Wordless Wednesday

A New Breed of Mastiff

I am simply making a case here....

Simply Adorable Face complete with strings of drool

Big Goofy Slobbery Grins

Guaranteed to give you big slobbery kisses

Adorable rolls of skin

Evidence that the saliva glads work without flaw

I think you will agree that there could be some argument as to a new breed of Mastiff. Either way she is exclusively mine and absolutely adorable, drool and all.

A good solid effort!!!

 Jellybean is 5 months old and she is a great eater so we thought we would go ahead and introduce her to solids.  With Boogie we waited until 6 months to give her any that even resembled a solid, there was one instance with gravy, but we won't mention that. Jellybean seemed ready a little earlier to try out some solids, so we though we would just start with a little rice cereal.

I think that maybe she was a little apprehensive at first, but boy did her tone change quickly. With the spoon heading toward her mouth this is the face we got...



The first taste was a little shocking I think since it was a new experience...

but then the transformation began and the look of joy started to beam from those big gorgeous eyes...



until finally the taste of rice cereal was nothing short of pure bliss....



Of course Boogie was close by to supply us with some beautiful dinner music on her acoustic guitar...


(Yes Boogie got a bath, yes those are tattoos, she is in that phase right now, I think it adds to the rocker persona)

After dinner when I asked who was going to help with the dishes the girls both seemed to be looking for someone.  There were no volunteers from this group.



After our yummy dinner of Rice cereal Jellybean made sure to do her exercises, which included a little bit of tummy time.....



Not to much mind you but just enough to keep her happy and not lose that girlish figure!!



All in all I would have to say the experience was a solid effort by all involved.

For the 4th Time...

We had an eventful 4th of July, but a good one none the less.  Somethings we really could have done without, but there is no use dwelling on the not so great portions because there were many, many great times.

We started out by letting Boogie have another sleepover.  This one was with her friend L and our neighbor and Boogies friend A.  The girls were great and L & A came and told me at 9pm that they were tired and we're going to bed.  Of course I didn't believe them, but low and behold by 9:15 all the little girls in the house were sound asleep.  I am not really sure what forces of Heaven and Earth helped pull that one off, but by 9:30 I was really thinking that I could handle two 4 year olds a 3 year old (almost 4 ) and a 4 month old.  Keeping up with them  on Saturday would change my mind and have me thanking God and his infinite wisdom for not giving me multiples.  I promise to post some pictures of this little get together later, but all in all the girls were wonderful.

Saturday was our day of festivities this year, so I set me alarm for 7am so that I could be up before the girls to have pancakes and sausage ready when they woke up.  Well at 6:50 L came in and crawled into bed with Jon and I closely followed about 5 minutes later by Boogie.  A wasn't going to wake up unless I had a air horn near her head.  So I rolled Boogie and L close together and jumped in the shower.  Since L was wide awake we got dressed and I was able to snap a couple of cute patriotic shots of her in her 4th gear.

About an hour later everyone else was up and fed and packed and ready to go to the Marietta 4th of July Parade.  A's parents and little brother joined us and we all set out for Marietta square.  We love this parade and go every year, and every year I forget sunscreen, you'll see the effects of that mistake later.

So we found a great spot and got settled in.

The girls were anxiously awaiting the start of the parade, but waited it out like troops.

Jellybean just hung out with her biker daddy.  Don't you just love her outfit?

Then it was time for the parade to begin.  We got so lucky this year because they did a presentation of colors right in front of us, and it was great.

The floats were fantastic....

Of course being in the South no 4th of July parade is complete without Southern Belles and Confederate Soldiers....

And of course we are so grateful for the service and sacrifice of all the Veterans that came and were applauded for their service to our great nation.

We finally had to leave the parade after 2 hours because the girls were getting restless and Jellybean was falling asleep.  Plus we had to be a Nah Nah and Bops house for some great BBQ and water fun with the family.

Before we left though Boogie made it a point to get as many campaign stickers as possible.  She had quite a collection going....

