Geography Rules

Hello, the world! Ok, maybe not the world, but at least hello to the handful of faithful followers I have ...

Annie is now 19 and studying pre-med at Harvard; gosh-dang we're just so proud of her! Ok, maybe not exactly. Well, we are proud of her always, but she's not quite 19. She is, however, every single second of 3 1/2 with all the stubborness, etc. that comes with the age. And yes, as I have stated before, I am for all practical purposes raising a tiny version of myself. Things really do come full circle, don't they??

I'm now working 4 days a week at Annie's pre-school and loving it. I've always loved the program but even more so being on the other side of it. It's very, very much like a family environment, and I really feel blessed to have the opportunity to be there.

Annie is now taking ballet one day a week, which is great fun, and I promise to post some pictures. Actually I need to post a bunch of pictures, but that'll take a bit of time.

Ok, so there's a tiny glimpse into our lives at the moment, but I can't go without giving out a geographical nugget of information: there is not an Australian Ocean. Not that I thought there was or anything ...

Tin Cup Chalice

So as has become somewhat of a family tradition, we spent the 4th of July in a condo in Biloxi with my parents. It was a fabulous time and a wonderful opportunity to see lots of our family and friends. But I suppose a picture really is worth a thousand words, so here goes:




With my beautiful mother:
Annie and my grandfather:

Dinner with family:
My gorgeous Aunt Mar, who you may recall was Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball:
My best friend, Teri, and her three girls came over from Mobile, and these are pictures of them:



My daddy with Annie (her beloved "Pa"):


No point in trying to stay dry in the pool, Mom! (Annie with her "Kay-Kay")


Our good friends, Jenn and Chris and their fabulous pool:
Their Great Dane, Toby, who is breathtakingly beautiful:

These Are the Days

So Annie and I returned a few days ago from our jaunt across to Atlanta to see our family ... my cousin, Kelly, her husband, Michael, their 2-year-old, Spencer and that precious new baby girl, Madeline ... it was great fun peppered with the antics of two toddlers and a newborn ...

Spencer and Annie (and Hailey the mighty dog in the background) spent most of their time right about here playing with Spencer's beloved cars or watching TV (if we were particularly lucky!)
And of course we spent a LOT of time loving on this little beauty:

And we watched this a lot:

And we spent a really cool morning with Spencer and Annie at a place called the Yellow River Game Ranch, which is sort of like an animal sanctuary where the majority of the animals just roam free:










But mostly we just hung out and had family time:

And at the end of the day (or anywhere during it) Hailey would just decide she was a teensy bit worn out from the stress of it all:


All in all, we had a wonderful visit, even if I did look around at the kids at one point and marvel at the fact that we're actually adults now with our own families! Have mercy!

That's All

Greetings, dear readers, I have returned to my beloved blog from a far-flung land I like to call (on a good day) motherhood.

As a general update on the recent happenings in my (as I like to refer to it on a good day) life (actually more like a circus) I bring you this:

1. Our precious border collie, Hopie, has been found to have crystals in her urine. This was discovered after a lovely urine sample was collected and brought to our vet. (the collection of aforementioned urine involved yours truly trailing behind Hopie in the yard wearing one latex glove, carrying a plastic container and trying to jab it under her whenever she would squat. She, being incredibly smart, would squeeze out a single drop, stop, stare at me and then sprint across the yard to finish her business.) The crystals (they almost sound pretty, don't they?) in her urine have not become kidney stones, and Hopie is currently being treated with oral medication.

2. Sweet Mary recently had a tiny bit of surgery to remove a growth on her (how to say?) hind quarters and is doing just fine. However, during the pre-surgery bloodwork, it was discovered that one of her liver enzymes is abnormally elevated, so she is currently taking a liver-protecting supplement.

3. I bet you're wondering why I would leave our human child until the end of the update. Well that would be because she has sprouted horns and on some days is virtually unrecognizable to the naked eye. Lucky for you, today is not one of those days ... we've actually had a fairly lovely day today. I believe that is because the last two have been fairly *&^%^&*&% (you may fill in any word you like.)

