Sleepy Head

Buzzy had a busy day on Wednesday. Between partying, playing at the office, hanging out at MiMi's and then a movie, he was tired. MiMi took me and Buzzy to see Alvin and the Chipmunks last night. It was so cute and Buzzy loved it. They had a scene where Theodore was riding on a monster truck and Buzzy screamed at the end of the scene "BAD CRASH!!!" Thank goodness the other people in the theatre were laughing, because he was loud!

I was on the sunporch blogging, and Stevie called for me to come into the living room. Buzzy had fallen fast asleep sitting up watching TV with his daddy. My flash woke him up and he rolled over and said "I'm just too tired."

Pre-school Christmas Party

Buzzy's Preschool party was on Wednesday. Those kiddos were so excited! When they had the Halloween party, they didn't know what to expect. This is the first year of preschool for, I think, all of them, so they didn't have anything to compare it to. I had spectacular help from some of the other mothers. You would not believe how silly they can act when you don't ask them to help. Since I was the "coordinator" last time too, I tried to get different parents to help this time. The ones that I got last time, that I didn't contact this time acted miffed! There is only so much that you get for a party and you don't need all 12 mothers getting something! One even told the teacher that no one had notified her. Such a tattle-tale!! Who's in pre-school anyway?? Last time I made the buckets, and this time I found cute little Santa bags made out of felt at Target for $1.00 ea. A couple of mothers asked if I had made them too! So funny. Those of you who have little ones and want to help with these sorts of events, GET READY. Mommas can be worse than the children!!

HoHo came to visit at the beginning of the party. He rang his Christmas bells when he was in the hall and those little eyes just shined! They were so excited when he came in. They each got to sit in his lap and tell him what that wanted. Of course, Buzzy wants the......(drum roll please)..............TERRAINIAC! How would you have guessed that one?

This is the whole class with Santa. Back Row Cooper, Buzzy, Maya, Santa, Alex, Trevor, Andrew A, Faith. Front row - Andrew P, Allie, Ryan, Camden, Delaney. They visited with Santa, then had a snack, played "Pin the Nose on the Snowman" and then Musical Chairs. Buzzy told me on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning that he was going to win musical chairs this time. Last time, it was down between him and Cooper. This time it was between him and Maya. She snuck in there on him. I was running the radio and when it got down to them two, I closed my eyes, so it would't look like I was letting my kiddo win! When we left school, he asked me why I didn't let him win!! After the games, they drew numbers for their presents, opened them, and then we handed out their treat bags. They seemed to have had a great time, and I was pooped! I don't know how those teachers do it! The next party is Valentines Day, and maybe I'll get asked to do it too!!

Christmas in Dixie

Of course, the pictures are out of order and it's too late to upload them all again. So......

We went to AL this past weekend to celebrate Christmas with Stevie's family. Buzzy got toys on top of toys and each one that he opened was "just what I wanted!!!!!!!" That was a sigh of relief! Before we left. Tisa gave him a Hot Wheels monster truck and he told her that it was a little present and he wanted a big present. I wanted to crawl under the rug. She thought it was hilarious and I still wanted to crawl under the rug. With that said, I think the little talk that we had after the Tisa incident made quite a difference!

In the above picture, he had just unwrapped a Hot wheels track from his uncle Ryan. He said "It's just what I wanted!!!!! My momma won't let me have these and oh, (mwah, mwah,(which also means kiss, kiss)), I just love it." He kept kissing and hugging the box. Can you understand why Grandmother told him he's a drama queen?

He just loves his Uncle Ryan.

He was asleep before we got to Fort Payne, which is about 20 minutes from Ninnies, our last stop before we leave!

This is Ninnie, Steve's Dad's Momma, with her three great-grands. That is Morgan, Garrett, and Buzzy. Buzzy refused to sit by the baby. When we were there at Thanksgiving, he told Grandmother and Ashleigh that he is allergic to babies. He doesn't want to sit anywhere close to her. She is the sweetest, most content, and happy baby I have EVER been around. If Buzzy had been like her, I would have had another one a long time ago. She is so pleasant. I held her every chance I got. I kept telling Buzzy to look at who I had and he didn't really care. Stevie got her and did the same and Buzzy yelled "Give it back to my momma!!!" I can't believe that he was jealous over his Daddy!!!! Puh-lease!