I am sad to say that I was a slacker with the photography at Nah Nah and Bop's house, but we did have a great time and we did eat some fantastic food.  It was also nice to visit with family and friends.  If you do want to see some photos jump over to my SIL's blog and check out her pictures of everyone...           Cooper 4th of July

After a brief swing by the house we headed the Chamblee for their fireworks display.  Before you make a comment, Yes we always have a very busy 4th of July.  At Chamblee we met up with Belle (my running partner) and her husband, along with friends S and J for a fun relaxing evening.

Jellybean and Jon just hung out, but it gave me a chance to snap some good shots...

This one of my favorites from the day.  I just love that little face.

Charlotte is a bit more on the go so harder to get photos of, there was also a free bouncy house and slide right behind us, so she kept running over there to play.  Free bouncy house = awesome idea while waiting for fireworks to start.

Oh and do you see why I am in mortal fear everyday that she is going to choke on something...AGAIN!!  Everything goes in this child's mouth, I swear I say "Get that out of your mouth" about a million times a day.

Here is one lone shot of me and the girls.  Do you see why sunscreen is so important if your out in the sun?  I am happy to say that the redness is gone and it does not appear that I will peal, but ouch!!

I just love this shot of Belle and L. By this point L was exhausted and was falling asleep from all the fun of the day, but she still looks super cute.

I again was a slacker and forgot my tripod so no firework shots, but they were great.  We really enjoyed ourselves and the time spent with good friends.

On Sunday the actual 4th we were pretty beat so we just stuck close to home and vegged a bit.  I was able to get the girls to pose for a couple more pictures though, and they are cute.  Enjoy!!!

All in all a good 4th of July weekend.  Happy Birthday America!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

To whom the Belle strolls.....

Planning for a trip around the world....

So I finally convinced my loving wonderful husband that it was time to take Boogie for a trip around the world.  Walt Disney World that is.  Boogie will be 4 in October which is about the time that I went to Disney for the first time and I still remember parts of that trip, so I figure it was time for her to go too.  I was born and raised in Florida, growing up in the shadow of  "The Mouse", we went to Disney at least 4 or 5 times a year.  I looked it up and the first year that I went to Disney it cost $9 for a child, we shucked out 30 times that to get Boogie's ticket, now that is inflation people.  However, I love, love, love Disney, it is pure and simple magic, especially for a small child.  Jon on the other hand would rather be covered in honey and laid in an ant bed, then step foot on the property of Disney.  I secretly think that this is why god saw fit to give us two little girls.  Hee hee.

Anyway, I finally just told Jon that both of her cousins had been to Disney so now it was Boogie's turn to go, and that we were going to go the way I always wanted to go.  So when I got my yearly bonus I bought our park passes, and decided to wait for the hotel, because buying the park passes about killed me. I bided my time and looked and looked and looked, and finally Disney offered me a good deal...40% off a club level room here.....

The Contemporary hotel, I have always wanted to stay here, I mean what is cooler then a train that goes right through your hotel.  I have tried to play this feature up to Charlotte but she is not that impressed, I keep trying though.  The other feature that I like is that you can simply walk to the Magic Kingdom from the hotel.  This will be a great feature for us since on Boogie's birthday I booked her a 8:05 appt to get all dolled up at ...

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique inside of Cinderella's Castle in Magic Kingdom.  This early appointment means that we get to go into the park before it opens.  We can stand on Main Street and see the castle without all the crowds, Boogie is VERY excited about this.  I am getting her dress and everything before hand for her to wear in, and so it makes the hair and make up a good bit more reasonable.  To see Boogie get treated like a princess all day on her birthday is well worth the cost of the experience to me.  After her appt we will have all day long in The Magic Kingdom for rides pictures and parades.  One of the rides that she is most looking forward too, other then the roller coasters are these.....

The Tea Cups were always one of my favorite rides at Disney and I can not wait to take Boogie on them.  In regards to the roller coasters you have to be 40 inches tall to ride,  so at least once a week we have to measure Boogie against the wall to see how tall she is getting.  The other night Jon had to do this and he told her she had shrunk, it was not a pretty site, and Jon had to do some quick back paddling.

For dinner her birthday night we are heading over to 1900 Park Fare to have dinner with...