I have contemplated purchasing some book on how to survive this phase or whatever is happening here, but such a book does not seem to exist. I believe it is because all writers who encountered this phase with their own children were rendered incapable of stringing even a few words together to form an intelligible sentence when all was said and done. Just a hunch, mind you ...

And so it goes ...

What Goes Around Comes Around

So yesterday was a big day in the life of sweet Annie Barclay ... her first trip to the dentist. I honestly had no idea what to expect, but she actually did really well. Of course it probably helped that the waiting room looks like Chuck E. Cheese ... it's a mainly pediatric dental practice, so of course the whole thing is geared toward that part of the population. When Annie realized "The Wonder Pets" was about to come on one of the bazillion TV's, she announced to the waiting room in a loud voice: "The Wonder Pets is COMING ON!!" Very exciting ...

Following the trip to the dentist, I made the not-so-smart decision to take Hopie to the vet to (modesty out the window here) have her anal glands expressed. We swung by the house to pick up Hope and there we went, Hopie in the backseat and Annie so proud she was riding by her. The vet was fine if you count having your sweet border collie a tiny bit violated so her glands could be expressed and your 3-year-old NEEDING to be picked up simultaneously as "fine."

Ah, but the fun really started when we got home. We drove into the garage and here's how it went:

"Mommy, I NEED a grilled cheese."

"Ok, just a second." (me, trying to get Hopie's safety-first harness off before she hung herself jumping out of the car)

"Mommy, what Hopie doing?" (Hopie, sprung from her harness and now trying desperately to get out of the car)

"Getting out of the car to go in the house."

"I want to go in the house."

"I know, just a second."

"Mommy, I NEED to get out." (me now trying to unbuckle Annie from her car seat.)

She, also sprung from the car, heads for the house.

"Mommy, I NEED a grilled cheese, please." (I love how she throws in manners ...)

"Ok, Annie, just a second ... it has to cook." (me getting out skillet, bread, cheese, etc.)

"Mommy, I NEED some juice, THAT juice" (she has now dramatically flung open the refrigerator door and is gesturing toward my Dr. Pepper.)

"No, honey, that's Mommy's Dr. Pepper, here's some apple juice."

"I NEED to watch something on TV ... I NEED my grilled cheese." dear God, I can't think as fast as this tiny child makes demands ...

"Annie, the grilled cheese is cooking, and where are your manners?" ( I realize I am sounding a bit like our "Manners Matter" book.)

She has gone into the living room, and I finish up the grilled cheese, taking it through to her (feeling more than a bit like a slave.)

"I'm tired now. Cover me up, please, Mommy?" she says, curled up on the couch, exhausted from making demands, being chauffered around town and growing hormones.

As I look at my child I have only one thought:

Oh. My. Lord. I. Have. Given. Birth. To. Myself.

Birthday Wishes

Today is my mom's birthday ... such a wonderful day, and I wish I could be with her!

Sometimes when you want to write something about a particular person it's impossible to find the words. Like now. There aren't enough words to describe my mom.

She's always and without question been there for me. To this day. If I need to call her twelve times in one single day because I'm (usually unnecessarily) freaked out about something Annie-related, she just listens and listens and listens. She doesn't mention that after the eleventh phone call she might actually have something she needs to get done that particular day. Nope, she just listens. Not because I'm that spectacular but because she is.

Her friends could tell you that, too. She's generous beyond measure and always carves out time for the really important things in life. Her family, her friends, and my dad, who is the love of her life.

As I watch Annie grow and somehow, impossibly find myself loving her even more deeply every second, I think of my mom. I hope I pass all that I've learned from her onto my precious child.

And Mom? Well, happy birthday to my best friend, my confidante, my sounding board for pretty much everything, and for the beautiful woman who showed me what unconditional love is. I love you always ...

Maddy Day

Well, well, dear readers, another blog is upon us, and I have quite a bit to report! First, my dear cousin (Kelly), her husband (Michael), their precious son (Spencer) and their dogs (Hershey and Hailey) welcomed the newest addition to their family Friday morning ... weighing in at 9 lbs. 3 oz. we have the beautiful Madeline Elizabeth Day. Sweet little Maddy is absolutely gorgeous, and I have fought many urges to just hop in the car and drive to Atlanta so I could see her! Alas, I've been ravenously eating up all the pictures I've had coming my way, which you can see below. I can't wait to meet her, and if all goes as planned, Annie and I will doing just that in June ...

