Dear Santa...

It's beginning to look a lot like, wait, what!? So, it's not even Halloween yet and Target has decided NOW is a good time to start sending out Christmas booklets.  The boys saw it in the mail today began writing their wish lists. They have already written a page of the things they want and I can only imagine it's going to continue to grow. I look at it this way, at least they are asking each other how to spell certain words..."iPhone", "robots", "another basketball goal", and on and on and on. 

On a related yet unrelated note, last night Nolan rode home with me from Nana's house (Reed was with Todd) and he was just the chattiest little thing I have ever heard. Asking about the solar system, in which countries the cars drive on the left, why does the sky get darker earlier, etc. Typical 7-year-old questions. My favorite, by far, was this..."how do you get one those Wells Fargo cards loaded with $1million?" I obviously don't know but I hope he has enough drive to learn how!!!

39 and holding

Today our fearless patriarch hit the last digit in his 30s. We started the weekend with a little neighborhood friends/bonfire, then the boys had their last soccer game yesterday. Jammy and Grandy came to watch and spend the day with us carving pumpkins and playing with the boys.  Ashley came into town with her new baby, Owen,  and came to the house for a little visit. For some reason, today Reed said he wanted to go roller skating, out of the blue. So the three boys and some neighborhood buddies went to hot wheels and skated all afternoon. Lastly, it was off to Nana and Poppa's house for Sunday night family dinner. We hope Todd had a great bday and love him to pieces!

Turn down for what?

Yesterday was the boys annual well check with their pediatrician. Reed is 1/2 inch taller than Nolan and weighs 4 pounds more. They are both very tall for their ages and their BMI is 25-50%. Healthy, healthy, healthy! What else is healthy, you ask? Their ability to flatulate on command, and think it is hysterically funny. Good thing Dr. Ani has twin boys and knows how to handle my tooting monkies. They were both a little afraid to get their fingers pricked, but after it was all said and done there were no tears and they said it just pinched a bit. The nice nurse put a band-aid on their fingers and Nolan came up to me and said, "mommy, I can hear my finger beep-beeping.  It feels like my heart beat is in there!"  That was priceless. And then they sat on the stool and spinned and spinned each other around. Somethings never change. 

Dinner spa?

I have no words. When the boys give me a hard time about eating their veggies, I revert back to one of the greatest movies of all time,  A Christmas Story. If your memory serves on comical movie trivia the way mine does, you'll recall that Randy wasn't fond of 'meatloaf, double beat loaf, I hate meatloaf'. Mother Parker didn't shove the meal down the scowling kids throat! No! She calmly smiled, got down on his level, and said 'show mommy how the little piggies eat!' I'm not sure if telling your kid that cucumbers have cooling affects on the bags under ones eyes to decrease puffiness is the same as snorting mashed potatoes through ones nose, but something worked and he ate them all! And then we got a good laugh. Dinner time is never boring here!

Walkin' for the ta-ta's

Last weekend I was filled with emotion as I walked the 2-day for breast cancer awareness. Lorin and I went down a day (or two) early to enjoy the sites of Atlanta before walking all over it. We went on the big Ferris wheel near centennial park for a bird's eye view of the city, followed by dinner downtown. 

The weekend of the walk was a little different this year than in years past. The difference being...rain! The good news is that Saturday was a perfect day for a 20 mile walk with only a 30 minute pit stop in the Virginia Highlands for a drink and to let a downpour pass over us. Most of the walkers weren't quite as lucky as they got caught in the monsoon and looked like drowned rats as they passed by us. Tee-hee! 

Saturday night was full of surprises! After a long day of walking the city, we went back to the hotel to hang out, eat dinner, and meet up with celebrities and long lost friends. First, it was 'Big Boo' from Orange is the New Black, a series on Netflix that has a bit of a cult following. And if you watch the show, you know Big Boo! Lorin spotted her and Michelle all but mauled her down. Good times. She was in town for the gay pride parade in Piedmont Park as she was the Grand Marshall of the parade...quite fitting. She was really nice and let us take a selfie with her. 

Next, I spotted an old friend from good old Georgia Southern, Natalie Enter.  I only hung out with this girl for a few months, but she was instantly one of Aly and my good friends during the most transitional point in my life. She and her friends were walking for a dear friend they lost to breast cancer the previous year. She is an awesome person and I'm so glad to have reconnected with her. 

All in all, it was a great weekend and I'm so excited to get my 4-year button next year and walk with this awesome group again. Thank you so much to Jammy & Grandy for spending the weekend wih the boys as Todd got to have a much needed 'boys weekend' in Charlotte with all of his good friends we used to hang out with when we lived there. 

What time is it!?!

Hillcrest Orchard time, whoop! Every year we head up to the mountains of Ellijay to pick apples, eat carnival food, ride tractors, jump on puffy pillows, cycle on giant big wheels, and...drumroll please...apple cider donuts!!! Oh yea, it's that time of year and the McLure's couldn't be more excited. Thanks to the Tuttle's for joining us on our donut-scapade, the whole time was wicked apple-i-cious!

Aussie-tex visitor

Last Thursday our sweet world traveller buddy, Anita, came to stay with us during her short weekend jaunt to Atlanta. Anita and I have been friends since college and it was thanks to her that I am now a world traveller when she lived in London. She was only with us for a night and then I was able to shuttle her around the next morning, but it was time well spent. She, her husband, and their little beauty, Romany now live in Houston, Tx until a better opportunity presents itself. That's how they roll!