Little Man went as a turtle for Halloween today. Let's just say he was a big hit...

I've been having alot of fun in Alabama with all the family, but we are getting ready to head back home tomorrow evening, Momma says. So here is a little video with some of the highlights from the last week.

Everyone I meet is so funny. Grumps lays in the floor with me, and reads to me, and makes funny noises with me. Ahna holds me and feeds me. Grandmother taught me to play "Patty Cake." Granddaddy tells me that I'm his little buddy and lets me climb all over the place and play with his pens. I got to see A. Maghen and A. Melanie, and U. Matthew, U. Nicholas, and U. Benji. We've had lots of fun.

I can't wait to see everyone at Christmas and to play with all of Grandmother's sparkly things.

Ann Tucker is at home and doing well. She had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything came back clear. Aunt Joanna is back home, and I'm sure the boys and U. Quintin is happy.

Bro. Charles Carlton has just had the trek removed. He is gaining strength.

Sis. Gayle Smith has been having some trouble with her new chemo. They had decided to try a new experimental type of chemo, so it may be rough for a while before it gets better.

Sis. Kerry and the baby are doing very well. They have made it past the scare zone, and will be released from the specialist to her regular OB very soon. Keep them in prayer that baby and momma will be healthy.

Nathan Ferrel has seen great improvements since getting on O2. They went to Houston to meet with a Mito specialist to manage Nate's case and that gave them alot of direction and alot of help. They have even decided that he doesn't have to be on the O2 all the time. Happily he is still growing and doing very well these days.

Sis. Melissa is doing very well. She is starting back subbing this week.

Finally, Jim and Gary are still job hunting continue to remember all of us in prayers.

On Saturday, Ahna and Grumps took me and Momma to Auburn to see Uncle Benji and Uncle Nicholas and to all watch the Auburn game together. We got down there early that afternoon and checked into the hotel, and ate some lunch. I spent alot of lunch talking to the 3 year old boy at the table next to me. He kept waving and I laughed at him alot, when we got ready to leave he yelled, "Bye Baby!" and I squealed back. Then we met up with U. Benji and U. Nicholas, but before we could head to the stadium, they made me put on a bunch of clothes. I had to take off my pretty orange Auburn shirt and navy pants, and put an Auburn sleeper over my socks, and then an Auburn sweatsuit, and an orange toboggan, and my tennis shoes. I looked very handsome, and I know so cause all these people kept telling me so as we walked to the stadium. Then we were at the Tiger walk. There was so much going on that I wasn't sure where to look. People kept saying this was the biggest one that they had seen in a while. It went way down the road and across a couple of little roads, and we got to see Gene Chizik and all the players. The band was playing and the cheerleaders where hollering, and there were some really pretty trees. Anyway after that we were trying to get to the stadium, and the cheerleaders walked by and several of them grabbed my hand and said War Eagle. I waved my hand in circles just like Momma does for kick off.
So we got to the stadium and Grumps found four tickets together just where he wanted them, for just the price he wanted. So we got there a little more than an hour before the game started. It was really exciting watching the student section and listening to the music. It was spitting snow and rain for a few minutes, but it went away. Thank goodness cause Ahna said she had no interest sitting in the rain. About 20 mins before game time all the fun started. I really liked watching the band come in the stadium and they went all the way around playing the Fight Song and Glory to Ol' Auburn. Their horns were so shiney. Then the eagle flew, but she didn't stay up very long cause it was cold. I could even see my breath. Then the players ran out on the field and everyone cheered and it was really, really loud.

Sorry folks, I don't have any pictures today. Silly momma packed the camera in the luggage when we were on the plane. I like to fly there are all sorts of interesting people that you meet.