This has also been a big weekend for our little drama queen (still don't where that little personality comes from!) as both sets of grandparents were in town for her end-of-the-year Kindermusik program Saturday mornining. We all went out to eat Friday night despite the rain (and yes, Annie does have her little umbrella in the restaurant) and had a blast. The program was a hoot (as you can see from the pictures), and it came as no surprise that Annie had no stage fright whatsoever. That's one of her best little friends, Camie, in a lot of the pictures with her.

The last picture is one of Annie and me that Anthony snapped this morning after church.

Ah, but what would a weekend be without an incident of some variety, right? On Saturday (since all grandparents were on hand and more than willing to babysit) Anthony and I snuck out to the movies. Because we saw a relatively long but really good movie ("Angels and Demons" and no, I don't care that the two reviews I read weren't particularly kind) I decided to use the restroom before the movie.

No worries until I washed my hands and went over to get paper towels. I assumed it was one of those high-tech, "super-sanitary" machines, so I waved at it like it was a long-lost friend (isn't that how you activate the sensors?)

Nothing happened. A little mortifying but as my hands were dripping onto the floor I persevered.

I waved under the machine, thinking perhaps the sensor was there. People began to line up behind me. (Speaking of, if any of you are reading this, would it have killed ya to offer some advice??)

Nothing happened. So there I stood, smiling politely, hands still dripping and staring at the perplexing paper-towel dispenser. Good grief, just as I was contemplating drying my hands on my pants and forgetting about the whole thing, I saw it.

An old-fashioned handle-thingy. Huh. I just pushed it and lo and behold. Paper towels emerged.

Miracle of miracles.

It really has been a fun weekend, and Maddy, you beautiful girl, welcome to the family ... I can't WAIT to meet you!

Happy Mother's Day

Well, Mother's Day is upon us once again, and I always find myself searching for the perfect words for the day ... first, I have to wish my own mom Happy Mother's Day. I have absolutely no idea where I'd be without her, and she is ALWAYS there for me, and somehow as I get older I find myself needing her more and more (see #4!) She's beautiful inside and out, and I love her more than I could even begin to say. She's my best friend. (And Mama, I know you're reading this, and I want you to know I'm so sorry Grandma's not here anymore ... she would be so, so, so proud of you!)

I also want to wish my mother-in-law a happy mother's day ... she's so special to me and such an incredible grandma to Annie.

Finally, I thought I'd share some really random things I've learned about motherhood in the past 3 years:

1. Motherhood only gets harder as your child gets older. (and yes, I'm aware I've only just begun on this one!)

2. Making a snorting pig noise (Annie's newest trick) is not attractive ... funny but not attractive.

3. You discover you really can differentiate between your child's cries - in a split second.

4. With every passing day, you appreciate your own mom more and more.

5. Dora the Explorer and The Wonder Pets are actually pretty cute little shows. Honestly.

6. When it comes right down to being a mom and making all the split-second decisions with which you're constantly bombarded, you never know for sure if you're "doing it right."

7. Red crayon "drawings" on white doors are NOT easy to remove. Enough said.

8. Having a potty-trained child is a double-edged sword.

9. It's ok to zone out during this line of questioning from your child.

"What doing?
"Now what doing?"
"Now what doing?"
"Now what doing?"

10. Kids are expensive.

11. Hand-me-downs are the best. (*see #10)

12. If they're clothes and they're clean, they're fair game to be worn -- matching optional. Seasonally appropriate optional.

13. You discover you possess an uncanny ability to sprint through Target whilst navigating one of those massive kid buggies if your child is having a meltdown.

14. You discover that even on the worst days, the days when you might want to hide in your closet in the fetal position because your child is driving you that crazy, you absolutely wouldn't trade being a mom for anything in the whole wide world. Why? See below ...

