Need a good laugh?

If you know me at all, you know I’m a total sucker for physical humor. Excepting my post-surgical sister (get well soon!), everyone needs a good belly-laugh right about now. I was searching the web for some picnic table plans for our back patio when I came across this clip…laughed so hard I had tears dripping onto the desk.  Enjoy and have a great night!

Caption reads as follows:
“Faceplant off of picnic table: can your face withstand this punishment?”

“I can’t understand French, but laughter at the pain of others is a universal language.”

Vacation at ‘The Cape’

Man, it’s been a while since we’ve blogged. Sorry to all you (4) faithful readers!! I’ve returned to let you know we had a wonderful beach vacation this past week at Cape San Blas, FL, and there will be pictures. Hooray!  Blogs are just not as fun without photos.  Mags and Rebecca, I’ll point Av in the direction of your previous comments concerning Cherry Coke, Star Trek, etc. 

  I’ll use this captive audience while you’re waiting to scroll down and see pictures to let you know how things in the Mixon world are going.  Well. We’re doing well.  I have been starting a vegetable and flower garden this spring and it’s been a trip – it probably merits its own post. Ok, you convinced me – photos and information about the garden will be posted separately!  Suffice it to say for now that I am glad to have stuff growing in it and am anticipating my firstfruits in a few short weeks!

Avery’s first year is almost over and June is a nice and slow month, so this is very good. I’m finding myself becoming giddy just thinking about him not being as busy – yeah, I’m pathetic.  He showed up at the house today at 4:00 due to a cancelled meeting and I almost passed out from shock! It was great!  We got to go to the YMCA as a family BEFORE dinner even! Wahoo!

Parker is walking finally – 15 months – and he’s getting quite good at it. The hands are still up rather high as his ‘balance beams’ but I love the early walking stage – super cute!  His words are slowly coming. New ones this week: ‘fee’ is fan, ’sy’ is outside, cheeeese, ‘dow’ for down, and he’s finally gotten dada correct to the proper person. Av and I were both mama for a while there. 

Avery went back to playschool for the summer session (praise God, mom has a break twice a week!!) and loves it as he always does.  He’s still loving the water and is getting closer to swimming but not there yet.  He’s totally potty trained, which is a HUGE thing for us. Now if we can just keep Parker out of the potty…gross…no details on that one. 

I (Jen) am looking at the possibility of some very part time work as a nurse practitioner and am excited about that.  I am loving my yard, flowers, and garden – Av jokes I go outside just to look at the plants and veggies at least 3 times a day – he’s right! I pulled all 4 of them out there this morning to see a huge pumpkin blossom – didn’t get the camera out, though – I know you’re disappointed!

Ok – you’ve read enough.  Here are the pictures from our vacation. No, this is not exhaustive, but it gives you a good glimpse of our week. We had a blast. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Avery!!

No, I haven’t totally lost my mind…it is indeed another Avery’s birthday.

The first Avery’s. My husband. My love. My friend.  He turned 30 yesterday and we had a small family celebration.  He requested a moist chocolate cake with green icing, so that’s what he got! 

It has been a wonderful year and I pray that this next year will be full of blessings and joy. You have certainly given me both in the almost 6 years we’ve been married.  Love ya, sweetie~ Happy Birthday.

Below are pics of our eldest ‘helping me’ make the cake and taste the batter!

 

note: this marks the last of the Mixon birthdays for the year. We unintentionally have a ‘birthday sprint’ from Dec 29-Feb 18 – containing all 4 of our birthdays.

Happy Birthday, Li’l A!!

Born 2:22am, our firstborn makes his entrance

His first birthday – he turned completely green!

He’s 2!

Now he’s three and it’s just unbelievable to think he’s been on this earth for that long! Man, it has flown and we have loved every minute of it!  Happy Birthday, Avery!!

We had a train cake theme for this double birthday party with his brother this past Saturday. Both families were there as were our close friends from Tampa, the Reeds. We had a great time and Av was really excited about his train cake! The party concluded with the opening of a few presents…rocking horse, books, clothes, trains, and his ‘big boy bicycle!’  He’s no longer a toddler but a little boy now.  We love you soooooo much, puddin’ pop!

