Progress, Folks!

I can't believe what has happened in the last seven days on our house. What is even more amazing is that I have only driven by my house once that the "workermen" weren't working. Thus, I have only walked thru it once. Even then, the stairs weren't completed, so I have only seen the downstairs. I am definitely not complaining about their work schedule. They work six days a week from dawn until dusk. The hot days of summer have already commenced, but I can guess that it is only going to get worse.

This week they completed the framing, installed the windows, started the decking and will probably complete the roof today. I love how fast the outside goes. I know it will slow down once they move inside, but when the workers are giving 12 hour days, it all goes pretty quickly.
I should let all you HOTR readers know now that we will be heading to Oklahoma on Saturday for a Memorial Day celebration with my family and to be with the packers and movers next week. (Bittersweet moments, for sure. But, Halleluiah that our house sold!) Thus, I will be without a computer for an entire week. What to do? Don't give up on me. I will be back in full force on the following Monday with a HUGE surprise. I hope it will be as exciting for you as it is for me. So, I hope you are waiting on pins and needles....until we meet again!

An American Hero

With Memorial Day approaching, I thought it was befitting to talk about my Papa who was in the Navy during World War II. My mom sent me some details about the journey his whole family took to be with him before he shipped off. I think it's best from her:

"Before there were baby boomers, there were the war babies, those of us born during WWII. In 1943, my dad had just graduated from high school and, as most young men of this era, was drafted into the military. There was no choice of service. If you were a high school graduate, you were sent to the Navy and if you had not completed high school, you went to the Army. Mom and Daddy were married in the Fall and by January 1944, he was sent to San Diego for boot camp. My mother followed a few weeks later, riding a train for two days packed with service men, all going to California. This was an eighteen year-old girl who had never been out of the state of Oklahoma. She was to stay with relatives so she could be close to Dad. Although he never got to leave, they had visits during his dinner hour. He missed his dinner, but Mom brought sandwiches to share on the base grounds. He later went to signalman school in San Diego and more training in Los Angeles. Lucky for Mom she had relatives there as well. She remembers helping him learn the signals by using flash cards. Eventually, Granny and Papa (his parents) came to California to be close to him before he shipped out. His dad was a carpenter and practiced his trade there for about six months. They found government housing for the families of servicemen and lived there with Mom and took care of her since she was now pregnant with me."

(Pictures: Upper Right: Papa in his Navy uniform. Bottom Left: The USS Wichita, the ship Papa was on in Saipan.)

(To be continued)

An American Hero (continued)

There are a few times where the Papa's and Daddy's get confusing. Mom calls her Dad, "Daddy or Dad", who is "Papa" to me. However, Papa's Dad was also a "Papa". I tried to put "Papa G" when mentioning Papa's Dad.

Again, quoting Grammy...

"During the war years no one could get a telephone and communication was not easy. They would find messages on the door to call a number back. Papa's Dad [Papa G] would walk several blocks to a pay phone to return a phone call. One of those messages came from my Dad shortly before my birth. He was to be quarantined on ship for 3 days before shipping out. [Papa G] told him they would be taking Mom to the hospital that night, most likely. When she went to the doctor, she would take a bus and then change to a street car to get to the Naval Hospital. The halls were lined with young pregnant women waiting to be seen by a doctor.

Despite the risk of being court martialed, Daddy and a friend climbed down the rat topes of the ship the next night to get to a phone. He knew he would not be able to reach his parents, but if a child had been born, his sister in Oklahoma would know. He had a baby girl! And they named me Suzanne. [aka Grammy] The announcement of my birth was wrapped in secrecy. The next day his ship sailed for Saipan, in the Mariana Islands, not to return for a year and a half. After I was six weeks old, Mom and Granny and [Papa G] travelled back to Oklahoma with me. [Papa G] built a wooden box and lined it with pillows for the journey.

As a side, during his physical, the doctor told Daddy that he had a heart murmur and was justified to stay home. He chose to go with his buddies to war, as all men were doing. It was his decision not to take deferment.