Just Another Day In Paradise

Well it's about this time of year that we all start spending a lot of time at night out on the deck: grilling out (Anthony!) and just hanging out. Or as is the case this year, enjoying what little time there seems to be when it's not monsooning! (and yes, I just made that word into a verb)

Mommy of the Year

Oh, welcome to the world of the current Mommy of the Year ... yep, you're looking at her. Or should I say reading her blog. Let me back up a bit and explain: one of my friends and I had a playdate with our girls on Friday at my mom and dad's condo in Franklin. All was going well ... the girls were playing incredibly well, my friend and I were having normal conversation that did not revolve around Dora, Moms Day Out programs, budgets, etc.

Then suddenly a silence fell upon us. Could the children be playing so incredibly quietly?? Nah, it was a bizarre quiet, the kind that does NOT bode well.

So we crept back toward where the girls were. It took about two seconds to realize what they had been doing: toilet papering the back half of the condo. And brushing their teeth A LOT, emptying an entire box of kleenex onto the floor, and using two boxes of band-aids to cover any and every surface of their persons. And yes, it was one of those moments where we were laughing hysterically. How could we not? Kids will be kids, and those moments are priceless. Not fun to clean up but priceless.

We also went to another friend's little boy's birthday party this weekend and had so much fun. I think that explains the following pictures ... Maybe!

Random, Random, Random

Alright, rabid readers, here are a few random pictures from the past few days (weeks?) ... one of Anthony's birthday cake, some from a recent playdate, and a few from a festival we went to in Franklin this past weekend ...

I promise to write more later ...

A Moment Like This

Ok, as usual I have no excuses (not even Facebook) for my absence here in bloggerland ... I'm still working on the bazillion pictures from the Masters, but here are a few miscellaneous ones in the meantime. (and yes, I know most of you check here for the pictures not for the writing!!)

In case you can't tell, Annie is slightly in love with her "American Idol" karaoke machine-thing, and I have "A Moment Like This" stuck in my head for all of eternity, if not a bit longer. (thanks, precious Kayla!) She LOVES to "sing" into that microphone, so look out, world ... or, in her case, look out convent!

The Birthday Party

Well, due to the unpleasantries of a computer virus, I've been unable to return to my blog and post Annie's birthday pictures, but alas, here they are ... We spent her actual birthday with my mom and dad and an obligatory visit to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch, then Saturday was her cupcake-decorating party, which was great fun!

I'm playing "catch-up" with posting pictures but next will be the historical images we captured during our trip to Augusta and the Masters ... I promise to return this time ...

Chelsie

Well, before I start posting all the pictures from all the adventures of the past several days, I felt I must devote a post to my mom and dad's cat, Chelsie. She passed away on Wednesday at the age of 18.

Chelsie was a lap cat, pure and simple ... she was just as happy to climb onto your lap, curl up and purr away for hours. She was wonderfully sweet, and the picture with this post was taken at Thanksgiving when we were in Columbus and Annie decided to read a book to Chelsie. As I've said before, our family is EXTREMELY pet-oriented, and our daughter is turning out to be just the same.

As I believe all animals should, Chelsie absolutely lived a luxurious life and was happy until the very end ... she wasn't sick and passed away peacefully in her sleep. In all honesty, if you have to lose a pet, could you choose a better way for them to go?

Still, I'll always miss her ...

Welcome Back to the Jungle

Well, well, howdy!! It has been a really fabulous last SEVERAL days as the computer suddenly and inexplicably became unable to connect to the internet ... very, very bizarre.

However, that little problem was fixed by a technician today, so I may now return to the world of blogging. SO much to catch up on ... Annie's birthday, my cousin's little boy's birthday party, our very recent return from Augusta where we saw a practice round for the Master's Golf Tournament, and of course the bazillion pictures to accompany all of these happenings.

Please stay tuned ...

Slipping Through My Fingers

Dear Annie,

Well baby girl, here we are. You're 3 years old now, which is really hard for me to believe! To say the last 3 years have been an adventure would be a massive understatement ... All the years and all the hoopla it took to bring you into this world -- well those memories are fading fast. Maybe because they don't matter as much as they used to. You're all that matters, even if I do wish being a mom came with some sort of instruction manual!

