Growing Into His Paws

I really do want to be blogging again. I promise. It's just harder than it used to be. Allen's not a toddler anymore. Everything he says and does is not hilarious (sometimes, it's downright infuriating!). He's in school from 8:00 to after 3:00 everyday, and on days I work, I don't see him until almost 6:00 in the evening.

So it's hard ... he's not providing me with witty one-liners or hilarious stories or funny dances on a daily basis anymore. He's still hilarious -- don't get me wrong -- but he's so much more independent now, that we just don't see it as often.

Please bear with me, and don't give up. I may not be able to blog every single day, but I will continue to blog. So keep checking, and if you haven't heard from me in awhile, nudge me with a comment.

Now, onto some cute/sweet/funny things from the last week.

• Last week, he saw a commercial for the new Ice Age Movie coming out on Blue Ray & DVD on Tuesday, December 11th. Don't you know that he remembered! He said multiple times over the last several days, "On the 11th we have to get new movie!" (he kind of sang it and did a little dance each time). You can imagine his excitement Tuesday morning!
• Sunday we had some friends over (hospitality after the meeting). He was so excited for everyone to be there and sat at a table with friends who were all probably over 60 years old. But he loved it. He has such an affection for the friends at the Kingdom Hall, especially the older ones. In fact, he made one man ride up the elevator with him so Allen could show T his room (T is in his 60s). 
• He decided on Sunday that he wanted to start picking his chores again each day (we use the fisherkids system) and did really well earlier this week. The past couple days he's slacked off though :/
• This morning, because we all had an early meeting to attend, Nana, Papa, and I all took Allen to school. As he got ready to get out of the car, he gave us all kisses. The staff member helping the kids in, said, "Oh, you've got a lot of love this morning." To which Allen replied, "I've got three loving givers today!"
• Tonight, we're home from our meeting because he's running a fever. However, he's not acting sick ... he's been waving his light saber around, putting puzzles together, playing games on my computer and iPad, and now he's whining that I'm NOT playing a game on my computer. So, he has the fever, but I'm the one who's feeling dizzy and sick.
• Since I wrote this, Allen's fever has suddenly disappeared. He has been super hyper, and as he was taking pillows off my bed (and hearing me warn him over and over again to watch my wine glass), knocked a pillow into my glass -- at full speed -- and spilled wine EVERYWHERE. Seriously it was like a wine massacre in our room. Splatter all over the place. Good times for Mama.
• Lest I forget the title of this post ... Monday he had a tennis lesson. It was just he and another little girl this time, so he was able to get more personal attention. And it was Coach Warren. Coach Warren (not my dad) tends to be a little harder on the kids. He's not mean at all. He just really makes them focus. So during a water break, he came over to talk to me. We discussed Allen's progress and what Coach has been helping him with, and then Coach said the greatest thing: "Kids all grow into their paws at different times." He went on to tell me that his 14 year old just grew into his paws. It made me feel so much better. Because Allen is SMART (he scored in the 95 percentile in Math and 99th in Reading in standardized testing)! But, he doesn't want to ride a bike ... or take risks ... and he can't consistently catch a ball. So to hear Coach reassure me that Allen is OK ... that Coach has seen kids like Allen before (maybe even his own child) ... made me breathe a HUGE sigh of relief. My child is not destined to be an athletic loser like me. Whew!

I guess that's all for tonight. Sorry for the lack of pictures. Still trying to remember to include them/take them in the first place.

xoxo!+

My new obsession ...

I recently purchased this. I purchased it because I love letterpress, but I've ended up using the die-cutting feature more. Letterpress takes a lot of patience and precision, so it's been a bit slower. Anyway, this purchase has led me to a fabulous relationship with my girls at Carolina Stamper. It's also cost me a lot of money.

But, it's also enabled me to make some handmade gifts. For instance, for Teacher Appreciation Week, I made books of Allen's "Favorite Things" about his teachers. Ms. Avril (hers is the one in yellow tones) left us a message in tears. She loved it! I've also started making some cards that I'm going to sell in the shop if they're good enough. Wanna see what I've been up to?

