in Glendale, but we'll be there in spirit. We're snowed in and will be counting down the minutes until kick-off.

I have a feeling it's going to be a Bodda Getta kind of day...
WAR EAGLE!!!

Equines and Escalades

As shown in the picture above...and everything in between! That's what you get when you head down the Natchez Trace to the middle of Mississippi to spend post-Christmas at Aunt Jane and Uncle Charlie's house...

If it can be ridden, either they've got it or we took it with us!
Needless to say, it's always a good time. We eat ourselves miserable, talk ourselves silly, and catch up on everything under the sun. When we got there last Tuesday afternoon the first thing Cate wanted to do was ride a horse. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have happened if it were up to me. I've been terrified of horses since I almost got thrown off and trampled by one when it took off running without me knowing how to stop it. But being a mom means doing things you wouldn't normally do for anyone or anything. So here you go...
My shades hide the fear in my eyes. Want to take a wild guess as to what happened when we were on it? It took off running without me knowing how to stop it. It was like deja vu. Why a horse doesn't recognize "whoooaaaa" when I'm on it I'll never know. Cate knew something was up and immediately decided she was done with it. When she tried to get off her owl skirt fell to her ankles, which is a problem when you're as modest as she is. But Uncle Charlie assured her that it happens to him all the time and then she was fine...
I managed to keep my composure long enough to take Towns for a spin on my 4-legged enemy...
She's just like her daddy and would have ridden all afternoon had her mother not objected. Anna Grace got a horse for Christmas and this is where she spent a great deal of time...
She and Mary Catherine are such naturals...
Bethany shares my feelings about horses, so you could count on the two of us not standing in line for our turn! They're beautiful animals. They really are. But I can't help but being a little scared of something that's bigger than me.
Buggy quickly came to the realization that her Escalade was as fine a ride as any...
Somewhere along the way one of her babies misbehaved and needed a talking to...
I think she's asking Bitty Baby if she needs "vinevar" (aka vinegar) in her mouth for being sassy. Where could she have gotten that from? I honestly have no idea...

My 6 year old brother, Max, has my Pop's old BB gun and brought it along for fun. He graciously offered to give me a lesson in how to successfully take out a Diet Coke can...
I didn't have the heart to tell him that I shot that same gun when I was his age. I let him teach me his tricks and then showed him a thing or two as well. :)

It wasn't long before the girls found Sweet Pea. That poor pooch was just a puppy when we were there last year and got carried around like a baby by these two...
I'm pretty sure she's never recovered. Too bad there aren't two Sweet Peas. It's hard for two little girls to share one dog. And what Cate wants, Cate usually finds a way to get...
That same afternoon my mom's cousin Barbara drove over from Tchula for a short visit. As usual, we were all gathered around hanging onto her every word...
She's got to be one of the most interesting people I know. She's spent over 30 years doing mission work in Haiti. She's raised three boys in the jungles of Suriname where they had monkeys for pets. We've always told her that she needs to write a book. You might remember me telling you several years ago about her middle son, Matt. He and his wife were raising their 5 very young children in Haiti where he partnered with an organization that started churches. On his way to meet another preacher about a new church he was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a truck driving down a dirt road. It was an absolutely devastating time. But what a comfort to know that he was right where he was meant to be doing the work he was meant to do. Knowing Matt, he wouldn't have had it any other way. Barbara still goes back to Haiti and was actually there during the earthquake. I don't believe in consequence. It's providence that she was there when it happened. If she wouldn't have been, she would have found a way to get there. Oh, the stories she can tell!

After Barbara's visit there was still lots of time for sitting around the fire pit solving the world's problems...
And turning the kids loose in huge fields just to see what they could do...
Santa coordinated Towns and Max's Christmas gifts so that they'd be on an equal playing field...We spent some time at the barn watching Anna Grace get lessons in riding her horse...
Somehow J talked her into getting off long enough to let him ride...
I was quite impressed!

