Happy Late Christmas

I know, I am WAY behind on posts but I have a good reason....
1. We went out of town before Christmas
2. Christmas was FULL of WONDERFUL family time
and 3. Chris, Sam, and I all got the stomach flu, after Christmas...and it was NOT pretty! This is where I would like to add a SERIOUS shout out to Amy Jo who not only stayed an extra day here in the noke for the sole reason to take care of my pathetic sick family, but she multi-tasked like a champion mommy wannabe...AKA disinfecting my whole house, (it helps that the only person MORE of a germ-a-phobe than Amy is her husband) and taking care of Sammy C (it helps that he is the cutest kid ever)...because APPARENTLY 22 month old little boys can bounce back from a night of throwing up in a snap while their parents lay bed-ridden for the next 24 hours! Thanks AJ for MAJORLY "taking one for the team"...baby girl would like to say an extra thank you for the strawberry jello!

So, due to all the Dowdy drama I will have to back track and slowly bring you up to date with all the Christmas posts...Here is one dedicated to our wonderful beach trip with the English's:

First, this is what I woke up to every morning...I do realize what a hard life I have!!!:)

For most of the time it was really warm and we got to play in the sand and I practically had to DRAG Sam out of the indoor pool!! Look at these little piggies!
Sam hard at work helping Dylan build a castle...

But when these things went by....
Some little boy got REALLY scared and just had to curl up with G-Jo
He also got to experience his first carousel ride!
This is the second time around....
The first time around Sam was scared but luckily he had his Wa-Wa to take him!
Ohh then came something Sam WAS NOT afraid of...a little cookie action!!!
We tried to make him wear this cute Christmas apron...
But Sam was having NOTHING of that....and opted for a more "redneck" style when cookie making!!
We of course did some serious shopping, because did you miss the part where this was an English outing and OF COURSE we went to see the Christmas show at the Alabama Theater! FTR, there were some serious "jazz hands" by Dylan, Danielle, and myself...it was so GREAT, and I loved EVERY minute of it!!! Chris and Kevin got to golf and we all enjoyed mom's good cooking!!! We had such a blast, the perfect start to our Christmas break!!

ringing in the Christmas season...Vinton style

How did this true Vintonite let the annual Christmas parade slip through her fingers and not blog about it...I'm not sure either!! Here is Sam gearing up for the start of the parade. He sat and watched the WHOLE thing, even all 50 members of the Jeep club...what a good Vinton Boy!

The whole gang...even Elli got to join! She was NOT a huge fan of the firetrucks!
Oh yes big wide world...we are SERIOUS here in Vinton...yes that's fire on those batons!!! (Is it bad that I have always secretly wanted to try this???)
Here is the Mr. and Mrs.
Now, we all know that this is just one of "Santa's Helper", because the real Santa is busy working in the North Pole...at least that was Jo's theory! So one year in high school I was OF COURSE watching the annual parade with friends when Santa came rolling by as the big grand finale. I kid you not when I tell you that he looked down at me, pointed at me, and with his big jolly voice shouted out, "Merry Christmas Emily"! My eyes got really big as all my friends laughed! Apparently I was the last to get the memo that one of our good friend's dad was playing "Santa's Helper"! For a split second I was SURE I was finally getting a puppy for Christmas, because OBVIOUSLY I had been REALLY good girl...Santa had called me by name!

Not Me Wednesday!!!

For the record here are some things that I.DEFINITELY. DID. NOT. DO. in the last 24 hours...NOPE, not this sweet little innocent 7 month pregnant gal...not her:

When Tony called to see if we were at Kabuki because they parked right beside a "look alike" Dowdy car and the name Dowdy was on the list WE DEFINITELY did not say, "no, we aren't there, but we wish we were eating there, and we are only 10 minutes away"! And we did NOT invite ourselves to their dinner and then proceed to go EVEN after we found out that they were celebrating their 3rd anniversary, and we most certainly did not take a noisy 22 month old with us! But HAD that all occurred you would be very surprised to find out that Sam ate about a pound of rice, zucchini, and meat...and who knew that he loves shrimp!!! I can vouch for Sam in saying, THANK YOU Amy and Tony for getting married today...that is just what the doctor ordered!! You know I'm not one to crash my friends anniversary dinner, I'm just saying, if I were such a friend, I would definitely give Tony the best anniversary gift of all and let him eat all my mushrooms!!!!

