That'a girl

This girl knows how to get things done! here she is-multitasking...just like her mom. I asked her to hold Quincy (he's getting more and more demanding...dang it!) and she immediately picked up her pretend cell phone and made a phone call. Most of her responses were, "Yes, honey" and "when are coming home?" and "how are you?". She's ready to be a mom.

Cute things my kids have said lately:
Ella said today when I picked her up from school, "Mom- Did we get a dog?" I asked "Why?". "Because your car smells like dog".

Lincoln's favorite phrase these days is "I love you bigger than the sky mom". Precious.

Ella also said to me when I made a delicious warm pasta salad (you can find this recipe on the Jewkes family recipe blog...delicious!), "Mom, you are good at making this because it's good." What am I supposed to infer from that about the rest of my cooking????

Time....please stand still

Time, please stand still. I am loving every minute with this boy. This 3rd baby has beena joy beyond anything I had imagined. I had a rough adjustment with Link and even struggled with some post-partum. This has been smooth sailing with Quincy. He's soooo sweet. I don't even mind waking up in th emiddle of the night to feed him b/c I enjoy holding his limp sleeping body and cuddling it. He's growing so fast and it's the saddest thing in the world. As much as I love my two toddler...I LOVE LOVE LOVE newborns. So this is the latest of my Quijncy baby- he's smiling and so readily too! If he even seed any of us he just busts out a open grin and his beautiful face lights up. SO precious. I want ten just like him.


At the dentist this past week. The kids passed the exam with flying colors. They were sooo good to sit still. This was Ella's 2nd time but Link's first. However, I am convinced Quincy sucked the enamel and calcium out of my teeth in the womb b/c I did not do so hot. Maybe it had to do something with the amount of sugar I eat....I am not ready to admit that though b/c that means I am admitting I have a problem and that means I have try and change. GRRR. I am not going to even confess and describe my teeth problems. It's embarrassing...especially being related to a dentist. But as my mother-in-law always says..."The shoemaker's kids never have shoes and the dentist's kids always have rotting teeth." Ok, that was my own variation of what she says. But it's true!

There's a creature living in my belly button

Ok...I am officially frustrated. Here's my life story for the past ten some odd years: I enter a store (lately my favorite being Forever 21) and buy a shirt for a rather insignificant amount of money (I mention that because that's NOT the reason why I am frustrated...it's not the money). I fall in love...I feel great in the shirt, it hides my "areas", I feel sheek and cool and it looks great with my shoes and jeans. Oh, and another plus that has been added to my criteria in shirt-buying...I can nurse with it. Anyway....I wear it once with all the pride a shirt can give (which i s a lot lately...I love expressing myself with shirts). I wash it after the one time use and put it on the second time to wear it. I am out and about, feeling cool when all the sudden I realize there are several tiny holes in my shirt around the belly button area. I am deflated. WHAT THE...???? I don't get it. I washed it ONE TIME. So I am have come to the conclusion that a microscopic creature lives in my belly button and feasts on my awesome shirts on a daily basis. I am going to start spraying my belly button with Raid. I am annoyed.

Blizzard of 2010

It doesn't take much to decree a snowfall a 'blizzard" here in GA. Last Friday we got this much snow. School was canceled, people were running to the grocery store the night before getting their bread and milk and there were NO people on the roads. Another sure sign there was a horrific natural disaster: Wal-mart was EMPTY on Friday morning. Ella and Lincoln were very disappointed they didn't get to build snowmen but were mildly thrilled to be able to don their winter weather attire. Don't be fooled; this attire will keep them warm in subzero temperatures...as we often have in GA.

Awkward moment:
I was at Sonic and ordered a kid's meal the other day and as customary the car hop brought Link his meal. It was $3 something. I gave her four and then she asked me what I just chopped up to be an odd question at the time; "Do you need change?". I didn't quite get why she would ask something so stupid. Couldn't she subtract...it wasn't $4 even? I stammered, "Yes". But then as I drove away I realized she was asking me for a tip. WEIRD!!! I immediately felt like an idiot for not getting her "SLIGHT and ever so GRACEFUL" hint. I didn't mean to be cheap and if it is Sonic's policy to tip then I really feel dumb. So this is my question: do you tip at Sonic??? I don't believe so....but I wanted to know what you guys think. On a side-note...I really wish people/businesses would be more candid about their tipping policies. How many times have you been in a situation where you wondered if it was appropriate to tip??? It is super awkward. OUT WITH IT! Just tell me if I need to tip or not...GEEZ! I guess I should just err on the side of generosity and tip even when I am not sure.

PS- it was at the drive-thru.....

What would PETA think?

PETA- Don't be fooled by this picture above....although Jason loves to have his hair done or "hair did" as we say in the south....

He's truly a hardened bear killer. :)

Uncle Billy and Aunt Ali babysat last week while we went and got our long awaited new pet. It's the best kind. The kind that doesn't breathe. Jason shot this bear about two years ago in North Carolina. I just have to put this out there to clarify- this is the only animal my husband has ever shot. He's not a hunter but could not pass up the opportunity to encounter a bear on an exclusive bear hunting trip with his dad. And he got lucky and got to take take a 450 lb. black bear home with him. When we went to Grandma Allred's to pick-up the kids Jason had me drape the bear skin on him while he was on all fours and he crawled in. Let's just say screaming was heard miles away.

Our little blessing

We blessed Quincy on the 27th. We were so lucky to have soooo much family in town. There were 15 men in the circle. What a lucky guy! And we....well we are sooo lucky to have Quincy. He's such a little joy. Every night it brings tears to my eyes thinking about how much he's growing and changing. I am extremely grateful for such a healthy little baby boy but it makes me sad that he's getting so big. There is nothing as precious as having a baby fresh from heaven.

Christmas at the Allreds

Grandma Allred gave Ella this adorable doctor's costume. She put the coat right on, assembled her clipboard and immediately starting writing me a prescription for Valium so I could get through the holidays. Thanks Ella!

If this expression is not where the phrase "like a kid at Christmas" comes from I don't know what is. And inside this cute little snowman bag was "Cars" bath body paint that Ella bought at her school's Christmas store (Can you believe the extortion that goes on at those elementary school Christmas stores? My goodness...talk about taking advantage of the little kids. I sent $5 and I got a gift valued at $1. And that's a generous estimate.). Lincoln loved the gift, despite it being overpriced much to my chagrin.
Before we went over to grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas we celebrated with our little family a couple days early. This picture is the classic "camera-on-a-timer" picture.
AHHHH...the comforts of a bed. :) Quincy got his from Santa Clause. A bed just his size. Just kidding. Uncle Billy thought it would be funny to put Quincy in my niece Megan's "American Girl" doll bed. I've never seen Quincy so at ease.
Ella and all her girl cousins got matching aprons, chef hats, hot pads, and cook books. So cute! It even says her name on her hat.
I can't deiced if Link liked the scooter or the helmet more. The helmet was on his head the entire week.
The pre "rip-your-Christmas-presents-apart picture".
Quincy's stalker, I mean Uncle- Billy. This guy is all too ready to be a daddy. I didn't see Quincy all week unless it was time to eat. Billy even wanted to sleep with Quincy!





These last pics are from Christmas Eve. This last one is as good as it got as far as a family pic went. You have to admit that Lincoln's face is pretty classic and just what I was hoping for in conveying the Christmas spirit. Thanks Lincoln!

Our Family

Uncle Wayne took our family pictures a couple days ago. It was FREEZING and his dancing monkey (Kailey) who was in charge of making the kids smile was MIA for this one.