Safe

I had a jewelry party here on Thursday night. I realized I have such an amazing husband. He took the kids out during the party, (they went to the gym) and then came home and put them to bed. He did a lot to help me get ready for the night too. Our house still looked like a construction zone, so he carried a lot of "stuff" down to the basement and out to the trash. What a pain I am..."help me, and then get out of here for a few hours, and take the kids." Looks like I owe him again! =) He wants to go hunting...I will have to do some planning.

I was busy making treats for the party, so dinner was well....a little lacking. We had corn dogs. Wyatt was watching me make homemade hot chocolate and wanted some so bad. I told him I would save him some. Later he came down the stairs at 11:00 at night. I could have been a mean mom, and sent him back up to bed. I didn't. I whispered, "I think now is a good time for your hot chocolate!" =)

"I have a good idea, put some marshmallows in it," he said. He drank it up quick...(it wasn't very hot anymore.) I gave him a big hug and a kiss on his cheek, and THEN he wiped my kiss off his face. I asked him why and he said, "Don't worry Mom, I have it. It is safe here in my hand."

--Talia is still doing a great job being potty trained. She has been in "big girl pants" for four days, and has been dry for three of them. She had a little accident last night and that was her first in those four days.
We borrowed a Snow white costume from our friends, the Mahaffeys, for Talia to wear for Halloween. She looks so cute in it, and she holds the sides of the skirt while she walks around on her tip toes. She doesn't really look the part with that blonde hair though. =) We also borrowed a GREAT jedi get up from them as well. You should see Wyatt!!! The best part of his costume is his smile. He is so happy! (I will take some pictures.)

Santa Claus is coming to town....

I use this song quite a lot lately!

I got done singing..."He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."

and Wyatt says "it's okay if I act a little silly or something, right?"

Talia putting the stickers on her birthday card from Great Grandma James.




Wyatt worried about Talia climbing up the ladder after him.


I LOVE this pictures. It is so her. Who else would eat two apples at the same time!!! =)

Busy.....

I haven't had time to update this blog in so long. We have done so many fun things I will have to try to get to those pictures so I can post them.

I am going to make a quick list of the crazy things that have been going on for the last month and a half.
-My new web site launched YESTERDAY!! I am so excited. www.jtidwellphotography.com
-I received my BMT info net (Bone Marrow Transplant information network) calendar in the mail last week. I am happy with the image they chose. .....I better explain. I photographed a sister and brother last May for the calendar. It honors survivors of transplants, and it is very rare that two people from the same family have to undergo the same procedure. The little boy was only 15 months old when I photographed them. They want me to photograph a young lady in Virginia for next years calendar!!! =)
-We got hard wood floor installed. The entire first floor.....of course Lincoln was in Canada during the construction.
-Lincoln has also been in Oregon, and Ohio...and somewhere else....???
-We went back to my favorite place....the u pick farm!! =) (I have pictures!)
-My brother Brad and his family came to visit last week....the day after the floors were done. I am so happy they came. It was so fun to see family, and I hated watching them drive away!
-I had so many sessions...I need to look at my calendar to remember the number!!!!!!! My business is really taking off. =)
-I got to spend an ENTIRE Saturday at the mall! I didn't buy very much, but that is not why I went. I had so much fun, I owe Lincoln big time. Or do I???? I have been alone most of this month. I had to move all the furniture with the "floor guy". It is harder to move furniture when you are trying not to scratch the new floor! Now that I think about it...I had to do a lot of "crazy things" while he was gone. I think he actually may still owe me! =)
-Natalia is wanting to be potty trained. UMMM>>wait a second, she has only been two years old for three weeks. I keep finding her dora panties on the floor, and then I find her getting off her potty...saying "I did it." This may be easier than I thought. (Fingers crossed)
-Natalia got a little kitchen for her b-day. We didn't have a party, because we took daddy to the airport. I can't believe she is two. She is talking very well, and just as nutty as usual. She gave me the biggest hug today. Both of her tiny arms wrapped around my neck and then she said "I wuv you....much........much." She just kept holding on. It was the longest and sweetest hug....it made me cry.
-I got to be the co-op parent at Wyatt's school last week. It was on "black cat day". We had a lot of fun. Wyatt was good. I don't know how a little boy can make playing with play dough into a rough game....but Wyatt can. He was using the rolling pin as a sword. Enough said. How embarrassing.

