Miss Photogenic?

 

 I need some photos of Alex for the miss photogenic at school. They asked for candid shots. Problem is ...

Pull out the camera and she stiffens up and does this fake smile and come hither look all mixed together. What the heck is that?

  

 She looked like an angel about to take a nap. I made no noise. She sensed the camera and that was it.

  

This would be her giving her best attempt not to stiffen up like she has osteoarthritis.

 I love her sleeping face. Check out the flaming hearts tattoo. I think I'll keep this one so when she gets older she will believe me when I say flaming hearts and fancy gowns don't mix.

  

 Boy, would I love to have eyes like those. They are killer aren't they?

 

Maybe we should skip this part of the pageant.

Found It.

My sweet hubby spent his Saturday....

wait for it.....

Dress shopping with his wife, two year old and six year old, for the school pageant.  Because he is a great guy. And because it was that or stay home with the two year old by himself that refuses to potty for Daddy.

He then came home and chopped wood for our new heater in case we get snowed in up here in The Great Icy Mountains of Alabama. If not for this man-  I'm telling you I feel like I can't do enough to keep up. You know, if we were keeping score, but we're not.

Thank goodness.

Anyway, the dress. We found it. Luckily, for my pocket book, her school doesn't do the WAY OVERDONE dresses. They are more like flower girl dresses so finding the right one wasn't as bad as I thought.

You really can't tell much from the picture but the bodice is a woven satin ribbon with pink pearls. She looks beautiful in it. Her idea of the perfect dress was slightly different at first. It looked more like this.

What can I say. The girls has a sassy side.

We also looked at this one.

And this one.

Among many, many others.


I wish we would have seen this one.

To be honest, I'm a little afraid to do anything shorter than ankle length. She is quite the tomboy other than dress up and her little legs always have bruises.

All the pictures I saw of past winners wore the long dresses. I still feel like taking hers back and getting something more her...

This pageant stuff is kinda fun after all.

Now, what to do with all of this...

Pageants

Every time I hear the word pageant I think of the poor little JonBenet. Ah, it's awful. And then I think of the pageant Alex was in when she was 3 months old. The little two year old babies were tanned and had fake hair, fake eyelashes, and more make up than any street walker! It was disgusting and heart breaking. I vowed not to let her be a part of that world.

People stop us every where we go to talk to her about her hair or ask if I put her in pageants or modeling. I don't feel like giving them all my reasons for not doing it so I just say thank you and smile when they insist that I should.

Maybe I'm a terrible mom for keeping her all to myself. I just don't want her to starve herself to keep a certain image for modeling and I don't want her to feel like all that fake stuff is beautiful. I want her to always know she is wonderfully beautiful just the way her Creator made her. And that all the trophies in the world mean nothing if you have to change yourself to get them.

Now with that being said... Her teacher wanted me to put her in the school pageant. A big breath of air immediately rushed from my lungs. I didn't want to explain myself and I didn't want to say no. I thought about it. Asked her if she wanted to do it. She does of course. I then called the school with a lot of questions and after meeting with the director and looking through the last few yearbooks winners, I felt much better. The little winners looked like flower girls. That I can do.

So tomorrow we will go out in search for the perfect dress. My six year old baby will enter the world of pageantry. Don't get me wrong. I think confidence and competition are not bad things. I just want her to be confident in who she is and know that outward beauty is her extra gift.

Lord, I will need a double-helping of peace now, thank you.


What do you think? How do you feel about pageants? Do you know anyone who competes in pageantry or modeling?

Cheers!! Happy Baby!!

I am an aunt!!!


I've never been an aunt.


I've had to do all the rule making.


Now I get to do the rule breaking.


So What do you do for hours upon hours of waiting for the cousin you've been hearing about for nine months?

Show everyone how you'll look when there's a baby in your tummy.

 Then when you break your mothers resolve, and the labor and delivery room floor is now an appropriate place to lay and draw..........

make beautiful greeting cards for your laboring aunt.

 

And if the monitor still looks like gentle waves instead of a hurricane 

you.........

eat an entire box of Sugar Babies (except the one you grudgingly give your aunt Jess and the few that Mommy took when you weren't looking).

And after a full day of excitement, patience, impatience, and fighting over the one toy you didn't both get for Christmas........you get this........

 

Charity Hope

19 5/8 inches

7lb 3 oz

born at 4:16pm on 

December 30, 2009

A beautiful perfect angel. 

Congratulations DD. You will be a wonderful mother. I love you very much.

A Picture Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potty ups and downs and a little peek into my world

In case you didn't know- putting waste in the proper location  is optional. My toddler teaches me something new everyday.


My  big girl may choose to use her new outfit as a disposal.


And her pretty ruffle panties as a dump *pun intended*.

Sweet Christmas tights with shimmery snowflakes are not very absorbent.


 Oddly enough- this behavior, blessedly, only happens at home.


The time-out-wall may be permanently shadowed by my curly top girl. But that was yesterday. And today is a new day. Poop-a-potty (her announcement that she needs to poop)has already been successful this morning!

No time-out-wall today? Maybe...Just maybe..

The poor girl already goes straightaway to her spot to sit and pout if she has to be changed.

I wanted to share a few tidbits of my life with you.

 My sisters. The belly is my upcoming niece Charity Hope. The sweet girl on the left is Jess. We have become best friends.

The one with the belly and cute cheekbones is DD my baby sister. The poor girl isn't due till Jan 18th! I changed her diapers and now will gladly change the ones on her daughter. 

This guy, looking a bit like Zac Brown these days, is the love of my life. I can't say enough about him. He is the most wonderful husband. And the girls will probably never know how blessed they are that he is their father. 

While surfing the net with my hubby for a prospective hot rod (for him), I discovered this.

The Henry J. Love at first sight. I want to find one - keep the white walls, put in a scary fast motor and drag race it! 

If you laughed at this -as did my husband- don't bother to tell me. It won't change my mind.

  

So there you have it. Poop,blessings, and dreams, It doesn't get any better than that, ladies.

Happy Bithday to my LadyBug

Six years ago this beautiful creature came into my life. The more she grew the more I fell in love with her. 

I wish I had digital pictures of her when she was a baby. If I find that I do, I'll post them later but here are some from 2 yrs. and up. 

I thought I'd share my memory journey with you.

At her two year ballet recital she stole the show.

On a trip to our favorite ranch she found her inner 'cowgirl'. 

 

We love Tony Stewart and had to go see his car when it came to town before the Talladega race.

A trip to the beach.

Tired from all that running in the sand! But you have to eat at Lambert's.

Carving a pumpkin with Daddy.

 Playing with a lizard.

Ignore the Jr. racing suit- that was not my idea...

Going dove hunting with Daddy.

Cotton pickin' at Old Baker Farm.

Panning for GOLD at Desoto Caverns.

Fall picture day in 4K.

Last Christmas.

Big graduate from 4K.

Making stepping stones for Granna's mother's day gift. Well on her way to her dream of being a science teacher.

Hugging Mommy. I hope she still wants to do that when she is a teen.

Half asleep but she tied her shoe all by herself!

Lost her first tooth and gained five bucks.

Showing her skilz at her birthday party.

I love this child!