Middle-of-January Update

Well, I haven't journaled in a while, so here we go...

On New Years Day we headed up to Jacksonville for the FSU game and to see Bobby Bowden one last time :( It was quite an interesting trip. We left at 6:30 in the morning (which might as well be 3am to me), and drove 4hrs to Jacksonville. On arrival, the temperature was a cold 49deg. and raining. Yes, I said raining. Pretty much as miserable as you can get. I was trying really hard to be a trooper, and the Lord must've noticed, because in the second quarter it stopped raining, and we actually had sun shining on us. It was short lived, but nice while we had it. Anyway, it was a great time, and I know Jimmy will always remember it.

Other than that, not much really exciting has been going on. We did take J.D. to the circus (Mady stayed home - would've been a nightmare!). He had seen a flier in the mail about it, and was SO excited to go. Not that he really knew what it even was, but excited none the less. He would ask every day about 10 times a day, "Is it time to go to the circus, yet?" Note to self - don't tell him until the day before. His favorite part of the circus was the "train" that brought the circus into town. No, not the elephants, or tigers, or motorcycles...he loved the make-shift train they had. Although, I think the popcorn came in close second. He and Kate sat together and shared a box of popcorn - it was so cute. They would take turns holding the box, and they would tell each other to clap at certain points. They are adorable!! It was nice to get to spend some one-on-one time with J.D. I'm sure he's been missing that over the last year! :)

Not much new with Mady. She got her first illness. She had a fever for a few days, but she was acting normal, and no other symptoms, so I put off taking her in. By day four or five, she was just really cranky and still had a fever, so I decided to go ahead and take her to the doctor (did I mention how much I hate taking them? that's another post!) Anyway, I felt like an awful mother because after looking at her, the Dr. informed me that she had a viral infection AND a double ear infection!! No wonder the kid was cranky!! Yikes!! So, antibiotic given, and first major illness done with! Yay!!

She is really growing up too quickly. She's like her own little person, now. She feeds herself completely (won't let me get near it), she plays on her own, she just has her own personality. She is very stubborn. She gets her mind set on something and you better just move out of the way. I have been informed (by my mom) that she is JUST like I was at this age...strong willed, throwing temper tantrums, stubborn. Yikes! I think that means I have my work cut out for me. But look how great I turned out, so I'm sure she'll be just fine! Ha! However, as frustrating as it can be sometimes, all it takes is for her to smile at me, and it's all better. Her smile really lights up her face and she's just so darn cute. She's a mess, but she's a delightful mess and wouldn't change a thing about her.

J.D. is just as sweet as ever, as well. He is so compassionate and has the most tender heart. He struggles when Mady takes the trains he is currently playing with, but other than that, he's a great kid. I really enjoy spending the days with my kids and even though I need a break every now and then, I wouldn't give up one second I have with them.

I love you guys so much and love being your mom.