A picture worth 1,000 words...

I have never been a big fan of the "goody bag" that most children give out on their birthdays, but now and then we receive something that makes me giggle.

Sign Language

It is up for debate whether or not I was ever taught the alphabet in sign language, but I do know that when my beautiful Mason came home and knew all of the letters up to the letter "M" and I didn't, I felt pretty darn silly! So, this image is a refresher for all of you who don't recall or were never taught the alphabet in sign language. I hope you all have time to study, because I'm sure Mason will be testing you when Christmas rolls around!

It's been very busy in the Fleske household lately. It was nice to take a Sunday and spend it at the park with Mason. Tell me Dr. Shelton, should I take him to the nearest physician to have those spots looked at?!

Our new addition...

Just when people thought our family would never grow! This little guy must have been the slowest of his buddies since he was nabbed by one of Brian's crew and given to Mason. Of course, his name is Crush (for those of you without kids, it's from "Finding Nemo).











Mason was a little apprehensive at first, but he didn't seem to mind the wiggly turtle legs after a few minutes of holding Crush. Careful! Wash those hands!!! Turtles carry nasties like salmonella!

Have a minute to goof off?

Leave it to Burger King to make your "break time" at work even more fun than eating a burger and fries! You too can simpsonize yourself at http://simpsonizeme.com/

Oodles of Noodles

I love noodles. Give me oodles.
Make a mound up to the sun.
Noodles are my favorite foodles.
I eat noodles by the ton.

Funny little Mason!

I don't know where he comes up with his ideas, but it is true what Bill Cosby has said, "Kids say the darndest things!" Brian, Mason and I were sitting in the living room watching a movie and Mason burst out with, "I wish daddy would turn into a strawberry so that I could eat him." I could not contain my laughter and had to share it with my blog readers.

On a less serious note...

Finally, election debates have been turned over to the voters. The latest election debate was held with questions coming from YouTube videos created by regular Joes rather than television personalities. John Edwards may have won my vote simply by creating his YouTube campaign video set to the music of "Hair". I find it oddly humbling for Edwards to choose this considering how much criticism he has received for paying $400 for a haircut recently. His angle by using the music from "Hair"? "What really matters? You choose". How refreshing.

There's more to Atlanta than traffic...

Yes, the traffic here sucks, but the skyline more than makes up for it (sometimes)!

Lensbabies ROCK! ! !

Masonism...

"God lives everywhere. God lives in Kansas, God lives in Georgia and God even lives in Manhattan."

Happy Independence Day!

It was a beautiful cool evening for a fireworks show! Country Club of the South really knows how to knock 'em out!

Tiffani and Athena visit Georgia!

Our first stop...the Georgia Aquarium! Yes, it's as much fun for adults as it is for kids. Being the largest aquarium in the world, it takes quite a bit of time, and photos, to get through it. Last time Brian and I went was on a weekend, so this time I was thankful for going on a weeknight. We were able to stroll through all of the exhibits at a leisurely pace...which was really nice!










We all pack up and go to South Carolina to visit family tonight. I will post pictures of Isle of Palms Beach sometime next week. Ah, sunshine!!!

Summer is full of fun!

Fun in the sun and on the playground!

Yes! It's gardening season again!!! Thank God for sunshine and jalapeños! I can taste the homemade salsa and fresh green beans now. Oh, I can't wait!

Just look at that face!

Need I say more?

Congratulations Brian!!!

The time has come for Brian to say goodbye to the Atlanta Athletic Club and move on to a higher position within the golf course profession. He interviewed at Reynolds Plantation, a golf course south of Atlanta and Country Club of the South, which is right up the street from where we live. After what seemed like an eternity, he accepted the position at the Country Club of the South as the first assistant. This is a well-deserved promotion and we are so proud of him! Congratulations!!!

In response...

Perhaps my last posting raised a few eyebrows, and I must admit, that was the point. It did get me thinking about the safety of my own offspring when it comes to matters of his own innocence. There is a fine line between innocent nudity and pornography, and as an artist it is important to know the difference. Artists such as Sally Mann would be questioned more about her art in these times than she was when she photographed her small children nude in the early to mid-1990s.

You can go to this website to view all of the registered sex offenders in your area. You can search by zip code.

American Conservatism...

America never ceases to amaze me when it comes to its conservatism. This especially rings true when it comes to the viewing of the human body in its most natural form: nude. While searching for books illustrated by Maurice Sendak, the author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things are, this wonderful illustration of a young boy riding in a bread-dough airplane came up. This illustration is obviously not the controversial image to which this blog refers; but in the book, the young boy is awakened in the middle of the night and begins to float. While floating, his pajamas fall off and he remains nude for the vast majority of the story. When this book was first published in the 1970s, after the sexual revolution, librarians were painting diapers and drawing shorts on the boy in the book because some found a nude child to be obscene. According to Wikipedia, this book later went on to become #25 on the list of the most 100 most controversial books list because of the nudity. Now, I don't have a problem with people finding a nude child in a children's book as offensive. However, anyone with children know that most children enjoy the freedom of being clothes-free at any given moment in time. As a country that claims to have moved past the Victorian era view of the human form, I find that few Americans embrace how beautiful and innocent a child, in his most natural state, can be.

Watermelon!

Sing along to the tune of Frère Jacques!

Watermelon, watermelon
How it drips, how it drips
Up and down my elbow, up and down my elbow
Spit out the pits, spit out the pits!


Yes, I know I need to post a video of this along with "Where is Thumbkin".