ready for Summer!

Thanks to Jenny for sharing this picture of my two boys! I love this picture - a true Kodak moment of my two men doing one of their favoritest (as Jax would attempt to say) summer activities... fishing! Wonder what they were discussing?

I'm soooo ready for summer!

Meet I-Rock

Meet I-Rock. Or, maybe it's Iraq. or Irock. Or, I guess it could be EyeRock. I'm not really sure how to spell it, but he's Jax's new pet. sort of.

You see, Jax found and virtually confiscated I-Rock at the Roberts' home one afternoon when we dropped by for a visit. They have large rocks lining a small drainage ditch near the sidewalk in front of their house. Jax has been amazed by the size of these rocks for several months now, and I guess he finally picked one that he wanted to make his own.

"Can I keep this one?" he asked. Oh geez, what do we need a rock for? I don't know if he knew either, but for some reason he had made an instant friend and insisted on bringing it home.

On the way home, Jax told me all about I-Rock from his car seat in the back seat. "It's name is gonna be I-Rock!" he exclaimed. I could not understand what he was saying. I-Rock didn't make any sense to me. Surely I was misunderstanding him. I repeatedly asked him over and over what the rock's name was, and everytime he responded with the same answer "I-Rock" and he would confirm when I tried to pronounce it myself. So, I-Rock it is! I guess. ha.

The next day, Jax took I-Rock to school. That afternoon when I picked him up, I grabbed his bag and other belongings out of his cubby but failed to notice the giant rock. He had pushed it far back in his cubby so that no one would bother I-Rock. And I didn't see it. We loaded up, headed out, and made it just a little bit down the road when Jax suddenly started squealing "I-Rock! I-Rock!" and he insisted on turning around to retrieve it. I rushed back to his classroom and managed to catch his teacher before she locked the door. There it was ... right there in his cubby, just like he said it would be. I grabbed the rock and ran back to the tahoe and tossed the lonely rock to Jax. He immediately started petting it, and said "Oh, I-Rock! I'm so happy to see shoe [you]! I'm so saw-wee [sorry] that i weft [left] shoe [you]. I saw-wee, saw-wee, I-Rock. I just FORLEAVED shoe!"

So, beat that Webster!

I bet even Webster don't know that word - FORLEAVED.

LOL

After we arrived home, I-Rock underwent some precautionary testing by Dr. Jax but no physical or psychological effects were found following the traumatic event.

Apparently, even rocks have stressful days sometimes.

After I-Rock was forleaved, a lesson was learned and Jax left I-Rock at home from then on. Instead, he just packs his pockets full of little bitty rocks from the playground to bring home every day. One afternoon, he pulled a small rock out of his pocket as we were on our way home and said, "Look Momma! I got a little baby rock for Joy! It's name can be A-Rock!"

oh dear!........

It's Monday again already?? gah!

Super Triker

I know, I am very late in posting these, but I'm trying to play "catch-up". I probably should just skip the things that happened more than a couple weeks ago and just post about the current stuff instead. But I can't. It just goes along with my Type A personality... you know, very anal, control freak, can't let go... yep, that's me.

Anyway, Jax participated in the annual Trike-A-Thon at school again this year (4-3-2009). He had a blast, too! All of the little ones (from little babies all the way to a whopping 4-years-old) brought their trikes, strollers, bikes, and other ride-on's to school and they got to ride around the track. Of course, the other half of this activity was collecting money from friends and family- we did that before the day of the big Ride. ALL of the kids did an excellent job raising money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and they got to have fun at the same time! I believe the total amount raised was around $3,000! That's wonderful! Jax said he was riding for Felder, even though Felder isn't a St. Jude Patient (he goes to Batson Children's Hospital in Jackson for his treatments), but it's his thoughtfulness that counts. Jax rode 7 laps around the football field. He wanted to ride more, but it was time to go inside. You can see the disappointment on his face in the last photos… I can’t believe his legs were still working after riding almost 2 miles on his trike (4 laps = 1 mile).

Thanks to everyone who helped Jax raise money for the sick kids who can't get out and ride their bikes like he can... we are truly blessed!

