20 Questions-4 Years Old

I started the interview asking Eli some personal questions-what his full name was, how to spell it, his address, the name of the city he lived in, the name of his state, my phone number, Josh's phone number, Josh's occupation, and my occupation. He answered everything except for my occupation. He said that when I drop him off at school I go to my school and read my kids books. He couldn't tell me I was a teacher :) That makes me laugh considering he spends so much time at my school in my classroom. Even despite not knowing what I do for a living, he's learned so much in just a year! Last year, he could spell his name and was just beginning to learn his address. It's amazing what a year can do!

What is your favorite color? B-lue (we separate our blends now..haha!)

What is your favorite toy? Mo (his stuffed monkey he carries with him everywhere)

What is your favorite fruit? Bananas because they're a fruit

What is your favorite T.V. show? LarryBoy because he's a superhero

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chocolate pudding

What is your favorite thing to wear? Spiderman because he shoots webs

What is your favorite game to play? UNO Attack with Daddy

What is your favorite snack? Popcorn

What is your favorite animal? Lion

What is your favorite song? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (he went on to sing it for us and did so well!)

What is your favorite book? Cars book

What is your favorite story? The rainbow one...(I asked if he meant Noah and the Ark and he said yes.)

Who is your best friend? Logan, Hannah, and Charlie 

What is your favorite cereal? Rainbow like Mrs. Jody has at school (I figured out they were Froot Loops)

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Monkey Bars

What is your favorite thing to drink? Super Duper Chocolate milk that Daddy makes

What toys do you sleep with at night? Mo the Monkey, Blue Bear, Jake the Pirate Bear, and Polar Bear

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Play T-Ball

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Go for a bicycle ride

What do you want to be when you grow up? Police Officer because I want to take people to jail. 

(This was the first time he'd ever said a police officer so I prodded some more and here was the conversation we had...)

Me-What kind of people are you going to take to jail?

Eli-Everyone! But not you

Me-Not me? What about Daddy?

Eli-Nope!

Me-Why are they going to go to jail?

Eli-When they do bad things

Me-When they do bad things? Like what? What's a bad thing?

Eli-Don't stop at STOP signs

Me-You're not going to write them a ticket? You're just going to take them to jail?

Eli-Nope I'm giving a ticket to them...lots of tickets...they gotta buy me lots of money!

I'm so glad that's he learning bribery at an early age...good grief! Looks like I have some explaining to do about what police officers actually do :) I can't wait to see what his 5 year old interview is like :)

20 Questions-3 Years Old

What is your favorite color? Boo! (blue)

What is your favorite toy? A wobot (robot). No...Mack and Fin McMissile.

What is your favorite fruit? Don't know....cheese!

What is your favorite T.V. show? Curious George

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Bweakfast! Chicken nuggets and cheese and crackers

What is your favorite thing to wear? Spiderman!

What is your favorite game to play? Puzzles

What is your favorite snack? Bananas

What is your favorite animal? Elephant

What is your favorite song? Curious George's song and Mack's song "Life Is a Highway"

What is your favorite book? Elmo

What is your favorite story? David and Goliath 

Who is your best friend? Jesus 

Who is your best friend at school? Logan

What is your favorite cereal? The white kind (Frosted Mini Wheats)

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play on my swing set

What is your favorite thing to drink? Chocolate milk

What toys do you sleep with at night? Thomas, Lightning McQueen, Finn McMissile, Fillmore

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Puzzles

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Play cars

What do you want to be when you grow up? Spiderman

*January 29, 2012*

I just listened to this interview that we did in 2011 right after he turned three years old and it's amazing how much his speech and vocabulary have improved. This interview is something I treasure! I wish I could post the video, but it's just too long. Just know that the ENTIRE TIME we did this interview he was playing with Thomas the train engine all over the kitchen table. He was so distracted and by the end of the interview Thomas was the one asking the questions just so the interview could be over :) Oh, and there's one more question, so technically it's 21 Questions, because I added the question about his best friend at school :)

Just a Few Random Thoughts...

1. One of the things I pinned on Pinterest way back when was the idea to do yearly interview with your child starting at the age of three. At the time I pinned it, Eli was weeks away from turning three and I remember thinking, "Okay, I'll make sure to interview him a couple of days after his birthday party." Well, I did interview him, in fact, I actually videoed him, but I never did anything with that video. I uploaded pictures and video from my phone, moved them into their appropriate monthly folders, and somehow completely forgot to blog about his interview. The other day I was going through iPhoto deleting photos that I didn't really want to save and had already blogged and found the lost interview! Seeing that reminded me I needed to do an interview with my now four year old child! You see how my brain works, people? It's like those "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books...one thing just leads to another. It's scary! So I did Eli's four year old interview and now I have two interviews to blog about. I'm going to try my best to post both of those interviews (not the videos because those require WAY too much patience to upload) but we'll just see how it goes...

