When the Babe is Away.....

The grown ups will play!  Errr---rest, sleep in, take it easy....RELAX!  Last Monday Kyndall went back to Georgia with Matthew's parents for a little mini vacation.  They took her to Panama City Beach for the week and have been spoiling her real good for the past week!  I've enjoyed the break but I have definitely missed my girl!!  Since I'm unable to travel and essentially STUCK here in Jackson, I'm glad that Kyndall was afforded the opportunity to go on a vacation and do something fun.  She deserves it more than any kid I know.  I just wish I could have gone too.  It was almost torture looking at the pictures of her enjoying the sandy white beaches of the Gulf that I love and miss so much.  

My Mom and I used the week to not only rest (sleeping in some mornings until 10:00!!) but also to get a few things done.  We ran lots of errands, marked things off our to-do lists and just enjoyed not having to obey the demands of a little one.  Some days we didn't even get out of our PJs!

One of the things I've been wanting to mark off my to-do list is finishing up Kyndall's bedroom.  I still need a few small touches but I really like the way it's coming together!  I really like the pink/gray/white combination!

I love the way this black and white enlargement of Kyndall and her BFFs turned out!!

Hoping to find the perfect white mirror to hang above her dresser....If you see one, let me know!  =)

Same lamp she's had since she was a baby, I just added a gray flower to match the pink/gray theme!

Next my friend Ms. Donna will make me a large wall monogram of Kyndall's initials to cover that empty wall on the left!  Can't wait to see it!

I also FINALLY got around to enlarging and framing our family portraits that we had made over two months ago!  It's amazing what you can get done when you have so much free time!

Gonna hang this over our couch but it weighs about 783 pounds so I'm waiting for Matthew to put an anchor in the wall......

Here's what the babe has been up to while we held the fort down back home in Tennessee......

(Thank you, Nonie for sending me pictures every day!!)

Living the good life on PC Beach!

They took her to Gulf World to see the ocean critters

They even treated her to a night at Miracle Strip in Pier Park!

Today they headed back to Georgia, but not before stopping by Tallahassee to have lunch with my Dad!  How sweet!

Kyndall loves her G-Daddy!!

On a whim, Matthew, Mom and I decided to venture over to Nashville yesterday for a fun afternoon/night at the Opry!  Mom hasn't been since I was a toddler and we wanted to treat her to a night out for all of her help over the past couple of months.  This was also my first time leaving Jackson since the end of February so I was MORE than excited to get the heck outta here......but also a little nervous!  With it being a holiday weekend (Lots of crazies on the road...lots of accidents) we all took our bags just in case I got the call while we were in Nashville.  Obviously I didn't and I was fine with that because it meant we were able to enjoy a nice day doing something for ourselves!  

We started out by showing Mom around the Opryland Hotel

We had an early dinner at one of the many yummy restaurants inside of the hotel, then headed over to the Opry House

There were a few names we recognized on the play list for the evening (Suzy Bogguss, Jason Crabb, etc.) but we were especially surprised when Little Jimmy Dickens showed up!  He wasn't on the schedule so it was a neat surprise!  He's just as teeny tiny in person as he looks on TV!

The Opry Square Dancers are always my favorite---probably because of my past clogging days with the Mountain Dew Cloggers!  Maybe once I get my new liver I could audition....hmmm.....  =)

It was a fun way to spend our FREE Saturday and I'm glad we took some time to do something fun for a change.  I'm going a bit stir crazy being stuck in Jackson and unable to travel so it was a welcomed break for me.  Our bags are back where they belong, but we're not unpacking them just yet!

While I'm sitting here I might as well share some super cute pictures that my friend Glory took last weekend.  She bravely took several kids over to Memphis to celebrate Caroline's birthday at Build-A-Bear on Sunday afternoon.  (That is, after she took them all to CiCi's pizza for lunch!!  Glory--you are my hero!)

She named her bear.....wait for it.....ASHLEIGH-ANNE.  Do you know how weird it is to hear her say "Mommy, can you bring me Ashleigh-Anne?"  "Mommy, can I change Ashleigh-Anne's clothes?"

Only my child would do this.

Enjoying a birthday cupcake in the mall!

And a carousel ride!  Thanks for a great day, Mrs. Glory!!

Kyndall comes home tomorrow and it will be back to life as usual but I'm actually looking forward to it.  I've really missed her and can't wait to see her pretty little tan lines and hear all about her adventures at the beach!

I hope everyone has a happy and SAFE Memorial Day weekend.  I also hope you'll take time to remember what this weekend is TRULY all about.  It's so much more than a 3 day weekend, a trip to the beach, cook-outs and vacations.  

For me, this weekend is about honoring two men who are very special to me.  My brother-in-law Michael and my beloved Granddaddy, both who served our country proudly in the US Army.  

We are thankful for and proud of you, Michael!

(An old picture, but one of my favorites of Kyndall and her "Ankle Michael")

We adore and miss you, Granddaddy!!!

