A Day in the Life of a Goss

Make Up Monday

2011-06-13T13:36:00.003-05:00

It seems that since vacation we have not stopped going! There has been something practically everyday. I feel that today is the start of summer (which includes severe thunderstorms)! So here are some pictures from what's been going on around the Goss household.

Our first chicken egg! Charlie is so excited to go out every morning and check the coop for an egg. He does not care for eggs (a trait he gets honestly from his mother); but, he will eat a "silky" egg (silky is the breed of chicken that is laying this egg). He has Baxter fry it up and covers it in syrup. YUM :)

Charlie had a successful week of swimming lessons with his bud, Jake. He did so good. He loved diving under the water to retrieve things and had no problems jumping off the diving board. He can't quite swim to the side alone yet, but we plan on working on that this summer. That leads me to our other daily activity - the swimming pool. I love going and cooling off, and the boys just love to play in the water anytime they can. It also wears them out= great sleep! Following our week of swim lessons, we had a week of VBS.

Our first harvest from our garden. We've been getting cherry tomatoes for a couple of weeks, but this is our first diverse basket! Last night, we made sauteed squash (we had to buy a few to accompany our 2), a corn/tomato/pepper/onion salad that topped our fish, and the best fried green tomatoes! Charlie loves to pick things from the garden; and he knows that whatever we grow he has to at least try - which he does joyfully!

Little Man Fletch is walking!!!! He started about a week ago and has taken off. He loves being able to keep up with Charlie a little better. He loves the broom in this picture and he can actually hold it correctly!

If you can't find Fletcher, check the upstairs! He makes a break for it whenever he can and crawls up the stairs within seconds. He thinks this is really funny - I think he has some Charlie in him!

**Yes, my child does wear clothes, this was after a diaper change that required a clothes change!

Try It Tuesday

2011-06-07T20:32:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I've been a little behind on my Try It Tuesday "column" but I'm back. Here is today's:

1. Key Lime Pie at Bonefish Grill

It is the best key lime pie I have found in the city. Not too sweet, just right. It was a great treat this past weekend. The crust is made with crushed pecans and is divine. It is worth the trip to either Collierville or Cordova!

2. Buying Local - AgriCenter Farmer's Market

Okay, so it's not like this is a new idea, but we went for the first time this summer and had some great finds. Our favorite, or the boys I should say, was the red plums and the plumcots (cross between plum and apricot). The boys eat these all day long like candy. Of course, this also ends up to frequent trips to the bathroom in the #2 department, but hey, it's good for them! Jones' Orchard sells them at their booth, and they are picked fresh every morning out in Millington. They are only $3 for a quart - totally worth it. We also got fresh picked blueberries that are herbicide free (not that I am really into that, but it can't hurt!). With Charlie by my side, I can't leave without a watermelon; they are of course not local yet, but are guaranteed sweet!

3. River Oaks Restaurant

We tried this on our date night this past Saturday. We had tried it years ago when it first opened, and didn't have a great experience. It was fantastic. We started with Jicama Lobster Tacos as an appetizer; they were delicious, Baxter can't stop talking about them! For our entree, I had scallops and Baxter had salmon. They were both served with locally grown vegetables and were wonderful. We of course ended with dessert which was key lime pie (not as good as Bonefish!) and passion fruit ice cream which was so refreshing. We are pretty harsh restaurant critics and this exceeded all expectations. It is pricey, but worth a splurge on a rare date, which also doubled as a celebration dinner for a promotion for Baxter!

The Beach!

2011-05-31T14:58:00.002-05:00

We just got back from a week at Perdido Key, FL. It was beautiful weather and the boys, and us, had a wonderful time. We drove down the long way (Hwy 55) in order to eat at our favorite restaurant, Mama Hamils, in Madison, MS. It is truly homecooking at its best. They have a huge buffet that is filled with every veggie you've ever known (including rutabagas), along with ribs, fried chicken, and much more. It is worth the extra time going this way to experience it. We found this while we were in college and we keep going back. Next we stopped at the Collins Zoo, which is a little zoo along 55. It is a little scary since the animals are only contained by chainlinked fences, but you know Baxter, we can't pass up a zoo. This is another college find that we routinely return to. We finally made it, 10.5 hours later to Perdido Key. During the week, Baxter, Charlie and Billy (bax's dad) went inshore fishing on a charter boat. We started doing this a few years ago when the deep sea fishing limits were cut to almost nothing that it wasn't worth going. Charlie had so much fun. He caught 5 fish in one hour and handed the captain the live shrimp bait throughout the trip. He only went for one hour and Baxter and Billy went for the remaining 3. We also took the whole family on a oyster, crapping, shrimping trip. This did not go quite as well. It is never a good idea to put an already fussy 1 year old in a full life jacket. He screamed most of the 2 hours. Charlie started not feeling well and fell asleep on my lap. The captain's shrimp net broke, so we went back empty handed. But, the next day the captain called back and let us go back out to shrimp. Baxter, Charlie and Billy went and brought back about 3 lbs of shrimp which we ate and it was delicious. We also went to the Gulf Breeze zoo, which allows you to feed most animals, including giraffes. It also had a train ride safari which we saw free roaming animals. We of course ate lots of good food, along with a trip to Lamberts which isn't great food but is always entertaining! One of my favorite things is eating my favorite sandwich, BLT, at lunch everyday when I come in from the beach, along with a scoop of homemade pimento cheese. I love it! I indulge all week. We also fit in a trip to Homegoods in Pensacola, which I found several home accessories and shoes, and a trip to a great decorator shop called Duh's. It was another great trip to the beach!

You Know, Mam, You Married a Baby

2011-05-30T15:40:00.002-05:00

These are the words that the minor med nurse told me just yesterday. We had to make a trip there due to a traumatic injury to Baxter's thumb involving the Kitchen Aid scissors. I thought I would dedicate a blog post to my sweet husband who would risk life and limb for our family. If you know Baxter, you know that he has a tendency to faint at the sight of blood or blunt force trauma. He thought at one point he would make a good doctor, but now we know that would probably not have ended well. In the 13 years Baxter and I have been together, I have witnessed numerous fainting occassions. I thought I would share with you my 5 most memorable. We will count down to number 1 - I'll save the best for last!

5. We will start back in high school. We were at the Stage Road Movie theater with a group of friends. We were playing around outside the theater after the movie trying to decide what to do next. Our friend, Brian, jumped on Baxter's back to joke around and held a little too tight to his neck. Next thing you know, Baxter is passed out on the ground in front of the theater doors. A movie had just let out, and people just walked over him thinking he was joking, but he was out cold!
4. A few years ago, prior to children, Baxter was doing some woodworking in our carport. He shot his nail gun and missed the board, and a nail went in between his thumb and index finger. He thought the nail was shorter than it was, and he just pulled it out. Turns out the nail was 3 inches long, and only an inch was sticking out. He realized what he had done and turns to me and our friends Mitch and Will, and says, "I'm going to take a knee" (sidenote: he says this like it is a common phrase from football, which he never played). He kneels down then gets back up. He tells me he is going to go into the backyard and pass out. I think, yeah right, but I follow him. Sure enough, he sits down in a chair and passes out with his head pinned between the back of the chair and the arbor. He starts to turn green. Mitch gets water to throw on his face and just before he does, Baxter comes to and says "what are you about to do".
3. This is yesterday's event. We were working in the garden out at Shelby Farms. Baxter was fixing some soaker hoses by cutting them and clamping them off. He evidently missed his cut and cut both sides of his thumb. I hear him yell, "Jenny, I'm hurt really bad." He comes walking to the front of the garden, holding his hand as blood is dripping everywhere. I know what is going to happen, so I tell him to sit down and drink some water. He says he needs to wrap it, so I look for something. I find a glove that I had scooped chicken poop with and try to use it. He looks at me like I'm crazy. I then hand him a diaper - again crazy look. Finally, he tells me to take off his sock and wrap his hand. Now, he is holding the sock and he says he is going to pass out. Sure enough, he does, and he starts gagging and convulsing. I had at least gotten the kids in the car so they didn't witness that. I hold his head up and yell at him to get back with it. He comes too 30 seconds later. We decide to go to the minor med, where he gets 5 stitches. Don't be fooled by the picture on facebook - that is NOT his thumb.
2. Back to high school. Baxter sang in the choir, and they were performing for the middle school chapel. Baxter was on the top row of the risers with bright lights pointed directly at him. He had made it through a few songs, and then Ave Maria came up. He started singing and passed out on top of his friend, Stephen, standing in front of him. Stephen couldn't hold him and pushed him back, right off the risers. The choir director says Baxter never stopped singing Ave Maria.
1. This one is of course the birth of our second child, Fletcher. We knew I was going to have a c-section since I had one with Charlie. Baxter made it through Charlie's since it was rushed and he was running on adrenaline. They start Flether's c-section. Baxter is sitting beside my head. He starts to tell the nurse he doesn't feel well. He smells the carterizing and he goes out. He hits the floor. The room is filled with all women and no one can lift him. He comes too, and sits back down. He goes out again! After Fletcher comes out, he gets with it. The picture below is of the bottom of the operating table that he took a picture of as he was hitting the floor!