Those were hard and frightening times for a generation who had grown up during The Depression. Now, they were sacrificing their lives for their country. Dad received $30 a month in pay. There were blackouts at night, rationing of all products and women doing the work of the men who were at war. All this and very little communication with their loved ones. Everyone pulled together with a sense of patriotism that is rare today. Those friends during the war years have remained strong through the test of time."

----------------------------------------
Those were days I rarely heard my Papa talk about. To imagine young boys just out of high school, if at all, experiencing war is just heart breaking. Those boys grew up fast, as any boy might today who is at war. Those experiences changed Papa forever. It is not something he wanted to do, but something he did out of loyalty to his country and to his friends...a real American hero.

(Pictures: Top Right, the Naval Hospital where Mom was born. Bottom Right, A picture of a PT boat like the one that Papa was on during the war. Left: Granny's pin up)

Annual Pics

With as many pictures as I take of the boys, I have never had formal pictures taken by a photographer. That is planned for a couple weeks from now...I am very excited. However, on each of the boys' birthdays I load up the rascals and take them to Sears for what I call the "Grandparent Pictures." This keeps all the grandparents happy. Plus, I do like having pictures to document each age. (For all you parents of allergy-sufferer-ers, Sears is the only animal-free location I could find...ie no bunnies on the premises at Easter-time.) So, these are officially JLS's 2 year photos. He wasn't smiling on his birthday, but he was having lots of fun at Sears with JBS. They both had fun.

Last week, I was laying on the couch for a minute while JLS and JBS finished their lunch. This means naptime is next--Hallelujah! I watched JBS walk hand-and-hand with JLS to his bedroom without a word. I listened closely and I heard JBS "reading" JLS a book and singing "Jesus Loves Me" to him. The next thing I heard was JBS telling JLS to put his head on his pillow and go to sleep. The door then shut quietly and JBS walked by me headed for his room. "Mom, you don't have to do anything, I took care of JLS. Don't worry." JBS headed to his room for his nap and I didn't hear from either one of them for the next 3 hours.

When I picked my jaw up off the floor and wiped my tears of joy, I called Babe immediately. That baby is incredible. His heart is of gold. Not only is he a great big brother (most of the time:)), he has the ability to recognize how to help me and do it! I love him so much! I am so grateful for JBS's leadership. I think my little JLS, as precious as he is, will definitely need a good leader in a cool big brother to point him in the right direction. JLS basically swings from chandeliers as he pleases. JBS will be a great influence...birth order could definitely be a great thing in our family. To imagine JLS being the oldest and influencing JBS's decisions, oh dear! I might have to commit myself if I think about that one too long. What a team those little toots are going to make!

JLS is 2!

Yesterday was JLS's 2nd birthday. We had lots of Babe's family in for the occasion. It was destined to be a great party. We had a basketball theme, as JLS flips everytime he sees a basketball or a goal. Every driveway in our neighborhood has a basketball goal and everytime we pass each of them, JLS grunts at the top of his lungs and points at it. So, a basketball party it was.

I am not so sure my cake really looks like a basketball, but I tried! As I mentioned before, I was convicted after JBS's 2nd birthday to start making the boys' birthday cakes. It tasted really good...it was even an orange flavored cake...yum.

Unfortunately for JLS, he didn't sleep Saturday night for some reason....(and again last night, too...for the same some reason) This is par for the course if you want a snapshot of JLS's little life. His life theme would be "no sleep". He was cranky for his party up until the presents came. He got lots of fun pieces to the wooden train set that he and JBS share. Thus, JBS was just as excited about the loot.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY little JLS. You are a precious, independent, unique and loving little non-sleeping two year old toot!

Now, Momma is going to bed...

We've Got Sticks!

Good morning and welcome to the Friday progress report. As you know, we have had some heavy rains, but I am quite impressed with the workmen's sticktuitiveness. They are always back when the rain goes away and the sun peeks out. Last night they were still hard at work at 6:30pm. With them working late, I am not so sure we have lost any time at all. Impressive.

They started building the frame on Monday. When we drove by for the first time, JBS exclaimed, "Mom! Look at those sticks! I am soooo happy!" I am certain the workermen, as JBS refers to them, have both of our cars pegged from the daily trips by the house with the boys. We get so excited, even about the new dumpster that was put in the yard. When JBS discovered the port-a-potty, he told me, "We already have a potty, Mom!" Yeah! It's the little things that make us happy.

