3 Fs (FLASHBACK and FIVE question FRIDAY)

Flashback Friday


1954

My dad and his older brother, Bill

When I ran across this picture of my dad {pictured on the left}, I just knew I had to include it in a Flashback Friday post. Knowing stories of my dad's boyhood antics, I found this picture even more adorable. My dad and uncle look like perfect little angels in their dress clothes and bow ties, but all I can think is Leave it to Beaver meets Dennis the Menace. It's always fun browsing through old photos, but it's the stories behind the pictures that provide the real entertainment!



Five Question Friday {Hosted by Mama M. at My Little Life}



1. If you could, would you go back to high school?

Although I still have fond memories of my high school years, I would not go back if given a chance. My high school days have come and gone.

The Boss said it best, "Glory days well they'll pass you by, Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye, Glory days, Glory days..."


2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes.")

This is a tough question! There are so many "things" I'd like, but since it's a genie we're talking about and not the lotto jackpot, I'm going to have to go with "things" money just can't buy. First I'd ask the genie to grant my entire family lifelong health. Since this is a tall order, I wouldn't be surprised if the genie made me cash in my second wish just to finish the task. However if he still allowed me to make a second wish, I'd wish that my family always had everything they needed. And no, I'm not talking about cars, beach houses, and new wardrobes. But rather a security and peace of mind that comes from knowing that something bigger is at play in their life.

Funny how my genie ended up sounding more like God than the little guy from the lamp in Aladdin. Maybe it's a little more prayer and faith that I really need!


3. What kind of kids' show do you secretly like?

I enjoy watching Disney's Special Agent Oso, or as Bret and I call it, Special Agent Oh-no. We get a kick out of the haphazard and clumsy secret agent bear that can't seem to do anything without the aid of those he's supposed to be helping. Ironic isn't it?! I also like the Imagination Movers. This New Orleans based group sings, dances, and solves problems in a uniquely fun way. The only downside...getting their songs stuck in your head all day and then finding yourself singing them while pushing your buggy through Target!


4. What is your beverage of choice?

Yay, an easy one! My favorite beverage is diet coke, although I do drink a lot of water.


5. What is something you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?

My biggest flaw is that I am insecure. Unfortunately, most of what I obsess over is superficial. Does that make me egocentric? No, it just makes me real. My weight is a constant issue swirling around in my head. I'm always trying desperately to keep up with the Jones', though my clothes never seem new or trendy enough. I dwell on every new line, wrinkle, gray hair, and skin imperfection that I see in the mirror. The list goes on and on...

My mom and I have spoken about this extensively. Though I am convinced that there is not an overnight remedy for this problem, I do know that it is something that I definitely need to work on changing {and fast}.

I want my daughter to be strong and confident in who she is, not a Doubting Debbie Downer with major hangups! And, I'm pretty sure she's too smart to fall for the whole "do as I say and not as I do" bit!


For more 5 Question Friday fun, head on over to Mama M.'s.

Enjoy your weekend!

Peek-a-Boo

When Bret arrives home after a long day at work, I'm not the only one excited to see him. Looney Tunes' Roadrunner has nothing on Gillian Grace. When she sees her Daddy walk in the room, her tiny legs can't get her across the room fast enough. There are days when I half expect to see smoke {or at least a little dust since we all know I have plenty of that} come flying out from beneath her as she burns rubber across the living room floor to welcome her Daddy home.

Evening after evening, regardless of how dog-tired Bret may be or the kind of day he's just had, he always has time for his daughter. And, after playing a while with Daddy, it's no wonder Gillian Grace sleeps so soundly at night. Am I a lucky gal or what?!

Peek-a-Boo...

I see you!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

What's blowing your way today?

T is for...

Tooth!

Alert the presses, Gillian Grace finally has her first tooth and has signs that number 2 is on the way! After months and months of showing all the signs of teething, her first bottom tooth made its debut just days ago. Hallelujah!

We've waited for this day for so long, I felt it only appropriate to commemorate this milestone with a little ditty...

Ode to a Tooth

I was tending to my chores as I usually do,

When I paused for a second to watch GG chew.

There in her mouth I noticed a white glistening speck,

Not sure at first what it could be, I bent down for a closer check.

It was easy to see even among all the crumbs,

There sat her first tooth popping through her pink gums.

I thought to myself, could this really be?

Is this the little chomper we've been waiting to see?

After months of drooling and uncomfortable nights,

In an instant it became clear why teething really bites.

That new tooth though tiny and small,

Was a terribly sharp oral intruder and the cause of GG's squalls.

I felt for my daughter, but knew the tooth's fate,

In a few years it would fall out during a play date.

Then one night, under her pillow the tooth will go,

In hopes that the Tooth Fairy will exchange it for some dough.

So though I felt bad for this one lone teensy tooth,

I was relieved that she finally had one to tell you the truth.

