Mick and David

Jeff and I had the discussion tonight about Mick Jagger and David Bowie having an affair...long ago.
In my opinion, and if it were possible for 2 men to create a baby together (probably not entirely impossible given today's totally fucked up scientific advancements) that they would have one freaky kid.
Jeff made the comment that the kid would just be a giant cock. I don't disagree with him, but I am a believer that their love child would of at least had a mangina.

On a completely different note: we are moving up in the world. We have a brand new shed, custom built with a tin roof, 2 lofts and a built in ladder. It is totally bad ass. And then, today, the work was completed on our front porch where we now have railing and banisters. The next step is getting the landscaping done in the front...and yes I have hired someone to do that as well. I am not a gardner. There is nothing about it that I enjoy...so other people will get my money and they will get their hands in the dirt and do it for me. Ahhh...is this what it is to be an adult? If so, then I'm liking it.

We're headed down to New Orleans soon to visit with Jeff's Grandmother and Maw Maw and other extended family. I'm looking forward to the trip. It may be the last time we get to see his grandmothers. We're planning on having a little birthday party for Tallulah. I'm still sort of in a daze that she will be 1 in just a couple of weeks. Where does the time go?

Well my friends. Good night and sweet dreams. Come and visit any time. We're glad to have you. Just please, whatever you do, do not bring an opossum with you. If I ever see one again, I will personally end its life.

Amy

Never be the same again

2008 has proven to be quite a year so far. In early february, we had lightening to strike our shed and burn it down to the ground. It cracked the plaster in my bedroom ceiling in 3 places and it was just a strange event. We're in the process of getting another shed built, along with some landscaping...so I guess something good came out of it. We still have yet to see any $$ from our insurance.

THEN...well, let me back track. A couple of months ago, we started to hear something under the house. It sounded like it was underneath the bath tub. I would hear it mainly at night, scratching around and making an awful moaning noise...then, last week, it was obvious that the thing had died and my bedroom closet began to stink. I got someone out and he looked under the house and couldn't see anything, so he said he would be back after the weekend and would more than likely have to cut open my closet wall. Monday came and I found myself at home on my lunch break while this poor guy cut away at my closet wall...to eventually find a rather large opposum.
Now, if any of you know me well at all...you'd know that I HATE opposums. I think they are nasty, foul creatures of the night. And apparently, they hate me too. Its war now.
My bedroom is still sealed off from the rest of the house as there is still an odor in there. Ive been making a trip in there everyday to get a load of clothes out of my closet and will eventually get them all washed (well, the ones I wear anyway...the others are going in the garbage) then I will paint the inside of the closet and hopefully that will help seal in/difuse the now briney/amonia-ey odor that lingers in there. But I will never forget...and the sealed up holes in my closet will forever be a reminder.

How the opposum get in you ask? There is about a 2-3 in space underneath my ariconditioner/heat pump unit and it got underneath, and around the duct work (which is round and enters the house through a square hole, so the corners are open) and it went from there.

I would like to move, but now with the new shed, railing on the front porch and what is about to be some awesome landscaping...my house will be awesome.

Well...until the next big event...I'll be here, dealing with fires and dead things.

Amy

A Noteable Sunday

Our Sunday began as any usual Sunday. Tallulah and I got up around 7:30 and I handed her off to Jeff so that I could go back to sleep. She's been teething and nightime is the worst, and since she will only be comforted by me, I get to be up all night with her. Anyway...I handed her off to Jeff and he walked by Israel's room and asked "where is Izze?" I didn't know. We looked in all of the beds and he was no where to be found. Then we found him, curled up in the corner of the couch with his blanket. Who knows when he wandered in there. A little frightening to think of him walking through the dark house by his little self. Jeff said "maybe he thought that as soon as he got up there would be breakfast and cartoons and he got tired of waiting." True. I usually have NPT or the Disney channel on already when he wakes up and then shortly after, I serve him breakfast.

