The Truitt Family

Time for a comment...

2012-02-01T00:03:00.001-06:00

I've been withholding this post for many reasons, but since it's really late at night, Wes/Chad is laying here looking at his phone too (I think I'll text him and see if he replies) and this is my blog I will now proceed to enlighten you with all my words of wisdom. Or crap. Whatever.

I have read all of the news around Joe Paterno's death. I don't live under a rock, but sometimes I wish I did. Of course I know who the man is, but his stats came to me only after the Jerry Sandusky trial. And let me tell you, I don't care how many games he won, athletes he mentored or years he gave to an institution. The only stat I see is that he failed to protect innocent and helpless children when he needed to. I got into a debate (imagine that) at work today about separating personal private matters from professional public matters. Guess what, I can't do that. And God doesn't do it either. I'm sorry (for his family) that Joe lost his life during such a tragic time and that we will never truly know why this happened. But as a mother it is extremely difficult to watch things happen in the world to children while people stand by and allow it to happen. I think the old saying is true that it doesn't matter if you do it or not, if you don't stop it from happening then you're just as guilty.

Wes/Chad got the text. He was puzzled as to why I texted him...and then he sent one back. This man gets me.

Amelia thinks tissue paper is hilarious...

2012-01-17T16:28:00.000-06:00

If this doesn't make you laugh then you must hate life.

A New Year, A New...Who Knows?

2012-01-17T16:22:00.000-06:00

Wes/Chad loves it when I say, "So, I was thinking..." That usually means I'm about to rearrange or redo something entirely in our house. And it's probably going to cost a lot of money, time that we don't have and leave something unfinished. I've recently discovered that the blog world has so many talented women doing it (though some do it while staying at home) and I think I can do it too. We were in bed the other night and Wes/Chad was reading his latest WWII book (I think it helps him sleep, I know it would help me sleep) and I said, "You know, I really think I can rip out our vanity and the bathroom mirror and redo that." He. Didn't. Say. A. Word. But I know why. Acknowledging what I said would mean he's agreeing to what I want to do which also means he's going to have to put in some elbow grease too and then suffer through my mood swings of what do I REALLY want to do. So he said nothing. Which actually makes it worse for him because I also view silence as approval. You understand how I work now? In reality he's probably thinking, "She's going to do it no matter what I say." So, Project House 2012 is going on at our house. Obviously this will be a very slow process. Hell, we've been in the house 3 years already and, believe me, it's changed dramatically (wish I'd done before pictures) but we still have a long way to go. And we're stuck for a while. Every time I start looking at real estate Wes/Chad gets hives and I have to stop once he puts his head between his knees.

I do owe this blog several (thousand) pictures and updates. I'll get to it. I'm in house mode right now and I'm sure I can spare a few minutes sometime (between 3-3:15 am) to get those up. In the meantime I'm going to upload a video that will make you laugh until you pee in your pants...maybe that's just me, but it's funny.

Maddie-isms...

2012-01-01T19:29:00.001-06:00

Imagine the scene with me, mom and I are discussing 2012 Christmas logistics and what day Christmas will fall on next year and Maddie is doing her normal constant chattering.
Mom: I think it's on a Mon-dee."
Maddie (mid-chatter): "What? When is Mon-dee?"
Me: "She means MonDAY."
Maddie: "Well Mimi says Mon-dee so I can say Mon-dee. (in a sing-song voice) Today is Sun-dee tomorrow is Mon-dee, the next day is Tues-dee..."
Me: " Thanks a lot, my well-spoken child has just been corrupted."
Mom: just laughing so hard she almost pees

Today while playing outside in her "pirate fort" which has since been moved indoors.

"Ahoy me Martey's!!!"

A great combination of matey's and me hartey's.

Merry Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T20:06:00.001-06:00

Madelyn can hardly contain herself. Amelia doesn't know what the heck is going on around here. And we can't wait to spring Disney World on Maddie tomorrow!

Sweet Amelia..

2011-12-15T19:23:00.000-06:00

Sometimes a grunt helps you get up easier...

Beautiful girls...

2011-12-15T19:21:00.000-06:00

I'm biased. I get it. But I've got some beautiful girls. Who like to shop.

Oh Charleston...I love you!

2011-12-15T19:20:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite places in the whole world is Charleston, South Carolina. I love the history, I love the high society and I love the shopping. It is just a beautiful old place with very nice people. I am running in a 10K in March in Charleston and it just made sense to take a little trip beforehand...you know, map out the land. Yeah right. Well anyway, Chad and I went to Charleston the weekend of December 4th and it was a blast. Mom and Dad watched the girls and we had some adult time. We stayed down in the historic district...I mean we could walk right out of the hotel onto Market Street. So I planned a few things to do...CARRIAGE RIDE!!!! Wes/Chad was a apprehensive about the carriage ride but after we did it he had to eat a little crow! We had a great tour guide (Phillip) and a great horse (Danny) and it was a great tour down Church and over to Water Street. We ate a lot of food, we did quite a lot of shopping and we also toured the USS Yorktown. Talk about psyched...I thought I was going to have to give Wes/Chad a moment alone to get himself together. Here are a few pictures from our weekend...

Gobble Gobble! Thanksgiving with my two turkeys...

2011-12-15T19:11:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was so great this year...this is about the time my holiday mood kicks into overdrive. I get the "itch" starting around Halloween and by Thanksgiving it's in full force. It doesn't help that Christmas decorations are already up in every store I go to (and I go to A LOT of stores) and ads are running nonstop. We went to Memphis this year for Thanksgiving to my mom and dad's house and also went to Wes/Chad's dad's house as well. It was nice to be with family to watch football, eat and shop. Here are a few pictures of the girls...

Mom and dad are still in their rental home until they get their house in Fayetteville built. We went to D-daddy's house (that Wes/Chad's dad) and Madelyn had such a great time she wanted to stay all night. Well, we didn't really plan for all that so she had to come home with us. But she went right back the next night and stayed all night. She had a great time and we were so excited that she got to spend time with D-daddy.

My family also did the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day which is a 4 mile run through Shelby Farms. D-daddy did it with us (and beat us all!!!), Madelyn and Lindsey came in 2nd, me 3rd and mom and dad brought up the rear!

Amelia is 6 months old!!!

2011-10-13T11:48:00.000-05:00

Stats from the doctor:

She weighs 19 pounds and 8 ounces. Almost the same amount Maddie weigh at 11.5 months old. What can I say, the girl likes her food.
She's 27.5 inches long. On the tall (very) side for her age, but I'm okay with the fact that I'm going to be the shrimp of my family.
No more medicine for acid reflux...yeah!

Stats from the mommy:

She crawls great and pulls up really well.
She loves her bath, but I have to cut it short since she only wants to take it standing up.
Her favorite foods are anything orange (sweet potatoes and squash) and she loves a mixture of sweet potatoes, squash, apples and blueberries. Madelyn also thinks it's yummy.
It is borderline impossibly to change her diaper. I have finally submitted and bought slip-on diapers that are the Huggies brand. The minute I lay her down to change her diaper she starts rolling. She's strong.
She's has her bottom 2 teeth and maybe she'll start sleeping through the night soon!

Amelia loves Maddie and will light up anytime Maddie's in the room. She also likes to rub Wes/Chad's whiskers on his face and if I lay in the floor she loves to climb all over me.

She is a very good baby, she'll go to anyone and doesn't fuss so that's nice. Now if she can just give mommy a break and start sleeping through the night!

The tongue strikes again

At the doctor's office

Little Sweet Things...

2011-09-27T21:19:00.000-05:00

I love my girls. Absolutely love them. I'm tired as hell, but they make life fun...it's the work part that sucks. To make good on a promise of pictures, here are a few...I will update you on Amelia's progress and Maddie's kindergarten when I have more time. Right now Wes/Chad and I are figuring out the decrapification of our house and it's going to take a while.

My sweet Amelia..she likes to multi-task by playing and looking outside

Playing on the floor is so boring

She likes to pull Daddy's hair

Somebody pass me a tissue, my baby is all grown up

Sniffle...her chair at school

Watch out US Open...there's a new girl coming to town

The Real Issue at Hand

2011-09-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

I will preface this rant by saying that pictures are coming soon. Seriously. I got most of them organized on our home computer the other night. It only took 2 hours. Pictures and updates soon. Don't believe me? Yeah, I wouldn't either.

So, we got "the notice" yesterday. Parent/Teacher conferences coming up in a week. Maddie is loving schools and Mrs. Sedillo has already bragged on her, so I'm not too worried. But I do have some questions for her teacher. Like, "does it seem that Madelyn gets bossed around?" Because that's her complaint on almost a daily basis. "So-and-so bossed me today and acted sad when I didn't mind them." That's been her complaint since she could talk. Wes/Chad and I have had so many discussions with her about who her bosses are and who they aren't, but still...here we go again. So I started thinking during my nice little commute this morning that maybe I'm screwing her up somehow by being bossy myself. As a side note, I can't help it, I'm a natural born leader. Somehow my thought process moved to the JCPenney shirt controversy that's been going on over the shirt about being too pretty to do homework. This one:

Well, I am all for worthy causes to take up your strike sign and walk on. And because I have two girls I am hyper-sensitive to what I say about myself, them and other women to them or in front of them. I want my girls to have very healthy self-esteems if at all possible. But I have real problems most days and can't join up for every cause that comes across my email, especially t-shirts. Does it go a tad too far? Probably. Will it destroy some girls psyche? Doubtful. But aren't there other things in this world that will do far more damage than some advertisement? I think so. We take our girls to church where they learn about Jesus. Oh no! We also spank Madelyn if she's acting out of control. Call DHS! Oh yeah, we also buy them things just because they want them and not because they need them. Facetious as it may be, I think the people that a child interacts with on a daily basis can do more damage than a freaking shirt. Would I buy the shirt? No, but I choose not to as a parent and that's each parent's choice. So back to Madelyn.

While dropping her off at school this morning I took the opportunity to have a little heart-to-heart with her.

ME: Madelyn, only you can stop someone from bossing you around. They aren't bossing you around, you are letting them. What do you think mommy would do if someone was bossing her around?

(I was looking for, "Not let them boss me around")

Madelyn: Punch them to the ground and kick dirt on them.

Well, that works too.

Maddie at Radnor Lake

2011-08-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

We have been getting pretty crazy around our house. Maddie is starting kindergarten, look to paragraph 2 for that story, and Amelia is hitting milestones like crazy. Wes/Chad and I are making a few changes in our life, I might get to that or might not depending on my attitude, and it's time for a different outlook on life.

