From the Mouths of Babes......

Recently, I discovered that Kyndall actually knows that my real name is not Mommy.  I honestly can't remember how I figured this out, but I think I just asked her "what is Mommy's name?"  I totally expected her to say "Mommy", but instead I was shocked when she excitedly shouted back "Ashee Annnnne!"  My mouth almost hit the floor!  FIRST OF ALL.....The fact that she's already picked up on this amazes me.  And even more amazing, the fact that she can even say my unusually long, painfully difficult name!  Growing up, all of my cousins used to call me "Ashee-Lan" because none of them could pronounce it, even at 4 and 5 years old.  Once I realized that she could say it, I must have asked her to repeat it 10 times a day because I just LOVE hearing her little voice say it!  The other thing that I absolutely love hearing her say lately is "ok".  It seems simple, but the way she says it is just too cute for words.  Take a listen..............

This is such a fun age and I'm loving her new found verbal abilities!  It's like she's really become a little person now.  We can effectively communicate and it makes life so much easier.  She understands me and I understand (most of) what she says.  She is picking up on things right and left and I often find myself having to spell out entire sentences to avoid her understanding what I'm talking about!  Funny story----The other day I heard her shouting from the play room to the living room trying to get Matthew's attention......"BABE!"  "BABE!"  "BAAAABEEEE"  I guess since she hears me say that so often, she assumed it was appropriate for her to use it as well!  Love her so much!!

Big, EXCITING Changes are on the Way!

It's official, Kyndall will be starting pre-school for the very first time next week!  (What??  That's not what you expected our big exciting news to be??)  =)

I had been considering putting her in some type of part-time pre-school for a while because she's been MORE than ready for several months now.  She's getting bored at home and there is only so much I can offer her in the way of stimulation and social interaction.  She is incredibly social and seems to thrive around other kids so it just doesn't seem fair to deprive her of that.  When we found out we were moving I decided to put it on hold until we got settled in Jackson.  I wouldn't exactly say we're "settled", but for some reason I just felt an urgency to start looking into programs for her.  The church that we visited last Sunday has a two day per week pre-school program that looked perfect to me!  I started researching it yesterday and had an appointment this morning to take a tour and get more information.  The director told me they only have one spot left in the "younger twos" class, so I wanted to make haste and not let any time drag by before making a decision!  I knew there was a reason for my urgency!

Matthew met me at the church and we were both very impressed with what we saw and heard.  The curriculum is all Bible based and every aspect of their learning is tied to a Biblical lesson in some way---From numbers to colors to shapes, it's all in line with the Word of God.  They even memorize a Bible verse each week and should be able to recite it with a little prompting!  They also have Spanish and Chapel time once a week in addition to their regular curriculum.  What more could I ask for??

My biggest concerns were getting her to sleep on a mat (they take a two hour nap after lunch) and figuring out how to send appropriate meals for her to eat each week. (she's SUPER picky and I usually offer her four or five things each meal before I find something she'll actually eat)  The director assured me that the napping on the mat wouldn't be a problem and that she will get the hang of it very quickly.  I hope so!  She also promised not to judge me if her lunches consist of the exact same things each week and will not deem me a bad mother for sending all of the horrible things that she likes most!

Matthew and I both left feeling very good about the decision to send her there.  I'm also excited because I'm very hopeful that Englewood Baptist is the church that we will end up calling home in a few weeks, once we've looked around a bit more.  I've always wanted our church home and our childrens' school/pre-school to be one in the same. 

Backing up a little, I have to share a funny story from yesterday.  Once I decided that we were really going to move forward with this process, I started talking about it with Kyndall.  I looked up pictures on the internet of kids sleeping on mats at school, eating lunch at tables with classmates, playing on playgrounds, sitting in circles listening to the teacher, sharing toys, etc.  I let her see these things and explained that this is what school is all about.  She got SO excited---literally jumping up and down and shouting "yeah yeah yeah!!!"  I took that as a good sign.  The next thing that came out of her mouth totally shocked me.  I have no idea where she got this connection between school and the request she was about to make, but nonetheless, it was very important to her!  It's as if a light bulb went off in that little head of hers.  Her eyes got big and she looked at me and exclaimed "Dowa bapa!"  "What??" I replied.  She shouted louder "DOWA BAPA!!!"  Then it hit me----Dora backpack!!!  She was making her request known that she wanted a Dora backpack for school!  Again, at two years old how does she even know that backpacks are for school??  And moreover, how does she already know the exact KIND she wants??  

For the remainder of the night I listened to her go on and on and onnnnnn about this very important "Dowa bapa".  I promised her that we would get one, though deep down I was a little nervous because I felt like it was one of those things that probably wouldn't be in abundance this time of year.  Had this been August, there probably would've been droves of them.  Yet, I made a promise and I planned to keep it.  Secretly, I searched Amazon and Ebay late last night, just in case a back up plan was needed!