On the way home from dinner, (at an undisclosed restaurant), I did NOT receive a call from my husband to turn my radio from the all Christmas music to K92 and I did NOT get super pumped to hear my jimmy jam "Single Ladies (put a ring on it)" and he did NOT call me for the sole reason that I made him watch the whole Music Award Performance on Youtube. AND I most certainly did NOT get up and try to reenact the whole dance and ABSOLUTELY DID I NOT finish by saying, "I'm basically Beyonce"! (for the record, I only know about the performance because of a special on the Today Show, I'm pretty sure the last pop song I'd be familiar with before this one is "Bleeding Love"... and well...that's a whole other post!

I did NOT tell my class we were going to "practice sleep" for Christmas Eve and I did NOT let them find their best sleep position on the carpet and I did NOT sit in my rocking chair for 5 minutes, with the lights out, listening to Christmas music, "judging the best sleeper"....(ohh my was that NOT the best idea I've had in AWHILE!!!)

I did not take a picture of my son with NOT one but TWO paci's!!!
I did NOT find my son playing in here:

Anything you haven't done lately???

Oh Christmas Tree...

I tried to make this a wordless post but soon realized that someone might report us...We would like to officially state that this was a HIGHLY supervised activity that lasted only long enough for Chris to take pictures...ohh don't judge us, it was cute, and don't act like you haven't always wanted to!!!

Does Sam have a choice?

My dear friend Kelli, who I teach first grade with and is literally SURROUNDED by extremely pregnant women, as in her classroom is smack dab in between mine and Anna's (who is due in 3 weeks), AND she has yet to look at us and say "stop whining" OR "please refrain from the breastfeeding convo's during lunch hours"...yep, she's basically a saint, ANYWAYS (back on subject Emily)...she had the showcase last month and decided upon the cutest idea of having all the teachers turn in a picture of when they were in the grade they taught, then we could all guess.  Do you know EVERY SINGLE PERSON GOT MINE RIGHT!!!!  Even my first graders...I mean really...WHAT gives it away:)????  

I mean, come on, I was the LAST of THREE girls...my momma was NOT afraid of some hairspray or some hot rollers, or apparently the teaser 'cause just look at those bangs!!!   

AND...Just because I can...look who in our house turned 29 today.  Here is a hint: It's not me, or Sam...or Elli
MY HEAVENS...isn't he PRECIOUS.  And for the record this would be his first grade picture as well.  Before Sam came and raided all our picture frames I had these pictures in a side by side frame.  Could we look anymore like brother and sister?  We are even wearing the same colors! And you think Sam had a choice with the blond hair and blue eyes...ha!   

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD MAN!!!  I LOVE YOU!!  I'll have to save the sappy, love puppy, "you are the best" post for later...I think I hear Majo pulling in to brush me up on my hot roller skills before baby girl gets here...don't worry, hairspray is under one arm, and a teaser in the other! 

I went for more of "sweat pant pregnant girl" than "snow bunny"

AHHHH! The HOTY and I just got back from a great weekend chalk full of friend fun and snowboarding...and by snowboarding I mean they all went snowboarding and I sat in front of the fire at Starbucks, and by sitting in front of fire at Starbucks I mean, pull the padded chair up close enough to prop my legs up on the hearth, snuggle down good in the chair, sip my pumpkin spice latte, and read the first part of "Marley and Me" 

I'm going to go ahead and claim that I got the good end of the bargain!!!