Uncle Ryan was such a hero to the little fellers. He brought out the boogie board and drug them back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. Buzzy isn't ever sure about Garrett. He doesn't want to share his toys with Garrett, but if Garrett had something that looked good, suddenly he was pretty cool! When we got ready to leave, Buzzy teared up and said he wasn't done playing. I was so glad that they had a good time. He has a buddy in Garrett! Maybe someday he will like "that baby" and let her in on his and Garrett's games!

What? Two Posts in One Day?

Just when I thought I had no exciting pictures from over Thanksgiving, I am surprised. Buzzy got to dress up as either a Pilgrim or an Indian for his Thanksgiving dinner at school. Of course, he wanted to be an Indian. I did not know that when they say "no elaborate costumes needed" that the whole room shows up in the full garb. I was sooooo afraid that he was going to be mad at me, because all he wore was his head dress. Thank goodness there were, I think, three other children that didn't dress up at all. He didn't say anything when I picked him up, but at least he had something to wear!

Every time I leave my camera unattended in Alabama, I get a surprise when I get home. This is my favorite cousin-in-law, Dave. When I first met him, he was 14 and I thought he would NEVER grow up. He always asked questions at the wrong time, in front of the wrong people. Thank goodness he never shook Steve, but there were several times that I wanted to kill him, and then promptly kill myself!! Dave always makes my trips south fun! I think if Steve and I ever divorced, Dave would still be my cousin!! I just love him and his sister and his parents!!

Yes, it's December 1st, and we had our first cookout! Buzzy and Steve mowed and played in the yard today. I looked up to a terrible commotion on the back deck. I could not, for the life of me, figure out what Buzzy was carrying. He had the stand to this fire thingy and a big wad of paper that appeared to be a camo jacket. He opened the door and yelled with excitement, to get some hotdogs and smores. We're havin' a campfire!!! He was so excited and so serious about his cooking. At first I thought it was too cold, but it ended up being a great idea. We had hotdogs, Doritos, and smores for dessert!! Banjo got a hot dog and some marshmellows and graham crackers! We had to include everyone in the festivities!

MIA

Thank you for all of the emails wondering where I have been. Not been anywhere but the couch lately. I had convinced myself that I wasn't pregnant anymore since I hadn't been having the pregnancy symptoms. Was a blubbering mess last Sunday, because I was sure that there wasn't going to be a baby. Went to the Dr. on Monday and since I was not far enough along to hear a heartbeat on the doppler, they did an ultrasound to make sure everything was alright. And there it was...a little body with a really strong heartbeat!!! Then the getting sick began. Got sick Monday night, twice Tuesday and Wednesday, and just once Thursday and Friday. Today I haven't been sick at all. The little stinker had a heartbeat of 170 and was measuring a week ahead of it's actual age. When I called Steve to tell him everything was alright, I also told him that it had long legs already and they told me it was going to be really tall!!! That's kind of a joke between us, because it seems everyone's Dr. tells them that but mine!! My Dr. told me Buzzy was going to be an "average size baby" and he ended up being 9 pounds, 10 oz.! There were several people that had babies before and even shortly after Buzzy that told me they were having large babies that ended up being of normal size. Not that Buzzy was a giant or anything, but he was not "average." When he was born, they passed him around between the nurses and Dr. King making bets at how much he weighed. Dr. King said he was 10 lbs. and I thought he was joking. He ended up being the closest guesser. I guess that's good since he's in charge of bringing them into the world!! I was so relieved to see that little person in there and to see that heartbeat! There have been so many sick babies born to people that I know recently, and even though I think that it doesn't bother me, I believe that subconciously it does. I told my friend K just today that I have heard of more sick babies lately, than well babies. Just seeing that strong little heart and that little body that measured a smidget bit bigger than it was supposed to be, made me feel so much better. Now, if this belly would just start growing a little! I had lost 3 pounds since the last time I weighed. I don't want to gain, but not gaining in these first 8 weeks made me feel pretty good too. Next time I go, I will probably have gained 10 pounds!! Until next time.....

