HALLOWEEN 2008

There was a lot of monkey business going on around our house on Halloween Eve! We had to celebrate early on Thursday, but Wade never knew the difference. Our family joined us for our Halloween Eve party. In attendance we had a monkey, some bananas, Superman, a bumblebee, and even Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Oh what fun!
For some reason, the slideshow won't show-up but iif you click on "View Images" you can see all our pictures...

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Carving a pumpkin

Wade carves his first pumpkin (with the help of all the neighborhood kids)!
Beau and Wade in their hoodies. Wade's pumpkin hat was way too small, so i tried to cut a slit to make room for his big ole head. He ended up just looking silly (and a little homeless).Yummy! Pumpkin guts!

Goldenrama!

Adopt A Golden Atlanta hosted it's annual fundraiser and festival - GOLDENRAMA! Beau and I took Cali, Orwell, and Wade. Alicia and Bear joined in the fun too. I was hoping to see some of our former foster dogs with their families, but there were so many people and dogs there, I couldn't pick any out of the crowd. Orwell did get to see the lady who found him at the construction site. She was so excited to see him looking so healthy and happy.

They had all kinds of doggie fun - bobbing for tennis balls, musical sitting, puppy portraits with Santa....you get the drift. We all had a great time!!

Weekend Visit from the Aunts!

Wade had some special time this past weekend with two very special ladies...

Aunt Sheesha in town from Athens

Aunt Nene in town from Charleston!

It sure is tough being so loved! Nicci said Rowan and Ellis were going to be so jealous when they saw this picture.

I spy something yellow...

Dear fur friends,

This is Cali. I'm Beau and Kriya's "first baby" and only girl. I've always loved being a part of this family, but I must admit it hasn't always been easy. From the first day they brought me home, I've had to endure endless humiliation - in the form of costumes. I'm a dog, and a big dog at that. I'm not a frilly little cocka-yorky-poo. I'm a squirrel chasing, dead animal grinding, any puddle swimming, REAL dog. It really hurts my self esteem when mom forces me to wear humiliating outfits. Exhibits A through F:This was a photo shoot for a doggie cookbook. I made page 45.
Me and Orwell, Christmas 2007. Orwell would put up a fight, but he's really old (almost ancient) and just happy to get the attention.
Me and Orwell, Halloween 2007. Luckily the Princess Leia costume has been passed on to my friend Lily Lyles. Sorry Lily.

This is me with our first foster dog, Sadie. I'm wearing my mom's flapper dress from college. How embarassing! My first halloween in costume. I look happy, but I assure you I am not.

I have no clue what got into my mom with this one. She needs help.

Well, as you see I've endured years of endless abuse. I thought my dress up days were over when Wade was born. The first day he was home, mom had bunny ears on the poor sucker and I thought I was in the clear. It's been a nice 7 months.....until this week.

Pumpkins are being carved, the air is crisp, and I know Halloween is just days away. Just last night, a large amount of YELLOW fabric appeared. Mom keeps draping this material over me trying to "size me up" and cutting out head and leg holes. I told Orwell to be afraid, be very afraid. I have a really bad feeling about this and keep having nightmares of being wrapped up in lots of yellow fabric. Oh how I hope my nightmare doesn't come true.
I'll let you know how it goes. And don't worry, if any costumes do appear you'll surely see pictures of them. My mom can't resist taking pictures.

Belly rubs and tail wags,

Cali

Saturday Parties

Beau and I ventured out Saturday for a series of celebrations. We left Wade in the capable hands of a new babysitter, Jackie. You should have seen the handbook I put together for this poor girl. I'm talking phone numbers, food lists, bed time routines, the sheet music for "Jump Jump Johnny Giraffe (J/K!)....and I promise I'm not "that kind of mom". This was just really the first time we'd left him with a true blue "babysitter" that hadn't been around Wade before. Don't worry - Jackie is a friend of a friend, so we didn't just pull her off the street. But when I thought about all I had to teach her about Wade and how to care for him for 8 hours, it was exhausting. Needless to say, I was excited to get to the first party and get an adult beverage. Jackie was so sweet and even sang to Wade in creole. She said he really liked it. I guess I'm going to have to learn creole.

First stop was a wonderful football party for Kristin Culver and Bryan Jones's upcoming wedding. Luckily the hosts know exactly what crazy football fans need for a big game like Georgia/LSU - big TVs, great food, and plenty of adult beverages (or as Wyatt would say - Daddy Juice). The boys were able to sit front row and high five as Georgia proceeded to kick LSU's butt. And the girls could sit off to the side and chit chat. My kind of party. We had a great time catching up with everyone and celebrating with the future Joneses!!!