I'm a "got it together" kinda girl. Really I am. I have everything planned out on my calendar and even if it isn't on there, I'm pretty good at remembering things. Actually, I'm really good at it. Wes/Chad can attest to that fact. So when August 5 was looming on my calendar I had it all planned out. My baby is starting kindergarten, she hasn't had a ton of attention from me lately due to that little chubawuba Amelia and she needed a mommy day. So I planned this big day for Thursday, August 4. We shopped, we ate and we movied. I really talked kindergarten up and she was so excited. We were sitting at McDonald's (gag) Thursday night and I told Wes/Chad, "I really have to stop by Publix on the way home and get Maddie some extra stuff for her lunch." I was ready...well a little rushed, but still ready. I got home, the girls went to bed and I had a feeling I was missing something. So I looked at Maddie's kindergarten calendar again and lo and behold...Friday, August 5th was the first day for grades 1-4. Now why this was on a kindergarten calendar I don't know. But it was. I was really disappointed in myself. The biggest day of Madelyn's life (to date) and here I was about to screw it up. I broke the news and she really didn't care so all was good in our neighborhood. She officially starts on August 19th for a full day. She had testing yesterday and said she couldn't remember a shape until after the testing and it was a trapezoid. What!!!??? A trapezoid? In kindergarten? Why don't they ask you to do long division without a calculator. I couldn't even believe she remembered it. So we'll get going again and hopefully get it right this time. A friend said to me, "With 2 children 5 years apart and your job, if that's the worst you ever do then count yourself lucky." Right on.

On the Amelia front I really need to do better. I promise I will. Someday. Our little lady is such a good baby, and if there's anything I want to remember from her babyhood (which becomes easy to forget) it's how good she really is. She will let anyone hold her (but when she wants momma, she means now!), she sleeps great with the exception of her recent teething episode and everyone tells me what a happy baby she is. And she is a happy baby. You can tickle her and she laughs, she really likes to sit in her Bumbo and stare at herself in the mirror and her bath is probably the best. She kicks and smiles and splashes. Her hair has gotten a lot lighter (almost auburn), but you can't really tell in pictures. And it wouldn't matter anyway because I'm bad at taking them.

As for Wes/Chad and I...we are trying to make a shift in life. It's been one of those things where you say, "Well when this happens we'll get this right." And you know what I mean. As our pastor put it, "You get to your early adulthood and it's all about the kids and you think when you get to middle adulthood you'll be a better Christian. When you get to middle adulthood it's all about your career and you think when you retire you'll be a better Christian. When you retire it's all bout seeing those grandkids, so when are you going to become a better Christian?" We've got that to work on. It's very important to me that my girls are raised in a Christian home and that they go to church. Some of my best friends (and my parent's best friends) came from church. Some of my best memories are from those church youth group trips. I want that for my girls. Wes/Chad and I both have high demand and high stress jobs and we are working very diligently on shutting that down and making family time just that. We are also looking at making a move out of Franklin. While we enjoy it, we need a smaller town with a lot less traffic. So we are looking for a house outside of Franklin and thinking about leasing ours out. We have a lot of important decisions to make around that, but I've been praying a lot about it in hopes that I will find the answer. Most of all we want to quit thinking that when certain things happen for us our life will be better. We want to make right now a good time because we're very blessed to have what we have. Very blessed.

Here's what we've been doing...

2011-06-25T21:53:00.000-05:00

Amelia does a little sleeping...

Maddie played a little soccer...and she is good

Maddie graduated preschool

And she won the "Best Hair" award

Amelia turned 2 months old

She put her feet in the sand for the first time on Okaloosa Island

Maddie hunted crab and we discovered we hate sand fleas

Maddie loves the beach

Maddie lost her 1st tooth on the way home from the beach

I'm sure the soldiers didn't intend for some girl to hang off their cannon but....

Oh yeah, a tree fell on our house.

Whoopsie...I was tired.

2011-06-24T11:40:00.001-05:00

Suffice to say my last post was uninspiring and a little on the lazy side. So sue me, I just pushed a human being out of my body a mere 12 weeks ago. I have been tired...more than tired. There is no way to describe the way you feel when a tiny voice is screaming every 2 hours to be fed. And after you get that taken care of and get back to bed yourself, you have a very short window of time to get back to sleep before that little voice is screaming once again. I remember it being difficult with Madelyn. Wes/Chad will tell you he found me in her room one morning trying to weigh the pros and cons of giving her up for adoption. Out loud. I have no excuses now though. Amelia has been doing much better on the sleeping front. She'll go a few nights sleeping all night until I wake her up the next morning and she'll go a few where she gets up between 2 am and 3 am. She gives me a look like, "Just wanted to see what you're doing." Now that I'm back to work, I usually catch myself talking to her long after she's finished her bottle. I miss seeing her every day.

Speaking of back to work, June 20th was my first day back. And even though I've already done this once, it was so hard. I went back to work after 6 weeks with Madelyn, talk about crying. I was fortunate to have 12 with Amelia, but it still just doesn't seem like enough. I had a melodramatic moment (I know you're shocked) around Mother's Day when Wes/Chad gave me tiny pink notebook to make baby notes in for Amelia. Well, it was 3 days late because he ordered it the night before Mother's Day and I was not happy about the planning he did on that one. Then when I saw that it was a little notebook to make notes in about Amelia I had a little bit more of a meltdown and said, "What am I supposed to do with this, hand it over to the lady in daycare and ask her to write down all the things I'm missing?" Too harsh? Yep. How I feel? Yep. Listen, the hardest job you'll ever do will be a mom. I know being a stay-at-home mom is a very difficult job and I truly believe that it takes a special person to stay at home day in and day out, but I know the rewards of seeing your children grow up are endless. Being a working mom is hard on a different level for me (let's get that out of the way right now...this is reminiscent of my situation and I'm not speaking into your own). There's the guilt of leaving my children with someone else for 8+ hours a day and only giving them small pieces of time during the week. And here's my beef (because you knew I had to gripe about something):

When a woman returns to work from maternity leave, DO NOT EVER say, "You need to figure out a way to stay at home with your kids."

My response was after a couple of deep breaths and a mental image of what I wanted to do so what I said was, "I wish I could." What I really wanted to say was, "Look lady, it ain't like I'm working because I'm driving a Mercedes, living in a mansion and taking vacations to Monte Carlo twice a year. I'm here because I live in a modest house and life is just plain old expensive to get by." I know you're wondering so I'll tell you, no, she doesn't have children. Easy to judge from that point of view I imagine.

So, I know that I haven't uploaded any pictures and I haven't updated anything else, but I promise to get to it. I'll leave you with these gems.

Amelia at 3 months

This was at the beach. No need to comment, I know I have gorgeous kids.

Introducing Miss Amelia Clare Truitt

2011-05-19T15:35:00.000-05:00

As posted previously, I've been a little busy. And not in that "normal" busy way of going to and from work and spending some time doing housework and falling into bed. When I say busy, I mean 20 hours out of my 24 hour day have become nothing but baby. So that's why I'm getting around to this 8 weeks too late.

Everyone who knows me knows that the pregnancy leading up to the birth was not the easiest. After my miscarriage last year I was prepared for anything. Well, anything but bed rest. After 2 visits to labor and deliver during my 8th month of pregnancy they put me on bed rest. Bed rest is awful. Awful. Okay, on to the good stuff.

On March 20th at around 5:00 my contractions started and around 8:00 they were getting pretty intense. I called the doctor and since I had finally hit 37 weeks she told me to come in. 37 weeks was her magic number and we were happy to get there. I got to the hospital around 10:30 and went in through the emergency room. Keep in mind I had already visited L & D twice, and watched them input my info into the computer. Lo and behold, the little old lady behind the desk informed me that she had to register me. What seemed like 2 hours passed and someone finally came down from L & D came to get me. I had awesome nurses who got me in and hooked up. The IV had to be put in twice and the epidural had to be redone 3 times, but that's the extent of my problems. Contractions started really kicking in around 2:00 pm on the 21st and the doctor came in. And by 2:24 we had a baby. Amelia was a big suprise with her black head of hair (and a full head of hair) and her weight was 7 lbs. and 3 ozs. My doctor just looked at me and said, "You're lucky she came 3 weeks early." No joke. More details to follow...but here's a picture.

Um, excuse me while I grab a few winks...

2011-05-17T23:26:00.000-05:00

Hello, hello, hello! I have some news and some catching up to do. We have been a busy family since I last updated in March. Personally and professionally I've had quite a bit on my plate. Individual posts will come at a later date (no, Lindsey, not tomorrow) but here are a few things we've been doing since March:

1. Maddie became a soccer stud who can definitely bend it like Beckham.
2. We had a tree fall on part of our house.
3. The company I work for sold to a very large company and my fate will be delivered tomorrow.
4. Oh yeah, I had a baby.

Miss Amelia Clare Truitt was born on March 21 at 2:24 pm. She was 7 lbs. and 3 ozs. I will give the details in the next post about her along with the birth story. I just love sharing the gory details.

So if you were wondering where I was...well I've been busy. Busy feeding, changing and bathing a baby. I usually take a break to cry from sheer exhaustion and then I give myself a little pep talk and move on. I think Wes/Chad is considering changing his name to Mo#$%# Fu#$%! permanently and I've had to do a little bit more work on controlling my control issues. Isn't irony a funny thing? Amelia actually did start sleeping 5-6 hours at a time last week. I think she caught a glimpse of her adoption papers and thought, "This crazy lady is really gonna sale me." More to come...

Personal Comfort...and other items that are now out the window...

2011-03-06T23:13:00.000-06:00

Tuesday will be week 4 of bed rest. For 4 weeks I have been confined to the bed or the couch with explicit instructions on getting up only to eat or use the bathroom. Guess what? I lost 6 pounds. I think we can all assume that work is hazardous to my health and move on. Since I've had a lot of time on my hands, and I have to put the Lisa Gardner books down for a minute (more on that later), I have come up with a list of things I dislike about bed rest. I'm sure there are good things, but my mind tends to lean toward cynicism at best.

1. Being a former athlete, and I do mean former because my body actually shudders at the thought of a line drill or any type of activity that I used to participate in, I didn't realize that my muscles could actually disappear in a matter of 2 days after laying down. No joke. They are gone. What was left from the glory days.

2. When you tell people you are on bed rest, they actually congratulate you. Really. So, laying around on the couch or in the bed sounds fun to you? Maybe for about 30 minutes and then you realize that there is nothing on the tv you pay $100/month for. Oh, and by the way, if any of you would like to know how to catch your cheating husband, I've been watching Dr. Phil.

3. When you actually do get out and about, yes I picked Maddie up from school on Friday, people act like they haven't seen you in ages and MUST fill you in on every detail of their life that you might've missed. Newsflash, I wasn't listening to you before when your rants were 5 minutes, I'm REALLY not listening to you now. Shut-up already, I'm supposed to be laying down.

Now I will counter with 3 things I love about bed rest:

1. You can order anything online and they bring it right to your door. Anything. I have my debit card memorized and most of my accounts are now set up with the information stored. Also, thanks to my sister-in-law I discovered this wonderful web site called etsy.com and I patrol it regularly.

2. People have come out in droves to cook and help me out. It is amazing and wonderful, and we are very blessed to have all of these people in our lives.

3. I appreciate the fact that I've gotten some down time before having this baby. Even though I haven't been able to spend lots of quality time with Maddie like normal, it's been nice to just lay out.

We will hopefully have a baby soon. I've been working from home and every conference call I get on people love to say, "I was hoping that you weren't going to be on today and you would be having that baby." Thanks for reminding me that I'm still a miserable pregnant woman. I would've missed that detail otherwise. In all seriousness, work has been yet another great distraction from my lazy life and I work with a great group of people who have not only accommodated this slow down in my schedule, but looked for many ways to help me through it.