Thankful #2

Since I am a couple of days behind, here is #2!

I am thankful that I am pregnant, but more thankful that this morning sickness is starting to ease!! I have been pathetic the last couple weeks. If you don't believe me, just ask Steve, Mimi and Buzzy! Buzzy will cuddle with me on the couch. I'll take a little nap and when I wake, he'll ask if I'm feeling better. He will bring me a glass of ice water or a "cold" hot water bottle. He is the sweetest little fella!

Starting, I think Friday, I started feeling better. Not 100 %, but better. Each day has been a little better. Yesterday was the only day that I have been really "sick" you know, talking to the porcelain king! But today, I feel almost fine. Tired, I can handle tired, just not feeling like my skin is glowing green!

Thankful #1

I have been avoiding this challenge from Brandy. As most of you know, I am not good with seriousness. As a matter of fact, when I'm uncomfortable, I will try to make a joke or say something funny. Serious matters make me a little nervous sometimes.

Mimi asked me this morning if I was going to participate, and I commented that the others were doing "deep" subjects. She reminded me that there are so many simple things in life to be thankful for and after I hung up the phone things just started coming to me. So here is numero uno. (Number one for those non-spanish understanding individuals.)

I am thankful for the life that I have been born into. Steve and I like to watch the Discovery channel. A couple of weekends ago, I think it was a Sunday that I was feeling extra green and we didn't go to church, we were watching a special on a river. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Amazon, I think it was the Nile. It showed the wet season and the dry season and all the different stages that the environment goes through. Anyway, there was a tribe of people that were constantly moving to follow the water. I have watched these specials before and never really thought much about it. On this episode, they showed a little boy, probably close to Buzzy's age, in line with the rest of the people, carrying his little goat. These people herded their goats everywhere they went. You could tell that this little boy LOVED this little goat. You could tell he was uncomfortable with the camera following him. He was walking fast and avoiding looking at the camera. The whole time, he had a death grip on that little goat. I told Steve right then, that we have been so blessed to have been born into this life. We don't have to move to find water. We don't have to live in a tent. We don't have to uproot our entire life each season.

I watched 20/20 last week. It was on Camden, NJ. Camden is, I think they said, the next to the poorest city in the US. Drugs, gangs, and crime rule the little city. It followed two children that week and one family. It was so sad the things that a four-year-old has to live through. He had been homeless with his mother and older brother. And all he wanted was to know how to read. He thought that if he could read, he could do anything. Another little girl, who had an alcoholic father, just wanted a clean park to play in. The park that she went to was nicknamed Needle Park, because of all the drug needles that littered the ground. The family that was on 20/20 was featured on Extreme Makeover Home on Sunday. To see the conditions that these people live in, was absolutely heart breaking.

God places each person with each family and life. And I am so thankful that he placed me right where I am. So yes, I may live in KY, just off Cleaton Road, but let me tell you, I am so THANKFUL to live where I live. Yes, the drug problem is bad, but we can go to the park and not have to worry about Buzzy getting stuck by a dirty needle. No, there isn't much to DO here, but we can go out of our house at night and not worry about getting shot in a gang dispute. And our home is permanent. I am so glad that God placed me in this life, where I live, how I live, and with whom I live with!

Leslie-Stevie/Ricky-Bobby

I nearly died one day last week. It had to be Tuesday or Wednesday, not sure of the day. As most of you know we live just off of Cleaton Road, which is a little crooked, no line road. I am now driving the Accord which is quite a bit smaller than the Tahoe and, at times, I don't feel as safe as I did in my big vehicle. So....I was on my way to work, applying my lip gloss(because all us girls know that this is one of the MOST important parts of the makeup system). So popped over a little hill, that is blind, to a GIANT Chevy SIlverado, jacked up, four wheel drive, IN MY LANE!!!! He was passing a little car in the size range of mine, ON A Blind hill!!!! Luckily, he had just enough time to jerk his vehicle back in behind the other car, although by nearly taking them out also, because he was passing!!! So......