Oatmeal

Not much else to say…how did he open the box?!

Bonfire and Snow

So, thought I’d tell you about this past weekend and the events we haven’t been able to do for 3 years in Florida.  Saturday, it was a balmy 28 degrees with frozen ground and iced-up water hoses. We decided that instead of making a huge eyesore of a brush heap in our front yard for the Nashville Department of Metro Works to come by and pick up in another 3 months (seriously) we opted for a bonfire in our backyard. It was quite fun. The boys enjoyed it, and to keep it legal, we roasted hot dogs over it for lunch!! 

    Yeah, one of our neighbors said that as long as we could justify the fire for eating purposes or the like, we were fine to have a fire.  Not that anyone would notice or care in our dead end of a dead end street in our subdivision. So, Avery pulled out the now useless bottle of lighter fluid (we have a gas grill now) and Jen watched a bit nervously as he poured it on the logs.  I think I remember telling him, “Not to much, babe, please” and he said, “Sure thing”.  After I said that, I watched for another 30 seconds or so as he emptied the bottle of lighter fluid completely onto the pile.  Great. Now we’ll have a scorched lawn for the spring!  I decided I’d go and get the garden hose just in case. Well, the garden hose was frozen solid and even the spigot it was attached to was frozen solid. I just said a quick prayer that we just wouldn’t need water and went back to watch.  Thankfully everything was fine. The dogs were good, and the logs are all taken care of!  

Sunday was lazy and wonderful. No events. lots of naps and good books.

Monday morning we awoke to snow! It was the first snow that actually accumulated at all since we’ve been here, so that means this was the first snow Av, jr and Parker have ever seen.  It wasn’t more than 1/4 inch, but it was something and we got out and experienced it!  Av wanted to eat the snow…had to be careful where he got it!  He also had learned all about snow in playschool the week before, so he felt educated in the ways of snow. He asked for a snowman, which I was able to make…all 3 inches of it!  He asked for a snowball, which we made  about 6 – he picked up the first one and said, “I’m gonna throw it at you mommy?”  So a small snowball fight happened.  Parker was chatting with the snowflakes, which he thought were pretty cool. It was the first time outside he didn’t try to take off his mittens and hat, and he was enjoying the snow, I believe.  We came back inside for a change into dry clothes, had some hot cocoa and took good naps. It was a great day. The worst part was that Avery was not home to enjoy it. Stupid work!

Happy Birthday Jen!

Hard to believe that Jen is the big 3-0! Please call/e-mail/comment and let her know how awesome she is. She is the love of my life and I am thankful for every day we have together. Happy B-day Baby!

-Avery

Winter Solstice

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost

I did my 12th grade term paper on Frost’s poetry. I bet it was pretty bad. With the winter solstice here on the “darkest night of the year,” I hope you don’t find the woods too lovely, dark, or deep…

Mixed Feelings

Very glad that Ole Miss has made it back to a bowl game after the 5 or so year hiatus. That being said, do we really have to play Texas Tech? I don’t know how much fun this will be. In their defense, the Rebs did beat Florida this year and look where they are. Unfortunately, I won’t get enough time off to make that one. Any thoughts on this match-up?

In Paradise

Papa (Charles Milton Massey) peacefully passed into glory with his savior this morning around 11, eastern time.  All his children were there and we all know he is so happy to be reunited with his bride of almost 70 years and to finally see Jesus face to face!  I really am praising God for his answer to prayer and happy he is no longer in pain or suffering.  When you have lived a long life, as he had, it is sad to see him go b/c I am going to miss him, but I am more happy for him – Hallelujah! 

Those of us remaining here will remember him well,

          how he always was interested in all his grandchildren’s lives,

          how he would threaten to give knuckle sandwiches and then hug us,

          how he loved to see our annual ‘talent shows’ every Christmas we were down there,

          the way he was alway honest about his concerns and feelings – because he loved us,

          how he always would say, “…and I kinda like you, too”, or “…and I love you muchly” after you would tell him you loved him.

Papa – enjoy heaven, give Grandmommie a big kiss for me, and know I love you so very much and will miss you, but rejoice in your eternal homecoming. Love,  Jen