And last but not least, this post is for my mom and sister who have questioned what else I have to do other than update my blog. You can't see me right now, but I'm sticking my tongue out at you.

28 weeks and counting...

2011-01-24T11:42:00.001-06:00

Will this insanity ever end? Why didn't I consult my body before putting it through this again? Why won't Tennessee let you get a divorce when you're pregnant? These are all questions that have been running through my mind. So if you read this blog, you'll know that I was pregnant all 9 months in 2010 and I'm still going. Again, kudos to Wes/Chad's manliness. I'm definitely five years older this time around and since I already have a little one to run around after, the effects on my body have definitely been much worse. And seeing as how I was coming off of a pregnancy right into another pregnancy, let's just say my body has decided to shun me in my time of need. Before I post the picture of what I look like at 28 weeks, let me just go ahead and say this. I LOOK A HOT MESS. And I'm okay with that because I feel like a hot mess. My face is 3x its regular size and we won't even visit what my butt looks like. Let's just say I have a lot of work to do after this is done. A lot. So, here is a picture of me by myself and one with Maddie...

I love the leg prop up...

Maddie is FIVE!

2011-01-24T11:32:00.001-06:00

Yes, I knew this day would come. But five seems like such a milestone. She starts kindergarten, she's playing soccer this spring (much to Mimi's chagrin) and just seems to be getting older by the minute. It has gone by so fast and I'm pretty sure Wes/Chad and I comment to each other on a daily basis how much we love her. The things I love about her pretty much drive me nuts too, but that's what love is all about, right? Here are the pictures from her 5th birthday party which was held at Jump Zone. Her actual birthday was on a Wednesday so we had a cake at home and took her out to eat and then had her party on Saturday.

On the way to school...it snowed the day we brought her home from the hospital too.

The Princess Cake...a must have.

The 3 Amigos

Christmas 2010

2011-01-24T11:22:00.000-06:00

I'm way behind. I don't care. At this point the fact that I get up and go to work every day, no comments about what time I get there, is a day completed successfully. On to the Christmas wrap-up...

This year we stuck with a little bit of tradition and added a tweak. The tweak came prior to Christmas so I'll start there. We did "Elf on the Shelf" this year thanks to my mom. My sister and Wes/Chad think it's a crazy concept, and honestly it's not something I would've started on my own, but here we are in year 1. I'll let you know if we break it back out next year and how that goes. I already have to keep track of all these things I tell Maddie that one day she will look at me and say, "But YOU SAID..." The elf's name is Fred. He bounced around our house unless we were too tired to remember to bounce him around and then Maddie thought up an excuse for him and we let her. "Fred was too tired to move..." or "Fred was afraid I wouldn't find him..." I'm not a "roll with it" kinda girl, but this year I was. I only had to threaten Maddie with Fred a few times and one of those times was when I found out she had rolled her eyes to the teacher at school. I did what any great mom would do. I made her tell Fred. Who reports to the Big Guy at the North Pole. And it was painful. Well, me trying not to laugh was painful. It went a little something like this:

"Fred, I rolled my eyes at my teacher today at school and I had to flip a card and now I'm in trouble and you're going to tell Santa Clause and I'm not going to get ANY PRESEEEEEENNNNTTTSSSS."

And the drama ensued. It was a stage 7 breakdown. But it worked. On to the happier moments...

We celebrated Christmas at our house on Christmas Eve because Maddie has no concept of time and we wanted to make the trip to Memphis a day early. Wes/Chad said again this year, which he says every year, "We are not rushing around house to house next year." We'll see. With 2 kids I'm inclined to agree. Maddie got quite a few presents this year and here's the proof ...

The big gift was the trampoline and the pillow pet. That kid was really starting to jones for a pillow pet. She said it was her favorite gift until I told her the trampoline was her favorite gift. I wish I had taken pictures of Wes/Chad and his friend Jordan putting it together. I think Wes/Chad's exact phrase was, "Did you buy the biggest trampline they sell." My response, in my head, was, "What do I care, I knew I didn't have to put it together."

The Truitt family is ready to give thanks...

2010-11-23T15:57:00.000-06:00

Halloween marks the beginning of my favorite time of year. Not only can we terrorize the neighborhood and get our sugar rush on, but the weather turns cooler (usually) and it's the kick-off to a season of family and food. This year is a little sweeter for us because it's our last year as a one-child family. I don't know why adding another seems so daunting but maybe it's because we'll have to play one-on-one rather than a zone defense. I always liked zone defense. I decided to make a list of things I am truly thankful for that I have come to realize others go without:

1. A wonderful family. No matter what and no matter when I can call and count on their help. Even for PMS. My mom usually just says,"Are you on your period?" and that explains the entire crisis.
2. A job. I can't imagine explaining to Madelyn why she can't get Christmas presents this year as so many families are doing. Last year we heard about a woman's situation on the radio and I immediately emailed the radio station to ask for her contact information. Madelyn and I spent 2 days shopping for her 2 year-old daughter for Christmas because this woman was working so hard to get herself out of a bad situation and could barely keep the lights on. What's even better is that once people found out what I was doing, they also chipped in to help her out. When I met her in the Cracker Barrel parking lot to give all of the gifts over, she cried and I cried. She was thankful and I was humbled.
3. A husband who loves me. Wes/Chad and I joke all the time that we can't get divorced because no one else would put up with us. But it is a joke. As with any marriage we have had our ups and downs, but through it all I know that he loves me. He's still in training for everything else.
4. A healthy child. Maddie is one of the healthiest kids I've ever seen. Knock on wood, no ER visits and rarely a sick visit...I believe she was 3 the last time we went for a sick visit.

We have a lot more to be thankful for, but those things stick out in my mind. Since Maddie is so aware of Santa Claus this year, I am really excited to see her reaction to Christmas Day!

And it's a...

2010-11-15T16:49:00.000-06:00

GIRL!!!! I will post pictures from the ultrasound soon...along with those Halloween pictures. People have asked how I feel about having a girl and maybe I just feel bad about how I felt when they told me. I really didn't care. That statement can be misconstrued as negative, but it's really not. I sincerely didn't hope for one more than the other. Healthy is what we're looking for here. And a baby who sleeps and will adhere to the schedule I would like to set.

My mom, dad and Wes/Chad came to the ultrasound appointment and let me tell you, I have the most patient ultrasound lady ever. And she's a redhead, so we just mesh well together. She had to get some measurements and do her "job" before she could tell us what gender the baby was and as she was doing that my mom said, "Oh, it's a boy." Nope, that was the umbilical cord hanging. The baby flipped bottom up and then bam...it's a girl. To my mom's credit (and this is only one credit to your huge list of picture debits), she brought the camera. But, alas, my ultrasound lady told her she wasn't allowed to use it because of legal issues. I saw the doctor after the ultrasound and her exact words were, "Everything is perfect." That is music to my ears.

And here come the questions...

2010-11-08T16:48:00.000-06:00

So...I knew it was coming. We are pregnant again, 5 months to be exact. Inevitably once you start showing in pregnancy the more questions you get. It's funny because when I was pregnant with Madelyn, I was asking most of the questions. Now I feel like a pro, but hardly am, and I don't mind answering certain questions, but some of them get a little uncomfortable. Especially since I have yet to announce via social media that we are indeed expecting again. That's right, Wes/Chad has had me knocked up almost all year. Kudos to his manliness. Just kidding, sweetie. Not really. So, now the questions are flying by my head faster because some people aren't aware that we had a miscarriage in May and they are wondering what the heck is taking me so long to bake this baby. It's a process people...an ugly, ugly process. So, a group of office girls cornered me today and asked the questions...and I gave them the answers, whether it's what they were looking for or not...who knows.

1. Is it really as painful as people say? Why, yes, it is. Have you ever given birth to a pineapple? Does that sound painful?

2. Are you going to have an epidural? Did God make smart people who invented medicine for a reason? Yes, he did and yes I am.

3. Is it pretty gross to watch? Well, I don't know. I'm not very flexible so I didn't witness the first one, but I will borrow a line from my husband who had an up close and intimate view (that story later) of Madelyn's birth. "Have you ever seen a wet St. Bernard try to come through a cat door?"

4. What if something bad happens while you're at home? Isn't there a statistic about injuries in the home? Well, let's see, the baby and I don't get to consult each other on how we want this thing to go down, but I believe in a lot of prayer and name calling and it gets me through most days.

5. (My favorite) Do you believe in spanking? Does the Bible say to do it...yep, I believe it does. In fact, I believe I was spanked (there was this one incident where my dad spanked me and then said, "Now what happened"...the FBI didn't even show up to investigate) and I turned out just fine. Some kids only require the threat and some require the spanking. We'll figure it out.

6. Do you want a boy or a girl? Don't care. Both will be hell on wheels and both will have to learn to navigate their way through Madelyn. Good luck. I believe Wes/Chad would like a boy because then he has someone to carry on his name. Maybe I want a boy a little bit too because I'm afraid if we don't have a boy I'm going to be persuaded to try again...and then there will be 3 and do you really want to have a middle child? Okay, how about 1 more? Four sounds like an even number. And then I'll endup sitting in a closet with a golf club chanting old Hee-Haw tunes and popping pills. That doesn't sound very pretty does it?

I try not to be too sarcastic about it, but if child birth was something that was that easy they would make a drive-through window at the hospital for it. I know they're getting close, but it will still be a couple of years.

We are very excited about our future addition, we find out on Thursday what we're having. Maddie has several names already picked out...I'll spare you the drama of some of them, but let's just say that she was definitely a hippie in another life. I'll post pictures soon.

Catch-up with Maddie...

2010-11-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

She dressed herself. I believe it was 82 degrees that day.

I will have Halloween pictures up soon. It was fun and tiring, and Maddie loved it. On to the latest adventures in Maddie's World...where adventures seem more like me paying for my past. Last night Maddie and I went to Green Hills Mall to exchange a dress and I discovered that her tastes have turned to greener pastures. She started the night asking about a toy store but quickly moved on once she spotted Claire's. Now every mom knows that place carries items you will indeed throw away, hide and forget or smash into a million pieces. With a hammer. Maddie immediately dropped the toy store bit and wanted to venture to the "make-up store." Being the product whore that I am, I got a little teary eyed and headed toward Sephora...my mecca. Alas, she didn't mean Sephora. Sniff. She meant Claire's. I thought about showing her what a real tantrum looks like, but I went. She picked out a bedazzled compact of 56 lip glosses, complete with lip brush and a huge tube of multi-colored lip gloss...with glitter. Needless to say everyone, including 2 dolls and a horse, was wearing lip gloss by late last night. I believe the dolls and the horse got it around bedtime.

On the way home last night we decided to stop by Backyard Burger for dinner, even though Wes/Chad had suggested Chick-Fil-A. Hey, if you don't drive or ride, you don't get to be choosy. After we got our food Maddie remembered that "daddy said he wanted CFA." And here's where the dialogue went downhill:

Me: Well, I know he did, but we wanted Backyard Burger. And do you see Daddy in this vehicle?

Maddie: Ohhh, okay. No, he's not here. So he has to eat whatever we bring him. *Long pause* And if he doesn't eat what we bring him then he doesn't eat at all. *Another long pause* And if he doesn't say thank you then he has to do chores without eating dinner while we watch tv. That's the new rule and we'll tell him when we get home.

