Itchy

So I have poison ivy or poison oak. Not sure which one it is, and really, I don't care.  All I care about is the itching.  And the fact that I woke up this morning and it was ON MY FACE.  Oh yeah.  I am lookin hot this Thanksgiving.  Thank God I was able to get into my dermatologist this morning and got a nice ole shot in the fanny of a little thing called steriods.  I also got some good seteriod cream for the body rash as well as the rash on my face. Only problem is, it is still spreading.  I just noticed two new breakout spots.  I look awful.  At least I will be with family over Thanksgiving.  They have to love me, even if I look like "a monster is trying to come out of my face" as Ward told me today at lunch.  Kids don't lie.

Ward's thoughts on Jesus

Ward has been learning a lot at school abot Jesus.  He is so sweet about it, although I have to hold back the laughter on some of the things that come out of his mouth.  The way kids minds work is just so literal.  Here are some samples:

"I love baby Sam the way Jesus loves him."  (When he said this tonight, I think that mom was about to cry.)

______

WARD:  "Mommy, I want to be like Jesus."
ME: "Ward, that is so great.  We all should try to be like Jesus in everything that we do."
WARD:  "Yeah, I know.  Only I don't want to be put up on a cross in my underwear."

I didn't reply to that because I was too scared of laughing.

_______

WARD: "Mommy, what happened to all the people who died before Jesus?"
ME: "Well, Ward, they didn't get a chance to know Jesus, but they knew God and if they loved God they went to heaven to be with God."
. . . silence . . .
WARD: "Mommy?"
ME:  "Yes bud?"
WARD:  "I think that if you don't know Jesus you just stay dead in the ground."

I didn't have an answer for that one either.

My new obsession

So I am newly obsessed with The Pioneer Woman.  http://thepioneerwoman.com/  Why did no one tell me about this amazing woman and her blog!  I mean, I am all over the internet (what do you think I do most of the time I am at work?) and I just heard someone talking about it.  She is fabulous,  hysterical, and, best of all, real.  Her blog has incredible recipes - a couple of which are definitely going to make it to my Thanksgiving table - and step-by-step instructions with pictures!  What more could a girl ask.  Plus she is an amazing photographer and gives great tips for us beginners!  So fun.  I could spend hours and hours on her blog.  But I do need to do a little bit of work today, I guess . . . .

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day is always a day that is close to my heart.  I am very patriotic and am amazed at all who sacrificed for our, my, freedoms.  I know how selfish I am when I ask myself whether I could do what they do every day.  And it is all the more special to me now that we have a Marine in the family - Louisa's husband Greg.  He will always have a special place with the Upchurch's.  Ever since their "Southern Tour" after college when he and Louisa came and stayed at the lake and Ward fell in love.  We talk about Cousin Greg a lot (sometimes he is even referred to as Uncle Greg!) around our house and even though he is not currently "fighting the badguys" in Afghanastan, his life, and Louisa's, is a testament to the work service.  Ward even drew a picture of him on the computer, in all his camo, holding an American flag.  I gotta send that one out ot CA.

But to all that currently serve, those who have served in the past, and especially those who have made hte ultimate sacrifice, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Thank you just doesn't seem to cut it, but know that my prayers cover you all daily and nightly.  God Bless you.

Halloween weekend

To say that we had an overwhelming Halloween weekend would be an understatement.  I really can't put into words what went on.  Yes, we were busy, but that doesn't quite describe it.  On Friday, Ward went to the Pumpkin Patch with school and I was in charge of both his Halloween party (when they got back) and Ann Park's at school.  We did our normal Friday night pizza, and then I had a baby shower to attend.  On Saturday, the real chaos began.  We had a dress-up birthday party at lunch.  Ward was Darth Vadar (he won the prize for best costume) and Ann Park was Ariel - princess Ariel, not mermaid Ariel mind you. 

Then Ann Park and I rushed home for a quick costume change.  We went to see the Alabama Ballet's performance of Snow White with some friends and she just had to be my little Snow White.  The girls trick-or-treated before the show and were nice and sugared-up by the time the ballerinas took the stage.  This is the first time Ann Park has been to a ballet performance and she was at first very confused by the male ballerinas and giggled quite a bit.  She then got really into it and was dancing in the aisle and watching the Evil Queen very intently.  I think the 7 Dwarfts were her favorite though!

Look at my candy!

The girls

My Snow White - fake smile and all!

After Snow White, we went home to rest before we headed to the Mountain Brook Club for a spooky Halloween dinner, complete with crafts and a DJ.  Inspired by the ballet, Ann Park dressed up as a butterfly (note that this was her 3rd costume of the day) in her leotard, tutu and butterfly wings.  I even gave her some sparkly pink makeup.  Ward was Obi Wan and looked the part.  Cher Cher came with us and we had a good time until Ward burned his finger on a spot light (bubbled up instantly) and Ann Park's shoeless foot was crushed while dancing.  I did not get any pictures as I was determined to get some wine in my system!

