Giselle Ballet Recital 2009

Last night was the BIG ballet recital at Wallace's Auditorium. We are so proud of our little ballerina! So many practices and rehearsals have paid off for our Katie. She did great! Of course, she along with her little ballerina buddies (3-5 year olds) were the entertainment for the night.

Katie in Dressing Room before the recital

While we were getting ready for the recital, I explained to Katie about this being the big night and a lot of her family would be there to watch her dance. She went through her list of who all would be there. "Is Whitney going to be there? Is Leslie going to be there? Let's see, who else will be there?" she asked.

I wondered what Anna would do to keep the girls occupied until their number because they had to stay in the dressing room until then. She said, she brought movies to watch and coloring books to color. Katie was so excited, especially when she saw her friend, Zoe. I wanted to make sure Anna knew she was there before I left the room. Katie was getting frustrated at me because she didn't want to go see Mrs. Anna, she wanted to go over to Zoe and wanted me to leave. Ugh! I have a feeling she won't miss me when she starts school next fall. In a way, that's a good thing.

Katie posing for pictures

Pink flower arrangement came from Doug & I

(BTW, I don't know where she got the lipstick from)

Maryann gave her this arrangement

Our family nearly filled up a whole row with an exception of maybe 5 chairs. I want to send a special "Thank You" out to those who did come and share this moment with us: Millard, Peggy, Mom, Dad, Maryann, Whitney, June & KimAnn.

THANK YOU!

It wasn't far into the recital before Doug began asking me, "when does Katie come? Is it time for her to come out yet?" Bless his heart, I don't think he enjoys ballet recitals. I have to say, this was my very first ballet and I really enjoyed it. Sure, you have to pay attention to figure out what's going on. What helped was on the program, Elaine typed out the full story. If you read the story before the performance began, you could easily understand what's going on. I think my dad even enjoyed the ballet, especially when he read the story before hand. When Katie and her two little ballerina friends were wheeled out onto the stage, there was a room full of "Awwww! " It was so sweet. At first, everyone on our row began asking which one was Katie until she began waving to everyone in the crowd. Her waving to everyone caused a room full of giggles and more "Awwww!" and "look at that". Again, she did so good and almost did everything she was suppose to do. But hey, she's only 3. Right? I wished you could have seen them.

I was so impressed with all the older ballerinas, during their performance. I think a lot of people in our group were impressed as well. I have to say, it was beautiful and I was very touched at times. I was glad that I could pick Katie up from the dressing room during intermission, so she could watch Act II. She seemed to really enjoy watching the big girls and boys dance. The only problem is she began dancing where she was sitting; therefore, bumping into a sleeping Colton. Doug made her sit by us, so she wouldn't wake him up. She didn't like that too good because that meant leaving her grandparents. Uh, oh!

After the recital was over, I took her to Dairy Queen to get us some supper and treat her to a vanilla ice cream (her favorite). Peggy, Millard and Doug met us back at home with their supper. Katie was so happy to get flowers at the recital. She and Peggy arranged them in vases. She loves flowers! She was really excited when we agreed that she could go home with Grandma Peggy and Paw-Paw Millard.

Colton Update

Would you believe not only did Colton make it through the entire recital without fussing, but I fed him at 11:30 PM and he didn't wake up hungry until 4:00 AM. Yes! I can handle this feeding time. I fed him at 4:00 AM, put him to bed around 4:45 AM and he woke up again around 7:30 AM. What a difference? I told Doug that I actually got some sleep. Am I finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?

It's hard to imagine Colton is 2 months old. He doesn't miss a thing. He loves to sit up and look around, especially at anything that's bright (lights or bright colors). He's beginning to talk to you, if you give him some attention. I think it's so sweet to hear him say, "a lah". I've stopped rocking and holding him so much during nap time. I think I was getting into the same routine that I did with Katie as far as rocking until he fell into a deep sleep and then put him to bed. He would wake up suddenly and began crying again. Now, I try to place him in his pack & play (fully awake) and let him fall asleep on his own. At night, I rock him a little and then put him to bed. He wakes back up, but at least he's not in a deep sleep. So far, he seems to be okay with it because I'll give him his pacifier and turn on the musical aquarium. As soon as I see that he's not going to start crying, I leave the room. Most of the time, he falls asleep on his own. He's on formula now, full time. He got to where he didn't want me, so I would have to pump. Of course, who has time to pump when you have a 3 year old running around. Right? It just got to be difficult and I kept forgetting to sit down and drink lots of water and pump. Susan warned me that it would get this way and to not feel bad, if I didn't make it to my goal (3 months). Even though I'm pretty much dried up, I still have some milk in the freezer for Colton to drink. Besides, I think he gets along with the Enfamil Lipil for fussy & gassy babies much better. I don't want to say it too loud, but I think the colic is much better. Sure, he has his off days where he doesn't feel good and I end up bouncing or holding him. Doug and I also have come to a conclusion that he doesn't like his car seat or he doesn't like to ride in the car. I think the riding causes him to build up a lot of gas, which makes him cranky.

Mommy & Daughter Time

Last weekend while we were at Walmart, Katie and I picked up some Sno-cone Syrup. We picked out Strawberry, Cotton Candy & Grape flavors. We still have Cherry and Green Apple from last year. I even decided to grab another set of plastic sno-cones cups. We are set for the Summer heat. Katie's never had a sno-cone before, so she begged me for the past few days for one.

Wednesday, Colton wanted to sleep all day. Perfect! Finally, I could make Katie her very first Sno-cone. She laughed and giggled the whole time our ice was being shaved. She couldn't get over the snow. I got out all the syrups and of course, she picked out Strawberry. Strawberry & Vanilla is her favorite flavors. That is until she began eating her Strawberry Sno-cone. I fixed my Sno-cone with Cotton Candy flavored syrup. Well, she wanted to try mine. Uh oh! She gave me her Strawberry Sno-cone, as she has taken over mine. LOL! She kept telling me how much she loved Cotton Candy Sno-cones. I was surprised that she ate most of it because I made it much bigger than hers (adult size). In fact, she began crying after it was all gone and she was disappointed that I wouldn't give her anymore for the day. First of all, I was afraid that she might get a tummy ache because it was that big. Secondly, she was fairly messy with it. This is definitely a drink for the outdoors and thirdly, I just knew Colton was going to get up at any moment. I guess the next time we make Sno-cones, it will have to be made on the weekend (Momma needs some help).

Ballet Rehearsal
Yesterday was our last ballet rehearsal before the big production. First off, Katie gave me a hard time getting to bed. I just knew that it would be rough on her the next morning because we had to be at the college by 8:00 AM ready to go. We finally get there and uh oh! I'm noticing all these little girls with their costumes. I've read and looked over these schedules and didn't see where we were suppose to bring the costumes. Oh well! It's my bad! Thankfully, I wasn't the only absent minded momma. There were a few other kids without their costume.



