We own a Bagel

So, I took the pups to the groomer today: Doggie Day Spa & Resort. The owner says she is positive of Sadie's breed---finally! She says she is offcially a Bagel---1/2 beagle, 1/2 bassett.
That's kind of what we were thinking too. Brooklyn says we should spread some cream cheese on her! (my little comic!) ha ha

Also...we took Grant for his pediatric echocardiogram today. It was painless although lengthy. He had to lay on a bed with little electrodes stuck all over his chest and tummy. Then the ultrasound tech smeared him all up with what looked like KY jelly and began the ECG. It took about an hour and he was bored but he did very good and was very still. I laid on the bed beside him to comfort him and that was all good and fine for about the first 5 minutes. Apparently I had just barely gotten on the bed...so I was holding on with every ounce of strength I had to not fall off the bed! ha ha It would have been really bad if I had fallen too since the bed was about 4 feet up in the air! By the time it was over...I was exhausted from tensing up all my muscles to try to keep myself still and hanging on! (why I didn't just get down, I have no idea--I figured he wanted me there beside him, I guess)
Anyway, we won't find anything out for a few days. She said that first it will be read by the pediatric cardiologist and then that report will be sent to Grant's doctor who will then look it over and give us a call. I'm absolutely not worried one tiny bit and I appreciate all the kind words of encouragement you all have sent my way. Okay...off to grill some salmon for dinner (or at least hand it to Matt to grill! he he) Lator Gators!

Boaters Beware!

The Joneses are On The Water!!!

Monday we took our boat out for the 1st time. As we pull up to the (PACKED!!!) loading dock, Matt says to me, "Do you want to be the one to drive the boat or the one to back the truck/trailer into the water and let the boat off and then go park?" I look at him with my eyebrows both raised as high as my face would let them go and say, "WHAT?" I don't know how to drive a boat and SURE as heck don't know how to park/drive a truck with a 30 foot trailer on the back!! AUGH! So, at first we both get in the boat and he tries to tell me how to start it and how to give it gas and steer and he says I'll have to be able to pull up beside the dock to pick him and the kids up in the boat after he parks the truck. Both of decided that was WAY too dangerous of an idea...so that left me being the one in the truck. It was a good thing too because he had trouble starting the boat and if I'd been the one out there trying to start it (and it wasn't starting) I would have Fuh-REEK-ed out! Anyway, everything actually went off without a hitch and even though when I finally got parked, the trailer was completely jack-knifed behind the truck--taking up half of the feild (ha ha), we made it out onto the water and everything was going great. Almost immediately, Grant laid down and went to sleep! He got up once and moved to a different spot and then went right back to sleep!! The little guy slept for probably a good hour and a half to 2 hours! After a little bit we anchored off at a calm place and Matt lit the grill and we grilled ourselves some turkey dogs. I had brought a bowl full of fresh veggies (carrots, broccoli and cucumber) and we had that with our dogs. Eventually Brooklyn got the itch to try out her new pink fishing pole (Thanks Nana & Duane) so she fished for a bit while I sun-bathed. Then my parents called and said they were coming out so that was even more fun! The kids got brave and decided to start jumping off the boat into the (COLD) water and had a BLAST! They were bummed that we hadn't brought the big tube for us to pull them with...but we wanted to try the boat out first before we did that. Some friends of ours blessed us with a whole slew of NICE life jackets in ALL sizes...so we were all set to go in that area! They also sold us their almost brand new tube for $25 bucks...so we can't wait to try that out!

We plan to be back on the water this weekend...probably all day Saturday! Matt and Brooklyn got REALLY sunburned on Monday...so hopefully we'll do better with the sunscreen next time. I only have 2 sunscreens...one is 50 SPF and one is 4 SPF! ha ha....kind of extreme both ways! I need some 15 or 30 SPF I think. Anyhow, sorry I haven't been reading/commenting on your blogs much in the past week...but I promise...as soon as I get my housework caught up...I'll be back reading and commenting! (Hopefully later on today!)