We woke up bright and early this morning ready to go tour the school.  I took this video of Kyndall talking about her important request as well as a few other things I've been driving into her head over the past 24 hours...........

After the school tour we headed off to Target on a mission to find the Dora backpack.  I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a selection of Dora backpacks, as well as a few others that I knew would catch her eye!  It was a tough decision, but I let her make the final choice...............

Minnie Mouse won!!!  (Happy moment for this Mama, as I'm not a huge Dora fan myself and I'm really not sure when she became one for that matter!)

 

We settled for a Dora coloring book instead, as an additional treat for being so well behaved during the school tour

 

 

She seemed pleased with her choice..........

I can't believe that my itty bitty will be starting SCHOOL next week!  When I saw her put the backpack on, I got a little sad.  Where has my baby gone??

 

 

Before I know it she'll be heading off to college (minus the sippy cup, I hope!)

 

She was so thrilled with her new purchase that there was no talking her out of it while she ate her lunch. 

 

 

 In just a few days this little backpack will be coming home full of cute little art projects, a daily report card, and most likely a leftover lunch that she refused to eat!  Either way, I am SO excited and so is she!  We both need this!!!

I'm such a dork---I can't wait to take her official "first day of school" pictures next Tuesday morning!  I'll be back with a full report of how her first day went!  I'm soooo excited for my little Englewood Angel!!!

Baby Sister's B-Day

The day after the wedding just so happened to be Kelly's 26th birthday!  Though we were all tired from the prior day's festivities, we couldn't let her birthday slip by without a little celebration.  She didn't want anything fancy, but requested seafood for dinner, which was fine by me!!

Happy birfday, Aunt Kewwy!

 

After dinner we all went over to Broadview to visit with MeMe for a little while.  Kyndall and I would be leaving town the next day and I wanted to see her once more.

 

 

And as always, we had to say hello to the "birdies".  She pointed out each one and called them by the correct color......"bue", "wide" and "yewwow"

Can't wait to get this one in a frame!!!

 

Finally, it was time for "pwizes"!

She wasn't born yesterday----My girl knows a good thing when she sees it!  

 

I feel ya.....Just wait until 30, little sis!!!

 

 

 

Kyndall had been eyeing those cupcakes allllllll dayyyyy, so she was MORE than ready to devour one!

 

Cute!!

 Happy 26th birthday, little sister!!!  Where have the years gone?!

Carrie and Justin's Fairytale Wedding

 I was so honored to spend an entire weekend celebrating and being a part of the festivities surrounding my cousin Carrie's January 12th wedding day!  As you may know, Carrie was chosen for TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" and earlier this year she traveled to Atlanta for her taping of the show.  She ended up saying YES to her dream dress!  Following the taping, TLC contacted her and said that they wanted to hold her episode in order to film some footage of the actual wedding, before compiling it all and airing it on the show.  How exciting!

The weekend kicked off with a Bridesmaids' Luncheon in Marianna at an adorable little place called Delight.  The food and atmosphere were exactly what you would picture a Bridesmaids' luncheon to be!  So girly and just fun!

Grandma opening her gift............

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these earrings!!!

My Mom, Sister and I gave Carrie a little gift to take on her honeymoon...........

Make-Up bag with her NEW monogram on it!!

Carrie with all 5 of her BLUE eyed bridesmaids!

Aunt Beth, Carrie and Katie (Mother and Sister of the bride)

My gorgeous cousins!

 

After lunch all the girls enjoyed manis and pedis together

 

That night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

The church was SO pretty!

Practicing the hand off

Carrie with Murphy and Bryce, flower girl and ring bearer

I loved the decorations at the rehearsal dinner as well!  Burlap tablecloths with hunting and fishing themed centerpieces.  So creative, and so very Carrie and Justin!

My cousin Jeffrey (brother of the bride) and his sweet girlfriend Sydney

 

Granddaddy said the blessing and also said a prayer over Carrie and Justin and their marriage.  It was so sweet.

The next morning the bridesmaids had to be at the salon at 7:30 a.m. to start the hair and make up process.  Needless to say, we were all dragging a bit!

Grape juice toast to kick off Carrie's big day!

I am only including this "before" picture because it's a true testament of what a fabulous job Donna and Kimmy did on me!  They definitely had their work cut out for them!

The bride getting pampered

Katie??? =)

 Beautiful bride!!!

 What a difference hair and make-up makes!

When bridesmaids get hungry......

Me and my little sister, who is NEXT in line to be married!