We had a blast playing board games into the night even if the boys did win at Outburst. I would however, like to go on the record stating their Victory is planked with all kinds of ******** (asterisks)**********!!! They got cards like "Natural Disasters", I'm pretty sure my first graders could list hurricane, flood, tornado..etc... while we got stuck with naming "The Adams family"...can you really think of 10 of them...yeah, neither could we! NOT TO MENTION, the time they got open land states in the US, and my husband begins singing "Fifty Nifty United States" easily giving them all 10 plus the bonus....is that allowed???? And of course just to get under our skins they would pip up with "AL-A-BAMA, Alaska, Arizona,...." every 15 second until the end of game!

All was fun and games until we woke up to this:

(my computer is not my best friend right now and will NOT let me upload new pics so in your mind picture an old train surrounded by beautiful snow, then picture the almost 7 month pregnant girl strapping on her snow gear just to take a picture for my Internet friends!) 

Yeah that's 6 inches of snow we had to conquer on our way home. Needless to say the 2 hour and 15 minute trip up to the mountain turned into a 4 and half hour trip back down. But this momma was seeing her baby...I mean look at him....:)  (now let your mind wonder to the cutest little 21 month old wearing his bulldog footed PJ's!) 

Thanks G-Jo for watching Samster, and to Laura and the kids for entertaining him...don't tell Chris but mom says he was the talk of the cheerleading competition!

Thanksgiving Picture Post

I thought I would give you guys what you really want...a picture post...here is our Thanksgiving weekend recapped by pics: 

The Jones and the Wolfords came over on Saturday night for our annual "Friends Thanksgiving"!  We had it at our house this year and I was excited to have a reason to finish up all my decorating!!!  We have so much fun together and I'm so thankful for each of their friendships!  Here is Sam with Riley...I'm pretty sure she didn't cry the whole time, yeah I don't know what they feed her either, but I'm pretty sure I need to find out before baby girl gets here! 

Check out Josh Junior...he is a very smiley boy!!! 
Sam was learning to share his treasured football, he was also teaching his buddies how to "get on it"...one of Chris's many football fumble games!  

This was our attempt at a kid shot...you have to consider our subjects are all under 21 months! 
Here is our funny pic: please note the placing of Tony's hand, still not sure what Chris is doing, and the girls decided to play baby swap, poor little Riley...I really didn't know I was pulling her cute little dress up...once again, better work that out before baby girl gets here!!!  
Then Chris decided that Elli should be in the picture!!! 
Here is our best attempt at a group shot.  Please note the basketball I couldn't let go of do to a certain little boy!  
Just think that last year we had one highchair...now we are up to two highchairs and a baby swing!!!   We already decided that a kiddy table was in our near future!  
This is the start of the English Thanksgiving pics:  What is wrong with this picture...do think either Chris or Greg are waking up at 5 to go shopping...why are they looking at the ads while we are cleaning up the dishes???
Sam eating Thanksgiving dinner all by himself, we have cranberry stained pants to prove it! 
Cousin shot...plus one pesky aunt mammie:) 
How sweet! 
Mom's spread!  Look at that harvest casserole...wonder who made that...wink, wink AJ????
Amy took this shot in the car on the way there...PRECIOUS!!!! 
take a look at the time...its past 11:30...that's me attempting to act like I can "party like a rock star"...don't proof read, just admire all the cuteness! 

He melts my heart....

I mean, just look at that face....but for the record...it all started because this guy melted my heart first..the tall hunky one, with the "come on hun, really, you want me to smile for yet ANOTHER picture smirk!!!

Let me explain...

This past week I have been absorbed...neigh, obsessed with my new BFF "The Pioneer Woman". Where has she been my whole blogging life? I began reading what basically is a "blog book" about how she met her rancher husband, and I COULD NOT STOP. Now you know I'm not one for "reading novels", especially romance, but she is SO funny and her love story reminded me SO much of when Chris and I started dating ohhh so long ago, ok minus the whole she feel in love with cowboy and now they live on a ranch thing!

Those that were around can testify to the fact that we had it bad...pathetic didn't come close, we were put your finger down your throat GAG me in love, from day one! My feet were swept off the ground from the start and they have yet to land!

