Life.

Today is a sad day. Today is a happy day. Today I grieve. Today I celebrate. As these schizophrenic emotions flood me, I'm reminded of my humanity. Thank God! I can feel. My papa, Aaron Witt, was a good man. He was an even better papa. He was joyful. Always. And kind. He always waited for Mema to be seated before he'd start eating. He was a good host and if there was company, he made sure to have many stories to entertain them. Granted, some were made up, but stories aren't as interesting without a few embellishments. Just like clothes. He was a helper. When I was a young teenager, I earned a few extra dollars by (trying to) mow my Mema and Papa's grass. And he'd ALWAYS come out there...multiple times...to try and "do a few rows" for me. He loved children, babies in particularly. If my kids were ever crying, he'd say, "Come here, baby. What's she doing to you?" And when we first introduced him to Sage, he'd say, "What's your name?" I'd say, "Sage." "Page?" I still remember as a child, I wanted to catch a bird, and he told me if I poured salt on it that it couldn't fly. So there I was running in the yard with a salt shaker after birds. I'm sure the neighbors wondered what I was doing. He loved to sit on the porch on the swing on a nice day. Sometimes, I'd go sit with him. If you listened, he'd have some great things to say. Some would catch you off guard. After dinner, he always said, "Freada, do we have a cake, or a cookie..or something?" Ha, Kevin and I could imitate that one pretty well. If not, he'd say, "Well, malarkey." A fairly newer term was when asked how he was doing, he'd say, "Goodly." That just cracks me up. When I was growing up, and he and Mema owned the bait shop, we'd go fishing. That was his favorite. His go-to conversation with men (and women) was asking if they'd been fishing or hunting lately and if they worked at GE. As a child, I loved fishing, but I didn't want to touch anything. He put the worm on my hook and took the fish off. Everyone loved him at the nursing home, where he stayed the past few years, because he was funny and sweet. My FAVORITE story was when a nurse came into his room singing, and he looked at her and said, "I used to wish I could sing. Now I wish you could." BEST. Line. Ever. More special than anything, I think, was his bond with my grandmother. He was dealt more harsh health ailments in life than any person I've ever known, and she served him. And loved him. And never once thought of herself first, if at all. She'd fight anyone that dare challenged what her role was, too. She is the example of what a Godly wife is. She served him her entire life and early this morning (Friday, September 23, 2011), Papa left this life and went into eternity and the life he was meant to have. I actually began this blog last night (as the date says) because I knew deep down that he was going to go on in the night. I even woke up in the night at the time, that turned out to be, when he passed away. God was merciful and gracious to him and us. Papa was given many "death sentences" in his lifetime, and he proved every doctor wrong. But this time, it was time. Time to move on into the life that I can only dream of for him. Because he was unable to do so much here, I can only imagine that abundant life for him is that much sweeter. Well done, Papa.

This was spring break of this year. The nursing home had an Easter egg hunt, and all of his great grandchildren participated. This would turn out to be the last time I saw him, and I hold that close now because it was a great day.

Thanksgiving 2010 with Sage and Mikayla

Meeting Jaggar for the first time (August 2009)

Such sweet memories

Visiting at the nursing home in August 2010

Travis told them to kiss. :)

Eating together at Thanksgiving last year

At the Easter egg hunt at the nursing home this past April
I'm sure he's making sure Jaggar is okay.

I just loved this picture. This was after that kiss, I believe. (August 2010)

And this sums up Mema and Papa. Her always at his side. In sickness and in health. Till death us do part.

The Lion King

I took a risk tonight. I definitely did. I took BOTH of the children to see a movie. Alone. And it was a 3D movie: The Lion King. It really could've gone either way, but what the heck? I needed to get out of the house. It was and still is one of my most favorite movies, and neither of my kids had seen it. Jaggar has never even been inside a movie theater. We got our tickets, glasses and popcorn and headed inside as soon as it was beginning. I am more than pleased to say that Jaggar did great. He wore the glasses for about the first 15 minutes. He did periodically throughout the movie shout, "LION KING!" or "SIMBA!" but it was great. He'd get up and dance. He ate his popcorn. He ate popcorn off the floor. He put the glasses on his head, in his cup holder, and then eventually dropped them in the floor where I could not find them until the movie was over. He didn't really want them until the end, and then he decided he needed them. "Where my gasses go?" So he snatched Sage's off of her face. She cried. I took them back from Jaggar and gave them back to Sage. He would climb into the seat next to me and back to my lap again. He decided he needed his shoes off. He really did well though, and I don't regret taking him at all. I still knew every word and cried in the same scenes. Great movie. Great memory.

Yep, he generally wears his sunglasses upside down, so the 3D ones were no exception. This was Sage's first 3D movie where she actually wore the glasses. It's been years since we gave her another shot at them, so she was just fine.

You know I had to get this. It's Jaggar's first movie!