Ahhh, then Sunday, the real day of Halloween hit.  I was already sick of it all as you can imagine.  But the kids were pumped.  Church was a nice distraction that morning and didn't last long enough!  We got home and I had to get ready for the week, which included grocery shopping and laundry.  We then headed over to our friend's house to decorate the trailor which would become our float in the Halloween parade that started at 4.  Ann Park decided on yet another costume, an original idea - a Supergirl Fairy.  Ward was Obi Wan and Sam was a pirate (chosen by Ward, of course).  Here are some finished pictures of the kids in costume:

Mommy even dressed up as a witch!

After the parade, we had about 20 people over to our house for dinner, trick-or-treating and tons of fun.  The house across the street had a band, and Sara Evans (our neighbor and country singer) even sang.  Our side yard was a huge hit and kids were playing football, tag, and soccer throughout the evening.  We did have more trick-or-treaters than we have ever had and they started coming at 4:30.  I think that our last one was at 9:30, when we were cleaning up.  There was a steady stream the whole time.  Most of them were not from around here and someone even told me that if you googled "good place to trick-or-treat in Birmingham" our neighborhood came up.  I believe it!  Overwhelming, exhausting, but the most important part was that people had fun.  I can't tell you that I actually had fun, but I WAS happy when it was over.  But dreading going to work the next day!

handing out candy with Grandmom

Sam with his favorite person, Cher Cher!

Ward's light sabor injury!

Arghhhhh!!!

Another Halloween in the record books.  Not sure if I am looking forward to next year!

New words

Ted takes Ward to school on the mornings he is in town (which seems to be less and less these days, but that is a whole different subject).  They usualy leave the house around 7:35 and Ted goes to work after dropping him off.  The other day, Ted had a meeting that started right at 8:00 so he told Ward that he would have to drop him off a little bit earlier than usual.  Ward's response: "Sweeeet."  Makes me laugh still thinking about that coming out of his mouth.

Oh and apparently it is "sweeet" if you get to school early because they get to play on the playground (if it is nice outside) and wait until the classrooms open at 7:40.

Pictures with Heather

Once a year (or more) the kids get pictures with a professional photographer.  I did it more often when they were little - and Sam will have his own session with her next month - but I get her to take pictures for our Christmas card every year.  And I love having really good pictures of the kids at each stage in life.  Heather Swanner stated taking pictures of Ward when he was 17 months old and I was about to bust out Ann Park.  I remember specifically not following doctor-ordered bed rest that day and meeting Heather at the Botanical Gardens for some special shots of Ward before his sister was born.  They are still some of my favorites. 

Well, on Thursday we went to Morris Avenue in Birmingham which is an old, cobblestoned street with a lot of charm (and colors) to get our shots for this year's card.  As usual, they are amazing and I know I will have a hard time sorting through them all to decide what images I want.  And I know that I will spend more money than I had planned, but pictures save those faces in time - faces that change so much.  And it is so sad to say, that I have a hard time remembering Ward at 17 months with just my memory alone. 

So here is a taste of what she captured.  Ann Park was a total ham and LOVED the camera.  I picked out their outfits but let them pick out their shoes and Ann Park picked out her headband.  Her little outfit perfectly captures her personality. 

Grey Rocks Oct 1-3

The famly went to Grey Rocks without Cher Cher and Papa the first weekend in October.  The weather was absolutely perfect and the kids had the best time, as usual.  Sam kept pointing at Cher Cher and Papa's and said "Care-Care"?  which was really cute.  They know so much more than we give them credit for!

climbing on the fence

the sweetest girl

getting so big!

climbing on the dogs

Such a daredevil

king of the world!

best ride in town

my boys

Checking out the deer feeder

howdy partner

Dove Hunt - Sept 2010

The kids had a great time at the annual Grey Rocks dove hunt.  Although it was extremely hot, Ward went out with Ted and stayed the whole time!  I think that he spent some of the time in the car with Papa, but he had a good time with just the boys.  He even picked up dead birds for daddy - a rite of passage that every boy must go through before they are able to hunt in our family!

Ann Park leared how to play the Wii hunting game and even gave Ward a run for his money?

Lovin on daddy!

I mean, could Ward be any skinnier?

Love me some Sam!

Ward at the dove hunt (ear muffs to protect his ears and snake boots just in case!)

Dead bird!

Long time No Post

I haven't posted in a while and I have a lot of catching-up to do on here - especially through pictures, which I promise to get to.  But Ryan sent some video of the kids riding their horse Lucy while we were in TN and I wanted to see if I could get the link to work.  They had the best time and gained so much confidence.  I could not believe that they rode without the lead rope and could even get her to follow their commands.  Of course, that speaks very highly of Lucy and Ryan as well!

The first two are Ward riding Lucy (with some nice commentary by me):

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/69d6819e91bf4ba3612adb338973fdba/video/20147261

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/c79b9780b75e07cd538179eb49a6982b/video/20148721

And here is one of Ann Park riding:

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/ccf8cb5b4de793135f426eeefdff6636/video/20149501

More to come so stay tuned!