I didn't like everyone that we met. See we were in a hurry, cause Momma left my food at the house and Daddy had to turn around and go after it. Anyway, so we got through security, but they wanted to look at my food closer. I don't know why, it's my food, and I don't share my yummy food. Anyway, they were looking at some one else's bag first so, we had to stand in line.
This whole time Momma was juggling me and two bags, and trying to get her shoes and belt back on. So, finally this mean, old man looks at my food. They originally told Momma that they only had to look at food in jars bigger than 3 ozs. But not this man. He scanned my cereal in the box and cereal in the bowl, and my fruit and my veggies, and my formula and my water for it. Then he started asking Momma all sorts of questions: where are you going, why do you need so much, why is some of it store bought and some cooked? Then they called over the speaker, "Cunningham to gate C30 to Birmingham." Momma told the man, that's us, but he just kept going slow as he could. Finally he gave Momma my food, and then she had to get it all packed back up. Then she ran through the airport carrying me, two bags, a bunch of papers, and two water bottles. We got to the gate, and then she just dropped all the papers on the desk and the nice man talked to me and sorted things out.

So we got on the plane, and there was this really nice lady, and she offered to hold me so Momma could put everything away. I sat with her most of the flight. She had this black shawl with fringe all the way around, and this pretty gold cross necklace, that I really wanted to play with, and she was very nice. I liked her alot. Then there was this funny guy who worked on the plane, who kept stopping to talk to me. I would talk back to him, but I don't think he understood me because Daddy says I speak Monkey and no one else speaks monkey.

Anyway, we finally landed 10 mins early, and before long Ahna was there, and when we got out to the car Granddaddy and Grandmother were there. Then we ate breakfast at Waffle House, and I had my oatmeal, and some gravy, and hashbrowns. I didn't like hashbrowns, but Momma kept putting them in my mouth. Then I went to sleep and I woke up at Grandmother's house. I played in the floor awhile, and then I took a nap while Ahna rocked me, and now I'm playing again. It's been an exciting day so far. I can't wait till Grumps gets home from work.

I'll talk to you all later. I love you Daddy! Bye-bye.

Today Southside, the local vet and farm supply store, had their Fall Extravaganza. They gave away 5 free chicks to the first 40 customers. So Gary, Britt, and I went up there this morning and came home with 5 chicks. They are currently living in a Pampers box on the front porch/in the yard. Britt wasn't quiet sure what to make of them. He wanted to chase them but not touch them. He did finally touch one while I was holding it, with just one finger for just a second. We plan to go back a little later to eat free BBQ, and enter the free drawings.

I saw an ad on Facebook this morning for Pantene ProV that said, "When the times get tough, the tough get gorgeous." I had to laugh, I mean come on, buying Pantene and washing your hair might make you feel a smidgen better, and I mean a smidgen folks, but it does not help the tough times. Hahahaha, who comes up with this sort of marketing?

So, I'm at a bit of a loss with Britt. He refuses to eat finger foods. I'm sure that some of this has to do with the fact that we've had to wait so long to introduce them. He is happy for you to feed him with a spoon, and for you to pick food up with your fingers and feed him, he's happy for me to hold a banana and him eat on it. But the boy, pitches a fit if you sit the food down in front of him and expect him to eat it. I mean he gets mad if I try to feed him these cheerio like things. The one exception to this is bananas, which he has decided is the best thing ever to smash. He actually occasionally likes to pick them up and laughs when they jump out of his hands.

Britt,

Today you are spending the afternoon with Memaw so I can d0 all sorts of time consuming things. Infact, I have already mopped, organized all of my yarn and scarves, cleaned off the kitchen table, and put Daddy to work washing dishes. I hope to do some grocery shopping and catch up your book this afternoon too. You see these days I spend alot of time chasing you around the house. You are crawling like crazy and yesterday you learned how to climb over the boxes of diapers that we have been using to block off the dinning room and kitchen from your over curious self. I am constantly having to relocate objects higher and higher in our room in order to keep you out of them. Some how though you keep finding ways to sneak things off of the tops of the couch. Nothing is safe, when you decide that you want it.

