A Wonderful Woman

Today October 8, 2009 would have been my mother's 67th birthday.
Although she would have told you she wasn't a day over 30. (mother said a lady never does reveal her age)
My mother passed away in 1994 a month after my 21st birthday. (yes, you can do the math)
At the time my parents had been married 27 years, with me as their only child. (I slept with my parents till I was 7 and figured that is why I was an only)
My mother was 1 of 5 and came very late in the lives of her parents. She would have told you that she was raised by her siblings.
Lately Gage and Davis have been asking me a lot about my mother. I have talked about her from time to time, while I think about her daily. But they are now to the point of asking questions, wondering what she was like. Davis often says "She would have snuggled me and loved me with lots of kisses" True, she would have... to the point he would have giggled uncontrollably.
There were many things that I want my boys to know about the grandmother who would have spoiled them with love and affection.

- There was never a day that went by that I did not talk to my mother.
- Never a day that went by that she did not tell me she loved me.
- She cared enough to drive an hour and half to pick me up at midnight from a friends spend the night party when I got home sick. And she did it every time because I always got home sick and I lived far away from the girls I went to school with.
- She did without many times so that I could have
- She was an amazing cook and she cooked every night. I mean really cooked.
- She always invited my friends to stay for dinner.
- She loved having girlfriends over in the afternoon
- she was a stay at home mom from the time I was 3 until I was 17
- she loved to hang wallpaper
- she loved loved professional baseball (St. Louis Cardinals)
- she never once in my presence questioned or spoke poorly of my father.
- she often told me that I would "pay for my raising" (and trust me with 3 boys I do!)
- Christmas was her favorite holiday
- she loved to read and always told me to teach my children to love books.
- she showed respect to those she even disagreed with
- she supported me in every choice I made
- could laugh at herself
- she loved music and enjoyed making her own "mixed tapes". She had dated a DJ for years and years before she met my father. He had supplied her with some wonderful records.

These are just a few things that stand out in my mind. There is a candid picture of my mother that was taken when I was in grade school at our house. We were having a backyard pool party and my mother was welcoming all of our guest with a toast to family and friendship. This picture sits at my bedside. It is one of my favorite pictures of my boys grandmother. She was entertaining friends in our home and her smile was genuine and loving.

Davis asked me this morning if my mommy was happy because it was her birthday. I said my mommy would be happy because I have been blessed with a wonderful family. He said yeah, but what about a power ranger cake!

Soccer

Warning - If you don't want to hear a bragging mother - move on and don't read this post!



Davis is having a blast playing soccer this year. He had his best game yet while playing in the rain! He hasn't let me forget that he scored 5 goals! He plays hard and really really enjoys himself and his teammates. He gets a huge smile on his face when the crowd screams his name. And loves to high five his coach and the fellow players after scoring. Last weekend he was watching football with me and saw one of the players do a little end zone dance. He said "Mommy, I think I need to do that at soccer"! Oh please help us now.

Apples Apples Everywhere!

What a wonderful fall weekend.

A visit from the best

My cousin Cathy came to visit last week from Missouri. Shame on me for not getting any pictures. We had a wonderful time. The boys kept her very busy playing board game after board game and many sessions on the Wii. I think by the time she left she was a master table tennis player, a decent cyclist and still had lots of room for improvement on the jousting. She was a able to see Davis in action on the soccer field very very early Saturday morning at his first game of the season. Saturday evening we enjoyed some adult time at one of my favorite restaurants "The Mez" in Charlotte while the boys enjoyed a babysitter. She treated Gage to a McDonalds lunch on Friday at his new school where she was able to meet all of his friends. He was thrilled telling his teacher weeks in advance that she was coming.

But most of all my boys love to hear her talk about stories from when I was little. This time one of the most important things they learned was that I loved Dr. Pepper chapstick as a little girl (still do!). They crack up when she tells them one of them acts like I did! It is always hard to imagine your parents as children. But they enjoy a glimpse into my childhood.

We are looking forward to the next time Cathy comes for a visit. Her trips are always too short! Although she might think that 5 days here at the Adcock Circus is enough!

Things I Never Thought I'd Say

Prior to having children I had grand ideas as to how I would raise them. Days spent chasing them through fields of sunflowers, me in a petticoat - them with long blond ringlets with monogramed vintage pillow case dresses on. Then smack... God sent me three boys and thank goodness because while they all have had long blond ringlets I ain't got no stinkin' petticoat and there are no sunflower fields within miles of my home. Honestly I was ready for the craziness that would ensue - what I was not ready for was the things that would come out of my mouth when talking to them.

Like.....

Don't touch your brother's penis or anyones penis for that matter.

I think it is better if you carry the cat by the neck rather than by the tail.

No we do not put matchbox cars in the fish tank.

No the fish can not sleep in your bed.

Seriously, why did you think it was a good idea to put a dirty diaper in your brother's bed.

If you are going to hide your brother's blanket at least hide it where we can find it.

Yes, if you shake the lizard in the bug cage hard enough he does turn black.

You t-t in the toilet NOT on the wall - which is why the toilet starts with a t - you know like t-t!

Which one of you thought it would be funny to teach Truman to say poopy?

We do not use our fingers to see if our bottom is clean yet.

It doesn't matter how long it has been on the floor, you can still eat it

We don't tell strangers that we are 'free-balling" no matter how nice they seem.

Just as happy with the little ones!

On the way home from our summer vacation we spent the weekend in Pine Mountain Ga at Calloway Gardens. I have some fond memories of the gardens as a teenager. I was so happy to share this great place with all my boys. We swam in the pool, swam in the lake, played on bouncy islands in the lake, enjoyed room service each night and toured the butterfly garden. It was a great way to end our vacation. If you ask my boys they will tell you they enjoyed the gardens as much if not more than the beach. Maybe it was because of the fishing.

You see there is this wonderful lake at the Gardens.


Where my oldest boys spent an early morning enjoying nature and doing what they love.



While fishing - Davis taught his dad and his brother a very valuable lesson.

You should be just as happy
with the little things in life.

As you are with the

the bigger ones.

Favorite Toys of Summer

Our first favorite toy this summer was one we purchased right before our beach trip. My boys are addicted to take pictures. And being the mean mom I won't let them take pictures with my "good" camera. So we purchased an underwater digital camera by Sony. The boys have had a blast taking pictures with it. It was perfect for the beach and the pool. I am impressed with the pictures it takes and it is small and nice to throw in my purse. If you are in the market - we'd give it two thumbs up.

The other fav toy of the season has been an alligator that we FOUND at the pool in Florida. Honestly, Davis carried it around the entire time. Even sleeping with it. Truman enjoyed chewing on it (a first child would never have been allowed to chew on a lost and found toy - third child, i figure the chlorine killed whatever was bad). As I said Davis had to sleep with this thing - which aside from the fact that it's origin is unknown - it also had a hole in the bottom that allowed for it to fill with water while swimming (which it did with us daily). No matter how hard I squeezed to get the water out - it still leaked everywhere (maybe that is why it was discarded in the first place). So each night I had to wrap it in a towel so it could sleep in their bed! The gator even made his way to the first show and tell of the school year. Maybe at Christmas I'll just search the lost and founds of schools, playgrounds, parks, McDonalds - no telling what I might find!

A bribe

Truman hates to have his diaper changed in the morning. It is a battle! And he has the strongest legs I have ever seen. So I have taken to bringing him breakfast in bed. He gets his sippy cup and bag of muffins before he gets out of the crib. He is ecstatic - he works at trying to open the package of muffins while I change his diaper. Then once he is powdered and diapered I reward him by opening his muffins. It only took me three children to figure this one out.