I'll post more soon about Allen's antics.

xoxo,
AHC

Please don't hate me ...

for being so remiss with my posting. I'm sorry! It's been a busy couple of months, especially last month. Brian and I auxiliary pioneered and I'm happy to say that we made our time!

Onto some pictures ... last month D&H came to visit, and we went to Charleston for the day. Allen came home with this crazy getup ...

You know I had to try it on, too! More to come ...

Chefs' Feast

Update: For more information about the event, check out this article I wrote.

This should really be a  better post than what I am writing. But I'm tired. For those of you who don't know what Chefs' Feast is, it's a huge fundraiser that the Lowcountry Food Bank does every year to benefit their childhood programs. I'll try to post more detail when I'm not so tired. But in the meantime, tickets are $175 each, and we were given (yes, given) four tickets to the event because of the work we did with the Lowcountry Food Bank for the Farmers' Table.

It was an unbelievable event. Between 900 and 1,000 people were there. Twenty-nine chefs from throughout the Lowcountry were represented. It was amazing. When I'm not so tired, I'll share more statistics with you. But for the meantime, here is a picture of me and Brian. I hate this picture, but I've talked for so long about my five-inch heels and awesome dress that I have to post.

xoxo,
AHC

Viking, David & Goliath

The other day Allen and I were at the big box store near our house. I was wandering around looking for something when I came across ... a How to Train Your Dragon Viking costume! I think I've mentioned that this is Allen's new favorite movie. Well, this costume was on clearance, so Mommy could not resist.

Allen was thrilled with it. He's been wearing it everywhere. We even convince Ms. A, his teacher, that he could bring it to school one day.

Here he is lounging at home ...

In the meantime, we have been listening to the Bible Stories on the iPod while in the car. Allen loves it. We have listened to the book probably five times through. Which means that Allen is very familiar with the stories.

We asked him what he wanted to do for Family Worship this week, and he said, "Talk about David and watch the David video." So we did. After the video we decided to re-enact the story of David and Goliath. With only minor prompting from Mom and Dad, this is how Allen performed (with Dad as Goliath) ...

 

This isn't the only story he knows. As he looks through the Bible Story book at meetings, he remembers most of the titles. Thursday afternoon, as we were listening to the Bible Stories on the way home from school, Allen heard the Introduction to one of the sections with Joseph, and he said, "That bad Joseph tried to force me to lay down with him!" That was a little strange ...

And today as Allen was watching television in my bed and I started the shower in my bathroom, he said, "Mommy, can you shut the door tight, like Jehovah shut the door of the ark?"

Allen and I are sick again. I gave him my cold, which has evolved in both of us into something different. I have a sinus infection. We'll find out tomorrow what Allen has. His fever got all the way up to 103.6 today, which was very scary for me.

After Gigi's and my doctor's appointments today, we all went to lunch at Chick-Fil-A. After Allen prayed, he noticed that Gigi was starting to eat without praying. He told her to say a prayer.

Then tonight, as Gigi was telling Allen (for the millionth time) to put on his socks so he wouldn't get sick, Allen explained that Mommy had given him this sickness.

"She did? I'll beat her up!" Gigi declared.

"DON'T YOU DARE!!" Allen replied.

Such a sweet boy. Now the three of us are in bed, with Allen determined to stay awake as long as he can.

So I'd better go. Maybe he'll go to sleep if I snuggle with him instead of feeding my online addictions ...

xoxo,

AHC

It's been awhile

The above picture has nothing to do with anything ... I just feel bad posting without a picture of the boy (but in case you're curious, he was showing me his Orange TicTacs).

We have been busy. I'm finally healthy again. Mom and I went to Atlanta to Market last week. It was the quickest we've ever done it. We were only gone two nights. But we got some cool stuff.

Allen totally rocks. He's taken to calling his great grandmothers the "old girls." They love it. They came for dinner tonight (along with Nana and Papa), and Allen was in heaven. He loves his Gramma and Gigi.

Allen's been listening to the Bible Stories in the car lately. I think he's really benefiting. He's calling them to mind very easily, and bringing them up in conversation. We're very proud. Now if only he would put into practice what he's learning (we're still having a hard time obeying Mom & Dad).

