This is my niece, Erin, enjoying her very first taste of the ocean. She and her mom, Dawn, were in California recently visiting with family. I thought these were just utterly adorable and just had to post them for all to see. Isn't she a sweetie? (click on each picture to get the full effect)

Our Furry Boys

Tonight I was playing around with the "toys" on flickr.com. I came up with this...a mosaic of our "furry boys." Bam Bam, Bo and Chasie.

Away in a Manger in January?

This is so special I really didn't think it would matter what month it is. Tater made this in his 4K class. His teachers put it in a nice frame, wrapped it and sent it home as his gift for mom and dad for Christmas. I was so surprised when I opened it Christmas morning. I must say, it was the best gift I received. I will treasure it always. Doesn't he make the perfect angel? Click on the picture for a larger view.
(P.S. -- Thanks for the help Uncle Jimmy)

Questions from Tater Tot

Just a few more of Tater's observations to share with you....

• Day before yesterday he asked me if Jesus was in the sun. I replied, "no, why?" He said, "Well, I thought he was the Light?"
• "Pizza starts with P, right?" "Yes." "And, cookie starts with... almost a circle."
• "Will there be toys in heaven?" "Yes." "Well, do you think Papaw Otis is playing with my toys right now?"
• He refers to Pilot Mountain in North Carolina as "the big bump."
• He recently said something that I didn't understand so I said, "beg your pardon?" He repeated what he had said. A few minutes later he said, "I know, from now on I'll beg my pardon and you beg your pardon. Okay?"
• One of our dogs was outside wanting in and scratching at the door. I asked Tater to go let him in. On his way to do so he said, "okay, okay, hold your cows!"

's Meme


I saw this on We love Astrid & thought it would be fun to do.

Jobs I Have Had in My Life
1. H & R Block (receptionist)
2. Hospital (collections dept.)
3. Century 21 (processing dept.)
4. Mommy (my favorite!)

4 Movies I Would Watch Over and Over
1. Top Gun
2. Meet the Parents
3. Message in a Bottle
4. Finding Nemo (and believe me, I have)

4 Places I Have Lived
1. West Virginia
2. Florida
3. North Carolina
4. South Carolina

4 TV Shows I Love to Watch
1. ER
2. Dr. Phil
3. Wife Swap
4. Cold Case Files

4 Places I Have Been on Vacation
1. Niagara Falls, Canada
2. San Diego, CA
3. Puerto Rico
4. Marco Island, FL

4 Websites I Visit Daily
1. yahoo
2. eBay
3. HGTV (I'm determined to win the '06 Dream House!)
4. my blog (to make sure all is well)

4 Favorite Foods
1. shrimp scampi
2. broccoli casserole
3. coconut cream pie
4. my grandmother's cream corn

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
1. West Virginia (visiting family)
2. on a beach somewhere
3. Disney (with my boys)
4. asleep (it's 6:00am)

It's the Little Things

Bubby and I stopped by the library this evening to return some books. He decided he wanted to look around a bit and check out some new ones. While he was deciding what he wanted in the Juvenile section, I headed toward the magazines. On my way I passed the Reference section which I normally do not even so much as glance at. Tonight, however, I did for some reason. On top of the waist high shelf sat a neatly stacked pile of bright yellow, pocket sized NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) books. I stopped dead in my tracks and gulped to keep from crying. You see, my beloved Papaw was a new and used car dealer for 50+ years and always had the latest edition of the NADA book peeking out of his shirt pocket. He knew those books like the back of his hand. If he needed to find the value of a car or truck he could open the book almost to the exact page that particular make and model was located on. I'd never really thought much about those little books until tonight. It's the little things that get me when I'm least expecting it. Even though it's been eight months and three days since he passed, I still think of him every single day and smile. But, those little things still hit me pretty hard. (you know too, right Jim?)

The grades are in

Garrett brought home his report card today for the second nine weeks of second grade. He did really well. His Language and Social Studies grades stayed about the same. His Math grade slipped a little which I'm okay with. Math is a really tough concept for him to grasp. Best of all, his Science grade improved tremendously! So, all in all, we're really happy with his performance. He's trying his best and that's all that we can possibly ask. His proudest accomplishment? Receiving his second Perfect Attendance Award. Come illness or high water he absolutely refuses to miss school. Yes, Darrin's child (the perpetual school misser) loves school. This is a 100% change from last year. He enjoys school so much and can't wait to get their each morning. Of course his classmate, Will, tells me that's because he's the "teacher's pet." You know what...that's fine with me as long as he keeps loving school like he does. I must say though, he has an awesome teacher this year and I think that makes all the difference in the world. He recently asked me if he could stay in second grade next year too. Way to go, Bubby, we're so proud of you! Keep up the great work.