Too close to home

You know, we see headlines and hear reports all the time of horrible things happening. Children being shot in schools, killed in fires, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, beaten to death...etc. If a person doesn't put up some sort of wall mentally to this stuff...it can really mess you up. But every now and then, something seeps through that wall and I can't get it out of my mind. I remember a year or two back when a grandfather was taking his 5 yr. old grandson fishing and nearby, across the field some police were shooting at something (I can't remember what --but it was an animal I think) and the bullet hit the little boy right in the head and killed him instantly. That story loomed in my mind for days, maybe even weeks, imagining what that grandfather must have went through at that horrendous moment. Obviously he was a loving, caring grandpa to be taking his grandson fishing in the first place. They probably had a close bond with one another. Then to suddenly see him laying on the ground, blood pouring from his head and his life instantly gone. How does anyone deal with something like that? They don't--unless they have God in their life.
Well, as I'm sure most of you know, Steven Curtis Chapman's young daughter was killed last week as her older brother unknowingly ran over her in their own driveway. I have tried and tried to put that story out of my head...but time and time again...I find myself thinking through what each person in that scenario must be experiencing right now. It's sickening. Literally, I get sick to my stomach if I allow myself to "go there" for more than just a second. Tears spring up instantly in my eyes and I can feel the lump in my throat forming. How does a parent handle losing a child? --especially tragically.
Early this morning as I sat in my office working I was nodding off. I decided it's been a long weekend so I "allowed" myself the luxury of going back to bed for a quick 15-20 minute nap. However, I was awakened before my time was up with one of the most horrible, heart-constricting feelings I have ever experienced. I was having a dream...but it felt SO REAL. I had been standing in a parking lot with Matt, his dad, the kids and some friends. (It was the K-Mart parking lot in my home town and I can see it clear as day). We were talking and about to get in the car to leave when Brooklyn and one of her friends spotted someone across the parking lot they knew. They took off running across the parking lot and I looked up and hollered at them "Hey! You don't run across the parking lot without looking and asking first!!!" Then as soon as I got those words out, I saw Grant out of the corner of my eye take off after them. Except this time, in my peripheral vision, I could see a car coming fast from the other way. I screamed at Matt (who was closer to him than I was) "GET HIM!!!!!" but it was too late. The car had already hit him. The front bumper knocked him down and as his little body hit the ground--ba-bump..the car rolled over him. I took off running toward him but suddenly all strength left my body and I fell to the ground screaming "OH MY GOD! MY BABY!"
That's when I woke up.
Now, 3 hours later, I am still totally tore up about this. I know it was just a dream, but yet, it's a reality that SCC's family is facing right now. I have prayed and I have listened. I have done some soul searching this morning because I just don't understand how things like this happen to Christian people. I pray protection over my children and my family every morning and I know Matt does too...and it is in that...that I have 100% complete confidence---no doubt whatsoever---that nothing like that could or would EVER happen to my children. Anything to make me think that there is a "snag" in that type of thinking sends me into a tizzy.
I want to pretend that those stories and dreams like that don't affect me...but they do...and sometimes (like now) I just can't seem to shake it. Is God trying to tell me something? Show me something? Warn me of something? Am I being lazy in how carefully I watch over my children? Yesterday at the lake, Grant was jumping off the side of the boat and even though I was loving seeing him have SO much fun and just being a little boy...I found myself thinking things like: what if he hits his head on the side of the boat when he jumps? or what if he goes too far under and gets stuck underneath the boat? Or what if he swims too far out and a seadoo hits him? I know those kinds of thoughts are from the devil...but sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't allow ourselves to think of the "what if's" so we can be smart and keep anything like that from happening....??? One thing I know...a mother's heart is a delicate thing concerning her children. Where the "line" is of being cautious and careful versus over-protective and obsessive is a difficult one to find sometimes--when you're the mom.
How do you guys deal with this kind of stuff? I'd love to know...