Mom and Dad (me and Brian) are a little stressed out lately. A situation at Allen's school has come to our attention, and we're not happy with the way it's been handled. I'm meeting with the Director of the school tomorrow. I'm nervous ... I hope I can firmly express our stand.

I guess that's all for now. I'll let you know how things go tomorrow. And I'll try to get some more pics and stories together this week.

xoxo,
AHC

At least my hair looked good

For those of you who don't know, I've had a heck of a time the past couple months, health-wise. I caught Allen's sinus infection. Went on an antibiotic. Didn't get rid of the sinus infection and added a cough. Went on more antibiotics, Prednisone, and cough medicine. Caught Allen's stomach bug (wanted to die ... 11 hours straight of vomiting).

Then I started to feel better. We went to Chicago, and I started to feel run down again. I also became increasingly disillusioned with my hair, and decided to try a whole new salon. Went a bit blonder, got my hair shaped a little better. Wanna see?

 Oh wait ... that's not me! C'mon, I can't put pictures of me without the gorgeous boy, can I?

Then I promptly got sick again. The sinus infection returned AGAIN, plus I was also privileged enough to get Strep Throat! More antibiotics and more Prednisone. But, at least my hair was cute ...

I'm happy to say that I'm finally on the mend, and am armed with all kinds of immune-boosting supplements so that, hopefully, I will be healthy for at least a little while.

xoxo,
AHC

Italian Nursery Rhyme

As long as I can remember, my mom and Grandmom have shared an Italian nursery rhyme with us (and therefore we share it with all the children we love). I can't begin to spell it out in Italian, but in English, it basically says this:

Meow

The little cat got married

She made some cookies

She wouldn't give me any

Meow Meow Meow

Allen has been a fan of the nursery rhyme on and off since he was born ... and tonight he was asking me to to do it ... here's a video so you can see/hear how it goes ...

And here's Allen's version of it ...

I'm not sure which version I like better :)

xoxo,
AHC

This is crocheting ... on Steroids

Literally ... with my most recent illness combined with an arthritis flare-up, my doctor put me on Prednisone.  I'm a wreck ... and very quick with a crochet hook.

Here's Allen's scarf:

He picked out the yarn himself :)

xoxo,
AHC

My first crochet project

It didn't turn out nearly as well as I'd hoped, but I guess it could have turn out worse. It's going to be Brian's, but because I'm, oh, a foot shorter than him, the angle of the pictures I took were "unflattering" so I have no pictures of him modeling it ....

What do ya'll think?

The promised photo ...

That would be Yolonda surprising the heck out of me for our anniversary gift. She and Tony and the kiddos rock!

xoxo,
AHC

Up to my eyeballs

Hey  ya'll ... I apologize for my lack of posting. Right now I'm up to my eyeballs in Farmer's Table preparation. Like unpacking boxes ...

(All 26+ of them). And staging ...

And shopping for the perfect Farmhouse Chic outfit ...

I'll post a pic of the dress, once I decide which one it's going to be ....

So, basically, I'm super busy ... it's not that Allen's not doing hilarious things (because he is, as usual). It's just that I haven't had much time or leftover energy to blog about it. But I promise I'll try to catch up after Friday night ...

xoxo,
Allegra

Feelin' Groovy

As some of you may know, due to some health complications, I've been under the weather, for oh six months or so. But, after finally visiting my doctor again and some adjustments to my medication, I'm finally feeling fabulous! I'd say I'm feeling like my old self again, but honestly, I don't remember the last time I felt this good!

Anyway, I don't know how long this feeling will last (hopefully for a long time), but I'm taking advantage of every good minute that I get! I apologize in advance if I get to happy and positive for ya'll, but honestly I just can't help it.

Armed with this new energy and a beautiful day, yesterday Brian, Allen, and I went for a lovely bike ride through our neighborhood. We rode past the river, and down by Brian's favorite piece of property facing the water. We marveled at how out of shape we were as we pushed ourselves to go over the smallest of hills. We discussed whether it was lack of practice or added weight that made us so much less steady on the bike (remember when you could ride, no-handed?). The wind blew through our hair, the sun warmed us (maybe a little too much), and Allen provided random commentary (at one point announcing, "I'm a grown man, baby" from his luxurious trailer hitched to Daddy's bike).

