I'll probably live.....

Back in the day, I think I was 1 here....

It happened,  I turned 40.  Dah dah duhhnnnn.......  Maybe there wasn't actually any startling, mood setting music to announce the day but hey, it kinda feels like a crescendoish sort of moment!

I still don't know how I'm feeling about this momentous occasion.  I really like my birthday because it's so near Thanksgiving, and I love Thanksgiving.  Spending the day with people I love without worrying that
I should be doing something else = magic.  However, I did take a bath to relax last night and ended up hosting a crying jag.  Hmmmm.....  If you ask why I was crying I couldn't say, maybe because I fear the early or even inevitable onset of menopause.  I reeeaallly am not looking forward to hot flashes.  It's possible I cried just because I got soap in my eye.  Either way I consoled myself by not setting my alarm for this morning, so I slept until 7:30 and no one else was up yet!  Happy Birthday to me!

I decided to give time travel a try and see what about my early, middle and now this later portion of my life I could recall.  Let's see how it goes..........

I remember my parents telling me I was born in an army hospital I always thought that was cool.  When I was in 5th grade, we went on a trip to Wyoming and they said we were going to see where I was born.  When we got to Ft. Hood, Texas I was so disappointed that I couldn't see the tents.....Yes we were a M.A.S.H. family.

I remember when I was little I wanted my named to be Suzy Mae.  I made everyone call me that or Suzy Q.  It stuck pretty well I still have an Aunt who only calls me Suze.

I remember that my uncle used to tickle me until I could only squeal, he said he'd stop when I quit squealing.  This probably explains many things.....

I remember going through a peanut butter and pickle sandwich phase.  Yes gross.  Must have been a shock value thing.

I remember in Kindergarten at Morgantown Elementary falling in love with Jay Toney.

I remember learning about the great honor we should pay the American Flag and should it ever touch the ground it might as well be burnt.  Unfortunately,I heard "Don't ever let the flag touch the ground because it will spontaneously combust." Yes I spent my early elementary years terrified of our flag.


I remember that Christmas was indeed magic!

I got a Barbie Dream house like this...

A Fresh and Fancy kit like this...

This Drowsy Doll

My newest toy!

And so many other awesome things! 

I remember Shaun Cassidy.

I remember my Yo-Yo's 

I remember when I realized with great sadness that I was not meant to be tan.  In 7th grade at church my Mamaw very sweetly and loudly complimented me on my new yellow outfit and my nice white panty hose.......  I was wearing a flipflop style sandal.....no hosiery.


I remember when I was about 7 or 8 and I loved Snoopy.  My Papaw made me a Snoopy shaped shadow box and filled each box with a snoopy character.




I remember the turning point in my friendship with Jenny when we both knew that we were meant to be life long besties.  Yes, Isis brought us together.  Our shared memory of that classic but little known piece of 70's TV.

I remember calling home from college one day and this guy I didn't know answered the phone.  We got to talking and eventually I came home from school and we met.  He was lots of fun and he seemed not to mind that I'm complicated, so I married him.

I "heart" him!

More birthdays

Last night we got together to celebrate Scott and Julia's birthday.  By "we" I mean all the usual suspects, the Fuqua's, Boverie's, Zickafoose and Jones'.  My sister LaToya and her husband came by later and unfortunately my other sister Melissa does not live close enough to pop in for a mid-week dinner on short notice.  Daddy made a giant pot of delicious gumbo and we had cupcakes and coffee ice cream dessert.  YUM!!

After eating and visiting until 9-ish we headed home.  Walking home the boys were comparing notes on who got to consume the most dessert.  Landry only got two cupcakes, and Ash had 2 cupcakes and some of the ice cream.  Seriously unfair, I know this because it was announced loudly and with feeling.  Why would I ONLY allow 2 cupcakes per child? Why did Ash also get ice cream?  Truthfully, this 2 cupcakes and ice cream thing was because I wasn't paying close attention.  Anyway Ash told Landry if he hadn't been so busy playing with Jacob (the Jones' 15yo son) he could have gotten both desserts too. Landry promptly informed him that "Jacob is cooler than chocolate cake!"

How cool is that?  I would love to be cooler than chocolate, but that is a dream I will likely never realize.  This is just an example of the blessings that God has placed in the lives of my children.  Jacob is a young man who impresses me constantly.  He demonstrates such patience and concern for my boys it often brings me to tears. He makes them feel special and important, yet he makes sure he doesn't intentionally or inadvertently expose them to anything potentially harmful to keeping them close to God. 

Thanks Jake for being such a Godly young man and for keeping the hearts of my boys as near to Him as you can.

present for Momma..

This, although not a great photo is my present for Momma's birthday.  She likes signs and hates whining....

My Momma at 60......