Oh the phases you've been through (and are going through!) Some days I just want to pull my hair out, but that feeling never really lasts that long. It's a feeling I've come to realize every mom has had and I guess a feeling I'll have LOTS more times! Still, when we're sitting on the bed and I'm painting your fingernails and you lean over and kiss me, I realize what's really important and I hope in some way you realize it, too. I love you. I love you always, and I can't even imagine what my life was like before you. I had no idea it was possible to love another human being in the all-consuming way I love you.

When I was younger, I wanted to move to New York and become a writer. I thought that would be such a cool thing to do ... Now I am so content when Daddy and I get to spend a day with you just doing simple things. Your sense of humor absolutely brings us such joy, especially when you do something like hop on our bed and do the Dora dance. You really do live life to the fullest, even at this young age.

And your heart ... well, I think you're going to be really tender-hearted like me and like your Pa, especially when it comes to animals. You love your "Mimi and Hopie" like nobody's business and you're so gentle with them and so kind. My heart melts when you go over to Mary and give her a kiss when she's on the couch asleep. God bless you for your sweet little heart ...

I have no idea what's in store for you, but as long as you're happy it's ok with me (within reason, of course!) I just hope you know how much we all love you and how that can never change, no matter what. And when I say we "all," you should know you have probably the best family God ever made behind you, and trust me when I say they will ALWAYS be there for you.

Happy birthday, baby ...

I love you, Annie, and I always, always will,
Mommy

So This Isn't About What I'm Wearing??

So we have a new saga in our lives ... the Hopie allergy drama. She's been seeing a doggie dermatologist (yes, you read that correctly) and had to go in Monday for allergy testing. Well this presented a huge wardrobe dilemma for me as I was not having a particularly good hair day and wanted to plunk my red washed-out denim bucket-type hat on my head ... I even had it in my hand to do just that when it hit me: what if I encountered a bull in the waiting room of the dermatologist? I just didn't feel inciting a riot would be a super start to the day.

In addition, there are a lot of birds who view red as a predatory color, and I did not want to be attacked by a murderous gang of blackbirds, macaws or the like. Oh, what to do, what to do, what to do? Go with so-so hair and put my focus back on poor Hopie who was facing a 6-hour day at the vet's full of shaving of her beautful fur and 70 needle pricks to determine her specific allergies or resume only focusing on myself?

I have to be honest; it was not an easy choice.

Let's just say, though, the red hat stayed home, and we didn't find any bulls or scary birds in the waiting room. Hope, however, is allergic to just about everything under the sun, and we're going back Monday so I can learn to give her allergy shots. Wow, that should be an adventure ...

In the meantime, Annie's 3rd birthday on Friday is just roaring towards us, and I keep wondering where all the time has gone? But that's another post altogether, isn't it?

Annie Barclay, Our New American Idol

Ah, our usual random images from the weekend ... the first few were after my shower and Annie's bath, and I'm honestly not sure whose hair was wilder!! The last few are of Annie singing into an early birthday gift from her most favorite babysitter (Kayla) ... it's a little American Idol karaoke-type toy which she LOVES!! And it's safe to say the child knows how to use a microphone!! It's also safe to say I'm waiting for my turn to sing, too!

Are You There, God? It's Me, Annie ...

So yesterday was Daddy Doughnut Day at Annie's Moms' Day Out Program, which I just realized is a fairly self-explanatory phrase ... Just for comparison, here's a picture of what she looked like about this same time last year:



And here's our baby girl yesterday:



And with the love of her life:



And with her current boyfriend at Moms' Day Out:



Yes, I did say her "current" boyfriend, and that sound you might hear in the background is Anthony measuring Annie for the habit she'll soon be wearing in the convent ...

A Time For All Things ...

Sometimes life is strange, isn't it?? Yesterday was a day that left me almost without words to describe it. I'll try, though. The pictures above are of Alex (Anthony's dog), and of Annie and Alex.

Alex was Anthony's dog before we got married. She was the most wonderful mutt of a dog with the sweetest disposition. I say "was" because she had to be put to sleep yesterday. But wow did she ever have a story.