If you've been around Katie when she gets excited, you know how she acts at times. She was running wild. I couldn't get her to calm down without disciplining her, resulting in her crying and screaming. I didn't want to do that to Anna because she needed one good rehearsal with all of her little ballerinas. I decided to wait until after rehearsal was over before I gave her a lecture. Trust me, she got an ear FULL all the way home (approximately 30 minutes worth). Her main problem is that she's not around small children on a regular basis, not yet anyway. All she has are big people to wrestle around with; therefore, we've made her a little tough and tumble. When she is around small children that are not exposed to that type of rough play, it looks like she's beating them up. Please note. When I say small children, I mean children her age or older. Actually, they are all older because we haven't found any children exactly her age yet, besides at church. The church kids are kind of iffy. Her friends have older siblings, so they all fit together. I guess I'm raising a bully and don't mean to. In a way, I'm glad she can hold her own. Usually, she doesn't take a lot of crap off of people that are giving her a hard time. You push her, she'll push you back and not running off crying. It's the self control I'm trying to embed in her and having a hard time. Saying this, one little girl (approx. 10 years old) told Anna about Katie pushing her. I saw the whole thing, but couldn't get to Katie because she was with Anna on the other side of the room. I don't know what the little girl was saying to Katie, but it looked like Katie was playing "tag". She was running around with her little friend, Esther, and then I would see her push this little girl. In Katie's defense, she normally doesn't play with anyone unless they've been picking at her, to get her warmed up to them. Truth be known, the little girl was probably playing with her back stage and then decided not to play with her anymore on stage. Anna could see that I was concerned and she spoke loudly for me to hear "she's only 3 years old". Four hours later, Katie was hot, sweaty, thirsty and ready to go home. I've never seen her so upset and wanting to go home. We went to Dairy Queen and was able to get out of her that Mrs. Anna had to get on to her because she was being mean to some of the other kids. Bottomline, she just plays rough, but that's no excuse. I gave her my lecture on how we treat people and that's all I felt like I could do. I had Doug talk to her as well last night about what happened. She told me that she doesn't want to be mean, so I'm hoping she is understanding and learning from our lectures.

We are all excited about the ballet recital tonight. Doug and I have agreed to drive separate. I'm to take Katie because she has to be there an hour early (get dressed and warmed up). Doug will come with Colton later. Our plan is as soon as Katie's part is over, Doug and Colton will head home. I'll stay with Katie and watch the rest of the ballet. I really think she will enjoy it. As far as I know, most of our family will be there to support Katie. She'll be so excited to see everyone. I'm kind of glad to take a break from ballet for a couple of months. One of the moms asked me if I was going to put Katie into the Summer Ballet Classes. Ugh! I told her no that we are going to take swimming lessons instead. Saying that, I will see you at the performance tonight!

"Giselle" Ballet Recital
by the Cullman Ballet Society
at Wallace College
in Auditorium
7:00 PM

Momma/Daughter Time
I took advantage of Peggy watching Colton for me, which she said that she was okay with it. Whitney and Zayne's wedding is coming up very soon and I've got to get Katie a pearl necklace and dress shoes. Well, I was able to find the shoes at JC Penny yesterday. I was a little concerned because they are high heels and Katie's never walked around in high heels. I put them on her to see how she could handle them. Oh my gosh! She fell in love with them. She was telling me, they were her big girl shoes. I had a terrible time getting them off of her feet. Would you believe I had to get a size 10? Either they are making shoes entirely too small or her foot is growing too fast. I don't know which. Unfortunately, I'm still looking for the necklace. The only 16" pearl necklace, JC Penny had to sell me was $250. Wow! It would have been perfect, except for the pearl size (too big). Peggy told me about Doug Doggett Jewelers having some necklaces for around $50. I can handle that price compared to $250 for a child. Shoo! I'm hoping to go by there this weekend and check them out. I'll feel much better when I get Katie ready for the wedding.

To our surprise, there was a tent full of wild animals in the Cullman Shopping Center parking lot. Katie noticed the camel right off the bat, then I began reading the signs. They were giving camel rides and I thought that would be neat for Katie, if she would do it. Believe me, it took her a while to mull it over and after viewing all the animals, she finally decided to ride the camel. After the camel, she got on a roll. She decided to go back into the tent and ride a pony. She didn't want to leave, so she begged to ride the camel again. She was so disappointed when mean momma said "no". It was pretty cool for the kids to see tigers, leopard, llamas, kangaroo, monkeys and pet goats, but a part of me felt sorry for those poor animals. They were all in small cages out on the hot asphalt, but at least they were not exposed to the sun's heat and they did have fans blowing on them. Here are a few pictures:

Katie petting the baby goats

Brand new baby goat. So cute!

Katie is sitting in front

She loved it!

Katie taking a pony ride

Lady having her picture taken with a tiger cub

You can see more photos are on our photosite.

On A Side Note
Movies In Review
We watched "Paul Blart's Mall Cop" this past weekend. It was a funny movie, but I wouldn't go out and buy the movie. I guess it's because I expected it to be hilarious. The funny clips that you've seen on the previews are pretty much all the funny parts to the movie. Too bad.

New Frozen Treat
Last night, Katie and I went on a Dairy Queen run. She couldn't believe that we were going to DQ in the middle of the night. She thought it was a lot fun. She had her usual vanilla ice cream in a cup, while I tried their Chocolate Truffle Blizzard. Oh my gosh! For all of you chocoholics out there, you'll love this blizzard. Warning: It is Rich, but Delicious! I highly recommend this tasty treat.

Congratulations Natalie!

Wow! What another great and busy weekend. This weekend, I shall name "NATALIE". It was her weekend and it was well deserved, I must say. She is the third and final graduate from St. Bernard Prep School that belong to Kevin and Maryann. I know they are very proud parents right about now. Their eldest child, Ryan, finished college at Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL a few years ago with a Nursing degree and currently works at Duke Hospital in NC as an RN. He is planning on returning to school (possibly in TN) this Fall. The middle child, Whitney, graduated college at University of North Alabama with a Nursing degree and is planning her wedding with Zayne in a couple of months. The baby (#3), Natalie, will be attending Wallace College. She is interested in Physical Therapy.

I wish her all the best because she deserves the best!

I Love You!

Make a Smilebox greeting

We started the weekend with a little get together at Kevin and Maryann's for Natalie. People came and went all through the night. Lots of food, entertainment, and laughes. Colton was passed around like a bag of potatoes, which is right up his alley. He absolutely loves to be held and especially talked to. He ate it up! Katie found a box full of Natalie and Whitney's old toys. Jackpot! She asked Whitney if she could play with them and that's all it took. Katie was so good, playing with those toys by herself. Then, an old friend of mine, Christy, came in with her twin girls. All right! Katie asked me if the girls (7 years old) could come over and play with her. Well, I took Katie over to Christy and her girls and introduced them. It didn't take long before all 3 girls were playing with Polly Pocket and Barbie. One of Christy's girls, Abby, had an instant crush on Nicholas. She found a Ken doll and announced to everyone in our group that it was a "Nicholas doll". She kept picking and flirting with him during the night that he was so embarrassed, he was blushing. The more we laughed about her picking on him, the more she flirted with him. It was hilarious! You just had to be there.

Today, Millard and Peggy came over to watch Colton for us, while we went to the graduation. I paid special attention to Katie. I thought she would like being all dolled up for a special occasion. I twisted her hair up, let her wear shiny lip gloss, painted her nails pink, let her wear perfume and her special jewelry. She was my little posh girly girl. I was very proud of her. She left her hair, dress and jewelry alone. Since she was going to the graduation with us (we gave her the choice to stay at home or go). I put together a little care package (backpack), full of treats, writing board, colors & coloring book, special toys & Zune with Tinkerbell movie on it. Yes! Thank you Doug and your Zune. At the chapel, our family had to split up again because not everyone would be able to sit together. Half of us stayed downstair close to the altar and the other half sat up in the balcony. Doug and I stayed downstair (off to the side), so we could take pictures and video the graduation. Katie insisted on sitting with Leslie and Susan up in the balcony. They said she was real good. There were a couple of times where she talked a little too loudly to Leslie, but toned it down fairly quick. She had a blast being with all the cousins. We took a few family pictures outside and soon parted our ways. It was so bloomin' hot outside, I couldn't wait for pictures to be over with. I was so ready to get in the car and crank up the A/C. We stopped by Sweet Peppers Deli and picked up supper on our way home. Oh, it was so good. I had their Chicken Salad and chips. Yummy!

