Story Time

Look at that face! Who could resist it? Definitely not his old mama and his daddy is even a sucker for that contagious smile! We had the best time playing this morning. They really like their Bumbo seat now that they are trying to sit up on their own. James liked it so much this morning he decided he would enjoy a little literature whilest sitting like a big boy!

I just love this picture, it looks like he is reading the

newspaper sittin on the toilet!

He had a little trouble getting the book open on his own!

But once it was open he really liked the pictures

Trying to decide if he should get another or stick with the same one

Little Bit enjoyed her story time on her tummy!

She is getting so good at it!

We had another wonderful weekend, especially since my sister and her crew finally got everything from the croup to strep throat out of their systems and were able to come down. They have been trying for the last two months to come for a visit but seriously EVERY TIME they planned a trip, some body came down with something. The boys of course went fishing and us girls (plus James and Matthew) went shopping. I don't know how in the world we were able to actually buy anything. Going anywhere with 2 6 month olds, a 1 1/2 year old and a almost 4 year old is exhausting and will literally keep you on your toes. Hannah, bless her heart, wanted to talk to James and Audrey the whole time which of course meant while they were being pushed in the stroller, which of course meant that she was constantly getting her little toes rolled on, which of course meant she started to cry, which of course meant that we kept having to remind her "Hannah we told you you're gonna get run over if you don't watch out" which resulted in a laugh and more toes getting run over. She was so excited to be with them and every time she got in James' line of vision he would burst into a giggle which would make her stop and get right in front of the stroller to look at him which of course (you guessed it!) resulted in getting her little toes run over! And she was constantly wanting to hold them in the most inconvenient of places, like the bathroom at the mall, while we were walking through the mall, while we were riding in the van on the way home from the mall! We had a wonderful time y'all and hope you get to come back soon!

The result of being alone all day.......

So, yesterday I found out I have a problem. One of those problems people often get made fun of for. A problem that can result in passersby staring at you wondering which mental institution you escaped from. What could it be you are probably wondering? A friend of mine kindly rode with me and the kiddies to Tallahassee to do some shopping. She took James and Audrey and headed off to get some things for herself and I proceeded to fill my buggy with formula, diapers, baby cream and other things that we just can't seem to keep in stock around the house. By the way, for the prices that they charge you for that stuff you'd think it would be an endless supply! Well, I was mindlessly wandering down the aisles at Target when I heard a voice. Then I had some sort of out of body experience and listened as I asked the thin air where the shampoo could be, why couldn't I find it? Then I heard myself reply with "Maybe you are in the wrong section. No I can't be, I'm in Health & Beauty. Oh look, there it is" It doesn't end there. I continued talking to myself about the things on my list like, How many I needed of each thing. Did I have a coupon for that? Do I really need all of this stuff? Once I realized what was happening I quickly looked around to see if any one was staring and thankfully no one was around. I am afraid though that next time I won't be so lucky!!
So in the future if you happen to hear me talking to myself, please don't laugh. Just come over to me and answer my questions so I won't have to sound like a crazy old mama who never gets out!!! I guess my "problem" is just the result of being home all day and only having little people to talk to who can't do anything but smile and blow bubbles back at you!

Chubby Bubby: My low-maintenance child!

This is the beautiful face that I get to have staring back at me everyday. And he does like to stare at his mama and daddy! He is not as verbal as his sissy. Mostly he just babbles quietly to himself or doesn't make any noise and just takes everything in around him like nothing much matters! Last night, as I was laying him down, he was talking so sweetly in his sleep I could have just sat there with him all night! I love going into their room in the morning, especially after he has slept all night because he is in the BEST mood! His smile is almost bigger then his face when he sees me in the morning!

Most of the time he doesn't need his pappy to sleep. When he is in the swing in the mornings and gets sleepy, he will just fall asleep. Last night I kept shoving the pap in his mouth as I was rocking him and he kept spitting it back out. I eventually quit once I realized he just might not want it! If he wakes up during the night to eat, after he is done all I have to do is lay him in his crib and he eventually talks himself to sleep! He is a refreshing course of action after fighting with his sissy to get her to be still enough to fall asleep while we are rocking!

Yesterday I was getting them ready to go outside for awhile and I put them in Audrey's crib together while I gathered all their things. I went out side to lay out their blanket and when I came back in I heard Audrey giggling like someone was in there playing with her. When I got back there, James was just looking at Audrey with a sly little grin on his face and she apparently thought it was hilarious! (Another way they are just like their mama and daddy!)It is things like that that make having twins such a joy!