Try It Tuesday

2011-04-26T19:42:00.004-05:00

1. Southern Hands Family Dining - serving the best food this side of heaven!

Southern Hands is one of our weekly staples. They have been opened almost 2 years, and they have already opened 3 locations due to their popularity. Baxter discovered this restaurant through his work and had to take us. They have a location in Collierville, right off of 385, another one on Winchester in the parking lot of the Hickory Ridge Mall, and one in Cordova. They have several items that we love to eat. Their baked spaghetti is the best I have ever had, and it comes with 2 vegetables which I usually get cabbage and black-eyed peas. Baxter loves the fried chicken as well as the baked chicken. Their other great veggies include turnip greens, boiled okra, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, rice, macaroni and cheese and green beans. Also, their cornbread is to die for; it is almost worth going there just for it. It has the perfect amount of sweetness. It is a great place to go and get good home cooking without heating up your own kitchen!

2. Rutabagas

Rutabagas are one of our favorite vegetable side dishes at the Goss household. It is a great alternative to potatoes as a starch-like item in your meal. They have several health benefits as well as tasting great. Rutabagas are loaded with phytochemicals such as, carotenoids, terpenes, flavonoids, coumarins, indoles, phenolic acids, and isothiocyanates. This means they are anti-oxidants, they prevent degenerative disease, protect vision, neutralize free radicals, and stimulate anti-cancer enzymes, to name a few benefits. Rutabagas are also beta carotene-rich. You peel the waxy skin off and then chop them. We usually stew them with some cinnamon and a little butter. They can also be glazed or steamed. They are naturally sweet, so they don't require a lot of additions. We actually cooked them tonight, and Fletcher especially loved them. Give them a try!

Yes, I am posting this during tornado and thunderstorm warnings, but what else are you going to do when nothing is on TV!

Life Around the Goss Homestead

2011-04-26T14:49:00.002-05:00

Fletcher will come after anyone if food is involved. You can see the remnants of the popsicle Charlie gave him, now he wants what remains of Charlie's popsicle too!

We went and picked strawberries at Shelby Farms again this year. It is always fun to be able to see where food comes from and show children how it gets to our table.

We picked about 4 pounds, which you can see Charlie and Fletcher ate a few based on the remains on their faces. We used a lot of the strawberries to make homemade strawberry ice cream for Easter. It was delicious!

This is where I found Fletcher the other day after Charlie had left the refridgerator door open. I tell you, he loves food and the enjoyment of thinking he is getting something he shouldn't have!

Charlie with his buds Jake, James, and Sam at the church Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Charlie is usually all about hunting eggs, but his age group had their hunt on a huge playground set. Needless to say, most of the kids could care less about the eggs and went straight for the playground.

***I have hopes of posting Try-It Tuesday later on tonight. We will see if it happens!

Try It Tuesday

2011-04-19T14:17:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I stole this idea from another blog, but I thought it was a good one. Since we eat out quite a bit, people always ask where we eat and what are some good places to visit. I thought this could be a good venue for that. I have also included things we like to do that might be fun for your family to try. So here it goes:

1. Burton's Sugar Farm, home of Catfish in the Barn, Michigan City, MS

This is a working sorghum farm that has a huge barn on its property that they open up every Friday and Saturday nights for dinner. They are closed for the winter, but this Friday is their opening weekend for the spring, and they will remain open until the end of October. This is definately a destination restaurant. It is about an hour drive from Memphis, but is totally worth it. They serve buffet style a wonderful mixture of foods. They obviously have catfish and all that goes along with that, but they also serve chicken n dressing, 5 or 6 vegetables such as turnip greens, black eyed peas, carrots, mashed potatoes, okra, just to name a few. They also serve up fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh cucumber and onion salad, and homemade pickles. Don't miss the homemade ice cream straight from the maker along with a cake of your choice. Of course, there is sweet tea and lemonade to round out the meal. I will warn you that there is no air conditioning since it is an open barn, but you won't even miss it. The kids have a blast because right out the open doors of the barn, there is huge areas to run around and play. They have crocket and corn hole out for you to enjoy as well. There is also a huge Noah's Ark to play in and swings. It is just nice to have a fun weekend night where you just slow down and enjoy the outdoors and great food. If you go, you will probably see us there since we visit almost every weekend if not every other until it closes in October.

2. Shelby Farms new Playground

I was so excited to take the boys last week to the new playground in Shelby Farms. It really has something for almost any age child. The county really did a great job at targeting a large range of ages. There are 4 "nests" to choose from that each have different activities to enjoy. There is a sand area that has a large tube slide along with a water feature to play in with your hands. The next nest is in a steep incline that has several slides for little ones and fun ways to climb back up to the top. The 3rd nest is all sorts of swings, and the final nest is a huge climbing net that you can climb from tree to tree (even adults would enjoy this). I like that you can monitor your child fairly well by keeping them within one nest at a time. We went during the week, so it was mostly smaller children and wasn't too crazy. I will say, I would probably not do this on a weekend or summer day when kids are out of school.

Just Another Manic Monday

2011-04-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

Charlie enjoying playing with the watering post at the community gardens at Shelby Farms. I'm sure this is not an allowed place to climb or sit.

Our plot is slowly taking shape. Here are 4 of our completed rows out of the 7 we have. Take note of the bright orange construction fence around the perimeter to keep deer and other critters out. This fence can be seen from Farm Road - we're easy to find!

Notice the haircut Fletcher was given by his older brother turned hairstylist. After denying it 5 times throughout the day, the truth finally came out and Charlie confessed. We will once again be reading and watching Flo the Lyin' Fly for some lessons in lying; the lesson evidently did not sink in the first 10 times we read/watched it.

If the boys are no where to be found, this is their usual spot. They love climbing in the cat cage and playing with the door shut. Lord help me if child services ever appears at our doorstep. *Side note, the cat lives outside and we only let him in to stay in the cage on cold nights. So there is no liter they are playing in. Also I should mention our cat has 3 legs and is a boy name Precious. When we first found him, we thought he was a girl (due to my mother in laws lack of knowledge in the gender detecting area) and Charlie was 2 at the time and wanted to name her Precious. So, after a trip to the vet we found out she was a he and the name just stayed. Later he hurt his leg and we had to have it amputated. Oh the joys of pet ownership.

Flashback - Palm Sunday a Year Ago

2011-04-18T21:05:00.001-05:00

And the verdict is.....

2011-04-17T20:45:00.002-05:00

We candled all of the eggs, and from the grocery store bunch, we have 4 fertile eggs out of 36! All 4 came from the same dozen at Whole Foods - I guess you really know that they are free range when a rooster can get in the mix! Although no one commented on this survey, I know that cyber world wanted to know -haha! I'll show pictures when they hatch in 11 days.

Saturday Survey

2011-04-16T16:33:00.002-05:00

So we have an eggperiment for you. While Baxter was researching egg incubation, he came across a science experiment some children had done. They had taken eggs from a grocery store and incubated them to see if any would hatch. They ended up having a few hatch from the couple dozen of eggs. So, we decided to try the same thing. We got 1 dozen brown eggs from Fresh Market, and 2 dozen eggs from Whole Foods (one white and one brown) - all of which have been refridgerated. We have had them in the incubater for 10 days. Tomorrow we will do a process called "candling". We place the eggs over a hole in a box with a lightbulb in it to see if there is any life inside the egg. You can see the heartbeat and veins inside the eggs at the 10 day mark. Any egg that does not appear viable at this time, then we get rid of them. So, if you want to weigh in on how many of these eggs you think will be fertilized, then comment on this post. I will post tomorrow how many we see to be fertilized.

No One Here But Us Chickens

2011-04-15T16:55:00.005-05:00

So, I know it has been awhile since I posted, but as you know life happens and more important things take priority. Here is what is going on lately.

1. As you can tell by my title and probably facebook, we are once again the proud owners of chickens. We currently have about 50 that have survived since we hatched them in February. We will "supposedly" get that number down to 12 once we know which ones are hens. They start to lay eggs when they are around 6 months old. To add to the craziness, Baxter has decided to hatch another 300 eggs just for "fun". He says he is getting rid of all of them, we shall see.

2. To add to the urban farmer feel of our family, we have gotten a garden plot at Shelby Farms to grow our own vegetables. The plot is 25 ft by 100 ft. They are free to the first 600 takers. We have tilled our rows and hilled them up. We have planted our tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, onions, and eggplant so far. We will plant squash, cucumbers, corn, okra, and watermelon next week. We will plant sweet potatoes in May. I grew up having a garden every year, and I am very excited to let our children experience a love for growing vegetables and digging in the dirt. It's good for the soul, their's and mine!

*Had to take a momentary break because I was informed that brother (i.e. Fletch) was eating cat food. Removed the temptation, now back to writing.

3. We proudly received the yard of the month award for our neighborhood. We have been working on it for the past 3 years, and our glad to see someone appreciated our efforts.

