St.Thomas

We went on a "business trip" to St. Thomas (in the US Virgin Islands) last weekend with my mother and father-in-law. We talked at LOT of business. :) Here are some pics.
Bob and Jason para-sailing.

Para-sailing was so much fun and so much more relaxing than I had ever thought. Bob took a picture of the rope to scare me into thinking it might snap. We were flying high above St.Thomas at 600 feet.

The beach that was laid at right outside our hotel unbelievable.

Jason and Bob's favorite thing to do- catch iguanas. These things were very fierce looking and the size of dogs.
No explanation needed.
Bob becoming an islander.


This man was trying to earn a few bucks from the tourists riding by with his goat Madonna. Yes, we got succored in. It was a cute goat.


This beach is called Magen's Bay. It was rated one of the top ten beaches in the world by National Geographic. BEAUTIFUL.

The harbor.
On the balcony of our hotel.
The outdoor taxi that we took from our airport to our hotel. Perfectly safe, I assure you.
We had so much fun. Thank you Bob and Julie! Quincy was the perfect traveling companion and I was reminded how much easier it is to have a little baby than a toddler on vacation.

The Boys

I don't know what is up with this first pic. It looks like I took it with my camera phone. Anyway, this was Lincoln attempting to take of his shirt the wrong way.

Quincy falling asleep in his favorite place- in his daddy's lap.
Their night time routine. Quincy and Jason enjoy Bill O'Reilly nightly.
This is soooo stinking cute. And big. We know where he gets that from. In fact, when I was pregnant I was told my several different midwifes that Quincy was breech. They finally did an ultrasound to double check and they determined that he was not breech but just had a really big bum!
My little snuggle bunny. He is such a momma's boy.

While I was out

Ella's pillowcase dress that she absolutely loves!

About three weeks ago I took off to Minnesota to visit one of my best friends and cousin- Katie. Who goes to Minnesota in February? I do. As long as there is an understanding that I will-under no circumstances- NOT go outside, get out of slippers, drink a lot of hot chocolate and have my own space heater. The terms were agreed to and so I went with Quincy in toe. Katie was the best hostess...she let me use and abuse her embroidery/applique machine. Here are some of the things that we (and I when I say "we" I mean "she" as in Katie) made.
Thank you to all of those who supported me in my endeavors to hone my sewing skills- Grandma Allred, Grandma Jewkes, Emily and my sweet husband who held the fort together.
And thanks Katie for having me!

So, while I was away freezing my buns off so were my kids! They had snow....again. Unbelievable. School was canceled for Ella and the kids and Jason built snowmen, made snow angels, were pulled on a sled behind a four wheeler, and rode snowboards down a hill.
I can't help but wonder what Emily and Ella were doing in the first picture. The robot? :) And I can't help but notice that poor baby Ella has no gloves on!!! Mom was NOT around. Good thing they had so much fun though!

Cute story of the year right here folks: So last night I was bathing the kids and doing the usual lather-them-up-and-down-with-lotion routine end Ella and pretty much crying with every body part I touched complaining that she had "owies" all over. By the way, this is the point of the night where we are ALL ready for bed. She was whining and complaining about her unseen owies and then specifically mentioned one on her hand. I looked. Nothing. Then she says with an overly dramatic sob, "I am getting soooo old". I about peed my pants. I guess all this talk of her turning five and being older and bigger has really gone to her head.

Let the birthday games begin

Is there anyone else out there that feels like every time their kid's birthday rolls around they throw about five different parties with five different cakes? it's a little exhausting....nonetheless, I love celebrating my little ones' day. Ella just turned five on Thursday. We celebrated with my fam on Sunday because a lot of people were going out of town. Exhibit #1:


Then on her actual birthday Jason decorated the house complete with a "red carpet" running down the stairs. I made he favorite breakfast of crumb cake and eggs adn then dropped her at school with a tray of homemade cupcakes. I should mention that my time-bake did not work on my oven so in actuality I made the cupcakes twice- the first ones being burned. Exhibit #2:


Notice the red carpet and Ella looking as glamorous as ever! Work it Ella!

Then today we actually had a party of sorts. Jason took the two older kids to a mega maze while Quincy and I were "up in the gym working on my fitness". Then we had some choice people over to have Ella's long awaited castle cake and hot dogs and presents. Exhibit #3:

It never hurts to have a little pink bling on your ice cream cone. Ella thought it was the coolest thing ever. A little karo syrup and pink cake decorating crystals is all.
All in all, I think we made Ella's day turned into week pretty special and that's what counts. My baby girl is five! Happy Birthday Ella Moe!

PS- Yes, there is a slight change in my appearance.....I went darkish reddish. But not by choice. I was the victim of a major chemical spill of bleach, thus forcing my hand into becoming a red head....it's actually growing on me. I cut it too....mullet style.

We Be Rockin that BEAT!!!

There she is...Fergie Ferg...you see that tiny dot?? :)

Some girls from the dental office and I went out to the Black Eyed Peas concert on Thursday night. LMFAO and Ludacris opened up. It was so much fun. They are GREAT performers and good singers to. I have many a few concerts where I left wondering how they ever got a contract.

PS- The duck tape on Lincoln's doorknob worked!!! Now I just have to deal with new issues. Like for instance- the fact that my son is a kleptomaniac. He stole from Joann's fabric's the other day. I guess he thought the ring pop was NOT worth jail time b/c when I told him he could go to jail for stealing (nothing like scare tactics) he wanted to return it.

How do you solve a problem like Lincoln????

I have been going around singing that tune for a while these days. Here's the latest problem that needs solving:
In order for me to be a good mom I need to be a good Claire. That involves me putting the kids in seclusion for about an hour or two everyday for "quiet" time. They have fully outgrown naps. The only solution for Link's devious nature is for me to lock him in his room. So I went to the trouble of turning around his doorknob in hopes of having a peaceful quiet time. I know, I sound abusive...but I promise, it's for his own good and really was the lest resort. I have tried EVERYTHING. The first time Link got out of his locked room I was completely in shock. I ran through my memory just to make sure that I did indeed lock the door. How could a three year old get out of a locked room?? Thank goodness for his honesty because I simply asked him how he got out and he told me he used money. He had some pennies lying around in his room that fit perfectly into the horizontal indentation of the lock. All he had to do was put the penny into the indentation and turn it and it came unlocked. The ingenuity! I was really annoyed but at the same time couldn't help but think that he was quite smart....or mischievous...whatever you wanna call it.
I thought I was smarter than him and so the next day I strip-searched him and gave him the pat down and removed all contraband from his room. About an hour later I saw him lurking about....again! I was really kind of annoyed at this point. This time he said he used the hard corner of his blanket. What three year old thinks of these things????? Next thing I know he's going to be making a shiv out of legos! We have a McGyver on our hands.

My next move: I will put duck tape on the lock so he'll have to use a lot of force and I don't think his blanket can handle that kind of job. I will keep you posted.
CAUTION: OBJECT IN PICTURE IS SMARTER THAN HE APPEARS.

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.