Then we stopped at the park. Oh the park ... how Allen has missed you! We played hide-and-seek, and swung on the swings ...

I even climbed over the top of the monkey bars, at Allen's request:

All in all it was a fabulous outing. So fabulous that we decided to ride our bikes to Nana and Papa's house for dinner. Dad made homemade Margaritas (boy were they strong), and Allen found some new shoes:

What a fantastic day!

xoxo,
Allegra

Katrina

As I'm sure we're all aware, this weekend is the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Honestly, I hadn't really given in much thought. I saw the news coverage this morning and watched with minimal interest.

And then I read this. And it moved me so much that I need to share it with you all. It's not just the story of Katrina that affected me, it's what Jen reminds us all to do. To not take things for granted, but to appreciate every moment. To open our eyes and see what -- and who -- is around us. And to enjoy it.

So often I get caught up in my every day life. I over-analyze myself and critique myself to the point where I no longer enjoy anything. I get tired and have to drag myself through my days, all the while wishing for the day to be over so I can go to bed.

But reading Jen's post today helped me to realize the futility in doing that. Why continue to beat myself up for what I'm not doing when I can enjoy all that I am able to do, all the happiness that is in my life?

Please, take a few minutes today to think of all who were affected by Katrina, and how their lives have been affected. And all that their experiences can teach us.

xoxo,
Allegra

Fun with Pixi

So, as I mentioned before, I'm in love with my new toy -- the Palm Pixi. She's cute (like me?). She's little (like me). And she's pink (OK, not-so-much like me).

She's got a camera that's pretty good, though it's not as good as some other phones. She can record video. And, well, she's cute, she's little, and she's pink.

Anyway, she's definitely been my focus for the past several days, much to Brian's dismay. Allen doesn't seem to mind though ... he's been asking to take pictures and watch videos. He's even played with an app that I downloaded for him.

Here are a few highlights ...

What a day

I have pictures to share, but honestly I'm too tired/lazy to upload them from my phone. They're not that great anyway. Just from us messing around last night with my new toy. 

Today was a rough day.First thing this morning, we (the Joli girls -- me and Mom) found out that the design elements we've ordered for the Farmer's Table event probably won't get here in time (we're providing the event decor for it, and Southern Living is going to be there .... eeeek!). This means we have to redo the entire event design. Then, genius that I am, managed to lock my mom and me out of the shop during shop hours (we were doing a site review with the fabulous girl's organizing the aforementioned event, and I walked out without the keys to the shop). So we had to drive all the way to Brian's work to get his key so that we could get back in.

Immediately after work, Brian and I were off to our Parent Orientation at Allen's school. This was actually really nice (except for the teeny, tiny chairs we had to sit on which was awful). Allen's teacher, Ms. A., is so unbelievably awesome and enthusiastic that it makes me want to be in the class every day.

If Allen were writing this blog, he would tell you that the highlight of the day was when Mom and Dad came back to pick him up and they had the much-anticipated Chuggington toys with them. Allen's face lit up as soon as he saw what was in the box. He begged, pleaded, and tantrumed in an attempt to have us set up the train tracks tonight (mind you, it was after 8:00 when we opened the package, and we were still at Nana and Papa's). He also examined the back of one of the packages and began telling us about all the "chuggers" he didn't have yet. Then he said that he "wished" he had "all the things for Chuggington." So glad to know he's grateful for his gift :)

Tell me friends, do you have children who have started/will be starting school? What are you doing to prepare? Do your children show appreciation for their toys/gifts, or do they beg for more? What are your strategies for dealing with these?

xoxo,
AHC

Growing Up

Allen working on his computer like his Mommy does

Have you missed us? I've missed you. I wish I could give you a good reason for my blogging absence all summer, but I really have none. A variety of factors contributed to my being away, but my new-school-year-goal is to blog regularly.

So Allen's official first day of school was yesterday, though he got to sneak in a a couple days early last week to get acclimated again (since he came to school late last school year). He's doing beautifully. Absolutely zero anxiety about school. It's like he never left. What's beautiful about the Montessori program is that children are in the same class from age 3-6, so they develop relationships and friendships with children that continue throughout the program. This seems to work beautifully with Allen's character ... which makes for a seamless transition.

