Don't Count the Days, Make the Days Count

Ivy-isms: Getting to listen to Elton...

2012-02-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

Shortly after I posted about Ivy's Obsession it was announced that the one and only Sir Elton John was making a stop in Augusta during his tour. We recently told her that we were taking her and she flipped out...I'll try and post that video later. That being said we have listened to even more Elton John than we normally do.

This happened yesterday on the ride home.

Ivy: Mommy who's this playing on the iPod?
Me: It's Neko Case.
Ivy: Can we listen to Elton John instead?
Me: Ivy I think I should have a turn with the iPod and I really like Neko Case.
Ivy: I just really like Elton John...
Me: I know...trust me. But we'll be home soon so I think we are going to listen to Neko today, okay?
Ivy: (Singing loudly) " I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down the words, How Wonderful Life is with Mommy in the world."
Me: (Smiling) Ok Ivy...you win, we'll listen to Elton.

Disney: Day 6

2012-02-16T14:53:00.000-05:00

This was a free day. No plans other than dinner reservations at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater in Hollywood Studios. We slept in a little hoping to avoid the "Ivy morning meltdown"...it didn't work. The first thing we did after the meltdown was take some pictures of Ivy at our hotel. There were so many cool statues there. There was a huge sorcerers hat by our room but it proved impossible to get the whole thing in a picture. But that blue thing behind her is the bottom of the hat that we walked through every morning.

Ivy is really into posing like a ballerina in almost EVERY.SINGLE.PICTURE.

The toy story area was our favorite of course. I seriously can't believe how huge everything was. Buzz and Woody were taller than the hotel and the checkers went up to Ivy's waist. Poor Woody has a washed out face because of the sun so please excuse that, but this was the only time we had for pictures of our hotel. I wish we could have stayed in this area of the resort......maybe I can request that next time. :)

This is my favorite picture from the entire trip! But usually if she isn't posing like a ballerina...she has her tongue out.

These were taken in our lobby by the gift shop and I think Ivy looks so beautiful in them. And just for the record...I know that her hair is in her eyes. She wants her hair long like Rapunzel and won't let us cut her bangs and sometimes she boycotts clips to keep it out of her eyes. It bothers us and everyone else that walks by but not her....so no emails or comments about her needing a hair clip please. :)

We headed back to the Animal Kingdom since our time there was so short earlier in the week. The first thing on our list was to go see the 3-D show called "It's tough to be a bug". It was cool but a little overwhelming at times. Then Ivy saw Flik and well you know how she was about seeing characters.....

We watched a few shows at the park and our favorite was a show about birds called "Flights of Wonder." Ivy still quotes things from this show that she thought was funny. She has an amazing memory. For example: There was a guy on stage that was supposedly a tour guide but he was terrified of birds and when a chicken ran across the stage he screamed like a little girl. The host of the show said "Why are you screaming? It's just a chicken!" To which the tour guide replied "That's not a chicken! I'm a chicken! That's a CHUPACABRA!" All three of us laughed hysterically but Chris and I never gave it another thought....until we were driving home and Ivy started talking and just threw that out there...."Hey remember when those guys said 'Why are you screaming? It's just a chicken!' 'That's not a chicken! I'm a chicken! That's a CHUPACABRA!' that was so funny wasn't it!" That kid really cracks me up.

Then we spent a lot of time just letting her beat on the African drums they had set up. She had a blast and Chris took about 1,000 pictures.

My second favorite from the trip.

Then we went on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. It was hardly a trek but we saw some really cool animals and birds. The tigers weren't very active...in fact they were very relaxed and laying down but they were right next the the windows so we really got to see them up close. The birds on the other hand were VERY active and they weren't scared of anyone...I swear one was stalking me.

This was also Chris's favorite place to take pictures. :)

Then it was off to Hollywood Studios. We took Ivy to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and it was OUT OF CONTROL - so out of control that I lost sight of Ivy and then Chris lost sight of Ivy and then Chris and I lost sight of each other. HELLO PANIC ATTACK! And what seemed like 3 hours was probably only 3 minutes but we got out of there quickly and decided to do something a little more low key.

Low key for Ivy meant meeting more characters....she loves Sully and Mike from Monsters, Inc., especially Sully! She said he was "so soft"..... and I don't know who is in that Mike costume but they aren't getting paid enough.

We had dinner at this really cool resturant called the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. We got to sit in cars like we were at a drive in and they were showing all kinds of crazy stuff on the movie screen. Our favorite was Tom and Jerry cartoons but some of the stuff was really weird too.

I love how the people sitting behind us look terrified.

After dinner we tried to meet the Toy Story Characters again but the wait was still too long and of course the line for the ride was an hour and a half. Ivy did settle for a picture with a toy soldier since she couldn't meet Woody and Buzz. She was mostly okay with not meeting them because Jesse wasn't in there...had Jesse been in there I'm sure we probably would have stood in line.

We found a few more things to do and Ivy got to meet more characters....including Sorcerer Mickey and Pooh. It didn't matter that she had already met them, she wanted to do it again and again and again.

Then she met the characters from the Incredibles...although I think Chris might have been more excited about that than Ivy (he loves that movie). He tried to get a picture of just him and Mrs. Incredible (hmmm, I might have some competition) but Mr. Incredible wasn't having any of that.

We did a little more shopping and then went back to our room to get a good nights rest before the drive home. Mickey Mouse even left a pile of treats in our room for Ivy while she was asleep. She was very excited when she woke up to some toys and a Minne Mouse suitcase. In her own words "I didn't know he would leave presents like Santa Claus!"

There are no pictures from day 7 because we just spent the day at Downtown Disney walking around. We spent about 3 hours in the Lego store though...Chris and Ivy were in heaven, I was a little board after building little lego men after an hour. Ivy didn't have any legos before that trip but her stash has grown significantly since then...a monster was created in that store that day.

And then it was time to go. Chris and Ivy are already talking about going back to Disney World....but I think I need a little break. This concludes the Disney posts....so now people can leave me alone about wanting to see pictures. :)

Disney: Day 5

2012-02-14T06:32:00.000-05:00

Ivy had her meltdown as soon as we got up again but after it passed we headed to Hollywood Studios. It was really crowded when we got there and it was hard to get where we were going. We were looking at our map when Ivy saw a bush shaped like Sorcerer Mickey. We asked her if she wanted a picture in front of it and she said yes but then she poked out her belly and her lip. I think the picture if funny but when we decided to move along because she wasn't cooperating she had another meltdown.

That's right...two meltdowns in one day. Aren't we lucky parents? We do not give in to the meltdowns so we sat down on a bench until she was done. Eventually she said she was ready to be a big girl and we moved along.

And then she saw Jake from "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and all was right with the world. She LOVES that show. She also got to meet Handy Manny and then we watched a really cute Disney Junior show that she loved.

We had fast passes to see "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" but it was not worth it...even with the fast passes. My advice....skip it. They cram everyone into this little room that smells really bad while the show is going on and you have to wait in there for the entire 20 minute show. We could barely move or breath and the show wasn't that good.

We did a few movie rides but nothing too exciting and the Pixar area was out of control. The wait to meet the characters was always at least 45 minutes if not longer and the wait for the Toy Story ride was never under 120 minutes and all the fast passes were gone before 9:00. So we left there shortly after lunch and headed over to Magic Kingdom again because we had dinner reservations at The Crystal Palace.

The characters at The Crystal Palace were great...the food was just so-so. Ivy was of course in love with the characters and couldn't hardly eat because she was so anxious waiting for them to come around to us. Tigger was the parade leader so Ivy got to bounce around the dining room a couple of times. Tigger was also out of control....he was rough housing with people, picking on all the adults and he squeezed Ivy really hard when he gave her a hug. We were cracking up and she loved every second.

We left the Magic Kingdom and went back to Epcot for the rest of the evening...without the camera so we could just enjoy ourselves. I finally got my Figment fix with Journey to Imagination and then we just roamed around the world showcase. Epcot has a totally different pulse at night, it was so pretty with everything lit up.

Disney: Day 4

2012-02-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what it is about Disney World that makes normally easy going kids have meltdowns. Ivy had one EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING. I mean seriously. I wanted to write a letter.....Dear Disney, I thought you were the happiest place on earth?

So every morning we would wake Ivy up and she would instantly have a meltdown. I know this meltdown mostly had to do with her being tired and not on her normal diet but it was still very trying first thing in the morning. We would just sit there with her until she would get it out of her system and then go about our business. It would last about ten minutes or so and then she would be calm enough to get dressed and ready so we could go eat breakfast before we headed to the park.
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On Wednesday we headed to the Animal Kingdom because we had a breakfast reservation at The Tusker House. Getting Ivy out the door for that was tons of fun. No reservations will be made for breakfast on our next trip. Of course once we reminded Ivy that it was a character breakfast she was thrilled. She was extra excited because Daisy Duck was suppose to be there and in her own words....."I HAVEN'T MET DAISY YET!!!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE SO GREAT!!!!"

We had about an hour before our reservations so we went ahead and rode on the safari so Ivy could see some animals. She loved it and it was a great time to do it because it wasn't very hot and all the animals were out and moving around. Of course Ivy's favorite animal is still the Giraffe and I was hoping that we would see lots of them. I think there were about six total and they were SO CLOSE to our jeep. Ivy was beaming with excitement!

The Tusker House food was pretty good but it was buffett style and I'm not the biggest fans of buffetts. Donald Duck was outside and we got a chance to take a rare family photo.

Goofy was the leader of a parade around the dining room. All of the kids got to leave their tables and follow him around while banging on drums and shaking tamborines.

After breakfast we went to see The Lion King show and it was GREAT! All 3 of us loved it. Then as soon as we left the show Ivy spotted Pocahontas. I'm really not sure what her fascination with Pocahontas is about but she LOVES her. She has never seen the movie and neither have I but Ivy is very attracted to her and even told me while we were there that she wanted to be Pocahontas for the next Halloween - we'll see if that lasts.

We left The Animal Kingdom shortly before lunch because Ivy was very G.R.U.M.P.Y. We didn't want to become THOSE parents that lose their minds at Disney World. We went back to the hotel and forced Ivy to take a nap. That was not a fun task because she quit taking naps when she was two and hasn't looked back. But she slept for almost 3 hours....and so did we. It was nice.

Then we got up and went to The Magic Kingdom again so that we could watch the fireworks. We got there around dinner time and we were hoping to visit with Rapunzel but the wait was at least two hours. We told Ivy how long it was and how many rides she could ride instead. We walked to the front of the line so that Ivy could peek in and get a glimpse of her. I was worried that would only make her want to see her more but when she noticed that it was only Rapunzel she said "WHERE'S EUGENE?" The Disney cast member explained that Eugene wasn't there. It think Ivy totally has a crush on Eugene because when she found out she wouldn't get to meet him too she was over it. We were very happy to be off the hook with Rapunzel.

We rode several rides including Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, The People Mover, The Mad Tea Party, The Carousel, and we visited the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. I highly recommend that show!

Then we watched some EPIC fireworks before heading back to our room.

Ivy-isms: She's going to hate me one day for putting this on the blog

2012-02-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

Ivy spent the night with her Maw (a.k.a. Debbie, my mother-in-law) on Saturday night. So this Ivy-ism is written by her.

Ivy: "Maw.... I need to potty."

Maw: "OK ..... Let Maw help you."

Ivy: "Thank you, Maw." (as I'm setting her on the potty).

Maw: "Ivy, do you need to Number 1 or Number 2?" (Knowing that she likes her privacy for Number 2)

Ivy: (Ivy turns her head to one side, rolls her eyes to the upper right and putting her right index finger on her chin indicating that she thinking and processing the question)

"NUMBER 16!!"

Maw: "Well Ivy...... I probably need to call Mommy and Daddy then." (While laughing my butt off)

Ivy: "NO MAW! I want to spend the night....call them tomorrow!"

Maw: "I think I need to call them now..... I don't think I can handle a Number 16 by myself!!! (laughing with tears in my eyes.)

***Chris and I got this call while furniture shopping. Debbie was soon told not to call us and start the conversation with "You guys might want to come pick up Ivy........." Debbie, you nearly gave your son a heart attack! We have also explained to Ivy the difference between a #1 and a #2.***

Disney: Day 3

2012-01-31T11:06:00.000-05:00

We headed to Epcot....but not before some goofing off in our hotel gift shop first.

I always thought that Epcot was one of the coolest places ever when I was younger. There are always a lot of people there but it's nothing like the Magic Kingdom. There is plenty of room to move around and you don't have to rush to do anything. Slow and steady at Epcot, just the way we like it. Of course Ivy became impatient some because there weren't as many rides and it's not really catered to kids.

The first thing we did was ride Spaceship earth. Chris and I thought it was really cool and Ivy had her moments with it but overall I don't think she was impressed. Then we rode The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Ivy loved it. It was really cute. Also in the Nemo area is something called Turtle Talk with Crush. It was hands down one of the cutest things they have. You go into a small theater and the adults sit on benches and all the kids sit on the floor right in front of the movie screen. Then Crush from Finding Nemo comes swimming up and starts to interact with all the kids. He talks to them and answers all of their questions. It was really cool to watch how his facial expressions would change when he got asked questions. Ivy was laughing so hard!!! And when she was laughing it was one of those laughs that is contagious and she had all the adults laughing at her more than Crush.

Blurry but fun!

Then we went to Mexico. We had lots of fun there! We ate a quick service meal in Mexico that was amazing. Most of you know that quick service isn't the best food at Disney but the one in Mexico was just as good as some of the sit down meals we had during the week. Then we rode the Gran Fiesta tour starring the Three Caballeros which was quite entertaining and Ivy loved it!

Then we headed over to China which was pretty cool as well. Ivy was kind of board but they give all the kids a bear that they can color when you get to the World Showcase and then they can take it around to all the different countries and get it stamped like a passport.

Then we continued through the world showcase and Chris stopped to take this picture and as you see some major rain clouds were coming in.....then it poured rain for well over an hour and we were stuck. We got stuck in Italy and we were forced to stand right outside of a perfume store. I could barely stand it the smell was so strong.

We had a character dinner scheduled for the Garden Grill so when it finally stopped pouring buckets we ran to the dock to ride the Ferry back over to the other side of Epcot. When we got over to the other side it didn't look like it had even rained over there.

I just have to go ahead and say that the food at this restaurant was probably the best we had all week. It was amazing and the restaurant itself rotated while you were eating so the view was always changing. Such a cool place and the characters here were AMAZING! They were cutting up with Ivy so much and she was just eating it up! Chip and Dale may be her new favorites.

I know this picture is blurry but I had to add it anyway. Dale would not quit tickling and pinching Ivy and she was in hysterics! She tried to tickle him back and he knocked over one of our drinks when he jumped back and it went every where. Ivy screamed "Oh No!" I guess she thought we were going to be upset since she was playing at the table. When she realized that we weren't mad she started giggling and said "You silly Dale! You spilled the drink!" Then Dale acted embarrassed and she handed him a napkin and instructed him to clean it up.

Then Chip decided to feed her dessert and she thought that was the silliest thing!

And Pluto gave her some nose lovin'.

We were moving kind of slow after dinner so we spent a little while in a store called Mouse Ears. I think it probably has to be the biggest store on the whole Disney property. It just kept going and going and Ivy had a lot of fun just playing around in there. She even got her own pair of personalized mouse ears.

Then we passed through a tunnel to on our way to see Journey Into Imagination with Figment and you could see through the glass that Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, and Goofy were all lined up for kids to meet them. Ivy freaked out and wanted to go in there right away but she had already met Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto and the wait time was 45 minutes. We convinced her that there was other fun stuff to do besides meet characters. So we agreed that when we were leaving the park if they were still there and the line wasn't too long then we would let her go in and meet them.

Well.....everything at Epcot closes early so we didn't get to do Journey Into Imagination. We knew that Ivy was too tired to hang around for the fireworks so we turned around to head back to the hotel and we had to pass through that tunnel again. The wait was still listed as 45 minutes and we REALLY didn't want to wait but we also didn't want to break a promise to Ivy. We had nothing else to do and we were at Disney World for her after all.

I don't know how we don't have a picture of her with Mickey from this but we don't. But she did the exact same thing with each character...When it was her turn she would yell their name..."MICKEY!" Then she would run up to them and jump to a stop and give them a high five then she would pose for a picture and then hug them. Then she would RUN back to us and jump to a stop and then give her Daddy a high five and tell me "That was SO GREAT Mommy!" And in between each character while she was waiting her turn she was dancing! She seriously danced the entire time.

Then I got my picture with Goofy because we were there and he was always my favorite as a kid. Ivy fell into hysterics when I kissed him and he acted like he was going to fall over.

Then when we finished Ivy got in the stroller, we packed up the camera and camcorder and headed towards the gate. Ivy got very still in her stroller and I made the comment to Chris that I bet she would pass out before we got to the gate. Chris stopped pushing the stroller so that he could lay the seat back for Ivy to lay down. And then the greatest moment of all time happened....Ivy planted her feet on the rubber bar that connected the two front wheels and she stood up, raised her arms above her head and she yelled "I LOVE THIS PLACE!" Chris and I started to laugh because it made us feel like the 30 minute wait was worth it. But Ivy didn't just stop there. She stood up again and yelled "I LOVE YOU EPCOT!" Now she really had us laughing.....we started pushing the stroller again and for the next ten minutes Ivy proceeded to do that over and over.