4. I turned 30 in January. This has actually not bothered me at all. I feel very blessed to be where I'm at right now. I'm enjoying my role as a wife, mother, and part time decorator.

5. We took Charlie skiing this past February. We went with our good friends the Lewis'. The boys did surprisingly well, obviously not without a few tears from ChaCha, but overall I would say taking a 3 year old skiing was a successful venture. We went to St. Louis, which was great because it was small and there are other kid things to do in the town. Always good to be within a days drive of home in case the whole thing didn't work out!

6. We celebrated Fletcher's 1st birthday the end of March. I cannot believe this year has flown by. He has really turned into a little boy. He weighs in at 28lbs and 30.5 inches. He is finally on the growth chart in the 99th percentile. Our doctor has been making a dot outside the chart to show where Fletch ranks. He is weighing in exactly like his daddy. At least he gets it honestly. We says mama and bye bye while waving at you. He will hold on to one hand and walk, so solo walking should be soon. He loves to play with Charlie and thinks he is the funniest person in the world. They are opposites in a lot of areas. Fletch is more laid back, but is daring. I had to add locks to my cabinet doors after Fletch shattered a glass pot lid. I never had this issue with Charlie. The doctor said the 1st child is a pleaser and usually follows boundaries, while the 2nd child is more independent in play. Funny how that pleaser attitude hasn't followed through to the 3 year old phase.

7. I have decided I am going to try to post more often. I have come up with some ways to talk about more than just my boys. We will see if I can follow through. Wish my luck.

Belated Fourth of July Entry!

2010-07-27T21:09:00.002-05:00

Everyone loves Pops!

Pooped! (probably literally as well as figuratively)

I thought I would post a few pics from the fourth of July. This is usually a really big holiday for our families. Ever since Baxter was a child, his family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, passerbys!) has had a fish fry on the fourth and of course with fireworks. Several flavors of homemade ice cream are served along with all the fixins. Since we've been together, my family has joined in on this event too. Over the years, friends have joined us, college buds have come in town, and we even have had our police incidences (Stacedawg can attest to this one!) When it nears dark, we all head out to the front lawn with our chairs, and Baxter and his sister start the show. Despite the pics, this is way more than a sparkler show. We've had old ladies tipping out of their lawn chairs out of fear, we've had a friend shot in the eye with a "screaming bee", and always the fear that the fire in the tree will not go out! Anyways, these are some of our fourth memories, and we are glad to get to add a few younger faces to the festivities.

NO COMMENT

2010-06-29T14:26:00.004-05:00

Okay, Okay, I've been gone for a little while. I've been a little busy and feel no loyalty towards my readers - sorry! My priorities have still not really changed in that regard, but I will try to appease the few people who give me dirty looks and make crude comments. There is no way to catch you up from this time last year, so we will just pick up with the same pic I left off with, strawberry picking. This is usually our first official summer activity that occurs around April. If it is warm enough to do this, it's summertime. We have also been on our annual trip to the beach. We were fortunate enough to go the week before Memorial Day, which was the last week before the infamous tar balls arrived. I will say that we would have gone tar balls or not, but I'm sure my pictures would have been a little different because I know son #1 (for simplicity sake, we have numbered our children - I know we only have 2, and it seems impersonal, but it is easier) back to my comment, son #1 would have been in amongest the tar balls covered in oil and trying to convince me that son #2 would like to get in with the tar balls too. Charlie believes he can interpret what Fletcher is thinking and wanting. The interpretations are always slanted towards what Charlie is thinking and wanting. Imagine that. Two children is a big difference from one, but not as overwhelming as I was warned - maybe that comes when #2 becomes mobile! The first 4 weeks are always hard, but by week 10 you think you could do this again and you remember the prior weeks with fond memories of middle of the night feedings and lack of sleep. There are days when I think I could handle several munchkins, then there are days like today. I went to WalMart. I know I could end the story here and most every mom would know how it went, but I will elaborate. I have purchased a sit n stand stroller because Charlie kept trying to sit in the basket under Fletcher's car seat. I thought this could be a successful venture. He likes to sit on his perch and ride along like a prince. Well, today he decided that he wanted to try out some skateboard moves with the stroller, such as propelling it forward by tapping the ground with his foot. Yeah for me. Along with this freight train length stroller I was pushing, I was pulling my cart. People gave me dirty looks as I tried to manuever around the store. Really people, you are at WalMart, you are already sacrificing a relaxing trip to the market in favor of rolling back prices, so get over it. After running from one side of the store to the other, probably 5 times because I always forget of one item I need on the other side when I have already left it, I made it to the checkout line. I had loaded my items onto the counter, when #1 announces that he has to go potty. The only advantage I see in potty training is the savings on diapers, other that that there's only hardship on the mother. So, I try to find out how desperate of a pee situation we are in. He promises he is about to pee and poop in his pants, and then he begins holding himself. So, I load up my items back into my cart and make the 3 mile trek to the back of the store to use the potty. And he didn't let me down. I chose to use the family bathroom, so all three of us and the freight train could fit. Charlie is not use to this, he likes his privacy in a stall. So, he told me he needed privacy and that I should stand in the corner and face the wall - which I did. 15 minutes later we are back in line with the items on the counter, a few more that the previous cashier encounter, and of course a few items that I lay on the top of the drink machines beside the check out line so Charlie cannot see that we are not purchasing them. I never answer questions about said items until I have him strapped into his car seat, then I break the news. I have found this is just easier. Currently, everyone is sleeping and I'm back to thinking I could rear a herd of children, but soon I will hear cries and things will change!! I will say, I have loved having another child. I feel very content in our current state. My days fly by, and at the end when everyone is fed and in bed, I feel a sense of accomplishment that I have done what I was suppose to do that day. I have accepted that for this phase in my life, this is what I am suppose to do. Some days more gets done than others, but as I write, #1 has crawled in my lap and kissed me and said I want to be hold (we'll address grammer later), and my heart is full.

This was taken outside of Lamberts in Foley, AL. This really depicts their personalities

already. Fletcher seems to be my laid back child, while Charlie is taking charge.

This is our family pic, about the only picture I am in!

Charlie with his Pops (Baxter's dad) at Lamberts. He loved the throwed

rolls. He has since asked waiters at restaurants here in Memphis to

throw him rolls. Our regular waiter at Patricks does!

Here is my football player. This was taken just a couple of days ago. He is

13 weeks old and weighs just over 17 pounds and is 24.5 inches long. He is off the charts!

Baxter and Charlie on his first fishing trip at the beach. He had a blast.

Our strawberry picking pic from this year. I do realize we are not

walking in the wrong area. This is typical.

The Last Couple of Months

2009-05-05T19:36:00.005-05:00

Picking strawberries!

Our Circus Pic - we are kind of a rough looking crew!

Feeding the geese and getting "nipped" - see story below.

My two favorite guys! What cuties!

What a handsome dude.

Well, greetings again! Things have gotten busy around our house since the sun has been shining and the temperatures have gotten warmer. Most of our days are spent outside - aside from the massive amounts of rain this past weekend. Charlie loves digging in the dirt, chasing birds and squirrels, and just getting into any and everything. You can tell by his smiles in the pictures that he is always up to something! To start off spring, we went to the circus. Charlie did really well. He loved eating all of the food - the corn dog, cotton candy, and coke! We went with several friends, and I think all of the children enjoyed their first circus experience. In mid-March, we went to the Great Smokey Mountains with my family. Charlie got to see the mountains, and again he enjoyed eating all of the food - the fudge, caramel apples, candy corn, and other street vendor items. He loved the kugal in front of Ripleys Believe it or Not. If you don't know, a kugal is a 2,000 lb ball of granite that floats on like 1/16 inch of water, and it spins easily which makes it neat. There are only like 3 of them in the US and one is in Gatlingburg and I know one is at my alma mater, Mississippi College - it is one of the top reasons people attend MC! Next was Easter. Charlie loved dying eggs and hunting them. We are still playing with them around the house - the plastic ones of course. We have also made several trips to the zoo this spring - and I'm sure we'll make hundreds more this summer! We are still feeding the ducks and geese. The above picture was when we were feeding them at the pound by the Germantown Community Center. Baxter and Charlie got real friendly with the big white goose. Evidently, it is used to people. It nipped at Baxter's leg when he was petting it, so of course Charlie tries to pet it and it nipped at his stomach. This happened well over a month ago, but if you ask Charlie where the goose bit him, he points to his stomach. The other day Charlie was pointing to his belly button and saying hole. I asked him how the hole got there, and he said "duck"! After this he always says, dada. So he evidently thinks that him and his dada got their belly buttons from goose bits! How cute! We have also picked strawberries this spring at the agricenter. Charlie had the best time. I only had to show him once what a ripe strawberry looked like, and away he went. He insisted on carrying his own bucket as you can see. Near the end of the trip, I said we need to taste one. He bit into it and couldn't get enough. After that, he kept saying "taste, taste" and shoving strawberries into his mouth. Our final story for the month happened as a result of Mother's Day Out. We got a phone call last Wednesday to pick up Charlie because he had caught hand, foot, and mouth. (I'm sure there is a scientific name for it other than the ridiculous name of a list of body parts) Which I had no idea what it was - but it is just a break out of small bumps mainly arounf the hands, feet, and mouth - obviously, but not exclusively. Charlie never realized anything was the matter, and he went on as normal except he would just randomly say "bumps". He is all better now, just one illness to put under our belts in the many to come! Some cute things Charlie is saying right now: "bless you" when you sneeze, "awesome", "cool dude" when he wears his sunglasses, "Jesus" when he stands up because I say stand up for Jesus, "pizza - yummmm" when we pass the new Target because we eat at the Pizza Hut there, he can fill in the words of Jesus Loves Me and several nursery rhymes, "Maggie - hush" because obviously I say that a lot, and he will repeat almost anything we say - scary! We are looking forward to many more adventures this summer - and hopefully lots of pool time. We will be heading to the beach the end of this month, which we are really looking forward to. I'll try to keep the virtual world in the loop.