We are anxious for them to just get a roof on the house, so the weather doesn't affect the progress so much. I think the rainy season has arrived. We do live in the Tropics, you know.

3 months 2 weeks and 2 days to go! (Check out my countdown by scrolling down to the very bottom of my blog.)

Severe Weather: TX vs OK

Growing up in the official Tornado Alley in Oklahoma has prepared us for all kinds of severe weather. We have lived thru a lot. I love weather, but Vin loves it more. I never worried about storms in the middle of the night because I knew Vin was glued to the TV just a few miles away. If there was any danger, she would call. After all, why should we all lose sleep over some storms? If there ever was a storm in the night, which happened often this time of year, I could turn on the TV to any local channel and fill my little brain with more information on the current weather conditions than I ever needed to know. The meteorologists in Tulsa are compulsive and obsessive. Even when there is just a chance for severe weather, they cut in to TV programs to chat about it...for a long time. There was never a day that an Okie didn't think about the weather, as it was usually the headline news. If it wasn't on the news, every Friday at noon they tested the tornado sirens. It is difficult to avoid thinking about the weather in Oklahoma, period.

Babe was out of town last night. I knew severe weather was going to move through during the night, so I stayed up late waiting to see the news. Confirmed, but nothing was coming until the wee hours. (Where was Vin? I wanted to sleep!) At 2:30am I woke up to strong wind and rain, thunder and lots of lightening. So, I turned on the TV to check the weather. I checked all local channels...nothing. I finally clicked to The Weather Channel where I found a red ticker telling me my county is under a tornado warning and to take cover NOW! What? Where was all the local coverage? Where were the tornado sirens? Where was all the hype and fear? It was nowhere to be found except on the little red ticker on the national weather channel. Come to think of it, I had never heard the wail of the siren any time at all since we have been here. So, should I wake the boys and take cover? Do I wait to hear sirens? I was so mad that I was losing sleep over this. About an hour later the storm passed through and all was quiet again. Phew.
This morning I woke up to see the news with 10 little spirals in and around the Woodlands from where there were tornados or circulation or whatever they call it here. And you know what? Those weather men and women weren't at work last night. They were all tucked in their cozy little beds while I was up worrying about tornados with no source for information and no tornado sirens to blare at me. I am so accustomed to weather overload.

So, I just returned from getting my hair cut where I told my tale to the stylist. She was cracking up. She had never even heard of a tornado siren and her only means of receiving warnings was on the ticker at the bottom of the TV screen. I get that the conditions aren't often perfect here for tornados like they are in Oklahoma. But what if a tornado comes in the night while you are asleep like last night? I guess that is when we all just get blown away. No one seems to have an answer.

So, I beg you, what is a person to do when the weather is bad and the weather man is asleep? The weather people in Oklahoma never sleep.

The Woodlands

I don't think I have given the proper introduction to The Woodlands. I will be the first to admit that when we looked here for the first time, I didn't like it at all. First of all, it's the "burbs" and it is a master planned community. Coming from a house built in 1938 in the heart of our city, this is a very different lifestyle for me. There are lots of restrictions. The Woodlands is made of 5 villages, each built in a different time period with the oldest village being built in 1974. The hardest thing to get used to is all the trees. Believe it or not, the trees hide everything making The Woodlands very difficult to navigate in the daytime, let alone at night. I LOVE trees, but here, you can drive down the main parkway and see nothing but thickets of trees. Disguised behind the thickets are gas stations and restaurants, but you never know they are there unless you turn in to each little shopping center.

What I like the least, which is coming to an end, as The Woodlands is almost built out, are the signs. Signs that point in the direction of houses for "$100,00-$300,000 or "From $550,000" or "$1 million and up." That makes it all feel so Stepford, as people know exactly how much your neighborhood is worth. ick. ick. ick.