We had such a wonderful day on Sunday! We went to Uncle Frank's church that morning and then drove up to Albany to be there for the afternoon service (they meet at 3:30 on 3rd Sunday's) That morning I told Jon me and the kids were just gonna stay home from Albany, I thought it might be too much for them (you know, all day churchgoing!) but I am so glad that I changed my mind. We had a wonderful time fellow shipping with the Lord's people and being together as a family on the Lord's day. It felt like the old days! There is a real sweet lady at Albany who volunteers her services to me during church and boy I needed it on Sunday! They kept me busy from the moment we walked in the door. From dirty diapers to bottles to screeching little girls, it was quite the circus!

Speed Cleaning 101.....

Simply invite someone over to your house and you will be AMAZED at how much you can accomplish in just under 1 hour!

Hope every one has a great weekend!

The hands of a child There is nothing that will make your heart soar like the hands of your daughter touching your face for the first time. Her delicate little fingers exploring the face of her mother who's love for her has no end. I will never forget the first time Audrey Grace placed her precious little hands on my mouth. We were playing in the floor and I was "gettin her neck sugar" when all of a sudden her hands, that usually move so erratically, slowly moved towards my face and gently began examining it. I just sat there as the tears slowly trickled down my checks and let her have her way. There was some pinching and poking involved but I didn't mind. My precious child had finally "found" her mama. She always does it now when I put my face close to hers but it only gets sweeter with time. There is nothing like the soft, little hands of your child loving you back.

Life is Good

This is now how Audrey enjoys napping or what she does when she gets upset and starts crying. She started doing this shortly before we left for New Orleans and I just think it is the cutest thing. In the picture above, Jon put her laying vertical and she cried her self into the horizontal position and had her hands behind her head and her feet all curled up and by the time she fell asleep.
I'm not sure why she started this but it must be comforting to her! They got these matching jackets and hats at one of their baby shower's and are just now able to fit in them. Good thing the weather can't make up it's mind around here (should I let people enjoy the beautiful outdoors or keep them cooped up inside for a while longer) since the outfits are cold weather apparel; at least they will get to wear them a few times.

My baby boy rolled over Monday! He has been trying for some time now and he finally got that big ole head to roll with the rest of his body! He was quite proud of himself and actually enjoyed playing on his tummy for a while.

Both James and Audrey have really started to change over the last few weeks. Easter Sunday they both grabbed a toy for the first time and are now touching and grabbing everything they can get their little hands on! They both LOVE to play with their blankets, especially if it has a design on it. They both really love to look at books. Our county has a free program where you can get 1 (in my case 2) book sent to your house every month. They are really nice hard back books and most of them are classic children's stories. Audrey is trying her best to sit up. I just know one day I will walk into her room and find her sitting up in her crib. She can keep her balance pretty good while sitting in your lap and she's not so much my little bobble head any more. Where has the time gone?

Half Birthday Party and other happenings While we were at my mama's she had a "half-birthday" party for the twins. They were 6 months and 1 week old! It is something she has done for all the grand kids and is her way of doing something really special for them! The twins had pudding cups as their "cake" and didn't really know what to think about them.
James didn't want to touch the pudding "blob" so we tried to put his hands in it for him and this is what he thought about it.

I believe that face is saying "uh you guys, fire near a baby? Really?"

Audrey wasn't scared to get her hands in it and at first she didn't really like the taste of it in her mouth.........

Once she got accustomed to it she didn't mind it at all! Don't worry I didn't let her eat but only a couple of tiny tastes!

Nanny B even had them a present but James wasn't in to it. He is not into much these days. All he enjoys doing is eating and crying and sleeping (that is when he will STAY asleep!)

He was very interested in the design on Aunt Judy's tablecloth!

I am so very glad that I pushed through the exhaustion and crabbiness I was feeling last Thursday and stayed in Macon with my family. We had the best time just being together and laughing and joking with each other! Daddy was right, I wouldn't have gotten any sleep had I gone home and he and Nelda stayed with the twins that night and I got the BEST night's rest I have gotten in a LONG time! Thanks guys! We didn't go to church Thursday night though, the twins were just in no condition I didn't feel that it was fair to them to make them have to be out again around a lot of people and frankly I didn't feel like fighting with them. In fact they were so cranky Nelda stayed with me so I wouldn't have a break down!!