"I LOVE YOU DISNEY WORLD!"
"I LOVE YOU MOMMY!"
"I LOVE YOU DADDY!"
"I LOVE YOU MICKEY MOUSE!"
"I LOVE YOU CINDERELLA!"

That went on and on and then when she ran out of things to yell she started adding in random things that she was seeing as we pushed the stroller.

"I LOVE YOU MOON!"
"I LOVE YOU STORE!"
"I LOVE YOU CHRISTMAS TREE!"
"I LOVE YOU LIGHTS!"
"I LOVE YOU MONORAIL!"

I really wanted to get the video camera out to record her but Chris wouldn't let me. He said that only we were meant to see this. And he was right. So it was just us (and the hundreds of other Disney visitors) that got to experience Ivy having an epiphany while exiting Epcot.

When we got down to the gate we stopped and sat down. Ivy was running around screaming about how much she loved everything and I was over come with emotion because of how wonderful it made me feel to see her so happy. I cried a little and Chris just put his arm around me. And then I said "I am so exhausted but I feel like I should run through the street right now yelling I am the greatest Mom ever!"

Ivy-isms: Beautiful

2012-01-30T05:50:00.000-05:00

Ivy: Mommy look in that mirror.
Me: Ok. What?
Ivy: You just look so beautiful.

She has no idea how much I needed to hear that right then.

Disney: Day 2

2012-01-26T15:42:00.000-05:00

Back to the Magic Kingdom we went. We had reservations at 11:00 to have lunch inside of Cinderella's castle with the Princess's. Ivy was beyond excited! So the plan was to get in the park when it opened ride a few rides, grab some fast passes for something, eat lunch with the Princess's and the rest of the afternoon was free to do whatever our hearts desired.

Didn't happen that way.

We walked into the park and headed towards some rides when Ivy decided she should jump out of her stroller and run to Pinocchio. So we stood in line for Pinocchio and she was very happy.

So...minor set back, no big deal. Then she saw Pluto. PLUTO!PLUTO!PLUTO! So we stood in a much longer line for Pluto and she was very happy.

Then I purposely made sure that she couldn't see Daisy Duck standing directly to Pluto's right because that line was REALLY long. We headed back to the rides and all the lines were CRAZY. Ugh. Then we noticed the Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters from Cinderella. I would like to put on record that if I ever work at Disney that I want to be one of those characters...they were having SO much fun and they were hysterical to watch! I suggested that we go stand in line to see them because it was fairly short. Ivy wanted absolutely nothing to do with them....she was having plenty of fun playing in Cinderella's fountain.

Me: Hey Ives, wanna go see the stepsisters?
Ivy: Um no, I don't like them because they are mean to Cinderella and they tore her dress up and broke her necklace.
Me: Ok, are you sure? Because they look really funny, I don't think they are being mean.
Ivy: Ok, WHATEVER YOU WANT!
Me: (Wow, she's definitely my daughter) I'll go with you Ivy if you want.
Ivy: (Rolls eyes)

So we are standing in line to meet them when a Disney worker comes up to us and says "Just so you know the stepsisters are about to leave but the Fairy Godmother is coming out." Ivy was suddenly very happy!

The Fairy Godmother was just as funny as the stepsisters! Then we hurried off and rode It's a Small World, watched Mickey's PhilharMagic 4-D show, and rode Peter Pan. Peter Pan was my favorite as a kid and I think it still is now.

Then it was off to the Castle for lunch with the Princesses. We were all really excited for this and Ivy wanted to change into her Cinderella dress for the occasion. I've been to Disney world many times but I've never been inside the castle so I was really anxious to see it!

As soon as they took us in Ivy got to have a meet and greet with Cinderella. She got to sit and talk with her for a few minutes and they took some pictures for Ivy to keep. We didn't take pictures because it was really dark and Chris didn't have his flash, plus we had to pay for the others. Then they took us up this really neat spiral staircase to the dining room. The dining room was beautiful!

Ivy was given her own magic wand and wishing star and she had lots of fun using them during the songs they were playing.

Ivy wouldn't hardly eat because she was so anxious for the the Princesses to stop at our table. They would get announced and then come in and go to the complete opposite side of the dining room to start their journey around the tables. Ivy was mesmerized.

You can ask Ivy any day of the week who her favorite princess is and she will say Cinderella ninety percent of the time. The other ten percent she will say Ariel. But whenever she sees Belle she looks at her like she is the most beautiful person in the world and she often pretends to be Belle at home. The first time we took Ivy to Disney Belle walked right up to her and Ivy was star struck....I didn't think that anyone could be a better Belle than that lady, but the Belle that was at the Princess lunch was just as amazing.

Snow White was perfectly adorable too.

Ariel was the very last one to come around and she almost missed us which would have caused Ivy to fall over and die....but luckily Ivy has a loud mouth Mama that got her to come back.

After all the Princesses had come by our table Ivy was uninterested in finishing her lunch but she did really enjoy her dessert.

When we left the castle Ivy requested to change into to her Rapunzel dress and then go see Mickey's PhilharMagic again. Then she wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh and play in front of his house. And the pictures that Chris took in front of Pooh's house are some of my favorite from the trip.

Then Ivy said she was tired and wanted to go back the hotel to rest. She really just wanted to ride the bus again. The next time we go on vacation I should just book two different hotel rooms and let her ride a bus between the two of them, because honestly I think that may have been her favorite part. So we spent the rest of the afternoon in our hotel room or at the pool. I didn't think it was warm enough for the pool but it could have been thirty degrees outside and Ivy still would have gone swimming. I was having nothing to do with the pool so Chris had to get in with her.

Next up....Epcot!

Disney: Day 1

2012-01-24T12:24:00.000-05:00

Our Disney trip was lots of fun. Hopefully I won't forget a lot of the details since it's taken me so long to get it posted. We headed down to St. Augustine the night before to do some outlet shopping and then got up and left early the next morning. All three of us were so excited we could hardly stand it.

We stayed at the Disney All Star's Movie resort and it was so cool. They had different areas of the resort dedicated to different movies. We stayed in the Fantasia area and there was a HUGE sorcerer's hat by our stairwell.

The first thing we did after we checked in and got all of our stuff to our room was head to The Magic Kingdom. We got on the bus and I was fighting back tears the whole time. I loved Disney when I was a kid but taking my own kid is amazing. I finally lost the battle and cried a little when they started playing the Mickey Mouse march as we turned into the gate....because like I said before, the Magic Kingdom really is magic.

When we walked in we headed straight for Cinderella's castle because Ivy wanted to see it. There was show going on in front of it called "Dreams Come True" that was adorable.....and that song "Dreams Come True" was stuck in our head ALL WEEK LONG! Chris can still sing it from heart. Then we just started walking to see what we could find because we didn't really have any plans for the first day. When we rounded a corner Ivy started screaming "I SEE PETER PAN! I SEE PETER PAN!" We didn't see him so we thought it was a poster or something and then she took off running. And sure enough Peter Pan himself was standing there and Ivy said she wanted to meet him. So we stood in line to meet Peter Pan.

Now anyone with small kids knows that character meetings of any kind can go really good or really bad. Ivy had never really been scared of anything and the last time we went to Disney she did really well with the characters. So the thought that she might get a little scared never crossed my mind. But as we got closer to Peter Pan I noticed her grip on my hand got tighter. I looked down at her but she didn't look worried. So we walked up to Peter and he said "Hey there little Pixie!" And Ivy practically turned into a monkey and climbed up me. She wouldn't even look at him. She didn't cry or scream she just grabbed a hold of my neck and giggled.

This is the picture we got....I think it's quite funny.

My initial thought was "Oh good, we don't have to stand in line to meet characters this week."

So off we went. The first ride that we got on was "The Haunted Mansion." I remember this from when I was a kid and I remembered it being silly and not scary. Chris didn't know what it was so he agreed to ride it. BAD IDEA! I'll admit that the first part of the ride when they put everyone in a dark room was a little spooky so I told Ivy that we could get off but she said "I just want to try and be brave." So we rode it. She was a champ through the whole thing but when we got back outside I was holding her and she put both her hands on my cheeks and locked eyes with me and said "I don't think I want to ride that again."

So then we rode the magic carpets. And she loved it.

Then she wanted to meet the Fairies of Pixie Hollow. Now judging by her reaction to Peter Pan I really didn't want to waste my time with this but she begged to see Tinkerbell. So we went in and she was still a little shy at first with Rosetta but she warmed up to Tinkerbell.

Tink: What's your name little pixie?
Ivy: Ivy
T: I like your pretty shirt Ivy, what's on it?
I: Ummm, Georgia
T: Oh, you're from Georgia! I bet you live in a Peach tree then and that's why you smell so good!
I: No you silly Tinkerbell! I live in a house!

And remember that thought I had about not having to stand in line to meet characters.....yeah that was out the window after she met Tinkerbell. After that Ivy pretty much wanted to meet every Disney character there was. And since she is still in that age range where it seems very magical and she thinks they are real we let her stand in line to meet as many as she could.

We stopped in an art store to look around and the workers had an area set up for kids to color while parents shopped. Ivy picked out a picture of Peter Pan and as you can see colored it as fast as she possible could so that she could hang it on the wall. She was so proud that they let her put it up.

We got on several more rides and ate some dinner and left shortly after it got dark but not before we got to see the castle all lit up for Christmas. I think the castle with all the lights on it is one of the coolest things I have ever.

We headed back early because at the All Star's movie resort they put up a big screen by the pool and show a movie every night. Ivy was pleasantly surprised that she got to watch Tangled outside. :)

More to come!!!!

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Hancock

2012-01-21T09:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, Ok. I know I said I would post these pictures before 2012, but.....well I'm just going to blame it on Jeanna. That's right I'm totally blaming someone else for the tardiness of this post.

You see after all it was her wedding and I thought it would be unfair if I shared her wedding pictures before she did. :)

I'm just going to post some of my favorite pictures instead of trying to write about the day. Most of the day I was busy running around doing stuff but in the midst of all the craziness sometimes I would just stop and think to myself "Holy Crap! My baby brother is about to get married!"

Here are a few of my favorites...

This is when my brother put me on the spot. I was not prepared to give a toast AT ALL!!!! I knew that Allie (maid of honor) and Nick (best man) were giving toasts and I didn't think anything else of it. Then my Dad grabbed the mic (typical) and gave one that was really sweet. And then....then he walked over to me and put the mic in my hand. I don't do speeches - EVER! I said "Holy......." and I passed the mic to someone else. And then my brother looked at me and "YOU BETTER SAY SOMETHING." I nearly died - yep nearly had a heart attack on my brothers wedding day. I'm looking at YOU CLIFFORD! You almost caused me to die ON YOUR WEDDING DAY!

I made it through a very tear filled speech that included something along the lines of "Hey we've always been there for each other and always will and I love you and Jeanna and blah blah blah blah. It was a typical cheesy wedding toast. Now had I known this was coming I would have said something a little more like this......

Clifford, we've been through a lot together and no one could ever replace the bond that we have. You know that I'm always here for you no matter what. You are an amazing young man and brother and I know you will be an amazing husband too. You are lucky to have found someone that is so kind and caring. Make sure you take care of her. Ok, now can I get everyone in here to look at Jeanna please. Please notice how amazingly beautiful she is. I'm here to tell you that she is even more beautiful on the inside. You stayed by his side through the deployment and never wavered. Thank you for being so wonderful and loyal and for putting up with the mess that I was during the deployment. You are his rock. I love you both and I can't wait to see what your future together holds.

Ok, Ok. So that was MORE than a few!

You can read all about Clifford and Jeanna's wedding day and see all of the pictures through the following links -

Our Wedding {Part 1} Pre-ceremony
Our Wedding {Part 2} The Ceremony
Our Wedding {Part 3} Post-Ceremony Pictures
Our Wedding {part 4} The Reception
Our Wedding {Part 5} The Party
Our Wedding {Part 6} The Photo booth ... and the end :)

I had a friend that did something similar to this at her reception and Chris mentioned it literally ten minutes before we had to walk out the door. So I ran around like a mad woman grabbing all sorts of stuff to throw in a box. I couldn't narrow these pictures down anymore! It was hit with all the wedding guests and Clifford and Jeanna loved it!

Our Christmas 2011

2012-01-17T15:50:00.000-05:00

Christmas is always great but the past couple of years it has been the greatest! I have gotten to watch it through my child's eyes and I'll just admit that I didn't know Christmas could be more magical than it already was but watching Ivy's face through out the season made my heart swell.

Ivy really got into decorating the tree this year. She loved it last year too but she put all the ornaments in one spot....which was adorable and I left them exactly where she put them. But this year she was very particular when she placed ornaments on the tree. Even the ornaments that I put on the tree were approved by Ivy before they ever touched a branch. And everyday when we would get home Ivy would go stand in front of the Christmas tree and rearrange ornaments to her liking until I would make her come to the dinner table.

Visiting Santa this year was a real treat. Ivy ran right up to him and jumped in his lap and told him that she had been a good girl. We waited forever to see Santa but it was totally worth it to see her have a conversation with him like she was just hanging out with one of her friends.

We spent Christmas Eve on the farm again. Dad cooked us low country boil that was delicious! Most of the day we just sat around on Dad's deck relaxing and talking. Chris was out in the main field knocking around some old golf balls for a while with Ivy following him around. And I got to spend some much needed time with my Mama Hancock just talking.

Just before dinner Ivy decided she wanted to take a walk so we headed down the road. Chris eventually caught up with us to take a few pictures and they will go down as some of my favorite ever taken of us. It's really cool to see Ivy play in the same dirt and fields that I did as a kid.

I wanted to start a new baking tradition with Ivy this year because it's hard to make a red velvet cake with a 4 year old. So I got a recipe from my Aunt Betsy for her Candy Cane cookies. They don't taste like candy canes or peppermint, they are just simple vanilla and almond flavored cookies twisted together to look like a candy cane. They are one of my favorite desserts that she always brings to my Mama Hancock's house on Christmas day. I normally eat at least 25 by myself.

They were pretty simple to make but when it came time to twist them together things didn't go so well. In fact we had to improvise and do other things with the cookie dough after I attempted to twist about four together so that I didn't start throwing things and saying bad words in front of Ivy. I basically let Ivy tell me what shape to make or what to put on top of the cookie...they still tasted delicious even if they weren't as pretty as Aunt Betsy's.

Ivy picked out a few that she knew would be Santa's favorites. Ivy also decided that Santa didn't want any milk with his cookies because apparently he likes water to drink.

Now most kids jump up out of the bed and run screaming to the Christmas tree when they wake up to see what Santa brought.....but Ivy is a bit like me and she will choose sleeping over getting a present any day of the week. (We like our sleep, what can I say) But when we finally got her to wake up she was very excited to see if she got anything off her wishlist!

She was also super excited that Santa and her elf Hermie left her a note with just a few cookie crumbs left on the plate.

One of Ivy's favorite gifts was the Bjork t-shirt that I got her.

We don't have any other pictures from the rest of the day unfortunatly. We took the camera to my mother-in-law's house and to my Mom's house but we just got wrapped up in visiting with everyone that it didn't make it out of the bag. It makes me a little bit sad but sometimes it's nice just to have the memory snapshots too.

We hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

Ivy-isms: Yoko Ono

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Last night after Ivy's bath she was singing rather loudly....and by loudly I mean my ears were ringing and she cracked a couple of windows on the house.

Ivy: I NEEEEEEED YOUUUU! AND YOU HAVE PINK HAIR!!!!!!! AND I LIKE BUBBLES AT MY BATH!
Me: (As I'm blow drying her hair) That's nice Ivy. I like it when you make up songs.
Ivy: I LIKE KITTY CATS AND HOOOOORRRRSSSEEEESSSS......
Me: Maybe you can sing not so loud.....
Ivy: AND I WISH IT WOULD SNOW, I REALLY REALLY LIKE SNOW! LOTS AND LOTS OF SNOOOOOOOWWWWW!
Me: Wow Ivy, you are really loud, please sing softly.
Ivy: But it's my song about my heart growing 55 sizes!
Me: What???
Ivy: You know....like the Grinch, his heart grew three sizes and then he wasn't grumpy no more!
Me: Oh, ok. So your heart grew 55 sizes? And now you aren't grumpy?
Ivy: I wasn't grumpy Mommy just the Grinch, it's just my song!
Me: Ok. Go to your room so we can get your pajamas on.

Ivy runs off, I clean up the bathroom.

Ivy: THE GRINCH WAS REALLY GRUMPY BECAUSE HE HAD A BABY HEART AND IT GREEEWWWWW BIGGER AND NOW HE NOT GRUUUUMMPPPYYY NO MORE!
Me: (from the bathroom) Ivy seriously! Not so loud!
Ivy: HE STOLED THE PRESENTS BECAUSE HE WAS GRUMPY!
Me: Ivy PLEASE not so loud.
Ivy: But MOMMY it's my BEAUTIFUL SONG!
Me: (Now I'm in her room) Ivy this is the last time I'm telling you to quiet down or you're going straight to bed!
Ivy: You don't like it when I sing?
Me: Ivy....I love it when you sing and when you make up songs. But right now you sound like YOKO ONO and I just can't handle it.
Ivy: Who's Yoko Ono?
Me: Trust me Ivy...it's not a compliment.

The Obsession....