Health Checkup
I've always heard that shrimp was high in cholesterol and you shouldn't eat too much of it. Well, according to Dr. Izzy that even though shrimp is high in cholesterol, it is also high in unsaturated fats that are good for you. Studies have shown that after eating lots of shrimp, the effect is the HDL goes up. HDL is the good cholesterol and that protective. He adviced for those who have high cholesterol to eat modest portions of shellfish, DON'T AVOID IT because it contains Omega 3 and full of Vitamin B12. He added that we should eat shellfish til our heart's desire. I was so happy to hear this news because I LOVE Shrimp and Crab that I eat a bunch of boiled jumbo shrimp for a snack tonight. Yum! If you like shrimp, try eating it dipped in Chili Sauce instead of Cocktail Sauce. I use to only dip my shrimp in Cocktail Sauce, until I discovered Chili Sauce. OH SO GOOD! Click here to read more information.

Also, do you wear sunscreen during the Winter months? I had no clue, you were suppose to wear sunscreen year around. I do good to put some on while sitting by the pool, much less putting it on right before I put on my wool sweater, Timberland boots, Thermal underwear and Parka. It's true according to Dr. Graf, guest on Fox and Friends Sunday. We should use at least 15 SPF during the Winter months and 30-50 SPF during the Summer months. She adviced that we should lather the sunscreen on our bodies 30 minutes before we actually go out into the sun. After that time, we should reapply every 1-2 hours, if we are still outside. I found this really cool bracelet that you can put on your child's wrist, while he/she is exposed to the sun's rays. You put sunscreen all over your child, including the bracelet. As the day goes by, the bracelet slowly changes colors to make you aware that it's getting time to reapply sunscreen to little Timmy or Suzy. I'm tempted to get Katie and Colton one this Summer. The bracelet is sold at "One Step Ahead". Click Here, if you would like to watch the video about "Soaking Up The Sun . . . Carefully".

On A Side Note . . .

I would like to thank all our military active and veterans. Freedom comes with a price and they have put their necks out on the front line, so I may have my freedom.

I hope all my blogging buddies have a very special Memorial Day. If you plan on traveling, please be careful.

God Bless The U.S.A. !

Colton's 8 Weeks Old

Katie said that Colton was my Prince and she was my Princess. I have to agree whole heartedly.
What a cute smile for mommy!

It's hard to imagine that nearly 2 months have already past. He's colic seems to be doing a little better than in weeks past. I'm hoping it will get even better because I received the Parent's Choice "Happi Tummy" from One Step Ahead. I purchased it one night during a complete meltdown. It's a baby heating pad with lavender scent. The cool thing about is that it has Velcro. You just Velcro the thing around Colton's tummy and it's suppose to ease his upset stomach. It's even safe enough to put them to bed with it on. I also purchased a "Prop Head Support" from them as well. I think I spend most of my time, in the car, supporting Colton's neck with a blanket or clothe diaper because he's little head just flops all over the place. These support props are suppose to stabilize his head and neck, so it's not flopping all over the place. Poor thing!

Katie wanted her picture taken with your stuffed animals

Katie spent the night with Millard and Peggy last night, so Colton and I went shopping today. I know, I know. I'm probably the craziest person right now, especially after all the experiences I've had shopping with him. Well, it wasn't too bad. I just took my time and the kitchen sink. Ha Ha! I had to go to Target and Hobby Lobby. I mapped it out all in my head. As soon as he woke up from his nap, I fed him his usually 2 ounces, dressed him and got him ready in the car seat. I would have 2 hours before he would need another bottle. So, I went to Target first. I almost let time get away from me, but it's just because I haven't been in a Target in a couple of months. As soon as I got back inside the car, I hooked up the bottle warmer. By the time I went by the bank and parked in the Hobby Lobby parking lot, Colton's bottle was warm. He ate, while I shopped for Katie's headband to wear at Whitney & Zayne's wedding.

Hobby Lobby had all of their wedding stuff 1/2 off. I couldn't decide on two headbands, so I got them both. Maryann liked the halo type headband the best, I think. It's white with white silk tea roses, accented with crystals and pearls. There's a bow with a long ribbon tail in the back. It's precious! I think I'll keep the other headband because it's white satin cover, accented with a white organza bow and white silk tea rose in the center. After the discount, it cost $4. I paid under $10 for both headbands, so I don't think that's bad at all. Besides, I have plans for both in the future. Now, I've got to get a pair of shoes & a pearl necklace for her to wear at the wedding.

Colton was so good that we got to go to Publix Grocery Store. I just love this grocery store. They have really neat things in there. Things that you wouldn't see in any other grocery store. I love their bakery! Sure, I had one bad experience with Publix when they accidentally damaged Katie's cake to celebrate her 2nd birthday, but overall I've had good experiences with them. I was asked by Doug, to get the ingredients for his "Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe". He's planning on making it for Natalie's Graduation party tomorrow. Our family and friends rave over this dip. It's usually gone very fast. I figured while I was there and Colton was being a good baby, I would stock up on a bunch of frozen meals. I'm still not able to cook real good because I'm trying to get use to the fact that I have two children now, instead of one. We've been eating a lot of fast food and other restaurant foods, which isn't good for you on a regular basis. We need veggies and protein in our diet. Sure, some frozen meals have lots of calories, but nothing in comparison to fast food and junk food. We left Publix with a buggy full of food.

Oh, we also received the "Disney Bingo Game" in the mail today. Yay! I've been tried to purchase this game since Christmas and have been very unsuccessful. I never could find it at stores (Walmart, Target, KMart, & BAM), that is until I found it online through Target. I ordered it in February, but kept getting emails from Target stated that their source had not sent them any merchandise. Finally, Target sent a last email stating that they still had not gotten it and they were canceling my order. Ugh! I was sick. Katie and I discovered this game, while visiting her little friend, Anya. She had received the game for Christmas and we feel in love with it. I thought it would be a good way to spend quality time with Katie during Colton's nap times. Well the other day, I thought I would check Target out again online to see if they were able to re-stock the game. Sure enough, there it was "In Stock". On top of that, it was on sale 1/2 off the retail price. Whoo Hoo! I ended up paying only $10. As soon as Katie got home, I showed it to her. She was so excited, we had to play a few rounds right away. She absolutely loves it! I highly recommend it to anyone with children 3 years and up. It will really come in handed during the rainy days and Winter months.

Ball Park Franks or Oscar Mayer Wieners?
It's getting Summertime and with Summer comes lots of grillin'. According to the Associated Press, people are going to be grillin' cheap this Summer. When you hear grillin' cheap, you think of HOT DOGS. Can you believe that Ball Park Franks has filed a lawsuit against Oscar Myer because of a questionable ad put out by Oscar Mayer stating that their wieners outperform Ball Park Franks? Click here to get the full report.

Which do you prefer Ball Park or Oscar Mayer?

Natalie's Graduation

We've got another very busy weekend and it's a Memorial Day weekend on top of that. Tomorrow afternoon, we are attending Natalie's Graduation party or "Open House" at Kevin and Maryann's house. I believe there will be lots of people there because Maryann asked us if they could borrow our lawn chairs.

Sunday afternoon is Natalie's Graduation. Millard and Peggy are helping us out by watching Colton for us, while we're gone. Doug and I haven't decided if Katie will go with us or not. I think she'll be good for us. Besides, I think she would enjoy watching Natalie walking down the aisle in her robe and cap.

Memorial Day Plans

Doug and I talked it over and I believe this will be one year that we are going to stick close to home. We usually go to someone's house for a cookout. I think it would be nice to just stay home and have a somewhat quiet evening alone with our kids. I bought a couple of steaks to throw on the grill and stuff to make a superb salad. What are your plans this Memorial weekend? Please let me know.