Uncle Frank was so elated to finally hold his "babies". He has seen them a few times but was always too nervous to hold them. He didn't want to be the one to give them some type of serious, life threatening illness. (for all of you who know unkie you should chuckle at those last remarks!)

Uncle Dan and Aunt Judy

Uncle Dan and Aunt Judy were so excited to finally get to see the twins out side of the hospital. They live in Macon about 5 miles from the Medical Center where they were born and were so good to see about me while Jon was away at work and so good to come and see the twins and let me use their old Ford pickup truck to toole back and forth to the hospital in (I still couldn't walk very far) and around town. I miss that old truck, as loud and HUGE as it was! And I am sure that the people at Starbucks miss me rolling up to the window, and ordering a Mocha Frappicino. You better believe I got some crazy looks! Seriously, I was so thankful for their generosity during that trying time!

Sorry for the long spaces between pictures on this post. It has taken the better part of an hour to finish this because James Bryant Mizell is mad me at for some reason and wants to do nothing but WHINE. I don't know why he is doing this. I have tried everything I know to do. He has been doing this since Saturday afternoon. He does fine at night (I shouldn't be complaining to much) but during the day he does nothing but whine which if left unattended for to long leads to getting very mad and screaming at the top of his lungs which makes it very very very hard to get ANYTHING accomplished during the day (Seriously, his cry can pierce your ear drums to their very core) which just frustrates me even more because it looks like the Tasmanian devil has taken up residence in our home!And he won't stay asleep in his bed, I guess he thinks I have nothing to do all day but hold him! Sorry son you are sadly mistaken! But I still love you and your goofy grin!

Sibling rivalry begins........Yesterday James and Audrey were laying on the floor watching the t.v. playing ever so sweetly. All of a sudden James started to cry. He got louder and louder and finally let out his "I am hurt here, please help me!" cry so I went in there. Okay, James was pitiful but it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen. When I put them down, they were side by side. Now James was turned sideways (like he was trying to escape) and little sweet Audrey had her finger in his eye! He was screaming like he was dying and she was looking up at me like "what?" It took forever to get him calmed down. His eye wasn't red or anything so I don't think she did any real damage! That is twice now something like that has happened (James starts crying and Audrey lays there looking so innocent) so I wonder who is gonna be picking on who when they get older?

We had a great day in the Lord yesterday at Tired Creek. Good fellowship and good preaching! (I may be a little partial!) We had some dear friends from Mt. Zion come and surprise us with a visit at church yesterday morning and it was a joy to be with them again. And Uncle Will spent the weekend with us which is always wonderful. He is gonna be moving home next month and we are gonna miss him being so close (closer) by. He really helped me out with the babies during church. It is soooo nice to have an extra pair of hands around that you don't feel guilty about throwing one of your kids at them and saying "here you take 'em"!

Here are more pics from Spring Break

Harrison, Em and Audrey

Dru and Sydney

Uncle Hugh and Audrey (I think he pinched her. jk!)


Hugh thought it was so cute how her toes curled

James was so happy his daddy came shopping with him

They look real enthused, don't they?

Crawfish.......

We had such a wonderful week in New Orleans and enjoyed tons of fabulous food thanks to Ms. Susan! I successfully stuffed myself silly. You would have thought it was Christmas or something at the amount of food we consumed that week. I didn't eat for 2 days when we got home!

Somewhere amidst all the craziness Jon and I found a little time to go on a date and eat some more food! We enjoyed a wonderful quiet evening at Commanders Palace in the Garden District which is one of the most famous restaurants in the city (to tourists and locals) and it got a total restoration after Katrina and is more beautiful than ever.
On Tuesday night Mr. Ronnie's side of the family came over for supper and we had a wonderful time! It was so good to see everyone again.

Uncle Mike and Audrey

Jon's cousin Amanda's little girl Caeley and Audrey

MaMaw and the twins


On Wednesday night Ms. Susan's side of the fam (from Hattiesburg, MS) come down for supper (I told you we ate a lot!) and again we had a blast! Thank you everyone for making that trip to come see us!

Sydney,Harrison,James,Mary and Rachel

Audrey FaceIt took forever to finally get a good picture of all the cousins because Harrison kept falling asleep!! Bless his heart, he had such a good time that week!!

Left to right: Isabella, Hughston, Harrison,Sydney, James,Mary,Rachel,Aubrey,Dru and Audrey

Uncle Tony, Audrey and Jon