This morning he just happened to get behind me on my way home from dropping Buzzy off. He goes by the office several times a day, because I have kept an eye out for him. Big Redneck truck with a big ol' deer sticker on the back window. Can't be missed. Anyway.. I was zipping along Cleaton road at about 60 until I realized it was HIM behind me. Slowed to 50, which is a reasonable speed for most sane humans. Not me, the grouchy, moody, revenge seeking pregnant woman. So as we approach the spot where he can pass, I move over into the center of the road. He nicely speeds up and moves over to pass me. Only no, he won't be passing the slow little silver car this morning. As I move into the opposite lane, it hits him, he's getting blocked. He tries again, I go farther over. Only took two times for this smart feller (or as Stevie would call him, fart smeller). He fell back from my bumper and road along. I slowed to turn into my drive, he rolls down his window, to show me his middle finger, so I show him mine!! Yes, I know my CHristian friends, this was not very Christian like, but he nearly killed me a few days ago, and I will ask forgiveness for my behavior. I am so thankful that I watched Talladega Nights and closely watch my husband week in and week out at the race track to learn true blocking skills!! Just call me Leslie-Stevie, instead of Ricky-Bobby! Steve better watch out. I might just fix his new car for myself. Show those boys how to really drive.

Weekend review.

Brandy came over on Saturday and took our pictures. We did them at Mimi's in her field and front porch and then a few at the mill. Most people wouldn't be caught dead in a log yard, but not us! While we were photographed at Mimi's, Mimi came down to distract her kitty. He kept trying to get in the pictures; standing on the log beside us, crawling up between me and Steve, you know kitty antics. Anyway, Mimi spied a deer stand back a little piece in the woods a couple of years ago, but didn't think anyone used it anymore. Which was wrong. Saturday was opening day of deer season here in Ky and the poor guy was perched up in his stand being all quiet and here we all were in the field being loud and giggly. I bet he would have shot us if he could have gotten away with it!!

ANyway, can't wait to get my proofs, hint, hint, B.!! They are going to be so good. Buzzy was great at cheesing for the camera!! We had a good time and anytime Brandy was out of earshot, Steve would ask if we were done yet!! I told him it would only last a couple hours! He responded with a rather spirited "Uh, uhhhh." He'll be glad he did it! I know I will!

Shorty is missing

Shorty was my first baby. I adopted him before Steve and I were married. Steve and his roommate at the time, Stewart, watched - and laughed- as a dog attacked this poor kitten. I was irrate to say the least. I took him to the vet and got him checked out, medicated, and named him Shorty. He moved to Mockingbird Lane with us. The three of us would cuddle on the couch before Buzzy was born. I would ask Steve who would hold Shorty when the baby was born. Shorty moved outside when the baby came.

He moved to our current home and barely made it past the dog that was left behind. She tried to eat him and I loaded the doggy up and delivered her to her owner. She had just lived here like two months after they moved out. She messed with my Shorty. She was out of here.

I took this picture of him last Tuesday and I haven't seen him since. Steve has been feeding the critters at night for me and he hasn't seen him since about the same time I did. He always showed up when it was time to eat. I know he's gone because he's never been gone this long...ever. So if anybody runs into Shorty, tell him to come home. His momma misses him.

Halloween

I know, I know. I am behind on the blogging. Just a week! Anyway...I did not realize that Buzzy prayed before his snack at school. MiMi told me that he did and so that's when I became educated. I have not personally experienced anything sweeter than 12 preschoolers bowing their heads and saying their prayer before they eat. I experienced it on the field trip and again at the Halloween party. It brings tears to my eyes. I love it! Buzzy has learned so much at school. Any doubts that I had about sending him have disappeared.

**I know-his hat is on, but it's a start!**

Jeff Gordon came to the mill before he went on his trick-or-treating jaunt. MiMi had him a bucket of goodies and a book. He was into the book!

