The Lawnmower Diaries

Taft loves yard work.  He wants to be outside whenever his daddy is cutting grass or pulling weeds.  This morning - they are out working on the pool getting it ready for the first swim.  I looked out the window and this is what I saw...

These pictures also make us add pressure washing the fence to the to do list.

Thanks to the wonderful Kelly-Marie, I am linking up to the Finagle A Foto Challenge at Happy Jax.  I am pretty sure I will be a regular at it from now on.
And I am linking up with And Then She Snapped for Show Off Your Shot.

{Taft's Everyday}: February Edition

Taft got a Gran Box today and it made me remember that I haven't had a post devoted to Taft in awhile.  He has been up to a lot lately. 
We got haircuts...

He has gotten Skittles from his friend, and my co-worker, Yvette aka Dardas.  He likes them in his cup holder..

 He has discovered that Lincoln Logs are cool.  I am glad that Santa went out on a limb and got him some..

 He likes to play with them on a quilt in the floor with his daddy....

 And back to that Gran Box.  Here are the contents...  Shirts, socks, undies, markers, books, and a new toy plane.

 And he LOVES the plane.

 My favorite is one of the shirts.  I can only believe that a Southern person designed this shirt.  Camo with a collar.  It's for a more formal occassion.  I wonder if it is only sold in Alabama?

{Taft's Everyday}: January Edition

There have been a few new things going on this month.  First off, Taft and I have been to the library a few times for books for him and he has been great every trip.  I guess after the first trip he knew that I meant business.  We even went in on a Saturday to help the library celebrate it's birthday.  They had arts and crafts, cookies and cupcakes to decorate, face painting, music, and the kids made candles with their names on them for the cardboard cake that it now in the Children's Department.  I think that it was a success.

Taft also starting sleeping at night with out Pull Ups.  We have been day time potty trained for a long time but nights are still a problem.  He is doing well with only a few accidents.  He is so proud of himself when he gets up dry.

He is obsessed with a few new movies and tv programs.  At the moment his favorite movie is a Gnomeo and Juliet.  I have to admit that it is pretty cute.  He loves that they race lawnmowers and says that he "wants one like that someday". 

His favorite cartoon is Team Umizoomi.  I know that it teaches math skills and he answers a lot of questions they ask correctly, but I could live without every seeing it again.  I think that the songs are making me crazy.

Taft is also asking a lot of questions about death.  Pawpaw's sweet little Jack Russell, Wishbone, died on January 16.  She was sick and had gone in for surgery.  He heard me talking about it and I tried to answer his questions the best that I could.  He understands that Wishbone is not at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house anymore.  He said that she is sleeping and I explained that she can't wake up.  We talked about how pets get sick and sometimes die.  (He doesn't remember that since he was born, we have had to put two cats to sleep.)  He is still asking to see pictures of Wishbone.  I left it with the fact that Wishbone is in Heaven with the same angels that made Taft.  I told him that they are playing with her and one day, he will see her again. 
He has grown very close to Sallie aka Gilbert, and she to him.  They sit together every morning and every night.  As soon as Taft sits in the family room in his favorite chair, she is there.  The cat is at least 12 years old so I know that it is going to be very hard on him when she passes away. 

Air In The Tires

Today, after leaving work and school, we needed the air in the tires checked.  As the temperature outside is changing, the air pressure light in the car keeps coming on and off.  It seems that all four tires needed air.  Taft loved helping the man at AK Tire.  They had a nice conversation and Taft told him about the car being named Rex.

I love that you can see the reflection in the car to see that Taft had his bunnies by the ear.