*****THE TIDWELL SQUIRRELS*****
The squirrels get their own section on the blog. They are such a prominent part of our lives! =) I hate them, they are evil. I have several stories to prove it. (I am sorry if some of you have heard these before.)
#1 Our kitchen contractor was on his way up to the attic to give us a bid on finishing it. I warned him that I thought I had heard squirrels up there. He said "I think I have met that squirrel before." (meaning other homes)
After he had been up there a while I hear VERY loud banging. Lots and lots of loud banging. He comes back down after a long while, with a stack of paper and two Christmas ornaments. "I destroyed their nest, and I hit one of them with a 2x4...but I only got his tail. I think there were six of them." He shows me what he had pulled out of the nest....there were old bills, checks, mail, and of course the chirstmas ornaments...all from the previous owner.
He told me to put a radio up there, and they wouldn't come back. It worked.

One night Wyatt came into our room. "I can't sleep, I keep hearing this weird music."

I turned off the radio.

The squirrels came back.

#2 The short version, of the Cyrus/squirrel incident.

Cyrus (our dog) went out for a potty break....a squirrel RUNS right at HIM! Now the squirrel is in his teeth...Cyrus starts to shake him. I yell "drop it", he does. Squirrel runs...Cyrus gets him again. Shake shake shake . "Drop it", he does. Squirrel runs...Cryus gets him again. "DROP IT", he does....squirrel doesn't run away. A dead squirrel outside my door! gross. (it happened so fast...it was crazy!) Of course Lincoln wasn't home. (This was last year.)

All I can say is, what a good boy for dropping it THREE times.

#3 Lincoln tears apart the place in the attic where the squirrels made their nest again. Radio is back on as I type. Lincoln also shoots a squirrel in the bottom with a weak pellet gun. The squirrel just runs off. Lincoln doesn't realize this....but now the squirrels HATE US.

#4 Every time I load the kids in the car the squirrels ambush us with acorns. The are getting very skilled with their aiming. One day I had Talia in the car, but ran back inside to grab my phone. On the way in, I heard a squirrel in the tree. I yelled to Wyatt..."quick get in the car, the squirrels are in the tree."
Wyatt stayed there. As I came outside, I saw an acorn drop to the ground and bounce, about 12 inches from Wyatt. Then he ran to get in the car. I leaned my head in to buckle him, and BAM an acorn hit the top of the pathfinder. Wyatt and I were laughing so hard. I kept saying "those squirrels are crazy, they are evil."
I ran from Wyatt's door to jump in the drivers seat, and as soon as I shut the door...BAM, another acorn hit the top of the car.
They do this all the time.

#5 My friend, Christie, dropped off her three yr old. here. She still had her baby in the van, and left the sliding door open. We were chatting on the front steps, when she gasped and said "I just saw a squirrel jump in my van!!"
We both ran down the driveway, and she yelled at it,.. "get out of my van!" It did and ran up a tree as quick as he could. Imagine if she had not seen it jump in!! That would have been a funny story.

#6 Lincoln went to buy a stronger pellet gun. The man behind the counter said "you shooting squirrels?"

#7 A small rodent (we say squirrel) chewed through the wiring harness in our pathfinder. $800.00 to fix.

#8 Last week Lincoln was out of town. At 4:30 am I heard a loud crash. I sat up thought what could have made such a loud noise? I thought the worst. A MAN....in my house..here to hurt my children and I. (I was sleepy and alone..what do you expect.) Then I decided it was the stroller falling down the two steps below the landing. I had propped it up on the landing when I swept the floor, and that was the perfect explanation for the crash. I turned on the bathroom light and stuck into hall. My heart was pounding so hard...I was still picturing the MAN! As a peeked down the stairs I saw the stroller....right where I left it...on the landing. I began to cry...I mean bawl! I was so mad I was alone, angry that I didn't have a phone upstairs at that moment, and I just didn't know what to do. Should I be doing something to save my children from the MAN, or should I just go back to bed? I prayed. I had a very sweet spiritual experience, and went back to bed. =)

I think that loud crash was a squirrel, knocking something over in the attic. Nothing else was out of place.

I think that is all the squirrel stories I have for now. I sure there will be more. =)