Memorial Day Weekend

Wow! What a blur of fun these past 4 days have been! Thursday morning started out by me going to the gym for my last (augh!!) workout before our little “vacation” began. Then it was back home for a quick shower and we were off. Me, my mom, my grandma and Brooklyn were all going to my nephew’s high school graduation 3 hrs. away. But first, we dropped Grant off at my good friend, Amos’s house so he could stay home with daddy that night. (Thank you so much Amy!) He wasn’t too sure what was going on and when daddy came to pick him up after work that day…he was not very happy that us girls had left and went without him.
We got to our hotel in just enough time to get changed and head off to the graduation ceremony. I wondered as we sat there in the muggy, standing-room-only auditorium if ANYone, included the 269 graduates, enjoyed this…!!?? I mean, most of those kids are probably just ready to get out of there…and all of the friends and family, at least everyone I could see, looked bored and were fanning themselves with the graduation program paper. It’s a shame that such a special event has become such a “ritual.” (here's a pic of my nephew, the graduate-Christian with his girlfriend, Lauren who is a model!)Anyhow, after that we went to his graduation party at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was fun. They have a trivia game that the whole restaurant can play by using little hand held buzzers and reading the trivia questions on the over-head TV screens. Very cool.
Friday I did get up and go to the hotel’s fitness room for a 20 minute jog, some push ups and a little bit of weights. Then me and Brooklyn went and checked out the pool. I jumped in where it said 5’ thinking that my head would be above water. But…no, instead I went right under, and since I wasn’t holding my breath or holding my nose---I think I sucked in half the pool. Ewww! Plus, I felt like SUCH a dork! There were lots of people in there and I probably looked like I was about to barf with all the coughing and sputtering I did after that! Ha ha
After that we spent the day hanging with my family and did a little shopping. It was a great, relaxing day. I even managed to fit in one of my P90X videos that afternoon! Woohoo!
MEANWHILE, while I was doing all that, Matt and Grant got up early Friday morning and headed North 2 hours to pick up our new boat! Thankfully, Grant slept the whole way there. As soon as Matt pulled onto the road with the boat, he got a flat tire (on the boat trailer) and had to pull over on the side of the road and change it. (stink!) Once they got home and unloaded the boat and put the cover on it, they loaded up all their stuff and headed 3 hours South to where me and Brook were. He met up with us at my brother’s house and had dinner.
That night we headed over to my MIL’s house to spend the night and I ended up sleeping on the couch because the kids watched Jumangi before bed and were too scared to sleep. I woke up feeling HORRIBLE. Totally sick to my stomach, achy neck, skin felt raw and sore and I had no energy whatsoever. Like seriously, brushing my teeth wore me out. I don’t know what was up, but I dealt with that all day long until it all finally culminated into one miserable moment at Wal-Mart later that day. I made a mad dash for the bathroom and I believe I may have lost a few pounds in there. That afternoon we had lunch at Matt’s grandma’s house and got to visit with her a little. Matt’s little brother was there with his wife too so that was nice. Later that night I was still feeling pretty miserable so Matt and his grandma laid hands on me and prayed for me and almost immediately I started feeling better. By this morning (the next day) I woke up feeling GREAT! Not just “better” but totally terrific and full of energy. I have no idea what the problem was yesterday but I am SO glad it’s over! (Thank you Lord for healing!) Today we went to church with my MIL—which is also the church Matt and I were married at. It was a little weird at first….we haven’t been there in a long time, but it only took a minute to feel like we were back at home with all the people we’ve known (but haven’t seen) in so many years. There is something to be said about small towns, that’s for sure. People are definitely more down to earth and friendly than what we’re used to (for the most part).
Anyhow after church we had lunch with Matt’s mamaw and then we headed to the park for a little party for Grant’s birthday and Jaxon, our nephew’s, birthday. We got a Spiderman cake and some drinks and it was a lot of fun. My kids SURE do love their cousins. I don’t know if being related has anything to do with it or not…but they have more fun with them than any other kids ever. Too bad we live so far away….
Anyhow, that’s what we’ve been up to.
Tomorrow, Memorial Day, we are going to take the new boat out on the lake and test it out. I hope it’s everything we’ve dreamed it would be! Hope you’re having a great long weekend and will take a second to thank God for the soldiers who have given their lives for our freedom.

Here's a pic of Brooklyn--always posing! Here's Jaxon, celebrating #6 and Grant, celebrating #4. Happy Birthday you Big Boys!
Grant, a.k.a. Bible Man!! (new BibleMan mask, cape and sword!)
Buddies! Coco, Brooklyn, Jax and Grant on the slide.
My hunky monkey!
Here's a pic of all the Jones men! Cale, Grant, G.P. Jaxon & Matt.

And here's a pic of all the women in the group. Lindsay, Me, Laura and Mamaw Ruth.
Mr. Jones and me! Like teenagers--so in love we can't keep our hands off each other!
And here's more of the gang! Larry and Tara (matt's little sis), Laura (matt's mom) Matt, me, Brook and Grant.

