Oh yeah. And our other house is for sale by owner. You can see this picture plus more info at http://www.owners.com/AAA0010

Or call 479-595-8055.

We will give a referral fee and/or broker fee if someone puts a buyer in our hands.

Pass it on bloggies.

Thanks!

"Candy is like medicine for your mind. It makes you feel better. Because when you're sick, your mind is sick"

Children are profound. Even when they are trying to wrangle candy from you. And when the next words out their mouths are about pirates. Dostoevsky said our healing is in the children. I don't know if anyone has said candy is healing to the mind. But plenty of people have eaten to it.

Is what I say every time we travel. And I have yet to make one trip in the past four years without someone vomiting. Oh, the joys of one child exclusively breastfeeding (two big trips before Evan was 6 months old).

It was a good trip. The kids did great. They really did. Our flight was canceled and we spent three hours in the XNA airport, but Josh spotted Lane and Kanyon with his eagle eye. It does a heart good to see old friends who are happy. Brooklyn suits them well.

If you know my kids, you know that they are not exactly the ones that doze off in Wal-Mart. Or on flights. Or in cars. Or generally unless you threaten them with unpleasant things if they get out of bed one more time. We arrived well after midnight and they were playing chase around the luggage carousels.

We went to Bristol, TN think: Nascar, to see my mom's side of the family. My cousin is moving to Turkey with his wife and everyone was there to see him off. I counted 26 different kinds of sweets. The bourbon fudge was my favorite gluten-free treat. And the virginia ham...salty and sweet...you can't beat it. 

You can however, puke it. Which is what Lucy did half the time we were there. I am grateful to not have lived my worst nightmare of everyone puking ON a plane. Josh is sick and Lucy is still sick. But we dodged the worst of it between flights.

Some quotes from Lucy on the way back home (she still didn't sleep even though she was sick)

" GET ME OUTTA HERE". As we waited the short eternity for them to open the door to the jetway. It got a few chuckles around us. Which of course, was their mistake. Give a toddler a laugh, and what do you have? 20 million repetitions...get me outta here...get me outta here...with the grand pause waiting for someone to laugh. After the third time, it's just not funny. Try explaining that to a 2 year old. The anthem changed to: I will NOT shush!!

"I'M GOING TO BE A PILOT" Not, I want to be a pilot. I'm going to be a pilot. Is what she said as they waved goodbye.

" LOOK MAMMA! HE HAS A YI-HA (a cowboy hat) JUST LIKE ME". Said about an Orthodox Jewish man with a big hat and a New York accent walking in the Memphis airport. It was a lesson in irony.

" I NEED A PINK SPIDERMAN"

Evan got everything spiderman there could be. He was pleased to say the least. He was really sweet and good the whole trip.
 



And no that's not a bruise on her neck. It's magic marker. We drew like a 100 pictures.

And backtracking a bit, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day with Grandpa and Granny. And Poppy was dressed up as well.


Sadly, Evan did not get that puppy he's wanted. He'd even settle for a cat. I don't think I could even handle a gold fish at this point. But he did have a good time with Grandpa and Granny and got some fun presents.

And finally, my sister volunteered to take the month of January off from her pharmacy school rotations and is going to stay with the kids at night while Josh and I take my much-dreaded trip to Mayo. It is a huge relief to me to have all the major things set. She has no idea what she's signed up for but there will be lots of bedtime help from vetern grandparents and friends.