What Is In The Works & Taft's Everyday

I can't believe that it is almost mid-November.  As usual, the month and the fall season has gotten ahead of me.  I think that when Halloween gets here, it is only a minute until the new year.  But here are the things that are going on around here with me...
I decided to have allergy testing.  If you know me in person, you know that I have terrible allergies.  I was allergy tested when I was around five years old.  That is almost 30 years ago and things change.  At that time, taking allergy shots was the best option.  And I did until I turned 18.  At that time, great allergy meds where starting to come out.  Allergra seemed to work as well as the shots and when Zyrtec came out I felt that it was a gift from God.  While it still works for me, with the occasional Benadryl backup, I seem to have new allergies.  Food allergies.
Food allergies scare me.  Over the last 10 years, I have had reactions to nuts, salads, honey, candy, and at times I can't pinpoint the reason.  So far, nothing that Benadryl and my inhaler can't fix, but I know that can change.  So - I made an appointment.  My appointment is for next Thursday.  Although - I am going to have to cancel.  I had to stop all allergy medicine for seven days.  Saturday was day three and I was unable to breath for sneezing and I couldn't even think about putting in contacts.  My eye condition makes things worse since I have to wear hard contacts.  Any eye irritation makes it impossible.  Now I need a new plan.
On a happier note, I have decided to do December Daily again.  I missed out last year and I can't wait to get started this year.  For more information on the project itself, you can click here to visit the blog of Ali Edwards.  I have decided on an approach for this year and I bought the 8x10 overlays.  They are on sale for less than $5 this week.  I just printed them and I can't be happier.  I hope that by next weekend, I will have the album together and I will share it here.  I still have a few things to workout.
One of my goals for next year is to get caught up on some scrapbooking.  I starting Taft's baby book at full force ever before he was born.  I got it almost finished before he turned 1 and then I kinda stopped.  I have to rethink it.  I did a full page on things like his PJ's and Jumperoo.  While I love looking back at them, I know that I just don't have the time to do that and he would end up leaving the house with about 100 books by the time he moves out.
So - I plan on doing Project Life.  You can read more about that here, on the blog of Becky Higgins.  This allows you to document all those little, normal, everyday things.  Then I will do layouts on the major things for Taft's book.  The Project Life books will be Family Scrapbooks.
Even though I have taken photos of all Taft's Christmas Tree ornaments each year, they have failed to end up in an albums.  That will change.  I am not saying that it will be done this holiday season, but it will be finished and in a permanent album by next year.  Just something to work on next year.
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And now - on to Taft.
Today Taft is home sick.  He has had a fever of 102 on and off and a terrible cough.  Yesterday at lunch he got sent home from school and Shane was able to say with him a few hours to let me get some things finished up at work.  I am home with him today.  I made him an appointment at the doctor for today in case we needed it and we do.  During the night his cough started to sound really wet.  I am worried that he is pneumonia again.  We will find out after lunch.
Here are a few of Taft's favorite things right now:
Lollipops.  He prefers Dum-Dum's and would eat them all day if we let him.

Bigfoot.  Not the poor creature himself, but the movie.  We have watched it a lot.

To my dismay, Sponge Bob.  Shane let him watch it one day and he is pretty hooked. 

Taft's behavior at school has been less than desirable.  He has been hitting and spitting for no reason that any of us can find.  On Friday, he spit in Miss Erin's face and she spit back at him.  I am so glad that she did that.  She was afraid that she would get in trouble with me but I think that is the best way to let him know how nasty it is.  He has not spit since.

{right now}: Taft's' Everyday

Dear Sweet Taft -
You are growing everyday.  You tell me that it is because you take your vitamins and they make you "grow strong".  You have always loved your vitamins, even the yucky tasting drops that I gave you as a baby before you where big enough for the gummy ones you take today. Right now you are taking the gummy Toy Story
You also take your allergy medicine every night and always remind me when you have not had it.  You want it first and the vitamins as a chaser.  You have never complained about any medicine.  Which is a great thing since you were out sick on Thursday and Friday.  I was terrible about taking medicine as a child and I am so thankful that you are not.
You are talking more and more each day and surprise me with all the things that you say.  Right now you have two sayings that you repeat alot.

1. "Same as me" - You have a red plate same as me.  OR  Him have a red jacket same as me.
2. "In us" instead of "In our" - There is a ant in us house.  Please let me show you.  OR  Daddy, get in us car.

You also like to call people a "Silly goose" and when things happen you say that it's "Kinda funny".  You always say please and thank you and often ask me, "I please hug you?".  You are a very loving boy.
Right now, you have two favorite movies.

1. Scooby Doo 2:  Monsters Unleashed.  You love it and know the names of all the monsters.  You have even started to call Shelby, Shelby Doo.

2. The Ant Bully.  We just found this movie on the On Demand channels over the weekend.  It is about a little boy that shrinks down to the size of an ant and lives with them for a little while.  He learns that they have families and friends and that he should not bully them just because they are smaller than him.    

You are an awesome little boy and you can never imagine how much I love you. - Mommy