2. I've started running. Yeah, I know. I used to be one of those people that always said, "If you see me running, look behind me because someone is chasing me", but now I'm actually running for exercise. WOW! I actually used to run in college, but that was only for a couple of weeks while I was trying to snag my husband. He was one of those exerciser types and actually ran at night. In order to spend more time with him, I had to morph into a runner. Ugh! I'm so glad we fell for each other quickly because I don't know how much longer I could have kept up that facade. So pretty much since I met Josh I haven't run or actually exercised. I mean it's not like I just sit around all day, I've been active, but I just haven't really dedicated time to exercising on a regular basis...until now. My friend and neighbor, Angela, asked me during the holidays if I would be interested in doing the Couch to 10K program with her. I'm one of those people who have a really hard time saying no, so I immediately said yes. I really did think it was a great idea and since I've noticed my metabolism is not quite as fast as it used to be I figured I needed to exercise. I can't keep eating everything I want and not exercise anymore, which is another sure way to tell you're getting old. We started running after the holidays and we've actually been pretty consistent. I love the Couch to 10K app, because I like someone else telling me when to run and when to walk. I'm using too many brain cells as it is convincing my body that what I'm doing is actually a good idea, so I'm glad I don't have to use any extra to figure out when to run and when I should walk. Angela is a much better runner than I am, so I'm challenged every single time we run. We actually have been throwing around scary words like half-marathon. More than anything I'm really enjoying the friendship that's developing as a result of this running and I'm actually excited to run every other night of the week. Plus, buying cute running clothes helps, too :)

3. We're a juicing family now. Josh got an Apple TV for Christmas and we've signed up for a free trial of Netflix. He discovered the documentary section of Netflix and has been watching one right after the other. The other day he started watching one called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. It tells the story of this guy who goes on a 60 day juice fast to cleanse his body and get healthy. He was overweight, sick, taking tons of medication, and had other health issues. He drinks nothing but juice that he makes from fruits and vegetables for 60 days and goes on to lose 90 lbs., gets off all medication, and inspires lots of people around him to get healthy with him. Josh and I like to think we're healthy eaters, but I know the carb loaded bagel smothered in cream cheese I just ate kind of negates that previous statement. Anyway, after watching the documentary and seeing just how good juicing is for your body, we are now the proud owners of a juicer. Josh made his first drink last night and that was his supper. This morning he made another one and drank that for breakfast. I have yet to try one, but I think I'm going to make one for lunch today. I don't think I could drink juice for every meal, but I think it's reasonable to say I could replace one meal a day. We'll see how it goes :)

4. I have so many painting projects I want to complete but I have yet to get started on any of them. I wanted to make a cute burlap snowman for my door for January, but now it's almost February so I scrapped that idea. Now I've started a burlap heart with chevron stripes for February, but I haven't put one ounce of paint on it yet. At this rate, it'll be March before that gets started and then I'll be in the same situation I am now. I did have a friend ask me to paint two canvases for her son's bedroom so maybe that'll inspire me to finish the projects for my house. I enjoy painting and crafting but sometimes life takes over and it'll be weeks before I go in my craft room to do anything.  I'm hoping to change that!

5. I haven't read a book in FOREVER! This summer I consumed books left and right, but once school started I no longer had time to sit and read during nap time like I did during the summer. I subscribe to two daily emails that send me lists of discount and free books and I've downloaded tons of those, but have yet to finish a book. My mom even got me a $25 gift card to Amazon for Christmas to use for Kindle books, but I haven't spent it yet. I'm hoping Nicholas Sparks or Karen Kingsbury will write something soon so I can use my gift card on one of their books. I used to read before going to bed every night, but I haven't done that lately either. It's time to change that...any good fiction book recommendations out there?

Okay, I think that's it for now. I've had all these random thoughts in my head for weeks and it feels good to get them out. I'm off to enjoy my day with my son. He's out of school (again) and I didn't have a babysitter, so I'm with him today. We have lots to do and it's time to be productive!

Papaw Chandler

This week has been a sad one for our family. On Thursday morning, Josh's grandfather, Papaw Chandler, left this earth and went to his heavenly home. Those of you that follow the blog may know that Josh's grandfather has been fighting cancer for the past two years. After going through surgeries, chemo treatments, and other medical procedures, it was just time for it to all be over. He had been suffering and in pain for so long and we all hated to see him that way. We all hate that he's gone, but we know that it's for the best. He's not hurting any longer and he's not in pain. He's having the best reunion right now with his son, Tommy, who went to be with Jesus this same week three years ago. Plus, he's getting to see all the amazing splendors of heaven!

He died surrounded by family-Mamaw, his wife of 58 years; his son, Reggie; his adopted daughter, Sue; his grandchildren, Josh, Jeff, Jordan, and me; and several sweet friends. He left this world with words of love being spoken over him and prayers being uttered on his behalf. Lots of tears were shed Thursday morning in that tiny ICU room, but they were tears of not only sadness but of joy. I remember crying and just silently thanking God that Papaw was basking in the presence of God and was no longer suffering or hurting. Papaw Chandler is going to be missed, but I am so thankful that we'll see him again one day very soon. And knowing him and his love of maps, he'll probably have the perfect route mapped out for us to see all the sights there are to see in heaven :)

We love you, Papaw, and can't wait to see you again!