2012-01-11T19:54:00.002-05:00

The Obsession started about a year ago I guess. My Dad took Ivy to see a movie called Gnomeo and Juliet. I didn't see the movie until months later when it came out on Bluray and it's pretty cute but the real thing that makes this movie unique is the music. The entire soundtrack is done by Elton John. The soundtrack is basically an Elton John Greatest Hits. I didn't know this about the movie until one day we were riding in the car and Ivy asked me to play "The Rocket Song". I had no clue what she was talking about and that frustrated her big time! After searching my iPod I saw that I had "Rocket Man" on it so I gave it a shot and pressed play. I hit the jackpot because it was exactly what she was talking about.

I couldn't figure out for the life of me where she heard that song but I assumed she heard it at school because her teachers played lots of music for their class....I mean she came home and told me about "Mr. Bob" one day because her teachers played a Bob Marley CD. I explained to Ivy that Elton John made this song and I use to sing Tiny Dancer to her when she was in my belly. Then she wanted to hear that song and then another and then another and then another....you get the point. I asked her if she heard Rocket Man at school and she said no that it was in the Gnomeo and Juliet movie.

I called my Dad tell him just because I thought it was so cute and I knew he would get a kick out of it. Two days later he showed up at my house with the soundtrack for Ivy. She was over the moon about it. And since then I have listened to more Elton John than I ever could have imagined. I mean seriously, I love Elton John...who doesn't really? He's written some of the greatest songs ever but every now and again I like to change things up a bit.

Now I thought this obsession with Elton John would fade after a couple of weeks because lets be honest here....if Disney hasn't plastered the face of a Princess on something Ivy usually gets bored with it fairly quickly. But then a month past, then two months, then six months....obviously Elton is now a part of lives forever.

I think Elton John might be my daughter's HERO. Seriously...she refers to him as a "Sparkly Dude" because he always has on a shiny jacket or glasses when she sees him. She has no idea how accurate "Sparkly Dude" is. But this is her favorite video of him. And the jacket he has on in that video was the inspiration for her Halloween costume. That's right folks SHE WAS SIR ELTON JOHN FOR HALLOWEEN. Now when I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween I was expecting her to say Rapunzel but instead she looked at me straight in the eyes and said "Elton John because he's a sparkly dude."

Thank goodness my Mom knows how to sew...she made Ivy those pants and that jacket.

Disney Teaser....

2012-01-11T14:07:00.003-05:00

4

2011-12-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

So yeah....2 months behind now instead of just 1...at least I'm eventually getting to things.

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I can't believe this little beauty if four. As in ONE.TWO.THREE.FOUR. She tells me now "Mommy, I'm a big girl because I'm four. I'm not little anymore." I can't believe how fast time is flying. And I can't believe she still has those long eyelashes!

I make a very big deal out of Ivy's birthday. Some people don't understand why but it's a special day for her and for me. It's her birthday and all about her but it's also the day I became a Mama.

We had her party a week early because of Clifford and Jeanna's wedding. I had the idea of doing an art party for Ivy and all the kids could paint pictures. I thought it would be great because Ivy loves to paint but she quickly shot down that idea and said she wanted a princess party. I reminded her that a lot of her friends were boys and she looked at me like "So....I want a princess party." So I let her pick out her decorations and she picked a few friends to invite. She wanted her Daddy to cook cheese quesadillas for them to eat and she wanted lemonade to drink (although I was lazy and didn't make it...I just bought lemonade capri-suns but she didn't seem to mind).

Her only other request for her party was a pretty pink princess cake with her name on it. And of course, Grammie delivered.

Ivy told me she wanted the piece of cake with her name on it....I explained that was too much cake and after some negotiating she settled just for the letter "I" but no one else was allowed to have a letter, those two pieces were to be saved for her. I thought that was pretty cute.

Then it was time for presents and her best friend Henry helped her quite a bit. These two are so funny together.

This picture is going to be a classic when they are older.

I recently reconnected with a friend from high school and she happens to be an amazing photographer! She has a daughter named Reagan that shares the same birthday with Ivy...just one year apart. So happy belated 3rd birthday to little miss Reagan! And a VERY BIG THANK YOU to Tanner for bringing her awesome camera with her to the party! I love all the pictures so much!

Viva Photography

And this is where Ivy broke my heart. She told us she wanted a bike for her birthday so we took her to several different stores to ride bikes and see which one she liked the best. She chose this one and was very sure of it...I was relieved that she didn't pick the Disney princess bike. But then when we rolled this out at her party her smile disappeared and she looked me straight in the eyes and said "But Mommy, I really wanted a princess bike." I felt so bad because it had crossed my mind to just buy the stupid princess one anyway...but as you can see she eventually warmed up to it.

Viva Photography

Ivy didn't have school on her birthday so I made some cupcakes for the day before. Of course they needed to be pink with princess sprinkles.

Ivy's actual birthday was the day before the wedding but we tried our best to make it all about her before we went to the rehearsal. So we asked her what she wanted to do.....

1. Bo Berry biscuits at Bojangles - check.

2. Go to Target and spend a gift card that she got at her party - check.

No pictures from this event but here's a cute story...She picked out a Rapunzel princess dress to add to her collection of dress up clothes. The gift card was from Logan, the son of my very good friend Kimberly. Every time we would go to Target Ivy would walk to the toy section and ALWAYS asks for that dress. I would always say "not today" and that she should wait for her birthday to see if someone bought it and she always responded with "Well maybe Logan will come buy it for me." This cracked me up every time and she had been saying that for months. She really doesn't see Logan that much so I thought it was kind of strange. But she got that dress and I guess Logan really did buy it for her.

3. Go home and open her present from Mommy and Daddy - check.

Squinkies, Princess wall decals, Clifford books, and a Giraffe hoodie.

4. A trip to the Pumpkin Patch - check.

5. Mellow Mushroom for lunch - check.

She was so silly the whole time. She loves her Mellow Mushroom and always chooses Mighty Meaty or Hawaiian Girl.

They even gave this silly girl some ice cream for dessert.

I think she had a pretty good birthday.

Happy Birthday to my baby brother....

2011-12-16T16:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my baby brother!

I still remember the night you were born. And despite what you might think, I was really happy!

Mom was pacing the floor and I had no clue what was happening but I knew she wasn't feeling so good. She was mumbling under her breath about what was taking Dad so long to get home and I was trying to be as good as possible so that I didn't upset her. When Dad got home I remember him giving me a paper bag (yes the kind from the grocery store) and he told to put some toys in it that I was going to stay at Mama Hancock's for a couple of days. I slept in the back bedroom, you know the one with the yellow walls, although Mama Hancock and I spent most of the night just talking. I was really excited because I was getting to stay up late. We talked about you being born and I told her that I wanted a baby brother. I knew that if you were a boy your name would be Clifford Lee and if you were a girl I wanted your name to be Elizabeth. Which would have worked out because if you were a girl you would have been named after Mama Hancock.....Vera Elizabeth. Just so you know if you ever start acting sassy then I'm gonna call you Elizabeth...ok?

Then the phone rang and Mama Hancock ran down the hallway and I just stood in the door waiting. She screamed (you know how she does) "WAAAAHOOOOOO! IT'S A BOY!!!!!!" And then when she hung up the phone we started dancing. Yes we danced...with no music....so please image that right now - Mama Hancock 25 years younger and me at 5 years old dancing next to the kitchen table in our PJ's.

I was given a blue pin that said "It's A Boy!" I wore it to school everyday for a week.

I love you Cliffy Biffy!!!!!!

I got to see Brandi Carlile....

2011-12-13T15:48:00.000-05:00

...and it was quite epic.

Tickets went on sale back in August and I called Chris and said "Hey, tickets for Brandi Carlile go on sale today, do you care if I buy them? It's on a Saturday!!!!" Which basically meant - I'm buying these tickets and you are going so embrace it!

We use to go to so many concerts before having a kid. It's something we still do and enjoy but our priorities have changed a bit. Like....it must be someone we REALLY like and more than likely it needs to be on the weekend because we aren't getting any younger.

You guys....if you don't know who Brandi Carlile is then you should. I've been listening to her since 2005 and her voice is AMAZING. I didn't think there was anyway that her voice could still sound so amazing live but she truly has a gift. I was blown away and Chris was too!

Here are some links to to a few songs from that night but they are recorded on phones and cameras so it doesn't do her justice.

Follow - She opened with this and it made me cry. Seriously, I really cried.
Dreams - This is a great song and I think her love for Elvis show through in this one a little bit.
Throw It All Away - This is the very first song I ever heard her sing and I was instantly hooked.
What Can I Say - This was amazing because she was completely unplugged and she rocked it out.
Downpour - I think this really pretty and she told a story about it on stage that made me really appreciate it.

The guy next to us, Tim, was really cool and he snapped some pictures and emailed them to us.

Ivy-isms: Ivy's on a diet

2011-11-29T08:48:00.001-05:00

After a dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers at my Mom's house...

Mom: I have dessert too so let me know what you want...I have Sweet Potato Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Delight

Ivy: I WANT PUMPKIN PIE!

Me: Sounds yummy....Ivy you can have a little bit when everyone is finished....Mom can you make sure that Ivy doesn't get any junk food this week? Seriously, the three of us ate enough junk this past week to kill someone. I really want to try and get her back on a healthy diet.

Ivy: (Huge eyes as if to say "she can't be serious")

Mom: Ok, so what can she have.

Me: Just healthy treats, you know, no candy or cake....treats or snacks like apples or raisins or bananas or yogurt or....

Ivy: OR PUMPKIN PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Typical...

2011-11-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

...he always has that camera in her face. And I'm so thankful for that.

Taken by my friend Tanner, owner of Viva Photography.

Friday Flashback...Magic

2011-11-18T07:00:00.003-05:00

Ivy's (and Chris's) first trip to Disney world. We only had one day and we went to The Magic Kingdom. We are heading out to Disney today but this time we get a whole week. All three of us are beyond excited!

Some things I missed on the blog...

2011-11-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

...for one reason or another...let's just say we've been busy.

One picture from my 30th birthday. Obviously I've matured in my old age.

One of my favorite outfits from "Adventures in Ivy dressing herself"

Ivy's favorite owl skirt - made by my friend Brooke.

We went to the beach, but Ivy did not want her picture taken...

...unless of course it was her idea - "Daddy take my picture while I hop down the hall."

It was our first time visiting St. Simon's Island. We will DEFINITELY be going back!

Ivy started a new school year at Open Door Preschool. This is her third year there and we couldn't be happier. Her teacher's name is Ms. Angie...Ivy LOVES her and so do we!

We had a bridal shower for Jeanna. She got lots of great stuff! Oh Yeah...Clifford and Jeanna have been married for a month now...I promise I'll post pictures before 2012.

All summer long we could hear the Ice Cream truck and we would run outside and patiently wait but he would never show up.....and then one day BOOM! he was there. I remember just getting an ice cream sandwich when I was a kid but they had all kinds of stuff to pick from. Ivy looks like a HOT MESS in this picture - Oh Wait, it was 105 degrees and she pulled her hair clips out...so I guess she was a HOT MESS.

Stay tuned for Ivy's birthday, Clifford and Jeanna's wedding, Halloween, some house decorating updates, and DISNEY!!!!

Ivy-isms: Dragonmatic

2011-11-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

I pick up Ivy every afternoon from my Mom's. Most of the time this goes smoothly. But sometimes when I walk in Ivy wants me RIGHT THEN because she hasn't seen me all day. Usually this happens when Mom needs to show me something RIGHT THEN too so she can get to work on time. This is what happened on Monday...

Ivy: Hey Mommy!
Me: Hey Ives! Did you have a good day?
Ivy: Come here and look! I'm sewing! (random sewing stuff scattered on the floor)
Grammie: Come look at these patterns and fabrics I have.
Me: (Walk into living room look at the stuff on the floor and proceed to Mom's sewing room to look at stuff)
Grammie: What do you think?
Me: Well I really like -
Ivy: MOMMY!MOMMY!MOMMY! (Yelling from the other room)
Me: Just a minute babe, let me talk to Grammie for a minute
Grammie: So do you like this pattern?
Me: I like -
Ivy: MOMMY!MOMMY!MOMMY! (While pulling my leg)
Me: I'm coming Ivy, I just need to help Grammie for a minute.
Ivy: MOMMY!MOMMY!MOMMY! (While pulling my arm)
Grammie: (Asking/telling me something that I can't hear b/c of Ivy)
Me: You are going to have to wait! Please give me two minutes! Now sit down on the chair!
Ivy: (Falls into fits screaming and crying on the floor. Big tears, Throwing her arms and legs around)
Me: Ivy you can not fall into hysterics when you don't get your way! Your rolling around howling like a wild animal!
Ivy: I AM NOT ACTING LIKE AN ANIMAL!
Me: Ok well excuse me but you are being VERY DRAMATIC!
Ivy: I AM NOT BEING DRAGONMATIC!!!!!
Me: (Trying to keep a straight face) YES you are. (Bust out laughing)

Ivy-isms: I wish for...

2011-11-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

Me: Hey Ivy guess where we are going this weekend?
Ivy: I already know Mom! Uncle David's house!
Me: Yep and you get to hang out with Emily.
Ivy: I wish Emily could sleep wif me.
Me: Well she probably will when we're there.
Ivy: No, I mean at MY house in MY room.
Me: Well maybe the next time they come in town she will spend the night with us.
Ivy: Well I wish for that....No, No, No! (now counting on her fingers) I wish for DISNEYWORLD first, and then I wish for Emily to sleep the night wif me at my house, and then I wish for CHRISTMAS!!! That's cool, huh?!?!?!?
Me: (giggling) Yes Ivy that's cool.
Ivy: Why are you laughing?
Me: Because you are the cutest and funniest little girl ever!
Ivy: (yelling) I AM!?!?!?!?!?! Dat is great Mommy!

Beautiful Bride

2011-11-03T16:24:00.002-04:00

Since my brother's wedding is over now I can show off some of Jeanna's bridal portraits.

She was stunning....and she's even more beautiful on the inside. I couldn't have picked a better person for my brother to bring into our family.

All pictures taken by my adorable hubby.

Ivy-isms: Our little secret

2011-10-26T08:53:00.001-04:00

Some background for this story...I told Ivy that if she ate a good dinner then she could go to the store with me to pick out a birthday present for Grammie. Well she didn't eat so she had to stay home with Chris and she pitched a fit. I hate leaving the house when she is crying like that but I couldn't wait around any longer. When I got back she was calm and finishing up her bath and then when I'm getting ready to wrap Grammie's present Chris tells me this story.....

Chris: Hey Ivy I have a cookie here and I'm gonna share it with you, okay?
Ivy: Okay
Chris: But listen, you can't tell Mommy because you can't have a cookie if you don't eat a good dinner and you didn't eat good for Mommy. Did you?
Ivy: No
Chris: So you're not going to tell her, right?
Ivy: It's gonna be our little secret.
Chris: That's right.
Ivy: Kinda like Jeanna and Cliff's little secret...
Chris: What?
Ivy: (whispering) They gave me cheese one day.

Paula's Pretties

2011-10-18T17:43:00.000-04:00

Another outfit made by the one and only Paula. There will be lots of outfits/dresses featured overtime but only one goofy kid to model them.

Friday Flashback...Cake Face

2011-10-14T21:43:00.001-04:00

We are having Ivy's birthday party tomorrow so I was looking through pictures of her 1st birthday party.

She thought getting to grab the cake and eat it was lots of fun....but me dramatically eating off of her dirty little fingers was hysterical.

Tiny Dancer

2011-10-13T09:32:00.000-04:00

Ivy had been telling me that she wanted to take ballet for a while and I finally signed her up for a summer dance camp in June. She was so excited to go to the store and pick out a leotard and ballet slippers. I was a ballerina growing up so this was a very special moment for me and when I tried that leotard on her in the store.....well I got a little bit teary eyed.

I really didn't think that I would ever sign Ivy up for ballet because she doesn't strike me as a ballerina. She's very energetic and LOUD and I just thought she would want to do other stuff.....like run marathons...while shouting as loud as she could. But she very clearly asked for ballet so we're giving it a shot.

And as you can see she was very anxious to show off her moves before she even went to the first day of camp.

She went for five days of a princess themed camp and she loved every second of it! They had a little performance on the last day of the camp and Ivy was so excited when I walked in. It made my heart swell.

Our next door neighbor Mea went to the camp with her and they were so funny to watch together.

For the most part Ivy was more concerned with making sure that I was watching her than with actually paying attention to the dances she was suppose to be doing. She did pretty good once she quit worrying about me until they were walking around the room and the strap to her princess crown broke....and then she fell to pieces.

She had a blast but I wasn't overly impressed with teacher or the school. So when she still wanted me to sign her up for ballet in the fall I took her to the ballet school that I went to years and years ago. It was strange feeling walking back in that place. I never thought I would set foot in there again and it was a surreal moment when I walked into a room that I use to dance in every week. It still looked exactly the same and it even smelled exactly the same. The only difference was that I had Ivy standing next to me.

Ivy had a lot of fun but was not in the mood to take any pictures so I only have this one with her teacher. But she said she had fun. And I can't wait until this spring when she gets to dance in the same production that I did as a kid!