After checking out the "good" neighborhoods in the city, we decided "the burbs" weren't so bad. I was discouraged in Katy, not finding a neighborhood I loved and not having ANY trees. So, we re-visited The Woodlands and two days later bought our lot. After evaluating all our options, there is truly not a safer place in the city for our family. This community was built around families and for families. The trees aren't so blinding once you find a couple routes to and from your house. A GPS is a definite necessity. The restrictions....well, I know I will never have a purple house next door. This is a green community and they restrict your trash and recyclables...it's all for the good. We keep our uniform green trash can on the side of the house because the smell of stinky diapers overtakes our garage with only once a week trash pick up. That is RESTRICTED. We received a warning, as the trash can cannot be viewed from the street. These really are good restrictions, so I can get used to them.

The shopping is wonderful. I have no need to drive to Houston for anything, unless I need a Nordstrom's fix. There is a mall that has great shopping indoors and a really neat outdoor shopping area with restaurants and a plaza around the waterway. You can catch water taxi's to take you elsewhere. At the mall area is a great (and huge) Borders, Anthropologie, Banana Republic Women, Urban Outfitters, Pottery Barn, etc etc. If you are more up for the quaint shopping, Market Street is across the street. This is like a town square with a splash pad and grassy knoll in the middle where mommies and kids put blankets down and play on pretty days. Great restaurants and boutiques. (Sur la Table, Smith and Hawken, Francesca's, Tommy Bahama, Z Gallerie, etc) Just less than a block from Market Street is the mecca....HEB Central Market. Oh, to have a good, I mean FANTASTIC grocery store. The fresh seafood makes my mouth water and I NEVER liked seafood until I saw it here. We now eat fish once a week!

So, Babe and I have both decided, that for this stage in our lives, ease is good. A community created specifically for families is great. Family-friendly everything is fantastic.

For now, Utopia ain't so bad.

Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons are the best place to note the differences between JBS and JLS. JBS has taken swimming lessons since the month he turned three. That was the cut off for non-mommy and me classes :) Before you think I am awful for not choosing the Mommy and Me class, think about this. JBS wet and crying, JLS wet and crying, Mommy wet and crying. That is why I waited until JBS was three. We took lessons at a wonderful place in Tulsa that really catered to kids. JBS would sit on the steps and cry....and cry. When he finally acclimated to the actual lessons (about a month later), the class was starting to go to the slide and diving board. Then, he would try to be so brave and walk with the other kids in a line....with a quivering lip and so many tears. All the moms in the viewing room would be cheering for JBS as he would walk by the window trying to support him as he "walked his plank". If he ever made it off the board, everyone in the room would stand up and clap for JBS. It was sweet and funny and sad all at the same time.

Now, we are in The Woodlands at a wonderful place, too. I love it most because JBS and JLS take private lessons together. Initially, JBS was great and JLS cried. Then, when JBS started swimming, he lost his confidence and began the crying all over again. (sigh) Right about that time, JLS became acclimated and resumed his regular pistol-like lifestyle. If JBS would be crying on the side not wanting to perform, JLS would say, "Enough of this!" He would literally push JBS over and jump in the pool with no warning and NO ONE there to catch him. JLS dunks himself, blows his bubbles, goes under water, jumps, kicks...and if he was allowed to, he would try to swim on his own. JBS, on the other hand, can do all those things, but his cautious nature keeps him from going "head first" like his brother.
On Monday, something happend. Something clicked for JBS. I am not sure if it was the promise of bathing in my bathtub (a big deal for JBS) if he didn't cry, or what. (Yes, we go for big bribes at our house!) JBS was jumping, dunking, laughing... and swimming! God bless him. When the lessons were over and Mr. Ryan was praising the boys, especially JBS, for their work, he couldn't get over JBS's change of heart. We got in the car and out of the clear blue, JBS, who usually is whining and boo-hooing, says, "Mommy, I LOVE to swim, I LOVE to jump, I LOVE swimming lessons!" (I LOVE green eggs and ham!) I literally pulled the car over and asked if he was sure. I was in shock. He started up with his giggle and gave me double knucks. He was sure.
JBS has arrived. WE have arrived. We are going to make it.