Angela's new hobby

Angela has a new hobby, and she was oh-so-sweet to let little miss Joy join in on her fun! Angela called one afternoon and asked me to stop by her office before I left work, because she had a little 'happy' for Joy Thanks, Ang! - I loved the bows and flower hair accessories she had made for Joy, and Joy likes them too. For now. She hasn't yet discovered how to pull the bows out of her hair. But, I'm sure it's coming, as Angela says that her precious Amelia has already made the discovery that they are indeed removeable. Amelia, let's just keep that little secret to ourselves for a while longer, k? Speaking of bows, wow, Joy and I have come a long way since this desperate post!

my other life as a Psychology teacher

Most of you know I am a Psychology Instructor, but just in case you don't, let me explain: I am a Psychology Instructor.
Seriously, I began my career (that sounds soooo grown-up and non-applicable to me, but it is what it is, I guess) as a Counselor, which I absolutely loved, but the lure of Academia (i.e., Summers OFF!) got the best of me after Jax was born and I transfered to full-time faculty in August of 2007. Last summer was my very first one to be off, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time at home with Jax.
Anywho, back to the Psychology part. I really enjoy teaching Psychology, although I find my students don't have anywhere close to the amount of enthusiasm, love and adoration for Psychology as I do.
That gets on my nerves.
Idk how ppl cant like Psy! (Let me decipher: "I don't know how people can't like Psychology!" For those of you that don't know, that's what I call Text Language, usually used when text messaging others, but it is also the kind of stuff I often get when I assign a formal paper, ha. I mean, this IS college!! ugh, kiz these dayz!)I can really feel a Soap Box coming on, so I better hurry and get to the point before this post becomes a novel.
So, ANYWAY, in Psychology, we have been discussing Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory. Now, I can usually get a few students to jump on the psychology bandwagon when we get to the Freud discussions because... well, because he's just plain weird and for some reason that makes his ideas really really memorable. We've also been discussing Freud's unique ideas regarding what he called the Oedipus Complex. Ah-ha! See? You do know a little about Psychology!!! - You remember that, don't you? It's also called the Electra Complex in girls. See, I told you, weird=remembered.
I have been trying to describe how the Oedipus Complex may have been described in an eccentric and extreme form by Freud himself (and in textbooks) but in actuality, some of his ideas can be recognized in everyday occurances in small scale. I found this video on YouTube, and I just thought it was sooooo cute! I didn't share it with my classes, but I just had to share it with someone... so here ya go! Check it out! It's too cute, and probably true. It's a great example of Freud's Oedipus Complex in action.
(Sorry, I don't know how to embed videos from You Tube right here on my site; I'd be super happy if anyone out there knows how and would like to share that little bit of info with me! For now, just click the words "this video" and you will be taken directly to the video. I hope you have speakers so you can hear the narration!)

Wordless Wednesday: this precious baby face melts my heart

when they get quiet...

they're probably getting into something!!!!!

I'm not sure what our little Tarzan Menace was scheming up here, but I can tell by this look that the wheels were turning. His Daddy took this photo with my camera and never explained what was going on... so I'm sure I will discover the damage sooner or later. ha.

she's a bumbo baby

No, not Bimbo... BUMBO!

Have you seen these? It's called a Bumbo: It's a really cool sitting apparatus. Joy loves hers. We did not have one with Jax, but are quickly becoming spoiled with this little booger. They are super light, and hold the baby upright, which is what our Princess loves. Yes, she already believes she is above 'reclining' - she likes to sit up straight (or stand up!) so that she can see everything that's going on! She don't miss much! These bumbos are also oh-so-handy when you need TWO HANDS to do a quick task. Here's Joy helping me prepare her next meal

strange photo props

I've shared with you before that I'm really not into taking pictures of animals. Well, uh-hem, I don't mind taking pictures of animals... it's just a little strange to take pictures of DEAD animals to me... or, anything DEAD for that matter...

Anyway, Josh went turkey hunting and bagged a nice gobbler (so they say... i wouldn't know myself), and he rushed home so that I could take his picture with the 'trophy'.

yay.

!

ok, I couldn't even bring myself to put the '!' beside the 'yay' ...even in type.

Anyway, don't get me wrong -- I was ecstatic that Josh had finally got him, but just not enthusiastic about taking pictures of the dead bird. One or two pictures so that he could show it to fellow hunters later... okay, yeah, maybe I can kinda understand that... but I don't consider a dead turkey a trendy prop for family photos.

But, Josh does.

apparently.

So, here's the pics of my innocent children with the dead bird that their daddy killed and grilled. I'm sure they see the value better than I do.