Ivy-isms: I'm not Ivy

2011-10-11T11:54:00.000-04:00

Me: (yelling up the stairs) Hey Ivy? Wanna come help me make dinner?
Ivy: ......................
Me: Ivy...I'm making dumplins if you wanna come help me roll them out.
Ivy: ......................
Me: Ivy answer me please!
Ivy: ......................
Me: Ivy.....IVY.....I-V-Y!
Ivy: ......................
Me: (go up stairs, find Ivy sitting in the middle of her floor wearing her Belle dress, reading books) Ivy! When I call you you really need to answer me!
Ivy: Oh, I'm sorry....but I'm not Ivy, I'm Belle
Me: ......................
Ivy: ......................
Me: Belle....would you like to help me make Chicken & Dumplins for dinner?
Ivy: OH YES!

I must say....Belle makes some pretty good dumplins

Ivy-isms: I think she was tired

2011-10-10T15:13:00.000-04:00

Ivy: Hey Mommy, do you know what this is?(rubbing the back of her ear while laying on the couch)
Me: It's your ear Ivy.
Ivy: No, this part right here?
Me: Oh, it's the back of your ear.
Ivy: No, this part right here that goes inside!
Me: Oh, your ear canal? Or something else?
Ivy: No Mommy! I'll just tell you ok?!?!?!?!?
Me: OK.....
Ivy: It's the part with all the sparkles.....and they fly around.....and they sparkle.....and then you tie them......and they blink.....and flash.....and it's pink and purple and blue sparkles and light.
Me: (Blink, Blink) I think it's time for bed are you tired?
Ivy: A little bit.
Me: Wow.

Paula's Pretties

2011-10-05T15:37:00.000-04:00

I wanted to take some time and try to post some of the things that my Mom makes for Ivy. This will have to be done in MANY separate blog posts but I wanted to get it started with this one.

These are some very fancy pajamas that Mom made for Ivy last spring but they were a little bit too big and this year they fit just right! Ivy calls them her princess pajamas because they make her feel fancy & beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful....

...I think someone might like being in front of the camera.

Friday Flashback....Ready for take off

2011-09-30T17:36:00.000-04:00

Five years ago today my best friend Mandy got married. If you're lucky enough to know Mandy...well, then you're lucky enough. She is one of the sweetest souls I have ever met.

I was SO excited when Mandy called and told me she was engaged! I was even more excited when she asked me to be a bridesmaid! And then she said "By the way, the wedding is in Arkansas." - Wait what? Really?

But it was all good, I would have driven to Alaska for Mandy. I had only met Jeremy once before they got engaged but I knew Mandy was going to marry him. He's perfect for her....seriously. And sometimes the stars line up just right to make things work out. Mandy was a flight attendant and she met Jeremy on a plane, while she was working. It's a really cute story, but it's one Mandy should tell.

So we drove all the way to Little Rock, Arkansas for this wedding. And I honestly dreaded that long drive to Arkansas and back but it ended up being fun! Chris and I drove to Atlanta and picked up my friend JJ and his wife Kelli. Then we headed to Nashville to stay for the night because a very good friend of mine and JJ lives there. Keio is a drummer in Nashville so we got to hang out with him a little bit. Chris was really nervous to meet my friends from college...mostly because I had talked about how cool they were for years. Turns out they really are as cool as I said they were and Chris loves them just as much as I do!


I can't believe how young we all look in this picture and that look on Keio's face...typical.

The rehearsal was fun. We giggled the whole time. That hat Mandy is wearing is another whole story.

At the rehearsal dinner Mandy decided to get us back for all those years of poking fun at her because she was an Arkansas fan. She made us all put on pig noses and yell "Ahhhhhhhh, Pig Sooey!" And she LOVED every second of it!

Cheryl: "Marti, can you believe she made us do this?" Me: "Yes I can and she is loving it more than she will ever admit."

And because Mandy is way more responsible than the rest of us...she decided not to go out the night before her wedding. But we had all just driven half way across the country and we wanted to see what Little Rock had to offer.

So there we were in a random bar in Little Rock. Celebrating how happy we were for Mandy and Jeremy and then out of nowhere this random girl shows up. We have no idea who she is and she says "Hey are you guys Mandy's friends?" And we were like Say what?

Turns out she is one of Jeremy's best friends from childhood and decided to join us. I can't remember her name now but she was really cool and only added to the good time we were having. She did however give us all a scare...we had probably been there a couple of hours when she all of a sudden busts out with "OH MY GOSH! I know something about Jeremy but I don't know if I should tell you guys!"

Now, you can imagine this scene - We all get silent and stare blankly at her. We are all thinking the exact same thing. Really? Are you about to tell us something bad? Something bad that Jeremy did? Something that might hurt our sweet precious Mandy? Because if so, we are about to cause some major trouble! And then I think she noticed that we were startled and said "Oh it's nothing bad like that! He's just going to sing to her during the wedding ceremony tomorrow and it's a surprise. She doesn't know about it." And then we all started breathing again. Whew.

---------------

The next day Mandy was a little bit stressed but that's to be expected. But it was a really great day. The thing I really like about weddings is that you are surrounded by everyone you love all at once. I think it was everything Mandy and Jeremy wanted it to be.

Lunch at our itty-bitty table

And yes Jeremy sang to Mandy. And we all cried like a bunch of girls. And yes he sings very well.

---------------

The reception was fun. Lots and lots of fun.

These pictures will make Mandy cry, but they'll make her smile too.

1. I can't believe I actually got Chris to dance 2. That's Tiffany, don't ask 3. Cheryl didn't break out the funky chicken

Please look at how SERIOUS JJ is behind me, he does not mess around on the dance floor!

All the West GA peeps: JJ, Kelli, Megan, Marielle, Mandy, Me, Tiffany, Cheryl


And then they were off to Greece for their honeymoon

-----------------

Well you didn't expect that we just drove back to Georgia that night did you? Of course not. We went out for round two....and Little Rock will never be the same.

---------------

Congrats on 5 years of marriage guys! And congrats on little Caleb as well.

Ivy-isms: A new rule

2011-09-22T20:04:00.001-04:00

Ivy: Mommy can I listen to Jork?
Me: Ivy I forgot to charge the ipod last night so it won't work
Ivy: Why?
Me: I don't know I just forgot
Ivy: Can we listen to the radio?
Me: Sure but they don't play Bjork (turn on classic rock - Eric Clapton singing "I Shot the Sheriff")
Ivy: Mommy this is not right!
Me: What do you mean?
Ivy: It's the wrong guy singing this song! It's not right!
Me: It's Eric Clapton Ivy and he sings this song too, you remember the Bob Marley version, huh?
Ivy: Yes, this is not right. I don't like this guy.
Me: Ivy....I don't give you many rules but just so you know it is a rule that you have to like Eric Clapton because he's the man...please don't ever say that again.
Ivy: Ok. Can I listen to Jork?
Me: (Lays head on steering wheel)

Friday Flashback....Baby Marti

2011-09-16T12:31:00.001-04:00

I don't really think words are needed for this picture.....but I would give just about anything to know where that shirt is!

Happy Friday!

Ivy-isms: Cereal

2011-09-16T12:16:00.000-04:00

Me: Hey Ives whatcha want for dinner tonight?
Ivy: Ummmmmm, cereal
Me: Ivy we don't eat cereal for dinner, only for breakfast. So what do you want for dinner?
Ivy: Breakfast.
Me: .........................

Ivy-isms: Jork

2011-09-14T19:21:00.000-04:00

Me: (Picked out MUSE on my iPod)
Ivy: Mommy, Can I have Jork? I not want to hear this.
Me: Ivy I really don't want to listen to Bjork again right now, ok....it's Mommy's turn to pick out the music.
Ivy: But Mommy! I weelly, weelly want to hear "I miss you"
Me: Ivy I really, really need a break from Bjork right now. Sometimes we need to listen to other stuff too.
Ivy: (Fake Whimpers) But if I don't hear Jork right now I'm gonna be weelly, weelly, weelly, weelly, weelly sad.
Me: Ivy I want to know how many times in the history of the universe a three year old has requested Bjork.

Girlfriend really loves her some Bjork. Here is her current Bjork playlist (and I better not even THINK of playing it in a different order:

I miss you
Possibly Maybe
Isobel
It's Oh So Quiet
All Is Full of Love
Hyper-Ballad
Bachelorette
Joga
Venus As A Boy
Human Behavior

Three-Oohhhh

2011-09-14T15:45:00.000-04:00

30 is the new 20....right???? I doubt it. I had a good birthday although it is really hard for me to say...I'm 30. Seriously it's strange! I mean really....30! I'm embracing it the best I can.

We had a small, last minute cookout at our house to celebrate and a few of my friends came over. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, and all the fixin's. And of course....Margarita's. If there's a party celebrating me there has to be Margaritas....or as one of my friends recently renamed them....Marti-ritas (thanks Allie).

Last year I made a list of 29 things that I was lovin' at the time of my birthday so I decided to do it again this year.

30 random things I'm LOVIN' right now, in no particular order...

1.   Watching my husband build furniture...it's sexy
2.   My brother is home an sleeping in his own bed
3.   We booked a vacation to Disney World
4.   When Ivy tells me I'm "The Greatest"
5.   Hot green tea with a spoonful of honey on my drive to work in the morning
6.   Not having to take ANY medications in the morning
7.   Feeling healthy for the first time in a long time
8.   Watching Ivy pretending to be a ballerina
9.   Tending to my mini garden
10. Lavender Oil
11. Dig this Chick
12. Foster the People
13. Lemon Oil in my water
14. The smell of freshly cut wood in our garage
15. When Ivy requests "Shiny Happy People" by REM
16. Netflix
17. Strawberry ice cream (either from Kilwin's or Blue Bunny brand)
18. Painting with Ivy
19. Going barefoot in the grass (drives my husband crazy though)
20. Listening to Ivy tell stories at the dinner table
21. Mad Men
22. When Ivy requests to hear "her music" in the car - which means Elton John, loud and now!
23. Listening to Ivy sing every single lyric to "Tiny Dancer"
24. Margaritas (duh!)
25. Wearing Kino Flip Flops
26. Peanut Butter Pie made by my Mama
27. Date nights at TakoSushi
28. Watching Ivy TEAR UP some Mellow Mushroom pizza (it really is something to behold)
29. Dangly Earrings
30. Making Mickey Mouse pancakes with Ivy

............

And I did actually make my list on my birthday (two months ago) but we have been very, very busy building a huge piece of furniture for our office and that has consumed every last second of our free time...I was trying to wait for the pictures but my husband has yet to remove them from his memory card. I should learn how to do that....but fancy camera + fancy computer + editing programs + ME would probably = trouble.

Ivy-isms: Mommy-friend

2011-09-13T19:53:00.000-04:00

Rushing around the kitchen this morning trying to get ready to leave....Ivy and Pollack were both hungry...

Ivy: Mommy can I have some cereal?
Me: Sure babe, I'll get you some. Can you go let P-man in please?
Ivy: Ok, sure
Me: Can you get P-man some food too, please?
Ivy: Mommy! I'm just one little girl! I can only do one fing at a time!
Me: (Thinking that I must say that TOO much) Well Ivy just help me out please.
Ivy: Mommy I only gots my two hands and I'm just so busy!
Me: Come on girlfriend help me out and get P some food, he's hungry and if you don't get him some food maybe I'll just feed him your cereal.
Ivy: Alright Mommyfriend! (Scoops food puts it in his bowl)
Me: (laughing to myself)
Ivy: I don't think he likes cereal.

Where was I?

2011-09-12T13:29:00.002-04:00

I was at home in the shower when the first plane hit. I got out of the shower and got dressed still clueless as to what had happened. I was barely 20 years old and very naive about the world and all of it's politics. I was brushing my teeth when the second plane hit. The phone rang and I ran to get it because I knew it would be Chris. He said "What are you doing?" and I answered "Brushing my teeth, why?" Chris told me to turn on the news because someone had flown two planes into the World Trade Center towers.

This is how naive I was.... I didn't even know what channel the news was on. I wasn't much of a TV watcher and if I did sit down in front of the TV it wasn't to watch the news. I really didn't know what the World Trade Center was. I mean, I had seen the towers on TV and in pictures and I had heard of them but when Chris said that the Twin Towers had been hit by planes it didn't sink in what had happened.

I turned on the news and saw the all of that black smoke against that clear blue sky. My stomach jumped to my throat because I thought of all those people in those buildings. Chris kept saying that he couldn't believe something like this could happen. I asked what he meant and he said "Bin Laden did this, America has been attacked!" I had no idea who that was and why this would happen.

Seriously???? I never thought I'd see our country attacked. I was suddenly scared. I was home alone...my Mom at work and my brother at school.

I don't think I had ever even used the words "terrorist" and "attack" in the same sentence. I hung up with Chris, finished getting ready and headed over to his apartment. I remember the drive was quiet. There weren't many cars on the road and all the radio stations had switched over to the news. When I got to Chris's apartment I was still a little confused. He gave me a hug and kiss but he squeezed a little longer than normal. I sat on the couch with him and watched the news. Things just kept adding up...a plane at the pentagon...a plane down in Pennsylvania. We didn't talk really...just stared at the TV. And then the first tower fell. I remember this part so vividly. Chris had gotten up and walked to the kitchen and Sheppard Smith was on the news reporting and in the top corner of the TV was a picture in picture of the towers with smoke billowing from them. I saw the first tower start to collapse. I just said "Oh my God, Chris come here." He rushed over and said "What exactly am I looking at?" And I couldn't even respond. And that is when the gravity of that day hit me and it hit me hard.

............

I had gotten up late that morning because I had the day off of work. I worked at A Child's World watching toddlers and I had taken that Tuesday off because some very good friends of our family, that live in Canada, had come in town to visit on the evening of Monday, September 10, 2001. They were only staying for a couple of days and we hadn't seen Joanne in seventeen years. This is the first time we had met her family. We had very much been looking forward to this visit for months and I had planned on spending the day at my Grandma's house with them. I did eventually go over there and spend some time but it was hard to focus on visiting with them when all I wanted to do was watch the news.

Joanne, Joey, Janet, and Brad had driven all the way from Canada to Disney World for a week and on their way back they stopped here to visit. I still offered to spend the day taking them around town and doing whatever they wanted to do but the gravity of the situation had taken it's toll. I put on my happy face and we all piled into my little civic. We drove to the mall - it was closed. We went to Best Buy - it was closed. We made it to a few stores but few people were shopping and no matter what the store was all the workers were huddled around the TVs. By the time we got back to my Grandma's house my Mom and brother were there. Then Chris came over and we spent the afternoon watching the news and making small talk. And then all of a sudden a new state of panic set in for me...I realized that my friend John was there. So I yelled "Mom! John works in New York!"

John was one of my best friends from middle and high school and he had just moved to NYC a few months before. We immediately called his Mom and her line was busy for hours. When we finally got through she assured us that he was okay but her phone had been ringing off the hook. She told us that he called her after the first plane hit and was actually on the phone with her when the second plane hit. John worked in a building across the street from towers. I can only imagine how scary that must have been for her to know that her son was just a few feet from the attacks...or how scary it was for John watching it unfold.

........

America changed that day. I changed that day.

When I think about it now it still feels fresh like it just happened but yet it's been 10 years. Ten Years ago Chris and I had been dating less than five months. It was before we were engaged, before we lived together, before we were married....before we ever thought we would own a house, or a dog, or have a child. Ten Years.

I don't consider myself an overly patriotic person. I love America but I don't wear Red, White, and Blue and boast about how proud I am. I'm almost annoyed when I see people wearing t-shirts with the Twin Towers on them with something that says "NEVER FORGET". We don't need all these things reminding us....store displays, special versions of the American flag, song after song about it. I won't ever forget. No one that saw what unfolded that day will ever forget. It's engraved into our memory.

I don't like watching the news cover it now. I don't want to see those planes fly into those buildings over and over and over again. It doesn't change anything. All it does is instill fear into people. If I turn on the TV now I don't want my four year old daughter to see a plane flying into a building and having to explain to her what it was or why it happened.

......

And while yesterday marked ten years ago that horrible tragedy happened I don't feel any different about it. I feel the same about it EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR. I couldn't believe when we marked the one year anniversary or the five year anniversary. I hardly feel like ten years have passed and I'm sure I'll say the same thing at twenty years.

I don't understand when I hear someone say that Nine Eleven should be a holiday. When I hear the words Nine Eleven...I do not think happy thoughts. It makes me feel sad. It makes me feel the way my Grandparents feel when they hear the words Pearl Harbor. Or the way my parents feel when they hear Kennedy Assassination. I actually remember that day more vividly than my wedding day. It's not a day to celebrate.

I had avoided the news all week because of the upcoming anniversary. So last night as I sat on my couch with my husband and my daughter to watch the New York Jets play football...I reflected as all the service men and women pulled that flag across the field before the game. I may not be overly patriotic but I do feel proud to see our flag and know that as a nation we overcame that tragedy that day. And I even smiled as Ivy let out a very enthusiastic "Hey Look! America!" And I felt relieved that it is in our past and that my daughter hasn't had to see such tragedy yet.

Friday Flashback...Uncle Nate

2011-09-09T11:35:00.001-04:00

We went on a mini-vacation about 3 years ago to Jacksonville and got to spend some time with my Uncle Nate....who's real name is Kelvin. And honestly I didn't know until a couple of years ago how we came to call him Uncle Nate.

It's kind of funny really...apparently back in the day there use to be a refrigerator brand called "The Kelvinator" and all his friends called him that growing up. So when I came along he decided that he would like to be called Uncle Nate. Only someone in my family would come up with that.

Back to the Flashback...when we were down in Jacksonville Uncle Nate came over and watched the Georgia game with us. Georgia lost and it was a sad, sad day....but it was the first time that Ivy got to spend some quality time with the Kelvinator and they've been best buds ever since.