Kids!! Gotta Love Em'!

At this very moment, I am laying out on my lounge chair getting a tan while I type a post on my blog and my kids are in the FREEZING ICE COLD swimming pool!! How cool is that!!??!! I cannot believe the kids are in the pool! The water is at about 73 degrees right now...which might not sound "that" bad...but I promise you...it is! About 82 is where I like the water to be. I would get in if it were 80..and at 86..it's starting to get too warm. But no way on earth could you get me in there right now! But you know how kids are...nothing bothers them like it does us old fogeys. The pic of the 2 girls is Brooklyn (the shorter one) and her friend from next door, Taylor-also a red head.)
Speaking of kids, I took Grant for his 4 yr. check up this afternoon. He is such a scrawny little fella. He's fiesty...but skinny. He's at the 15th percentile for his weight and at the 60th percentile for his height. Tall and slim...what every WOMAN wants! ha ha
While we were there, the doctor asked me if he had ever had his you-know-what's checked to see if they had descended. I said no...as he has not had a well child check since he was about 18 mo. old. She said we probably needed to go ahead and do it and told me to tell him what was going to happen. So...first of all I sent Brooklyn out to use the restroom. Then I said, "honey, you are going to have to pull your pants down and the doctor is going to feel of your private parts and make sure everything is good and healthy, ok?" Then I pulled his pants down and she did the exam. While she was doing it, she was explaining what she was doing. She said, "You know how you have those little things down there, like marbles or little balls? Well, we have to check to make sure they are in the right place." He didn't say anything for a minute and then he looked at me with this look of utter amazement and said, "Mommy, I have BALLS??" He was so excited! ha ha ha. The doctor and I both starting laughing so hard she had to leave the room. He kept asking (and in all seriousness) "Do I really have marbles in me?" HA HA HA
On a more serious note:
After the doctor had done everything, she left the room for a minute..and I figured she was going to get his shots ready. (all FIVE of them!!) but instead she came back in with another doctor. I thought that seemed strange...but whatever. The guy started listening to his chest--front and back--high and low--over and over. Then he looks at me and says, "Yes, there is definitely a murmur there. We probably need to get that checked out with an echocardiogram." I'm like "Say WHAT?" I had no idea anything was even wrong. After he left, our doctor sat down and explained it to me a little more. Apparently a heart murmur isn't "that" big of a deal--usually. They were a little bit more concerned since he's never had anything but a perfect heart until now....and then all of a sudden..he's developed one. Anyway, they are going to call me in the morning to schedule the echocardiogram with a pediatric cardiologist. Please just keep him in your prayers that everything will come back fine. Hopefully this is just a "functional murmur" and nothing that needs any attention.
Okay, well, I better get off here and get dinner started! Love you all!

What's New?

What's new around my house? Well, here are a few things:
We bought the boat!!! We almost lost it. The guy e-mailed me last night and said he was sorry...but the first family that came and looked at it bought it. I was SO bummed. But then he e-mailed back later on and said that they'd changed their minds and that we could have first dibs on it...but that there were 7 other people wanting to come and look at it. We had already made up our mind that we were going to buy it...so we told him YES! we want it! We are going to have to finance a very small amount for probably a year. No big deal...not for the amount of fun we are going to have on this thing. Plus, I am fairly certain we could sell it at any moment if for some reason we didn't like it. But I don't see that happening. Matt is going to pick it up Friday morning!!

Matt and I both got our P90X tank tops in the mail.Also, my Uppercase Living order came in. These are the 2 I got this time: (this one is in my master bathroom in the little niche that is chocolate brown)
This is one I put upstairs in our playroom.

Boats & Bikini's

So, a friend of mine called yesterday to tell me that her neighbors are selling their boat. She knows we've been wanting one...but it's really only just been a dream. Until now. We went and looked at it this morning and now we pretty much have the "fever." We looked on Craig's list and found another one that is the same price...but is a little bit older but in better condition. We are trying to decide if its the right thing to do or not. We JUST got out of some debt by paying off the van....but this would be a very small investment as we could pay for half of it cash and would only have to finance a very small amount. Also, it would be something we could have fun with ALL summer long and even into the fall months for fishing. On one hand, I think we should wait another year or two and for now, just focus on getting out of debt. But, on the other hand, I think...the kids are at the perfect age for this right now...and I don't want to "waste" 2 or 3 more summers when we could easily afford it right now. erghh......