For Posterity's Sake

Just before Babe walked off the Williams Trading Floor for the last time, I was there to visit at the end of the day. I got to talking to the sweet old man who was the security guard and he asked if I was going to take pictures. I said that I hadn't thought of it, but I might. He said, "Well, if you are asking me, cameras are not allowed anywhere on or near the trading floor. But, I don't have a problem turning my head for just a few seconds. " With that, I grabbed my phone and took a few pictures with my camera. They weren't very clear, but I emailed each of them to myself and deleted them from my phone. The emails never arrived. I was devastated! By then, Babe had had his last good-bye's and had zero interest in taking me back down to the floor.

It was a sad good-bye for a lot of those guys on the floor. They arrived soon after college doing shiftwork on the realtime desk to make ends meet. Next thing they knew, trading was en vogue and they were traders. If not traders, part of a booming trading floor! The rarity of the Williams Trading Floor was that it was a bunch of good ol' boys. They struggled together in the hard times and bonded through those times. They worked hard, played hard, got married, and had babies while dealing with lots of success. And then it all changed. It changed with Enron and then again 3 months later with 9/11. Enron affected their jobs and the perception of the floor from the Williams Execs. 9/11 affected those guys forever. Several were on the squawk box with Cantor Fitzgerald when the plane hit their building...they heard the crash and the chaos that ensued. The next day, they served as the call center for the families of the Cantor Fitzgerald employees. None of those guys have ever mentioned that day again. Tough times.

Over the past few weeks, I have had horrible issues with my current phone (not the one I used to take the pics) and finally called to trade it in. When I got the replacement phone, somehow those long lost pictures of the trading floor showed up! Who knows how, but they did. So, today the trading floor will be revealed, albeit blurry. The Williams trading floor was truly one of the best kept secrets in Tulsa. They poured money into it from the beginning. Being on the trading floor in Tulsa, Oklahoma was like being on a trading floor in New York City. It was huge at 21,000 square feet. It had the tickers, the weather, the big boards filled with the numbers of the hour. And, there was lots of action. Needless to say, I was quite impressed the first time I saw it. Unfortunately, when Bear Stearns bought the floor, they turned down this impressive trading floor in Tulsa, for something much less impressive and cubicle-like in Houston. So, to Houston we came.

The trading floor will always be meaningful to Babe. Not only did he get his big break there, he made some of his best friends. Those guys are like their own little fraternity. They will forever do anything for each other. And the trading world is really a small one, as they talk daily on their box to traders all over the US. Just yesterday, we sat next to a guy in church. During the greeting time, he said, "Hey, did you work for Williams? I work with this guy and that guy who came from Williams, too. I recognized your name on the registry...."

Smaller than I had originally thought!

We've Got Slab!

It's amazing how exciting the little things are when building a house. We had a couple of days of rain delay, as we had a deluge on Monday that filled the trenches with water. Tuesday, our inspector came out to approve the process before the big pour. Wednesday was a dry out day and Thursday morning they poured the slab. I can actually visualize where everything is located on the first floor. In this picture, the garage is on the right in the front, the section in the front that steps down is our front porch. The white PVC pipe on the left is around the master bath, while the tall PVC on the right is the kitchen. In between the two is our den. Can't you see it so clearly?

Babe hasn't studied this plan for hours on end like me, so it is still hard for him to visualize. He will ask with such confidence, "Now, this is our bedroom, right?" when he is actually standing in the dining room." (on the opposite side of the house.) Someday soon, he will see the grand plan. Oh! How I can't wait to see the grand plan in action...

JBS didn't have the opportunity to measure today, as it was so muddy. However, he has learned a little something from hiking the trails at the lake with Big Daddy. We spotted some tracks on our lot. They could be racoon tracks, or squirrels (of the flying and endangered nature) or maybe even a sloth. We like to dream, but they are probably just a cat...a big stealthy cougar, perhaps? We will have to confer with the Eagle Scout.