We had a lazy day, Israel went back to bed and didn't wake up until just before 10am. Tallulah had a good nap and we snacked all morning. We weren't ready for lunch until around 2:30. So, we decided to treat Israel and take him to McDonald's. He so good at playing in that play thing by himself and he always makes a friend...this time it was a 5 year old girl. It was fun to watch them crawl through those tubes. Speaking of....I myself HATE going into those play things. They stink, I always find bits of food and who knows what else is in there. Hair, puke, pee...probably something else that I don't even know exsists. YUCK!!

Okay...so I sat there and talked the mother of Israel's little 5 year old friend and we had good conversation, mostly about how cute Tallulah is. The lady gets distracted for a moment by her daughter and Jeff points out that she has 4 little bottles of vodka sitting on her table. Strange. Who goes to McDonald's on a Sunday afternoon to get wasted? Anyway...why am I suprised, it is East Nashville after all.

After that, we headed on to the grocery store and Jeff pushed one cart with Israel in it and I pushed another one with Tallulah. I kept waving to Tallulah and saying "hi." and finally, she figured out how to wave back. Its the cutest thing. She twists her little hand as is she is a beauty queen on a float in a parade. She still does it. I say "hi" and wave and she grins as big as her fat cheeks will let her and waves back. Such a smart girl. Tallulah also moved up into a bigger car seat this weekend. She is still facing backwards, but now has a little more room. IN a few short months I'll be able to turn her forward and the fun can really begin.

Amy

Arriola

I passed by a small law firm the other day and the sign outside read something like " John Arriola, attorney at law" I laughed. I've been laughing for days about it. I bet with a name like that that he was fine up until middle school, maybe even highschool. But once that human anatomy class rolled around and they learned all the names of the body, then I bet he got made fun of. I can hear it now. Yeah...I'm a jerk, but you know you thought about it too. So what it's spelled differently, its still funny as hell.

Well, we stayed home for Thanksgiving and it was most enjoyable. We'll be in Nashvegas for Christmas as well. The way that I see it is that we have our own family now and it is so nice to start our own traditions and be home and relax and just enjoy our little family of 4. I love my family. Israel turned 2 in November and seems to be growing a mile a minute. He talks more now and is so funny. He's just recently started calling me daddy. At least that's what we think he's saying. Jeff put it out there that he many be calling me titty...doubt it though. Anyway. He's such a smartass about the whole thing. He's also starting asking permission for everything. Like just this morning he said "Izze shh pop, okay?" and I said "okay" and he got in Jeff's face and said , "shhh pop, shh" so see, he's even asking permission on what he can say. but its soooo cute. He's also started using the toilet often. yay!!! I'm so sick of changing his diaper. He's getting so big and sometimes I liken it to changing an adults diaper. his poops are roughly the same size as mine are these days....and if you know anything about me, I'm quite the pooper. Some of Izze's words now are: no, pop, daddy (he means mama), tee (teeth), a poop (poop), a poop (pee pee), c'mon, baby, bye, momo (nemo), kay (okay), night, bye, he, pawpaw, ball, choo choo, that, tickle, two, go, gat (cat), gucky (yucky), ba (bath)...he also knows most all of the animal sounds. He's a great decieiver (whichs makes me think that he's extra intelligent). He's GREAT!!!

Tallulah is going on 8 months now. She has 2 teeth, can sit up all on her own, eats well, sleeps well, always has a big grin on her face. She's in a mama faze (Izze has moved onto a pop faze). She's still trying to figure out how to crawl, but can get around like nobody's business in her walker...that baby is fast. She's loves her big brother and he loves her. While the days go by and sometimes I long for her to be a little older and walking and eating table food...I know that I should cherish these days more than any others. She is sweet as sugar with a cherry on top. I love my kids. They are both such great likenesses of Jeff and I, but in different ways. Sometimes they look like eachother, but those moments are rare. They are uniquely their own and I can't wait to see what the next one will look like (in a couple of years)

Tallulah is speaking as baby's speak. She is stuck on dadadadada. and if you whisper it back to her, she'll whisper it back to you. She is such a lovely little creature.