Sage being very Vanna White-ish

Mornings with Jaggar

I love this boy so much. He cracks me up all the time. We did a little video below, and I think it kind of shows just how randomly funny he is all of the time. You NEVER know what he's going to say.

In the mornings right after Travis takes Sage to school, we cuddle up in my bed and watch either Tangled, Despicable Me, or Chawdee Bown (Charlie Brown), as he says it.

I just think he's beautiful. Everyone says that he looks like Travis...well mainly just random people/acquaintances. That's a sweet sentiment and all, but he doesn't look a THING like Travis. I don't think he looks like me either, but Travis has always sworn that he looks like my mom's side of the family. I have some closer friends that agree with this. Either way, he's just cute.

Sorry for the bad camera work. I'm no Travis. I will say that I was laying down and then half of the time, Jaggar was on top of me.

Bye bye, Tooth #3

A few weeks ago, Sage got in the car saying that she bit down on a cookie that was too hard in the cafeteria, and it made her tooth loose. I thought that she may be exaggerating, but when I felt it, she was definitely not. Hmmm...may want to redo those cookies, lunch ladies. Anyway, I thought it may come out soon if we pulled it, but if you know Sage, you should choose your battles, and this wasn't one I cared about winning. So it wasn't ever anything I messed with. Last Thursday, I was on the phone and I noticed Sage in the bathroom messing with her tooth. In the back of my mind, I thought, "She's going to pull it out," but I was still surprised that she called me with blood pooling in her mouth where she actually did! She did it all on her own and was so proud of herself. She said, "I bet the tooth fairy will leave me $100 because I pulled this out on my own." I said, "If she does, I'm pulling out every one of my own teeth." :) Needless to say, she didn't get $100, but she did get a few. She was very excited.

I figured her next lost tooth would be a top one, but she lost another bottom tooth. Oh well, that's good to me. It looks a tad awkward when the adult top teeth start coming into a still very small mouth. I just pray she gets Travis' "no-braces-required" smile.

Bowling Fun

Last Sunday, we went to Calin's 8th birthday party, and it was a bowling party. Sage had never bowled before, so she was excited to try. She had a really good time and enjoyed bowling. Even though she dropped the ball directly on my toe when I first handed her the ball, we all survived and had fun. Eventually. Just kidding, though my skin did crawl every time I heard the ball crack against the floor with every small child who basically threw it down the lane. Sage was so cute and nonchalant every time it was her turn. She later asked me, "Are you supposed to stand there and watch how many pins you knock down?" Because she was basically tossing it and turning away instantly. Here's video.



Isn't she cute?

I have to say that bowling shoes have come a long way!

Sage and the sweet birthday girl

It's a date

Last week, Nichole called me and asked if I could come and watch Paisley while she went to a last minute doctor's appointment. No prob. Jaggar adores "Pasey". While keeping 2 very feisty 2 year olds definitely kept me on my toes, it was fun to watch them play together. Nichole told me that the day before that when she told Paisley, who is just 3 1/2 weeks younger than Jaggar, that he was coming to play with her, that Paisley said, "Oh! Happy birthday to me!" Ha! Hilarious. Here's some pictures of these cuties.

Having a snack.

He's hugging her, not tackling her. I love them! I picked these balls up from all over the room...ohhh, about 5 times.

I love how she's looking at him Yes, they are both wearing her dress up heels. Jaggar is secure enough in his manhood that a high heeled shoe isn't going to stop him from impressing the ladies.

And my personal favorite! She was going to kiss him no matter what! This looks like a Hallmark card to me. He loves his "Pasey."

10 Years

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I've watched documentaries and stories from victims and their families all weekend, and I still get emotional seeing and hearing their pain. It's really unfathomable to try and grasp what they actually went through. 10 years ago, I never thought about how I'd attempt to explain these attacks to my 6 year old daughter, who is beginning to ask questions about it. The only thing that I can really say is that there was evil acting. Lots of people were hurt, but God is still in control. Today I was honored to be able to lead "God Bless America" in a tribute and prayer for our country at church. Travis actually recorded it from my iphone while he was in the back, so even though you can't see much, you can hear. Travis tells me that his version from his phone is better. In hi def....whatever, but I'll humor him. Click here.



And completely unrelated to the seriousness of that, this is for all the fans of "Oh God of My Salvation." All 2 of you. ;) Haha, just kidding!

It's Fall, Ya'll

It has cooled off in a major way here this week, and I have been ecstatic! Bring on the pumpkins, ghosts, and comfort foods (not that I need any more comfort)! Granted, it still gets in the low 80s in the afternoon, but that is okay--it's not 105. It's wonderful actually. I made taco soup on the first cool day. I love everything about fall because it's the beginning of the long road to Christmas. I was thinking this week about how thankful I am that I get to stay home with my children. Sometimes I vaguely entertain the thought of going to work (not REALLY, but just thinking), and I just can't imagine it. I love my kids and am so thankful that I get to be with them all the time. It's the greatest, most challenging but the most rewarding job that there is. I'd hate to think I couldn't be there to see all of the firsts. Anyway, do you know what else fall brings?