All About Charlie

2009-02-08T21:31:00.003-06:00

Playing in the first snow of the year.

Feeding the geese at Shelby Farms.

Building my first gingerbread house - just like dad!

What a smile! Cracking pecans with dad.

I'm not even going to go through the song and dance - just a simple sorry. I thought since I haven't updated in awhile, I would make this post all about Charlie. I have gotten tagged on facebook a few times to post my 25 things, so I am going to post them on my blog and make them Charlie's 25 things. So, here it goes:

1. First off, I am a pure joy to my parents ... most days.

2. I love to eat berries more than anything. I can even say the word berries, but somehow I can make it a one syllable word. My mom spends $26 a week to buy me my

supply of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Thanks to Costco for the giant containers of them!

3. I have no fear, which scares my parents. I will jump off of anything, climb on anything, and put anything in my mouth.

4. I pretty much wear my whole meal on my shirt at any given time. This annoys my mother, but what can she do, I like trying to feed myself.

5. I love to read. We spend probably a good 3 hours a day reading. I'm sure my mom has my favorites memorized.

6. I can point to every body part of mine when asked where it is - even the private ones! In fact, I demonstrated the latter part of that statement for my doctor.

7. I can tell my mom when I poop. I call peep and poop, poop.

8. I love my dog Maggie. I love to stick my hands and arms in her mouth and try to let her attack me! This is really exciting for my parents.

9. I go to Parents Day Out twice a week, where I wow my teachers! I do things for them I would never do for my mom. I even like to flirt with the music teacher, and will take my pacie out for her!

10. I really love all of my grandparents - Mimi, Papa Jim, GG, and Pops. I know my parents love that they are in town and always want to babysit!

11. I have started to say "thanks", whenever I am given something. I know the value of good manners.

12. I love to be outside. The cold weather is no fun since we can't play outside. I could stay out there all day long. I love to drive my battery operated four wheeler up and down the driveway! I also like to pick up rocks and sticks. I also love playing at parks and feeding the geese at Shelby Farms.

13. I also like to be a helper around the house. Whenever mom is cleaning, I take a sponge or paper towel and rub whatever she is rubbing.

14. I am also a helper outside of the house. I like to help dad push the lawnmower and hold the blower. I would rather jump in the leaves though, than pick them up.

15. I forgot to mention that I am almost 18 months old.

16. My middle name is Baxter - oh the joys that will bring in the future!

17. I am a bit of a social butterfly. Whenever we leave a restaurant, I like to walk by all the other tables and say goodbye to them. You know, I do run the place.

18. If you ask me who my friend is, I will say "dada".

19. My mom has started to sew some of my pants. I really like this because it makes my pants so comfy, but it also makes my mom a little more on edge if I get something on them.

20. In response to the last number, my mom goes through about a bottle of stain remover every 2 weeks.

21. I would love a little brother or sister, but I think my parents have pushed that idea back a little while due to the great joy I bring them!

22. I am able to climb all the way up and down our stairs at home - this also puts my parents on edge.

23. I can count to two, really I just skip one and say two!

24. I love that I have so many friends close to my age - I know my mom likes this too. It makes playgroups really fun.

25. We can't wait til spring and summer and all the fun to come!

HELLO AGAIN!

2008-09-23T22:12:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I have been a very bad blogger, nothing new, I know, but still this is unacceptable. My life is crazy and blogging is pretty low on the list of priorities right now. Here is an update of the past few months. We have moved into our house, finally. After seven months of intense renovations, we are finished (with phase 1). We still have a couple of rooms to furnish, landscaping to do, and a few built-ins to complete, but evenso, this feels like home. Charlie made a pretty smooth transition; after one or two nights of crying it out in the middle of the night, he is back to his normal sleep of 12 hours (thank you, Lord). I am getting used to climbing stairs, but still it is not very fun to have to go up or down when you forget something, which is quite frequent since the addition of mommy brain. Charlie has been in Parents Day Out since this summer and is getting to where he really enjoys it. This semester he actually makes artwork and brings it home. So far, he has glued red tissue paper to a sheet of paper in the shape of an apple, he has also made a footprint and a handprint. I'm so proud. I am just thankful that he seems to enjoy it more. He is just now starting to walk. He takes four or five steps before falling down. He loves to practice walking everywhere by holding your hand. He has really developed a personality, and it seems to be a lot of Baxter! He is a cut-up and loves to laugh. He has already learned how to trick people and try to get his way. I know I am going to have a handfull. Anyways, it is so much fun! Tonight, we went to the MidSouth Fair, which was a little disappointing, but Charlie had a blast. He won a game and ate everything in site, including, a turkey leg, corn, funnel cake, ice cream, fried potato ribbons, and lots of coke - I know I am a bad mom, but once in awhile is fine! We are going to Kentucky this weekend to do some antiquing and fishing. I hope Charlie will be a joy this trip -we shall see! I will post pictures very soon. Once again, my apologies to the blogging world, but I will strive to do better!

Goodbye HighPoint!

2008-04-27T21:30:00.002-05:00

Well, it is official, we have left the neighborhood. We close on our house tomorrow, and we just finished our last run-through of the house. It was a little sad since it was our first house and we have a lot of memories there. We brought Charlie home to that house. We are going to miss being within walking distance to so many of our friends. But I can't dwell on it too long, or else I'll start to cry again! I am happy about our new house - it will be great once we are finished. I'll try to post pictures soon. Until our house is finished, we are living with Baxter's parents. It is a little like a zoo right now, since we have added our baby and dog to their house of three dogs! We plan on being here for about six weeks (Baxter is a little disillusioned and thinks it will only be three weeks!) Charlie has slept the last two nights we have slept here, so I pray that continues. Charlie is turning very quickly into a little boy. He started crawling last week and now loves to get into things he shouldn't. He loves to eat big boy food too. The other day he ate meatloaf, turnip greens, white beans, and chili! Crazy! He loves to laugh out loud too. It is so cute. I just know he wants to tell us something - and I have a feeling that once he starts he will be hard to stop. We go to the beach the middle of May, which should be fun to see Charlie in the ocean. That's all for now. I'll try to post pictures once things settle here a little bit!

I think we might be rednecks....

2008-02-22T22:06:00.002-06:00

The signs have been appearing for awhile now. I have tried to ignore them, but it has gotten too hard not to admit it. I think we might be rednecks. Sure we love our Blue Collar Comedy and we get excited when International Harvester plays on the radio, and of course we have our chickens. We have relatives who live in trailers and who bring roadkill to holiday dinners. Well now I have something to top this with and it is quite embrassessing. Yesterday we visited a kitchen and bath showroom to get some ideas for our new house. In our current home, we installed a way too expensive Toto toliet. As much as this thing cost, it should require no work to use the restroom; but we have had a problem with it ever since we've had it because it won't fill up to what we think is an adequate level of water. Since everything is energy efficient now, toliets don't fill up like they used to. Well back to my story, we are in this showroom and the salesman shows us a Toto toliet. Baxter tells the man that he doesn't like the Toto toliet because it doesn't fill up with enough water. He then proceeds to tell him that it is just too small of a target for him to hit! I could of died. The salesman didn't look too amused either. Normal people do not make comments like this, only rednecks. It's too bad we didn't have a truck with male parts hanging from the trailer hitch to climb into when we got to the parking lot!

6 Months

2008-02-22T11:17:00.003-06:00

We went for Charlie's 6 month appointment on Monday. We are proud to say that our child is weighing in at 21 pounds and 28 inches long - 90th percentile in both! We are going to have a big boy. The doctor said he just looks the size of a 9 month old. We've been told to start adding meats - yum yum. Needless to say, the baby food meat is the grossest concept ever. He has enjoyed turkey so far - it was called sweet potatoes and turkey - aka Thanksgiving in a jar. Charlie has also gotten his first tooth. The beginning of last week he was teething a lot, and then all of a sudden a little tooth appears. It is quite sharp too. It is not all the way up yet, but it is getting there. The doctor said his top ones are moving down too as well as a few others on the bottom. Great - endless weeks of drool and fussiness! Charlie has also started to reach out for people to pick him up. We can tell he is already spoiled. We have been spending most of our days at the new house - meeting the contractor and various subs. It is taking great shape and is going to be a great house to raise our family. No news on our current house. We are praying that it will sell at the perfect time to the right people. I hope to post some pictures soon - once again something has happened to my camera, hopefully it is fixable this time!

