Yes, i am Still Alive--A Special Visit

Yes, the Baria's are still alive and well in Inverness.  It's just that our life has been sort of mundane yet busy.  A lot has happend these past six months, and I might get around to posting about them.  But, today I want to share a few pictures from my grands' summer visit.

Chase often tells Laura she is a redneck, and she wears the lable with pride.  Well, William and Wes got back to their roots this week while they stayed with us.  They played and ran and jumped and chased bubbles and went to the garden and check out Inverness each evening with a ride on the golf cart and played on the CDA playground and climbed on the cannon at the bayou park.  Each night they have had no problem going to sleep only to wake up and start all over again.

I am going to miss them but I am ready for some REST!!!!!

 Sampling one of Popps's watermelons

 Watching WALL E for the millionth time

 Playing at CDA--I know the school is gone, but the place will always be CDA to me.

 Part of the tradition of visiting Kakki and Poppa's--eating Hometown shrimp

 Visiting the train museum in Cleveland-  If you have not been, you should go.  Great place for the kiddos

Eating blueberry cupcakes at Crave in Cleveland.  What I said about the museum, ditto for Crave.  Great cupcakes

What better place to climb than on the cannons?

A Little More Kakki Time

Reed is growing like a weed and a cute weed at that!

Since Reed has arrived, I can hardly stand it if I have to be away from the boys for more than a two week period. This could get rough for Laura and Chase, but at this point I think they are more than happy to have the extra helping hands. Laura, Chase and William went to see the bulldogs play, and we kept Wes and Reed.

Getting a little Poppa time

My Boys

Well, I got my Kakki fix this past week. Lance and I picked up Wes on Thursday and then took him to see my mom and dad and eat lunch with them. We head home later in the afternoon so Wes could get his nap and then entertained him the rest of the afternoon and evening. We got up early on Friday to have Wes' 2 year old pictures made at Lamb's. We were holding our breath that we would be able to have a few pics from which to choose since he is not known for cooperating while having a pic made much less even smile. But, he did great. I think we got some good ones. We then met Aunt Cindy to have lunch in Greenwood and afterward headed to Tupelo.

On Saturday Chase, Laura and William headed to Starkville to watch the LSU/MSU game. Wes did not get to go. It was so pitiful since he had walked around all morning talking about how he was going to the football game. While he was brushing his teeth and getting dressed, the others slipped out. Amazingly, he never asked where Mama and Daddy or William was, and we didn't volunteer where they had gone.

Wes gives the Bulldogs support.

When Wes and William are around there is always going to be reading of books, and more books, and more books!

Poppa looks as if he is on reading overload.

Kakki takes over.

How cute is Reed?!!

My 3 handsome guys getting ready to go to church.

"Five Whole Days"

This past week William came to stay for, in his words, "five whole days." It was a wonderful five days, and he is really growing up so fast. Here are a few pics of our time together.

On the football field at CDA where he somehow got it in his mind his mama use to play football. I remember cheerleading but never football.

Making grandmama's spaghetti sauce with Kakki

Visiting the puppies at the Poindexter's house with Grace Tackett

Doesn't William look like such a big boy here? It was quite a feat to get him to hold the puppy since he is afraid of dogs in general.

You don't have to worry about Grace being afraid of dogs. She is a farm girl at heart.

Teaching Grace the finer points of how the Bulldogs play football

Being such a gentleman pushing Grace in the swing

Easy Rider?!

Learning the finer points about golf from the # 1 seniors golfer at the CC

Relaxing in the CC pool

No, I Am Not Thankful for the THE BUG

Okay, I was overjoyed when Laura asked if we could take care of the kids this past week-end since they had an event to attend Friday night and ballgames to attend on Saturday in Starkville. Lance and I met Laura in Stewart on Friday, picked up the "grands," and headed back to Inverness for fun times. After naps on Friday, we shared supper with Cindy and Grace and Bill and Gale. Grace and the boys enjoyed playing together and getting play dough all over the den.

Hey, Mama. Kakki said I could bring this play dough home!

Can I? Can I?

William's biscuits that he and Poppa made made using train-shaped cutters

Saturday was a busy day with Mamoo and Poppa Taylor's coming over to spend some time with the boys and my getting ready for our Thanksgiving lunch at the church on Sunday, plus our church hosting the Community Thanksgiving service that evening with a reception after. The kids are familiar with our church, so they played in the nursery and ran back and forth between it and the fellowship hall, endearing themselves to those helping get stuff ready.

Did you know you can stuff a whole cup cake in your mouth?

Told ya it would fit!

Sunday morning we headed to SS and Church, where William made a turkey out of rice crispy treats and fruit loops (Thanks, Mrs. Amy). We had a great lunch and then went home for naps. The big boy and the little boys were exempt from the evening service, after which I returned and gave baths and got the little people, as Laura calls them, to bed. I fell promptly to sleep on the couch and later stumbled to bed.