First, Anthony had Alex, and it was just the two of them. Then I came along. Anthony and I dated, got engaged (Alex was the first to know), got married, then I moved in with my two cats (Sam and Katie, who also passed away in the past few months) and two birds (who also passed away over the years.) As my cousin was fond of saying, we had ourselves quite the zoo.

But a zoo wasn't enough for me. I felt Alex needed another dog-friend since everyone else in the house had a friend of their own kind. Enter sweet 6-week-old black lab Mary a mere two months after our marriage. So there we were: newlyweds with two dogs, two cats and two birds in a not-very-big starter house with orange shag carpeting which actually proved perfect for raising puppies. Yes, I said puppies. About four months after Mary came onto the scene, I found Hope, a homeless little border-collie mix puppy. I didn't call Anthony about bringing her home, I just put her in my car and took her straight to the vet for shots, etc.

After much coaxing, crying (me, not Anthony, who told me he liked Hope but didn't feel we needed any more animals at the zoo) and a bribe of new golf clubs for Anthony, Hopie came to live with us, too. Oh and somewhere along in here, one of my parakeets died, and I was so distraught about the situation (and the fact I couldn't properly bury her during my lunch hour because the shovel didn't work so great in the frozen ground) that I bought not one but TWO more parakeets. Yep, we now had three dogs, two cats and three birds.

Of course this situation wasn't bound to hold for long. For our first anniversary, we went to visit Anthony's brother in California, so my cats went to my mom and dad's to stay while we were gone. Well, as most of you know, they never did come back to live with us but lived VERY happily at Mom and Dad's. Exit two members of the zoo.

Also around this time, I think Alex had pretty much had enough. So to make a really long story a tiny bit shorter, she went to live with Anthony's parents, where she also lived VERY happily. That dog, that wonderful, beautiful dog, touched so many people's lives while she was here. I personally will always miss her for so many reasons ... she was technically my first dog ever and she'll always be so much a part of my history with Anthony. Not to mention that whenever we go home and we're at Anthony's parents' house, I'll still be looking for her to come sit by me.

I'll always be waiting for her to come sit by me ...

Yesterday was also my dad's birthday, which I am so glad we got to spend with him! He and Mom were in town for a few days, so Annie and I went to their condo yesterday, and we all had breakfast together at a great little place in Franklin. Then back to the condo for playtime and hiding eggs for Annie (about a million times!) It was great fun ...

We had a cook-out at our house to continue the birthday celebration, and the pictures from that are below. There are also a couple of random ones from the last few days of Annie and Mary ...

Spring ... Really?

Well, I feel it is time to write a short treatise on the current weather situation. Now it is important to note that I have spent the past several days trying to be a non-self-involved person, one who realizes the weather is simply an inconsequential portion of the day and keeping it all in perspective. For example, I have used some of the following as my mantras:

"Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods."

"Rain, rain go away, come again another day."

"Rain keeps the earth hydrated and healthy."

"Cold and misty grossness are simply a part of spring."

"At least we're perhaps better off than those people who live in that place where it's only daylight for half of the year or something similar."

"Ok, seriously, it's spring. Where's the sunshine?"

Alright, alright, I admittedly fell off the weather wagon there towards the end, but let's face facts. I am really NOT so much of a non-self-involved person, and the current weather is getting super old. It's SPRING!! Doesn't that imply running through meadows in the glorious sunshine, not digging out sweaters, sweatshirts and the like?

Has anyone notified Nashville and the surrounding areas that spring has sprung?

Apologies to Readerdom

Ok, so here are a million pictures of the past several days (hanging around the house, Annie's bathtime, friends over for dinner, church, a Vanderbilt baseball game with Annie dancing in the stands, etc.) to make up for the hideousness of my recent lack of blogging. Sorry, dear faithful readers! (and, yes, I know there are a few of you out there in readerdom!!)

Hope you enjoy the pictures ...

PMS For Almost 3-Year-Olds

Ah, a day with the tiny one ... she goes from looking so cute in her little denim skirt, then off to Kindermusik, errands, allergy shots (me), etc. to returning home where she has suddenly developed an aforementioned affinity for changing her clothes into Lord knows whatever. Today it was her pajama bottoms, a t-shirt she found that's about 2 sizes too small and her beloved blue Mickey Mouse jacket ...