Gender Reveal Party for Baby Higgins

Our family seems to be growing by leaps and bounds and the other day we got to celebrate another precious little life we're going to get to love on and adore. Jordan and Jim invited all our family and close friends to their house for a gender reveal party for their new baby they're expecting. 

The big reveal cake

Josh and Jordan

Once everyone was there we all gathered around and waited patiently for Jordan and Jim to cut the cake. They had just started to cut into the cake when Mamaw told them to stop. She had to get Papaw on the phone so he could hear what they were having. He was too weak to leave the house, but no one wanted him to miss hearing what his next great-grandbaby was going to be.

They sat there patiently holding the knife in place until Mamaw told them Papaw was listening.

Once they got the okay, they proceeded to cut again. They cut through the first slice and Jordan peeked to see what color was on the inside...

To say Jordan was surprised is quite the understatement. I'm so glad I caught her exact expression when she saw that the inside was PINK!

In a few short months, we'll have another sweet, little girl to love on!

Jordan and a lot of people there were convinced before the cake was cut that she was carrying a little boy this time, but we were all wrong. Instead of snips and snails and puppy dogs tails, it's going to be sugar and spice and everything nice :)

You can tell she's still processing the news that she's having another little girl.

Addi is so excited she's getting a sweet baby to love on!

It took Jordan awhile to get over her shock, but once she did she was so happy. I was so glad I was able to be there to document this important day for her and Jim. Hopefully, I'll be able to document their sweet, little girl's entrance into the world in a few months as well :) Congratulations you guys! We love you!

Weekend in NOLA

A couple weekends ago, we traveled to New Orleans with our friends Josh and Diane for a quick getaway trip. I had not been to New Orleans since about 2003 and a lot had changed. Our weekend basically consisted of eating about every 2 hours, sightseeing, and getting rest. We dropped the kids off at their grandparents houses and then we were off to NOLA. We got there around lunchtime and after checking into our hotel our first stop was the Crescent City Brewhouse. Josh and Diane had been there before but this was our first time to eat there. Diane and I ordered an AMAZING BLT sandwich. Oh my bacon loving goodness! That sandwich was absolutely wonderful! It had tons of thin, crispy bacon, huge slices of tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese. Both of the boys ordered something really great as well, but I was too focused on mine to remember what they were :) Priorities...

After stuffing our faces we made our way down to Jackson Square. We got there just in time to catch a dance show by a very talented street group. We laughed and laughed at those guys! They were insanely gifted physically and could do all sorts of tricks and dances but I think I enjoyed the comedy they provided more than the dance moves. 

The guy in the front was a NUT! He was so funny!

For their last trick they had seven people kneel down and one of the guys

jumped AND flipped over them! It was great!

After the street show we walked around Jackson Square and took in all the sights, smells, and sounds of New Orleans. I loved looking at all the old buildings and the architecture, especially the church. I love taking pictures of churches!

Love taking trips with this guy!

Love her! I'm so happy we're getting to watch each other's kids grow up!

We made our way through the streets of New Orleans to Pat O'Briens. It was so nice to sit outside on the patio under the heaters and visit. It didn't last too long because it started to rain, so we went inside to the piano bar and we got to listen to two dueling pianos. We loved listening and singing along to all the requests!

We made our way back to Jackson Square because it was time to eat some more. Haha! 

These two are hilarious together!

Our next stop was Cafe du Monde. It'd been a very long time since I'd had cafe au lait and beignets and they tasted SOO GOOD!

We continued our way through New Orleans and headed to the French Market.

We walked along the river walk next to the mighty Mississippi and made our way to the Riverwalk Mall.

Our last stop of the night before crashing at 8:00 (Yeah, we're real party animals!) was to go eat at Drago's. Josh had been telling us about the charbroiled oysters they served there and we all wanted to try them. We weren't really hungry since we'd been eating all day long, but we just HAD to try one. We ordered a dozen first and we each tried one. I was skeptical but as soon as it hit my mouth I was in heaven. It was DELICIOUS! It was like nothing I had ever tasted before. We quickly realized that a dozen wasn't going to cut it. We ordered another dozen and went through those even faster than the first dozen. We ordered a third dozen and when our waitress brought those I quickly counted and realized we'd been given an extra oyster. WHAT?!?! I quickly decided that we had to play Rock, Paper, Scissors because it was the only diplomatic way to see who was going to get the last oyster. We played couple vs. couple first and both boys won. Then the boys played each other and Josh Hargon was the victor. He was ecstatic! We probably looked like crazy people, but we all laughed so hard we were crying. I love these guys so much and I'm so glad we got to take a trip with them! It was just what we all needed!

Chowing down on oysters at Drago's!
YUMMY DELICIOUSNESS!