home sweet home

(this is joanna, by the way)

so, after we got home from our most recent beach trip, ella was really wanting to be home! she talked about going home the WHOLE trip back! "i just want to go to sugar lane," is what she says.
well, we got back on a saturday night, and had a pretty busy sunday planned. so ella's next day consisted of going to church, eating lunch, taking a nap, waking up and heading straight to a graduation party...then coming home and going back to bed! poor girl...i really did feel bad for her. every time we had to leave that day, she would just say, "i just want to stay home, mommy." (though it really makes me feel good that she loves being home)

so, of course i made it a point to go NOWHERE the next day! we were just going to stay home!

well, that day turned out to be so much fun! still in "beach mode", i got out the little pool in the backyard. i ended up bringing the slide over and putting it half-into the pool...and that was a HUGE hit for both ella and seth!

ella and i spent some time out there "just us" while seth took his morning nap. then seth joined the fun when he woke up. they were absolutely hilarious together. i think i had just as much fun watching them as they did playing!

seth would climb up the slide as far as he could, then slip down into the water...CRACKING up laughing the entire time. ella would do the same, sliding down into the water (and into seth)...and they would just laugh hysterically! so, of course, i HAD to catch some of this on camera!

we stayed out there all morning and into the afternoon! it was definitely past "lunchtime" when i took them inside to eat...but the rest of the day was just feeding them lunch, bathing them (they were so muddy and greasy from the sunscreen), and then putting them down for their nice, long, nap. :)

_______________________

it was just an awesome day at home.

hmm........uh...

i really think my brain is out of practice.

i just have a hard time thinking and communicating well these days.

my brain doesn't seem to give me words to express what i feel or think very quickly...and it's pretty frustrating. i think i've always been a pretty good listener, and that hasn't changed much...but what takes most people like a minute to take in, think about, and respond....takes me, well, ...a LOT longer.

....oh, and by the time i'm ready to talk about it, or have thought through a response, everyone else has moved on. but even if the conversation returns, i've usually forgotton my thoughts. (VERY bad short-term memory)

i don't think i've realized until lately how out of practice my brain is. my mind has been racing about heavy, life-changing things lately, and i'm beginning to feel overwhelmed. well, i don't know if that's the right word for it. my brain just constantly feels FULL.

hmm... i think i could probably illustrate this better than can explain it...(easier to do that if i were blogging with a pen and paper)
i think i just have so many issues that i need to engage...but in the meantime, they're just stuck racing in my brain (really fast, usually)...and it seems like more new ideas/convictions keep being stuffed in there on top of it all... and picking and choosing which ones to focus on first can be staggering to me.

my day-to-day life is spent communicating VERY simply, and doing simple things (though mostly in multi-task form), but it's definitely busy, tiring, and emotionally draining. so usually, when i have down-time, i'm too tired to think about the overflowing heavy issues in my brain....though i DESPERATELY want to.

anyway, just been thinking about thinking about thinking about thinking lately.

:)

jo

...and funny (and interesting) that this is what i post right after our 2 incredible, relaxing beach vacations. something else to think about, i guess. ;)

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems...

So we are back, and ready to take on another week of work before we vacation again...Well I wish. I think that's it for a while (unless any of our friends want us to go to Navarre Beach with them.)

Well I learned a few things on this trip. The main thing is that I was invited so that Gib and Jill could have someone to make fun of. That's it...The only reason.

Whether it be that I like the sun alot, or I'm a picky eater, that I can drink whole milk anytime of day or night, or some story about a dude wearing Speedo shorts, or that I asked Gib to look at the stars with me while drinking a Pina Colada...they had to find something to poke fun at me about. So you're welcome Gibson's for the laughs :)

Really we enjoyed the 2 full days we had on the beach again with some more great friends. To see Ella and Reese enjoying each other's company and making memories, made all of the driving (including Joanna's 82 in a 65 speeding ticket) worth it.

Cool tidbit, anyone used to watch "That 70's Show", and remember Hyde...Well we saw him at the beach. Here he is.