Kristin & Bryan Me, Melanie, Alex, Stephanie, Kristin, & Molly

Beau and Stephen hunkered down eating Taqueria Del Sol...

Georgie scores again!!

Next stop was Brian Stephens SURPRISE 40th birthday party. That's correct (not a typo), Brian turned 40 Monday. He's so OLD :). Just kidding Brian! Alison planned a great party at La Paz in Vinings and even though Brian admitted he knew ALL about it, we had a so much fun. It did make me feel silly hiding behind cars in the parking lot so he didn't see me coming in late. Oh well.

Oh Brain, such a good look for you!Leave it to Beau...

So then after 2 mexican fiestas and lots of fun, we made it home to our little man. He was thankfully fast asleep. We hope Jackie comes back again soon!!! Next time I'm just telling her to wing it...

Kim & Jen Dinner

We hosted dinner for Jennifer Whitson and Kim & Brian Gray the other night. We had lots to celebrate!!! Jennifer just turned 30 (old fart). And Kim is expecting her first baby next April. We're so excited for her and Brian!! I was already able to pass on all of my maternity clothes and IF she has a boy Wade will have plenty to pass on as well!!
Wade had the best time being spoiled by his "aunties"
Wade and his women!
Someone was messing with my camera and luckily captured this priceless shot. Nice Beau!

Wade playing with a sweet gift from Kim

Wade is 7 months!

Every mom says it, but I really mean it.....HE'S GROWING UP TOO FAST!!! It's been a big month in Wade's world (that's the world I live in these days). In 4 short weeks our "bundle of joy" has become a sitting, crawling, pulling up, moody, entertain me now, i need more toys....little human. The day he figured out crawling he started trying to pull up on everything. He literally managed to pull himself up and out of the tub the other night. It was like trying to catch a greased watermelon.
Doesn't he know I need time to process each milestone separately? Clustering them all together like this just make me wonder when he's going to tell me I'm not cool and he'd rather go hangout with his friends?? It's just a lot of change in a short amount of time and I want him to stay as cute and sweet as he is today...forever.
Here's some pictures from our whirlwind month. ENJOY!

Early to bed, Early to Rise...

Makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise! Right?

If you know me well, you know I hate going to bed early. Not that I'm a party animal out on the town, but I get most of my "stuff" done at night. I've always been this way and having a constant daytime distraction has only made it worse. I feel like the night is just getting started at 10:00pm. Anyone else??

In high school...I remember procrastinating on writing a paper and staying up ALL night trying to finish it. I turned in crap and felt like crap the next day, but it still didn't bother me that much. (Then I did get smart and bribed my sister Alicia to stay up with me and paid her to type what I dictated. She could type faster, so it made sense. Tell me you wouldn't do the same?? Alicia is the opposite of me and would be happy going to bed at 8:00pm, so I had to force her to stay awake!)

I've always paid for it in the mornings, but somehow muddled through. I've always had jobs where I didn't have to be there super early, bosses that got there later anyway, could put my make-up on in the car, etc. Well, those days are over and I now have a full-time human alarm clock that demands attention at 6:00am (6:30 if I'm lucky). There is no snooze button. There are no sick days.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I have to learn to go to bed early. I feel like I'm in AA and I've made it through the first step - admitting you have a problem. I may need some coaching, I may need some discipline, but I'm going to do it. I'm sorry to say that my blogging, photo editing, creative projects, emails, laundry, dishes, house cleaning, and "organizing" may suffer...but it must be done. Please bare with me and know that if you don't hear from me... I'M SLEEPING :)!!!!!

The Pumpkin Patch

It's October! Time to get a pumpkin! Well, we thought it would be fun to go to a real farm and make it fun instead of just getting one at the grocery store. It was a little hot for a fall, but we had a good time. Wade had his first hayride, apple cider, and picked the biggest pumpkin in the patch. Good thing Beau had to carry it!

UGA vs UT - Wade's first tailgate

Wade experienced his first tailgate for the UGA/Tennessee game. I'd say he's a good luck charm for the Bulldogs - we won!! My brother's hosted their annual Brownie's BBQ tailgate on North Campus. Brownie was my mom's father and was know for his homemade BBQ sauce. My brothers worked together a few years back to bottle it and created "Brownie's BBQ". They've done this tailgate for at least 6 years, maybe longer. I always look forward to the day!
We also gathered to celebrate Cae's 3rd birthday. I guess the beauty of being born in the fall (in Athens) means you're destined to be celebrating your birthday with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Happy Birthday Cae! Congrats on a good win Georgia! And Wade we hope you enjoyed your first true taste of tailgating!