Sitting Up!

2008-01-23T21:40:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like my little man is growing up. Last week he began sitting up for short periods of time when I placed him in that position. He has learned to kind of balance himself and stabilize himself with his arms. My goal is to have him sitting well enough for his 6 month picture appointment which is February 15. Since he is sitting unsupported for a little bit, we brought out the door frame jumper. He seems to really enjoy it! He is still eating well and loving baby food. We have now added green beans to the list of sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, pears, and bananas. We tried peaches but he made a horrible sour face, even one of his eyes squinted closed! I had my friend Mitch try the peaches and he said they were really tart, so you can't blame the child for not liking them! (No I do not taste the baby food - I know that makes me a bad mother, but I cannot bring myself to do it!) I cannot imagine how much food this child will be eating in the coming months. Tonight he ate two containers of baby food for dinner - and still downed an 8 oz bottle an hour later! The newest news with me is that I have a new obsession - buying smocked baby clothes on ebay. I accidentally :) bid on several items last week and ended up winning 8 outfits - I have been put on ebay probation by the hubby. We have also officially joined the Y this week. I have been putting it off, but we finally did it. I went to a kickboxing class on Monday which totally kicked my butt; needless to say my rear was so sore the next day I could barely move my legs, which is not good when you have to lift a 20 pound child all day long! Well, Charlie would like to take this time to welcome his new friend Hunter into the world. Congrats Barrett and Becca! This now makes almost 10 boys in a row in our Sunday School class - where are the girls? I guess we will have to wait for now. No news on the sell of our house - I know it has only been on the market one week, but I get anxious. The last picture post today makes me sad, but I know we will be just as happy in our new house!

5 Months (yeah, yeah, I'm way overdo a post!)

2008-01-14T21:05:00.000-06:00

Yes, I do understand that I am way behind on blogging! I apologize, again. Now that my child is more demanding of my time, when I do have a free moment, I have a million other things to do! I will make the empty promise of trying to do better again. Well, Charlie is growing by the day and doing more and more things. I have a heavy weight on my hands, currently weighing in at 19.5 pounds! He is now rolling over both ways, which makes for interesting nights when he wedges himself in odd positions in the crib. He is sleeping 10-12 hours every night. Most nights of the week he sleeps without interruption, but a couple nights a week he wakes up once or twice for his pacifier and to see his mother's smiling face! Christmas was wonderful. We now how so many toys that we have decided to move into a bigger home. We have bought another fixer upper, but it will be beautiful when we are finished. He did great at his four month appointment. We got the okay to start baby food. How exciting, or so I thought. He eats really well, but you can tack on 30 minutes to each feeding session to work in the food. His little personality is blossoming every day. He is already a ham, just like his dad; and his querks seem quite familiar as well. It is sad when the female of the house is the lowest maintenance of them all! Despite it all, I am loving every minute of being a wife and mom. I know mobile days are ahead, which should be interesting in a construction zone. Charlie sat for a little bit unassisted on the changing table tonight - don't worry I had my hands all around him! So I figure he'll be sitting very soon. He loves to smile and will get himself tickled and laugh so loud! I love it. I am really looking forward to summer and spending more time with mom friends and babies. There is not much to do in the winter with groups. I think that if I make it through January, it's practically spring. Once again, I will try to post more often. Here are some pics from the last few months. P.S. If anyone wants to buy our home, please let me know!

12 weeks

2007-11-06T20:05:00.000-06:00

Well, I find myself at 12 weeks into this journey and cannot believe how quickly it has passed. We are totally in love with this boy and are truly enjoying the ride. We have rough patches, but overall things are going wonderful. He is as healthly as can be and is putting on the weight. At his 10 week appointment, he weighed 15 lbs, 4 oz. He is definately a growing boy! He is cooing and "talking" up a storm - he takes after his father already! I love to hear him laugh out loud and see him smile from ear to ear. He is sleeping well - 8 to 9 hours a night. He is developing such a personality too. Since my last post, we have taken him on his first trip to Kentucky. He

go to fish for the first time, shop at all of the antique malls, and experience Patti's 1880's Settlement! We take this same trip about 3 times a year, so he had to start getting used to it! He had his first Halloween. We put him in 3 outfits because we couldn't decide. Also, the lastest news is I am offically a stay at home mom. I quit my job at the bank this past week. We are all very excited about it. I am trying my hand at freelance decorating along with my antique booth. So far I am working with my first "client" and things are going well and are a lot of fun!

Congrats to Mitch and Lauren on the arrival of baby Jacob. Charlie is very excited about his new friend.

6 Weeks

2007-09-27T06:05:00.000-05:00

Well, as usual, I am behind on my blogging. Who could imagine that at 6 week old could consume all of your time! I cannot believe Charlies is already 6 weeks old. He seems to have grown so much in these last weeks. As you can see from the pictures, we have started real baths, which he did not like the first time, but has since really enjoyed. We have added this as part of our nightly routine and it has helped tremendously. Charlie is staying on about a three hour schedule. He has slept 6 hours straight the last two nights, which has been wonderful. Yesterday, he followed the 6 hour stretch with a 5 hour stretch! How nice to be able to sleep longer than a few hours at a time. During the day, Charlie really likes to be awake and enjoy all the excitement of being around people. I think he is afraid he will miss out on something if he falls asleep - sounds like his father! So far, he has done wonderful at dinners - he sleeps the whole time we are in the restaurant, despite all the noises. Motherhood is agreeing more and more with me. Everyone says that you start feeling yourself again around 6 weeks, and I agree. The last week I feel like I have somewhat of a routine and am getting some things done. My beds have been made and the house dusted, so I'm feeling good! I feel so blessed to have the privilege of being Charlie's mom. I have already learned so much. It is amazing that God can use a little baby to show you His grace and mercy. Every time I have to tend to his cries while I am exhausted, I have to continually remind myself that this is nothing compared to the sacrifice Christ made for me. I am so glad to have a baby that is healthy, I feel I have no right to complain and yet I do. I had an awakening this past week. As I was crying because we had a hard night, Baxter brought it to my attention that I am rarely positive about Charlie. I realized that I do not verbalize all the wonderful things about him, I just want to complain about his small issues. This child is wonderful and I am choosing to focus on that instead of the small things that I think he should be doing. I could not have hoped for a better child. Needless to say, since the change in my attitude, things have gotten better - funny how that always is the case. Anyways, enough for now. Here are some highlights: Charlie went to his first MidSouth fair (hopefully not the last); seeing his face light up as we snuggle him in his towel after his bath; watching him make all of his silly faces - usually he will run through all of them at one time; having him sit quietly through Sunday School for the first time; how he smiles when Baxter squeezes his cheeks; actually finding myself laughing at projectile poop; and finally trying to remember and capture every thought, smell, and image because I know tomorrow will be different and I will never have today back.

Two Week Check-Up

2007-08-27T13:58:00.000-05:00

Today we went for Charlie's two week check-up. I can't believe it has already been two weeks! Everything went wonderful. He didn't even cry for the doctor! He has gained almost a whole pound and is weighing in at 9 lbs 8 oz now. He also grew a half an inch. The doctor was impressed with his development and how laid back he was. He thought his neurological system was very mature (whatever that means) and thought he had great control over his head and eyes. We were very excited to get such a good report. But of course, we knew he was a genius! One good thing about the pumping is that we can gage how much he is eating; the doctor said to go ahead and try to increase his amount so that he will sleep longer at night. We've been feeding him 4 oz a feeding, so we are slowly going to up it so that he will be getting between 6 and 8 oz by his 2 month visit. This is very encouraging that he could sleep more hours at night. I know it will take awhile, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel. Currently, he is sleeping about 3 to 3 and a half hours at night, sometimes getting close to 4. We are going to try to cluster feed more the hours prior to bedtime in order to stretch this out. Charlie is still doing wonderful eating out at restaurants - we are so impressed! Last night, he had his first babysitter, Baxter's sister. We left him for about 3 hours to go eat with our friends Daniel and Sherrill. He did wonderful. Tonight, I have a Junior League meeting, so Baxter is going to watch him by himself, which he does a wonderful job, so no worries there! I'll post pictures soon.

**Jonathan just dropped off the meal Megan made for us for dinner tonight. After all my bragging, Charlie was crying the whole time because he was wet, and Maggie was jumping all over Jonathan. I'd like to say this isn't a circus, but what can I say sometimes it is! Thank you for the meal tonight Megan, it looks wonderful!

