Happy Birthday!!!!!

Just wanted to send some Happy Birthday wishes out to my niece, Harley, who turned SIX years old today!

Harley, it's so hard to believe that you are already six, it seems like yesterday that your Uncle Josh and I went to meet you at the hospital when you were born. You have grown up so fast and are a very smart and pretty girl!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you!!! We love you and hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Ballerina Maddie

Maddie started her 2nd year of dance tonight and she was so excited! She couldn't wait to get there and she Mrs. Shelia, her dance instructor.

It took me a while to get her to stop twirling so that I could take a couple pictures. I can already tell she has come a long way since she started last year!

Hasn't she grown so much!

She's already been showing me the things they've learned this year and I can't wait to see her in the Christmas program!

In Loving Memory

Recently my family and I have experienced a great loss. On August 8th, while my family and I were gone out of town, my Nanny passed away. For all of you who know us personally, you know how close we were to her. The past few weeks have been very tough but through prayer and the wonderful Lord, we have made it through.

My Nanny was a wonderful person, words cannot even begin to describe just how wonderful. She was also a very stong woman that fought some tough battles with her health throughout her life. As it nears a month from her passing I keep replaying all these different special things about her in my head that I do not want to forget.

In May 2008, we planned a family photo shoot. Naturally, we wanted Nanny to be a part of it but since it was suppose to be outside, in the heat of summer, we didn't know if she would be up to it. Aside from the fact that she was on oxygen and had to take it with her everywhere, she never really loved having her picture made. Regardless of all of that, she agreed to have some shots taken with us. I'm so thankful she did because I now have these wonderful pictures.

My Nanny was full of love and it always seemed to show right through when you were around her. She enjoyed joking and laughing and she always loved it when the whole family would come to her house so that she could watch her great grandchildren play. I spent a lot of time over at my Nanny and Papa's when I was little. I remember that no matter what was hurting on my body, my Nanny always had a way of making it better. She loved to cook and she knew how to make everything taste just right.Although Maddie only had 3 1/2 short years to get to spend with Nanny, she loved her as much I did. Nanny was right there when each of her 5 great grandchildren were born and she wouldn't have had it any other way. She loved them with all her heart and she truely enjoyed spending time with them.

Nanny always had a way of making you feel special.

Maddie LOVED going to Nanny's to play and she especially loved for Nanny to paint polish her nails.

No matter how tierd Nanny was she would always be willing to take the time to paint her hands and feet whenever Maddie asked her to. I think the part that made it extra special to Maddie was that Nanny would always let Maddie paint her fingernails too. Of course Nanny knew that Maddie would make a mess of them and she would have to re-do them after we were gone but she never minded. She would always let her without a moments hesitation. I'm so thankful to have all these wonderful memories and that I was blessed to have a Nanny in my life that was so very special. But I still can't help but hate the fact that she won't be there to hold my next baby when they are born and that she won't be there to see Maddie start school. I just wasn't ready to let her go and I know I would never have been. I miss her so much and I know I always will. I miss her calling to check in on us and all the little things that she done and said that meant so much. My Nanny was one of a kind and I pray she knows how much we all love and miss her.

Watermelon Festival- Part II

The parade was planned for Saturday and what is a parade without throwing out candy? So to keep the Watermelon theme going I turned this red bowl into a Watermelon!

I also made some Watermelon shaped fans and personalized some of them too!

Now let me just say I knew it was going to be hot but, I just had not prepared myself for just how HOT it was going to be. Did I mention it was HOT? The parade started at 10am but we had to be there around 9:15am. I thought that it may not be that bad since it was in the morning, but I was WRONG!

Maddie with her proud Daddy!

While we were waiting for everyone to get lined up, Maddie spotted a couple of her friends.

She enjoyed playing around with them for a little while.

After waiting for everyone to get in correct order, it was finally time to start the parade!

Maddie's umbrella was made special by her Aunt La La and it

came in very handy in keeping that sunlight off!

Thank you, Laurie, for taking your time to make an extra one for Maddie!

My niece,Harley, was ready to roll!

Maddie really enjoyed throwing candy out to everyone at the parade.

After the parade was over, we headed over to the Ag Center to the Festival. Despite the heat, we all had a great time and really enjoyed our day!