Pumpkin spice frappucinos from starbucks! Woot! I think I've said before that I love any and all things pumpkin: candles (just bought one today), drinks, cookies (had one of those the other night--thank you, great american cookie company). I even saw pumpkin spice waffles, but I refrained. Even though I don't indulge in my love of pumpkin spice frapps regularly (sorry, $4.35 for a drink is retarded), it's a nice treat on occasion.

Love this boy. I got a rare pic before he smashed his head into mine because he loves to see himself come in and out of the camera screen on the iphone. Btw, if you have an iphone, the Where's Waldo app will rock your world. Okay, maybe not, but it does take you right back to circa 1992 when Where's Waldo books were awesome. It's so fun!

A lot of this going on, too. If you see how he plays, you'd know this was vital.

And a little bit of this: ANOTHER ringworm. Sage had one of these beside her mouth back in the summer. Why she keeps getting them, I don't know, but at least we know what it is and still have the cream for it. PS: it's not a real worm, in case you didn't know.

Isn't she pretty? Every Friday is school spirit day during football season, and I just ordered a few new shirts for this year. I think she looks adorable.

Friends With Benefits

Nick got Grayson a new toy yesterday. He said that they rented one a few weekends ago for Adalyn's birthday, and Grayon loved it so much, Nick wanted to find one for him. So he did. He bought a HUGE bounce house obstacle course and put it in his backyard. Me being the friend that I am saw this on facebook and invited myself over. :) Actually, I did see it on facebook, but Nick invited us over. This worked out wonderfully because Sage had just been asking to go to that one in the mall, The Play Place. Check it out! The kids had a blast. I played in it, too. I won't lie. I always knew Nick's friendship would come in handy. Oh yeah, that and that time he came to my house and got me up out of the floor. Okay, two good things. :)

How cool is that? It's not going to stay up all the time, obviously. Emily says it's only going up for special occasions. Nick disagreed until he discovered that 4 men trying to put it away still wasn't enough.

This one had absolutely no fear. Shocking, I know. He was the first and probably only one to go down backwards.

Check him out. He has always loved Emily's Mawmaw. She is a sweet lady.


Sage's turn. She played so well with Grayson, too. You can hear him calling her, "STAGE! Come get me." And she did. Sweet girl.

Okay. See this? THIS is my life. It looks like his back is going to break!

So cute! Jaggar is shirtless because he drenched himself in the nearby water table. What a fun day!

Hey, Daddy!

A Smurfy Surprise

I mentioned a few posts back that Sage, along with what appears to be every other kid in America, has a new found love for Smurfs since the release of the movie. Really, it was her and "every other kid in America's" introduction to them, and I guess they appealed to them just like they did to us. I also mentioned that I scoured McDonalds across 3 states (And I HATE McDonalds!) to find Smurfette (she was super cute) with no luck. I'd even see McDonalds' commercials advertising that they had Smurfs, and at the end which one do you think the girl was holding? --Yep. Smurfette. It's like they were taunting me.

Kevin and I were talking about it while we were in Kentucky, and Sage proudly showed him her stuffed Smurfette. Kevin and I both discovered we had both been playing the smurf game on our iphones (don't hate!) and reminisced on our lovely childhoods. Well, just a few short days later after we were back home, he called me. He went to a McDonalds in Indiana, where he lives and works, on a hunt for what I pretty much thought was a waste of time at that point. But no! He not only found Smurfette, but Papa Smurf and 2 others. I thought that was so cool. He works for Fedex and because he delivers to them, they were very accommodating to him and brought out all they had to find it. HOW they still had it though, I have no idea. I had one happy girl today when they arrived though.

She didn't know what I called her upstairs to see.

And there they were. (Note a favorite shoe brand of mine, if ya see some you ever want to get for me.) How cute are they?? Told you Smurfette was cute.

She was SO happy. Those were the 2 she had been wanting the most.

Cute, cute

As if it wasn't sweet enough for Kevin to do what he did (he searched quite a bit to make sure he could get all that he could), he also drew her a picture.

Isn't that fun? She immediately hung it up on the refrigerator. :)

He drew that in about 5 minutes, I'm sure. I grew up with that, by the way. He has drawn like that, sculpted, painted, won contests, built WHATEVER prop or set for plays since he was a child. My drawings still look like I just came out of kindergarten. This is another reason why, even though I can't even begin to draw or do anything artsy, I'm very unimpressed by others' "so called" great art.

Let's not leave this guy out. "Shmurr," as he calls them. :) Thank you so much, Kevin. Fights were being had over them in less than four minutes after distribution! :) Seriously, though, thank you!