Catch Up

We have done so many things the last couple of weeks! Took Solon to the circus.  Tudor-Beach to the pool for the first time! Tudor-B has learned how to climb steps! And then this past Sunday, we all four went to the Dinosaur Play Center.  Solon impressed us with his very in depth knowledge on all things dinosaur.

Sunday Chilling

It was a pretty nice Sunday.  We took the kids swimming to the indoor pool, and then came home to hang out by the fire.  Too bad Solon and Tudor-B don't appreciate relaxing as much.  They were fussy, wanting to be held, and Jay and I almost wanted to sell them on the courthouse steps.  We were just eyeing the clock...hoping for 7 pm to come earlier than usual.

New Toppers

I needed a new Boston cap after all the running I have been doing.  Mine has basically disintegrated over the past few months.  While picking one out, Solon wanted to get one too.  He was adamant it had to be a Red Sox cap, so now we are twinkies.  He hates it when I say that, but he shouldn't have copied me:)  And just for the record his head is so big and mine so small that we wear close to the same size.  Solon tells me all the time my brain is the size of an ice cube...maybe he is right.

All Dressed Up

We got the kids dressed up early Saturday morning for our photo session, and it was a bust.  The temps were way too cold, and Tudor-B started crying two minutes into it.  So, we will have to reschedule.  I took some pics of them instead wearing portions of their get-ups.

Beginning Photographer

Muffin got a hold of the camera and took these photos of Tudor-B, and one of himself:)

November 1, 1995

When you have a pet as long as we did, I just have to post a little about her.  This is the only photo we have of Megan from the first 8 years of her life, and it was taken in Jay's garage apartment on Highway 12 in Starkville, MS on 11-1-95.  He paid $150 a month for that place.  Anyway, we had talked some about getting a kitten, and one day I came home from studio and instead of one there were two sitting there.  Jay really wanted the calico, but she had a sister kitten who was in bad shape and probably wasn't going to make it.  The girl who was giving them away said that they were tight friends...and so Jay, the softie, took both of them off her hands.  They were both so tiny.  Jay named the calico, Irie.  We couldn't come up with a name for the other one, so she went without a name for a week or so.  Until we drove down to Jackson for the fair.  It is such a vivid memory in my head.  We loaded up in Jay's Honda Accord, and I had a big laundry basket in my lap with these two sitting in it.  And I could pick them up and hold them in one hand.  While we were home, Jay's dad took it upon himself to give the second kitten a name.  Megan.

These two hung with us at MSU until Jay graduated in 1997.  Then they headed to Jackson while Jay worked construction. Then down to New Orleans in 1998 when Jay started law school.  I graduated in 2000 and spent the summer down there with Jay, and that is when we lost Irie.  She slipped out the front door of the house one day, and we never found her.  Jay, Rusty and Megan stayed in New Orleans while I moved to DC.  Then Jay followed without the animals.  In that time, they set up homes with our parents:) until we moved here to Atlanta.  My dad drove Rusty over...and maybe Megan.  It was so long ago I can't remember.

Megan was always Jay's cat.  Sally has always ribbed me about being jealous of Megan, and I laughed because there was some truth to it.  Megan only had eyes for Jay, and I had never owned an animal that could care less about me.   I can see Jay and Megan in a thousand different settings..him lying down and her sitting on his chest. Purring with her eyes half open.

You get so used to your animals being there and time passes. Then one day you look up and you realize just how old they have gotten.  Megan had gotten skinny, but she still insisted on sleeping outside with the dogs.  The past few months I had started picking up cans of tuna fish to fatten her up.  And when doling out scraps, always giving her some as well.  Without a doubt, about an hour before "dinner time" I would hear her voice at the back door. And that little head sitting there meowing at me.

Friday night I went out to feed the animals, and when I picked her up I saw immediately something was wrong.  I went inside to open up her some tuna fish for a treat, but I just couldn't bring myself to say anything to Jay.  But Jay went outside to pet her and within a minute he was standing in the dining room holding her.  Both of us had tears in our eyes.  We had a big fire going, and Jay laid her on the rug..and stayed beside her all night.  Petting her.  Then the next morning let her out to go to the bathroom.  She never came home.  That feeling knowing your pet is gone is the worst.  All the little things in the background that they did..just goes silent.

She was a sweet girl.  I hope she is swinging on some metal blinds with Irie somewhere up there:)













2000 and headed

Neighborhood Birthday Party

Stella turned 5, and all the neighborhood kids were invited.  They spent the afternoon playing in the backyard and then cake and presents.

Busy Saturday Morning

We still had so much wood leftover from that tree being chopped down 18 months ago, but the problem was the logs were way too big to lift and fit into the fireplace.  So we rented a hydraulic splitter and spent five plus hours splitting the wood to more manageable pieces.

Blow Back

Check out that hair. Tudor-B had some major Fro-action when I take out her ponytail holder at the end of the day.  Kind of looks like Miley Cyrus' bouffant.

Coyote Park

We had a bit of warm weather yesterday, so we hit the park!

Random Weekend Shots

Janie's 32nd Birthday

Us four headed down to Pensacola to ring in Janie's birthday!  We arrived Friday night and it was the first time on record that the entire house was in bed before nine on the first night of a visit! But we had to be up bright and early for the Bridge To Bridge Run (15K).  Us three girls and Jay ran the race while Jason kindly watched all 4 kids for a few hours.  It was super cold and breezy when we got to the start line, but it was really beautiful going over the bridges.  (The three mile bridge was SO long!)  Anyway! We all finished and got our medals!

Jay -8:38 minute miles (finished in 652nd place)
Sally- 9:49 minute miles (finished in 1312th place)
MM-10:02 minute miles (finished 1430th place)
Janie-13:33 minute miles (finished 2211th place)

Afterwards we spent the day hanging out at the house with the kids and recharging. Then all the adults plus Sarah went out to watch the sunset and sushi!