A Letter to My Seven Year Old Daughter

Today you are seven years old, and just like the six birthdays before this one, I can't believe how quickly time is passing by.  I love that you still will watch Dora out of the corner of your eye when Maysie has it on the TV yet you are getting equally as excited about lava lamps and the perfect maxi dress.  

You are doing GREAT at school and I believe that is mostly because you want to impress your teacher, Ms. King, who has taken a liking to you.  We are still crossing our fingers that she will "loop" with your class into second grade but won't find out for another couple of months.  

Your favorite animals are dogs and dolphins, your favorite colors are pink, purple and blue, and your favorite movie is Frozen.  Your favorite band, without a doubt, is the Zac Brown Band.  I know that you are biased because Daddy works for them but I suspect that you would still be one of their biggest fans even if that wasn't the case.

This year was your first encounter with a mean girl, and even though I hated every minute of it, I am just thankful that you aren't the one being mean. 

I have been told that your personality is much like mine was as a child.  So Mom and Dad, I apologize for all of the grief that I must have given you.  But your strong personality now is no doubt going to serve you well in the future.  

You have a love/hate relationship with Maysie, and love your youngest sister Ansley so much.  I will never be able to tell you how much I appreciate all of your help since she arrived.  With Daddy on the road so much, it is nice to have a helping hand, even if that hand is only 7 years old.  

So Railey girl, enjoy your day!  And NEVER lose that spunky personality.  Daddy and I are so proud of you!

Railey's 7th Birthday - The Year of the Dolphin

Planning birthday parties are never easy, and since I have a newborn, I decided that this was my year to simplify.  Railey said she wanted a dolphin party.  In the past, I would have combed Pinterest for every great idea in the book, and stayed up late weeks before the party in preparation.  Not this year, no way.

Since Railey wanted to invite some boys to her party (most of her neighborhood friends are boys) I knew that a small sleepover was out of the question.  So we came up with the idea of a dolphin party at  the Groovy Little Art Place.

Railey, Ella and Maysie patiently waiting for Mrs. Terri to arrive and open the doors!

We gave the kids a choice to paint a dolphin or a shark.  And no surprise that the party was divided into the boys (sharks) on one side and the girls (dolphins) on the other.

Now when I say simple, I mean simple.  I bought a box of Goldfish, a bag of Pirate's Booty, small water bottles, juice boxes, and made fruit skewers. Paul made a point to tell me at the end of the party that skewers might not have been the best idea.  Turns out that some of the boys decided to use them as weapons…sigh.

For the dolphin themed cake, I had Publix make a cake with blue water icing then ordered these adorable dolphin cake toppers.  Can't get any easier than that!

While the kids were waiting for everyone to arrive, they played in the back of the studio.  No surprise that six of the kids from the Blackland Ridge Brat Pack were right in the middle of everything.

Baby Ansley slept through most of the chaos.  And I couldn't help but post this picture that shows off her ADORABLE headband bow from Peanut Gallery Art.

Finally it was time to paint!

I had to put Paul in charge of helping Maysie…3 might have been a little to young for this party!

Mrs. Terri's daughters weren't able to come so I was luck to have some people there to assist in the fun!  When Ms. King walked in the door, you should have heard the squeals from the kids.  Priceless.

And Aunt Jenn was a huge help with baby Ansley

And even though I don't have a picture of her in action, Auntie Amanda took most of these pictures and was there to help with EVERYTHING!

Railey had SUCH a great time and my favorite part of her simple dolphin party…the kids made their own party favors!

Greetings From the Dominican Republic - The Vacation Gift

Daddy went to the Dominican Republic for the Sun, Sand and Southern Ground concert…the tough life of a tour manager.  When Paul goes on trips out of the country (and there have been quite a few lately) he always brings a little something home for the girls.  This time, he went all out.

When Paul got home, the girls gathered around him while he unpacked his suitcase.  Gotta give him an A for effort, he found one t shirt with a butterfly and the other with a fish….but I can't help but wonder if there is a little girl named Mattie wandering the beaches of Dominican Republic looking for her shirt.

He should have stopped there….seriously.

The next set of shirts will probably haunt me forever.  I was so bothered by them that I insisted that Colette (our next door neighbor) close her eyes until the big reveal so I could get her reaction.  And this is the look of complete shock.

Nothing like a scary clown and equally as scary Mickey Mouse to tell your girls just how much you missed them.  But as you can see, there is no fear at all.  As a matter of fact, they insisted on wearing them out to Gymboree later in the day and I found myself having to explain them to complete strangers who looked at us in disbelief.

So these were our greetings from the Dominican Republic…I can't wait to see if Paul can find something even better on his next trip.