Just Because

Babe came home early from work yesterday to help with the kids so I could go meet my new GI doctor (yipee). He was running late and we passed each other in the driveway. But what to my wondering eyes did appear? Babe had a beautiful bouquet of flowers in the front seat of his car. My first thought was, "WHO would have given Babe flowers?" (Smart, I know.) Then, I decided they were for me and my second thought was "He bought the Playstation 3." I was certain that was it and he was buttering me up. But, no. It was "Just Because." Usually flowers appear when I have had some sort of nervous breakdown. (Those occurred more frequently in the moving process.) I am proud to say that there have been no crazy moments (or longer) of insanity in our house in quite awhile. A good sign, for sure.
So, no Playstation 3 and no psychotic breakdowns. Just because. Awwwwww. He's alright sometimes

Culturally Relevant

I am a big fan of Beth Moore Bible Studies. They are intense, but the benefits are well worth the effort. I am attempting to start the GOOD habit in my life of getting up before the boys each morning to have my daily quiet time. Don't praise me, yet, as I am still in training. I have discovered, however, that Beth Moore is about the only one who can keep me awake at 5am. I like it because I read a little here, write a little there, etc. The variety keeps me awake. With that said, I am diving into one of Beth Moore's more recent studies on Daniel. In a regular group study, you watch a video each week. Thanks be to the internet (lifeway.com), I can download the videos and watch them in the comfort of my own home. It's really convenient. I am loving my study of Daniel and I am only 2 weeks in to it.

I wanted to share something that I completely believe, but I could never put in to words. Only Beth could state it so eloquently. Briefly, I am reading in the first two chapters of Daniel about King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and how he captured Judah, the home of Daniel. The king plucked the most handsome and knowledgable young men from Judah to groom for his courts, including young Daniel. Babylon was a city of extravagance and riches. The people were consumed with vanity and status. They were known to be glutenous and a city that didn't serve God. (hmm...sound familiar?) However, Daniel resolved to resist the temptations of the city that would draw him away from his belief in God. Beth Moore makes a bold statement, "Bone-deep resolve doesn't develop by going to church every Sunday morning or going to Bible study every Tuesday night....these might encourage us in our resolve, but they aren't enough to create or sustain it...Godliness is never accidental. Neither is victory coincidental. Both stem from up-front, daily resolve... CONSISTENCY." That's what gets us there. That's what takes us to the next level. That's how we learn to abide.

I love what she said there and as great as it is, that only gets me to the quote I love the most. She goes on to say that as Christians we should strive to be "culturally relevant without becoming spiritually irrelevant." What a way to express it. This means that we shouldn't ostracize ourselves from society at either end of the spectrum (ex: long hair, no make-up, no interaction with the world), but be enough a part of society to be good examples to those who don't believe without being consumed with the objects of the world. Don't be so engrossed in the worldly, or cultural, goods that you lose sight of God and His purposes. Daniel chose to remain firm in his belief, even after he was captured and taken to Babylon...and God took care of him.
Continue in your resolve to be spiritually and culturally relevant in a world that feels spiritually irrelevant. Meeting non-believers on their level allows for open communication that otherwise might be missed if we were to put ourselves on pedastels.
Be culturally relevant without becoming spiritually irrelevant...Think on this!

Liquidation

How good does it feel to sell things? For this family, its a fabulous feeling. In the past month we have sold three major items in our lives including our house, our truck and our swingset. This is an extraordinary feeling, as we happen to do things the most stressful way. We bought a new car before we sold the truck. We started building a house and renting a house before we sold our house in Tulsa. None of it happened how we would have planned it, but it just happened.

So, with that, I have to state the obvious by giving huge credit to the internet. Do you realize how much we do on the internet? I do so much without even realizing it. We sold the truck on Autotrader.com, we sold the swingset on Craigslist.org, and the buyers of our house found our house on Pruhomequest.com. This doesn't include all the shopping I do on the internet. Our family will be at a loss if the internet ever disappears. I don't know what we would have done if Al Gore hadn't invented it! (ba-dump-bum-ting)

So, for those of you out there who are in the business of selling, I highly recommend the internet. I am helping my dad sell his boat and my Pottery Barn table and chairs are for sale. There is just something addicting about the success of a sale. I just keep looking around for something else to sell! The greatest part about it all is that its just a matter of clicks...no sitting out at a garage sale all day long making pennies on the dollar, no hard-core pedalling, just downloading and waiting. Technology and liquidation are music to my ears.