Happy Friday!

Ivy-isms: The Best

2011-09-08T10:00:00.001-04:00

Something new I'm going to try on the blog is writing down some of the conversations that I have with Ivy. I really do need to start writing them down somewhere because I don't ever want to forget them. There are times when I can't believe that I can have a full blown conversation with my daughter and there are other times when she says something so funny or crazy that I wonder what I gave birth too.

But this made my day when she said this Monday night as I was stirring a pot of chicken and dumplings. Ivy was sitting at the dinner table with Chris.

Ivy: Hey Daddy...You know who DA BEST Mommy is?
Chris: Ummmm....Who?
Ivy: My Mommy!
Chris: That's sweet Ivy
Me: (Smiling from ear to ear)
Ivy: And you know who DA BEST Daddy is?
Chris: I don't know Ivy...who?
Ivy: You are silly!
Me: Hey Ivy...you know who THE BEST daughter in the whole world is?
Ivy: (With her eyes big, a crooked little grin, and a sarcastic tilt to her head) ME!!! I KNOW DAT MOMMY!!!!

HOME

2011-08-23T19:41:00.002-04:00

So after 1 year and 1 day the time had finally arrived for Clifford to come HOME. I woke up early and very anxious. I got out of bed and jumped on the elliptical to run and burn off some nervous energy. After we all got ready we headed out the door.

It was early and there wasn't much traffic on the road but as we were driving towards the interstate we saw police cars blocking the intersection. It was obviously too early to be a funeral. Then we got closer and we saw that behind the police cars was a group of bikers escorting two buses. Buses filled with soldiers leaving Ft. Gordon. And then there was the long line of cars behind the buses.

My stomach jumped to my throat and I got teary eyed. What are the odds that we would see this on the way to pick up our soldier? We were in that line a year ago crying because we were watching our soldier leave. I felt for those soldiers and their families. I never knew what to say to people who were surviving a deployment before...now that I've been through one and had to wake up everyday wondering if my brother was safe...well, I still don't know what to say. Everyone has to deal with it in their own way. And no matter how much you tell someone not to worry and that it will pass by quicker than you think...it still feels like forever. At least it did to me. But now that it's over and he's been back for a month (you guys know that I run at least a month behind on this blog) I wonder where that year went. When you're not living it anymore it seems like it passed a little faster.

We were some of the first people there. And when we were directed to the parking lot we saw Jeanna's car right away. It was awesome!

We got inside the gym and it felt like we waited FOREVER! We got there a little before nine because the ceremony was suppose to start at ten. Turns out that info was wrong...it didn't start until eleven. It's hard to wait when you know it's so close to being over but waiting an extra hour just felt brutal.

My Uncle David, Aunt Cheryl, and my cousins Sydney and Emily made some great signs to make sure Clifford saw us.

Ivy spent that two hours going from person to person entertaining us. She was patient and behaved well which made things a little easier. Although she did ask me to take her to the bathroom every 15 minutes. And then every five minutes she kept asking if Uncle Cliff was here yet and when I responded with a "no" she would say "well where him at?"

So like I said we anxiously waited...

...and waited...

...and waited....

...and then they played American Soldier by Toby Keith and had almost everyone crying! Notice I say "almost" everyone because country songs don't make me cry...just roll my eyes. And then all of sudden when the song quit playing they were marching in. That place erupted! We were screaming and jumping and crying! We had perfect seats thanks to Jeanna and Allie!

And then he was there. Marching and looking for us.

And when he saw us...his smile was priceless. He was happy.

They all marched in and lined up for the ceremony. 198 soldiers total. They left with 200. The total number of purple hearts given was twenty-three. The total number of bronze stars given was twenty and Clifford received an army commendation medal.

The ceremony was about five minutes long and then someone yelled...1221st You are DISMISSED! That place erupted and everyone ran as fast as they could for their soldier.

We didn't hang around long. Clifford was READY-TO-GO! Not that I blame him.

We posed for a few pictures outside since it was so crowded inside.

And then for old times sake when I had my back turned, Cliffy thought it would be funny to put his sweaty hat on me. It was soggy and stinky and gross! I really don't want to know what that hat has touched the past year...but I'm a good sport.

And then we left..and it was OVER!

WELCOME HOME CLIFFORD!

I Heart Faces - Beautiful Eyes

2011-08-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

Even when she's tired her eyes glow.

Meet Caleb

2011-08-15T13:09:00.001-04:00

My best friend Mandy had her sweet little boy this morning...Caleb Dean Rockett. Thank goodness we don't have to call him Pedro anymore...although I kind of like the name Pedro. He is named after her Dad's Dad.

I think every time I talked to Mandy during her pregnancy I asked her when her due date was. She would always reply with August 19th and then I would always say "Oh, I thought it was August 15th." So it's kind of funny that he was born on the 15th.

Congratulations to Jeremy and Mandy Rockett. I know you guys will be the best parents ever!

Here are his stats:

August 15, 2011 at 12:20 am
7 pounds 4 ounces
20 1/2 inches long

Our 4th of July

2011-08-10T12:47:00.000-04:00

We went back to Boone for the 4th to visit with Chris's family. We stayed with Jamie, Heather, and the boys again. We somehow didn't get any pictures with them which is strange but the camera didn't the leave the bag to much. We just tried to relax and enjoy ourselves.

On the 3rd we spent the morning together as a family. We went to eat at Knights on Main in Blowing Rock and took Ivy to the Candy Barrell and let her pick out some treats. We've taken her there before but it's been a while so I don't think she remembered it. We opened the door and her little eyes got SO HUGE! Imagine being a kid and walking into a store full of nothing but barrells of candy and toys...we hadn't even gotten both feet in the door and then half-laughing, half-squealing she said "Oh, I like this place!" Of course Chris and I and all of the other customers fell out laughing. Then she wasted no time grabbing a basket and throwing candy in.

She was so excited and if I'm being completely honest...so was I. Anywhere I can get a long neck Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle makes me happy.

Then it was off to Mountain City, TN to visit Chris's Grandma. Ivy hadn't seen "Big Maw" in over a year and a half. She was seriously barely walking the last time we went there...shame on us. The camera actually made it inside but we were too busy catching up with everyone and eating to take any pictures.

When we left Big Maw's house we went to the local park to have some playtime. Ivy got to spend some one on one time with her Paw which they both enjoyed. The playground was great and we were the only people there. And it was about 85 degrees instead of 105 degrees like it was in Georgia, so that was a plus.

As you can see...we ALL had lots of fun.

On the 4th we decided to skip the parades because we would lose so much time in the car. We took Ivy to play in the New River again instead. We didn't have the place to ourselves but it wasn't crowed either so it was nice. Ivy was excited...as you can tell.

It was fun to watch Chris get so excited about taking Ivy to the river. He grew up fishing and playing in it so it was special for him to get to take Ivy.

I on the other hand sat out on the rocks. Don't get me wrong...I was excited too but that water is cold...REALLY, REALLY COLD. And I'm just not down with it. I love the hot sun and being in the water but that water is so cold I want to cry. I also didn't take my swimsuit because I didn't want to change in the car.

And it's not very often that Chris gets to be in front of the camera.

While we were in the river a big thunderstorm came out of nowhere so we climbed back up the bank really fast and jumped in the car. It rained and rained and rained. We drove up to Beech Mountain where the temp dropped to.....wait for it....58 degrees. Seriously, 58 degrees in July in the middle of the day. That my friends is how Georgia and the North Carolina mountains differ in the summer.

The best part of the day...I got to see my cousin Amy and her husband Steve. They are missionaries and live in Mexico with their three kiddos. The last time I saw Amy was July 4th, 2007 when I was pregnant. I was excited for her to finally meet Ivy. Steve's family was having a big family reunion on Beech Mountain and they just happened to have a few days free and they were able to fly up for the holiday. I got really excited when Steve sent me a message telling me that if we were in North Carolina they would like to get together. Everything lined up and worked out and we spent a couple of hours just catching up. It was really nice to see them. Amy was my hero growing up and I've always looked up to her.

Our plans to spend the evening in Bethel for the Bethal Blast were changed because of the rain so we headed over spend the evening with Jamie and Heather. They were at her sister Tiffany's house and it was great to finally meet Tiffany in person! There were lots of kids so Ivy had a blast playing and running around. We all got ready to go on a hike but we didn't have the appropriate shoes and had to stay behind. We were bummed but thats okay because we got to run through a field of wild daisies.

I just noticed that tiny bug on the top left of that daisy.

And being in a field full of flowers that it's okay to pick....well that is Ivy's dream.

And I was serious when I said we got to run through a field of wild daisies....cue the cheesy movie music.

Now, I dare you to tell me those aren't the cutest pictures ever!

We even had a race. Ivy let me win.

Then she asked me to help her pick flowers. I had a cute little bouquet and she said "Here Mommy hold mine too." She handed me a bouquet of daisies with no petals. And this is the conversation that followed:

Me: Ivy why did you pick these? Pick some pretty ones so we can put them in water when we get back.
Ivy: I did pick pretty ones.
Me: But they don't have any petals Ivy.
Ivy: But they are all pretty Mama!

I could probably learn something from this kid.

We finished the evening with a firework show out in Linville. It was nice even though it was wet from all the rain. I hope you had a great 4th too!

My Virgin Harvest

2011-08-08T12:54:00.000-04:00

I've been reading a blog for about a year now called Dig this Chick. It's written by a hip Mama in Montana that is very crafty and I always enjoy reading the stories about her kids and learning new tricks from her. In addition to raising kids she sews, cooks, and gardens.

Every year she hosts Virgin Harvest for people that want to start a garden or grow something new. I remember spending my summer days in the garden with my Grandma growing up and I always LOVED the fresh vegetables that she would cook for us. I'm not a pro like she was but I thought I would give it a shot this year and try to maintain a few plants. I've never had much luck with flowers...as in they die within a few days so I was a little nervous. I didn't want to dig up any of my husbands prized yard that he works so hard on and I just assumed that the plants were going to die anyway so I planted them right up against the house.

I planted 1 each of jalapeno pepper, cayenne pepper, sweet banana pepper, red bell pepper, straight neck yellow squash, crooked neck yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, and pumpkin.

About 2 weeks after I planted everything

Now considering I don't have much space to grow a garden and I've not been in a garden since my summer days spent at my Grandma's growing up....I over estimated it a little bit. Things started out small and great. But I forgot that a cucumber is a creeping plant, a pumpkin is vine that goes everywhere, and squash plants get as big as me!

L: First Cayenne bloom, R: First Jalapeno bloom

The very first thing I picked

First Jalapenos but I should have waited a little bit longer to pick them.

The pepper plants are doing great! The Jalapeno and Cayenne started producing almost immediately. The sweet banana took a while but it's doing great now and my bell peppers are finally sprouting. The squash plants produced a few edible squash and I got one good zucchini, but after a few weeks they became out of control and quit producing because I think they got over crowded. They started overtaking the grass and it made my hubby freak out a little so they had to be pulled. My pumpkin vine bit the dust about a week ago, I'm not sure what happened because it was looking great and then all of sudden it wasn't. I got one good cucumber but the plant is still blooming and looks healthy so I'm leaving it alone for right now. Most of the cucumbers get about an inch long and then shrivel up and I have to pull them but I do have two cucumbers that are looking good and should be ready to pick soon. Hopefully it will pan out and produce a few more before the summer is over.

Here is a picture of the only mishap I had with my peppers:

I have never seen one of these caterpillars before other than pictures and he fascinated me. Ivy and I spent a lot of time looking at him and talking about him...she was just as fascinated but wasn't getting anywhere near him. I tried to get him off my plant with a stick so that we could see him better and move him but he wouldn't budge. I really wasn't sure what to do with him so I just left him alone...mistake. The next morning when I went out to check my plants he was much bigger and a good bit of my pepper plant was missing so something had to be done. I still couldn't get him to climb onto stick to move him so I just clipped off the part of the plant he was on and moved him....across the yard over to some very leafy potato plants that Chris had planted as ground cover. Problem solved right? Wrong...he only likes the leaves of cayenne peppers. I went back outside that evening and he was back. Seriously! I thought about maybe putting him in an aquarium so that Ivy could watch him make a cocoon and turn into a moth but he was just so big! Chris thinks it was a totally different caterpillar but I thoroughly checked that plant and all the other plants after I moved him. Since I moved him the second time (across the street) we've not seen anymore.

This has been a lot of fun to do with Ivy because it makes her excited to eat vegetables when she can pick them! When I let her pull that first cucumber she nearly had a fit to cut it up and eat it RIGHT THEN! She even ate a few bites of squash and zucchini that I cooked. She said she liked them but I wasn't convinced considering she only ate one bite of each and then said she was full.

Most of these pictures are a few weeks old but hopefully I will have some more before the end of summer. And hopefully after reading a few books during the winter I'll have a better understanding of it next year and have a little more success along with a little bit bigger space.

Friday Flashback...Aunt Mandy

2011-08-05T14:41:00.002-04:00

This was the first time my best friend Mandy got to meet Ivy. Mandy taught her to stick out her tongue that day....thanks Aunt Mandy! And Mandy is going to have her own little bundle of joy in a week or two....and his name will be Pedro. (Just kidding, it won't really be Pedro but Mandy thinks it's cool to keep secrets!)

We love you and miss you Mandy!

Happy Friday!

Picasso in the making?

2011-08-03T14:24:00.000-04:00

This is a couple of months old but I was going through some pictures and thought I should share.

A lot of times when I'm doing laundry Ivy and I will spend time in the craft room together because it's right next to it and Ivy doesn't think I'm ignoring her when I get up to fold the clothes. We paint, color, play with play-doh, build things or play kitchen and grocery store.

Ivy's favorite craft is probably painting but my Mom recently bought her some oil pastels and she is loving how bright and vivid they are. I left her in there one day while I was switching clothes from the washer to dryer and she was drawing lines and circles and being very abstract like she normally is. She yelled out "Mommy look I drew Daddy" so I walked in there to look thinking I'm just going to see some scribbles like normal and we will talk about how the red line is Daddy and the yellow one is Mommy, etc. But when I walked in she was pointing to a face that she drew. A blue head with blue circle eyes, a purple nose, and a blue mouth.

I was shocked to say the least. I guess it's not really shocking to see a three year old draw a face but it was the first time that I saw her do it. I'm sure she's done it before at school or at Grammie's house but it was a special moment for me.

Later that evening we were back in the craft room and I noticed her magna-doodle leaning up against the wall with stick people on it. I asked her if she drew them and she said "Yes! That's me and you Mommy!"

This is a direct quote from Ivy: "Mommy you are the big round one and Ivy is the small one with sunglasses."
I asked her if we were at a party because it looked like there was confetti flying around. She said "No those are just shapes I like."

I just thought it was the cutest thing ever!

Friday Flashback...pizza=good

2011-07-22T14:55:00.002-04:00

...Ivy's first time eating pizza - she's been hooked ever since. Like Mother, Like Daughter I guess.

Happy Friday!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-07-18T13:44:00.003-04:00

Lots and lots of pictures for this post but not as many words...mostly because I think the pictures speak for themselves but also because I'm not feeling very "wordy" today. Hope you enjoy.

We spent Memorial Day in Boone again and we had lots and lots of fun! We visited a lot with Jamie, Heather, Charlie and Baby Brady. We went to a festival in Todd, NC that was really cute. There was a guy playing the guitar and singing and Ivy and Charlie loved it. Of course any kind of live music Ivy assumes is an open invitation to dance. She even got Charlie to dance some but he soon got bored with it....

...but not Ivy...she danced and danced and danced...

...she would have danced all day if that guy hadn't quit singing.

We ate breakfast at a wonderful place called Knights on Main Sunday morning. Chris was sneaky and got some pictures of Ivy and I coloring while we waited for our table. Ivy noticed before I did...as you can see I was taking my coloring very seriously.

I don't usually like art forms that require kids to "stay in the lines" but this crayola wonder color stuff is great for the car or for long waits at restaraunts.

We headed over to Moses Cone Manor to see some crafts and we found lots and lots of horses.

One guy was even nice enough to let Ivy sit on top of his horse for a little bit. She was in heaven. Maybe she'll be a natural like I was as a kid. Oh how I wish horses were still a part of my life.

Chris took us down to one of his favorite spots on the New River to play. When we were crossing on the rocks we noticed these yellow swallowtails. They are pretty common up there but we have never seen this many in one spot! Whatever was in that moss must have been really delish because at one point I bet there were 50 of them! Ivy was interested in getting a closer look but as you can see the bees liked that little patch of moss too so we kept our distance.

I stepped into the river with Ivy and I instantly got cramps in my feet. I have never felt water so cold.

Ivy was not deterred by the cold water in the least. She had a blast.

She would have stood next to that river all day and night just throwing rocks if I would have let her...

...and I would have let her if we didn't have other obligations later that day.

This picture was on the ride to her Great Mamaw and Papaws house. She wanted the windows down and since it was only 75 degrees we obliged. I think she looks so beautiful in this picture with her hair blowing in the wind even though you can tell she is SO very tired.

We spent that evening with Jamie and Heather. Ivy had lots of fun meeting all of Aunt Heather's horses.

I like to call Charlie "Sir Charles" for no particular reason. But he is adorable and he doesn't really act like he loves me as much as I love him but I know he does because I bring him cupcakes.