Our First Week Home

2007-08-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we've been home a week now and things are going pretty good. There is no way to prepare for taking care of child, I think you just learn as you go because each child is different. The first couple of nights were rough because Charlie would cry and want to be held. After those nights, I have learned to tolerate some crying because I know eventually he will go to sleep. As long as I know he is fed, changed, and looks to be fine, then he can cry all he wants! Right now he is on about a 3 hour schedule. So after feeding him, he'll sleep around 2 and a half hours. He had difficulty latching on during breastfeeding, so I am pumping and he is taking the bottle. I just hope I can keep it up for 3-6 months. This has actually been good since I can have other people help me feed him while I get some rest. Our mothers have been a huge help and have stayed over some nights so we can sleep the whole night through. Baxter has been so helpful through this whole thing. I truly could not do it without him. It is also amazing how quickly the Lord uses this situation to grow your faith. All of a sudden, I pray about everything little thing. I have to completely rely on Him and know He is watching out for us. I also have been a lot more emotional than I thought I would be. Everyone told me I would cry over nothing, and this is really true! I cry when I tell Baxter I love him, I cry while I feed him, or when I am up in the middle of the night! This is slowly dimishing though, thank goodness! I can honestly say that I would describe this first week as overwhelming, but I know things will slowly get easier. Thank you to everyone who visited us at the hospital; it was so sweet to see our sweet friends. Thank you also for the meals that came this last week and are coming in the next few weeks - they are a huge help. Also, thank you for your prayers, please continue them. Here are our highlights from the week: going to Central BBQ when he was 5 days old and since going out to eat 2 other times - he does wonderful, he sleeps through the whole thing!; having projectile poop sent my way twice as well as a little water fountain!; watching Charlie smile while he sleeps; seeing Baxter hold him for the first time and seeing him turn into a dad instantly :); taking our first stroller ride around the neighborhood. I'll try to post more frequently and I'll try to take more pictures!

Baxter getting ready to go into the delivery room for my c-section.

Charlie attempting to have tummy time while Maggie watches him.

Baxter feeding Charlie

I thought this was such a cute face he made while being changed.

Sitting in his vibrating chair, sometimes he likes it, sometimes he doesn't!

Charlie's Nursery

2007-08-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

Charlie's Here!

2007-08-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

Charlie arrived on Tuesday, Augsut 14, 2007 at 8:08pm. He weighed 8 lbs and 9 ozs and measured in at 20.5 inches. He is doing great. I ended up delivering by C-section since I never passed 1cm, along with other things. We got to come home today and are adjusting to home life. Keep us in your prayers as we learn to be parents and as Charlie continues his development. I'll post more later as time allows and as pictures come!

Tuesday's the Day

2007-08-08T09:23:00.001-05:00

Well folks, it looks like Tuesday, August 14 is the day we will deliver, unless Charlie decides to come before then! The hospital is suppose to call me today to schedule my induction for Tuesday. I think this totally freaked Baxter and I out because all of a sudden this is very very real and very very soon! I will keep you updated if something changes. Please keep us in your prayers.

It's Hot

2007-08-06T08:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I officially had 38 good weeks of pregnancy. 38 weeks that I did not feel that I had a right to complain about my condition. 38 weeks that my feet were a normal size. 38 weeks were I didn't feel like the whole world could hear me breath. Well, now I am almost 39 weeks, and I have had it. We have had close to 100 degree temps for a week now and the coming week is predicting all 100 degree days. I don't know if I can make it. My feet will not fit into anything other than flipflops and my fingers hurt when I bend them because the skin is stretched so tight. I go to the doctor tomorrow and I will beg not to go a second past my due date of the 15th. Poor Baxter cannot sleep because I sound like a foghorn all night long and I am getting up to go to the bathroom every 2 hours. Well, it looks like we only have to go through this for another week and a half. I have no right to complain because I have been very blessed not to have any problems throughout this pregnancy, and hopefully the delivery will be the same way. But I will tell you, next time, I will try to plan a little better and give birth in the winter!

My 100 Things

2007-07-31T13:23:00.000-05:00

Alright, here are my 100 things. I think this is a blogging trend and of course I want to offer the full blogging experience to my readers! Here it goes:

1. First and foremost, I am a child of God - a sinner saved by grace.

2. I married my high school sweetheart, which seems unbelievable to some, but has been one of my proudest accomplishments!

3. I am about to be a mom, which is what I have always wanted to be, but now that it is starring me in the face, I find it quite scary.

4. I used to want my name to be Virginia Penelope, but still be called Jenny.

5. Most days, I take a nap in my car on my lunch break. I keep a kitchen timer in the car for this specific purpose.

6. I absolutely love being married and sharing every day with my best friend.

7. I don't mind being alone, but only in small doses. I little alone time is very refreshing!

8. I see nothing wrong with eating a nice meal at a sit down restaurant by myself - please don't feel sorry for me if you see me out doing this!

9. As you can tell, I like exclamation points, I think they make sentences look happy!

10. In college, I backed into a parked car and drove off. I had an accomplice - Stacey. We justified this by saying the large dent must have already been in the side of the car because I did not hit it going that fast. I am not proud of this story.

11. Obviously, I did not learn my lesson in #10, so in the last year I have hit a van pulling into a parking place. I backed out and parked a few spaces down. This was completely justified because there was no visible damage to the van, just a large dent in my car which I did not realize until I got home.

12. Why I love my husband: after returning home from the incident in #11, my husband noticed the large dent in our car. When he brought it to my attention, I appeared completely shocked - which all my husband could do was laugh!

13. Making my husband laugh is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

14. I am secretly very excited to be having a little boy, but for a very selfish reason: I am still the only girl around to be spoiled! I can add his name to the list of men that spoil me: Daddy, Baxter, and now Charlie!

15. After reading #14, you can see I am a selfish person. I have become more and more aware of this in the past few years. I am working on this and believe that God is going to fix this flaw in me very quickly with the birth of our son.

16. I feel very blessed to be able to live in Memphis, surrounded by both of our families. I complain sometimes, but I do realize this is a rare gift.

17. In most people's opinions, Baxter and I have terrible taste in music. I absolutely love the fact that we can sing the Beach Boys in the car at the top of our lungs. Baxter made one of my dreams come true a few years back, by taking me to see the Beach Boys in concert in Biloxi, MS. It was a little depressing since half of them are dead and the other half just look dead.

18. I see nothing wrong with June Cleaver and secretly aspire to be her.

19. I'm not sure what I would do if I could not call my mom at any time of the day. I feel the need to share even the most pointless details of my life with her. I hope my children feel the same way.

20. I have not really enjoyed the business world since entering it 4 years ago. I am not a business person at all.

21. I do not feel obligated to work overtime - I signed on for 37.5 hours a week and that's all they're getting - life's too short for any additional time at the office.

22. I hope the Lord allows me to have several children - a house full, the better.

23. I attend the Presbyterian church, but still adhere to most of the Baptist fundamentals.

24. Since #23, I have broadened my views of the body of Christ and accepted that some things are just not that essential and we will never agree on, and that's okay.

25. I was a vegetarian for a few years before meeting Baxter.

26. Since meeting Baxter, I think I can add 30 lbs. to the scale.

27. I love almost all vegetables and fruits. I can eat a tomato by itself like an apple. This disgusts most people, but I find it to be a healthy habit.

28. After college, I took the LSAT and actually scored well enough to get accepted to law school. After thinking it over, I decided not to go because I did not want to dedicate my life to a career other than wife to Baxter and mother to the Goss children.

29. Few people realize that I am actually a very opinionated person. I usually do not share my opinions with the world, only those closest to me get to experience my bitchiness!

30. I find cussing to be very unladylike and inappropriate, but a few words have found their way into my vocabulary since being pregnant and are usually only directed at my husband.

31. I love that life with Baxter is unpredictable - it makes things fun. I act upset when he brings home numerous chickens, but variety is the spice of life.

32. At this point, I am perplexed how I am going to come up with 67 more things about myself.

33. I love the idea of living the simple life, but I often find this is not my true heart's desire.

34. I loved college and would love to go back. There is no better definition of carefree.

35. I don't think I would go back to high school. I did not have a bad experience, it just wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

36. Between Baxter's family and my family, there are probably more skeletons in those closests than most would care to know.

37. I was involved in a bank robbery during my first year in banking. A man pulled a gun on us and demanded money. Quite scary!

38. I had never spent the night by myself since we've been married until last night. It really wasn't that bad! Usually my mom stays with me, but she has conveniently broken her ankle.

39. I have never changed a diaper, neither has Baxter. I know this is something we may laugh at in a few weeks, or maybe not.

40. Baxter is my rock. It becomes more and more appearant to me why the Lord brought us together so early in life. The things we have been through in the last 10 years could not be very easily understood by a new comer.

41. I was the first girl Baxter kissed, but only because he is scared of germs. I really don't have any excuse why he was my first kiss. I guess I was just a loser :)!

42. I used to think marrying a jock would be fun; now I don't think so. I am sooooo glad my husband does not like sports.

43. We both enjoy musicals.

44. I absolutely love spring and fall and strongly believe that daylight savings time should be kept year round.

45. A clean home makes me feel so good. I would clean and decorate my home regardless if anyone else ever saw it.

46. I hate scary movies and have started refusing to see them. The Jenny 8 years ago would frequent them just to make Baxter happy, that has since changed.