For a while I thought she'd have to get dentures,

Now wouldn't that have been quite the adventure?!

I've had it with the Mamarazzi, enough with the pictures already!

Top 2 Tuesday

This week's Top 2- Favorite things about Summer

1. Lounging Poolside- I was majorly pregnant last summer and spent most of my time floating in my parents' pool. Not only did I have a good tan, but I got a little relief from all that extra load I was carrying those final few weeks of my pregnancy. Since Gillian Grace's birth we've only been swimming once. GG loved the water so I am looking forward to slathering her in a little Water Babies SPF and heading east for some poolside chillaxin' family style!

Our Bathing Beauty, Gillian Grace
September 2009

2. The ABCs of Summer (Anniversaries, Birthdays, and Cook-outs)- Every June we celebrate my parents' anniversary on the 20th and continue the party through to the next day, when we celebrate our anniversary! Summer is always full of birthdays and this year we've added one more to the calendar. Miss Gillian Grace will turn the big 0-1 on July 20th. I cannot wait to celebrate her first year of life with all our family and friends! Then we'll close summer with my and my father's birthday celebrations in August. Fun times! And what would summer be without tons of cook-outs? Burgers, dogs, steaks, you name it...it just all tastes better on the grill!

Our Wedding Day
This year summer we'll celebrate our 7th anniversary on June 21st.

Be sure to head over to the Undomestic Momma for more Top 2 Tuesday fun!

Monday Musings

After a stormy Saturday, the skies cleared making for an absolutely beautiful end to the weekend. But unfortunately, my mood Sunday was anything but sunny and pleasant. To say that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed would be putting it mildly. For no reason at all, I was just in a funk.

Do you have days like that?

Gillian Grace got every ounce of kindness and patience I could muster, so needless to say my husband was the undeserving recipient of most of my crankiness. Try as he might to do right by us, I found flaw in most everything he did. I was on his case about how he fed GG to how loudly I thought he was eating, and I was relentless. I might as well have been the Big Bad Wolf because I huffed, puffed, and sighed about practically everything. Unfortunately my mom even got a taste of my terrible 'tude when I called home to check in. Suppose I could blame it on being peed on {twice}; thinking I lost my wedding ring after a catastrophic diaper change and sifting through a bag of poopy wet wipes and diaper only to learn that my husband had my ring the entire time; or that I was over tired from our six a.m. wake up call courtesy of the next door neighbor's yard man and his mower! But that would be unfair. The reality of it is, I was just in a no good, very bad, don't listen to a thing I say because I don't really mean it, kinda mood. And I've decided it's okay to have an "off" day every once in awhile, but I have learned that when a bad moon mood is arisin' I need to head off by myself. After all, my family shouldn't have to endure my bad moodapalooza!

But the weekend was not totally without laughter, smiles, and the usual fun family times. We did enjoy spending a little time outside Sunday, and celebrated the first birthday of one of Gillian Grace's friends {our neighbor's grandchild}. After the party and a quick change into comfy clothes, we headed to Fresh Market to pick up something for dinner. As we were walking out, I noticed the small oranges and after reading the name on the boxes, just had to have Bret snap a few quick pictures. Who could resist posing with a bunch of "cuties"? I sure couldn't!

Gillian Grace is watching the cutie she did have in her hand, roll into the parking lot. Whoops!

Still looking for her cutie! I just know she thought it was going to come back.

For more great Mommy and Me pictures check out:

Hosted by Krystyn

Hope your week is off to a great start!

3 Fs (FLASHBACK and FIVE question FRIDAY)

Flashback Friday

Late Summer 1982


Oh what I'd give to know just exactly what I was thinking when this picture was taken. Okay the necklace I get, but the shower cap...really? I can only guess that I must have drawn the short straw when we chose roles for playing school. Either that or no one else wanted to play Mrs. Alotta Gray Vee, the lunch lady!



Five Question Friday {Hosted by Mama M. at My Little Life}



1. What was the first car you owned?

My first car was a 1995 Honda Prelude. Having been told that I wasn't getting a car for my birthday, Mom and Dad pulled a fast one over on me and surprised me with this sporty ride. Thinking we were on our way to the Credit Union to take care of some paperwork, imagine my surprise {and shock} when we pulled into the parking lot and I caught my first glimpse of a car exactly like the one I test drove earlier complete with red bow. It still didn't sink in, I'm a little slow that way, until my parents handed me the keys! What can I say, being an only child has its perks!



2. What song are you embarrassed to know the lyrics to?

Rollin' in my five point O with my rag top down so my hair can blow... Hopefully you are not singing the rest of the verse. Without hesitation, I am most embarrassed to know all the words to Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby. Please don't judge!



3. Have you ever had stitches?

No! Tap, tap...that's me knocking on wood!