One of the many games played that night - it was called "Pull me Charlie!"

For dinner we roasted hot dogs. And when I say we "roasted" hot dogs I mean on a real stick plucked from a tree over a real fire. My heart was very happy. My heart got even happier when we roasted marshmellows...on a real stick over a real fire.

Before we left on Monday we took a family hike around Price Lake. The trail is 2.3 miles round trip and Ivy walked at least a mile of that by herself. I was very impressed. Walking around that lake under the trees made me happy when I would look up and see this. Natural beauty.

Ivy got to sit on a fallen tree across the path and as you can see she was very excited about it but also a little nervous because it was a bit high.

This was taken after our hike. The sun was brutal but Chris and I felt like we needed to get this picture. We took this exact same hike and picture nine years ago. The only significant change to the picture other than gray hairs is the gorgeous little girl between us.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend.

Friday Flashback....What the....

2011-07-15T22:17:00.005-04:00

Ivy's 1st "Tickle Me Elmo" from her Maw. What do you think that look on her face means?

Happy Friday!

Meeting Baby Brady

2011-07-12T13:06:00.001-04:00

We got to meet precious baby Brady over Memorial Day weekend. He is extra chubby and adorable. He whispered that he wanted to come home with me...but no one believed me.

Ivy was excited to meet him too. She talked about visiting Charlie and his new baby brother for a week before we went to visit. Except she called Brady "Charlie's baby."

Chris took some baby portraits for Jamie & Heather. They are such a sweet family of four.

Watching baby portraits proved to be a little bit boring for big brother Charlie and Ivy.

Those big eyes and that big belly just makes me want to squeeze him.

Charlie eventually agreed to show his brotherly love.

Shirts by Dig this Chick

Congrats to Jamie and Heather on the new addition!

The Embrace

2011-07-10T18:37:00.000-04:00

He's home. These two crazy kids were very happy to see each other.

More to come.

10 years...

2011-07-09T16:23:00.001-04:00

April 30th was exactly 10 years ago that I met my husband and I wrote the story of how we met.

We met at Logan's on a blind date so of course we went there to celebrate the occasion. We only have one picture from the night and I wanted to share it. I think it's pretty cute except for the horrible lighting and my eyes being red because I couldn't quit tearing up. I'm such a sap lately.

Friday Flashback...RUN, POLLACK, RUN!

2011-07-08T21:19:00.003-04:00

Just a quick couple of pictures for this Friday's flashback.

I thought maybe P-man deserved a little bit of blog time today. These were taken in Valle Crucis park back in 2006, before Ivy was even a thought in our minds. It's one of our favorite places to go now as a family and it was back then too as a couple. Pollack LOVES it! I think it's because the grass is so soft and tall and wide open that he just wants to run and run and run.

Happy Friday!

Milo

2011-07-07T13:53:00.000-04:00

I have tried to write this post for about a month now but I just didn't know how to do it. The wound was just too fresh. It's a strange thing how we get attached to our animals almost as if they are human. I'm dealing better with it now and I feel like I can finally write it.

Many of you that know that I've had an orange tabby cat named Milo for almost 15 years.

I promise he wasn't grumpy in this picture...he was just anxious to get back to his Christmas catnip.

I got him when I was 15 years old. He was my pride and joy. He was soft, fuzzy and full of personality. When I got him he was a tiny little thing and I was told that his Mom was really small so he would probably be a small cat....they were wrong. His Mom may have been tiny but his Daddy must have been the Hulk Hogan of cats because Milo got big...actually he got huge. He never acted unhealthy and he was always active...he was just huge. At his heaviest he was around 18 pounds and He rightfully earned the name FatCat courtesy of my brother.

I got married and moved out and my Mom decided that Milo should stay with her since she had another cat that was a couple of years younger than Milo. She didn't want them to be separated. I understood and left Milo there but he was still my FatCat.

Milo was never really bothered by anyone or anything. If he wanted to be left alone he would go off and be by himself. If he wanted to be rubbed he would come sit in your lap. If he wanted to play he would just look at you and "meow" until you got a toy for him. He also had a "stare" that would let you know if he was displeased. He loved tuna and homemade vanilla ice cream.

Milo gave us a good scare about three months ago. I remember walking in Mom's house to drop Ivy off before work and she had him wrapped up in a towel and cuddling him. My stomach lurched into my throat. All I could think was "Oh Crap!" Mom took him into the vet that morning when they opened and they basically told her what we expected. "He's old." He was down to barely weighing nine pounds and they didn't recommend us spending a lot of money on him with blood work but they did say that his eyes looked clear and he seemed to have some personality left. He was really dehydrated so they gave him a bag of fluids and sent him home with instructions to force feed him gatorade several times a day...Milo did not like this and neither did Mom. He went back in the next day and got another bag of fluids and Mom kept on giving him gatorade for a few more days. Soon enough Milo was back to his old habits...jumping on counters, taking up the entire couch to sleep and trying to jump on the table while people were eating in hopes of getting some scraps.

But about a month ago the inevitable happened. Mom called me at work upset and said something is wrong with Milo. I could tell it was different this time. The vet was closed so I had to call around and find another one. When I got to Mom's he looked absolutely pitiful. He couldn't walk and wouldn't even look at me when I rubbed his head. Mom said that he fell and had what she thought was a seizure. We got him to the vet and I had prepared myself for what was about to happen. The vet was able to get him to stand a little and almost had me convinced I had made the wrong decision. He was offering to give him fluids, run blood work, and keep him over night. I was ready to change my mind and tell them to run the tests and then I looked over at Milo - he was gasping for air and his eyes looked empty. I told the vet that I couldn't watch him like this. It was hard but it was time to let go.

I sure do miss that fatty. And I know my Mom does too.

CNN feature

2011-07-06T12:08:00.004-04:00

I got a call from my Dad on July 4th and he said that one of his friends called him because he just saw him on CNN. Dad was obviously confused and asked how and they explained that the video of my brother surprising us when he came home was shown during an interview.

They were doing a feature on the Welcome Home Blog and showing clips from different videos. Two clips were shown from the video Jeanna made. I think it's crazy that off all the videos they had to choose from they showed two clips from Clifford's.

Check it out here if you want to watch. Get some tissue first!

Solid Ground

2011-07-05T15:46:00.002-04:00

Today on the 5th of July this guy set foot back on American soil.

While we can't see him for a few more days we are so happy that he is back. He was suppose to be back yesterday on the 4th of July but we are okay with one day delay. He's back and he's safe. Happy 5th of July!

The rest of my catching up...

2011-07-01T13:15:00.001-04:00

April and May always prove to be REALLY busy months that leave us spinning in circles. So when things finally start to slow down a little bit for us and we have free time to spend together as a family we generally take it and so this little blog gets neglected. I do my best to keep it updated because I enjoy blogging but it's so hard to keep up with while working full time and taking care of a family.

April

Ivy had a music program at her school that was adorable! It's always really hard to get good pictures because it's so crowded. Before the program starts they always do an art auction to raise money for the school. Each class does a big art project together and then the parents bid on it. Ivy's class each painted an animal from the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? and one of the parents turned it into a quilt. Chris and I won the auction for the quilt but I won't tell you how much we bid on it....ouch is all I have to say...but hey it was for a good cause and it's a great keepsake for Ivy.

That's her boyfriend Henry next her.

We dyed some Easter Eggs this year and it was lots of fun. The first time we tried to dye Easter Eggs Ivy was only 18 months old and it was a bit of a challenge. Last year we didn't get to do it because we were moving...so this year Ivy really got into it. She had lots of fun directing me on which eggs should be red or yellow, which eggs were to be drawn on first, and if they should soak longer or pull them out early. She's very particular about things so I let her do most of the dipping and dying.

And then there was the "Easter Egg Hunt of 2011". The whole neighborhood got together and made sure there was lots of eggs and lots of treats for the kids. Ivy had a blast running around with her BFF Mea, she was more concerned with making sure Mea found lots of eggs rather than putting them in her own basket. These girls are so cute together.

Dress made my my Mom.

And is it just me or does my girl look way to grown up in that picture above?

And of course the Easter Bunny came and Ivy got all kinds of goodies.

May

Every year at Ivy's school they have a Mother's Day tea and we have to make fun hats to wear. This year I let Ivy pick out some ribbon and flowers and we just embellished some hats that we already had.

Emily, Ivy, Emma, and Brigid

Ivy had a blast at her spring carnival too. I had volunteered to work the popcorn and snow cone machine so Ivy got to run around a lot with just her Daddy until my shift was over. And boy did she had a blast! Of course the bounce houses were her favorite thing. She seriously went up and down the slide so fast that we couldn't quit laughing at her. She was passing kids as she went up and then she would jump in front of them and just plop down on her booty go down. She was not your average slider...for every one time another kid went down, I bet Ivy went down five times.

Ever since I became a Mom I've felt kind of weird about Mother's Day. I feel like there is a lot of pressure for someone to do something big and special and it really stresses me out for some reason. So my Mother's Day was quiet and simple. All three of us slept in until about 8:30 and then we went and got donuts for breakfast. I seriously can't remember the last time I slept until 8:30! It was so nice!

So other than Memorial Day weekend and all of June I think I'm caught up now! Ha!

Friday Flashback...the paci

2011-07-01T12:18:00.003-04:00

...this was the one and only time Ivy ever took a paci.

Happy Friday!

Her Babies...

2011-06-27T12:00:00.001-04:00

Ivy loves to take care of her babies. She has several baby dolls that that she likes to take care of and she'll even bring them to me and say something like "All my babies are crying, I need you to help me." It cracks me up and of course I drop what I'm doing to assist in her baby caring needs. They also hit and yell so they get regular timeouts.

This picture was taken a couple of months ago but I'm just getting around to it. I was cooking dinner one night with Chris while Ivy was up stairs playing. I had no idea what she was doing really but I did notice that she got quiet so I went up to check on her.

She had put all her babies to bed and then put herself to bed.

Friday Flashback...marching away

2011-06-17T09:06:00.003-04:00

This was last July...pretty soon these soldiers will be marching the other way. Which makes me very happy.

Happy Friday! Happy Friday indeed!

Friday Flashback...I want YOU!

2011-06-10T20:46:00.001-04:00

This picture just cracks me up.

Happy Friday!

The R&R

2011-06-08T20:45:00.001-04:00

I'm really late posting this but then again what's new. To read more about my brother's deployment click here. If you haven't seen the video of Clifford surprising us when he came home for R&R then here it is....grab a tissue first and I'm an ugly crier (just wanted to warn you).

Clifford came home April 7th and surprised Mom and Me and then realized that the next day was our Dad's birthday. Best birthday present EVER according to my Dad.

Sr. and Jr.

I'm a really bad liar - even when it comes to surprising someone. I called Dad just like I normally would to tell him Happy Birthday and to make sure that he was home. He asked why so I said that I had the afternoon off of work and Ivy and I wanted to spend some time with him on his birthday. He said that he was at Mama Hancock's and I should just come there. He sounded REALLY bummed out and grumpy. I was a nervous wreck but I knew this would make his day.

I made Clifford and Jeanna duck down in the backseat of my car going up the drive way and then when we got next to house they opened the door and jumped out. I was shaking the whole time driving out there and I had butterflies in my stomach. It almost didn't work because when Dad saw us coming up the driveway he started walking outside and they barely got out of my car in time to hide. But as you can see from the video Dad was VERY surprised.

After Dad started breathing again he called my Debra. I felt kind of bad because he was fine when he called her and then when she answered he just started crying and he could barely get anything out...I know she had to be thinking the worst. He finally got it out and then she left work and joined us.

As usual...Dad is talking when we try to take a picture.

We just spent the afternoon at Mama Hancock's house. Talking and laughing and living in the moment. Ivy played in the dirt, picked up caterpillars, and picked flowers...all very fun things to do when you're in the country.

Ivy picked her Paw Paw out a bird house for his birthday and she wanted him to see her paint it. And of course he loved it.

Clifford was home for two weeks and he kept a pretty low profile. He said he wanted to do NOTHING and that's exactly what he did. He just needed some downtime after basically being at work 24 hours a day for the past 10 months. But all good things come to an end and eventually he had to quit doing nothing and get ready to go back. So for his last worry free night we had Taco Night at our house. Mom did most of the cooking and I helped a little...and by helped a little I mean I opened beers and made Margaritas.

It was a low key evening. We ate and laughed and just soaked up being together.

It sucked saying goodbye again. But it was a little bit easier this time knowing that we were only saying goodbye for a couple of months instead of a year. And we are officially on the count down now! I can't say when he'll be home because of security reasons but there is an end in sight and we are so ready for this to be over.

See you soon Cliffy!

Memory Lane...Banditos

2011-05-31T11:59:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the most random thing will trigger a memory. And it's always best when it's something that you don't think of very often.

When we bought our Honda Accord almost three years ago and it came with XM radio. It was free for three months. I loved it but never got around to renewing it because I have a kid and I'm punished by being forced to listen to whatever she wants to listen too so I figured why pay for it.

Well I got a notice in the mail a couple of weeks ago that I would be getting XM in the car again for free for two weeks. I'm still not going to pay for it so I'm really soaking it up for two weeks. I've been flipping through the stations and figuring out which ones are my favorites. I found "Lithium" which is the 90's alternative station and OH MY GOSH I LOVE IT! It's the soundtrack to my teenage years.

So on to the point of my story...I was listening to Lithium on my way home from work on Friday and a song called "Banditos" came on by a band called "The Refreshments" and I was instantly taken back to 1996.

I fell into hysterical laughter. I could not believe that I was hearing this song because I had honestly forgotten about it! It reminded me so much of sitting in the back seat of my Mom's Ford Explorer with my brother sitting to my left in his red and white T-ball uniform. We both loved that song and we would be so excited when Mom would let us pick the radio station. Or when Mom wouldn't let us pick the radio station and we would change it from the back seat because we had that fancy option along with back seat air conditioning. (Note: Mom did not like it when we would randomly change the channel.) But no matter how we heard the song we danced and sang it at the top of our lungs when it came on the radio.

I also remember sitting at home with my brother that summer when it was a huge hit on the radio and he wanted me to call the radio station to request it. I called and because I didn't know the name of that song I said "Hey can you play that stupid people song?" To which the DJ replied "Why does everyone call it the stupid people song? The name of the song is called Banditos, you know like the bad guys." And then they played me asking for it on the radio and my brother thought that was soooooo cool! Hopefully my brother will read this and it will bring a smile to his face like it did mine.

So even though it's really not one of the greatest songs of the 90's I'll never forget it! And for those of you wanting to take a trip down memory lane click the link below (I would like to apologize in advance if it's stuck in your head for a week)....

Banditos by The Refreshments

Friday Flashback....baby Charlie

2011-05-27T15:34:00.003-04:00

A little over two years ago I got to meet baby Charlie.

He was born to two of the sweetest people we know...Jamie and Heather. Jamie is Chris's Uncle and his wife Heather has turned out to be one of the sweetest friends I could have ever met.

And tomorrow I get to meet his baby brother Brady.

I can't wait to get my hands on that cute little boy and just kiss on him, hold his tiny little fingers and smell the top of his cute little head!

Happy Friday!

Friday Flashback...the sleepsack

2011-05-13T22:08:00.003-04:00

Ivy was just a few weeks old in this picture. The sleepsack that she was wearing is hands down my favorite thing that I've ever put on her. She looked so cute in it and I was heart broken when she out grew it. I think it may be the only item she out grew that made me cry.

Happy Friday!

So I have some catching up to do...

2011-05-11T15:14:00.002-04:00

Since I neglected my blog for a while...here is a quick run through of the past three months....

February

Ivy had a Valentines party at school and we made some Valentines to pass out instead of buying them. I cut her out some hearts on my Cricut and let her have it with markers, crayons and glue. Then we put a sucker in the middle of each one. Ivy loved it! She was obsessed with her Valentines box with all the goodies that she got for a couple of weeks too. She carried it around from room to room, sit down in the floor, open it and take out all of her cards and candy, reorganize them back in the box and then come talk to me about it for a few minutes and then the cycle would start all over again.

Ivy is obsessed with stickers. When she gets a sheet of stickers she has to use EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. right then! I'm all the time walking around with a random sticker stuck to me. So she gave us some on Valentines day...even poor P-man gets stickers. P isn't so fond of it but Ivy thinks he's adorable walking around with a sticker on his back.

Ivy spent some time rocking out with her Daddy. She liked his guitar better than the toy one.

We had more adventures in Ivy dressing herself.

Left: Very typical Ivy and those boots are at least one size too big. Right: Rainbow day at school - Ivy's dream! Shirt by Dig this Chick.

Zach and Kristin got hitched...in North Carolina...in the middle of February. I was worried about there being three feet of snow on the ground and freezing my butt off but it warmed up nicely and I think it was probably in the 50's...which is totally crazy for Boone that time of year.

Zachary and Kristin Ward - February 19, 2011

Ivy had lots of fun before the wedding playing with her cousins and running around like a mad woman stressing me out. Carter showed her that the mic was on....and well she's the next American Idol.

All three of us were in the wedding but we waited until we got home to a warmer climate to take pictures of Ivy in her flower girl dress. And I must say, she may be the cutest flower girl I've ever seen.