Kyndall's FIRST Dance Recital

I cannot even begin to tell you how happy it makes me that I'm sitting here in my own house with my own family on the night of Kyndall's very first dance recital sharing these pictures and stories with you.  You see, just a few weeks ago it didn't look as if I would be here for this very special day.  Everyone, including myself, assumed that by this point I would be laying in a hospital bed at Vanderbilt, post liver transplant resting and recovering and watching the recital via Skype.  I feared that someone else would have the pleasure of doing those special little things that every Mommy looks forward to on such a big day---doing her hair, her make up, putting on her costume, picking out the perfect bouquet of flowers and sitting in the audience watching my baby dance her little heart out.  The thought of missing all of that would bring me to tears every time I even thought about it.  I made it pretty well known to everyone that this was NOT my heart's desire.  Most of all, I made it known to the only one who has any control over that sort of thing---God Himself.  It has been my sincere prayer for the past few weeks that I would be here to participate in this momentous day.  I've been dreaming of ballet recitals since the day I found out I was pregnant with a precious baby girl.  I've sat week after week, Tuesday after Tuesday for the past 9 months at dance class anticipating recital day and wondering what it would be like.  I've endured tantrums, tears and even near death experiences (Remember the DQ story??  Ha!) just to get us to this day.  I've invested money, time and patience into allowing her to experience her first "extracurricular" activity and I've waited with baited breath to see whether she would love it as much as I did or absolutely hate it.  Thankfully, she loved it which made me even more excited about the big finale, which is recital day.  So, all that to say I was overjoyed, thankful, even giddy to see this day come and to be a part of it from beginning to end!  It was all I had dreamed of and more and I will treasure the memories we made ALWAYS.  

I offer no apologies for the ridiculous amount of pictures that were taken over the past two days because when you've looked forward to this day as much as I have it only makes sense to try and capture every moment!  

Yesterday was dress rehearsal which meant full hair, make up and costume.  It was a good practice for ME, as I really wasn't sure how Kyndall would cooperate for the whole getting ready process.  To my sheer delight, she LOVED every minute of it and sat ever so patiently as I put make up on her for the very first time.  It was bittersweet seeing my "baby" looking so grown up!

I was pretty proud of my bun!

My little beauty!!

A few pictures before rehearsal started.......

Kyndall's class was the "snowflakes"

Riley and Kyndall

That's a LOTTA hairspray right thurrrrr!!

I think I speak the truth when I say that rehearsal was utter chaos, but thankfully Mrs. Kim has the gift of patience and always remains calm even in the midst of craziness!  The girls were funny, experiencing the "big stage" for the first time!

After rehearsal, we gathered some of the girls up for a group picture since we figured recital day would be a little hectic.  These 5 girls are the best of friends and I will miss seeing them dancing and twirling together every Tuesday afternoon!  I'll also miss the "adult time" that I had every Tuesday with their Mommies as we chatted and caught up week after week.

Oh my goodness.....I can't even.....!!

A few more pictures before leaving the church......

Kyndall and Micah--sweet friends!!

My In-laws and my Dad had arrived in town just prior to dress rehearsal so once it was over we all headed to dinner together, and then home to celebrate birthdays!

Last Saturday was my mother-in-law's birthday and today was my Dad's so we had a lot to celebrate!

But as usual, there is always a prize for Kyndall somewhere in the mix!  This time it was her very own gumball machine.  She has just recently grasped the concept of gum (aka NOT swallowing it) so she was very proud to receive this gift from the grandparents.  Thankfully you have to feed it a penny in order for it to give you a piece of gum....otherwise we'd have to hide it!  Mommy will officially be the keeper of the pennies!

I was pretty excited about the homemade gifts that Kyndall and I made for my Dad and Matthew's Mom.  They're candy jars to put on their desks at work, complete with flower hand prints and butterfly thumb prints!  Appropriate since Kyndall's newest obsession is flowers!

They both loved them!

We surprised the birthday boy/girl with gourmet cupcakes from Hali Hannigan's!  Mom had the idea to "personalize" them, so my Dad got a golf themed cupcake and Matthew's Mom got a beach themed one.  They were super cute and SO yummy!!

MY FAVORITE!!!!

Everyone else got a cupcake too!  

I ordered Kyndall's with pink GLITTER on top!  How fun is that??

Finally, Saturday arrived and it was RECITAL DAY!!  

Kyndall and Caroline---Two little beauties!

Lining up to go on stage!  I love the look of seriousness on Kyndall's face!

Here come the snowflakes!!

Look up, Kyndall!

At the end of ACT 1 there was a curtain call and all of the dancers came back on the stage for a final bow.  It was so cute!

Even though Kyndall's portion of the recital was over, she asked to stay and watch the "big girls" dance in Act 2.  She sat on my Dad's lap completely in awe for over an hour and never made a peep!  My poor Dad probably had no idea he would be spending his entire birthday at a dance recital.  

Kyndall with Nonie and Poppie

With Grammy and G-Daddy

And finally, Mommy and Daddy!  We are so proud of our girl!!

So very happy to be sharing this day and this moment with my daughter!

Of course in typical Kyndall fashion there had to be at least a few silly pictures.  I guess I can only expect her to act girly and proper for so long before the real Kyndall comes out!  =)

We had a birthday dinner at Red Robbin and then came home to watch our daily dose of Frozen (yay!).  It was the first time for Nonie, Poppie and G-Daddy.  

Kyndall melted down towards the end of the night and there were a few tantrums and some tears but I am so proud of how well she did on her first big recital day!  It was a long and busy day and she handled it like a champ!  

I am laying my head down tonight with peace in my heart and joy in my spirit as I relish in the memories from today.  I am forever thankful that I was blessed to be a part of it all!  The Lord truly did hear the cry of my heart and though it may seem silly to some, missing out on this day would have been truly devastating to me.  I know there will be other recitals but there will never be another FIRST.  

I am now ready to receive the call for transplant whenever the Lord sees fit.  My goal was to make it to May 17th and I promised myself and my family that after today I would gladly accept the call whenever it comes.  That's not to say I'm not still terrified.....because I am.  But at least my heart is content in knowing that I didn't have to miss out on something so important to me.  

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

~Psalm 37:4

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving make your requests known to God."

~Philippians 4:6