You're Awake, You're Awesome, Live Like It

I ran across this video today, and maybe I am extra sentimental but I thought it was the sweetest thing ever.  Not only is this kid adorable, but what he says is oh so true.  The video is called, There’s a lot that the kids need to know….a letter to a person on their first day here.  You should definitely check out the video…just reading the words doesn't do it justice.

Today over 360,000 babies will be born and you are one of them.  Welcome, this is the world …it’s a pretty cool place!  There’s lots to see, smell, there’s corn dogs.  Ah, I’m getting ahead of myself.  There’s just so much to do.  Singing, and dancing, oh and laughing.  Laughing is the best.  Especially great when you laugh and milk comes out of your nose.  But only if you just had milk. Otherwise it’s just gross.  Some days, gross things will happen. Some days awesome things will happen.  Some days you’ll get ice cream, some days you won't.  Some days your kite will fly high, some days it gets stuck in the trees. It’s just how it is here.  There’s plenty of reasons to dance, you just gotta look for them.  Don’t worry though, you won’t be doing this alone.  You’re gonna meet lots of people here.  Some of them will be really nice, and some won’t be.  It’s not that they can’t be, it’s just, maybe their just having a bad day.  Being a person is hard sometimes.  You should give people high fives just for getting out of bed. Oh high fives, I forgot to explain that.  How do I explain this? Um, its kind of, high fives are like hitting someone who is your friend. Uh, that’s really bad.  Just treat everybody like it’s their birthday, even if they don’t deserve it.  Because we all mess up sometimes.  The biggest mess up, not forgiving each others mess ups.  Maybe you’ll be a teacher, maybe you’ll be the President maybe you’ll cure every disease ever.  You might even see the Grand Canyon, swim in the ocean, this is so so much! It’s a lot.  Try this, take a breath. Isn’t that amazing, its called breathing!  You’re gonna do it a lot.  Nobody knows exactly how much, so enjoy it.  Pay attention.  Take brain pictures, because amazing things will happen everyday.  You’re gonna do so much.  But it’s not about what you do, but about who you are. You, you’re awesome. You’re made that way.  You’re made from love, to be loved, to spread love. Love is always louder, no matter what.  Even if hate has a bullhorn. Love is louder,  So let your life be loud.  Let’s shout to the world, “things can be better, it’s okay about all the mess ups.  Corn dogs rule”  Sorry, I keep bringing that up.  I don’t think I told you this yet,  We’re really glad you’re here.  We don’t say that enough to each other here.   Because well, life gets busy.  Your going to be important, and you’re going to do a lot.  And your going to smell great, but don’t get too busy. Remember to let everybody know, you’re glad they’re here.  You don’t have to remember all of this right now.  You’re going to need a pep talk sometimes, and that’s okay. For now, remember this. You’re awake your awesome, live like it.

And of course I have some cute random pictures to share.

Just Another Day in the Hood

Some of the best days are the ones with no plans at all.  We are so thankful for neighbors that always provide some good, old fashioned fun.

The DeFoor's had a tree fall down in their yard so lumberjack Wesley decided to make some chairs and footstools for the kids.  How cute is that?!?  The kids spent hours watching him.

The backwards thumb suck….she is already advanced.

There are so many things that are wrong with this picture.  Railey's too tight outfit that she INSISTED on wearing, the kids being one foot from a busy road while the parents pay no attention in the background, etc.  But I couldn't resist but to post a picture from the first lemonade stand of the season.  The kids made $7…EACH!  You just might see me setting up a stand later this Summer.  

Ansley: Two Months Old

Two months have passed and I am finally starting to feel like a normal person again.  Ansley is waking up one time a night, usually after a 5 - 6 hour stretch of sleep.  I am cautiously optimistic that she will follow in her big sisters' footsteps and be sleeping through the night by three months.

Ansley is easy going and she might have even inspired one or two of my friends to start trying for another baby;)  She handled her two month shots like a champ with only a few tears shed.  The doctors are happy with her progress despite her still being on the small side:

weight: 9lb 13 oz - 16th percentile
height: 22 inches - 35th percentile
head circumference: 15 inches - 35th percentile

My latest obsession has been trying to figure out who Ansley looks like. When she was born I could have sworn she looked like Railey but lately I am thinking Maysie for sure….here are pictures of both at two months…

Maysie

Railey

DDH

A little less than 7 years ago, when Railey was only two months old, we found out that she had DDH (Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip).  I was devastated, to say the least.  After meeting with the pediatric orthopedist, she determined that Railey would have to wear a hip brace indefinitely for 23 hours a day.  After a rough couple of days, Railey seemed to settle into her new leg positioning just fine.  Two months later, she was good to go with perfect hips.

Since DDH now runs in the family, Little Ansley had to go to Scottish Rite today to get a hip ultrasound.  The doctor that helped us was amazing and despite the dimmed lights, I managed to snap a quick picture while keeping Ansley happy at the same time.

She was an angel…an angel with PERFECT HIPS!!!!