And we did. You see it's not just the dominating force that drives mini-me that I love so much, it's the fact that she can come up with it in about 30 seconds if not distracted and she intends to follow it up with directives. I love that kid.

Hang time at the park

Those vampire teeth only cost us 250 tickets

Miss Truitt

2010-10-20T12:02:00.000-05:00

Picture Day at school

"Wear Your Favorite Team" to school

Live Free or Die

2010-10-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

October 7-11 was vacation time for me and Maddie. Wes/Chad recently had surgery on his big ugly toe that he broke 5 years ago during one of our canoeing trips which caused a lot of...nevermind, that's another story later on his gracefulness. So anyhoo, Daddy wasn't able to accompany us because this was a "see nature" trip and that's exactly what we wanted to do...and not from the deck of the house.

But this is a view from the deck of the house

This is the house

This is a barn at a homestead that we visited. I just love barns.

A marker for the Russell-Colbath House that we visited. More on that later.

This is the house...not a great picture but as you can see, no one was waiting on me.

Madelyn and the pumpkin people at a covered bridge we stopped at.

I could give you the whole backstory on the Russell-Colbath house, but here's what you need to know. Even men back in those days were real a##holes. Without the family history let's get to the good stuff. Ruth Russell married Thomas Colbath in the late 1800's and together they lived in Ruth's family home. In 1891, Thomas left the house saying "he'd be back in a little while." Ruth never saw him again, though she put a candle in the window every night expecting his return (hopefully because she intended to brain him with a pan as soon as he walked his sorry butt in the door). In 1930, Ruth died and 3 years later Thomas returned to the house (probably because he heard there was no way he was in trouble anymore) and discovered that she had left a light burning for 39 years waiting on him to return. Here's his story:

1. They didn't have a fight. And that's because he didn't show back up to get his butt handed to him.
2. He stayed in the area for about a year and over time wandered farther and farther away and then felt too ashamed to return. Has anyone been to New Hampshire? Where did he stay? There were only about 20 farms in the area, 2 schools and a small hotel...maybe Ruth should've gone house-to-house and started with the "fancy" woman down the street. Too ashamed? Well, at least that's a good line.
3. No one knows why he returned.

There was a small shed behind the property, I like to think Ruth kept it up to do some very inventive things to him should he return. If you'd like to read more, visit the link here http://www.winter-insurance.at/Privat/Novaskotia/Russel%20Colbath%20House.html.

It was a great trip, we got to spend some time together as a family with my mom, dad and sister there. Friends of ours from long ago, Becky & Larry also drove up so it was nice. The comedy in all of this is that my mom bought a new camera, I don't know why, but she did.

Just call me...

2010-10-04T19:13:00.000-05:00

Peeping Joe Juice. That's right. In honor of my ability to snag my money back from those idiots, I decided to do the ghetto name generator and my ghetto name is Peeping Joe Juice. So here's proof that I scare more people than just my husband and child...

And no, I can't rotate the picture for some reason, but it will spend just the same.

Beware of the Killer Heels

2010-10-04T10:23:00.001-05:00

I was going to attempt to find a picture of some "killer heels" to post, but I think I'd rather paint you a picture and you can use your imagination. My beef here has nothing to do with the fact that I am pregnant and my feet would rather disconnect themselves from my legs than wear heels, no I'm not bitter, but more to do with this ridiculous notion that as women we should worry more about teetering on the verge of death instead of clinging to some good ol' fashioned comfort. Insert any Rockport or SAS joke you would like to, but I'm betting 5 out of 5 podiatrists will agree with me.

I like my heels just as much as the next girl, in fact, if I can find the missing black button and have someone fix the shoe...I have a very sassy pair of red heels that cause you to look at least twice. At least. BUT...Wes/Chad and I went to see Chelsea Lately Live 2 weeks ago at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and as we walked in the door I'm sure everyone heard my audible gasp. I felt like I either 1)walked into the club or 2) had another opportunity to enjoy a slutty prom. No kidding. Again, this is not to put anyone down for their choice in clothing while planning a night out on the town...and if your choice is some animal print concoction with rainbow colors and you finish that off with some patent leather heels borrowed from your roommate who's just trying to put herself through medical school THEN SO BE IT. Here's my only comment/opinion...

YOU LOOK SILLY!

And while you do provide entertainment for me, its really almost reckless to see you teetering your way around a venue while trying to "rush" to your seat, the bathroom or the concession stand. The last time I saw someone walk like that was when Madelyn was 9 months old...and she looked way better attempting it. One last comment/opinion and then I'm done. Don't assume that the higher the heels, the skinnier you look. It's not the jeans and it's not the shoes. Your ass makes your ass look fat, work on that...in tennis shoes. At this point I can say these things and get away with it because my ass has no hope for the next several months and because I can claim I'm hormonal.

There is no bond like a daddy and his daughter...

2010-09-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

Zoo Trip!

2010-09-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

Do you think that chicken might bite?

Rant...follow-up...

2010-09-22T13:51:00.000-05:00

If you've already read my rant from a couple of weeks ago on Dr. Shady, this is the follow-up. If you haven't, I suggest you start there as any sequel can't provide all the details. The reason this follow-up took so long is 1) I've been in Switzerland and 2) I just got follow-up this morning from Dr. Shady's office on where my d$#@ credit is. The funny (not ha ha, more like are you freaking kidding me?) thing about this morning was that I started calling the office Monday morning with no return call. But the office manager called this morning to confirm my cleaning for tomorrow at 9:00. I'm sorry, what? I'm pretty sure I just blacked out, but did you say cleaning tomorrow? As in, you want me to come back in for a service when you have yet to credit my account for $145 of toothbrush which was returned to you already? Oh. No. You. Didn't. Enter ghetto voice.

Me: Ma'am. I don't think you understand. Not only am I not stepping foot back in that office for a cleaning or any other type of service you could rip me off for, the only reason I would come back would be to attempt to get another stupid person to tell me where my $145 is for the toothbrush you have in your possession.

Office Person: What toothbrush?

Me: The toothbrush that you're looking at as a credit on your little computer screen that has yet to be credited. (I took a gamble that's actually what she was looking at)

Office Person: Ohhh! Yes, I see, but I think we were going to wait until after your appointment tomorrow and use that money toward your cleaning and then credit the rest back to you.

Me: Well, that would be very neighborly of you except that my cleanings are free. So, does that mean that AFTER you cleaned my teeth for free tomorrow you were going to give me the $145 back or does that mean that you still planned to rack up something else while I was in there?

SILENCE

Me: Hello? If you're listening let me make myself clear. Credit my account for the $145 that you owe me, or I will come up there and stand outside your office every day with a sign that tells people they are actually consenting to a scam vs. coming to the dentist. And I know that it's your property, but there's a sidewalk there that you don't own and I will stand there all day, I have like 15 vacation days and my boss doesn't care because he understands when I need to make a point and he also understands that when I'm really committed to something I will do it no matter what. You get me?

Office Person: Yes, ma'am. We will credit your account immediately. Would you still like to confirm your appointment for tomorrow?

Me: I think I'll hang up now.

It hasn't happened yet today, but maybe it's something that takes a day to process. Either way, I will follow-up on my threat by Friday to go up there and make a huge scene. Especially since I'm taking the day off to go see Chelsea Handler at Bridgestone Arena.

Switzerland!!!

2010-09-22T13:34:00.000-05:00

Walter Au Lac

I have returned...9 lbs. lighter. Yes, 9 lbs. in one week. How did I do it? Well, the food sucked (to me) and you have to walk everywhere. It was a "work" trip, not a vacation, so while I really wasn't there so I could do a write-up for Trip Advisor, I still had plenty of little incidents that I would love to write for Trip Advisor. On the pro side, Lugano is in the Italian canton of Ticino. You can actually see Italy from Lugano, so I would venture to say it's pretty close. For those of you who love authentic Italian cooking, this is the place to go. For those of you who don't love authentic Italian, prepare to starve as I did. Another pro was just the all-around beauty of Lugano. Old buildings, views of the mountains and lake, beautiful people and the ability to get around fairly easily. On the con side, everything closes at 6:30 daily. Everything except the restaurants and you don't really eat dinner until 8:00 anyway and that lasts until around midnight. I arrived in Lugano on Sunday morning around 9:00 am and had a driver pick me up from the airport in Milan. The ride was supposed to take around an hour, 35 minutes later we pulled up in front of my hotel. Welcome to the Walter Au Lac. Home of the key nazis, breakfast items that include pieces of meat that could be "chicken or turkey" and the hardest mattress other than a bare floor. I'll get to the shower/bath situation momentarily. The key nazi thing stemmed from our first dinner outing the day we arrived in Lugano. The key is a card like most hotels have, but it's attached to this almost 2 lb. weight with your room number on it. They expect you to leave it at the front desk anytime you leave and should you attempt to walk past the front desk without dropping it off, prepare to be yelled at. Customer services is a small item on their to-do list. Here's a picture of the key...

Room 66...on the 4th floor

The bathroom was another catastrophe. The picture below is actually a picture of Ashley's bathroom. My room wasn't ready when we checked in and I never thought about taking a picture of my bathroom, although it was actually smaller (if that's possible) than Ashley's.

The mattress actually bruised my knee the day we got there...it's now turning yellow. My mom said it was good for my back, it's a good thing she never said it was good for my sleep. After snuggling back into my pillow top King mattress at home, I realize that "European Luxury" is not my "American Luxury." Knowledge is the key that unlocks doors...or provides an interrupted night of sleep.

We actually did do some sightseeing. We took a boat tour of Lugano Lake and it was very neat to see all of these small villages right on the water with restaurants and a few homes. And the only way to get there was via ferry. Pictures from the boat tour below...

Here are the pictures from the balcony of my room...

Rainy Day

As you can see, Lugano is very beautiful. The weather was perfect, there was a constant breeze from the lake and at night you could wear a light sweater and be comfortable. Thankfully there was a Burger King down the road where I could get a whopper meal for 13.50 CHF. It was worth every penny. I'll have a few more pictures to post as soon as Ashley sends them to me...I relied mainly on her for the pics because someone raised her to value memories in photographic form. Ah, the perils of my childhood.

Rant

2010-09-08T12:22:00.001-05:00

I don't typically use this space to rant my frustrations in life, normally I can chalk it up to life and move on without wasting the energy. But sometimes I need a soapbox, and this is my blog so I can use it however I want to. Can you tell I've been getting into those Subway commercials? There are 2 things in life I do not have good luck with, and I don't count men because that's not fair and Tom Selleck was too old by the time I got to marrying age. By a hair. BUT, I have trouble finding a good hairdresser and a good dentist. The short story on the hairdresser is that I found one over the weekend and I'm thinking about asking her to move in and do my hair every day, I'm not a celebrity, but she sure made me feel like one. Once that clicked into place it should've dawned on me that luck was not going to be on my side twice in one week.