47. I hate getting on a plane, but love where they can take me. Before a trip, I have awful dreams. I much prefer driving to a destination, but so far you can't drive to the Carribbean.

48. When I travel, I prefer to go tropical. I love Mexico and the Carribbean. If we are using vacation time, we are going tropical or staying in the US. We see nothing wrong with the fact that we have not been to Europe, and really don't want to go. This is also a result of #47.

49. I love to buy planners, but rarely use them. I find post it notes to be the best form of time scheduling. A small calendar is really all that I need, but I always get sucked into purchasing the most complicated scheduling system.

50. I think Disney World is one of the happiest places on earth, and I cannot wait to go back. Baxter hates it, but I think this could change with children.

51. I do not cook. We eat out most every meal, unless Baxter gets the itch to cook. People say this will change with children, but I really hope it doesn't. I think more valuable family time is spent sitting at a restaurant rather than everyone running around the kitchen and scarfing down a meal in 10 minutes.

52. I have never voted for a democrat, but I might could bring myself to do it if necessary. I have yet to find necessary.

53. In college, I was in a tribe, which is like a sorority. We didn't have a Greek system, which is fine by me - a lot less caddiness.

54. I like to think that I am low maintenance, but I guess I'm not the one to comment on that.

55. I have not found the thing that I am really good at yet. I may never find this. I can do almost anything, but nothing exceptionally well. I'm not sure if my motivation runs out before I can achieve greatness or if I am really not good at that something. Maybe most people don't find this, I'm not sure. Don't feel sorry for me, maybe it's God's way of keeping me humble.

56. I adhere to old school grammer and punctuation rules. I cannot bring myself to only leave one space between sentences when typing, I believe two spaces are necessary. I also believe that a serious of three or more items should all be separated by a comma - even before the word "and". (i.e. Tom, Dick, and Harry NOT Tom, Dick and Harry)

57. I gave up Coke and tea for the first 8 weeks of my pregnancy, and then found it just too hard to go without. It just makes me feel good! Thank goodness for Charlie's sake, I am not an alcoholic.

58. I love hymns. I try to memorize as many as I can because singing them during rough times is a great source of comfort.

59. I was a cheerleader for one year in high school. I absolutely loved it. The school obviously didn't love me so much since I didn't make the squad the next year.

60. I was on the swim team in high school for all four years. It was the only team that didn't cut people! Nonetheless, I did letter in it every year - which means I didn't totally suck.

61. I love pizza and could probably eat it everyday.

62. I am completely addicted to Grey's Anatomy. It's an unhealthy habit, but totally worth it!

63. I took piano lessons for 10 years, from the age of 6 to 16. I can play, but am not as good as a ten year veteran should be - refer to #55.

64. During about the same span of time, I had perms. Religiously, every 6 months, I would go to the salon on Saturday morning and get a fabulous do.

65. I grew up in the same house, went to the same church, and the same school my whole life. Some people call this sheltered, I call it fortunate and comforting.

66. Despite being opinionated, my bark is a lot bigger than my bite. Because I only share my opinionated self with those close to me, Baxter will usually call me out on it in front of groups of people. For instance, we went to purchase a car last year. I became very frustrated and irritated with Baxter's negotiating skills - I mean, the boy negotiates for a living! So, I told him in the car between dealerships to let me handle it. Well, he did. He left me speechless in front of the salesmen during the critical phase, and all he could say was, "This is her car - deal with her." We basically had to run out of the place due to embrassment.

67. I am working on not crying during confrontations - this is a lot harder to do than I imagined.

68. Again, I am perplexed how I can come up with 31 more things about me. This has already taken a day and a half!

69. As a child, I made better friends with boys than girls. I still find girl relationships hard.

70. I love the smell of rain and fresh cut grass. These are some of my favorite things in the summer.

71. My grandfather owned an amusement park in Huntsville, AL when I was a child. We would spend a week there every summer - a child's dream.

72. My dad makes all the candy apples at the MidSouth Fair and has for the last 35 years - another child's dream.

73. I said my first cuss word in fourth grade. I was fixing my big hair one morning and got very frustrated and threw my brush on the floor and said "damn it". My mom laughed so hard she couldn't punish me.

74. I have loved being pregnant and find maternity clothes very freeing.

75. My brother is a certified personal trainer, which this has done me no good.

76. I have 18 first cousins. I love big family holidays, although they can be stressing at times, the more the merrier.

77. If I could be half the woman my grandmother is at her age, I would be happy. She is 84 and has given birth to 7 children - most of which come to every holiday and family emergency. She still mows her own grass on a riding lawn mower, plants her own garden, raised a puppy, and cooks every holiday meal for at least 30 people. She usually cooks at least 2 meats and 8 vegetables and will only let the family bring salads, bread, and desserts. Amazing.

78. I am a Reagan baby and proud of it. I was born 2 weeks after he took office and believe he was one of our best presidents in recent years. I am hoping Fred Thompson could follow in his footsteps.

79. I think living on a farm could possibly be fun, as long as it was close to a city!

80. I am a procrastinater, although I act like I'm not. I justify procratinating by saying I do my best work in a crunch. I will say I am proud of myself getting ready for Charlie - our bags are packed and everything is ready to go.

81. I love songs that tell a story and make you cry. Sometimes a good cry is just what is needed - men do not understand this.

82. I used to make up songs as a child about everything and record them. I really wanted to be a singer, but my voice just isn't star quality. I think I got this from my mom, she still sings around the house all day long and makes up little songs about everything and everyone. I love this - she also whistles all the time.

83. I am afraid that I am going to be an overprotective parent; I have to make a conscious effort not to be.

84. I love finding out about people's personal lives and their philosophies. I do this with co-workers, customers, family, and friends. It is not being nosey, I am genuinely fascinated by why people do what they do.

85. I loved my husband's red jeep. I cried when we got rid of it a couple of years ago. When picturing him in a car, that is immediately what I imagine. There are a lot of wonderful memories in that car.

86. I also love that people don't forget Baxter. I am fully aware that I am often referred to as Baxter's wife, and I am really okay with that. I consider it an honor.

87. Getting massages is one of the greatest indulgences there is - I try to indulge once a month; and yes I do understand that this will probably be reduced significantly in the coming months. I ask Baxter to give me massages, and he just tells me that he will pay for someone else to do, so that's what I make him do.

88. Life is too short for worrying. I understand this, but it does not keep me from it. I know it does no good. I am working on becoming more footloose. If I can't change it, then it shouldn't cross my mind.

89. I love to bake desserts. This is the only thing I really enjoy doing in the kitchen. I also love a variety of fruit teas, and usually make up one to have in the fridge at all times.

90. My golden retriever, Maggie, has epilepsy. She has taught us a great deal about childrearing. Getting up every few hours in the middle of the night while she was a puppy, going to the emergency vet in the middle of the night, giving her medicine every 12 hours for her entire life, and loving her despite all of this and knowing that I would cry for days if something happened to her.

91. I do not like to watch the world news. I find it depressing. Some think this makes me ignorant, but if it is really important I feel that someone will let me know!

92. I love having family and close friends that I feel completely at ease with. You know those people that you can go out with and it doesn't matter if you talk the whole time or not, just being around them is refreshing and relaxing.

93. I love late night runs for ice cream or Sonic drinks. I have a feeling that we might be throwing Charlie in the back seat asleep in order to continue doing this!

94. People would probably be shocked and possibly offended to see how Baxter and I act in the car. We turn around to see crazy things and people. We laugh at everything! Don't be surprised to see us rummaging through someone else's garbage.

95. I have an antique booth in Memphis. I have found this to be a great hobby. I get to shop and have an excuse for it.

96. I grew up outdoors and plan on making my children do the same. We rode bikes as a family almost every week during the summer, went to local parks, went on picnics, climbed trees, my parents had a dumptruck full of dirt delivered so we could play in it, we helped with yardwork, went swimming, played kickball in the backyard, and ran around everywhere barefoot. These are some of my greatest memories as a child. I don't even remember the TV being on during the summer.

97. I am very excited about the idea of never sitting in an office again, at least full time.

98. I hope my son turns out just like my husband because I consider him to be the perfect man!

99. I am an optimist most of the time, or at least view myself that way. I do have a negative streak at times. Baxter considers himself to be a realist, which I think is a cop-out negative people use!

100. If I had to choose my senior quote again, I would choose the same one: "I choose to live for you alone, to make Your cross my only glory and Your grace my only hope, to yield my will and to make my heart Your throne. I choose to live this life You give for You alone."

Apologies to the Blogging World

2007-07-31T09:17:00.000-05:00

To my loyal readers, I am very sorry that I have not posted since June. Things are getting a little hectic with my due date two weeks away. We are ready to go! Just wanted to let everyone know that we are still here and to check back soon for pictures of baby Charlie! I will try to post pictures of the nursery before then.