A Tribute to My Father-in-law

Deep in the mines

Waiting to go in the mines (far left)

Dan, third from right

On January 9, 2006 my father-in-law, Dan, retired from 40+ years in the coal mines. He spend many days deep inside the earth mining coal for the benefit of others. Many times he would go underground before daylight and then, after his shift was over, he'd come back out to darkness. He was a hard working, honest, dedicated employee. Although his job was often back breaking and miserable, he never complained. I'm just so very thankful that he was one of the lucky ones who came home safely every night. He's now enjoying retirement in the mountains of North Carolina. Congratulations, Dan! Enjoy every single second of your retirement, you've earned it.

**My prayers go out to his fellow WV miner's families who have lost loved ones in the recent WV mine tragedies. God bless you all.

Another WV Mine Tragedy

Associated Press

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, center, hugs local resident, Linda Curry of Chapmanville, W.Va., outside the Bright Star Freewill Baptist Church in Melville, W.Va.

The latest WV mine tragedy in Mellville, WV has sent shock waves through a still mourning WV. Mellville, which is close to Logan, is only 39 miles from the town I grew up in, Oceana. That's hitting close to home. Although I didn't know either family affected by the miner's deaths, they were fellow Mountaineers. That in itself is close enough to family. I mourn for their loss. I truly hope that mine reform sweeps through WV as Governor Joe Manchin III has promised. God bless you Don Bragg and "Elvis" Hatfield. You have a special place in heaven. And, God be with your families.

To read more about the Mellville mine tragedy follow these links:

• CNN
• Fox News
• Charleston Gazette
• MetroNews
• Friends of Coal

Bless the guys with the guts to dig the coal

I received an e-mail today from my Uncle Barbe in NC. He attached a recent article written by Dick Feagler for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. As soon as I finished I knew I wanted to share it with all of my blog visitors. It says so much...that people all across America owe the WV (and other) coal miners a heart felt and sincere "thank you." We so often take for granted what they do every day. I hope that you'll take a moment to read this article and then stop and think about what it says. I was born and raised in Wild Wonderful West Virginia and have missed it every day since we moved south three years ago. I know what the average Joe coal miner endures on a daily basis, I've seen it first hand. I know the danger they expose themselves to every day and I'm thankful for them. It is just my hope that those past the WV state line will realize it too.

"Bless the guys with the guts to dig the coal" newspaper article

Thanks for sharing this informative article Uncle Barbe!

Randal McCloy updates...how to get them

It seems our local news has all but forgotten about Randal McCloy, the sole survivor of the Sago Mine disaster in West Virginia. I went on a search to find out the latest information about him on the internet. I was happy to find a blog about him and a page at WVU Hospital's site that supplies this. I wanted to share them in case you'd like to check his progress as well.

• McCloy Updates -- blog
• WVU Hospital

The blog also tells you how to contribute to the Randal McCloy, Jr. Fund as well as the Sago Mine Assistance Fund. You can send him an e-card that will be hand delivered to him at WVU Hospital. Or, if you prefer to send him an actual card, send it to this address:

Ruby Memorial Hospital

c/o Coal Miner Randy McCloy

101 Stadium Dr.

Morgantown, WV 26506

Having been born and raised in West Virginia this story has especially touched the hearts of me and my family. My father-in-law has just retired from 40+ years of working underground in various WV and PA coal mines. If you'd like to read more about the mining industry in WV here are a few links to help you do so:

• West Virginia Coal Mining Facts
• Coal Mine Photo Gallery
• Fast Facts About Coal
• FAQs about Coal
• Coal and the Environment
• Converting Coal into Electricity
• History of the Sago Community

Happy Birthday to Me!

January 14, 2006 was my 35th birthday. Darrin's parents came down from N.C. to help celebrate. (My mom and step-dad are vacationing in C.A. for a couple of months) We went out to eat at my favorite local restaurant, Fatz. Then, we came home for some cake and gift opening. The boys decorated my birthday cake all by their selves and I absolutely loved it. It looked like the thing was going to go up in flames it had so many candles on it though. Darrin added to my Fiestaware collection... he got me two serving platters, two serving bowls and a spoon rest. The boys got me a massage mat, nice. Dan and Lorane got me a much needed set of pots and pans. My mom gave me money which went towards new high lights for my hair a week ago. I received cards and telephone calls from family and friends which was so nice. I'm so thankful that I was able to spend the day with those I love. Thanks everybody!

For more pics go to flickr.com.

Upward Basketball Pictures are in

Bubby #45

Tater Tot #1

After today's game we were given the boy's basketball pictures. They turned out really good, huh? Tater scored 12 points in his game today. He did show off a little though since Nana & Papa (Darrin's parents) were in attendance for the first time. Bubby had 4 assists as well.