We had plenty of opportunity to consume endless amounts of birthday cake...
My mom and Anna Grace both celebrated birthdays while we were there!
Birthday cake makes for happy children...
When Towns wasn't on Bebby's hip she was attached to Mary Catherine...
She told MC that she wanted to stay with her forever. Mary Cat told her that they'd see each other again really soon. Towns took it to heart and told her she'd back her bags as soon as she got home. Bless her!
As usual, Cate was mostly interested in her babies and caffeine...
Some things never change!

We enjoyed ourselves, but there's really nothing like coming home to your own bed. We're such homebodies. Since we've been home you can usually see us doing this...
And intentionally dodging the camera...
P.S. There's nothing like a system in the back of a little girl's recreational vehicle. Wouldn't you agree? I wish I could tell you that she didn't tell me she was ready to go back to the "hizzouse" during Towns' cheer practice this afternoon. Lord help us all...

Back At It

It's back to business as usual around here today. All the girls started back to school...which also means the afternoon activities resume. It's always bittersweet for me. We definitely thrive on being in a routine and things usually go smoother when we're in one. But I sure have enjoyed everyone being at home. It's so nice to wake up and know that there's nowhere we have to be. Yesterday was the last day of freedom, and of course we had to make the most of it. I fully intended our plans to be a surprise, but by the time we were ready to walk out the door the cat was out of the bag. I'd bought tickets for the early matinee of Tangled at the Monaco, and Bethany got us there safe and sound and just in time. I was super excited about it because I'd heard lots of good things about the movie. And besides seeing Up two summers ago when she was really young, it was Cate's first real trip to the theater. I knew going into it that it could go one of two ways and was hoping for the best. But if you've ever watched a movie with Cate, you would know you either need earphones or duct tape. She asks questions the entire time. We first noticed it when we watched The Santa Claus with Tim Allen before Christmas. When Santa falls off the roof and onto the ground, his clothes stay there but he's gone. Seeing that led to this:

Why did he fall? Did he hurt himself? Where did he go? Why are his clothes on the ground? Is he naked now? Oh no, what if someone sees his hiney? Is he walking down the street with no clothes on? Isn't he gonna be cold? Will he find more clothes? Oh, I bet he'll just go to the mall and buy something to wear. Did he go to the hospital? Will he have to get a shot since he fell off the roof?

It went on and on. I hate to admit that she must have gotten it from me because I can't watch a movie and just take it in. I want to know why, where, how, etc. It's exhausting. Anyway, I tried to explain to her that since we'd be in a movie theater we couldn't really talk out loud because we'd be a distraction. She was fine with that and only whispered 1,479 questions in my ear. And last night when J asked her if she liked the movie she said, "yes, and I only went to the bathroom four times." Gotta love her honesty! Bethany and Towns really enjoyed it. It's technically the first Disney princess movie the younger two have ever seen. They know who the princess are, but that's about it. I don't get why there has to be an evil villain in all of them, and quite frankly I enjoy my sleep at night. They'd be constantly thinking they're hearing things at night and I'd be fit to be tied. I know this because even watching The Grinch is a problem. I watched all the Disney movies growing up and never thought anything of it. But now that I'm a parent it's a little different. If they asked to watch one I'd gladly let them, but they've never asked. Therefore we all sleep soundly. :)

After the movie I snagged a quick, blurry camera phone picture before B headed off on her own to shop around...
We had an hour and a half before we needed to leave to get B back home in time to cheer at a basketball game. That was great for Bebs. Not so great for me when it's cold outside and a trip to the cookie store only takes up ten minutes! We braved the cold and they ran their hearts out while pushing the stroller. This is what I saw as I heard Towns yelling something like "come on Cate let's smoke Mommy"...
And they flew right on past me. But that didn't last long because Towns decided she would rather ride...
I can't confine Cate to a stroller if my life depended on it, so a double stroller would be a total waste. Towns loves it though!

We spent the rest of our time reading and playing in Barnes & Noble while we waited on Bebby. Why is it that I'm a sucker for books with pretty covers? I refrained from buying any, but it was hard. They always end up unread, so it's just as well.

B's basketball game that afternoon wasn't crowded, so the girls slipped on over to the cheerleaders' section and tried to join in...
I love that Bethany isn't embarrassed about it. Most of the time, at least. To those two little chicas Bethany is their ticket to everything cool in this world!