I'm really not comfortable with this situation that I caught on film. Look at that expression on his face! Chandra and I took the kiddos to town again this year. I don't know who has more fun; them or us? They were tuckered out when we made it back to where we parked. They had to rest on the grass while Chandra and I planned the rest of the afternoon. MaSandy fixed us supper again this year. I really like this Halloween tradition that we have going! Trick or Treating and then free food at the Herman's!!

News

Guess what!! It's true! Most of you know by now. It's very early and we haven't told Buzzy yet. I want to go to the Dr. first and make sure everything is ok before I tell the little man. It's going to be hard to explain and if there was a problem, it would be harder to explain why there was a baby and for some reason, there isn't one now..... So that's the news!! We gonna have a baby about Julyish. Like I said, VERY early, but we are so darn excited, couldn't keep it a secret!!

Preschool Halloween party

I took this picture this morning. It's some of the buckets that I made for Buzzy's pre-school party. They don't have a "room-mother" but I volunteered to do the organizing of the party. I have loved every bit of it! I had to seal the buckets this morning and that's why they are on the front porch. I had to spray them and let them dry. I was afraid that the most obedient dog in the world would knock them off, but he didn't and I was quite surprised! He posed at just the right time for the picture. Like most little and big boys, he can be sweet when he wants to! I just realized that I didn't get a picture of the treat bags. They were so cute and they didn't have any candy in them!! They had pencils, a glowstick, a noise maker, tattooes, and a twirly flashlight thingy! The little ones are going to play musical chairs tomorrow and a pinata type game. I can't wait!!! Can you tell??

This a closeup of the bucket. Everyone in the class gets one with the pumpkin and their name on it. I did the pumpkin, but I am not quite advanced enough for the letters, so my friend and painting teacher, Regina, did the names for me! Steve and Pappy made fun of my buckets because they think they are too big. When have you ever heard of a man saying something it too big? Anyway, all I could find were itty bitty ones and these larger ones, so naturally, I went with the larger ones. Steve said they are bigger than most of the children, but I don't care. I had fun making them. I hope they ask me to do the Christmas stuff too! I just love it and I already have an idear for my Christmas project!!

This is the door going into my garage. I finally cleaned up my yard and it looks pretty darn good, if I can say so myself! Now if I can get the inside done....

Field Trip

Buzzy's field trip was on Monday. It had been postponed two different times and this was the third date that was set. This is him and his friend Cooper. They hung out and looked for pumpkins together. The place we went to had a hayride, a corn maze, a soybean maze, and a hay fort for the little ones to enjoy. He was so tired by the time we went home. I thought he might be asleep before we got to NaNa's. I am so glad that they got to go, because they all had such a good time! It was worth the wait.





We had a tour guide that was dressed as a scarecrow. She had rules for all of the different activities. She told them that when they picked out their pumpkin, they had to stand beside it and raise their hand. She would go and pick it for them. He raised both of his hands when he found his. His was all warty looking because he liked it the best! I'll post of picture of it later on.











This is when they went in the soybean maze with the scarecrow. They were flying, but I didn't catch them flapping their "wings!"

Name

Buzzy wanted to show me how he can write his name!

Answer

Mary Ann was right. He's on the roof of the camper! It's hard to see him here, but he's right next to Steve. He wasn't up there by himself. I'm not that crazy!

Where in the World is....Buzz Ashley

Who can guess where Buzzy is.

Weekend Adventure

We went to Reid Orchard in Owensboro over the weekend. I have heard about it for several years, we've just never went. It was almost like a fair! It had rides and that was all that Buzzy was interested in! We went with Regina, Penny, and her little boy Thad #1. Him and Buzzy rode some rides and we ate lunch and played games. It was a really good time and we will probably go back again next year, since we went both days this year!



Buzzy loved the miniature ponies. They were so gentle and let all of those children pet all over them. They also had chickens. When they crowed, Buzzy would get hysterical! He thought it was hilarious!






We found this special little fella inside the pumpkin!



















They had a jousting thingy going on ever so often. Buzzy wasn't interested at first, but once they got going, he really got into it. They didn't mess around either! They hit each other hard. They had a story teller lady that told what it meant when they hit each other in certain places. Buzzy would just clap his hands and, as you can see, he was totally into it!