I had a visit with a dentist, who we shall call Dr. Shady, yesterday afternoon. Both Madelyn and I were scheduled at the same time and I thought that worked out perfectly. So Madelyn and I skipped in yesterday and we were escorted to a room. The DH was a very nice lady who joked and teased with Maddie and made her feel very comfortable about everything going on. Doesn't she look like she's having fun? Then it was my turn. I got the normal feedback and was getting ready to leave when I got "the bag." The bag usually contains free stuff, toothbrush, info and toothpaste. As we were checking out the lady in front of us had to keep checking her phone for her appointment time and rescheduling because she has a hectic life. Never mind that I've been sitting in a dentist's office with a child for 2 hours. As we start to check out the lights start going out...because someone turned them out...evidently everyone is ready to go home because it's already 4 o'clock. Time to get home after a hard day. The bill is folded up and shoved in my "free" bag and I'm shown the door. Now, here is where I will take full responsibility for not checking my itemized bill before I left. Should have done it. My excuses are that there was no light to read by and the child at my hip was doing the pee-pee dance. So, I got home last night and opened up the bill and guess what? That toothbrush was $145. No mistaking it people, I wrote it...$145. There was no, "Hey, would you like to purchase this outrageously priced toothbrush," or "I know we're asking you to bend over and take it up the tailpipe on this one but can you humor us?" discussion. None. The bag was handed over and I was escorted to the front desk. Imagine my joy last night. I was mad at them and I was mad at myself. So, I sent a very nice email last night to the office. No response. I'm always nice the first time. I'm always going to give you a chance to do the right thing. Where you will step off the beaten path into Bitchville is when you act stupid. Those ladies at the office thought they were going to work this morning when actually they took a detour to Bitchville.

I believe in getting things done in person. People are less likely to scream at someone in person or act in a rude manner. So, I went to the office to complain about the toothbrush and the full charge that was on my bill for my cleaning that didn't happen. That's right...no cleaning. I was very nice until they told me they couldn't do anything, because "I'm new," and the doctor would have to call me. I told them Dr. Shady had until 10:00 this morning and then I was coming back. And I said it in my ghetto voice where they understood that if I had to come back other than to get a credit to my account, I was going to have a postal event. Maddie informed the lady, "I think you're making my mommy mad." That girl is so bright.

Dr. Shady called at 9:45 to explain all the benefits of the toothbrush and how it was so much better than the $100 toothbrush that 5-out-of-5 dentists recommend. I told her I wanted to bring the toothbrush back and she said to come in this afternoon to talk about it. I can promise there won't be much talking, there will be crediting or there will be screaming, but not a lot of talking. Stay tuned...maybe someone will actually provide customer service this afternoon.

Random Weekend Photos

2010-09-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

We didn't plan well for Labor Day Weekend. I think it was on us before we realized what was going on. AND...I'm leaving for Switzerland this Saturday so my mind is in one place and one place only right now...how am I going to pack without the safety net of a Target being available. I'm sure I'll make it. Anyhoo, Maddie fixed her own hair this weekend (cross that future job potential off the list) and we went to the zoo and the movies.

You probably can't see them all, but I took 18 hair clips out of that child's hair. They were in the back too.

This is her new smile...I'm ready for another one.

Happy 5th Anniversary to Us!

2010-09-08T11:59:00.001-05:00

n August 27th, 2005 there was a combination miracle and natural disaster. I married Wes Truitt and Hurricane Katrina ruined our honeymoon. You can guess which was the miracle and which was the natural disaster. For our anniversary this year it was my turn to plan the trip. Having Maddie only allows us short amounts of time away, so I wanted it to be close to Nashville so we didn't have a long way to travel. Boy, did I find it. The Inn at Evins Mill (http://www.evinsmill.com/) is probably the best getaway close to Nashville...in my humble opinion. It's touted as a Bed & Breakfast, but it's more of a cabin getaway with 12 other couples who happen to be sharing the 40 acre property. I don't want to put my own bias on it,but definitely check out the website. The hike was great, the grounds are great and the food (which anyone who knows me realizes that I'm a meat and potatoes girl) was excellent. I ate things I never would've tried. The staff was very friendly, even when Wes/Chad emptied their refrigerator on a daily basis. Here are some pictures...I will post more when I hook up my camera, these were taken with my phone. I have an excellent video of the waterfall.

This picture didn't turn out great but this is a view from our balcony.

Our Cabin

The name of our cabin

Not an Olympic dive...but who cares...

2010-08-02T11:50:00.000-05:00

Reunion Time With The Truitts

2010-08-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

We spent this past weekend in Memphis with my parents and Wes/Chad's dad's side. It's very convenient that my parents and his dad and brother live close by. His sister, Tonya, and her daughter, Zoe, also flew in from Orlando. Maddie loves her cousins and got to spend a lot of time with them this weekend. We spent Saturday swimming and playing and then Sunday morning we headed to his brother Allen's house for brunch and more playing. Allen and Andrea have 2 kids, Mary Morgan and Trey, and Maddie really thinks that Trey hangs the moon. Trey came over to my parent's house on Sunday to swim for a few hours with Maddie and Chad and she was super-excited. And maybe a little jealous that Daddy was spending some time with a "little boy who likes to talk about chicks and hunting." Her words...not mine.

The smile is a tad forced, but the hand on the hip is for real

Great group shot!

Maddie Is Ready to Be Five...

2010-07-16T12:48:00.000-05:00

Say it ain't so. How in the world has my little baby grown up so fast? Yes, yes, I realize you have all told me how fast time goes (must we have that same talk again about how I learn things the hard way?). I just feel like I have missed so much. Yes, I know, I am one of millions of women who get up every day and drop their kids off at daycare (although Maddie prefers the term "school"), go to work, rush home, fix dinner, clean the house, visit with the kid for a minute, slam her in the bath tub, put her in the bed and shut the light out only to do it all over again the next day. I hate it.

I was never the girl who said, "Oh, I just want to marry somebody rich and do nothing all day but clean house and cook while raising 2 beautiful children and attending all social gatherings possible." Nope, that's not me. Don't blame you if it's you, but it's not me. I want to have a career, something I'm proud of, accomplished at and that puts me at the head of the table making decisions because, frankly, I can do better than some of these corporate losers who have nothing better to do than line their own pockets. Rant completed. But I struggle with wanting to have a career and needing to be a mommy. I know I can do both. Yes, I know. But it's a hard decision some days...and I'm one of the lucky few that has been blessed with an awesome boss who allows me to do what I need to do as long as I get the job done. So this mornings declaration from Maddie while en route to school of, "Mommy I'm ready to be five and then I can get a job and you can stay at home." Nevermind that she's missed the point of why I want to stay at home, she's obviously been giving this some thought with no direction from me.

So we had what will, hopefully, become one of a million honest conversations I plan on having with her for the rest of my life.

Me: "Maddie, why do you think you need a job at 5 years old?"
Maddie: "Because I'm good at stuff. Like I can help you make a grocery list." (which she did on the way home yesterday, we can't run out of carrots ever again)
Me: "But mommy only wants to stay at home so I can stay at home with you."
Maddie: "Then just quit your job and you can stay at home." (I love the simplistic way her mind thinks)
Me: "Well, I need to work so I can help daddy pay the bills."
Maddie: "Well, daddy can pay them all by himself and then we can have fun all day."
Me: "Well, that can't happen right now, but when it can, I promise you I will stay at home with you."
Maddie: "Okay and do I still have to get a job when I have my next birthday?"
Me: "No, you still have lots of school and then you can get a job."

Maddie: "That's right, I have to go to kindergarten and then I can be a police officer."

We'll skip her choice of careers right now, even though she has promised not to give me a ticket. After the conversation, I had to wonder if what I'm doing is affecting her. My plan for the last couple of years has been to work as hard as I can, make as much money as I can and get us into a situation that will allow me to be there for her when she REALLY needs me, like those pre-teen and teenage years. Believe me, I talk myself through it on most days, but when your child tells you they're going to get a job at 5 so you can stay home, it touches you just a little. I would chalk it up to "the things that kids say" but Maddie is not just some rambling kid. She is smart. And not just smart for her age...she is advanced. I know all mothers think that, but I'm the kind that would tell you if my kid was an idiot. Or ugly. She is neither. In fact, I'm already planning her career and it doesn't involve a squad car and a uniform.

Right now I plan to cherish the moments I do have with her and make the most of it. Maybe one day she will appreciate the fact that she had a mom who had to multi-task the hell out of life. And if I do my job right, one day she will be able to accomplish the same thing.

Maddie is a Swimmer

2010-07-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

Madelyn has really improved her swimming this year. Luckily we have a next door neighbor who has a pool. We really want one, but with the rock you find under the dirt around Nashville, it's next to impossible. That's why our next door neighbor has an above-ground pool.

Another Songwriter/Singer in Nashville

2010-07-13T16:09:00.002-05:00

This little diddy was obviously written off the cuff, but with a lot of heart put into it. And she couldn't have picked a better muse...me.

Maddie's Mini Vacation

2010-07-13T15:47:00.003-05:00

Mom and Dad came to Franklin for July 4th. We watched fireworks and had a great visit. When they arrived on Saturday Maddie asked where they were going and then continued to bring it up each chance she got that she would like to go. My mom was all for it, my dad did a great impression of man on the verge of panic. I offered to pour him some vodka and he declined so I guess he wasn't that bad off. I was extremely worried about Maddie taking this trip. 6 days away from me, traveling through the windy roads of Georgia and North Carolina, her being homesick, her activity level and a myriad of other things. Plus, did I mention 6 days away from me?

And then I stared at Wes/Chad. When was the last time we were alone together for 6 days? Sure, we've had some days here and there, but 6 WHOLE days? Hasn't happened since before she was born. And we really don't know those pre-Maddie people anymore anyway. I mean who wants to have fun all the time and spend money on whatever your heart desires?

I bit the bullet and started packing her stuff, Dad sat in the chair in the living room with his little brown paper bag and mom and Maddie danced around like Christmas was the next day. Then about 2 hours later, Maddie and the grandparents drove off. Silence. Everywhere. Wes/Chad and I looked at each other and dove for the couch. I beat him. Monday through Friday was kind of normal with the work week except I got to work before noon because I didn't have to take Maddie and Wes/Chad looked a little less frazzled when I got home because he didn't have to pick her up and listen to her gibberish nonstop until they got home. Have I mentioned he's not really a talker? And by that I mean he doesn't really like to talk or be talked to in certain situations. Yes, I know, he married the wrong girl. I'm breaking him down through an ongoing training program. So we spent a lovely time together, had some quiet meals and got a ton of work done around the house. On to Maddie's vacation...

This would be the only picture taken from the vacation. And it was with a...you guessed it...camera phone. On a side note, the day that Maddie came home Wes/Chad asked mom where the pictures were. I don't know if he ever got an answer or if mom and I laughed for so long he forgot his question. Every year mom and dad visit an old family friend named Carolyn Jones who now lives a great little resort-type community outside of Helen, Georgia. Most people don't realize it because I'm such a huge Razorback fan that I was actually born in Georgia. And so entered Jimmy & Carolyn Jones. Because my mom and dad were so young and away from their home, Jimmy and Carolyn adopted them into their family and looked at me like a grandchild. Jimmy took me hunting for the first time when I was three, for squirrels no less, and scarred me for life. I have very fond memories of spending time with them on their farm. So, the relationship has lasted and now they make time to see Carolyn especially since Jimmy died 2 years ago. Maddie made use of the paddle boats, pool, waterslide and other amenities as best she could which was probably 12 hours a day. She had a blast and didn't miss me...so says my mom. The best part is that on Saturday, the day before she came home from North Carolina, she found a picture of me in Lindsey's house and had a crying jag for her mom for 5 minutes and had to carry the photo around for 15 minutes. See, I knew I was missed.