It's not Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle, my wallet about died when I looked at the prices to eat there but apparently this is one of the better dinners because not only do you get to see Cinderella and Prince Charming, but the Tremaines show up as well.  Now Boogie for some reason is simply fascinated by the villains in the Disney  cartoons, so to be able to meet Lady Tremaine and her daughters might out way the excitement of meeting Cinderella.  I just can't wait to see her face when she gets to meet them all.

The other good thing about our room is that it will face the Bay and from our balcony each night we'll be able to watch the Electric Light water parade.  We won't be able to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the room, but there are balconies in the club lounge that face the Magic Kingdom so we can just trot down and watch them from there.  I may possibly be at least as excited at the birthday girl, and October just seems so far away.

Since October is so far away I have put in place a few Fairy Godmothers to keep the excitement up.  Just yesterday, Boogie got her very first postcard from Mickie and the Gang.  They told her they were very excited that she was coming to spend her birthday with them and couldn't wait to see her.  They also said they would keep in touch until her visit.  Boogie got to take it out of the mailbox and her face just lit up.  There will be more postcards in the weeks to come, and I think they are a great idea to get a little one excited and tell them little secrets about the trip.

So for now we just keep planning and saving and looking forward to the trip.  I keep telling Jon that once we go for the first time there is no turning back, all the blood drains from his face every time I remind him.  I just hope that Disney can  work its magic on him, and he will see the park in a whole new way, through the eyes of a 4 year old little girl.

The woman behind me....

This is my mom....

My girls call her Mimi, a great name for a young grandmother.

She is a fabulous woman who has always supported me in whatever I wanted to do. (My dad did to but that it another post)  She carted me an hour each way when I decided that I wanted to take voice lessons.  She and dad helped me pay my way through college to get a Vocal Performance degree.  She supported me when I married my husband right out of college, and moved to Boston for more vocal training and didn't bat an eyelash when I said I was going back to school for an accounting degree.

She loves all her grand kids to distraction and she is a survivor.  My mom almost didn't get to meet any of her grandchildren.  In July of 2006 she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and while it was in an early stage this is an ugly cancer.  I was pregnant with Boogie at the time and hoped that her first grandchild would give her some strength to make it through what lay ahead for her.  She spent months in the hospital getting treatments, and battling the cancer.  She missed the baby shower that she was throwing for me, but she moved heaven and earth to be there for Boogie's birth.  Actually one of my favorite pictures of her and my dad is from that time.

Just shows how good spirited she was in spite of everything.  She was appreciative of the wig, but said it itched like mad, so dad took it off her hands for a little while.

Her hair eventually grew back, although it did come in darker then before. I love this picture because Boogie is only a month and a half old but she has more hair then mom does. She finished up her treatments and was declared in remission.  There was a celebration at our house for sure.  The best news is that as of this July she has been in remission for 4 years, another huge milestone for my mom, and her resiliency.

Now all of that being said was just to show how tough my mom is, and how much she supports and fights for herself and for us.  When I told mom that I was going to run the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon she didn't bat an eyelash, and said she fully supported me.  She also said that she and my dad would be there to cheer me on, no hesitation.  I had lots of hesitation my mom had none.  I started training and quickly realized that cheap shoes while good for somethings, are not good for running further then say to the end of the driveway.  However finances being tight with two cutie pie girls and just coming off of maternity leave, new shoes were not in the budget.  In steps my mom, my very own Fairy Godmother, and Cinderella got a new pair of shoes.

Aren't they gorgeous, just like glass slippers only its probably not a good idea to run 13.1 miles in glass slippers.  I love the colors, silver and diva blue, perfect.  So thanks to my wonderful, loving, gracious, fabulous, beautiful mommy, my shins will no longer be screaming in agony after trying to out run a rain storm. My feet will be beautifully and comfortably encased in breathable mesh and gel padding. My legs will be cushioned by the special plug thingies that they put in the heal to absorb impact and my high arches will be properly supported for all 13.1 miles. While I doubt this fabulous shoe is going to turn me into a running god it will keep me from dying in agony at the end of every run around the neighborhood.  Thanks mom, for everything, the love, the support, the trips to voice lessons, for beating cancer with a big ole stick and most recently thanks for the fabulous shoes!!  When I run in February it will be nice to know that on my feet are shoes given with love by my Fairy Godmother.