4. What was your first job?

The first job I ever got paid for was babysitting my mom's friend's son. It only took a few hours of wrangling a toddler on a sugar bender for me to realize that I was not cut out for this line of work. My next "real" minimum wage paying job was hostessing at a local beach restaurant the summer after my freshmen year at Florida. And to think I thought college was an eye opening experience---College ain't got nothing on the beach after the sun goes down! I can promise you one thing, Gillian Grace will find herself a nice quiet summer job in town!



5. Who is your favorite Sesame Street character?

Ummm hello, do you even have to ask? I gotta go with that googly-eyed carb loving guy, Cookie Monster. After all, I've been know to shed a tear when my cookie jar's empty too!


Happy Friday!

Dirt Alert

How do you know when it's been a little too long since you last gave your floors a good cleaning?



When your daughter decides to chow down on a dust bunny she accidentally mistook for food. Ay yi yi!







Does anyone have the number for Merry Maids?



In my defense, our living room rug from PB sheds like nobody's business. June Cleaver and Martha Stewart combined couldn't keep up with all the fuzz this rug produces. And no, I'm not that mom that left her 9 month old alone with the fuzzy hors d'œuvre while she ran to get the camera. So she got in a few quick licks, a little dirt never hurt anyone, right?

If you're HAPPY and you know it...

Say thanks!

Thank you, Ashley of Sweet Southern Prep for passing along the Happy 101 award. Not only does she have two of the most adorable kids around {Sweet W and Precious E} her blog is nothing short of fab-u-lous! Although Ashley is always full of wonderful tips about fashion, manners, and of course all things preppy, I especially look forward to checking in on her Wednesday Whereabouts, where she posts beautiful pictures and provides a hint {or 2} so readers can guess her location. Fun, right?

Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.

Things that make me happy:

1. Five o'clock- Five o'clock means that it won't be long before my husband is pulling his car in the garage. And no it's not because it means I get a break after a long day, but because I get to spend a little time with my best friend. {And, yes the extra pair of hands is a nice plus!}

2. Gillian Grace- Have you seen her smile? 'Nuf said!

3. My mom and dad- As an only child, my parents gave me, and continue to give me, the world. They are the most selfless people I know and am blessed to be their daughter. They are not only my parents, but my best friends.

4. The smell of freshly cut grass- Everyone has them, those scents that remind you of something. The smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of home, a place I can always go to find comfort when life gets a little hectic.

5. A summer afternoon thunderstorm- When I was little, my dad and I used to sit out in the garage during thunderstorms watching the rain and counting the seconds between the booming thunder and the flashes of lightning. I may be scared of many things, but a thunderstorm is not one of them. Here in the South you can almost set your clocks by the afternoon storms and I find nothing more soothing than hunkering down with a blanket and watching it all unfold.

6. A good night's sleep-With a baby, those days of 8 full uninterrupted hours of sleep are pretty scarce. Although she's been sleeping through the night since she was 7 months old {And yes, I consider myself both grateful and lucky}, I am not sure that I will ever sleep soundly again. I'm always waking to check on her with the video monitor or to listen as she adjusts to a new position. Suppose there's time for sleep when she's off at college. Then again, I'm sure I'll just have a new list of things to worry about.

7. New clothes- There's nothing like a new outfit to lift your spirits. When I taught, I could've just had the worst week ever---annoying parents, misbehaving students, never-ending paperwork---I'd hit Ann Taylor Loft for a few new things and leave with a fresh attitude.

8. A favorite song on the radio- Whether it's a classic like Journey's Don't Stop Believin' or the newest billboard chart topper, a good tune on the radio makes me smile and feel like dancin'! Not to mention a good song makes you temporarily forget about the yahoo that just cut you off and is only going 20 in a 45 .

9. Good television- No it's not an oxymoron, there are actually a few "good" shows left on television, or at least I think so. Among my favs: Castle, Desperate Housewives, The Middle, Modern Family, Parenthood, White Collar, Psych; and of course my DVR listing is always set to record The Amazing Race, Survivor, and the Real Housewives. Just recently discovered Everybody Loves Raymond and King of Queens reruns on late night. Pretty funny when there's nothing on but infomercials at 12:30 in the morning.

10. A sunny day- Nothing better than blue sky sunny days. It makes me feel energized and productive. When I worked a beautiful day made me want to call in sick. Now that I'm home with GG, I can get out and enjoy it!

Now I'm going to pass this award along to a few fellow bloggers whose sites I've just recently discovered. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

The Winey Mommy

Lexie Loo & Dylan Too

A Little MCB

Mama Stork Knows Best

Ellie-Town

Hanging with Mr. Cooper

Tuckers Take Tennessee

Also, wanted to say thanks to Robyn of One of the Jones! for passing along the Sunshine Award. Be sure to check out her blog and say hi!