Will Work for Food

2010-07-13T15:37:00.004-05:00

I apologize for the blurry picture, it was taken by my sister, Lindsey, with her phone camera. Like I said in my earlier post, we were trained by the best (thanks Mom!) and we don't normally do pictures so this is a treat.

Maddie recently took an impromptu vacation with my mom and dad for 6 DAYS through Georgia and North Carolina. Little did I know that Sweet Angel was participating in a work camp while she was gone. I had to make a phone call once this picture came through to the warden (that would be Joyce) to make sure Maddie was at least getting her bread and water. As it turns out, Maddie was voluntarily working outside in Lindsey's flower beds. Her uniform of choice, as always, was her panties. This is not uncommon. We are struggling with her recent choice of clothing which is none at all. She's quite content when she gets home to shuck her clothes and go about her business. At first she wanted to provide excuses, "I'm really hot," "My clothes got wet when I washed my hands," etc. I finally told her that she didn't need an excuse, if someone would let me sit around in my panties all day without pointing and laughing, I would do it too. So here we are, Stage 1 of Sweet Angel's clothing choices. The rest of the stages will be as comical I'm sure.

Crying On Demand

2010-07-13T14:45:00.005-05:00

This photo is from back in the day when I thought the tantrums were comical. Now I'm too busy dealing with her to take a picture of her crying.

Madelyn. Is. The. Master. It's amazing. She can turn from a cute coloring child into a half-grown fully-insane woman in 2 seconds. The irony of the situation is that I'm prone to show quite a bit of drama depending on my situation as well. It's always served me well, I figure if you can't charm them into giving you your way, then make them so uncomfortable they gladly give it to you. Works mostly on men and weak women. But I digress. Last night as I put sweet angel to bed I told her to pick out a book. While it was past her bedtime (which fluctuates depending on activity during the day) I decided I would let her look at a book so she could de-stress from the cruelties of preschool. Madelyn had other plans in mind. What started as one book became two and then the demand that I read one of them. I have no problem reading her books at night, I much prefer it to yet another episode of something on Nickelodeon. But, it was late, I'm trying to establish dominance and it was time to put my foot down. So, as I climbed into bed to read "Fred and Ted Go Camping," I noticed that Maddie has yet another Dr. Seuss book hidden under her covers. When I question what the book is doing Maddie tells me that her Daddy is coming up to read the other book. I realize that Maddie already thinks I'm a huge idiot, but I was present when Daddy came upstairs and kissed her goodnight and went downstairs. Thus indicating he was not coming back up. I let the comment slide and continued reading Dr. Seuss.

I went downstairs to finish up my reality fix of "The Bachelorette" and that's when the baby monitor started registering Maddie gibberish. Wes/Chad decided he would go upstairs and reiterate the nighttime bed rules (don't leave the bed, be quiet, etc.) and that's when all hell broke loose. I hear this sobbing...not little girl is upset sobbing...more like my life is over as we know it sobbing. Wes/Chad comes back downstairs and I'm giving him the "what the hell" look and after he figured out I wasn't directing it at anything he had done he said, "She has mastered crying on demand. She can even bring real tears." I laughed a little on the inside, because I also have this creative gift. I rarely use it...I don't want it to lose it's sparkle. It seems that Maddie was sobbing because Daddy was supposed to come back upstairs to read to her because Mommy wouldn't read a book. Now Daddy had the details so he already knew that I read a book. He was able to control the situation and evade any further incidents. Score one for Daddy.

The big laugh is going to come in another 9-10 years when Maddie's crying and sobbing is either preceded or followed by "I hate you," "You hate me" or any other line teenage girls use on their parents in a fit of emotional diarrhea of the mouth. Madelyn is her Daddy's princess, as she should be, but he has yet to be exposed to the sadistic cycles a teenage girl's emotions can run you through. I could make William Wallace's conquest for freedom look like a walk in the park. No kidding. So, while I don't look forward to the day that I have to soothe both Maddie and Wes/Chad, it's a comfort knowing I'm an expert at something in the house.

Tiny Dancer...

2010-07-01T12:14:00.002-05:00

I can't find my camera cord at the moment...I do think it's upstairs somewhere though. I'll get started finding that next week. Madelyn has declined dance lessons, but little does she know she will take them pretty soon. As tall as she's going to be, we're hoping for some skinny dancer legs and a little less ego and she would make a great dancer. What she lacks in skill she makes up for in personality at the moment. Proving my bad taste in judgement, Madelyn likes Kesha (the singer) and so "Your Love is My Drug" came on TV the other day and Madelyn completely let loose. It's funny that this early in her life she's already drawn to a particular type of music...alas it's not country, but I'm pretty sure I can fix that.

Maddie's Storytime...

2010-07-01T12:07:00.001-05:00

The best part is the end when she says, "He didn't look so good."

The Latest Maddie Sayings...

2010-06-11T10:04:00.002-05:00

I have to keep up with these by plugging them in to my iPhone whenever she says them...it's usually daily, but I don't have that kind of time.

"Look at all these nards."--Talking about popcorn kernals in her bowl. Wes/Chad and I laughed so hard we cried.

Maddie--"Mommy, do you know why clouds get dark?"
Me--"No, why?"
Maddie--"Because it's going to rain. Why do I have to tell you everything?"

"Where did you get that? Huh? Well, you should've brought me one because when you don't buy me something it makes me sad."--Talking to Wes/Chad about his ice cream sandwich.

"I like your hat Daddy, looking good"--It was more the way she said it than what she said.

Maddie--"I love you."
Me--"I love you too Maddie."
Maddie--"I'm not talking to you Mommy, I'm talking to myself."

Beach Time!

2010-06-11T09:47:00.005-05:00

We took our annual (which doesn't look so good right now for future trips) trip down to Destin the 1st week in June this year. I say this every year, but I really think Maddie is learning to appreciate things like this more and more. We told her way too early that we were going so I had to listen to "Do we got to the beach tomorrow?" for about 2 months too long. My fault. Lesson learned. We had a great time, it was very relaxing. Those of you who know me know that I DO NOT like sand. Hate it. It's kind of like a bottle redhead...there's just no excuse for it. None. I would really like to invite someone to pour a concrete pad right next to the ocean and put some umbrellas up...that's my idea of the beach. I want to see it, not feel it. Maddie is quite the opposite.

On our way home...and worn out.

Nothing like lunch in your bathing suit

Forgive the blurry picture, but we just turned around to check on her in the car and she had taken her pillow case off her pillow and put it on her head. The things kids do when they're bored.

TV in blue goggles provides a better picture

Getting buried by Daddy!

This was my favorite. Something just clicked in Maddie while we were there and she started swimming without her floaties. And then she got risky and put a ball in the pool and started trying to jump and land on it.

Catch-Up...

2010-06-11T09:38:00.003-05:00

Oh how the days keep rolling. I'm not good at this blog thing...I know this. I have to learn to make the time to do it, because this is all Maddie really has. Never will you catch me scrapbooking at home or making cute little collages out of pictures...I just don't do it. I blame my mother for this. I'm missing some very important times in my life because my mom never remembered to bring the camera. And if she brought it, she usually left it in her suitcase while we were all out have our Kodak moments. I'm just carrying on the tradition. Thank God for camera phones, because that's Maddie's only chance. I'm going to make it my mission to blog at least every Friday...we'll see.

We are not pregnant...

2010-05-12T13:49:00.002-05:00

Boy has this experience been a roller coaster. I have to say, while I didn't enjoy the experience, I had no idea how common it was. I went to Florida on April 27th for my executive meeting and came home on the 29th. I wasn't feeling well, but this pregnancy wasn't going well anyway, so I just thought it was part of the deal. I had a doctor's appointment already set up on the 29th. Wes/Chad was coming with me and we planned on bringing Madelyn so she could see the ultrasound. Due to the complications I was still on bi-weekly visits with ultrasounds at each visit. You can imagine what my doctor's bill looks like at this point. We got in the room and Dr. Bell got called out for an emergency, Madelyn got rowdy so Wes/Chad took her back out into the waiting room. Thank goodness for that. Dr. Bell came back in and did an ultrasound and immediately turned the screen so only she could see it. Warning bells are going off inside my head because that's not normal. She finally turned the screen toward me and said, "I see the fetus, but no heartbeat. I'll set you up with the ultrasound tech and she can confirm. I'm so sorry." Wes/Chad decides to pop his head in at this time and she gave him a look and said, "We're having a talk." Well, I know Wes/Chad and that's not good enough information for him. So I just said,"There's no heartbeat, I'll talk to you in a minute." Not to drag the story out, the ultrasound tech confirmed everything so last Wednesday I had a d & c and we'll start trying again in a few months. The more I've talked about this with people the more people have shared with me their stories about miscarriage...I cannot believe how common this is. And this post is almost surely too personal to share, but hey, I just don't have too many secrets. And the ones I do have I've probably forgotten. The lesson for me in all of this is to stay positive and let God work his plan out in my life. The pregnancy wasn't going well and to be honest, I was beginning to worry about the outcome and if I was going to go to the doctor one day and her say, "Well, the baby has XYZ so you need to make a decision as to whether you're going to continue this pregnancy or not." I'm pretty good at making decisions, in fact I insist, but that's a situation I don't ever want to be in. I'm happy about where we are and I hope to maintain this outlook. Wes/Chad has been a rock during all this and I'm very thankful I have him and Madelyn to hug at night.

Madelyn and God

2010-04-21T09:58:00.002-05:00

Madelyn is constantly asking questions. Lately, she's very interested in God, Heaven, where dead people go and how they die. I do not envy her Sunday School teachers at all. But since she attended my grandmother's funeral with me last October she has become increasingly inquisitive about the entire cycle of life and God's part in it. I'm sometimes not sure how much information I want to give her because I'm not sure if she'll put her foot in her mouth or not. But the other day we had a conversation that went like this:

Maddie: "Mommy, did you know that Mimi's mommy got sick and died?"

Me: "Yes, Maddie."

Maddie: "Where did she go?"

Me: "She went to Heaven."

Maddie: "With God?"

Me: "Yes."

Maddie: "What does God want with all of those dead bodies?"

Me: "Hey Maddie, do you want to go to Target?"

A different day as we are driving past a cemetary:

Maddie: "Look at all those flowers Mommy! What is that?"

Me: "That's a cemetary. That's where they bury people."

Maddie: "And then you put flowers out there?"

Me: "Yes."

Maddie: "So how do the dead people get the flowers?"

Me: "Hey Maddie, do you want to go to the park?"

Another day as we are driving home:

Maddie: "Mommy, do you know who God and Jesus are?"

Me: "Yes, I do."

Maddie: "Well, do you know who the Holy Ghost is?"

Me: "I think so."

Maddie: "Well, why does God want a ghost to live in Heaven?"

Me: "Hey Maddie, let's go home and Daddy will take your for a ride on the 4-wheeler."