Creative Way To Make Ballerina Cookies

I usually don't have the opportunity to mosey over to other extended bloggers and check out their posts. I have to say there are a lot of creative minds out there and I love getting new fresh ideas from them. I came across one of Laura's favorites "Melissa" and I just love reading other Ballerina moms' blogs. Melissa posted pictures of her little Prima Ballerinas from their ballet recital. So cute! Their theme was Disney, which is a great idea for the little girls. A couple of her posts struck my interest because they were titled "Ballerina . . ." She posted really creative ballerina cookies for parties. So cute and it sounds easy! I would love to make these for a birthday party. Now, I have to convince Katie that we need to have a Ballerina Birthday Party. Do you think I will succeed? Even though her birthday is not until July, I like to get an idea right about now. I guess I need to plan ahead, especially since we've got little boy. Moms can be stretched a little thin from time to time. Right now, Katie is having a hard time deciding what theme she wants to go with. What she does know for sure is she wants another butterfly cake, like last year. Maybe we could make a ballerina shoe cake to go along with the ballerina shoe cookies like these.

Speaking of Ballerina Birthday cakes, I found one that I absolutely love on a fellow blogger's site. Sugarcraft by Soni have lots of beautiful cakes displayed on her blogspot.


Isn't this cake gorgeous? Soni has more photos of this cake on her blog. Click here to view other pictures.
Man, it's too bad that Soni doesn't live close by here. I would be tempted to go ahead and order it.

We recieved our Birthday Express magazine a few days ago. Katie has been visiting it often changing her mind every time she checks it out. I thought Doug and I were going to have a fit when she announced one day that she wanted a "Yo Gabba Gabba" party. Now, don't get me wrong. This show teaches Katie a lot, what are these alien creatures? Doug can't stand them. Thankfully soon after that announcement, she changed her mind again and wanted "My Little Pony".

I will work on Katie about the Ballerina party and let you know how it goes.

Updates

Liz Update
I spoke to Sandy. She's at Liz & Nolan's house. She said Liz is bad sick & weak. She's at home and on more antibiotics for 14 days. The doctor said if she gets C.Diff again after this round of antibiotics, she will need to go to a Specialist for Disease. Please continue to remember her in your prayers.

American Idol
WOW! I'm so glad and surprised that Kris won American Idol. I figured Adam would get it because I think he was the judges favorite in the competition. I couldn't get over all the celebrity singers that performed on the show. Doug said he's favorite part of the show was when Kiss came out and performed with Adam Lambert. I have to say, it was good. One thing about Adam when he does get out on his own, he should give really good concerts.

I wished you could have seen Katie during the show. She was so funny! First of all, she found her microphone and began singing along with the singers on TV. Then, she ended up right smack dab in the middle of the floor to where it made it difficult for us to watch the performances. Lastly, she insisted on my to clap after she finished singing her songs. She had everything from singing to dancing. What a hoot! She even bowed a couple of times.

She made a game out of watching American Idol. When they would show someone like Allison or Lil Round, Katie would ask "do you think she's pretty?" Some of the girls, Katie didn't think they were pretty. She'd said, "I don't think she's pretty mom. Do you?" It was funny.

Glenn Beck
Poor thing! I still can't get over how he accepted to go on "The View". I think he knew what he was getting himself into. Unfortunately, Whoopi and Barbara got him in a feb. I didn't find it all that important or jaw dropping. On his radio show a couple of weeks ago, he misspoke and said that Barbara came over to him on the AmTrac and began talking to him. The truth was he went over to her and introduced himself. Whoop Dee Do! They also accused him of lying about them having reserved seats on the AmTrac when they didn't reserve seats. Whoopi kept asking him why he lied, but would not let him explain. My thing is - Don't ask a question, if you don't want an answer. Glenn continued to try and explain. Every time he began to answer the question, Whoopi would hold her hand up and said "wait a minute". Now, you're probably wondering what it was they accused him of lying about. He said and I quote, "an AmTrac worker told him that he couldn't sit in a specific seat because they were reserved for very important people. She went on and informed him that they were someone he would be impressed with". He said he was expecting someone like the President of The United States because AmTrac doesn't reserve seats. It's a first come, first serve rule. Next thing he knows, Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg along with someone else in their party came in and sat down in those very same seats. Glenn told the story on his radio show and it upset Barbara and Whoopi because they had not reserved the seats. Now, whose to say it wasn't the other guy that reserved the seats or someone from their staff. All they knew that "they" didn't reserve the seats and they wanted Glenn to apologize for misleading the public. He did apologize for misleading everyone about Barbara coming over to him on the AmTrac, but they wouldn't let him explain the reserved seat story. Petty! From he said, she said story to why Glenn cries on his show issue made me feel so sorry for him. All Barbara wanted to know during the whole interview was what makes Glenn cry. Of course, he took some offense to it (no matter how nicely she spoke to him the question is still the same). When he pointed it out to her, then Barbara got on her high horse and began blasting him. Then, she went right back to the same question. She wanted to know what were his convictions that affect him so that makes him cry. He was trying to explain that it was the love for his country and how he believed in our forefathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The women would not allow him to finish the question because they began asking him if he believed in this person and that person. At the same time, you've still got Barbara asking the same question again and again. He finally shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, there's no winning here. Glenn didn't loose anything on that show and I don't have much respect for a couple of the women on there.

They just don't get it!

Click here, if you would like to see the interview again along with Glenn's response video.

Prayer Request

As most of you know my niece, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with C.Diff not too long ago. Since then, doctors put her on special antibiotics to fight the germ off. A couple of weeks ago, she was doing better, except for being extremely weak.

Today, I received a call from mom. She was all upset and had been crying. Sandy, my sister, called her saying that Elizabeth had C.Diff again. She called her doctor immediately after the symptoms returned. From what I understand, the doctor didn't want her going to the hospital or office. She said if symptoms stay the same or get worse, they could put a pick line in her. The doctor is plainly not optimistic, which it is not up to the doctor in my book. I get so angry when doctors feed you a line of false hope. Look at my mother. She is a walking testimony. According to doctors, she should have died several times. Mom said Sandy was on her way to Liz's house. I don't know if she will go to the hospital. I wished I was there to help out. I want to allow Sandy plenty of time to get there before I call. Please keep Liz and her family in your prayers.

I'll try to keep you posted. Thank you!

Liz - if you read this, I want you to know that you're not alone. God is carrying you through this obstacle in your life right now. I wish I was there with you laughing and popping off jokes. I am with you in spirit. I love you much and I know God will get you through this. Lots of prayers are being sent up to God Almighty right now for your healing. Stay positive and keep faith alive.

Nolan, Sandy & Wade - stay strong for God is with you right now, holding you up as you are witnessing Liz's pain. Keep the hope raised high & faith that Jesus Christ will help her over come in His glory. Amen!

Katie's Ballet Rehearsal Videos

Katie's Ballet Rehearsal Part 1


Katie's Ballet Rehearsal Part 2


Part 1 (top) Katie is in the wagon being pulled around.

Part 2 (below) Katie is the third little girl giving "Giselle" a flower. While dancing, she is the second one to your left. She gets a little out of step, but that okay. She's come a long way and is doing great according to Anna. I have to keep telling myself, she is much much younger than the other girls. In fact, she is the youngest in the group. All of the little girls in her class have already turned 5 years old and she is still 3 years old. She loves ballet!

Again, I have to apologize for the picture being so shaky. I hate it, but we won't be able to video or take pictures during the recital because DVD will be sold for $30. Thankfully, they will allow us to tape during rehearsals. We have one more big rehearsal next week before the big day. Unfortunately, they will not be in costume until time of recital.

"Giselle"
Friday, May 29th @ 7PM
At Wallace College Auditorium
Tickets sold at door $10

Happy Birthday Peggy!

Happy Belated Birthday Peggy!