Watermelon Festival 2009- Part I

Last weekend was the Watermelon Festival! So since Maddie is Toddler Miss Watermelon she had to participate in ALL the activities. So on Friday night, we went out to Pals Park to kick off the Watermelon Festivities! They introduced the Watermelon Queens on stage and then there was a concert.

Maddie and Emma waiting to go on stage!

(Emma is my good friend and hairstylist, Ashley's daughter)

My niece, Harley!

All the girls on stage!

It was HOT when we first got there but after the sun went down it cooled off a lot. We had so much fun eating boiled peanuts and talking with friends!

Josh and Maddie

Mikayla, my cousin Anita's daughter!

Emma and Maddie

Dune Buggy the Clown even stopped by to make some balloon animals for the girls!

They weren't real sure about him at first, but the warmed up to him!

It was very nice to watch all the little one's have play and have fun!

Would you just look at those at those pretty baby blues!!

My niece, Abbey

Maddie, Mikayla and their friend from church, Olivia!

Everyone had fun right up until it was time to go home!

Paint Polish Please

These are the words I hear everytime Maddie wants her nails painted. Now, I'm really not sure how she came up with calling it "Paint Polish" instead of finger nail polish but oh well, whatever works. Maddie has always enjoyed getting her nails painted, so a few months ago I started taking her up to a local nail salon to get her toe nails done. She LOVES it and everytime we drive past on our way to Wal-Mart she asks if we can stop and get her toe nails paint polished. Nine times out of ten I say no because otherwise we'd be going just about every other day because thats just how many times we unfortunately end up going to Wal-Mart. HA!

So in all efforts to get my girl ready for the Watermelon parade, I knew there had to be a stop at the paint polish place. I asked my niece, Harley, if she wanted to come and she was all about it! So last Friday, I took Maddie and Harley to get there nails all ready for the BIG parade and festival. Naturally since it was a Watermelon Festival and they are the Watermelon Queens, they decided on getting RED paint polish.

This was a first for Maddie to let them paint her fingernails, normally I do that at home because they do thick coats and she really will NOT keep her hands still long enough for them to dry good.

So of course I ended up touching her fingernails up at home b/c she messed a few up.

But Harley did AWESOME with her fingers and toes!!!

She was still for them to dry and everything!

I'm so glad that both the girls had fun!

Harley was so good and liked it so much that I think that she'd enjoy a full pedicure! Not that I want Maddie to grow up so fast but I really can't wait for us to be able to get our feet done together instead of me going on my lunch break and then taking her seperately because she's still not very good at waiting.

Harley, we had lots of fun with you and are so glad that you went with us! We'll definately do it again real soon!

Suprise!!

I have to admit that I do LOVE suprises......well the good one's anyways! But I've found the older you get the less things you have to truely be suprised about. Well, last week was my birthday, I turned 26. I don't mind sharing my age and I doubt I ever will but ask me again in about 15 years! Josh and Maddie sang Happy Birthday to me that morning, then I dropped Maddie off at Meme's and on to work I went. I thought nothing more of it being my birthday but Anita, my cousin and co-worker, rememered and brought me a present!! As I was telling her she shouldn't have gotten me anything, all I was thinking was how much I just wanted to rip into the bag and see what I got! HA! This is what I found.......

These CUTE flip flops!!

Now don't be judging my toe nail polish or the chubbiness of my feet! HA! These flip flops are so comfortable and I LOVE them! So I'm sending out a BIG THANK YOU to Anita & little Mikaya for helping my feet stay comfortable and in style in this heat!

I also got another great suprise a few days after that, but this one wasn't for my birthday. My sister-in-law, Laurie, stopped by my house and brought me a small gift bag. She didn't really say what it was for but just told me to go ahead and open it. So I did and I was super excited to find this.......

A STYLISH camera strap cover!!

They got this for me as a thank you for taking pictures of my nieces, Harley and Abbey, that she entered in the Watermelon pageant for the photogenic contest. Laurie told me that since I was an "award winning photographer" (HA! HA!) I deserved to look the part! I LOVE my new strap and I hope they know that they did NOT have to give me anything at all for taking their pictures. I'm very proud to do anything I can for my family and I enjoyed doing it! THANK YOU for the strap, I appreciate it and will think of ya'll everytime I look at it!!!

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family!!!