Some Maggie Time

Maggie is deciding to smile and coo quite a bit, but the perfect picture is still alluding us. However, we are posting some photos to keep each of you abreast of this metamorphasis called the first three months. This little girl is a cutie! Sorry for the blurry pics...trying to figure out our camera in low light conditions.

Made the headlines!

Well not really major headlines. WDAM, the local NBC affiliate, covered a local Radio Controlled airshow put on in honor for Doc Pood (the University Dean that got Trent Gould and me involved in blowing stuff up). Here is the story, take a look! They open the story with our big BANG! By the way the ship was constructed out of cardboard boxes by the high school shop class....it did not make it. Doc Pood would have been proud. Type this link in on your browser and watch "purvis airshow": http://www.wdam.com/

Quite simply my favorite photo

Table and Chairs.

When Aimee and I first got married we started off our lives together with a new bedroom set and a table and three chairs (yes, three). The table was a sale item and the chairs were a do-it-yourself special from Lowe's (they only had three left). One lesson learned was that do-it-yourself specials require proper tools, patience, and time (of which 8 years ago I had none of these). So now the table has been poorly refinished (furniture work will not be a part of my retirement plan) and the chairs creak, crack, pop and wiggle every time they are called into service. A few years ago these noises and nuances led to long conversations concerning how to get them replaced, but now they simply signal the start and close of our day. Funny how perspectives and priorities change...isn't it?

I said "Q" Daddy, it's a letter.

I have come to realize two things concerning the necessity of parenting: 1) Having children will lead you down the path of truth: that is to say that eventually, given enough time with your children, you will realize that your parents (yes, no matter how vehemently you deny it, refuse it, or recuse it) were right. This is necessary for your own personal well being and growth as it will take a substantial amount of maturity to admit this publicly (consider this blog to be public). 2) Having children also allows you to truly conceptualize the swath of adjectives between disappointment and elation. This is necessary for one to fully understand how God must feel when we are obedient and disobedient. Comprehending that our Heavenly Father maintains consistency in maintaining his love and commitment to us when we disobey is hardly accomplished until you are forced to put this into practice when correcting or punishing your child. Especially when in the process of disobeying you realize they just exhibited a beyond extraordinary level of intelligence. You want an example, OK try this one on for size. Jack asked me if he could watch a veggie tales before dinner one evening. Simple enough, except Dinner was in less than 2 minutes and we do not allow the TV on during dinner. I told him, no that it was time to eat. He looked me dead in the eyes and said, "I don't like you".......Well, that was a first. I will leave out the details of what exactly ensued, but it culminated (after about 30 minutes) into what I considered to be a very good moment for Jack and me. A few days passed by and Jack and I were going to Wal-Mart (BTW: I cannot stand this place!!) to get some milk. Jack asked if he could go by and look at the toys section, I responded by telling him that we did not have time and would not be venturing to the left side of the mega-store....He grunted, lowered his head and under his breath stated...."I don't like you". At that moment I spun the car into a parking space, slammed on the brakes and threw it into park (the people on the edge of the parking lot selling pit-bulls must have thought they were about to sell something to a very excited man). I quickly turned toward the back seat and asked him to repeat what he had just said. His eyes were as big as Silver Dollars as I could see him searching for words...then, with a matter of fact look that can only be generated by the best used car salesmen, he said, "Q Daddy, I don't like Q. It's a letter". Behavioral modification followed this action, but what a challenge. I grow in appreciation daily to my parents and my Heavenly Father.

Blogging

So I will start off with an apology. I am sorry....why you ask, well I am liking the idea of a blog. Yes, I think it is great for you to see how the Piland family is doing (I mean duh! we are the coolest kids on the block....well at least in Mississippi...south MS, the Marsh's are covering northern MS just fine) through pictures and a few clever snippets, but I think I am going to make an honest effort to actually blog a few of my thoughts (I will be truly amazed if anyone reads them). Thanks Brandy, you gave me the idea by your entries being so heartfelt and honest. So I am sorry, but not all that is posted on this blog will be pictures and video. I apologize for any elongated rants in advance.

A thousand words and more....

Images speak volumes and leave me with nothing clever to say.

Maggie's Coo Coup

Maggie has successfully launched and administered a coup for control of the house and it all started with this coo.... Brilliant strategy for a 5 week old!!

How to meet a slug: Not Emily Post, but who cares?

So Jack and I were in the backyard yesterday afternoon when we came across this little critter. I thought that this was the best way for Jack to meet his very first slug. You can see what Jack thought of all this.....what do you suppose the slug thought? By the way, we named him SLUGGOptimis Prime (of course).

Things are lookin' UP!

FINALLY!!!!!!

Yes! Success! Well it really did not take me this long because I could not figure the technology out, but I have not been able to dedicate any reasonable amount of time to getting this thing up and running! That is until yesterday when I decided simply to drop everything and get to posting.....people needs them some Maggie and Jack! By this afternoon I will have new pictures posted along with some from a few years back I came across when I was making the site title banner. It sure is an interesting journey when you start reminiscing via old photos. WOW! Me with hair, me with my girlfriend on the beach, me and my new wife (which is the aforementioned beach girlfriend), me and my new kid, me and my growing kid, and me with my newest kid.....The coolest and most reassuring aspect of taking the trip down memory lane is vividly visualizing exactly how God has truly blessed the Piland family. More soon! I promise!

New HOME for PILAND PLACE!!!!!!

Well for one reason or another MSN spaces has not been very reliable these past few weeks, so I pulled up the anchor and have dropped anchor in a new port. I have some new pictures of the kids and Aimee and me as we venture through this new world of real parenting (2 kids = real parenting, or so I have been told but I still believe you are qualified with just one). So enjoy the new space, hopefully I will be able to post some vids as well...even more fun to be had!