I wanted to wish you a very happy birthday yesterday, but our phone lines and DSL was down most of the day. I thought I was going to go through withdrawals because the DSL was still down most of the day today. Our phone line is still crazy, so we are relying on our cell phones right now. Doug's called twice to report the problem. I'm hoping everything will be back to normal tomorrow.

Katie's Ballet Rehearsal
Katie had ballet rehearsal in costume Monday night. She had a blast watching the practice performance of all the kids. It's funny, she knew when the scary part came up and decided to announce it to the whole group. Elaine, director, began giggling. Katie watched every movement. I think she might be ready for "The Nutcracker" Ballet. I've always known that I would be sharing "The Nutcracker" Ballet with my daughter, I just didn't know when. Watching her facial expression last night during practice, let me know that she is indeed ready. Now, I'm hoping the ballet will make their appearance in Huntsville or Birmingham either this Christmas or the next year.

Katie waiting around with her new friends

Katie's group performing

Mrs. Anna, Katie's instructor, taking role call

I've got some video, but not very good. I was struggling with Colton, while taping. Ugh! He decided to wake up during the performance. I'm sure everyone clapping and cheering on didn't help him staying asleep either. My videos are uploaded under YouTube. I'm waiting for finally approval. As soon as it is completed, I'll post it on my blog. I was proud of Katie, she did so much better. I guess all the practices and extra rehearsals seem to help her a lot.

Speaking of the Nutcracker. The other day, we were talking about "The Nutcracker". First, you have to understand that Katie loves "The Nutcracker". She loves for me to read the book, where she pretty much tells me what's going to happen next because she has read it so much. She has the movie, "Barbie in 'The Nutcracker'". Let's not forget, she keeps a real nutcracker of Clara & Nutcracker that she received this past Christmas on her chest of drawers. She is very proud of her Clara Nutcracker and asks for another one every time the thought crosses her mind. As we were sitting in the truck talking about it, the first thing that struck my mind was "A Touch of German". It's a small shop located in the old part of town. They have everything German in this unique little shop. On the back wall are tons of nutcrackers, of all sizes, gracefully on display. I've always wanted to take Katie to this little shop, ever since I knew how much she loved the story. I just felt she was too young because there are a lot of breakables in there as well. I began telling her about this place. Her eyes grew as big as golf balls with excitement. She wanted to go see the nutcrackers. After she promised me about not touching a thing, I drove into a parking space in front of the shop. She walked around in total amazement. All I heard from her was "mom, look at that" or "mom, look at this". I had the hardest time getting her to leave. I didn't realize she would love this shop as much as she did. On one of their walls are nothing but coo coo clocks. It didn't matter if she was in the back of the store, she made sure to get to the clocks as soon as one of them went off. She enjoyed watching the animation.

Political News
Attention Glenn Beck fans -

Glenn Beck will be on "The View" tomorrow @ 10 AM CST. They will try to chew him up and spit him out, but I honestly feel he can handle himself. I made sure to have it TiVoed, just in case I miss it.

How do you like Pres. Obama speaking out of the other side of his mouth? Of course, I expected it because he's been making it a routine to speak out of both sides of his mouth. I guess this way, if you don't like what he said one day, you might like it the next day. Bless his heart, he just wants to spread happiness. Now, he is saying that we can't continually boring money from China. How we are affecting our children's future by adding on so much debt. SHOCKING!

American Idol
Who do you believe will win American Idol this year (Kris or Adam)? I still haven't decided, especially after tonight's performances. I like Adam's voice, but don't care for the dark rock songs. Believe me, I love rock and roll like the next person. I don't care for the dark rock (metal), which is what I think Adam will probably lean towards. Kris has a good voice, but very soft singer. I liked the songs he sang tonight, but he doesn't get too excited very much. If I had to vote, I guess I'd vote for Kris.

Ant Treatment Tip
I heard the other day a very interesting tip on how to get rid of ants and I wanted to pass it along to you.

This guy on Fox News said if you sprinkle corn meal around ant hills, the ants will take the meal underground to feed on. Once the ants eat the corn meal, they will eventually die off because their systems can't digest corn meal resulting in starving to death. My dad is currently trying this method, to see if it really works.

Weekend Update

Aunt Sherry & Uncle Roger Visit
Sherry, Roger, mom & dad came over for supper Friday night. After my hair appointment, I stopped by Johnny's BBQ and grabbed some barbeque for supper. It was so good! We had such a good visit. It was the first time they got to see Colton. Of course, it being in the evening he wasn't feeling very well. All he wanted to do was eat and be held by his mommy or daddy. Go figure! Anyway after supper, us ladies stayed at the Dining Room table and caught up on all the latest news. Dad, Roger and Doug stayed in the Living Room watching "Glenn Beck" and the History Channel.

I don't remember how the subject came up, but Sherry wanted me to pull up Google Earth on my computer. I'm not familiar with Google Earth, so I didn't know what Sherry was getting me into. Finally I realized that she wanted to show mom a satellite photo of my house. Apparently, I had to have an account in order to view or I didn't know how to get around the site. Knowing what Sherry wanted to accomplish, I pulled up Google Maps. She wasn't familiar with the site. She really liked it after I showed her what it could do. . . produce 360 photo tours of a residence. She seemed impressed. Both mom and Sherry were spitting out addresses for me to look up under the Google Maps. Every time a photo was available, mom and/or Sherry would holler to dad and Roger to come there and see their old house place. Doug and I got to laughing at them. Those two old women had more fun than a night at the comedy club. We spent hours looking up old addresses, relatives and friends. They almost hated to quit because mom would ask, "who can we look up next?" Both Sherry and I got out our address books. LOL! Cheap fun!

Aunt Sherry told me that she was so impressed with mom's progress. I just knew she would because mom has worked so hard. She kept going on and on about how well she seems to be getting along. Much much better than the last time Aunt Sherry saw her.

Katie hated seeing Sherry "Lolly" and Roger leave. She had so much fun playing around with "Lolly". If you don't know, "Lolly" is Aunt Sherry's alias name. It's a long story, but one day my Aunt Sherry got tired of hearing her name by her oldest granddaughter. So, Sherry came up with (off the top of her head) "Lolly" and it has stuck ever since. Of course, Doug calls her "Scary Sherry" just for laughs.

Sherry said they will be heading towards VA on Wednesday. They are still talking about coming back in July for Whitney and Zayne's wedding. It's too bad they live so far away. We always have lots of fun. We will have to visit with them one more time before they head out. I did promise her the next time we are in Shreveport, LA, we would call them up and meet some where half way.

Katie Story
"Katie Practices For Future Drama Club"

I have to tell this short Katie story. We have these big soft foam puzzle pieces that you put together in order to play Hopscotch outside. Katie loves playing with them because they have pictures of the Disney princesses on them. Tonight, she stacked the puzzle pieces on top of one another, making a little step. She placed her stool next to the puzzle pieces. Okay, you're going to have to use your creative mind in order to visualize what I'm about to say next. Here we go!

Katie steps up on the stool and over to the puzzle step. She announces (to no one in particular), "Ladies and gentlemen, here's Ariel". She starts clapping as she stepped back over to the stool. She steps off of the stool, walks over to the side and then comes back. She steps back on the stool and over to the foam step. Begins bowing and saying "thank you , thank you. Would you like to see me dance?" As she's about start dancing, she sees me watching her. She gets all shy, smiles and bites her lip. I tried to act like I was ignoring her, so I could see what she does next. She doesn't bite and stops performing. She was so darn cute, pretending to be Ariel on a show. I hope to see future performances and skits from her.