Last thing I learned, when you apply sunscreen, put it on your chest and stomach too. Or else you could look really funny the next day. I wish I had a pic Gib...

Here are some pics of us and the kids having fun in the water.

Off To Da Beach

Nothing eventful here, just wanted to rub everyone's noses in, I mean, let everyone know that we are heading to the beach again tomorrow. Yes we went 2 weeks ago and yes we are staying at the same place. But with different friends, so we are changing it up a bit. I will say that we will do the same thing with the Gibson's that we did with the Kudrna's, absolutely nothing.
Mom told me a story today that when I was a kid, she read a Q&A in my yearbook. It asked, "What do you like best that your family does together?" My response was, "Nothing." I know that sounds bad, but consider what I love to do at the beach, and you realize that I loved just sitting with the family while doing nothing.

Tribute to Mom

So I started my blogging days by pokin fun at my mom. For the record, I was kidding. It did happen, but I am sure it had to do with the situation (me at her work), and the lighting, so Mom, I understand. But here is another reason to poke fun...




















Is that a diaper????

But I do want to say a few things and I hope you enjoy the pics throughout...

First, for Mother's Day, I called my Mom from the beach. That is it. No card, no gift, no hug, no chocolates. So this is my makeup, and I will still give her all of the above.


My mom has always been there for me. She is one of the few reasons I have self-esteem today. When every other person in the world had critical things to say, she was always there to encourage me.





















She taught me to love God and family. She taught me to sacrifice even when I don't have much to sacrifice. To be honest and caring. She is selfless, tender, and oh so beautiful.


















She made me want to find someone like her to spend the rest of my life with (and I did).






















She always called me her rock, but I have come to understand what that really means and have realized that through life she has always been my rock. On Earth, there is only one person that I can say has ALWAYS been there for me since the beginning to come to when I need encouragement, someone to hug me really hard, or just someone to cook me a greasy cheeseburger. Yes its my mom. I love you Mom. And I know you know who I am. I was just kiddin.

Bloggy Blog Blog

Well, all I can say is that I am unbelievably IMpressed with my hubby!!! He definitely beat me in creating a blog by a long shot! And he has done an AWESOME job, I must say! I'm so proud!

THANKFULLY, he thinks it's a good idea for it to be a blog for both of us to use. (yay!) Otherwise, who knows when I'd start one!

Thanks for sharing, babe!

Okay, here I go!

Weekends are for Resting

I always looked forward to weekends so that I could wind down and relax after a long weeks work of 20 or 30 hours. But nowadays, it just doesn't happen. My wife knows everyone under the Sun and I have a 3 and 1 year old, so...
Example. Friday we went to the Watsons after work for dinner and hangin out. I believe we got home after 9 and then spent the next hour or so putting kids to bed. Saturday, Joanna had to get up and cook for a baby shower for her friend. So I took care of the kids for the most part all day until she got home around 4 o'clock. During the day, I played bball with them, pushed them on the swing, took them to Zaxbys and Target, and then came home for rest and naps. Thats when I heard the awful sound of water drips on my entry way floor. So with both kids in my arms I darted upstairs to see the sink overflowing (drain was backed up), onto the floor. The carpet was soaked. Downstairs the light fixture was filled with water and there were 2 big water stains in the ceiling. So I fought back a few unnecessary words, put the kids down, got out my wrench and snake-it and unclogged the drain. What a man I am. This made us late to Jeff Kudrna's birthday party. I got me a black lager and said now I get to chill, talk to some peeps, and play pool. None of that happened, as I volunteered to watch the kids while others did the above. I pushed Shea, Ella and Seth on the swing, taught them how to climb across the monkey bars, and got spit up on by Nash. It was a great night. Really, I enjoyed it. Then today, Sunday, got home from church, mowed the lawn and cut down limbs, then went to eat with the Owings. Now I am home finally, resting for a long week at work. Well not too long, we leave Wed for Navarre Beach again for the 2nd time in as many weeks...I guess my life is pretty cool after all.