And, for my second subject of this post: The Bathing Suit Poll is IN.

(yes, I know, I am WAY behind...)

Anyway, it looks like the majority of us will be covering it all up this summer.

9 of you said you'll be wearing a tankini
6 said you will wear a conservative bikini--meaning boy shorts or skirt bottom
4 of you said you'll be sporting a one peice
3 people said you're taking maximum coverage by wearing a t-shirt and shorts
and 3 BRAVE people (me included) said you will be SHOWIN' YA STUFF OFF this summer in a Teeny Bikini. (of course, mine totally depends on the outcome of my P90X journey! :o)

This was a fun poll. I am glad so many of you voted. Now it's time for a new one.....hmmm....

Sunday's are SWEET!

Today has been beautiful! The weather is perfect, church was great, our lunch was awesome and now it's 5:38 pm and I am sitting down at my desk to do a little work...in the house, all by myself! Yay!

I just thought I'd show you a little project I've been working on for Brooklyn's teacher for her end-of-the-year gift. (I am the homeroom mom). I sent home a peice of special paper with each child and asked them to write a letter to their teacher on it about what they liked about this school year. Then I compiled them all into this nice notebook and then scrapbooked the front cover for her. I got a copy of their class picture in B & W and I think it turned out really cute. I've also collected $65 from the parents to purchase her a gift with. I think I will just get her a gift card so she can spend it however she likes. I did find a really cute gift bag with all different colors of paper clips on the outside of it and I also found some REALLY cute note pads,funky pencils, colored paperclips in a chinese take out box, a candle and some body butter for her to go inside the bag.

Also, I made up a little bag for each kiddo in the class with some left over snack stuff that had been donated earlier in the year. They each got a bag of chips, a kool-aid drink, a tape-roll of gum, a bottle of bubbles and some sidewalk chalk. Also, I am letting Brooklyn have an End of the Year Swim Party on June 6th for her WHOLE class!! AUGH! We are going to serve hotdogs, chips and popsicles. I have no idea how many kids will actually come...but I hope at least a FEW show up since she will be crushed if no one comes. I don't see why they wouldn't. It's practically like free babysitting since they don't have to bring anything...it doesn't cost anything..and the parents don't have to stay. We are doing it from 3 -6 pm so hopefully it will be nice outside and everyone can stay outside the whole time. (that will be one of the rules).

Anyway, here is a pic of the book I made for the teacher.

Also, yesterday we went to a picnic at our church. It was SO MUCH FUN. They had a clown there painting faces and Brooklyn got this beautiful butterfly on her face.

Here's a pic of my handsome hubby!

And finally...the pool is OPEN! It's freezing...but hey, its up and going and the water is clear and looking good! I can't WAIT till it warms up and we can get in!

Ring*** Ring***

Me: Hello?

Yes, hi. This is your new bikini calling. I just wanted to check in with you and make sure you remember that I'm still in here in your closet where you stashed me more than a month ago. I have yet to be worn. You do realize that my big day is coming, don't you?

Me: Swimsuits have a "day?"

Oh yes, it's most commonly referred to as Memorial Day, though we like to think of it as our first unveiling--the day all the public water parks open and we get to see our first rays of sun.

Me: Ohhhh...ya...that day. Uh, well, I'm not quite ready for you yet.

Alrighty then, just don't forget what a fortune you paid for me. I do expect to not only be worn...but to look good, so please, get busy doing whatever you need to, to be ready for me.

Me: {sigh} I'm workin' on it...

Hey you...your swimsuit is calling.....

Monkey?

Okay, I've heard the word "monkey" used several times in the past week or two...and none of them have meant the animal that goes oou-oou/ah-ah.
What the heck does "monkey" mean?
I've heard it said:
"We've had kisses and hugs and we've had monkey."
"You're my monkey."
"I wanna see your monkey."
"He's lookin' at my monkey."
I have several un-educated guesses...but is there some meaning out there I should be aware of? I tried looking it up on Wikipedia...but all I got was varieties of the animal.

