Wordless Wednesday

Mayberry, Part 2

We had planned to eat lunch at Snappy Lunch. It's a place where Andy used to eat , and he mentioned it several times on the show. Seems like everyone else in town had the same plan. When we got there, we saw this line.



You can't tell it from this angle, but the line went almost the full block. There was just no way we could wait with the boys, so we made a picture of the sign and moved on.


We decided on Barney's Cafe for lunch. It was good, and we made our decision just before a ton of other folks decided not to wait for Snappy Lunch. The boys had an old fashioned peanut butter and gloppy grape jelly on white bread. I think they weren't sure what to make of those big jelly globs in their sandwich!



After lunch, we headed to the Mayberry Soda Fountain for some ice cream. The boys both picked strawberry.



Then it was on to Wally's Service Station. Probably the least authentic thing we saw all day, but fun anyway.




Next door to Wally's was a little strip of Mayberry places, including the jail/courthouse. The boys had a great time playing inside.

We were so not surprised when Coleman wanted to play with the gavel.


Our last stop was the Andy Griffith Playhouse. There is a display of artifacts from Andy's personal collection inside, but we were already into naptime and decided to skip it. They had fun playing with the statue of Andy and Opie. You can see Cole trying to wrestle the fishing pole from Opie.



I loved this plaque in front of the statue. In case you can't read the inscription, it says:

a simpler time, a sweeter place

a lesson, a laugh

a father and a son

A Trip to Mayberry

We have compiled a list of to-dos before we leave NC. One of those items was crossed off on Saturday. Winston is about an hour from Mt. Airy, the home of Andy Griffith and the basis of his show and the town of Mayberry. When we were first married, Brent and I watched Andy every night before bed. Andrew and Brent watch it occasionally now before Andrew goes to bed. When we told Andrew we were going to see where Andy and Barney lived, he thought we were going to see Andy and Barney themselves. Fortunately, we got that cleared up before we arrived. Here's part one of our trip.


We drove past Pilot Mountain on the way. We have to make ourselves not say Mt. Pilot like it was on the show.


As soon as you get into town, Andy's childhood home is just off the main road. It's now an inn for overnight guests, and it was occupied so we couldn't go in. But we did get a couple of pictures.



While we were there, a squad car drove by. You can take a tour of the town in one of these cars for $25 a person. We might do that if we ever come back. I bet you get a ton of neat info from the driver.


Downtown Mayberry. I mean, Mt. Airy. There really was a lot more to the town than I thought there would be. We think the tourism business has saved it. Compared to so many small towns, this one was thriving. The people were super friendly. It was just what you'd think Mayberry would be like in real life.


As we were walking around, we discovered the neatest train shop. The boys would have probably moved in if we let them. I think the owner got a kick out of them. Andrew was teaching us all about trains, different tracks, and how to switch the points. We don't know how he knew all that.

Here it is. Floyd's Barber Shop. There was a huge line outside for the place next door, so Brent just went in and snapped a few pictures.


More to come tomorrow!

The Rest of Mother's Day

The Cheezits weren't the only gift we gave this year, although I suspect that would have been enough! This year we decided to make our Mother's Day gifts. Andrew and Coleman made (or helped make) Froot Loop necklaces for Gigi, Nana, and Granny to wear.

Actually, Coleman just watched. He was busy double fisting the Froot Loops as fast as he could. They were a HUGE treat for him.

Then, we painted dishtowels with handprints made into flowers. The boys went straight to the bathtub after this activity.


For my present, the boys gave me a dishtowel and the "Brothers" Willow Tree figure.


You can see Granny wearing her necklace and opening her towel.

Gigi really liked her towel too!

Spreading the News

We decided to tell our families about the baby in person on Mother's Day. The last gift Nana and Gigi opened was a box of Cheezits. When Andrew was born, we had taken Cheezits to the hospital to eat after he arrived. A friend told me I would probably be starving after everything was over, and to take some snacks. So we took Cheezits. Everyone snacked on the box the whole afternoon. With Coleman, we did the same thing. So it's somewhat of a tradition. We can't have a baby without a Cheezit box around.

To reveal our secret, we taped a picture of the ultrasound to the box with a note that said, "Bring these with you to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in early December when you come to meet the newest Baby Archer!" They both understood immediately and were very surprised and excited. Brent did a great job of capturing Gigi's face at just the right moment. We videoed Nana's reaction and posted it too.

The Quiver

Coleman wore this shirt to playgroup today. Several mommies thought it was just a hand-me-down from Andrew. It is, but he's wearing it because HE will be a big brother in early December!! We are all very excited about this blessing and new addition to our quiver. We found out in early April and kept it a secret until Mother's Day. I'll post the reactions we got from our family starting tomorrow.

We're Home!

We are home from our house hunting/Mother's Day trip to Georgia. We found a great house and still can't believe how God is blessing us! There are lots of things to catch up on, so I'll start with Andrew's last soccer game. Soccer is one of those things that I'm glad we did, but I'm really glad we're finished with. Andrew enjoyed some of it, but it really wasn't his thing yet. I think in a few more years he'll enjoy team sports. Here are the pics from our last game day.

Andrew and Coach Chris

Coach Chris passing out the trophies after the game

Andrew with his trophy. He was grinning ear to ear.

Andrew, Carly and Joiner. Makena was not at the last game, so we only got a picture of the Three Musketeers.

We're Home!

Converstaions with Andrew

The last few days have provided some humorous conversations with the three year old who lives here. I thought I'd share.

*Today Coach Chris wasn't able to be at soccer practice. We were talking about this on the way to the field. Andrew asked who the teller was going to be. I didn't know what he meant. I asked him, "Who's the teller?" He said, "The person who tells me what to do at soccer practice."

*This afternoon, I was helping Andrew get his shoes on. He reached up and pulled my hair. (Not in a mean way, just that I-wonder-what-will-happen-if-I-do-this way.) Here's the conversation, and you need to know that Bella is a friend at church who has long, pretty hair:

me - "Ouch Andrew! Don't pull my hair!"

A - "That's what Bella says."

me - "What does Bella say?"

A - "Don't pull my hair!"

me - "Andrew! Why do you pull Bella's hair?"

A - "Because she tells me not too."

*Last week we had a friend over for dinner. She is about five weeks away from having a baby girl. Her tummy and belly button look like she's about five weeks away too. (However, she is still TINY for a woman this close to delivery!) Here's how this conversation went, and yes, I was mortified. She was a great sport and while we were laughing she told me I must write this down. So here it is:

A - "Mrs. So-and-so, your tummy is getting big!"

MS&S - "That's because I'm going to have a baby girl and she's growing in my tummy."

A - (looking at her tummy closely and noticing the belly button bump) "And she has a nose!"

Prayer Request

We have our home inspection and termite inspection this afternoon. Please be praying that there are only good things to report! We are praying for nothing to be added to our already long to-do list. Thanks!

Strawberry Picking

On Friday, we went to Clod Buster Farms to pick strawberries. Brent was off and got to go with us. Andrew remembered it from last year, but this was Cole's first time to get to pick. It amazes me how much better the berries taste right off the vines. I guess it's good that I forget each year, or else I probably wouldn't eat the ones in the stores. Anyway, we all had a good time eating and picking the berries. Andrew kept saying, "It sure is a great day to pick strawberries!" And it was.

eating his first berry of the year

showing Coleman what to do

Where's another one I can eat?

This was the biggest strawberry I have ever seen. I told Andrew to hold it up and let me get a picture of him with it. He is still very literal at this age.