Worse Than I Thought

Ok, so Phillip brought to my attention that six or so months ago, my neighbor returned our checkbook that he had found in the street, but it gets worse. Phillip said that I could not blame this on having kids when he reminded me that we had to purchase more than three gas caps once upon a time when I drove my Honda Civic; apparently, I had forgotten that I used the roof to hold my gas cap while I pumped!

Hard Habit to Break

Like a line from an old Chicago song, I've gotta a "hard habit to break." I don't know what is up with me, but when putting the boys in their car seats, I constantly use the top of my car as a catch all for anything and everything that is in my hands. And more than once or twice or three times for that matter, I have driven off with my belongings on top of my car. Let's see, I have driven to Hendersonville with my cell phone on top of my car, and when I arrived at the Roses, it was still there; I guess I'll admit that this wasn't the only time I did that either, not too long ago, I drove home from Kroger and when I got home, I found my phone on top of my car. I am constantly misplacing my keys, and guess where I normally find them? Yep, I find them on top of my car. For the most part, I have been lucky, and I haven't lost much- at least that I know of. I did loose Lightning McQueen once, but we had three others so it didn't matter. Well, today, I have come to realize that I have got to break this habit because I lost a dvd that I had just rented from Movie Gallery. If you know me, I hate to loose something, so I spent my entire afternoon searching for this dvd and retracing my steps, but I had no luck. I called Movie Gallery and asked if anyone had turned it in, and then I confessed to the sales clerk what had probably happened. When I got off of the phone, I couldn't stand it anymore,so I got in my car and headed back to Movie Gallery. As I drove, I looked on the side of the road, but I did not find it until I was headed back home when I saw what looked like a dvd case on the side of HWY 76. I pulled over and sure enough I found a crumpled case and back a few feet from it, I found the insert but no dvd. This is definetely going to lead to a new obsession for me; I will probably look on top of my car three or four times before taking off. Luckily, Lofton was holding on to the game he had rented or we would have lost a dvd and a video game! When I return the game to Movie Gallery and have to explain what happened, maybe I will use Amy's line, "Well, I do have two small children, but I am pretty sure neither of them did it!" ha ha

Happy the Honeybee Goes to the Airport

Every since the beginning of school, Lofton has anxiously awaited his turn to bring home Happy the Honeybee, and yesterday, he finally got his turn. When he came home, he started telling me all of the things that he was going to do with Happy, and I asked him if he would like to take Happy to sit on an airplane. My cousin Chad called while Lofton was at school, and told me that he was in town for the day and asked if I would like to bring the boys to the airport to see the plane. Of course, I jumped at the chance to spend some time with Chad, and I knew Lofton would love it. Phillip actually picked Chad up at his hotel and brought Chad to our house to spend the afternoon with us, and then we all went to dinner before heading to the airport. Lofton loved touring the plane; he even let Happy sit in the cockpit with him and Chad. We all, including Happy, had so much fun spending the evening with Chad.

Happy Birthday, Landon

It is hard to believe that Landon is already one! I am not sure where the past year went. I guess when you are busy with a toddler too it makes your days fly by. Landon's party was successfull; I wasn't sure I could pull it off since I had to plan WHCA's spring fundraiser dinner for the night before, but luckily, Phillip and Mimi do all the hard stuff, so we got it together in time. Lots of our friends and family came out to celebrate with us. Landon got so many great things that he and Lofton are enjoying.

When it came to cake time though, all were a little disappointed. He did not dive right in; in fact, I had to give him a taste of the icing hoping he would then proceed to shovel it in, but he just licked around on the icing awhile, and then he was on to something else. He really enjoyed the Cheetos much better than anything, and before the night was over he got his first taste of peanut butter which he liked as much as cake.

It was a fun time, and before I know it, I will be planning a second birthday party. Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes and presents. We are thankful for all of our friends and family.

A Day to Remember

Today, I took both boys with me to Opry Mills so that Lofton could go to Build a Bear to build Landon a dog for his birthday. Landon loves dogs and stuffed animals, so I thought it would be the perfect gift. I was right too because as soon as we walked in Build a Bear, Lofton chose a dog, and Landon got so excited. Lofton had a great time making the dog, and he named it Baker which just about broke my heart.