Monday morning started early at 6:45 a.m.; that's early for me, anyway. I didn't feel very peppy, but that is usually the way I am in the morning. I have to work on getting up, but when there are two little ones, I have to hit the floor running whether I want to or not. As the morning wore on, I could not shake the queasy feeling, and then it hit, THE BUG!!!!! You know the kind--you don't know if you are to sit on the commode or to hang you head over it. It was down hill from there, and Lance was now in charge. I literally died in the bed and did not know day from night. The only thing I did know was the path to the bathroom.

Later in the afternoon, Lance began to get sick, but being the martyr I am not, he did his best to take care of the boys on his own. Our only saving grace was that Laura called to say she and Chase thought they would come on to Inverness on Monday and head to Madison on Tuesday, instead of making a long trip of it on Tuesday. I know that Lance must have thought, "THANK YOU, LORD!" The reason I know this is that we have been studying in SS how important it is to be thankful in our daily lives "always and in everything" and because he was soooooo sick.

The kids got here and I did not lay eyes on them until Tuesday morning just before they got ready to head to Madison. They packed up and headed out to smiles and waves all around. As the taillights headed away from Inverness, Lance fell in the bed not to get up until 3:00 in the afternoon.

By mid morning I was among the land of the living and ready to get my house back in order. You know how I am about order in my life. Anyway, all is good now, and there is peace and quiet in my house except for the wonderful music playing on my new Ipod dock that Laura brought to me as a belated b'day present. Right now "How Beautiful the Body of Christ" is playing, and I am looking forward to the visit of family tomorrow for Thanksgiving.

There are so many things I am thankful for this year, and as think on them, I hope you will think on yours too and be sure to thank God for all those blessings. But I find it hard to say, "Thank you for the bug." Lord, you will have to help me with this one. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

P. S. I also found out that Lance and I were not the only ones to get THE BUG. Several members of our church have been fighting it or should I say giving in to it. I don't think there is any way to conquer it.

Kakki Time

We visited Tupelo this past week-end. It was Chase's birthday on Saturday, and he got great presents: a shirt, a ladder, a concrete bulldog, a homemade cake by William and a win by MSU. William went with Laura and Chase to the game, and Lance and I kept Wes.

Sharing birthday cake with daddy

Playing on the patio

Who needs Kakki when I have Poppa!!

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

One of the first things I do in the morning is open the front door in the living room. The door faces east, and the sun rains in and creates a beautiful aura. The door also opens to a main thoroughfare in Inverness, and at most any given time we can identify who is driving by. Early on, William loved opening the door in the mornings, and we would repeat Psalms 118:24, along with a hardy, "Good morning world!". William would then proceed to tell us the color of every vehicle that passed. Wes has now gotten in on the act, and a tradition has been born at Kakki's house.

GOOD MORNING WORLD!

Kakki Time

Last week Laura brought the boys to Inverness for a few days since it was time for Wes to have his Watch Me Grow picture made. This photo opt was a milestone because this morning Wes had all his beautiful toe-head curls cut off. Go to Laura's blog for a peek at our big man. We enjoyed the boys so much and can't wait to have them back. Until then, we will have to enjoy the pictures.

Wes enjoying grandmama's spaghetti sauce

"Yea, I go through this everyday of my life. Calgon take me away!"

William, Grace Tackett, and Wes

William with his great grandparents, Mamoo and Poppa Taylor

Night Night

DETOX!!!

You are not going to believe this! Laura wrote a post about William staying with us last week, and a lady who has a web site about grand parenting picked it up on her search of the web. She in turn posted what she had read on Laura's blog and asked for comments. I had commented to Laura on her blog in a silly way before I had read the lady's comment. The lady is Susan Adcox and is a retired English teacher (Imagine that!) and the grandmother of 7 grand kids. So I made a comment to her website http//grandparents.about.com . Check it out if you get a chance, and if you are in the ranks of the many grandparents out there or are on the other side as parents of grandchildren, make a comment and see what kinds of comments we get. Scroll down a bit on the site and see what comments have already been made.

Kakki Time

Today I started back to work at the library at MDCC. I enjoyed being back in the routine and will work my two days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this semester. As my last hooray for summer, I kept #1 (William) for the week and other grandmother Sandi kept #2 ((Wes). You may remember that we did the same back in May, just reversing the grandchild we kept.

I will admit that William had to be entertained a bit more than Wes, but I would not trade the time for anything. We did a little bit of everything from riding the motorcycle, hot wheels, petal John Deere tractor, and the big boy bike with training wheels.

Riding my big boy bike. Look, Mama, I have on my helmet!

Just call me the motorcycle man.

William also got to play with some of the other kids in Inverness.

Swimming with Katie Arrington

William and Grace's version of the bike and skateboard routine their mamas use to play when they were younger.

If you read Laura's blog last week, you may remember her entry about being a redneck. Well, William visited his redneck roots last week.

Redneck swimming pool

Eating ice cream after running through the sprinkler

Being a redneck and getting the last drop

But the best part was spending time with William hopefully making memories that will stay with him for a lifetime.

Poppa teaching William how to play Battle

Baking cookies with Kakki. I know those of you who know me can't believe I am baking cookies. Don't worry. They are slice and bake!

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE KAKKI TIME!!!