Grant's "party"

We didn't really have a "party" for Grant's birthday this year. We just invited some friends to come play with us for a drop-in playtime at a blow-up place and then we had lunch together at McAlister's Deli. Here are a few pics from the fun.
Our first stop was a haircut for the birthday boy. I have been trying to decide whether to cut it our let it grow out into one of those cute wispy longer cuts the boys have these days...but I couldn't take the "mess" anymore...so we went short with it. Plus, he wanted it short.

My Big Boy

4 years ago on this day at this time, I was laying in a hospital bed, looking like a beached whale about to give birth to the little guy who would hold the key to my heart forever. Grant Harrison Jones was born at 4:44 on May 13th, 2004. I didn't have a digital camera back then so I don't have any newborn shots to show you...but here are some pics of him when he was just a little toot.





And here he is now....such a big boy!

Momma Bear

Today when I pulled up at the school to pick Brooklyn up, I could tell right away something was wrong. Her eyes were red and glassy. Instantly my protective instincts arose. I asked her what was wrong and she could hardly get the words out through her sobs. "I didn't make it."
Huh?
So she hands me a legal-sized envelope with her name on the front and I open it and read the letter:
Dear Brooklyn,
Thank you for trying out for our school talent show but I am sorry, you didn't make it. Try again next year!
Ms. Hall, music teacher

Wow! I don't even know how to describe the wave of emotions that came over me at that moment. Sadness, fury, disappointment, compassion, disgust. She cried hard and solid for about the next HOUR. When she finally settled a bit, I asked her how it made her feel. She said "Like I'm not a good singer."
Poor girl. How ridiculous it is that they even do this.
I mean, I have put myself in the teacher's shoes. She probably only has a limited amount of time for the talent show and she can't very well let EVERY child in the school perform who wants to participate or they might be there all day. What other way to determine who will make the best show than to have try outs. right? Well, this is what I think: I think if they are going to tell 1st graders that they aren't good enough to be in the talent show..they could AT LEAST have the decency to let them try out in private. I know that a big part of what is making Brooklyn so upset is the fact that she had to try out in front of her whole class...and now they all know that she's "no good" because she didn't make it. Only 3 kids in her clas even tried out and 2 of them didn't make it. I'm really trying not to be the over-protective momma bear here and I'm trying to understand this from the school and teacher's point of view...but I just don't see the good in something like this. Her confidence is GONE. Yes, they may have a great show now...but who gives a rip? This isn't American Idol or Star Search for crying out loud. It's friggin elementary school.
Grrrr.....
Anyway, I'm sure it will all be okay eventually..but right now I'd like to pop Ms. Hall right in the nose!

Happy Mother's Day!

Here are a few pics from my Mother's Day so far.
This first pic is of me and the kids this morning before church.

Now here's one of us being silly.

This is after church...My mom, my aunt, my grandma and then there's me squatting in front of them.

3 generations: Me, mom and Brooklyn.

My hubby did SOOOOOOOOOOOO good this year! He and the kids got me a new pair of Skecher's tennis shoes (for chillaxin in), a pair of white/grey Nike Camo athletic capris that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and a set of 10 lb. dumbells! The man knows what I like!!! One of my favorite things was something my daughter gave me. It was a plant they've been growing at school..but attached to it was a little bio sheet she did on "her mom". It said: "My mom's name is: Jinifur. Her age is: 29. She has blue eyes and brown hair and her favorite food is: Heelthy food."
Hooray!! I AM making an impression on her!

Mishap

Long story short, Brooklyn got in trouble at school last week for "wandering eyes" and talking while the "offices" were up and they were taking a test. Basically her and the boy next to her ended up missing like 24 of a 29 question test and all their wrong answers were the same...so one of them was copying off of the other one. No one knows whose to "blame" but the teacher was pretty upset about it. Brooklyn promises with complete confidence that she did NOT cheat. Whether I believe her or not...hmmm, I don't know. But anyway, I made her re-do the whole test and we talked about why it's wrong to cheat. After all was said and done, she called me outside to come and look at a message she had written. This is what it said:
I love you parents and Mrs. Jenkins,
I am sorry for what happened today. I hope you still like me. I still like you. Love, Brooklyn
I had to take pictures because her spelling is just too cute!