Peyton's Birthday in Mexico

Peyton and I are going to Cancun for his birthday this year.  We are leaving on the 15th and coming back on the 19th.  I am really excited to be away and alone for four whole days together.  It's been a long time since we've just escaped from everything.  I have really been stuggling to juggle a very demanding work schedule with home the past couple of months, but I have made some real strides in the past week towards leaving the stress of work at work and not bringing it home.  The laptop is not coming out in the evenings unless it's a real emergency and I'm not opening it up on the weekends.  The longest day that I had last week was 13 hours, down from two 17 hours days the previous week.  I also took Thursday and Friday off and spent some much needed down time with Peyton and the kids.  I had two full work days at home with my baby girl and boy was she happy with that.  She's really always been a daddy's girl, but the past two weeks she's been crying for me when I'm not here.  I just know that as important as DGF has been to me and to the kids, it had taken over my life to the point that I was coming home in a horrible mood and really crying nearly every night.  If I wasn't crying, I was complaining.  I was becoming impossible to live with and impossible at work.  I had a complete meltdown and had to reevaluate my position.  We'll see what happens in the near future, but for the moment, I have put my family back on the front burner and work is in second place.  I want to be successful in all that I do and in our current environment, I can't see success.  I want to bring value to my clients and I've proposed for the final time how to make effective changes.  I am hoping that I will be given the greenlight to move forward with much needed adjustments to schedules and restructuring.  Either way, on October 15th, I am flying to Mexico to have an amazing week with my husband.  It will all be there when I get back...and if it isn't, I'll move on to bigger and better things.   

Pine Mountain Festival

When we woke up yesterday, Peyton just wanted to get the kids out of the house.  He has a touch of fall fever.  I know it's my favorite time of year when the leaves begin to fall and I believe it is his.  He loves to be outside and the temperature is perfect for taking the kids on these adventures in the early fall.  He did a few minutes of research on small town festivals and determined that we would head to Pine Mountain.  We went through Warm Springs and educated the girls on the history of the beautiful little town.  I have always found FDR's story to be so amazing, but really did not realize how far back the springs were used for medicinal purposes.  A brief history from before FDR:

The history of the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation is about much more than just President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The history predates FDR, to the Native Americans who first utilized the healing properties of the warm springs, to the pre-Civil War and later Victorian resort era of the late 1800s. However, it was FDR who clearly made the greatest impact. Since FDR's first visit to Warm Springs in 1924 until his death in 1945, he made 41 visits here, and was the driving force for the treatment of polio, polio research and rehabilitation in general; and it was during that time FDR initiated The March of Dimes. Since his passing in 1945, the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation has continued his living legacy, and is now a National Historic Landmark.

According to local legend, the warm springs were a safe haven for warring tribes of Native Americans, who would bring their injured to the bubbling waters at the foot of Pine Mountain to recuperate. It is believed that the Creek (also called Muskogee), Chickasaw and even the southernmost Cherokee tribes were given safe passage to and from the 88 degree mineral water. In the mid 1800s, water spas dotted the southern landscape. Well-to-do property owners and businessmen would get away during the hot summer months. Among these was a hotel near the warm springs at Pine Mountain, where even influential visitors like Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina were known to have visited. In 1879, a much larger 180-room Victorian lodge was built on property overlooking the warm springs near the small town of Bullochville (which was later named Warm Springs by FDR). Located in Meriwether County, this rambling, multi-porch lodge was called the Meriwether Inn with trails and steps leading down to the springs and what eventually became a large outdoor swimming pool. With access by train and stagecoach, the Meriwether Inn remained a popular resort until George Foster Peabody, a prominent businessman and philanthropist in New York City purchased the property in 1923. In 1927 George Peabody sold the property and 1,200 acres to FDR for $200,000. Roosevelt, who refused to stay in the Inn due to its inaccessibility, turned the place into a polio treatment center, officially incorporated on July 28, 1927.  We will take the girls back later in the fall and let them tour The Little Whitehouse.  Yesterday, we had a festival to attend and it was so much fun that we spent the entire day there and ran out of time to do anything else. 