She is so excited and surprised that she gets to go back to ballet rehearsel tomorrow. She tells me "but we just went to ballet yesterday". Actually it was Friday, but who really keeps up with the dates? She's really excited because she gets to see her friends and wear her costume as well. Double bonus! Of course, she asks me if every "Tom, Dick, and Harry", will be there. She also wants to make sure she sees "Giselle". How can you explain that one to her? Mrs. Anna and Mrs. Elaine promises that moms can watch the rehearsal tomorrow, so I hope it's true. I will try to video it for you to see. I won't know what to do this week because she only practices tomorrow and not again until a week from Thursday. Peggy's going to help me out with Colton during Thursday's practice because Katie and I will have to go to Wallace for the rehearsal. I don't have a babysitter for Friday morning for Colton yet. I plan to call one of the girls or ask Maryann, if they can watch him for a few hours. Of course, Katie's recital is that night. I have to get her to Wallace by 6 PM.

I think Katie is really going to miss ballet during the Summer. They are having a 3 week Summer class, but I think I'll keep Katie out of this one. Regular classes don't start back up until next August. I asked her the other day if she wanted to stay in ballet. "Oh, yes. I love ballet and Mrs. Anna" she answered. I guess we will keep her in ballet as long as she wants to go.

We still want Katie in swimming lessons again this year. I've got to call my friend, RuthAnne and see if she will be conducting lessons. I really hope so. Katie learned a lot from RuthAnne and had so much fun. In fact, she has been asking me about swimming lessons for months now. I keep telling her "when it gets hot". According to RuthAnne last year, she wants Katie in one of her bigger classes this year. I think Katie will love it! I think once I get the recital behind me, I can focus on another task like a week of swimming lessons. Yay!

Colton Update
With Sherry's help, we got Colton weighed. According to our scales, he weighs approximately 12 pounds. Honestly, I feel it's pretty close to the truth because the boy is SOOOO HEAVY. He also thinks he's too big for his britches. He is bounded and determined to keep his head up. It really scares me because you know how an infant's head is so wobbly. He likes to sit up and look around. None of this laying in my arms anymore. Oh, plus he won't drink from me now. I have to pump and give him my milk from a bottle. He loves to eat. My next goal is to keep a diary of his feedings. I'm just curious as to how much he is eating a day. I've tried to keep track and he was beginning to get on a schedule. Well, not anymore. Not right now anyway. Lately, he likes to eat 2 ounces every hour. He might take a cat nap in between those feedings (15 minutes). Even if he is wide awake, he will only eat 2 oz. at a time. Then an hour later, he starts crying. You wouldn't think he would be crying for food, but the stinker wants it. He was eating so much (nearly the whole time Sherry and Roger were here) that Sherry and mom suggested putting him on cereal. I explained to them about how Dr. Lunsford doesn't care for that too much because of possible food allergies in the future. Colton has his 2 month check up on the 26th, so I will inform Dr. Lunsford as to what Colton is doing. I'll see if he can suggest anything that might help to keep him full because it seems like he is starving to death. Hopefully, he'll see that he is close enough to 3 months and he'll say it's okay to put him on cereal. {I don't think he will} It's wishful thinking. By the way, I believe the apple juice and water is working. He may not have a bowel movement every day, but he has one as least every other day. This is a lot better than what we were dealing with before the juice. For the past few days, he's been having a movement every day. I just hope it continues. We ran out of Enfamil Gentlease for fussy and gassy babies, so I went back on the regular Enfamil with Iron this weekend. Oops! I think we will have to go back to the Enfamil Gentleas. Colton's been on the regular formula for probably 36 hours and he has been just a little fuss bucket today. Before, it seem like we were seeing some relief when he was on the special formula. Thank goodness, Peggy and Millard gave us a new can of Enfamil Gentlease last night.

Political Update
Do you know where your "Stimulus" money is going? Reports have surfaced that people who have been dead for years are receiving checks from the stimulus plan. Fox News interviewed an older lady. She said a check came in the mail, written out to her father. She was astonished to see this stimulus check because her father had been dead for several several years. They interviewed a couple other people with dead relatives that also received checks and they had been dead for at least 3 years. It's amazing!

Well well well! It looks like Nancy Pelosi has dug herself a hole. What will it take for her to finally fall in it? I love this snippet of her getting flustered when someone from the media asked her a question, confirming that she did indeed say that the CIA lied or misled the Congress about waterboarding. You'll have to watch it for yourself, if you haven't seen it yet.

If I had any advice for Ms. Pelosi, it would be to back off and keep quiet for a few days. Awww! Whose kidding? I'm loving the fact, she can't stop talking. She digs deeper and deeper every time I see her face on television. Even the liberal media can't save her now. I'm waiting for her or Binden to come out and make the mistake in ordering an investigation regarding the CIA "misleading" Congress. I think that will be the icing on the cake.

Movie Review
"Taken" - Doug rented this movie for us today. I highly recommend it, but I must warn that it's not for young children. Thank goodness, Doug got Katie a special movie just for her viewing in her room. She didn't come out unless she needed something to drink or eat. This movie really made you think and I believe it is true. As awful as it sounds, I truly believe this very same instance happened to Natalie Holloway from Hoover, Alabama. I have absolutely no desire to leave this country nor would we allow Katie to leave when she is still in our care. It's a must watch!


"College Road Trip" - I've seen this movie a couple of times since it's been playing on Starz, I just kept forgetting to give a review. This movie is hilarious! Starring Raven and Martin Lawrence. I can imagine Doug and I in this situation with Katie in a few years. I know we will have our hands full and when she does go off to college, I don't see her sticking close to home. I might be surprised, but I don't think so. It will be so sad, when that day comes. :( I think it will really be hard on her daddy. Seeing his baby go off on her own. I might encourage her to go off to some place like University of Hawaii or Florida State. This way, I'd see my baby lots and have a great vacation, while we are at it. LOL! Anyways, you've got to watch this movie. Doug even liked it, so you know it's good. Rated PG.

Hell's Kitchen Finale

According to my poll, it looked like most of you were pulling for Paula. Did you get to watch it tonight? I got to watch a little bit here and there. I have to say, I'm glad Danny won. He has really done well throughout the entire show. He may not have been able to win all of the challenges, but he would do great during service. Plus, he seems a little country with his camo cap, which I like. Ha Ha!

Katie Story
Directv was showing HBO for free this past weekend. One of the many movies playing was "E.T.". I remember seeing this movie when I was a small child. I loved E.T. He is so cute with those big eyes. I still get choked up when E.T. dies and then comes back to life. When Doug was surfing the channels, he came across "E.T.". He mentioned that he had never seen the movie. Well it struck Katie's interest, so we let her watch the ending. We looked up the schedule & found out the next showing. We had it TiVoed for baby girl, thinking she might like it.

Today, I played it for her. She was glued to the TV screen throughout the whole movie. Of all things she picked up on, CPR. When E.T. apparently dies, the doctors perform CPR on him. After the movie was over, she began performing chest compressions on her dolls & the couch. I have to say she does the compression almost perfectly, with her hands together and everything. She even wanted to try her technique on Colton at one point. "Oh no ma'am", I informed her. Tonight, Doug was in the back room with her and she decided to show her daddy that she could do CPR. Doug began asking her loudly, so I could hear, where she learned to do CPR. I responded back to him how she learned it from the "E.T." movie. He added surprisingly that she was doing CPR on one of her dolls.

Special Prayer Request
Doug's cousin, Pat F., needed your prayers. She's been having health problems for quite some time. At first, the doctors thought it was a blood clot causing the problem in her legs. I believe, they did rule that she has for a fact a clot because she is on blood thinner medicine. Well, after further research they found a bulge in her disc. Uncle James & Aunt Vonell (Pat's parents) picked her up last weekend to stay with them for a few days. She was hoping to find a doctor in B'ham to take her case. She went to one doctor that found more herniated disks in her back (4 hernias). The one causing most of the pain is located in her L4, L5 area. Sound familiar? That's exactly where mom's herniated disc was located. Pat said she has the pain that goes down to the knee and there was a time when she couldn't walk at James & Vonell's house. The bad news is the doctor won't touch her because she is on these blood thinners. They won't even give her any kind of shots to relieve the pain. He said as long as she is on blood thinners, there is nothing they can do. She told me that her other doctor said, she would be on blood thinners for the rest of her life. She was sent home with muscle relaxers & pain pills. She is only 53 years old & will be in lots of pain or drugged up for the rest of her life. Please keep her in your prayers that God will heal her back & relieve her pain.