So, my theme is consistent. Abort. Abort. Abort. Sometimes that's much easier than trying to actually explain something. I made the mistake one time of feeding her a load of crap and it bit me in the butt, so I don't do that anymore.

Easter 2010

2010-04-20T14:09:00.004-05:00

This was a bad Easter for pictures. Lately Madelyn either runs from the camera, closes her eyes or opens her mouth wide. I don't know who she's watching for these poses, but it's ruining her 4th year in life. Oh well.

After the long Easter egg hunt

TT is helping her. Allie was too.

Mimi, Beau and Allie helping

Maddie bragged and bragged that we wouldn't be able to hide the eggs hard enough. She was wrong.

A lovely picture of her eyelids.

More eyelids. But that is her Easter dress.

Decorating the eggs

We are pregnant...

2010-04-20T13:32:00.002-05:00

And this one hasn't been by the book. Just so I can remember, here are the details. I took a home pregnancy test on March 21st. We'd just gotten home from Wes/Chad's grandfather's 90th birthday and I wasn't feeling well. Other changes, which shall remain unsaid, were happening so I was pretty sure that I was pregnant. So I took 2 home pregnancy tests, and both confirmed that I was. We were pretty excited because we knew we wanted another baby and had started trying. I had my first doctor's appointment on April 6th. What I thought was going to be a blissful visit to the doctor's office turned into a nightmare. After using a portable ultrasound machine to find the baby, my doctor didn't see anything. Nothing. She told me I had an irregular gestational sac and she wanted to do some blood work, but she indicated she was pretty sure I was going to miscarry by the weekend. This was on Monday. A whole 5 days until the weekend. So I did my lab work and drove home crying the whole way. I called Wes/Chad and he came home. Nothing happened during the week or over the weekend and so I was scheduled for an ultrasound with a tech the following Monday. So on April 12th I went back to the doctor. Wes/Chad went with me on this visit. As I was laying on the table, the tech was typing away, but not saying anything. This went on for probably 10 minutes. I was getting a little nervous and then she said, "I see a baby. About 6 weeks and a heartbeat." Wow. Talk about emotions. I had already prepared myself to believe that I wasn't going to have a baby. During the week I was doing research on misdiagnosed miscarriages and everything else under the sun to try and understand what was going on.

Today I had my follow-up and though this pregnancy is not going by the book, the baby still has a slower than normal heartbeat, some of my hormones are still on the low side, it's going. I'm having a little night sickness and some major changes in my body. Dr. Bell was very relieved to see there was a baby there and also very suprised. She said this baby obviously hasn't read the book on how to do this.

The Latest and Greatest of Maddie-isms...

2010-04-20T13:26:00.002-05:00

If you've been around us for any length of time, spanning from 2 seconds to hours, you are well aware that Madelyn is a talker. Nonstop. All the time. No breaks. So, I've started writing down a lot of her sayings so that I can remember them. Here are a few from recent times:

"Do you want to see how red my leg is?" (After she got a spanking from her daddy because she was up playing instead of in the bed)

"Is that dog a burglar?" (Asking about her Aunt Kendra's dog, Count, who was begging food from her. She was afraid he would take it."

"Mommy, please quit coffeeing (copying) me."

"Daddy, mommy is the Queen so we have to listen to her when she tells us to do something." (Amen)

"Mommy, did you know that I love to eat turkey. But first you have to pull the feathers out, I don't like feathers."

"Mommy, I really don't feel like going to school, let's go shopping."

"Daddy lets me ride the 4-wheeler and I push the gas and drive it. Daddy is kinda crazy."

Randoms Pictures of Madelyn

2010-04-20T13:16:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted much lately, but I have been taking pictures. Here are some of our random fun times lately:

I bet you can't guess which movie we went to see. Maddie loves dragons and dinosaurs and I guess Vikings.

This picture was taken while we were on our way back from Memphis. Thanks to Maddie's cousins, Mary Morgan and Trey, Maddie had a great afternoon of jumping on the trampoline.

Maddie likes playing in her room, especially with her dinosaurs. She would really rather you just sit and play with you (don't worry she'll tell you EXACTLY what to say and do) but she will play by herself if forced.

Wes/Chad's grandfather's 90th birthday was this year. We celebrated with the whole family in Kentucky at a nice park on the river. Maddie played in the water, on the playground and entertained herself very well. Progress.

Maddie and Lillie (her cousin) riding on the mule. Maddie is still slightly confused as to why it's called a mule, but she doesn't ask too many questions anymore.

Here's a picture of my little angel, sitting under a tree about to read a book...with her sword.

Maddie's preschool class celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday and everyone got their face painted. Maddie loved showing her "kitty cat" look to everyone.

Madelyn and the Big Four!

2010-03-01T14:08:00.003-06:00

I'm so very bad at remembering to write things down that Madelyn does, but lately she has become very interested in what she was like as a "baby" and what she was like as a "little girl." That motivates me to write things down so that I can one day show her how silly she is...and I just forget some of the stuff she comes up with.

Turning 4 has been the highlight of her life so far (that she remembers) and she truly believes that she has entered adulthood. We have had several arguments lately over the fact that she spends most of her time correcting Wes/Chad and me. As my mom said yesterday, "She's only 4 and already believes her parents have no sense." For example:

At McAlister's yesterday after church:

Wes/Chad: "Maddie, they're bringing your macaroni and cheese out soon."

Maddie: "It's mac and cheese, not macaroni and cheese."

Then she always give you a sigh that says, "You big dummy."

This morning on the way to school:

Me: "Maddie put your coat on your silly head."

Maddie: "Mommy, if I put my coat on my silly head, I won't be able to see." *Sigh*

We've quickly decided that this is not cute and she is going to have to be a little more respectful or those fist fights I was planning on saving until she was 18 could come earlier. So, being the proactive parent I strive to be, I decided a little talk was in order on the way to school this morning...

Me: "Maddie, you do not need to correct mommy or daddy when we are telling you something. If we say it a little bit different, but we mean the same thing, then you just need to understand that sometimes people don't always say it the way you want them to."

Maddie: "Well people should say it the way I want them to or they shouldn't talk to me."

Maddie: 1 Mommy: 0

Other things that make me laugh...

She starts most sentences with "You know..."

She loves "Little Bear," "Max & Ruby," "The Misadventures of Flapjack" and of course "Spongebob."

She is still sleeping with her bears that have the blanket body and bear head...but they are now defined as "soft bear" and "silly bear." Though Wes/Chad and I just learned the difference between the two, she has known all along. "Soft bear" is necessary while "silly bear" is not.

She loves to play dress-up and get her jewelry on and to a point she is such a girly-girl, but the kid can fart with the best of them. Seriously, she can fart on demand. Her latest thing is for her daddy to hug her very tightly at night so she can fart on him. They laugh, he puts her in the bed and leaves the room and I'm left with the smell.

When taking a bath or going to bed she loves to hold up her fingers and her toes and say, "Can I have a bath for this many minutes..." or "Will you lay with me for this many minutes..." She knows that's 20 and that it's a long time. I didn't know in teaching her that little trick that I was actually prolonging every activity we do.

Maddie is the "stupid" police. If you say the word "stupid," you can expect to be chastised, have to apologize and maybe spend a few minutes in time out. Mimi is the all-time offender, although Maddie does remember Aunt Pam saying it a few times.

Maddie loves to dance, she can actually bounce to the beat of the music and when she gets her whole body going it is quite a treat.

She is starting to play by herself a little more...not much though. She really wants me or Wes/Chad to play with her. If you are not involved in the play date she will tell you what you need to say in order to get involved. "Mommy, you say, 'Hey, you can't come in my house and play.' And then I'll say something."

Maddie loves to aggravate my dad. She actually plots things to do to him when he's not around. When we had a big snow she told me she was going to throw snowballs at dad's truck and the snowballs would have rocks in them. She knows my dad cherishes every truck he owns and he would have a heart attack if she did that. She also likes to fart on him and tie him up with a jump rope.

Maddie enjoys spanking Roxy, my mom's dog. A few weekends ago while mom, dad and Roxy were at our house, Roxy peed on the carpet in the bonus room. Mom came through the living room talking about it and said she was going to spank Roxy and Maddie was on it like white on rice. She actually leaped off the couch and ran to the bonus room to get in on the action. She got one spank in and mom held her off after that. She loves for anyone to get in trouble but her.

Getting her to bed is a nightmare. We have a routine but she has managed to extend that routine every night. Even after we get her in the bed and we read, scratch her back and give her a "massage" we will say goodnight and tell her to go to sleep and stay in the bed. Every night, "Unless I need to go potty?" Of course we have to say yes. We no sooner get down the stairs and her door is opening and she goes into her bathroom. She's usually playing so we call upstairs, "Maddie, get in the bed." And her reply is an impatient, "O-kay!" Like we are really bothering her.

Snow...

2010-02-01T12:57:00.002-06:00

Madelyn's 4th Birthday

2010-02-01T12:51:00.003-06:00

We had Maddie's 4th birthday party at "Let It Shine" this year. She goes there every Tuesday for gymnastics and loves it. The best part was at the end where they strapped her in a bungee chair and launched her all over the place. I thought she might hate it, but she loved it so much she held her feet up so the coach couldn't catch her...stinker.

Maddie Sledding...

2010-02-01T12:42:00.005-06:00

The funniest part of the video is not Maddie sledding down the hill...it's how she removes the snow once she's done.

Random Pictures...

2009-12-30T15:51:00.002-06:00

Dad's cake from his retirement party...it was a great party. The guys did a roast and I did a slide show to George Jones's "I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair."

Madelyn has developed an unhealthy affection for marshmellows and open fire. Thanks Mimi!

Julie Hight, me and Amber Duberg

This is a picture from our company Christmas party at the Wildhorse Saloon.

Me and Maddie at Thanksgiving in Kentucky

Christmas at Opryland

2009-12-30T13:36:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2009 at our house...

2009-12-30T13:32:00.003-06:00

This gift was the biggest hit...a Disney Princess "big girl" bike.

Winstead Hill Park

2009-11-02T10:38:00.001-06:00

Madelyn loves the outdoors so yesterday we went to Winstead Hill which is the site of a Civil War Battle. Madelyn rode the cannon!

Gymnastics...HOORAY!

2009-11-02T10:36:00.001-06:00

Madelyn loves her gymnastics class at "Let It Shine." We love it because she's worn out every Tuesday night. They even have Parent's Night Out on Friday nights, but we've only done it once. Maddie's best friend, Evalisie is also in the class with her. They are so cute together!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T10:31:00.002-06:00

Chad/Wes's Masterpiece. He drew and carved a Spongebob for Madelyn.

My little Hog by our Hog. We bought Tinker Bell but she refused it.

Trip to Gentry Farm. Maddie and Daddy going through the corn maze.

Gentry Farm

Football Weekend

2009-11-02T10:14:00.002-06:00

Although the outcome wasn't a great one with Arkansas's lost to Ole Miss, Madelyn had a great time at the game. I think she's getting the hang of SEC football.

Madelyn & Linton

(Linton is the son of Joel & Jennifer Carson. I grew up with Joel when we lived in Grenada, MS. He looks just like his daddy did)

Chad/Wes was happy to see his Alma Mater beat the Hogs!

