Spotted

I think he's the real one.

(Alpharetta, Georgia, Costco, November 14, 2009)

What the World Needs Now . . .

. . . is love, sweet love. . . .

R.I.P., My Dearest

Dearest water bottle
Of my early-married life,
I've drunken from your waters
E'er since I became a wife.

You've traveled 'cross the country
Wherever I did go
To Virginia Beach and Malibu
And Utah in the snow.

But now we've moved to Georgia
And your parts are wearing thin.
I'll take a little sip and find
Your fibers on my chin.

I'm sad I must replace you
With a giant Nascar cup
But we all need some white trash
In our life, so FILL 'ER UP!



Sniffle.

To Be a Fly on the Wall

EW! MOM! Choobs is picking her nose!" exclaimed Raleigh, aghast.

Madeline to Raleigh: "YOU pick your nose!"

"No I don't!" she lied.

"Yes you do," said Madeline. "I pick my nose," said Madeline. "It's a really bad habit. . . . I should try not to. Ew, Choobs, that is so GROSS! Mom, that is REALLY GROSSING ME OUT THAT CHOOBS IS PICKING HER NOSE. Yeah, I think I should stop picking my nose. THAT IS REALLY GROSSING ME OUT!"

"Well, I don't," lied Raleigh again.

Halloween Preview 2009

TRUNK OR TREAT!

The Matthews Family Good Witches

Bring you Happy Halloween Wishes!

Choobs is the White Witch.

Raleigh is the Candy Corn Witch.

Madeline is the Spider Witch.

Dionne is the Something-0r-Other Witch. (I tell Dallas, "You've gotta take me on a nice date so I can wear that ball gown sometime other than Halloween!!")

And Dallas is a wizard. Not a warlock, a wizard. Because that's what the girls want him to be. He's a good daddy.

The best part about Trunk-or-Treating was giving out the candy!! We built a semi-life-size spooky haunted house with windows and a door, and Madeline and Raleigh took turns passing out the candy. The little kids would come up to the door and knock, and a good little witch would open the door to hand them a treat. Here's Madeline:

Charlotte (Shawn and Ginny Butler's little girl, dressed up as a cafeteria lady), LOVED the house and knocked on the door 40-50 times.

Here are Choobs and Charlotte playing:

Now.

After all of the candy you eat this weekend,

don't forget to brush your teeth.

Just relax and brush, the way Choobs likes to do it.

The Bug Hunt

Choobs vs. The Gnat

(Please ignore the moving-in mess.)

Choobs vs. More Bugs

Dear Dade,

When will you come visit me?

I miss sharing my personal space with you,

And sitting at this table with you,

Eating Grammy's (Grandy's) Famous Smoothies,

And fighting over Madeline's purse.

I'll let you have it this time.

I need a snuggle,

Or two.

Even though we're far away now, I do enjoy seeing my dad at lunchtime,

Falling asleep on the floor now and then,

And playing with my sisters.

Maybe when you come we can organize some water bottles.

Wouldn't that be fun?

Or we can eat cereal together again,

Just for old times' sake.

We could also eat Combos together. And stuff them in our cheeks,

And suck on them until all the cheese comes out,

And then spit them out when we are done.

Doesn't that sound fun? Please come visit me, Dade!

Miss Middle

After re-discovering the dress-ups on moving day, Madeline (the bride, wearing her "reading glasses") put on an impromptu story time for Chooberella, who got to participate in dress-ups for the first time in her little life.

Poor Miss Madeline, though. She has been a little accident-prone since we've been here. While taking her first shower in the "Girl's Bathroom" (and very girly it is), we heard a loud crash, and Madeline was covered in shower curtain with a pole on top. Not two days later, I walked past the other bathroom where Dallas and the girls were talking. Madeline was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, and I saw her, (IN SLOW MOTION), fall backwards into the tub with the whole shower curtain and pole falling in on top of her. She lay there kicking her legs, laughing and screaming, (while we were laughing and screaming), and we rushed to find her upper body and head somewhere in the jumble. The entire family saw it. It was a legendary moment for all of us.

But honestly, what are the chances of bringing down TWO shower curtains in THREE days? She's a legend. But it doesn't stop there.

I am reupholstering our kitchen chairs, and this accident happened:

I made her stay there until I could get a picture. (She was "a little sore because Mom made me stay there until she got a picture.")

Okay, wow, and then look at this mess:

All I'm saying is that it was DALLAS and the FILE BOX who caused this bit of trouble. Madeline escaped unscathed, minus her pride. If she had any left after a week's worth of accidents. I'm sorry to say that she is just like her mother in this department. Now where did I get it from???

Raleigh & Her Self-Portraits

Virginia Beach, VA

(This isn't a self-portrait, but close enough to look like one. Sort of amphibious-looking.)

Alpharetta, GA

Now is it just me, or has she grown up overnight??? I guess she's had to grow up fast with all of the moving we've been doing. She had a school assignment yesterday where she had to make up riddles for her vocabulary words. Here's what we came up with:

1. What type of fabric softener does the mama tiger use?

Answere: Pounce.

2. How does the sleepy girl sing?

Answere: Monotone. (A little bit of a stretch but all we could think of.)

3. What did the car put on when he got dressed in the morning?

Answer: Attire.

4. What did the Great Dane call her tea party?

Answer: Dainty.

5. Where did the singer learn how to ask questions?

Answer: Inquire.

The last word was "clench," and I could not, for the life of me, come up with anything. When Dallas came home, he listened to all of the others and then came up with this:

6. How did the teeth win the talking race?

Answer: They clenched it!

Yay for Dallas! And for Raleigh! And second-grade homework! And cheesy humor! It's the best.