Vonell & James Visit
I received a phone call this morning. James & Vonell were coming thru town to take Pat home. Pat was in the hospital with her back/legs when Colton was born and hadn't seen him. She knew the next time she would have the opportunity to see him would be around Christmas time, so they stopped by for a short visit. I was relieved that Colton was so good, while Pat held him. Shoo! Isn't it amazing how most of the time, babies don't show their colic side until later at night (when you need to sleep)? Any who, he was real good with her. I felt so bad for Pat because I could see in her eyes that she was drugged up. I just can't imagine having to live with that much pain. Poor soul! James likes to mess with Katie, but I guess she still doesn't know them enough because she turned shy on me again. It's not like Katie never sees James & Vonell, it's just not all the time. Surely, she knows them by now. Well before they left, she was giving them all hugs & kisses and telling them to come back to see us. Now, we will have to make a special effort to go down and visit them because Katie wants to see their sheep. For those of you who don't know, James & Vonell have what you would call a mini farm in B'ham. He's all the time buying and trading, donkeys, mules, sheep (all varieties), and dogs. He keeps at least two large vegetable gardens going that are loaded with corn, okra, tomatoes, green beans, squash & etc.

Colton Update
I want to thank all of you with the great advice and lots of prayers. Some days are better than others, but I try to keep my head up and focused. My goal is the 3 month stage. If we can make it through to his 3 month birthday, I think he'll do much better. I was telling Doug tonight, all I had to eat today was a cheeseburger (that we grilled) with pickles and soda. How can that make Colton cry as hard as did tonight? He just shook his head and laughed. We have to do a lot of laughing around here lately. Are we going nuts? As Doug is putting Katie to bed tonight, she said out of the blue "goodnight crazy lady". I asked Doug, was she saying that to me? He laughed and said she might have directed that towards me because she was talking to the air. No one else was around. I assured him, some times I feel like a "crazy lady". HA HA! Any who, at least Colton and I didn't have to go on a joy ride tonight like we did last night at around 11:00 PM. Ugh! This technique might work for some people, but not us. I drove all the way into town, turned around and he cried all the way back home. He didn't even yawn or show any signs of being sleepy. I finally wrapped him up in a warm blanket and bounced him for several minutes until he fell asleep. I guess it was close to 1:00 AM before I got to go to sleep.

I think he is going through another growth spurt. Would you believe he drank 2 oz. of milk (formula) at 9:00 PM? By 10:30 PM, he began crying like he was having another gas pain. I tried everything, so I checked to see if he was hungry. Yep! He drank another 2 oz. and by 11:45 PM, he woke up crying again. I changed his diaper and bounced him back to sleep. He was dead to the world, but as soon as I laid him down, he woke up (crying). He ate another 2 oz. That's a total of 6 ounces in less than 3 hours. Normally, he eats 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours. I knew he was going to hit the hunger zone soon because last week all he wanted to do was sleep. He couldn't care less about the milk. He just wanted sleep! Well, now he's one hungry boy. I think tomorrow, I'd like to see if we can weigh him. I know he's really gotten long. I had to put away his newborn-3 month sleepers because he has absolutely no room in there for him. He can't stretch in them at all. I'm going to have to go through his 0-3 month onesies soon because they are beginning to cut him, they are so small. He can wear comfortably a 3-6 month rompers, onesies & sleepers. They are a little big, but I've had him wear 6 month sleepers and rompers just because I don't have that many 3-6 month outfits. I'm sure that it won't be long before he can wear the 6 month clothes really well. Please remember, Colton's not even 2 months old yet. BIG BOY!

Aunt Sherry & Uncle Roger's In Town
My Aunt Sherry & Uncle Roger came into town yesterday. Things have been a little crazy, as you can tell. I haven't been able to go over to mom & dad's to visit with them. So, we are planning to have them come over for supper tomorrow night. I've got a hair appointment at 3:00 and I plan to stop by Johnny's to pick up some barbeque. It will be great to see Sherry and Roger. I know Sherry will be pleasantly surprised to see how well mom's doing in her progress. They also want to meet the newest member of our family, Colton. I don't know how long they'll be able to stay. I think they are on their way to VA to visit with his family. I do know that they are planning to come back in time for Whitney & Zayne's wedding in July. I'm planning on having Katie's 4th birthday party the Sunday after the wedding. Hopefully, they will be able to stay for it. I can't believe my baby will be 4 years old. Some times, she acts like she 14 years old. She is such a priss.

Happy Birthday Doug!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOUG!

Yesterday was Doug's 41st birthday. I think he had a good day or at least that's what he told me. We tried to make his day special as soon as he came home from work. The kids and I gave him Polo Black cologne, Reese Cups & Pot of Gold Pecan Collection, which is all his favorite things. I wanted to grill hamburgers for supper, but he insisted on doing it because Colton was fussy. We (Millard, Peggy & children) will take him out to eat for his birthday supper this coming weekend.

What's In A Day?
Do you want to know what I would call "some kind of a day"? I tried getting ready for the day yesterday, starting at 9:00 AM. It's necessary to take 5 hours to fix my hair, face & get dressed that would normally take 2 hours max. Between Colton being hungry or fussy and Katie's needs, it takes a while.

We finally make it to Katie's dance class after being spit up on. It wasn't long after Katie was in class, Colton began fussing because it was time for him to eat. I get him all settled while us mom's get to see the little girls perform once again. All of the sudden, the apple juice kicks in and Colton is letting the poop fly. I knew that he had filled up his draws, so I needed to go out to the truck and change his diaper. I didn't want to wait around because he usually blows out the diapers and then I would be in a heck of a mess. As I'm changing his diaper, he pees all over himself. All over his face & outfit. Yuck! Well, I grabbed a wipe to clean off his face. I went back to cleaning his bottom up when he took a big grunt and he blew poop all over me, truck & seat. Yuck! What a mess! I ended up changing another diaper because of the mess. Okay, I finally get a clean diaper on him, change his clothes, wipe me off (as much as I could) and wipe down the truck. I pick Colton up for us to go back inside and wait on Katie. Nope! No such luck. I apparently didn't put his diaper on good because his outfit was soaked. Here we go again. Thank goodness, I pack 3-4 outfits in his diaper bag. At this point, I'm laughing out loud because I was at a breaking point. I just know that if anyone had passed by at this time, they would have thought I flipped my lid. You know, I probably very well could have at this point. How was I going to get my children cleaned and changed in order to get to Belk and Walmart, so I could get Doug's gifts. I also wanted to get him a cake and maybe a balloon. It was 4:00 PM. I wanted us to be home before Doug got home, around 6:00 PM. My mind was racing. How was I going to get this accomplished? Well, I was determined. Instead of changing Katie's clothes at the studio, I loaded everyone up and we headed back home. Poor Colton was hungry and sleepy, but I had to keep telling myself that I'm one person and I was going to make it.