I had the BEST time reading about the pioneer woman's romance, mostly because it made me giggle with reminiscent thoughts about my own! If you have a good chunk of time and feel like being extremely lazy, grab a cup of coffee and your laptop and head on over to the PW love saga...I hope your heart starts pounding and that you can't contain the girlish giggles as you go back in time to when you feel in love...but to quote the Pioneer Woman herself...have a cold shower on standby!

For the record, my heart was melted twice tonight. First, when Sam snuggled up with me on the couch to watch The Polar Express, we were home alone, in our PJ's, and don't tell daddy but we stayed up late and and we both ended up falling asleep. Secondly, when I came home exhausted to a super cute note Sam's daddy left me on the bathroom mirror...like I said...Gag me...We know!!!

You're My Best Friend!!!

This little boy LOVES his big sister!!! When I say she is his best friend...I mean look at them!

Elli would let that kid DO ANYTHING to her! He rides her like a horse, as in bouncing up and down...and she lets him. Frequently she gets poked in the eyes with those cute little fingers and she even lets him pull at her cheeks!
No matter how many times I kick that dog off the bed in the middle night and INSIST to Chris that I'm taking her to the closest farm the very next day...how could I ever...look at the love!!!
Sam is going to be such a GREAT big brother to baby girl Dowdy!! Look how much he loves his 4 legged sister!! By the way, speaking of PRECIOUS, Sam is gaining SO many words everyday...BUT MY FAVORITE IS...when he rubs my ever-growing belly and says..."ohhh sissy"!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

**edited at bottom

OK, I'm going to come right out and say it...Cam don't be mad:)...I haven't followed my own strict rules. Let me catch you up...

Growing up I was the one, the stickler, when it came to the English Christmas tradition rules. We didn't put up the Mouse Holiday Calender until Dec. 1st, the 3 sisters all slept in the same bed on Christmas Eve, and don't even get me started if Jo tried to move the colored Christmas tree upstairs and the gold and white Christmas tree downstairs. (Just in case you happened along this blog, my mom's name really is Jo...so you can try and pull off the whole "ja-mama" joke...you know, it just doesn't have the same ring unless you use your most ghetto voice, but it really doesn't work for us English girls, because our mom really is JO!)

Cam fill victim to the "Holiday Police Emily", in college when all the other "Hoffman Hotties" blared their Christmas music on our college dorm hall the week before we left for Thanksgiving...I know...gasp right!!! Our Stolen Napster Christmas List was forced to lay unplayed until we got back from battling I-81 the Sunday after Thanksgiving! Don't worry though, I made it up to Cam by serenading her nightly with Mariah Carey's...Jesus, Jesus, OHHHH What a Wonderful Child. I basically sounded JUST like her!

So today was our last day with our kids until we get back from Thanksgiving (we have teacher work days on Mon and Tues.) I look at the clock and I still have an hour and half with my darling first graders, and I was struggling. I was tired, and they were not. I weighed my options and that's when I did...I made them a deal...If they worked silently on their subtraction turkey sheet, I would let them listen to my Christmas CD..AND SING! OHHH how the silence was worth it! IT DOESN'T STOP THERE!! Since I had blown my almighty Christmas music rule I decided what the hey...and I did it...I listened to the Q99 all Christmas music on the way home, a WHOLE WEEK before I was supposed to, but don't worry, I will savor the sacred tradition of Mariah Carey's track 13 until Black Friday, I owe Cam at least that!


and FOR THE RECORD...I'm on my second box of these:

***I'm decorating for Christmas RIGHT NOW...as we speak, listening to Christmas music...AND IT'S 4 WHOLE DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVNG! Wild and Crazy I am!!!

Like Father...Like Son

Looks like we have Coach Dowdy Junior on our hands, for the record that is Chris's official coaching whistle...you know, the whistle that brought home the district regular season and tournament championship, not to mention Coach of the Year:)...in my mind I picture Sam blowing his whistle, pointing to the corner, and setting his watch to time the 60 (you PH boys know exactly what I'm talking about)!!!