OH! Excuse me, did I really just cut the bird out of the picture? I'm sorry... I thought I was just thinking about doing that... didn't realize it actually happened. Uh-ah-hem. Here we go - this is the one you all really wanted to see:

I will be willing to negotiate photo session dates if anyone else in the area is interested in having their photo made with a real-live celebrity --- no! I mean, real-dead celebrity!

Sometimes you like the doghouse

Jax likes the doghouse.

I'm talking about the literal doghouse, not the old saying.

Not long ago, Josh and I had a conversation with Jax about marriage, and that's when we discovered that we should have had the conversation with him much sooner because... he already had plans regarding marriage without us even knowing!!!

The conversation went something like this:

me: Jax, did you know that Uncle Jesse is getting married?

Jax: yep

me: Oh?! you did?

Jax: yep, he's gonna get mare-weed [married] to Ashwee [Ashley]. I knew that.

me: oh, ok. That's right, he's going to marry Ashley soon.

Jax: sorta like Robin Hood?

me: um, I don't know... does Robin Hood get married?

Josh: well, yeah!! He marries Maid Marion at the end of the movie.

Jax: Yeah, his sister!

Josh: no, not his sister - she is his girlfriend! And when they get married, she is his wife!

me: Do you have a girlfriend Jax?

Jax: yep. Jill! The bwack [black] one.

Josh: oooh! And, do you have a wife?

Jax: well, Momma can be my wife.

Josh: no, she's my wife. But if you marry your girlfriend like Robin Hood did, maybe Jill will be your wife one day!

Jax: oh! ok! dreat! [great] my dirlfriend [girlfriend] is gonna be my wife too! Jill is my dirlfriend - the bwack one... not the yellow one, the bwack one can be my wife! yay!

And, so, you may be wondering what this entire story about marriage and dirlfriends and wives has to do with Jax hanging out in the doghouse... well ... Meet Jill.

And, if you haven't already guessed, that's Jill's doghouse.
I wonder if Jax will propose to Jill on her porch, like his Daddy proposed to me? LOL
If they last, and they do get married, at least Jill already has a house, and they won't have to scramble to find somewhere to live... and it's close to ours, so I will never be too far away from my baby!



Jax and Jill (hee hee !) -- the latest "item"

Joy at church

March 15, 2009 - Joy FINALLY gets to attend church services for the very first time.

First, we waited until she got her shots, as instructed by the pediatricians. Then, we chose to wait until Josh was not working for her first church visit so that he could go, too... then we were forced to wait some more ...until Josh was over the flu... then JAX got the flu, and we had to wait until he was better... then finally, we were able to take her and introduce her to our lovely church family on March 15 - She was 3 months and 1 week old. We enjoyed getting all dressed up for church. Of course, there was more to it than just the dress; fun, fun! All the accessories added to the fun:

The bow:

The bracelet:

The ring:

The shoes:

Girls are definitely more "high-maintenance" (as Josh would say) than boys, but it's all in good fun. I have to get up much earlier now in order to get everyone dressed and ready... but its STILL fun! We enjoyed the services and enjoyed getting back in church. I enjoyed just being in the sanctuary... the stained glass windows seemed even brighter. Joy liked them too.

The service also included a special "christening" ceremony for the new fellowship hall that is currently in progress. After the sermon, we all went over to the new fellowship hall and wrote our favorite scriptures on the concrete floor. The verses will eventually be covered as the construction progresses, but they will be a surprise for future Calvary members who may one day re-model or otherwise gain a view of the concrete foundation. The church building is being built upon a foundation of scripture, literally, just like the church ("people") is built upon a scriptural foundation. Here is the verse we chose for our family's contribution:

2 Corinthians 9:15

jus chillin' in da crib

kickin chicken

Joy is into mobiles and anything "hanging" for her to swat and kick at. And, ooooh can she go, too! Put her below a mobile or something fun swinging around, and she will kick, kick, kick with excitement. Here she is checking out the jungle animals dancing for her.

It's just so much fun!

ha

By-the-way, that's Josh's cradle... it was hand-made by a family member when he was born, so he to used to sleep in this very cradle. I bet he didn't have colorful teddy bears on his sheets, though! My mom made these sheets, because we couldn't find any to buy that would fit this large cradle. Jax got to use this cradle when he was a wee one too. Maybe we can start a new family tradition; fun!

tears flow

Ok, folks, if you do not already follow Bring the Rain, you should definitely check out this post, at least. This is a faithful family, so inspirational, so strong... wow. "Tears" does not even begin to fully describe the effects of this post.