Well. I know it's been a while since I've written, and I should do it more often. Time has gotten the best of me and such is life. I love you all of my dear friends who read this and I hope to spend many days enjoying your company.

Take Care.
Amy

Take it to Heart

I just got off of the phone with a dear friend from High School. She said its bad out there ( in Cali) my old neighborhood has been evacuated and they fear the worst. I know I haven't lived there in over 10 years now...but I have memories and I just can't imagine all of it being wiped away. Such is nature and God's power. What is the plan?

On a much lighter note for those of us under the age of 70. I strongly believe that the elderly should not drive...especially the ones who drive really slowly and have people honking at them for doing so. It may be hard to give up my independence when my time comes...but by then, I'll surely own a segway.

We have a leak in our roof. Makes me mad. I don't want to even think about major repair...so Jeff is going to try to patch it. I'm hoping the structure will hold out a few more years until we are ready to build up into our "owner's suite" it will be nice. I dream of the day when Jeff and I can have a walk-in closet and a nice big bathroom and a big soaking tub. Ahhh. For now though, we are moving up in the world and we're going to get a queen size bed. I can hardly even imagine what it will be like. I'll be able to sleep withough worrying about rolling off the bed or having Jeff's leg stuck to me somewhere. I know we are big enough for a king...but that comes later...when we get our "owner's suite." I'm excited.

early mornings

The Crazy days of Summer

So, Izze thought that it was so hilarious last night to touch mine and Jeff's tongues. We would stick them out, and with his index finger, he would just touch it and then crack up. Then, I said "let me get your tongue" and he stuck his tongue out and I touched it with my finger and we all laughed and THEN, he tried to touch his TONGUE to ours...what a weird kid. Of course, we didn't let him do that...something about it just doesn't seem proper. He's (like I always say) such a funny little dude. Then I asked him if he was ready to go to bed and in a song he sang" no, no, no." We laughed and then who knows, maybe he thinks that its funny to say no. He has so many words these days and he is just so freaking cute. He calls jeff "bop" (his form of pop). He also says "shoe, teeth, sissy, night night, titi, shit, mine, thankyou...and really anything else that we say, he'll repeat.
He and Tallulah seem so far apart in age right now, but I know that when she is 2, he'll only be 3 and a 1/2...and that seems so close. I really can't wait for her to be able to play along with him. She is such a happy little baby. ALWAYS smiling and talking and just all around jolly. I didn't think that I could love another baby as much as I do Izze, but life has a way of surprising us. I love her just as much as I do him and wow...that's a lot of love.

We're home now for a while. I don't have, nor do I want to have any plans to travel for the rest of the year. I'm fine staying at home and enjoying my weekends and holidays with Jeff and the kids. It will be great.

Our airconditioner went out recently...man was that a pain in the ass. Now, we have a brand new unit and our house is cool and we are happy. I think the heat makes people aggitated. I know it does me anyway.

I'm all signed up to take a pottery class with a dear friend this fall. I'm super excited about it. I love doing pottery and I can't wait to make things and be creative. It's once a week for 10 weeks and something about getting my hands on the clay and forming something makes me want to sing the song "you are potter...I am the clay..." no, okay, I won't go there. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it. Plus, Jeff will get to spend some quality time with the kiddos every wednesday evening. That will be fun for all.

I'm really excited for fall. I think I've decided that Fall is my favorite season. I can't wait to open the windows up in the house and let the fresh air come in. Summer is just so stuffy and hot and miserable. Fall is just pleasant and comfortable, and it gives me a fuzzy feeling.


The other day at the grocery store, I was told by the checker guy that he thought I was "too young to have kids" he thought that I was 19. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Part of me felt good though like, wow...I must have great skin, or maybe it was my perky breasts...NOT!...but then I realized that I looked like a total dweeb and what 29 year old would look like a dweeb...NONE...so I must have looked younger because of that.

I am totally stuck on Flight of the Conchords right now. Its a show on HBO...but I don't have HBO...but I watch them on itunes and youtube and they are sooo funny. I highly recomend it. Sooo funny.

Good night