After building the dog, Lofton insisted on playing putt putt golf, which he somehow remembered was in the Opry Mills mall. I reluctantly took him, thinking that it would be disasterous, but it was actually an enjoyable time. Lofton is actually really good, and he breezed through 18 holes in about 15 minutes. He even almost made a hole in one, but when it came to his short game, he struggled, and it took about four more shots to get it in! It was precious to watch him play; he is such a big boy.

We ended the day with lunch at The Aquarium. Both boys ate well which isn't a surprise from Landon, but Lofton actually ate three popcorn shrimp. Of course, when I told him that was what we had fed the Stingrays earlier, he about gagged, but he still thought it was funny. Before leaving the mall, I again let him feed the Stingrays on the way out (we did feed them before going to Build a Bear. I think this was both boys' favorite part of the day. Landon cackled when the Stingray splashed them both. Lofton laughed too after he realized that he hadn't been stung. It was a day that I will cherish forever.

Go Sharks!

Well, Lofton's second soccer game was this past Saturday! He really had a great time. It is so fun to watch him; even Landon enjoyed watching his big brother. I am pretty sure that Lofton's team, the Sharks, lost, but Lofton showed good sportsmanship and only hung his head once when the other team scored!

Finally!

For Lofton's second birthday, Phillip and I had planned on getting Lofton a swingset, but Phillip, the savy shopper, just never broke down and bought one, so we bought a train table instead. So, now that both boys' birthdays are near (Landon's is next week and Lofton's fourth is June 19), we decided to buy a swingset for both of them. I sent Phillip to Walmart on Sunday to check out the different swingsets, and of course, he came back with nothing. I figured that another summer or two would pass before we ever discussed it again, but then Lofton woke up from his nap and asked Phillip where his swingset was; he had obviously heard us discussing getting one. This question clenched the deal, and the two of them headed to Walmart, and within thirty minutes they returned with one that Lofton had picked out. I am proud to say that it is already together and waiting to be played on. Lofton, Landon, Ella, and Jude all tried it out to make sure Phillip did his job well; I am happy to report that it is still intact.

Swimming!

The pool at Nana's downtown condo is now heated, so she called us Monday night and invited us to swim on Tuesday since it was supposed to be a high in the 70s. However, when we got to Nana's, it was windy and overcast, so I thought that Lofton would rather just eat lunch and play Aunt April's Xbox, which he did do, but he really had his mind set on swimming. We decided to take him up to the pool figuring that he would never in a millon years swim, but he proved us wrong. He swam for about 15 minutes, and he would have swam longer if we hadn't insisted that he get out. Landon really wanted in too, but I knew that it would require me getting in, and if you know me, then you know that I hate to be cold. I let Landon put his feet in, and he loved it. Aunt April did venture in about five minutes before we left; I can't believe that the two of them could stand it. Hopefully, we will get a day soon that is actually in the 70s, and Landon, my water lover, will get to swim, too.

Kickin Off the Season

*Soccer fee- $65 *Shoes, shin guards, and ball- $35,*Watching Lofton play soccer- PRICELESS

Lofton's first soccer game was today. Lofton, number two, got off to a rough start when he got head butted during warm ups; I was afraid that he wouldn't take the field, but he shook it off and got back out there. Lofton scored two goals- one for us, the green team, and one for the blue team, but that didn't really matter because noone takes score. Of course, mom and dad do, and I am happy to say that the green team won! Landon was oblivious that Lofton not only won but that Lofton was even playing soccer because Landon was enjoying the snacks I had packed. Nana andAunt He He came to cheer Lofton on, and surprisingly, he did not mind; we had been given rules before hand, and he wasn't wanting us to yell for him. In the end, he cheered for himself and let us too, and he wasn't too happy when someone else scored- even his own teammates. I guess between now and next Saturday, we will discuss that there is no I in team (there is in win though! ha ha)

Zoopendous

Wednesday was the only day of my spring break that it did not rain, so Lofton, Landon, and I headed to the Nashville zoo with 26 of our friends- 18 kids and 8 adults; it certainly was a zoo! We had so much fun and saw some great things, but nothing beat what Kelly McAfee and I saw on the way home- a man in lacy thong underwear! He was wearing pants, but like many teenage girls, the top of his thong was exposed! It was a hilarious end to a fun filled day.