Creative Sleeping

Emma sleeps every which way but the right way. This is how I found her the other night. At first I almost jumped out of my skin because it looked like someone was sitting upright under her blanket, but then I looked closer...
and saw that she was lying on her belly and bending her knees - the lump was the bottom of her feet.

American Girl

This weekend Emma and I met some friends from Birmingham at the American Girl Store and Bistro in Alpharetta. We had so much fun and Emma enjoyed every second of the day. She picked out a beautiful doll who looks (almost) just like her and named her Ella. She and Ella also found some very fancy matching pajamas and a little pink stroller so Ella can go everywhere with Emma.
...Parker, Reese and Emma
...Emma with her "stand-in" doll getting ready to eat lunch
...Reese and Emma
...the girls in their matching pajamas
...after a long hard day of being American Girls.

It's Potty Time

Little Mary tt'd on the potty today...yet another milestone I'm not sure I'm ready for.

Time Flies

In less than two weeks, our firstborn will start kindergarten. We've bought the supplies, shopped for school clothes and shoes, and picked out her backpack and (matching) lunch bag. We've provided proof that she's up to date on her vaccinations, dental visits, and toured the school. We've done everything we can to get ready for her first day of school. Except I'm not ready.

I remember like yesterday checking into the hospital around 7 am on Thursday, March 27, 2003 and the nurse congratulating Wade and me, telling us we would become parents that day. I remember so vividly HOURS of rocking in Emma's pink and white gingham chair, singing nursery rhymes and the alphabet and everything in between, wondering why she never wanted to sleep. I remember her first birthday party, and the book my Daddy gave her (Mayday To The Rescue) that still sits on her bookshelf to this day. I remember the day she started Mother's Morning Out, and how she made the teacher sing "The Wheels On The Bus" over and over and over again because she loved that song so much. I remember her spending countless hours with her first true friend Kayla, and watching them build a bond that is as strong now as it was when they spent every day together. I remember being amazed at how well she handled our move to Atlanta, and how I envied her because I didn't. I remember telling Emma I was pregnant, and how she announced that if the baby was a girl, we would name her Dora, and how she would lay on my stomach every night and sing the A-B-C song to Mary, and how Mary would get totally still to listen to Emma's voice. I remember Emma walking into our hospital room the morning Mary was born, and suddenly she seemed HUGE, and how gentle she was with Mary, and how nervous she was holding her new baby sister. I remember signing her up for preschool and choosing the 3-day program because neither of us were quite ready to spend that much time away from the other.

But now, ready or not, we're here. In 12 short days, I will walk our little girl to the bus stop in a precious outfit I'm sure she will have spent hours choosing. I'll take a million pictures and tell her how proud her Daddy and I are of her, and promise her a fun-filled day. I'll tell her all about the new friends she will make, and the important things that she will learn.

What I won't tell her is that my heart will surely be breaking because I don't know how I will get through the day without her, much less the entire school year. That, if she gets lost those first few days of school, I can't be the one to take her hand and help her find her way. That if she's nervous and unsure, I can't give her a big hug and tell her that she can do ANYTHING she sets her mind to, and she will be FINE. That now, when she scrapes her knee, a bandaid will have to do because I doubt the school nurse will kiss her boo-boo. That now, if someone is mean to her, she will have to depend on her teacher to help her deal with the situation. That now, if she cries because she misses me, she will have to work through it instead of coming back home to me.

I know it will get easier for both of us, and I know that I'm one of a million mothers who will feel these very same things that morning. But this is MY baby girl, and she's very special, and I want so many wonderful things for her because she deserves them all.

Mary-Speak

We have had so much fun watching Mary grow and learn to express herself. Everyday she uses a new word or group of words, and I wish I could say they are all completely decipherable, but they're not. Lots of times we find ourselves examining the context of the "conversation", her tone, even the direction she is looking in, trying to figure out what she wants to say. We ask her to repeat herself, which she does, repeatedly, until we're all yelling words left and right, still no closer to figuring out that she just wants some water.
There are words that Wade and I mispronounced when we were little that our parents still bring up from time to time, and it always makes us laugh. I've tried to keep a running list as Mary's vocabulary grows for the same reason. I wanted to share some of it, not only for its entertainment value, but to minimize frustration should you find yourself engaged in conversation with little Mary.

beebee – baby
bee mean – big plane
bypuh – diaper
cake nap – take nap (generally preceded by “no”, which interestingly enough is clear as day)
coo coo ree – choo choo train (one of our favorites)
cugga up me – cover me up
eye wuh woo – I love you
hice – ice
huuuh – here
Marmay – Barney
Meh Way – Mary
mm mm ah ah – monkey
nack – snack
neckneck – chicken
no hice – no ice
nya-nyou – thank you
out me – get me out
popeye - potty
root cup – fruit cup (another favorite)
root nack – fruit snack
Sisty – Sister
tips – chips