Today is Momma's birthday.  She is 60 years and you know what's terrible about it?  People ask if she's my sister...Well good for her and she does looks great but really???  I can't imagine ANYONE asking if Allye and I are sisters.

My earliest memories are just fleeting images and sensations.  I remember loving to lay my head on her lap and she would repeatedly tuck my hair behind my ear until I fell asleep.  I remember getting in her bed in the middle of the night.  I remember her teaching me to fear cats and mice.  I remember her always making my favorite cake for my birthday, Texas Sheet Cake!   I know she gave me a very happy childhood because when I go to antique stores and resale shops I see toys, dishes, pictures and such, and I want to weep at the good feelings and memory that fills me.

Back in the day....

She taught me many important things.  These are just a sampling...
Iron your clothes.
Love my husband and let him know it.
How to cook.
The proper way to fold fitted sheets.
How to freely open my home to anyone who needs to be there.
Give when you can whatever you can. 
She is still trying to teach me not to worry over what I cannot control.
Do not force your bad mood on others.
Being patient doesn't mean we will eventually get our way.
It's okay to be affectionate in front of my children.
I am not always right.
Body language screams.
God doesn't always give you easy choices.

When I got pregnant for the first time she was thrilled.  I can think of no one better suited to grandparenthood.  Despite the fact that there is no question she indulges my kiddos, she has always fully respected our choices as parents.  She was NOT a fan of our decision to let the kids "cry it out"  when we were training them to put themselves to sleep.  Never did she criticize or try and undermine.  My children are under the impression that Gramms is the place to be for treats and special attention.  I love that!

I often think she spoils me more now that I am an adult than when I was little.  When the boys were born she would come over every night at 3am to help me feed them and sometimes she'd recruit a buddy so I could sleep.  I wonder why she didn't think she ever needed a break?  She is the queen of buying me "happies"  if she sees something she thinks I'd like or have said I want she will pick it up as though it were the most natural of things.  She does everything in her power to facilitate my doing what I enjoy.

If I had to use only one word to describe her it would be SELFLESS, said with an echo for emphasis.  She shares with everybody without thinking it's a sacrifice.  I bet she feeds 20 people or more a week without considering that it increases her grocery bill tremendously.  People just walk into her home, make lunch and leave, often not cleaning up after themselves.  Once they even ate the food she had planned to serve her family for dinner!  Crazy but you know she doesn't complain, or even boast a little....

If I ever grow up I hope to present God as effortlessly and consistently as her.  Thank you Momma for being a great mom, Gramms and friend. 

Where does the time go?

Hugely Preggers!!  with 2 months before delivery...

9/9/99 was a big day for us.  I was hugely pregnant and not sleeping well.  Scott wasn't hugely anything but he still wasn't sleeping well because I needed the house to be 65 degrees.  At about 4am I got up went to the bathroom, took Allye to the bathroom, laid back down and went "uh-oh I think I just peed on myself!"  (There isn't much glamour in pregnancy and with multiples it just decreases proportionally.)  As it turned out I hadn't peed on myself,(that's a post- pregnancy related side effect that is only problematic on the trampoline) my water had broken or one of them had or something crazy like that.  Hey I don't know there were A LOT of things happening in there!  So we make some calls, one mis-dial, and then off we go to the hospital to have us some babies.  It's possible that I cried.  I'd love to say it was because I was overcome with joy and anticipation about the arrival of our 3 bundles of joy, but that would be a lie.  I was a little ticked about the contractions since I knew I was having a C-section that I'd most likely die from so why the added insult of contractions?  Turns out I didn't die despite the major surgery, and there we had it 3 healthy baby boys!  Ash weighed in at 4.8lbs, Tucker 4.7 and Landry at 3.12.  I may have cried some more...again I wont lie, I was not emotionally overwrought in a good way, I was scared to death!  I was supposed to feed them, clothe them and nurture them into normal people?  YIKES!

First days at home...

Well eleven years have come and gone, and  I can't imagine how that has happened.  I have managed to feed them although not always nutritional masterpieces, clothe them, despite a heartfelt disagreement on what matches what and we are still working on normal....  How, you may wonder, have I managed such feats of parenting?  Well not alone!  We have been blessed in countless ways, and even though I began my journey of mothering multiples in such a faithless fashion, God has never allowed me or my family to go without what we need. Through friends and acquaintances and friends of friends we have been served and showered with love beyond measure.

My boys are a treasure and a bright spot to everyday.  With their bonds of togetherness I see how lovely the relationship of brothers can be. Through their individuality, I see the beauty of God's creation in our free will and his love of us. 

One...

Two...

Three...

Four....

Five.....(don't ask)

Six...

Seven...

Eight.....

Nine...

Ten....

Practically Eleven........