A New Addition to our Family

"Chase"

"Bo & Chase"

As of January 13, 2005 we have a new addition to our family.....his name is "Chase." He is ten months old and is a Yorkie, just like his big brother. He came to us from Charlotte, NC. We purchased him from a lady who realized she wasn't home enough to benefit him. He's already made himself right at home. He and Bo haven't stopped playing since the moment he got here. He slept right with me, Darrin, and Bo last night. It's like he's always been here and we love him already. Thanks, Marsha!

Wacky Wednesday

Wednesday (Jan. 11) was "Wacky Wednesday" at Tater's preschool. The kids were told to wear whatever they wanted to to school that day. This is what Tater chose to wear...his dad's shorts, shirt and hat. That wacky boy!

Blog catch up day

Well, I finally made some time to do some catching up. So, today, January 8th, has been declared "Official Blog Catch Up Day" for me. I've posted quite a few things today to catch you up on what's been going on in our house the past month. Of course it was a busy one, as it was for you I'm sure. Now that things are back to "normal" I'll be posting more regularly. Don't forget to check my flickr site, I'm always uploading new pictures. Happy reading....

Happy 1st Birthday, Bo

Bo eating his birthday cake

Happy #1 Bo!

January 5, 2006 was Little Bit Bogart's (Bo, Bozie) very first birthday. When asked how he felt about turning the big 0..1 here's what he had to say: "Ruff, ruff, whoof. Arrf." Okay, I'm no expert in doggie lingo but I think that was "it feels great to be a dog today." After all, he's no longer considered a puppy, he's a full fledged dog now. He knows he has little shoes to fill after the passing of his big brother, Bam Bam, three weeks ago. He's got his own little cute quirks and we're so glad he joined our family ten months ago. We love you "Bozie!"

Happy Birthday, Goober!

Goober's goodies

We celebrated Darrin's 36th birthday on January 2, 2006. His parents, my mom and stepdad were here to join in the fun. We treated him to supper at Red Lobster...always a favorite of mine. They have THE best shrimp scampi. Anyway, after we ate, we returned home for his favorite cake...red velvet...and presents (see above). By the way, for those of you who don't know, his nickname is "Goober" hence the license plate from the Goober's restaurant in Mt. Airy, N.C. The boys and I got him the John Deere shirt and cover for his tractor (in the black J.D. bag). His parents got him a circular saw...he's turning into Darrin "The Toolman" Taylor lately. His in-laws gave him the ever popular...money. He wasted no time spending it on a chainsaw the very next day. That was sort of a necessity to cut up the tree in our front yard that the ice stormed downed. All in all I think he had a great birthday and wasn't too terribly worried about being two years older than me (for 12 days anyway when my birthday rolls around).

Gingerbread Houses

Bubby proudly displaying his creation

Bubby's is still nicely preserved

Tater's "unusual" creation

Tater proudly displaying his house before he demolished and ate it.

The boy's classes each made gingerbread houses during Christmas, sort of. Tater's preschool class made theirs on 12/9/05, early in the season. Bubby's class was scheduled to make theirs the next to last day before school was out for the Christmas break. However, since the ice storm hit our area that day, school was cancelled. They just made theirs this past Thursday, Jan. 5th.

Tater's house was leveled soon after I took the above picture. He ate almost all of it. Bubby's, on the other hand, is still nicely preserved and displayed on our kitchen counter. Keeping Payton out of it has proved to be quite the challenge though.

It's sort of hard to notice, but if you'll look really hard, you'll see a "gun" sticking out of the front of Tater's house.

Upward Basketball is in full swing...

Bubby getting a little action in yesterday's game

Tater waiting for play to resume

Tater shoots....and he scores. He made 12 points yesterday!

Bubby chillin' with his buddies

Upward Basketball started back in December. This is Tater's second year and Bubby's first. They're both really enjoying it and it's such great exercise for them both. Tater has improved 100% since last year when he could barely get the ball up to the goal. Now he's averaging 8 - 10 points a game. Bubby is just getting the feel of it and is doing a fantastic job of assisting his fellow team mates. He's tall and can really pull down the rebounds. The season goes through March and then they'll attend the annual awards night which is huge in the eyes of a 5 and 8 year old. Stay tuned for more pictures to come I'm sure.

Christmas 2005

Bubby's go cart

Tater's bicycle

Well, the wrapping paper has all been demolished, Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk, and his reindeer enjoyed the carrots the boys left for them. We were fortunate enough to celebrate Christmas several times. The first was 12/18 in Oceana at Darrin's grandmothers. Then, it was on to Pilot Mountain, NC to celebrate with his parents, brother and family on 12/23. Finally, on Christmas morning, we celebrated at our house with my mom and step-dad. Now comes the task of finding a place to put all the gifts Santa left. For more Christmas pictures visit my flickr site.