And since we were in the wedding we didn't get to take many pictures so I stole this next one from the photographer that they used. I really don't think those Wards knew what they were getting when I married into that family. You see Kristin wanted pictures of everyone acting silly (because we are) and my Father-in-law, Arville would not make a silly face when instructed....so I had to take matters into my own hands. But then of course it seems that Kristin and I were the only two being silly because everyone got distracted when I wrapped my leg around Arville. Classic.

Right after we got home from the wedding Chris went on his first business trip. It totally sucked. He was gone a whole week and we missed him a lot! Hopefully there won't be anymore of those trips. I don't know how single parents do it.

March

We got spoiled with some really warm weather for most of February and then the temp dropped to the 50's again and well we thought we were going to freeze to death. Ivy felt it was necessary to put on a hat to make sure her ears didn't get cold. But even though she really didn't need the hat she looks pretty adorable.

I would love to say that she buttoned that sweater all by herself but I would be lying...that was all me. Oops.

She loves her Maw.

My Dad and Deb had a birthday party for Maw out at their house on the farm.And of course Ivy was running around crazy like usual out there. It was pretty wet and chilly but she didn't let that stop her from riding her new tricycle that Paw Paw and Nana Hannah got her.

And whenever she wasn't obsessed with this disco light...she was dancing with her Daddy, which of course made my heart melt.

And of course we have some more of Ivy dressing herself...

Left: Of course she has on striped tights and her bunny shirt made by my friend Brooke. Right: Circus day at school so she got to wear a costume.

Ivy had to make a statue for her Kindermusik class and when I asked what she wanted to make she said "A Dolphin jumping out of the water" very matter of factly. Dolphins are her favorite. I made the basic shape of the dolphin and then let her pinch the waves together and she put the fins on him. She rolled the eyes out herself and placed them on him. Then she said "I want to paint the waves", so we did. Then she wanted him to have a flower on his head and a snowflake tattoo on his tail. I did not dare tell her no to any of it. I want her to be as creative as possible. I asked her what she wanted to name him and she replied "Just Dolphin Mommy." It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

Since it warmed back up around mid March we've been spending a lot of time outside using sidewalk chalk.

We were even able to get away for a weekend in March and go visit my Uncle David and Aunt Cheryl in McDonough. We always have a blast and get to do lots of Tanger outlet shopping. And Ivy gets to hang with Emily which I'm pretty sure is her favorite thing in the whole world. This visit we couldn't keep Ivy off of the trampoline.

April

We went to the Monday practice rounds at the Masters. I haven't been since I was 19 so I was pretty excited to see it again. Even if you're not a fan of golf it's still a beautiful place and it was a gorgeous day! Chris's Uncle Randall and Aunt Libby got to come down from North Carolina to go with us and we had a blast.

If you read my previous post in April then you know that my brother came home from Afghanistan for his R&R and surprised us all. He's lucky that we didn't all have heart attacks. More on that to come later. So for now it seems that I'm semi caught up. Hooray!

The Story of Us...

2011-04-30T07:42:00.001-04:00

People are always asking how Chris and I met and I've told the story a thousand times but I've never actually written it down. So here goes nothing....

It all started on April 8, 2000. I came home for the weekend from college. It was my Dad's birthday and my Mom had Masters tickets. Overall it was a pretty good day for me. I was driving back to college really late and I stopped to get a coffee from McDonald's. I was putting creamer in my coffee when someone casually asked me where the creamer was. I spent the next hour at McDonald's talking to the guy. When I finally got back in my car I called my Mom and said "I just met the man I'm gonna marry!" Only....It wasn't Chris. But that day when I met this other guy is when my life changed dramatically. I had never been in love before and I instantly fell head over heels. I dated him for almost a year and I learned A LOT about myself and what a loving and supportive relationship should be like.

Also on April 8, 2000...Chris packed up all his stuff and left Boone, NC and moved to Augusta, GA. He was moving to Augusta to help his Mom at a restaurant that she had opened. It's the day he left his ex-girlfriend.

Fast forward to March of 2001. Me and supposed future husband split and it wasn't pretty but I'll spare all those details. My step mom, Deb, had been pressuring me for several months to let her give my number to a guy she thought would be perfect for me even though she knew I was dating someone. In mid April I finally gave in and said "FINE!" but I told her she shouldn't expect anything because I really wasn't in the mood for a guy...but then again I had nothing to lose. I had also been set up on a blind date the week before by a friend...it's sad because I can't even remember that guys name. He was really nice, just no real connection there. Then Chris called a few days after Deb gave him my number. And I SWEAR on my life this is exactly what he said on my voice mail.... "Um, hey. My names Chris and your Mom REEEEEALLY wants me to call you sooooo, just give me a call back if you want.".....SERIOUSLY!!! I was not impressed...but something made me call him back. We set up a date and time to meet. April 30, 2001 at Logan's roadhouse. We had a blast! There was an instant connection.

I did go on one other date with the guy who's name I can't remember but I never called him back again and I spent many weeks avoiding his calls. I do remember getting freaked out by him on our second date when he said to me "My sister really wants to meet you." I jokingly said "But, I'm really not into girls." He totally didn't get my sarcasm...and that totally let me know there was no future for us.

I agreed to let Chris pick me up for our second date but I was so nervous I didn't let him come in the house. I was arguing with my Mom about something and when I saw him walk up to the door I just ran out and said "Hey lets go." He said "Shouldn't I speak to your Mom?" I said "No. Lets go." We walked to get in his car and he had me the cutest little dog in the car waiting for me. It was was wearing a big puffy vest and ski goggles. I still think it's adorable and it sits on a shelf in my craft room now. I remember getting home after our second date the first thing I did was call my roommate from college and I said "Estee, I have found my future husband!" She laughed at me and I said "NO! Don't laugh! I'm serious!" And the next time I saw her she had me a wedding planning book.

So we kept dating and we were having a blast. Then there was one night in August when we went out to dinner and Chris was acting very strange. I kept asking if he was okay and he kept saying yes. He dropped me off at Mom's and gave me a kiss good night. And I thought that was the last time I would see him. I really thought it was over and he was going to break up with me. As he left I was heart broken and I said "Just call me when you get home so I know you made it okay." I had never said that before and he just looked at me funny and said "Okay, I will." That felt like the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I sat in my bedroom clutching my cell phone waiting for it to ring. It did finally ring and he said he made it home fine. Then as we were about to hang up he said "Marti.......I love you." I sat in stunned silence for a few seconds and then finally responded with the worst possible answer...."You do?" Then he sat silent and finally said "Yeah, I do." I was in such shock that I started giggling and then eventually said "Well good cause I love you too!"

I think that swallowing our pride and forgetting how much we had been hurt by our last relationships was the hardest part, but once we did that and let each other know how we really felt things only got better. I introduced him to most of my family and then he took me to NC to meet his family. I was a nervous wreck but I seemed to fit right in. We had been dating for eight months when we went out to dinner on New Years Eve. I remember this being the first time I was ever annoyed at him. We went to eat at Chili's and he asked for a table that was right next to the door so that he could see the TV (basketball season and a boy from NC...I guess he couldn't help it). It was so freezing by that door that I could barely eat and he wasn't really talking at all because he was too busy watching the TV. I was ready to go! When we got in the car he asked me if I wanted to go anywhere else and I responded with a quick "NO!" because I was freezing and I wasn't in the mood for anything that involved not sitting under a heated blanket.

We went back to his apartment and had some Asti to drink and watch some TV. He even tried to teach me how to play chess which was a lost cause. Then we watched the ball drop and counted down to the new year. He kissed me when the clock struck 12 and it was seriously the BEST.KISS.OF.MY.LIFE. I was confused when he started pulling away but when I opened my eyes he was on one knee holding a diamond ring. I gasped and he said "Will you marry me?" I just started crying and laughing and after what I'm sure felt like forever to him I was finally able to get out a "YES!"

We had a long but fun engagement and we got married on April 26, 2003. So this year we celebrated 8 years of marriage and today is 10 years since we met! I can't believe how fast time has passed. It feels like just yesterday when we met but it also feels like we've known each other our whole lives! We joke about how we were suppose to be each others rebounds but we were really each others forever. So there you have it...the Story Of Us and here's to many, many more years together!

Friday Flashback....little Clifford

2011-04-29T14:59:00.004-04:00

This is my first Friday Flashback in a while now. I was doing pretty good with them for a while and then I kind of got into a funk and didn't want to do them or any blogging for that matter. So I wanted to make this one special.

Many of you know that my brother Clifford and I are very close. And while he has been deployed to Afghanistan this year it has been hard for me. A sibling is someone that you have a bond with that no one else can quite touch. We've have hard times together and good times together. But no matter what happens or where we are we are always there for each other.

So when I think about memories of us together as kids this is one of the images that always pops into my head.

I remember this day vividly. We were down by the main pond on my Papa's land. We had spent most of the day fishing. There was an old table down there that we would always climb on and jump off of like we could fly. It sat under a HUGE tree that gave us the perfect amount of shade. I remember that my Dad and Grandparents were grilling that day and when Clifford went over to get his hot dog he stepped on a hot piece of charcoal that had fallen out of the grill. I remember hearing him cry and I ran over. Only I could comfort him and we spent the rest of the day just sitting under that tree while I held some ice on it.

I went out to my Dad's house about a month ago and from his front porch you can see that pond. The table has been gone for years but I thought that tree would always be there. There had been some bad storms a couple nights that week and that old tree got blown over. I was so sad that all I could do was just stare at it in silence. I walked slowly down to the pond with Chris and Ivy to try and take it in. As I let Ivy climb all over the broken pieces of that tree I thought about all those times that Clifford and I played under it together. And although my brother hasn't seen it yet I know that he will be sad too.

Happy Friday!

Has it really been that long...

2011-04-26T09:19:00.001-04:00

Eight years ago today I married my best friend. It was a beautiful, sunny, hot spring day.

I'll never forget seeing Chris's entire family from North Carolina walk in. I'll never forget how jam packed that tiny church was and the feeling of love that filled that small space. I'll never forget that Jud started reading the poem "Grow Old Along With Me" and how surprised I was because that was the song that I had chosen for my friend Beth to sing. I'll never forget how beautiful it was to hear my sweet friend Beth sing it. I remember it feeling so perfect.

I'll never forget leaning slightly to the right as Jud was reading scripture and I locked eyes with my brother and winked...he started crying. I'll never ever forget it or the peaceful feeling that I had as I said my vows. I'll never forget the look of shock on everyone's face as we danced to "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys. I'll never forget feeding each other cake and the nausea that over took us because it was so sweet and we hadn't eaten in two days. I'll never forget any of the things that went wrong to keep it from being perfect...but it was perfect anyway.

Happy Birthday Aunt Heather!

2011-04-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

Today is Aunt Heather's birthday and we love her and miss her so much! Hope you enjoy Heather!

Surprise of my life...

2011-04-14T15:09:00.001-04:00

It was a rough week last week. It started off great. It was Masters Monday and we got to go with Chris's Uncle Randell and Aunt Libby.

I could go on forever with Master's pictures because it's so beautiful and my husband is a good photographer...but more on that later.

Shortly after that it was downhill.

My Dad had kept Ivy Sunday night and Monday while we were at the Masters. When he brought her home her fever was 103. We ended up taking her to the ER because it wouldn't come down after two doses of medicine. When it spiked to 105 I freaked a little. I work in Neurology and the thought of a seizure related to fever scared me. We got home at 3 AM. As soon as we got Ivy settled and went back to bed it started storming. And not just rain banging on the roof...the wind sounded scary. Chris looked out the window and yelled at me to get downstairs. I grabbed the dog and he grabbed the kid. A tornado ripped right down our road...very scary.

By Thursday, Ivy was still running a fever and after being on antibiotics for 2 days I was convinced she was having an allergic reaction to it because she had started breaking out in a rash. Took her to the after hours clinic and then went home to crash.

I forgot to mention that our power was out until Wed. afternoon because of the storm so we had taken most of the contents of our fridge and freezer over to my Grandma's house. I left the eggs there and my Mom was insisting that she bring them to me. I was moody and tired and I'm pretty sure I responded with "I don't need those damn eggs tonight" but my Mom was bringing those eggs whether I wanted them or not. We agreed that since my cousin Emily was in town then if she was determined to bring the eggs over then she could just bring Emily's stuff too and she could stay the night with Ivy.

I was in the bathroom downstairs when I heard my Mom walk in with Emily. I walked out of the bathroom and it was dark because the hallway light wasn't on. I could see another girl standing there and it took me a minute to realize that it was Jeanna. I said "Hey I wasn't expecting to see you!?!?!?" And then I saw a shadow on my garage wall and my heart started pounding because I could tell it was someone big and I was worried that some random crazy dude had just walked into my garage. I reached out to slam the door and then this guy walked in....

I fell on the floor in hysterics. Literally. FELL.ON.THE.FLOOR.

And he picked me up. And until April 22nd all will be right with the world. It's his R&R and the sneaky little twirp had told us that he wasn't getting one. I still have to say good-bye again but this time only for a couple of months instead of a year. Oh, and Jeanna knew the whole time. She helped him pull a fast one on all of us.

Here is the video.

I Did It

2011-04-09T20:30:00.000-04:00

After years of being on medications for anxiety I have officially quit taking them.

It's been hard. Really hard. In fact it's been terrible. I'm glad that my husband loves me because I know it has been so hard to live with me these past few years and especially these past few weeks.

I absolutely believe that some people need medication but I also believe that most of the time people are put on them too quickly. After a few weeks of my body withdrawing from these medications (I did wean off of them correctly) I'm starting to feel normal again. My muscles aren't as weak and I don't ache as much.

Oh, and I can actually feel all of my emotions now...which is nice. Being numb sucks.

I've also been using some oils by Young Living that have helped me get through these past few weeks. I researched them for a long time before I decided to buy any but I highly recommend them. Check them out here.

A Funk is no Fun...

2011-03-23T12:56:00.002-04:00

...I've been neglecting my blog. It's been on purpose. I've been in a terrible funk lately. It's been hard, really, really hard just to function...much less write a blog. I've never been a good writer if I'm forced (just ask my high school English teacher), so I just left it alone because every time I tried to do a blog post it felt...forced.

I can't and won't really go into detail about my funk but I'm trying different things and maybe I'll be back to the regular Marti before we all know it. Well, hopefully anyway.

Am I doing this right?

2011-03-05T11:45:00.001-05:00

(Note: This was done on March 3rd but we have been having Internet troubles - thank you Comcast for at least being consistently crappy!)

Today is March 3rd.

It's day that I found out I was pregnant 4 years ago. I can't believe that it's been 4 years already, but of course I'm going to say that every year.

I peed on a stick and saw two pink lines and everything changed.

And now 4 years later I'm wondering....Am I doing this right?

It's hard to know what's right and wrong. What's too much discipline and what's not enough. I'm always second guessing myself. Most of the time Ivy is good but there are some very trying times as well. There are some days when I want to just hand her off to someone else and run.

Wednesday morning I went about my normal routine. I woke Ivy up at 7 and tried to get her ready for school....she would have none of it. She was G-R-U-M-P-Y! She is my child after all so getting up in the morning always proves to be a challenge. I was trying to get her dressed and she decided that the shirt I picked out wasn't what she wanted. I offered to let her pick out a shirt and she wouldn't. After 5 minutes of pulling out every shirt she owns and asking her if she wanted to wear it, I gave up. The answer was always "No" and when I said she had to pick something she yelled at me...."NO I DON'T!" (Seriously, at 3 - I have a feeling the teenage years are going to be very long.) That was it! I lost my cool - I snatched her up ripped off the pj top she was wearing and put on the top I had originally picked out for her over her head. Then a struggle to get her arms in ensued. It was not pretty and it was not fun. Then she refused to eat. So for the next 20 minutes she sat at the top of the stairs screaming and crying and telling me that she didn't like me anymore and I made her sad. Now what do I do? Do I spank her? Put her in timeout? Take away toys?

After I finished getting myself ready I went to her and asked her if she could explain why she was acting this way. She crossed her arms and looked away. I asked her to answer me and she spit. You can imagine what I did...pulled down the pants and spanked her, which resulted in more screaming. I then strapped her in the car, drove to Mom's, gave her the run down of - no breakfast, teeth not brushed, hair not brushed, and good luck. I was out of there.

Then there was this morning - complete angel! Her clothes were "So Cute!", her bagel was "Yummy!" and her milk was "So good!"

Hopefully she'll turn out unscathed from the trauma of being 3 years old.....and hopefully I won't lose my mind before she turns 18.

Friday Flashback....white tees

2011-02-18T09:34:00.002-05:00

This was on of my first times using Chris's fancy camera....and it's not the best picture, but it is one of my favorites!

My two loves...

Happy Friday!

The Fashionista....

2011-02-17T14:22:00.000-05:00

Versace, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs....eat your heart out, you don't have anything on this sassy little girl!

Ivy has recently taken interest in dressing herself. For the most part I've been trying to guide her into making choices that match but sometimes I would let her pick out the entire outfit from head to toe and it was always entertaining. So I decided to let her do it everyday for a week with out any guidance to see what she came up with.

So every morning after breakfast I would take her to her room and say "Ivy what do you want to wear?" She would then pick out her outfit and then I would ask her "Ivy how do you want your hair?"

You can tell that she really likes Tinkerbell, her owl skirt, and her pink shoes. Also, she calls shirts dresses for some reason and no matter how many times I correct her she still does it.

Enjoy!


"I want my owls, blue Tinkerbell dress, and these stripes with my pink shoes and pigtails."