We went back on Sunday with MiMi. She has never been either and I thought she would enjoy it. Buzzy wanted her to see those chickens and to win him ANOTHER bunny. More about that later!!














We had to do the corn maze again. MiMi and Buzzy got lost and just couldn't figure out which way to go!!















Now...the bunny game. This carnival thingy had games set up to drain the pockets of parents. You know the kind. The kind where one in a million dollars wins. Well, Buzzy was convinced that he needed another bunny, so we played, and played, and played, and played, and, do you get the picture here? We played at least a 20 dollar bill worth on Saturday and then he talked Mimi into another one on Sunday. I told her if she won a bunny, it was going to her house or she was buying the bunny hutch. We would NOT be putting any two bunnies in a cage together!! One Thumper is enough! Needless to say, they didn't win a bunny.



On our way home, we had to stop at the pumpkin place. It was either there or Target, and finally he decided on the Pumpkin place. He had his eye on the hay mountain.
















So that was exactly where he went! We bought a few pumpkins and finally made it home. Long day, but it was so fun watching the excited Buzzy!

Muddin'

Buzzy is following along into the redneck world he has been born into!! When I went to Mimi's house for lunch yesterday, this is the sight that welcomed me. It had rained a little the night before and, of course, Mr. Buzz could not wait to get into that fish pond and get his tricycle "hung up." I had to get him a rope so he could pull his bike up the side of the pond and then repeatedly drop in back into the mud hole! He had a blast and I know when I was little, I would have done the same thing!

Class Bear

Buzzy got to bring home the class bear on Tuesday. The bear's name is Cinnamon and he was sooo excited that it was his turn to take Cinnamon home! He took Cinnamon to visit NaNa and Papaw, then to Heavy and Regina's and then to Sonic for supper and then Cinnamon got to play in the camper with Buzzy. They went throught the "laundry chute" numerous times! The next day, Buzzy took Cinnamon back to school and got to share what he and Cinnamon did together!

Buzzy also went to his friend Cooper's birthday party. They had a bouncy thing for the kiddos to play in. They all had a really good time and I got to visit with the other parents!

Gramps Hair Stylist

I'm ba-ack!! Finally, yes I know it's been awhile. But I am here and have lots of post to follow!!



Buzzy and Stevie have a friend named Grant that Buzzy has changed to Gramp! He just loves him and his wife Leeann!



Gramp came over to visit tonight while we were at MiMi's and Buzzy just "happened" to get a brush and a comb to work on Gramp's hair.









When he got tired of getting the tangles out of Grant's hair, Buzzy moved onto the beard! He did get a good grip on a "tangle" once and Grant's eyes got a little big and we all giggled!

Fish Lake

MiMi's fish pond is finally taking shape! Pappy and Stevie spent Friday evening and most of Saturday working on it! MiMi is so excited and the pond is going to be so pretty when they get it going.





MiMi is so proud of Stevie in this picture! She said that Pappy has taught Stevie well, because for once, Pappy is doing the work and Stevie is watching! Usually Pappy is watching and giving orders while someone else does the hard work!



























Big Bucket, Little Boy!

Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin carving didn't go quite as expected. Buzzy has been gung-ho since we bought the pumpkins on Friday. He was all about punching holes in it and rolling it around.
































Then he saw what was inside of the pumpkin! Story changed!
























This was the look I got when I asked if he would help me scoop the yuck out.

Fishing with Pappy

I just like this picture. Looks peaceful, but when these two are together, it's usually anything but peaceful!

Race Pics...finally!

What was left of the car after the little altercation on the track.
























Pappy can't be trusted around the women! He loves to visit with Ninnie and Jerre and they seem to enjoy him too! Look at that Ninnie, just a rubbin' on Pappy's belly!! Maybe that's why they look like they are having such a good time!
























The Ashley Family - Glenda, Uncle Mikey, Me, Stevie, Buzzy, Ninnie, Steve's Dad, and Ninnie's sister Jerre.

Race Pics

I have so many good pictures from the last race to share. I just have to steal them from MiMi's camera. Hopefully I will get those up this weekend. Have a great weekend, my friends!