Unkie Greg...take a look at that drool/spit..I'll give you 5 bucks to take a blow from that whistle!
How cute is the "mini-me"!!! He LOVES this thing! We have decided to store it directly beside the plastic golf clubs therefor, unfortunately for Sam, making it an "outside only toy"! Sam is in hopes of talking to the big man (a.k.a. Santa), and scoring him some real metal junior clubs for Christmas. Chris and I might be out of luck, because lets face it...He's been a really good boy!!!

Can I get any more random??

I was so excited to be tagged by JJ, a friend from high school who may have been the only person more excited then me when the new Dixie Chicks album came out our senior year!! You are supposed to list 7 random things about yourself that other people may find interesting. Here is my best shot:

1. I was a MAJOR tomboy growing up! MAJOR! I’m talking, I wore sweat pants everyday to 5th grade, and when mom made me wear a dress for the SCA speeches..I CRIED!!!


2. This one you will LOVE!!! Last week we were moving furniture, and since I pulled the whole pregnancy card I didn’t have to lift a finger! Once they had moved the dresser out, Chris asked me to grab the vacuum to get the dust bunnies and when I went to run the vacuum I realized I didn’t even know how to turn it on!!! OH HOW CHRIS SMILED!!!! In my defense, we only have one room with carpet, of which Chris vacuums every other day so I really don’t feel the need to, plus it’s a new vacuum! Ohh STOP judging me...its not like Chris knows how to run the dishwasher…we know our roles, and we stick to them! :)

3. I am apparently Fire Marshal Bill’s side kick. If I think I have left a curling iron on or hair dryer plugged in, I make Chris turn the car around to double check! He LOVES this trait about me, especially when it makes us late for a movie!

4. I can’t wear earrings, but oh how I tried so many times! Even though I knew my ear would get infected I tried the hoop in the upper ear cartilage in college, because let’s be honest…all the cool kids were doing it, AND it lasted all of two weeks until I decided the pink puffy infection did in fact NOT make me cool! Apparently the doctor tells me I have sensitive ears and to STOP trying.

5. I only like mayonnaise when I’m pregnant. As soon as I gave birth to Sam I went back to despising the very sight of it, then as soon as baby girl came along…who knew…back to smothering the mayo!

6. Those who didn’t know “possum” in her glory days may not know about the split in her front teeth that she could fit a pistachio shell through!! Amy Jo BEGGED me not to get braces and almost had me convinced that I could be like "that older model..(I think her name was Rachel Hunter)…and it could be my trademark feature." (yeah, I didn’t buy it either…and I wore braces in middle school). The funny part is, that in college the little brace that was behind my teeth, to keep the gap from coming back broke! So Friday I left class with perfectly straight teeth with no gap, and came back to class on Monday with a full “pistachio’ size gap! Try explaining that! For the record I was able to have my teeth "bonded", and just in time for our engagment pictures. So I only had to enjoy pistachios's for a week, and once again...Amy Jo begged me not to get them fixed...and once again...I didn't buy it!

7. If I wasn’t a teacher and actually had a gift for acting or maybe even (gasp) singing, I would TOTALLY star in a Broadway play. Growing up I acted like I was “taking one for the team” and offered to be the daughter mom “made” go with her to the Mill Mountain Theater (ONLY Jo would have season tickets to MMT) Truthfully I LOVED IT!!! Maybe I’ll wait until High School Musical hits Broadway and try out for Gabrielle…I know I could nail, “I love you Wildcat”!


**** The newly married April Collins just started a blog, check out her great recap of todays sermon! I'm going to join her in "not sweating the small stuff" this week, feel free to join us!!!

so I made it before the Easter deadline!

I just have one word for our little frog...PRECIOUS!!! These are the ones from trunk-or-treat at my school and it was SO cold! We have yet to have our Halloween "photo-shoot", I'm going to go ahead and call myself out and say that I probably need to get on that!

This preggo gal is not afraid to sport/represent the PH men's soccer stocking hat!
That's a pretty cute frog costume for 2 bucks!!!
Let's just go ahead and mark "adorable personalized treat bags from Pottery Barn" as one those "things" boys, particularly my husband, "just don't get"! However, when I received it in the mail I smiled for at least 6 hours straight, because ohh my, did I mention it was personalized:)!