Thanks again, ladies!

Wordless Wednesday

Gillian Grace is 9 months

Dear Gillybean,

Today you turn 9 months old. With your first birthday only three short months away, I've got my work cut out for me. As you're learning, Mommy likes to have everything just so and won't settle for anything less than magazine perfection on your special day. It seems like just yesterday that I was preparing your 1 month post, my how quickly time passes. Your Daddy and I no more turn our heads before you are doing something new for the first time. You continue to grow, thrive, and change right before our very eyes. And, you never fail to amaze us!



You are very independent and have tremendous confidence in your abilities, 9 months going on 19 we like to say. You began crawling around six months and never looked back. Now you are crawling faster than we can keep up. Pulling up is still one of your favorite parlor tricks, only now you've begun standing on your own. Just the other day we caught you standing for almost a minute before you realized that you were no longer gripping the ottoman and plopped down. You like holding our fingers and having us escort you throughout the downstairs. You still enjoy your walker, and have added Playskool's walk n'ride to your list of favorite toys. Within two days of playing with your new toy, you zoomed with the walk n'ride across our living room rug. When you reached the hardwoods you turned, grinned, and waited for our applause. I'm not sure you'll ever grow tired of being the center of attention!



Unlike last month, we think that you now understand the word "no" and surprisingly, do not fall to pieces when you hear it. Upon hearing no you usually pause, look at us, test your boundaries a few more times (only to hear no again and again), before abandoning your efforts and moving on to something else. Daddy and I are crossing our fingers that you'll learn all life's lessons this quickly and painlessly.



You love spending time with other kids, especially the neighbor girls. You continue to have a fascination with people, particularly boys and men, and are a hopeless flirt. We're praying that this is not a sign of things to come, because I'm not sure that your Daddy will ever be prepared for that! You smile at any and everyone, and have never met a stranger you didn't like {Yikes!}.



Your vocabulary has continued to grow and now includes "mah-mah" (Momma), "buh-be" (bye), and "num-ne" (yummy). You clearly recognize familiar faces like your Gammie and Grandad and objects like your food and bottles. You can even recognize voices and sounds. You love it when Gammie sends you a long distance dedication and sings You are My Sunshine on the speaker phone. You have two laughs, a little giggle when something makes you smile and a loud belly chuckle when you find something really amusing. We can usually get you going with a game of peek-a-boo or hide n' seek. It even makes you laugh to hear people stomping as they come up the stairs! Whenever Gammie is around you like to pretend cough. She'll ask, "Does the baby have a bad cough?" and as if on cue, your fake cough will follow. When she fake coughs back at you, you give her the most devilish angelic smile, laugh, and then continue coughing some more. You can be quite the little actress when you want someone's attention.



You've begun dancing all the time and it cracks everyone up to watch your silly moves! When I sing, Dance too much booty in your pants! Dance too much booty in your pants! Dance! Dance! Dance!, you bounce up and down, occasionally letting your tushie drop to the floor. You've also begun swinging your right arm around in circles to the beat and slapping your knee when you get excited.



We have a really active summer planned. Beginning in May, you will join the Bugs activity class at the Little Gym. I'm excited for you to meet other little friends your age, while watching you use some of your abundant energy to learn new skills. Maybe they'll be able to wear you out a bit since I seem to have little luck in that area. You are so flexible and strong we can't wait to sign you up for pipsqueak soccer, although we'll let you play any sport you'd like. And since you get so much happiness from music, we'll be participating in Kindermusik classes offered at a local Methodist church. Grandad is so pleased, as he thinks you'll really benefit from the classical music activities. He's hoping that a little Bach and Beethoven will help you in the areas where your Momma struggled most, math and science.



It's hard to imagine our life before you were a part of it. It seems like you've always been here with us even though we welcomed you into the world a little less than a year ago. Each day with you brings more smiles and more happiness than we could've ever imagined. You have given our lives a purpose and filled it with meaning. We couldn't love you more!



I love you bigger than the sky,
XOXO,
Mom

Nine Month Stats

Clothes: 18-24 months

Weight and Height: We'll find out Wednesday at our doctor's visit

Diaper: size 4- daytime and night time

Food: 24 oz of formula per day and 3 meals at the high chair

Teeth: None yet!

Sleep: Two naps a day, averaging about two hours each/ Night time sleep averages about 11 1/2 hours (bed by 7:30 awake by 7:00 the following morning)

When people comment on what a content and happy baby you are, I always tell them it's because you are such a good sleeper.

Favorite toys: Cirrco tunnel, Playskool walk n'ride, Chicco DJ walker, sand pail and shovel, clothespins, and household items like pots, pans, and dishtowels

Favorite show: Imagination Movers and Special Agent Oso

You love: Seeing Daddy come home, visiting with Gammie and Grandad, and playing outside