Pictures, Pictures, and Pictures

Picture time....again. Unfortunately for my boys, they have each been to three schools this school year. JBS has been to four schools if you count last summer. I hate that for them, but they have each been so amazing and fit right in to each new class quite well. They are troopers. The funniest part about it is that we have managed to make "Picture Day" at every single school. We are old pros at "Picture Day." JBS eats it up, as he loves having his picture made...JLS not as much. All I can say for the photographer is that somehow he got eight 1 year-olds to sit still and look at the camera all at the same time. THAT is quite an incredible feat. I can't even get both my boys to look at the camera at the same time. Kudos to him. As for JLS, this is a moment to frame for sure. I have NEVER seen him sit that still and appear so focused....ever! Precious little toots. This should be our last Picture Day for the year...God willing.

The Sound of a Whippoorwill

In addition to pumas in The Woodlands, we have whippoorwills. The first night I heard the whippoorwill the boys and I were on a walk right at dusk. It was a beautiful sound at that time and reminded me of "Sunday in the South" by Shenandoah. If you aren't familiar, it's an old country song and one of the final lines of the song is, "The night is filled with the sound of a whippoorwill....another sacred Sunday in the South." I sing this song in my head everytime I hear that whipoorwill. It really is a sound of the South.

I should say that I sang that song every time I heard it. According to Wikipedia, Whippoorwills are black, gray, and brown, they have a short bill and black throat, yada yada yada. The most important characteristic reads, "Whippoorwills sleep during the day." This is something I have come to know very well over the past two or three weeks. Since becoming a mother, I have become a light sleeper. For the last two or three weeks at 2am on the dot, guess who is all sunshine-y and awake? Yes, my resident Whippoorwill. He sings his steady song ALL. NIGHT. LONG. My best guess is that he is perching on my window sill intentionally trying to wake me up.

After a few nights of tossing and turning to the steady whistle of this southern bird, I asked Babe if he heard the whippoorwill in the night? His response, "What whippoorwill?" and "What makes you think its a whippoorrwill?" So, once Babe googled the silly bird and determined I was right, he admitted he hadn't heard it until I pointed it out one evening. Babe sleeps like a rock...nothing will stir Babe in his sleep, not even the sound of a screaming baby. How could I ever think a whippoorwill would rouse his tired self.

Last night, like most nights, I woke up at 2am to (click this) at a much greater decibel than recorded here. It was constant until after Babe's alarm clock went off at 5am. As soon as Babe's alarm clock goes off, I get up to have my quiet time while Babe gets ready. I kid you not, the alarm went off, Babe went to the bathroom to get ready, I turned on my lamp and Mr. Whippoorwill decided it was time to go to sleep. Within seconds of our "waking up" for the day, the little turkey bird decided to close his loud mouth.

The unfortunate thing about my wanting to get a BB gun and lie in wait on my back porch at 2am is that these wonderful birds are becoming rare. I am a big supporter of the Audobon Society and all that, as impressed upon me as a child growing up with Big Daddy, an outdoor enthusiast. However, this little bird is stealing my sleep...my extremely precious and valuable sleep. Oh, Sleep. Sleep is my most valuable commodity at this point in my life. I dodge children waking up at all hours. I certainly don't need a bird waking me up in the interim.

"The night is filled, with the sound of a whippoorwill...another sacred Sunday, in the South."

BANG.

Look What Came in the Mail!

This was a big day for Mr. JBS. JBS is playing on his first T-Ball team starting in the next 2 weeks. With the coming of this monumental event, we needed to buy JBS some baseball cleats. For most people, I am guessing this is not such an issue, but when you have a 4 year-old with double-wide feet, this becomes a large problem. Through our first 4 years of life, Stride-Rite has been faithfully providing a nice assortment of double-wide shoes for my double-wide (and completely adorable) child. Evidently, Stride-Rite is not in the sport shoes business and most sport shoes aren't in the double-wide business. So, our search has been far and wide and praise the Lord for the internet, as we would never have found JBS'S cleats. Thanks be to New Balance for creating and delivering JBS's cleats in time for T-Ball season.

For those of you who know your cleats and are thinking, "Those aren't baseball cleats." They aren't. Babe searched high and low and the only double-wide cleats he could find were soccer cleats. Just don't tell JBS. He is on Cloud 9.