I am not typically one for window or antique shopping, but I found some beautiful items in Pine Mountain.  Peyton bought me a bowl that is identical to the one my Mom has had in her china cabinet for the past 30 or so years.  Her's is a vintage footed amber oval fruit patterned bowl.  When I saw the blue one identical to it, I couldn't quit looking at it.  My wonderful husband bought it for me.  Rustie and I have always talked about who would inherit that crazy bowl.  I looked up the value and it's worth about $15.00.  Peyton paid $20.00 for mine.  The real value of that bowl is in how many of our birthdays, Christmas parties and Thanksgiving gatherings it served our potatoe salad.  I am hoping that my girls will all discuss....even openly....who will inherit the blue bowl that daddy bought for mommy at the Pine Mountain Festival in early fall 2011.  Tonight, I will make sure to fill it with mashed potato salad and place it on the center of our table. 

The girls rode ponies and had their hair fixed in crazy hairstyles by a couple of ladies raising money for the Humain Society.  We sat on a blanket in front of Wells Fargo and listened to the band play while we ate our fair food:  pulled BBQ pork, baked beans, potatoe salad, rolls, hot dogs, french fries and cheese nachos.  After a couple of hours of shopping and viewing vendor's handmade goods, we had ice cream in a real "soda fountain era" shop.  The girls loved the old phone on the wall and the old Fridgadaire door that decorated the wall. 

We toured a small art gallery where I discovered a couple of local artists that I loved.  Pat Christian does water colors and my favorite is called Liar's Bench.  This is simple, small town America airwork with some beautiful Italian landscapes from Pat's travels.  They are really wonderful to look at. I know the girls will grow up to have a huge appreciation of art.  After all, they do have the blood of artists flowing through their vains.  It really bothers me that Peyton doesn't have the time to draw and paint the way he used to.  I have some great pictures he's done for me, but nothing recent.  The kids take up so much of his time.  I know that when Amelia is a little older and Michael is living in his own apartment, I am going to add a studio to this house for Peyton. Someday....someday is not that far away for us.  The kids are growing and changing so quickly.

Amelia is a riot right now.  Everytime she seems me change clothes, she screams out...BOOGIES....and then pulls her shirt up to show me that she has BOOGIES too!  I hope I never forget how the sound of her laughter and the squeaky little voice that tries to copy everything that I say.  She has an expansive vocabulary for such a young little toddler.  I guess when you grow up in a house with six other people who never shut up, you either have to get the words right or risk not being heard....and trust me....she is heard!  She still follows her daddy around and cries for him to hold her all of the time.  She needs him to love her and cuddle her all of the time....she might look just like him, but in this respect, she takes after her momma.  I am just as needy and clingy with Peyton.  I am so proud that he is my husband.  I don't think I could breathe without him.  My heart hurts just to think about it.  We are still friends after all of these years and I think that is why this works.  There is no one else in the entire world that I would rather drive around town listening to Sinatra with.  Pretty funny....he played Sinatra in the car yesterday.  The girls were not happy.  They kept asking when he could put on some real music.  Little Blue Eyes complaining about listening to Old Blue Eyes.  Eventually we settled on country music and they all sang the rest of the way...even Amelia. 

***It's funny to note that anytime little Miss Amelia gets out of the car or walks out of the house, she says, "Uhh...it's hot."  A little spoiled I think.

We are pretty sure we will hit another festival next weekend.  The fall festival season is just gearing up.  I can't wait.  Pumpkins await our princesses.....

Snaggle Tooth Samantha

Samantha lost her first tooth tonight.  She came up to me and opened her mouth.  her front tooth was almost lying straight down.  She wouldn't let me pull it.  I told her to get a napkin and to try to pull it herself.  It was clear that even a minor tug would get it right out.  She pulled it right away.  She was really excited.  I'm so happy for her.  It took a little while for her to lose a tooth after her sister.  I think she was worried that she would never lose one.  I love you, my little snaggle tooth girl!

Amelia's 18 month checkup

Amelia is doing well.  She has her pysical today.  Unfortunately she had to have four shots.  It broke my heart to hold her down while they stuck her.  She was so upset.  We went straight to Chic Fil A afterwards for ice creams.  She is officially saying EVERYTHING we say.  She talks non stop and states her words very clearly.  She does say Bagy (bay Gee) instead of Baby and Boogies (Boo Gees) instead of boobies.  She just can't do double B's.  I've never been able to get her to say my name, but she does say Peyton sometimes.  She weights 23 lbs.  I didn't look at her height, but she's in the 31st percenticle for height and weight.  I still wonder if she won't be my shorty.  She looking awfully chunky this week.  I just love to cuddle with her. 

Sabrina has been calling Peyton:  Pey Pey.  It's so funny.  She knows it bugs him, which is of course why she continues to do it.  My kids love to pick on their daddy.