Build-A-Bear (Or-A-Monkey)

Today we had a special "just the girls" day and went to Build-A-Bear. Emma has been a couple of times, but Mary has not been and Emma and I were both so excited to see her reaction to the whole concept. When we got there, Emma chose the fanciest (read: gaudiest) bear she could find, and appropriately named it "Precious". Mary chose an mm ah ah (that's Mary-speak for monkey - she will not say that word) and named it "Eight". I wish I could explain that, but I can't. They had so much fun and are so proud of their new babies!

Handy Makeup Tips From The Latham Girls

Tip #47:
When all dressed up for a night on the town, try using bright blue eyeshadow as foundation for a dramatic effect. You'll definitely get noticed!

Paparazzi

Tonight we indulged our redneck side and took the girls to eat at Folks. Mary apparently didn't want to be recognized because she would not take off her sunglasses while we were eating. She got so annoyed with me trying to take a picture of her, I felt like a pesky paparazzo trying to get Lindsay Lohan's picture.

Keith Urban And Kenny Chesney Concert

Wade and I got to see the Kenny Chesney concert at LP Field on July 5th. He had an awesome lineup - Gary Allan, LeAnn Rimes, Sammy Hagar, and Keith Urban all played before Kenny Chesney took the stage - and it was an amazing show! We had so much fun and really enjoyed everyone. Here are some pictures from the show:









Also, out of the 40,000+ people who were at the concert, Wade and I were lucky enough to get on the big screen! You can see us in the bottom left-hand corner of this picture:

Arachnids In The Afternoon

We saw a black widow spider in her web under the stones on our front porch late this afternoon. They are actually more common than I thought, but still, I've never seen one before so it was very exciting, and I took the opportunity to scare the living daylights out of Emma with it. (Not by throwing it at her, but pointing out that if she were to see another one like it, she should run like the devil.) We put her in Emma's bug catcher for a little bit so I could take pictures, and afterwards, we let her go (far away from our house).

At The Pool

Now that the girls are little bit bigger and more comfortable in the water, we have really been enjoying swimming at our neighborhood pool. Let me rephrase that - Emma enjoys the pool, and Mary enjoys snacking around it.

Emma has come so far this summer. She loves swimming and is getting braver and braver about jumping in and going under. I am so proud of her!



Mary loves the water, but she loves food more.
...mmmm, salt and vinegar Pringles.
...once you pop, you can't stop.
...who wants a sandwich?
...a bag of Froot Loops for dessert.
...I felt obligated to include one picture of my girl when she wasn't eating.

Recipes

Because I am really getting into blogging, and because I am always looking for easy and yummy recipes, I was thinking of posting a recipe or two a week. Maybe on Sunday to get the week started. AND, if I'm feeling REALLY creative, I might even give it a silly little name. If you have a recipe you want to share with the three other people who read this blog, e mail it to me - I would love to post it! If you think this is a ridiculous idea, please leave a comment.

This recipe is actually a Weight Watchers Recipe, and the great thing about it is you can add more or less of each ingredient based on your tastes. The heat of the chicken mixed with the chill of the salsa makes it even better!

Warm Chicken Salad
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup diced red onion
4 tbsp chopped black olives
4 tbsp chopped green olives
2 tbsp capers
4 tsp olive oil
2 tsp basil
8 tsp balsamic vinegar
dash of garlic salt
Mix the above ingredients together and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Next, brown 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts in salt, pepper, and olive oil.
While browning the chicken, prepare 1 13.25 oz box of wheat spaghetti noodles.
Layer spaghetti noodles, then salsa, and top with sliced chicken.

School Supplies

Today, the girls and I went to Wal Mart to buy the supplies required for Emma to start kindergarten, according to the school's website. I spent 85 AMERICAN DOLLARS on pencils, markers, paper, folders, pens, notebooks, and glue sticks. (EIGHT GLUE STICKS, to be exact.) By the way, the blob in the lower right hand corner is one of my kidneys, which is also required.

The last item we needed to get was a towel for rest time, but Wal Mart didn't have anything that Emma loved. We came home and I pulled up several different designs online for her to choose from. She looked at all of them and said "I like those, but I was hoping for an Alabama towel." So we, the PROUDEST PARENTS IN ALL THE LAND, will be ordering this towel for her to take to Kemp Elementary this fall. Awwwwwww yeah.

Wardrobe Malfunction

The girls dressed themselves this morning...