Easter Traditions

Alex was able to stop by after the egg hunt.  These two need both parents' supervision during big events!

Prelude to a kiss

Jeremiah was more interested in collecting pine cones and throwing them in the lake.

Mr. Analytical

Yummy sucker.

Sarah was the egg collector.

The Easter Bunny came early via Nana and Papa.  Thank you!

Mini Milestones

Sarah is 15 months and 2 days old, 21 pounds & 14 ounces, and 29 inches long.  She is in the 60th percentile for weight, the 81st for height, and the 42nd for weight to height.  Doing great with her speech and she is a champ walker and stair climber.  You should see the girl strut.  I'll have to put up a video clip.
Sarah graduated to a big girl backpack in anticipation of Parents' Morning Out in September (holla!) and Jeremiah has been in his bed without guard rails for a month or more.

We took a picture on Palm Sunday outside our church to document Sarah's sweet sailor suit from Aunt Susan.  Yes, we are purposefully coordinated and I'm not apologizing.  I fully embrace the matchy-matchy.

Denial, Hushpuppies, and Weight Loss

I was double fisting a box of hot hush puppies (Captain D's) and a birthday cake milkshake (Zaxby's) and laugh-choking from the irony of it all.

We had just had another big-important-reality-check-status-of-the-budget discussion the night before.  It always starts the same way.   I casually mention something financially related during a relaxing activity (for Alex, it was watching a Tax Cheats show) and it turns into a 2 hour gut-check.  It was a good talk, definitely.  The funny thing is Alex actually got a good percentage raise and we have some breathing room to save and get some margin in our lives.  Wonderful news.  But we are still dealing with "We used to make XX and now we make X and it is just plain hard because we are spoiled Americans and want everything NOW even though we have our health, our family, and a very nice roof over our heads.  Oh, and we are out of debt." 

We have some weak muscles to build.  Saving is like, hard.  It takes many months to attain the goal in mind.  And then there is another goal.  And another unexpected expense.  So we really can't jet off to Vegas or Hawaii or the Bahamas.  Atlanta is our Vegas; the Georgia coast our island getaway. 

Anyway.  That's reality.  And Ethan Hawke was right.  It does kinda bite.

Denial moment #2-- Back to the hush puppies.  It's Friday night and I have been so virtuous.  I have made meatloaf and mashed potatoes, ignoring the Friday night urge to order pizza.  Our kids are unruly and I'd like a bit of air, so we cruise the town, finding new neighborhoods to explore.  Which leads me to my milkshake craving.  It had been peaked by a sore throat earlier in the week, and though I'd gotten a chocolate shake at Krystal's, I'd really wanted the Zaxby's one. 

Alex gets a hankering for hush puppies, and thus, we end up with both.  As I'm shoving the delicious, oniony, perfectly hot and greasy puppy in my mouth, we are lamenting the fact that we always seem tired, can't get up early, and so, we ease our nerves with comfort foods.  And really, that should stop.  As I'm happily inhaling my puppies and shake.  'Cause they are so good.  And we've spent $8 we didn't need to because we'd already eaten a perfectly satisfactory supper.  And I checked out a book earlier in the day called How To Never Look Fat Again.

And it made me laugh.  Hopefully, you too.

Kid Code & Verbal Shorthand

Here's ours:

Youngs' Kid Code

I. Movie Code
 A. TS (Toy Story)
 1. Tee Stees (Jeremiah's pronunciation)

B. Squeakquel (Alvin and the Chipmunks)
  1. Toby!!!
  2. The Chips

C. Finding Nemo
  1. Goldfish?

D.   Quotable Quotations
1. Bad Cheese! (AATC)
2. Mater's Greater (Cars)

II. Jeremiah-isms
1. Red dirt.
2. DANCE!
3. Baby's sweepin'!!! (screamed upon any cry from Sister)
4. Stinky sweet.

III. Sarah's Utterances
1. Bwubbles.  Bwubbles.
2. Gabba gabba gap!
3. MaaaMaaa!  (How darest you leave me in someone else's care?)
4. Dada!  (He's so cute.  When does he get home?  'Cause you are boring me.)

IV. Food & Drink
1. Tea, tea? (any colored water)
2. Cerul? (cereal)
3. Yummy popcorn?
4.  Ham-bur-ger?  (Upon passing any McDonalds)
5. Pete-zza!
6. Choco-wat milk.

(Sidenote: I think I've just made a speech pattern discovery.  Jeremiah really cannot pronounce the letter 'L' in the middle of a word unless blended with another consonant.)

V. Mommy & Daddy

1. Dipes and wipes
2. Stinky Butt (a game and a nickname)
 a. Stinky Feet (a derivative of Stinky Butt)
3. The Sylvan Swap  (trading kids when Mom tutors)
4. The Crazies
5.  Children of the Corn

We would love to add to our parent lexicon.  Please share yours!

Pimp My Ride

Taurus Edition. Awww, yeah.

Be ironic and rock a vanity plate.  It says "I'm educated.  I'm smart enough to drive a used car.  It's my choice!"

It fits nicely in the garage, which is nice for those of us with depth perception limitations.

Customizable!  Window decals say "I'm too classy for bumper stickers, but I belong, too!"

Optional entertainment center!

Holds two large car seats!

Drive this and you too can watch "Toy Story" every day around town!  Quote obscure lines in conversation!

See that toy car on the middle seat?  Mom, you can squeeze yourself in there on car trips to quiet the natives!

12 programmable radio stations- AM and FM.

Plays cassette tapes. Now you can play those old Boyz II Men singles!  Let's Don't Wait Til the Water Runs Dry...

Window Shades optional.  Nothing says "I have children and boy, do I like it!" like this shade.

Convinced, yet?  Ditch the payments and you too can act your wage!