Trip to Kentucky

2009-09-16T15:44:00.002-05:00

Chad/Wes's grandparents came to Nashville for a couple of days and we took them home this past weekend and stayed the night. Maddie loves it there because they have all kinds of wildlife and a huge garden. As you can see, she ran out of gas. But, ever the princess, she slept in her crown.

Preschool Time...

2009-09-16T15:36:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I forget what I post here and what I post on Facebook. I forgot that I didn't post Maddie's preschool story here. SO! Maddie switched to her preschool class about 2 weeks ago. I go to pick her up one day and the Director tells me she has a story about Maddie. That may warm the heart of some moms, I usually panic. The teacher of Maddie's class introduced herself and said, "My name is Miss McCord, I want everyone to tell me your name and what you like to be called." When it's Maddie's turn she says, "My name is Madelyn Hughes Truitt. You can call me Miss Truitt." This isn't her fault. I call her Miss Truitt quite often, especially when she's in trouble. "Miss Truitt, come pick up your puzzles," "Miss Truitt, quit eating off the floor." They got a good laugh out of it and so did we.

New Pictures...

2009-09-16T15:27:00.002-05:00

Madelyn and Evalisie at karaoke.

See the guy in the background? Looks nothing like Chad/Wes. But Madelyn asked me twice if that was her daddy.

The girl loves to get in the creek.

Business Trip to Boston/New Hampshire

2009-08-06T21:39:00.002-05:00

In July I got to take my first trip to the NE for a quarterly meeting. Having never been, I was excited to see the NE. Mom and Dad love to travel there. I flew in to Boston and got to spend a few days there and then the team drove up to the boss's house in New Hampshire. It was beautiful and rained the entire time.

A view from my bedroom in Bristol, NH. That's Newfound Lake that you can kinda see through the rain. Jerry (the boss) has a cottage on the lake and a house on the hill.

View from the hotel

Another view from the room

The building you see in the background (John Hancock building) was the building we were in for the meeting. Nice little fact, the hotel we stayed in was the hotel the Craigslist Killer did a little murdering in. I slept well.

It's ketchup...I swear...

2009-08-06T21:37:00.001-05:00

If there's one thing you better have on my child's plate at dinner time, it's ketchup. She really loves it.

The theme for the summer...

2009-08-06T21:35:00.000-05:00

More Swimming...

2009-08-06T21:18:00.002-05:00

Future Olympic Gold Medalist...

2009-08-06T21:09:00.003-05:00

Madelyn has become an awesome swimmer. She has no fear, she jumps right in (despite my panic attacks) and will swim no matter what the temperature is. We bought her very small pool to go in the backyard even though our next door neighbor has a pool and we have access to a neighborhood pool, it's just way more convenient (and shallow).

Princess Maddie & Princess Lilli

2009-08-06T21:06:00.002-05:00

Maddie's cousin Lilli came over the other night and the first thing they did was get out the princess dresses. (They were put up shortly after this picture because Maddie couldn't get the "sharing" part of it down.)

Will you take my picture?

2009-07-13T08:44:00.002-05:00

Madelyn told me last night that she never wants to look in the mirror again. We have discovered that she really likes pictures of herself (she asks immediately to "see me") and that no mirror goes without a hair check. We've messed up, we know this. She is pretty, she knows this. We've got to learn to compliment on outfits and behavior rather than looks, because "getting dressed" time in the morning is becoming increasingly difficult with a child that only wants to wear certain things and has a meltdown over things that don't match, in her mind.

We still miss him...

2009-07-13T08:43:00.002-05:00

Another picture of Romeo and Juliet.

Horses and Farms

2009-07-13T08:38:00.005-05:00

Madelyn is really digging this "farm" theme around Franklin. She told me the other day that she wants to live on a farm and I said,"Well, Daddy has a farm in Kentucky and we can move there and you can live on a farm." She said, "Not 'Tucky, in Arkansas right next to Uncle Kenny." She vows to take care of his pigs and sing songs with him at night.

More pics from the beach...

2009-06-21T00:12:00.002-05:00

2009 Beach Trip to Destin...

2009-06-20T23:54:00.003-05:00

We took a family trip to Destin, Florida in June. The last time we went to the beach Maddie was a little over a year old. She liked it then she LOVES it now. She really hated leaving, but we promised we would come back soon.

The bikini was a little big...

Doing the "Pam Anderson" run

The "Pam" run again...

Testing the waters on the 1st day

This didn't last long

Thanks for the sand/water table Mimi...

2009-06-20T23:49:00.002-05:00

Madelyn got a sand/water table from Mimi for Easter. It's become a sand table because Madelyn can't stand things on her hands so she would get sand on them and then have to rinse it off in the water side. She also uses it to stash her bug collection...thanks a lot Mimi. I never know what I'm going to find when I open the lid. And yes, Mimi, she is using the refrigerator in her kitchen to store her snails. No survivors.

We are very sad...

2009-06-20T23:41:00.003-05:00

Maddie's best friend, Jason, moved back to Florida a few weekends ago. It's been a very hard transition for Maddie. Jason and Maddie went to school together and Laura (Jason's mom) and I soon figured out how easy it was to deal with them as a pair so we've had lots of playdates. Every time we get in the car and go to school or I pick her up she says, "I'm so sad Jason had to move to Florida. He's my best friend." I have to hold the tears in because I know she truly is sad. I think Laura and I cried more than they did because we could actually comprehend what was happening. Below are some pics from our zoo trip, and the last picture is them doing what they do best, analyzing a little Tarzan movie. We still plan to take a Disney cruise with Jason's family next year and maybe meet them at the beach a couple of times a year. They do talk on the phone as often as we can let them, and it's very sweet.

Silly Girl...

2009-06-20T23:39:00.002-05:00

Maddie is a totally silly little girl. Here's one of her better impressions.

Loving the hair dryer...

2009-06-20T23:35:00.002-05:00

Maddie has discovered that she REALLY likes to dry her own hair. She works really hard at it, but in the end, it's safer if mom takes over.

Way behind...

2009-02-25T15:19:00.005-06:00

I realize I'm waaaay behind on updating this blog. I'll try to get to it every week and then life gets in the way. So here are some pictures. I do have Christmas and birthday, but they're on my camera and these were on my phone so they're much easier to upload.

Maddie's Man...

2008-11-10T16:22:00.002-06:00

Here's the guy we have our eyes on...his name is Jason and he's in Maddie's class at school. We went to a birthday part this weekend and Maddie and Jason were inseparable. They just love each other and it's so cute!

Halloween...

2008-11-07T13:37:00.004-06:00

This year was a little better for Halloween. Madelyn would run up to the door and say, "Trick or Treat," and "Thank you." She would then follow that up with, "I like him" or "I like her," but only if they gave more than 1. If the houses only gave 1 piece of candy she would say, "He's not sharing a lot." We're really trying to work on her saying things in her quiet voice. She's really vocal when she notices certain things...mostly when a woman has big boobs.

Wilson County Fair

2008-09-20T11:13:00.003-05:00

Since our move to Franklin there's a lot more opportunity to do outside things. We went to the Wilson County Fair with Bebe and Grampy. Madelyn liked the rides, but she loved the animals.

1st Trip to the Dentist

2008-09-20T11:11:00.003-05:00

Madelyn had her 1st trip to the dentist. She actually had a good time, she let them polish her teeth and floss them. I was a little suprised, but she got a medal for being so good and no cavities.

Ice Cream...

2008-09-20T10:56:00.005-05:00

Madelyn has followed in the footsteps of her Daddy and her Poppy, she has an insatiable love for ice cream.

The Streaker...

2008-07-09T19:42:00.002-05:00

Madelyn has really developed her own ideas of how things should be. There's not a day that goes by that I hear, "I'll do it." So, the other day I told her we were going to get dressed for "school," and she said, "I'll do it by myself." So I waited and she went upstairs (fully dressed) and came down with her hair done and nothing but her sunglasses on.

I don't think she needs more candy...

2008-06-24T20:01:00.004-05:00

Lindsey dances...

2008-06-24T19:47:00.003-05:00

For my 25th birthday (just a few years ago) Wes/Chad, Lindsey and Chicano took me to Issac Hayes in Memphis to eat. GREAT food and GREAT entertainment. The guy singing on stage announced he was looking for a "brickhouse woman" and he headed straight for our table. Lindsey got selected to go on stage and here's the result...

Video has been deleted because Lindsey is a spoiled-sport!

Water Girl...

2008-06-16T11:54:00.003-05:00

Madelyn is definitely a water girl...

With Bebe and Grampy at the lake...

With Mimi at the pool...

A future Olympic Gold Medalist

Random Pictures of Madelyn...

2008-06-16T11:47:00.003-05:00

At the old house in Collierville, she's a fierce tricycle rider.

On Pawley's Island, South Carolina.

At the new house in Franklin, TN, eating a popsicle out of a cup.

With her Mimi, what a lovely child.

Posing on the sidewalk at the old house.

This is the way we brush our teeth.

Happy Birthday Tee-Tee...

2008-06-11T21:05:00.021-05:00

Happy Birthday to my aunt Tee-Tee. Here are some of my favorite pictures of me and aunt Tee-Tee. Notice in the 1st one how she's yapping my ear off about my driving. And, believe me, Tee-Tee is not a good driver. And in the 2nd picture, she's still talking. For someone who cried everytime someone talked to her, she sure talks a lot. But I love my Tee-Tee. Thanks for all the good toys you buy me and the clothes. In the future you can just bail me out of trouble with Mommy and we'll call it even.

Road Trip...

2008-06-11T14:39:00.000-05:00

First, I would like to thank SpongeBob for the endless quiet hours he provides me in the truck. Second, I would like to thank MY good traveling genes that allow Madelyn to be the good little girl she is during road trips. We took a trip this week to Memphis so I could work and Mimi could get her "Maddie" fix. D-Daddy (Wes/Chad's dad) came over last night for dinner and for his "Maddie" fix and brought all kinds of goodies...her favorites...M & M's and suckers. Madelyn is a total sucker for her D-Daddy. After he left last night I was giving her a bath and she said, "My D-Daddy loves me. He gives me suckers." I said, "That's right, D-Daddy loves you very much." She said,"Why doesn't D-Daddy give you and Daddy suckers?" Hmmmm....

Trip to Edwin Warner State Park...

2008-06-09T14:16:00.000-05:00

My parents came to Nashville last weekend to spend some time with Madelyn (and see us for a few seconds). We took a trip to Edwin Warner State Park for a hike. It's a very beautiful (and big) state park right down from our house. Madelyn had a great time showing Mimi and Poppy how to hike.

My "surprise" face...

How's this for a Cover Girl shot?

Showing Mimi and Poppy how to hike uphill.

Dress Up...

2008-06-05T19:57:00.001-05:00

Madelyn loves to play dress up. Here she is in her finest "pimp-n-ho" hat along with Mardi Gras beads and heels. I would love to say that it stops there, but every time we pull into the church parking lot she says, "I don't like church." She really does like it, once she gets over the 10 minute tantrum she throws.

Potty Time...

2008-06-05T19:54:00.000-05:00

We're now at that stage (it's been time) and so we love to hear, "Mommy, I need to go pee-pee on the potty for gum." Yes, we bribe our child. Works like a charm.