Just Call Us Green Acres

2007-06-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official, we have had our first eggs from our chickens. Baxter went out this morning and discovered one egg in one of the little nests; he went back this afternoon and discovered another egg! He is so excited! I do have to tell the truth - he actually cheated. Baxter was getting impatient about the hens laying eggs. They still have about 2 months before they should be able to lay eggs. He decided to go and buy a full grown hen at Love's Feed. He bought the hen earlier this week and now it has started laying eggs. Baxter's hastiness does scare me though - what's he going to do if Charlie is crawling, walking, and talking on time? Who knows, probably strap some wheels onto him and pull him along! Oh well! For now, we are grateful to have fresh eggs daily. Baxter is planning on making a cake with his eggs tomorrow! We have also purchased clear plastic egg cartons online so we can share our bounty with friends and family. So be looking for your carton of fresh Goss eggs sometime soon!

Charlie's First Shower

2007-06-18T12:24:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we had our first baby shower for Charlie. Our sweet friends - Stacey, Lauren, Amber, Katie, and Becca - threw us a wonderful party. They did an awesome job. Everything was decorated so cute as you can see in the pictures and the food was great! We received many of the things that we will need for Charlie. Everyone was so generous. Thank you to each of you!

Jacks crawling to steal some of our gifts!

One of the tables with Charlie's name spelled in blocks

The tables were so cute with Charlie's name on the backs of each of the chairs and little boy toys laying around!

My college roommates: Stacey, Cristie, and Nina

My sister in law, Lauren

Baxter reading about "Swaddle Me". I'm not sure he understood.

P.S. Congratulations to my friend, Tanya, on her new baby boy, Miles!

A Natural? Not Quite!

2007-06-13T14:03:00.001-05:00

I have posted two pictures of me with children to show my ackwardness. As you can tell, when I hold a child, I either make a funning laughing face or just a scared - I don't know what I am doing- face. Bother of these accurately describe what I feel! After viewing these pictures, I am not very confident in my mothering skills. I realize that they will come and things are different with your own child, but nevertheless I am not the maternal picture I was hoping for! I have begun my baby reading in hopes of becoming a more fit mother. BabyWise and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer are the books of choice right now. They have great advice and are great at totally freaking a person out! According to my mother, "You'll automatically know what to do - it will be very natural." That is encouraging and comforting. As usual, the polar opposite mother in law says, "I stayed in the house for days and had no clue what to do. You wouldn't want me to lie to you and say how easy and pleasurable it was, would you?" Actually, yes I would prefer the lie! Either way, I know we will make it through - people have been doing this for years. I just have to keep reminding myself, God Provides! I have my first baby shower this Saturday. My sweet friends from church are throwing us a couples shower. It will be hilarious to watch Baxter open some gifts. After our registering fiasco, this should be interesting. I think he registered for anything with fish on it! I'll post pictures after the shower. Oh, we are on 2 week appointments now at the doctor - how exciting!

Me and Nina's daughter, Olivia, at my office

Me and Amber's son, Jacks, met me for lunch

Baby Update

2007-06-05T13:32:00.002-05:00

First let me apologize to my readers, I was informed that I need to keep you interested and I have slacked off as a blogger. I will try to do better! Today I went for my 30th week appointment. Charlie is doing great - praise the Lord! He and I have gained a significant amount of weight since the last appointment. He is already in the head down position - he's ready to go! Of course, I know this can change in the next 10 weeks, but it is encouraging nonetheless. I also had my gestational diabetes test today. I won't know for a few days if anything is wrong - don't you love the waiting game! Today a medial student went around with my doctor. She was introduced to me as Dr. something, anyways I know that this is a trick that they use to make patients feel more comfortable and confident in this student. She told me she was in her 4th year of med school - I wanted to whisper that she was not fooling anyone and I know she is not a real doctor yet! I'll play along with their little game as long as no one is doing something serious to me, I won't expound on that! The last few weeks have been crazy. Baxter's sister got married a couple of weeks ago and is loving married life. We went to the Perdido Key for a week and enjoyed just laying on the beach and bumming around. For all you pregnant women out there, I want you to know that the inner tube idea worked great. I bought the largest inner tube I could find and stuck my stomach in it so I could get sun on my back. I highly recommend it! I think I should patent the idea. For now, I am going to try and survive our hot and dry weather here in Memphis. I'll post again soon!

The Woos of a Pregnant Woman

2007-05-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned early, Baxter's sister is getting married in 2 weeks. I am the matron of honor and get to wear a tea length black dress with 3 inch heels! Imagine my stark white body going down the aisle in a black dress, so obviously I have to correct this problem. Earlier in the week I tried to lay out, which those of you who know me know that this is going to be to no avail anyways, but nonetheless I was going to give it a shot. I started on my back and stayed that way for about 20 minutes. Charlie decided he was going to kick me the whole time as punishment I'm sure because just like Baxter, he knows laying out is a waste of time. I go to flip on my stomach and suddenly realize this can't be done! This honestly had not occurred to me until this moment. So, in an attempt to get some sun on my back and legs, I stayed in the all fours position for 5 minutes, which is all I could take. I just knew someone was going to walk through our back gate only to see my pregnant rear in the air! Luckily, I found this fact out before our trip to the beach in 3 weeks. I told Baxter he had to buy a large innertube for me to lay face down on at the beach. He of course thought this was ridiculous, but I think he knows he'd better do it! Since my tanning efforts failed, I went to the Mystic Tan booth. It looks okay on me, I guess better than nothing and besides I am sick of hearing wisecracks from my mother-in-law about my ghostly skin. This whole belly experience leads me to another recent belly experience I had at the massage therapist. I love massages and have been getting one once a month since I've been pregnant. This past month was the first time I could not lay on my belly for the massage. So, they bring out this contraption that looks like a lounge chair with the center cut out. The lady told me to lay on it, which I think I must be a little too small for this thing because I kept falling down into the hole, which led to me holding my body up with my shoulders and arms which is not comfortable or relaxing. When I finally turn over and sink into the hole for the remainder of the massage, the lady started to rub my belly. I honestly almost sat up and slapped her! She made circles with her hands around my stomach and it was the most ackward thing I have experienced in some while. I understand that people feel inclined to pat or rub my belly, that's fine -weird- but fine; but to actually take 10 minutes from my massage to rub my belly is crazy. Next month I will ask for the belly rub not to take place. These are my woos for now. This of course is nothing compared to the excitement that we are feeling right now. Only 3 months to go! I'll keep you posted.

Lauren & Justin's Shower

2007-04-25T14:49:00.000-05:00

Baxter's sister, Lauren, and her husband-to-be, Justin, had a shower this past Saturday night at Windyke Country Club. There was a great turn out and absolutely wonderful food! She gets married on May 19. In the next several years, they will be the Drs. Whitley - how odd does that sound?

2007-04-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of our house with the azaleas in bloom as well as myself almost 24 weeks pregnant!

2007-04-24T10:43:00.000-05:00

You've got to be kidding - we're raising chickens!

2007-04-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, I have married a very unusual man - wonderful, but crazy! The Saturday before Easter, Baxter agreed to go looking for fabric with me for Charlie's room. He was doing so good, until we got to Collierville. All he asked was that we stop at the feed store to look around; he had not complained all day so I figured I could handle a small sidetrip. Of course, he had this all planned I am convinced. You see, the week before, Baxter had given his fishtank to his friend Jose and donated his prize lionfish to the New Hunan in Cordova - all this for the sake of Charlie's nursery. I felt really bad because Baxter really loved his fish, but he didn't seem to mind giving it up. On numerous occasions, Baxter has told me how much he loved raising chickens when he was young. (Once again, this unusual man raised chickens as a 8 year old in the middle of Memphis) These stories had become more frequent over previous weeks. So back to the feed store - Baxter makes a beeline to the back of the store. And what do you find at the back of a feedstore the day before Easter, chicks! So as usual, I get convinced of how much Baxter needs these chickens, and how wonderful they will be for Charlie. Well, we purchase 8 chickens! Of course, they have to live in our house for a week until Baxter gets the coup built. This deeply upsets our other disturbed pet, Maggie - our epileptic golden retriever. She has to constantly look at them and try to attack them. Fastforward through the week, and it's Wednesday. I come home from work, and as everyday I am asked to look at the chickens. Well by golly, they almost doubled their numbers overnight. How could this be? Maybe their "father" discovered another feed store near our house! Now we are up to 13 chickens. And of course we have had 2 to die - and in the Goss family we don't replace things one for one, but two for one! Oh, I failed to mention that when buying chicks, you take the luck of the draw which means we don't know how many hens and how many roosters we have. We have to wait to they get older to find out, then we have to get rid of the roosters because of the noise and we don't want thousands of little chicks running around, just eggs! I'll keep you posted on the chicks progress in the coming weeks!

Welcome to my Blog!

2007-04-20T16:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I was going to wait and start a blog after we had our baby, but due to my work blocking me from facebook I had to find a new way to communicate with the world during business hours! They have not figured out how to block blogs yet, let's hope they don't in the next 3 months. For those of you who don't know, Baxter and I are expecting our first child around the middle of August. His name will be Charles Baxter Goss Jr., but we are going to call him Charlie. Things are going great so far. Have fun following our crazy lives via this blog until Charlie arrives.