"I want my fish dress with rainbow tights and black shoes and yellow barrettes." ( I picked out the skirt because she didn't think it was necessary to actually cover her bum that day)

"Yellow Tinkerbell dress." (I placed the T-shirt over her PJ top that she refused to take off and I finally talked into jeans instead of PJ bottoms. I gave up on shoes and coming her hair and let Grammie deal with it.)

"My crazy skirt with my soft dress (a.k.a. the dig this chick N.C. shirt) blue tights with my pink shoes and pigtails."

"My pink skirt and stripes and star dress with my pretty brown shoes and blue barrettes."

"I want pink." (Dress picked by me because she was sad that she lost her TV privileges after spitting milk and I could only get "pink" out of her.)

"My blue dress, owls and purple with my pink shoes and orange barrettes."

I hope that brought a smile to your face today!

My Sweetheart...

2011-02-14T15:35:00.000-05:00

In honor of Valentines Day I thought I would share the ever-so-rare photo of just me and the hubby.

I love him...A LOT!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Fear.

2011-02-08T13:11:00.000-05:00

So I haven't done a post about my brother in a while...I've been putting if off. Mostly because when I think about my brother not being here I become a big blubbery mess. I don't like it one bit - being a blubbery mess or him being in a war zone. I actually started this blog post back on December 10th and I've changed it many times but today I'm ready, I won't use the delete button, I'm going to do this post! All of these pictures are considered "non-secretive" so I'm not giving away any military secrets with them. Just wanted to share them so that you know what my baby brother is up too. Under some of them, I've tried to put his direct quotes.

And I titled this post "Fear" because it's what I'm living in. I fear for him everyday. I fear for his safety, for his sanity, for his health, for Jeanna, for my Mom....for me. I fear hearing that someone else from his unit has been injured or worse. I fear soldiers in uniforms walking up to my Mom's door. I fear for every soldier and their family over there right now. I feared the holidays without him but we made it and we'll make it through the rest of his deployment. According to Jeanna's count we are on day 212 of his deployment. His deployment can not last past 400 days but we are hoping for less....so we are officially over half way done. Time always passes, most of the time we say it passes to quickly but then at times like this we feel like it's going to slow...and yet it always passes. If there is one thing that you can't hold still it's time.

I have always had the opinion that war is unfortunately a necessary evil, but now that I know someone in the war and it's my brother of all people, I question my opinion. Is this really necessary? Are we really doing the right thing over there? And there probably isn't a right or wrong answer to those questions. I really hate hearing other peoples opinions on the war right now too. The hurt that my heart feels because he is over there makes me feel sad and angry when I hear their opinions, whether I agree with them or not.

When I think about him and realize that I can't call him and say "Hey, come over and watch some TV with us." or "Hey, want to come down and go to lunch with me today at the Sportscenter?" I'm selfish and took that for granted in the past. I won't do that anymore. I haven't gotten to talk to him much since he's been over there. He's called me a couple of times and sometimes when I pick Ivy up from Mom's Jeanna will be on skype with him and I'll get to say hey. But for the most part I get all my info from Jeanna, Mom, or whatever Clifford posts on facebook. Thank goodness for the world wide web.

A lot of my friends have been so wonderful by sending him things. I asked a few random friends if they would send him a birthday or Christmas card just to try and brighten his day. But it turned into much more than that. My friends started talking to their friends and their friends started talking to their friends and well my brother got more than just birthday cards. He got a lot of packages with things that he really needed. He was thankful and so was I. When I got to see him over skype on Christmas day he read me a list of names...some of them I knew and some of them I didn't. He wanted me to thank everyone who sent him something because he said there is no way he could ever right everyone a thank you note back...so if you sent something to my brother, THANK YOU! I have amazing friends who do amazing things.

Getting his combat badge.

So from what I know Clifford is doing well. At least as well as can be expected. He says that it's unbelievably cold there. A high of just 10 degrees the other day. There has been lots of snow too. He was out on a mission and got snowed in where ever they were at. I thought this was a good thing...because if he is snowed IN that means he can't go OUT which means he is safe...right? Well apparently being snowed in away from your FOB isn't a good thing.

He also got bit by a spider while he was sleeping one night. But don't worry he's okay. He sarcastically said the he can move all his extremities and there is no rotting hole on the side of his face. Always the jokester.

I don't know...but I'm assuming he's goofing off with his buddies, I'm just glad to see a smile on his face.

We don't know yet if he will be getting an R&R. We were hoping that he would get it sometime in the spring but his unit is short handed and he is needed. Only time will tell really. I also "fear" the R&R. I mean if he comes home for two weeks that really only gives him enough time to realize what he is missing and gives us just enough time to get attached to the thought of him being home again and then in the blink of an eye he'll be gone again. So in a way I guess I'm being selfish again. I want him to come home for two weeks because that means he's not in Afghanistan but at the same time I don't want him to come home because that means saying goodbye again. And that didn't go so well for me last time.

His unit, the 1221st

I can't watch the news anymore. I try but I just don't care. It seems like everything is bad news lately anyway. When I see something about the war I have to hit mute or change the channel. So mostly my mornings are consisting of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Handy Manny.

A couple of weeks ago they had a "blackout", which means that all forms of communication were cut off. This generally only happens when someone is injured or killed so we were nervous but everyone in the 1221st is okay. It seems we keep that mentality that it won't happen to our loved one but the fact remains that it may. Or maybe it will happen to someone that your loved one is working with and then you realize how close it can really hit home.

"R.I.P. I miss you SGT. Harley (AKA Big Willie)"

My brother is doing something that is very dangerous. And I get lumps in my throat just thinking about it. I get very aggravated because I'll sign onto Facebook to see if he has sent me any messages or has been online and people update there status about how bad their day was or how horrible things are because they have a cold or a headache or they didn't have any cream cheese for their bagel, etc. Just petty stuff that annoys me anyway but it really annoys me right now. I want to respond with "well, my brother is out looking for, digging up, and dismantling roadside bombs, in 10 degree weather, how's that for a bad day, jerks?" but I don't do that because it's really not worth my time or energy. I have my days where I want to whine too but then I just think about him and all our other soldiers and then I think "Hey, why don't I just dominate this day!"

"My primary truck that I operate!"

He is always telling us how tight the squeeze is in his vehicle and now we can see.

I'm gonna say it's a "rather large pothole" but I'm guessing I know what really caused that.

This is the vehicle they use to set of IED's

"Nothing bad, just a vehicle that leaned a lil too far. Everyone came out the same way they went in."

And if I didn't know where this picture was taken...I'd almost say it looks peaceful.

But I'll leave you with one of Clifford smiling because it always makes me feel good to see his little smart ass grin that I've wanted to wipe off his face so many times before. Now I just can't wait to see it in person again.

Friday Flashback....12 weeks old

2011-02-04T22:22:00.002-05:00

Ivy was just 12 weeks old in this picture. We spent the day with Dad, Deb, and Mama Hancock. And I love Mama Hancock's hand on top of Ivy's belly. The old and the new. I've always had a very special bond with Mama Hancock and now her and Ivy have one. I love them both some much I could burst!

And Mama Hancock is still wearing her wedding ring. Ivy was born one year after Papa's death almost to the day. He passed away October 19th and Ivy was born the 21st.

Happy Friday!

Sir Pollack Picasso turns 5

2011-01-31T22:07:00.001-05:00

Yep, Sir Pollack Picasso, that's his whole name. I know, I know, big name for such a little dog...but the truth is he's got a big personality.

I can't believe little P is 5. He actually turned 5 on Saturday and Ivy sang to him several times...and by several I mean about 408. But I love it when she sings so it didn't bother until she got to about 402.

We brought P-man home in March 2006 when he was just 6 weeks old and he would fit in the palm of our hands. He was so tiny and he had the worst puppy breath. A lot of people love the smell of puppy breath...I hate it, but I did love his big eyes and they way he would wobble sideways when he walked.

By the time he was 8 weeks old he had walking straight, chewing on sticks, and being cute down to an art. He loved us and we loved him. We couldn't wait to get home from work everyday and play with him. He would be so excited that he would pee on the floor. Well the truth is anytime she saw someone he would pee on the floor...luckily, he out grew that. All he would want to do is wrestle with us, run, and chew on our hands. And after about 15 minutes of that, his poor little puppy self would pass out right where he stopped and would sleep for an hour.

We were really lucky with P-man. He was very easy to train and he never chewed on any furniture. He only chewed on toys that we bought him or the old socks that we gave him. The only time he ever tried to chew a shoe it was one of my flip flops and it was really hard leather and he gave up pretty quickly.

The only other thing he seemed to want to chew on was our hands and that stopped shortly after he lost all of his baby teeth. Although he would sneak in a surprise attack sometimes.

P-man was full grown by the time he was 12 weeks old and he was such handsome dog.

He made us a family instead of a couple.

It's hard to believe that this picture was taken about one year before Ivy was born.

Pollack was our only priority. He went on all of our trips with us. He loved the hikes and walks in the mountains. We loved watching him run around with sticks bigger than his mouth and we loved watching him explore.

He was the only subject of our pictures and now he waits patiently on the sidelines. Well, maybe not patiently (he really is whiny a lot because I can't give him my undivided attention and I want to throw him out the back door) but he waits.

And although he didn't get a party on his birthday he did get a scoop of peanut butter which is probably the only thing he would want. Seriously, it's his favorite!

I can't always give him the attention he probably deserves but I do love him like he's my kid. He was after all my first baby.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

I Heart Faces...Favorite January Face Photo

2011-01-31T09:27:00.002-05:00

Vote for #118

Friday Flashback....prune face

2011-01-28T22:52:00.002-05:00

When Ivy was about 6 months old, she had been eating baby food for a few months and I had decided to try her on some of the fruits. She had done well with most of them....apples, pears, etc. and then we got to prunes. I honestly didn't think she would care for them but boy was I wrong! She couldn't get enough of them and I couldn't get them on the spoon fast enough for her. She was just at the stage where she was really reaching for stuff that she wanted and every time she would see the spoon coming she would reach out and grab and slap it. She made the biggest mess but I couldn't quit laughing! It's one of my favorite memories just sitting in front of that highchair with her grabbing that spoon and pulling it towards her mouth! She made a huge mess and she was quite proud of herself!

Happy Friday!

Our Snow Day...

2011-01-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

...it was fun! Of course I'm posting this over 2 weeks late but hey that's how I roll. Two weeks late is better than a month late, right? So I am getting better...I really don't mean to neglect my little blog but life gets busy.

There had been warnings for days that it was going to snow and the amount we were suppose to get would vary. It was suppose to start snowing after midnight on Sunday and then turn to freezing rain. That's how it always is here....we see just enough snow flurries to get excited and then it's ice with in a few hours of hitting the ground if it even sticks. We thought nothing of the forecast really because we know that if it does stick it will be melted before we can even get our boots on.

We had dinner Sunday night with my friend Kimberly and her family. We talked about canceling because of the forecast but decided not too because nothing was coming until after midnight. (I'm glad we didn't cancel because Wesley cooked a delicious dinner!) It honestly didn't even look like any kind of storm was coming. After we put Ivy to bed Sunday night Chris and I were relaxing in his mancave....he was playing GT5 and I was playing Angry Birds and P-man was stretched out between us and would make a grunting noise when he wanted his belly rubbed. I guess about 10:30 Chris got up and looked out the window and said "Oh my goodness!" I looked out and it was snowing....it was coming down hard and it was sticking. We were impressed to say the least. He went back to playing his game and I continued to stare out the window at the snow. I love watching snow fall. It looks so peaceful and magical and it makes me feel like a little kid. I don't think I'll ever lose that feeling of excitement when I see snow. Of course the main thing on my mind was that I didn't want to go to work the next day.

Luckily I didn't have to worry about that too much because when I got up the whole city had shut down. All schools, daycares, stores, and unless you were a critical employee at the hospital there was no work. When we went to bed the ground and roofs were covered. I woke up about 4:00 and the street was covered (I have never seen a road covered in snow with no tire tracks). Chris told me that he woke up about 2:00 and it had melted so he was shocked that it had stuck again. We probably had about 3 inches in our yard but there were 5 and 6 inches in some places and of course all the roads were covered with ice. No one could go anywhere even if they wanted too.

We relaxed for a while, ate breakfast, and watched Shrek. There was already a layer of ice on top of the snow but it was suppose to start sleeting bad after lunch so we bundled up to attempt to play in it. Chris could have cared less about playing in it but Ivy and I were itching for it! It was kind of hard at first...we couldn't do much with it until we broke the layer of ice off the top. Ivy got the hang of doing that and then I showed her how to make snowballs and throw them at the retaining wall.

That's right, I can throw a mean snowball!

Ivy's got a pretty mean arm too!

Ivy was more concerned with eating the snow instead of playing in it.

We did make a miniature snowman on top of the retaining wall though. Guess what she named him........come on you'll never guess.....Frosty! Yeah she's still obsessed with that movie, although I have hidden it hoping that she will forget about it until next Christmas.

Oh, and it's kind of hard for a 3 year old to walk in snow with a thin layer of ice on top of it in rain boots...

And here is my favorite of the day if you can't already tell from my new banner on the blog...

And normally if we do get enough snow to stick around for a few hours it's gone the next day. But by the end of the day Monday it looked like you could have went ice skating on our front lawn. And this stuff stayed on the roads for days. It was hard to get to work for a couple of days because we don't have snow plows or salt trucks and everything was so slick. I know people are laughing saying "You shut down because you had 3 inches of snow!" But seriously, I city is not equipped to handle that kind of weather. School was out for two days and on a delay the third day and in the surrounding areas they were out for 3 or 4 days. Our yard was pretty much covered for five days! Seriously, I thought hell might have frozen over because that NEVER happens here. I wish we could have gotten a picture of the front of the house but it was too slick to get across the street with out falling. And this was the second time it snowed this season which is also not normal around here.

We had fun on our snow day and I hope you did too if you had one. Click here to see our snow day video.

I Heart Faces - Innocent Wonder

2011-01-25T21:25:00.000-05:00

It wasn't Ivy's first trip to the beach but it was the first where she could play in the sand. It was funny watching her because she wouldn't sit in it. She was so curious about it sticking to her hands and feet. She finally looked up at me after squatting for about 10 minutes while she was digging and said "Mommy? Can I sit in it?" It was so cute I nearly melted.

Dog Days Are Over...

2011-01-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

...with a new year comes new beginnings. Everyone wants to start over and be better, do better. We are all inspired and make plans and resolutions. My friend Amy told me about this song playing several months ago and I fell in love with it. It moves me....literally. It makes me get up and dance...every time. However, if I listen to this song at work I have to restrain myself because somehow I don't think it would fly if I got busted with my office door closed so I could shake my booty. So if you are reading this blog through and e-mail I suggest that you click on the link so that you can here the song.

It's about being happy and not being afraid of being happy. Leaving the past and darkness behind. I listen to it every morning in my car, sometimes twice. And I rock out like there's no one in the other cars around me watching. If you're not at least tapping your foot or clapping your hands by the end of the song I would be worried about you....seriously.

This is the year that I overcome my past. I'm letting it go and moving on. I'm happy and I'm going to allow myself to enjoy being happy. It's always been hard for me to enjoy being happy...it's almost like I feel like I don't deserve it. So, (in no particular order) here are some of my resolutions for 2011:

I will allow myself to relax more because I deserve it.
I will have a positive outlook because if I do then I will be able to relax more.
I will try not to cringe every time my daughter picks out Chicka Chicka Boom Boom for her bedtime story.
I will over come my panic attacks and get off the medicine that supposedly controls them.
I will get back on a regular work out regiment.
I will take my dog on regular walks because he deserves it.
I will make more family time with my husband and daughter that doesn't include any obligations to go somewhere.
I will try to embrace it when Ivy wants me to lay down next to her sometimes at night even though I really want to go crawl in my own bed instead.
I will focus more on my brother coming home from Afghanistan instead of him being gone from here.

Now...on to my 2010 recap -

Lots of good things happened 2010...we bought a new house, we took Ivy to Sea World and Disney World, I celebrated 29 years. We went to the beach and took some of my favorite pictures ever. Ivy turned 3 and I FINALLY wrote down her birth story.

Some bad things happened too...LOST ended. Now let us all have a moment of silence. And for all my fellow LOSTIES out there I know you will smile when you watch this. One day I'm going to play the lottery and these will be my numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42....just sayin'. Seriously...does anyone know of a good support group for this, I'm still having withdrawals.

The only REAL problem with this year was the fact that my brother got deployed. I have not dealt with this well at all. It has been a burden so heavy on my heart that I haven't been able to really grasp the goodness that goes on around me all day every day. The title of my blog is "Don't Count the Days, Make the Days Count" and I haven't been able to do that. I've tried but I haven't succeeded. It's been very hard not to count the days until my brothers 400 day deployment is over. It's been toxic to my health and my relationships. But...it is getting better, slowly. He's been gone for 6 months now. That means he has only 6 months left. I feel really selfish because there are some families that are on there 3rd, 4th, and 5th deployments. I seriously can't imagine having to deal with that. You can read more about his deployment here, here, here, and here.

And here are some of my favorite pictures from 2010...

I could post many many more of my favorites but I'll stop here. Mostly because I've been working on the blog post for 3 days now and I don't want to drag it out any further. Thanks for reading...now listen to the song again and dance!

Friday Flashback....our first born

2011-01-14T23:16:00.003-05:00

He use to be our only baby.

Happy Friday!