Otherwise, it's a bit like living with a ticking time bomb. (heretofore known as probably what it's been like for Anthony to live with me all these years!) I swear the child has PMS if that's possible for an almost 3-year-old. You just look at her wrong, and all you-know-what breaks loose. But not all the time. Sometimes she's just the sweetest little thing who says things like, "thank you, Mommy, for lunch today." Who knows ...

Like I've said before, motherhood is a slippery slope!

Happy Birthday, Hopie!!

Well, I must start off by wishing our sweet Hopie an early "Happy Birthday" (her 10th birthday is tomorrow) ... she's come quite a long way since I found her homeless, completely neglected, missing patches of fur and chomping on an ant-covered biscuit 10 years ago ... We love you, baby girl!

Now, onto the world of Annie ... potty-training continues to go remarkably well and has now been strangely combined with excellent manners. How, you might ask? Witness a conversation from earlier this afternoon:

"Need to poo-poo, Mommy!"

"You need to poo-poo?"

"No, thank you." A little surreal, but who can complain when your child is exhibiting some seriously nice manners.

On the other hand, our precious beauty has really, really begun showing off a big-time stubborn streak. I don't know if it's because Annie's about to be 3, but it's more than a teensy bit challenging. (I try not to dwell on the fact that most of my friends have said the 3's were worse than the 2's.)

Ah, being a mom. What can you say? It's the hardest and simultaneously the most amazingly wonderful job ever ...

Now, for the serious business. American Idol. Must be off to watch ...

Images

Just some random pictures from the last few days, including the snow that we woke up to this morning and Mary digging out her beloved tennis balls ...

In these pictures, you can see Annie's newest habit (and no, not the kind the nuns wear!) ... she loves to come home from wherever we've been and find a lovely little "outfit" to dress herself in ... ah, the exertion of a toddler's independence, I suppose!

Where Did Those Ashes Come From?

So we're at Ash Wednesday services at church last night ... picture it if you will: a church filled to overflowing, a time to commune with God and us trying to find seats at the VERY back of the church in case we need to make a quick getaway.

The service starts, Annie's doing great ... a little squirmy but that's most certainly to be expected. All is well, the quiet is deafening and then:

" I NEED TO TEE TEE, MOMMY!!"

Thank the good Lord we were sitting toward the back because lo and behold she did need to tee tee. Successful potty training is so good and so bad ...

We return from our trip to the bathroom and resume sitting with Anthony. Again, Annie's hanging in there and doing really well. Then the time comes to have ashes put on our foreheads. We all move along to the front of the church, Annie still doing great, receive our ashes and take our seats.

Then:

"WHAT'S ON YOUR HEAD, MY DADDY?"

Anthony quietly says: "ashes."

"WHERE'D THEY COME FROM?"

I honestly forgot what he said at this point because I was trying to not laugh, be holy, etc.

Then:

"I NEED TO TEE TEE, DADDY!!"

And so she did.

All in all, it was such a wonderful time together as a family, and Annie (with all the honesty, innocence and curiosity of a child) really did great. And in my little world, I think that's exactly what God wanted.

Live From the Red Carpet

Pictures from our fun weekend of errand-running, haircuts, laundry and generally trying to stay warm here on the tundra ...

Oh and of course I must mention the Oscars, which are going on even as we speak. Although I so want my dear friend Meryl to win, I feel it may be Kate's year ... we shall see ...

The Belle of the Ball

More pictures from the Ball ... all family and family friends as well as one of my mom's best friends, who was also in the Mardi Gras Ball Court ...

Reality Bites

Well, we have returned from the big Mardi Gras Ball weekend and crashed back into reality ... It is worth noting that my aunt was the Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball, a very heavily guarded secret known only to a handful of family and very close friends until the actual night of the ball!! Very exciting and so much fun!! I've posted just a few of the nearly 300 pictures we came home with, and yes, I am the one in the cream-colored sweater to cover up my shingles ... (and yes, those are my beautiful parents!)

Happy Mardi Gras Ball!!

off to Gulfport for the Mardi Gras ball ... shall post pictures when we return ...