Such a an honor to stand next to these gorgeous ladies on Carrie's big day!

THE DRESS!!!

 

The TLC camera crew!  I asked if I could take their picture and they said "sure"! =)

First glimpse of Carrie in her dress!  SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

Doing her "thing" for the camera!

Talking to Murphy while the camera man listened in.........

 

My favorite part---the veil!

 

That's my beautiful baby cousin right there!

 

My good lookin' Aunt and Uncle!

 

Officially the LAST picture I have of Carrie Jayne Basford!  

 

The wedding was gorgeous and sweet and everything went smoothly, with the exception of a few hiccups which only a few of us will ever know about!  =)  But what wedding is complete without SOME kind of funny story to tell in years to come?!  

The guests and wedding party arrived at the reception ready to eat, dance and celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs. Justin Davis!

Hmmm....anyone see the crazy toddler trying to escape onto the dance floor and the bridesmaid crawling around trying to catch her??  Yep, that'd be me and MY child.  As I was announced and came in the door, she spotted me from across the room and was yelling "Mommy!"  "Mommy!" throughout the bride and groom's first dance.  Between dances, I quickly motioned for my Mother-in-Law to send her across the dance floor to me.  BIG mistake!  My duty as a bridesmaid to stand around teary eyed and looking pretty during the dances was OVER.  I was officially on Mommy duty now, which included crawling around on the floor like a complete fool.  With my luck, THAT will be my television debut.  Wonderful.

 

I loved Carrie's whimsical cake choice!

Since Justin is an officer of the law, it was only fitting that his cake would reflect that!  Too cute!

As I mentioned earlier, Kyndall wasn't exactly on her best behavior that night.  Because of the timing of the wedding, she had completely missed her nap that day and nothing we could do would make her happy........Except going outside and playing in/on the antique car that Carrie and Justin arrived in!  Oh, and the ever handy "pop" which you see in her mouth.

 

As much as I try to make her a girly girl, antique cars won by a long shot over wedding festivities on this night!

These pictures pretty much sum up what the rest of my night was like, until Matthew's parents eventually offered to leave early with her so I could enjoy the rest of my evening and fulfill my bridesmaids' duties.  Nonie and Poppie to the rescue!!

Garrison found his way straight to the head table and plopped himself right on the groom's lap.  Adorable!

 

 

Maybe my favorite picture from the entire day!

 

 

Next, it was time to DANCE!  And dance we did!  (Actually, I didn't dance as much as I would've liked since my dancing partner wasn't there with me)

 

It's rare to see my Dad or Michael this dressed up.  Had to get a picture!

 

I'm not sure who this guy was, but he was FUNNY!!  He kept the crowd going all night with his dance moves!

Even Grandma shook a leg!!!!!

 

I adore these pictures of Grandma and Uncle Scott dancing together.  They were having a blast!

And just as much, I adore this picture of Granddaddy who thought the whole thing was hysterical!

Unlike us girls who will take a sister down and throw elbows over a simple bouquet toss, I actually think these guys were trying to AVOID catching the garter!

Little Garrison stuck it out the whole night!  Unlike his counterpart Kyndall, who apparently needed her beauty sleep.

 

.......................Still dancing.................

Further proof that alcohol is NOT necessary to have fun at a wedding!  It looks to me like everyone is having a GREAT time!

Ever wonder what a tired bridesmaid looks like??

Me and my Mama

Cousins, friends and proud RDH's!!  =) 

 

Justin and Carrie ended the night with a dance to "I've had the time of my life" (from the best movie ever, Dirty Dancing)  It was sooooo sweeeeeet!

 

 

And they're off!  Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Davis!!!!!!

What a fun day!  I'm so thankful to have cousins who are really more like sisters that I can share special days like this with!  Carrie and Justin, I wish you every happiness as you begin your new journey together!  God has a wonderful plan for your lives!  Now give us some beautiful babies, why dontcha??  =)

Just for memory's sake, here some pictures from when Carrie was a bridesmaid in my wedding.  Who knew that just 5 years later, I would be standing next to her as she lived out her own fairytale wedding??

Love my cousins! (Side note---In this picture, Katie was pregnant with Bryce, who was Carrie's ring bearer!)

These next few shots are absolutely some of my FAVORITE images from my wedding!  Look at the determination on Carrie's face to catch that bouquet!!!

This is her GAME face!

Guess what----That determination paid off!

She caught it!  Hey look, there's Justin in the blue shirt!  For some reason he doesn't look as excited about the bouquet being caught by his girlfriend!

We've made so many great memories together over the years.  I'm looking forward to many, many more!  Love you, Carrie Jayne Davis!!  Welcome to the family Justin!  Thanks for letting me be a part of your special day!