On Monday almost a week past 8 months you weighed in at 16 lbs and 15 oz, and 27 1/2 inches long - making you almost 3 lbs heavier than last month. Dr. Saranko was very pleased, and said that he didn't have to see you back until a year. He also oked you to eat meat and finger foods now. We have tried finger foods in the last few days, and you don't seem to like it much. You would rather shove them off the highchair than pick them up. When I put them in your mouth you protest alot. You are going to have to start getting use to eating things chunkier.

You are cruising now with almost as much speed as you have crawling. Sometimes now you let go of things and stand for a split second, but you don't have any balance. When we are outside, which you love, you crawl like a Mowgli on all fours, but you've pretty much quite doing that in the house on the carpet.

You are a delight. My favorite part of our day is in the morning, right before your morning nap, when I'm in your room getting things put away, and you go to the bookcase and pull off a book, and crawl over to me, pushing it. I always stop what I'm doing and pick you up and read it. I let you flip the pages and sometimes you turn it back to the beginning when we are done, so I read it again. Sometimes I'm awfully busy in the afternoon and can't drop everything, but I always do in the morning, because I can already see that you are growing up too fast. I know that you won't always want Momma to hold you and read to you, so I try to do it as much as possible. We spend a little time each day, usually in the morning, sitting on the front porch in the swing and we rock and you tell me all about the trees and the cars that drive by, and you get especially excited when Mara comes by and lets you pet her. I treasure these little moments when you smile and laugh and make me the center of your little world.

I love you little man,
Love,
Momma

My evil Blender died yesterday right in the middle of making Britt's carrots. With some on the stove and some in the blender it was a rather opportune time to bite the dust. And so what could I do but grieve in verse...

I am warming up more to the beach these days. I never really use to like going. I really hate sand, and how it gets everywhere, and the salt, yuck, I mean Smith Lake or the river is just much nicer, oh and waves, who likes to be splashed in the face over and over, and look this is the longest run on sentence ever, I need to end it because I was just informed via Facebook that today is National Punctionation Day, and I'm abusing the English language. Seriously though, who came up with National Punctionation Day? I bet it was Mrs. LeMay, my 11th grade English teacher. She was a bit strict and crazy about grammer. hmmm... where was I?

Oh yes, the beach. So we went to the beach last Saturday and it wasn't so bad. This trip was both spur of the moment and two weeks in the making. Let me explain. A couple of weeks ago, Dad happened to be down with Joan at the Carosel Kids shop (it's a second hand baby/kid shop with all sorts of neat things). They found several floats for little kids and babies, and the lady told Dad with it being the end of the summer he could have them for $1 a piece. So he picked up two, bought them, let all the air out of them, and headed home. Then Joan decided that Brystal should see them blown up, so she blew on back up and brought it in the house. Brystal immediately saw it, jumped in and said, "Mister, can we go to the beach?" So they were going to go Saturday a week ago, but in rained.

Fast forward to last Friday evening. Gary was talking to Mom on the phone and she mentioned they were going to take Brystal to the beach on Saturday, and did we want to go. So we said sure! Then she called back and said that they were going to go ahead and head over there instead of waiting till in the morning. So in 30 mins I packed and Gary washed up all of Britt's food stuff, then we loaded up the car and off we went.

Gary and I got up Saturday morning before Britt woke up, and we went walking along the beach and found a bunch of neat shells, and he found me a giant whole sand dollar that was still alive, and I found the tiny-est sand dollar ever. I have they drying out on the porch right now.

Britt really seemed to enjoy it. He laughed and acted silly and splashed in the water in his little baby intertube-float-thingy. Right before we got out of the water for the last time, he laid way back, and just let Mister push him around. He had a ball crawling and chasing after Brystal, and she would jump up and down and he would just squel and laugh. He thought she was supper funny. It was nice and relaxing.


(sorry for the complete lack of cute pictures of Britt at the beach, if I ever get them from Mom I'll add them)