In other news, Allen is successfully sleeping in his own room, in a temporary big boy bed. One of the contributors to my absence here was that Allen was sleeping with us every night. But we've successfully transitioned him back to his room, and now he's ready for his new big boy furniture. We've ordered it, and it should arrive sometime in October. 

As usual, Allen is full of amusing antics, stories, and sayings (right now, he likes to say "you wear me out"). I won't attempt to regale you with the stories of the summer, but I promise to keep you posted going forward.

Have a wonderful day, and please comment. I've missed you all so much, and look forward to reading your kind words again.

xoxo,

AHC

Firsts, Seconds, and more

June has been a busy month so far. Allen's out of school, so more time is being spent with him, which I love. But it means I have less energy and time to update ya'll on what's going on. So, to update, I'll provide you with a list of the highlights ....

• Kristen the Smart Chicken came for a visit. Allen was totally smitten. 
• Allen's begun regularly praying for himself. The other night, in addition to thanking Jehovah for his food, he prayed for the paradise to come so he could see his Pop-Pop (my father-in-law who passed away one week before we discovered we were pregnant).
• Allen's struggling with the change in his routine. Which has meant lots of, um, challenging days for us.
• We're in the middle of a ridiculous heat wave (heat index between 105-110), so we're spending a lot of time indoors. See the above bullet point ...
• Brian and I have pre-shopped for our upcoming anniversary gifts. We're celebrating 10 years this October. Very exciting. 
• I discovered that my identity has been stolen. Again. This is delaying our tax refund. Which is supposed to be financing the aforementioned presents. Hmmm .... we may be celebrating a little late this year :)
• For the very first time ever, I was bitten by a dog. It hurts. A lot. And it bled. A lot. And it wasn't even a big mean dog. It was an older long-haired Dachshund. I think he was grumpy because of the heat.
• The other day Allen was laying on the couch with Murphy. It was cute. Then Allen sat up and informed me that Murphy was wet. I looked down to see a rather large wet spot on Murphy's side. I asked Allen if he drooled on Murphy. He replied, "No, I did it with this," and pointed to his tongue. Disgusting, I know. The worst part is that he was laying right next to me, and I didn't see him do it (even though I was checking on him frequently).
• Allen and I went on a date yesterday. To see Marmaduke. Don't bother seeing it. It was pretty dumb. But we were cool. And Allen got to eat Dots. And I got to eat movie theater popcorn. So it wasn't all bad.

That's all for now ....

xoxo,
AHC

P.S. I'll have a picture of Murphy's tongue bath soon :)

Introspection and Hope

I read this post last week, and became inspired to be more hopeful. I generally am not a particularly hopeful person. I prefer to be a realist, preparing myself for disappointment rather than to come slamming down when something doesn't go my way.

Besides, being hopeful has a history of backfiring on me. Without going into too much boring detail, I have a tendency to have rather devastating days (hours/weeks) after a particularly good mood or day (many times due to my own self-destructive tendencies; but on occasion through events out of my control).

Anyway, thanks to some particularly introspective mornings (I love the quiet drive home from Allen's school), I have recognized my habit of sabotaging my positive mental state, and am determined to be happy and in the moment, if not truly hopeful.

Speaking of being hopeful -- something I dared not be with regard to the Beaufort Gazette Reader's Choice Awards -- I'm shocked, awed, and honored to tell you that our little shop, Joli, won as Best Gift Shop. Not only that, but most other fabulous businesses in our Habersham Marketplace won as well.

Thank you for patiently reading this somewhat random post. Now onto more interesting things ...

xoxo,
AHC

Looking up

(photo by Delexed)

Thanks so much everyone for your wise advice and kind words last week when I was having my "bad day." I'm feeling much better now, thanks in part to all your smart suggestions. Ultimately, it took me a few days to get completely back to normal, and I've discovered that I don't like to have my routine disrupted, but now things are looking up once again.

Speaking of looking up, if you're having a down day, just listen to this gem of a song by Ingrid Michaelson. 

Hannah shared her go to song with me when she's feeling low. How about the rest of you? What do you listen to to cheer you up?

xoxo,
AHC