Everyone changed clothes, including me, at home and we headed to Belk. I went straight to the cologne counter and told a clerk what I wanted. She took it out of the glass case and gave it to another woman, working in the women's perfume counter and walked away. I didn't mind being checked out by another person, but she was already assisting someone else and was having some difficulties as I could see. I'm standing there patiently tapping my credit card on the glass case. Katie is checking out all the perfume and I'm bouncing Colton in my arms. I'm thinking "come on people, I've got to make it through Walmart yet before I get home". I guess the original clerk had a change of heart and came back. She asked the other clerk, if she needed help. Thankfully, the first clerk took my purchase and asked me to follow her. She was manning the Clinique counter and had no customers. Yes, we are back on track and headed for the truck. We get to Walmart and I head straight towards the bakery. I found the perfect cake, it wasn't too big and not too small. I tried to put it inside the buggy, but no such luck because the car seat takes up half the space. I tried putting it underneath. Well, as soon as I turn a corner, there went the cake flying across the aisle. Ugh! I checked the cake and it wasn't damaged, so I tried my best to make it fit in this tiny buggy. By this time, Colton was having a meltdown and didn't want his bottle or pacifier. Katie was out of the cart because I was finding room for the cake and was picking up everything. After not satisfying Colton, I took him out of his car seat and bounced him around. Of course, everyone that passed by is looking at all the commotion. I just about packed it in and called it a day. I never could get the cake to fit inside the buggy, so I placed it on a shelf. Turning my buggy around, ready to go home with nothing, I ran into a friend. We began talking and she completely knew what I was going through because she is a mom of twin girls. While talking with Christy, Colton seemed to calm down and Katie was watching Christy's every move. After Christy left, I wanted to give it one more shot. Colton would not let me put him back into his car seat, so I held him the rest of the time in Walmart. When I did buckle him back in, he didn't like it at all. I hated it, but he had to cry most of the way home because this momma wasn't stoppin'. Well, I wasn't able to get the cake nor balloons, but we did make it back home before Doug (barely).

I was like a chicken with it's head cut off running around the house. Even though Colton finally fell asleep by the time we drove into the driveway, he woke up in a bad mood. All he wanted was his momma and NOTHING else. I couldn't get anything done for trying to satisfy him. So, I grabbed the baby sling I purchased last week from Katie's ballet instructor, Anna. She showed me how to wear it yesterday. You wouldn't think Colton liked being squished inside this sling, but he liked it so much that he fell back to sleep. Thankfully, he stayed asleep until I took him out of it and buddy he wasn't happy.

I had planned to grill out hamburgers for supper, but Doug insisted on cooking them himself. He could see that I had my hands full with Colton and he wanted no part of it. There's one thing, Doug can't handle baby boy for very long. I can barely, but not Doug. I feel bad for him half the time because Colton has total meltdowns when daddy is holding him. We were discussing our day, while he was cooking the burgers on the grill outside. After I told him my ordeal, I announced that I would not be leaving this house (except for ballet practice) until Colton turns 3 months old. Even then, I might reconsider. It seems like every time I leave this house with the kids, I end up regretting it. A lot of it is me. I'm a constant bundle of nerves, even before something happens. I don't understand why I'm so nervous driving the kids around, doing errands. Oh well. I know in time, I will become a pro at it and I won't be so nervous. Until then, I'm emailing Doug the grocery/Walmart list for him to pick up stuff. Luckily, he doesn't mind picking up items for me. I think it's because he knows the alternative (babysitting Katie & Colton). Shoo! WHAT A DAY!

American Idol
What a surprise on American Idol? I just knew Danny & Adam would be the finalist. Surprisingly, Kris stepped up to the plate and delivered a great performance yesterday. It definitely helped his chances to become one of the final two contestants. I hated Danny didn't get to be one of the finalist because he was my favorite out of the top 10. I know he'll have a great career regardless. So, who do you think will win American Idol? Don't forget to vote on my poll.

Also, don't forget Hell's Kitchen finale is tomorrow (I believe). Who do you think will win (Danny or Paula)? Don't forget to vote on my poll.

Mother's Day Weekend

Me & My Little Blessings

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Our's was very busy with Whitney's graduation and celebrating Mother's Day with both Peggy & my mom. It feels like one big whirl wind.

Whitney's Graduation

Congratulations Whitney!

Whitney graduated from University of North Alabama Saturday with a degree in Nursing. We are all very proud of her and wish her the very best.

Whitney & her family

There she is!

Dad grabbed Whitney's hat to try on

Then, he couldn't get it back on her head

Family

After calling and checking in on Peggy and Millard regarding the kids, Doug and I decided to go out to eat. Susan recommended "Texas Roadhouse" to eat. It reminded us a lot of "Logan's Roadhouse" restaurant. They were having a Mother's Day special. Doug and I got 2 ribeyes, baked potato, baby onion (like a bloomin' onion), salad and teas for $30. Oh my gosh! Everything was delicious, especially the steak. The next time we are in Florence, we will definitely go back to "Texas Roadhouse". Yum!

We enjoyed having some time to ourselves without kids, but we did miss them something terrible. I couldn't hardly wait to get to Millard and Peggy's house, so I could get my arms around Katie and Colton. I guess I have to admit that I like holding Colton everytime he makes a noise. In return, he likes to be held (snuggled) a lot.

Mother's Day morning, I opened up my cards and gift from Doug, Katie and Colton. I received a new movie, "Bride Wars" with Anne Hathaway & Kate Hudson. Funny movie and great chick flick by the way. After church, we came back home for Doug to grill out ribeyes. Peggy and Millard came here to celebrate. Everything was delicious . . . steak, potatoes & salad. All I wanted to do was curl up in a blanket and take a nap. Later, we headed over to mom and dad's house. Because it was a little chilly, June put on a pot of her vegetable soup. She makes really good soup, it has just about everything in it. We all had a really good visit. We were all exhausted by the time we made it back home.

Colton Update
I'm really hoping that we've found a solution to our colic problem. As you may know, we started feeding Colton with Enfamil formula for fussy & gassy babies. He doesn't seem to have a lot of gas pains like before, since we started feeding him this formula.

Well, I had also noticed that he wasn't having regular bowel movements. Maryann told me it was because we put him on formula. Being concerned that he might get constipated, I called Dr. Lunsford to find out when they wanted to hear from me, if I might think Colton is constipated. The nurse said it was normal if a baby doesn't have a bowel movement between 3 to 5 days. I've been keeping a watchful eye on Colton and noticed he would have a bowel movement every 3rd day. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain until he did have the bowel movements. I began receiving advice from family and friends, so I decided to call Dr. Lunsford again. I asked the nurse for some advice. I explained to her that I felt he was in some pain until he had a poop. The nurse suggested feeding him an ounce of juice to an ounce of water once a day. Of course, she added that if I felt this wasn't helping to give them a call again. Dr. Lunsford might suggest something else to be a little more aggressive. I'm really hoping this might help. Bless his heart, he is such a happier baby when he is regular. Believe me, I know how he feels.

20 Teeth

Katie has 20 teeth. How do I know this? Today was time for the dentist to check out Katie's teeth and give momma's teeth a good cleaning. We both received A+ for keeping good healthy teeth without any cavities. Next Fall the dentist wants to see if Katie will let them brush her teeth. We've been taking baby steps with Katie, so dentist don't freak her out too much before she turns 5 years old. I know when I was younger (yesterday), dentist scared me to death. I absolutely hated to get a teeth cleaning & especially having to get a tooth filled. Yuck! To this day, the smell of burning metal turns my stomach. I just hope Katie will have a better experience with a dentist office than I did when I was little. So far, Katie enjoys going to the dentist. She likes to have her teeth counted. Of course, we can't forget about her receiving toothpaste, toothbrush & sticker for being good.

Now after seeing this guy, it should encourage any one to make an appointment with their dentist first thing in the morning. LOL!

While Katie and I were gone to the dentist, Peggy got to watch Colton for me (first time). After we got out of the dentist's office, I called to check on her. She said he had been so good for her. So, we went to Lowe's and picked up some Gerber Daisies to plant in our outside planter. Katie had to have pink daisies. I grabbed 3 containers of Gerber Daisies: pink, yellow & orange. I wanted to get a hanging basket for my shepard's hook in the front yard, but I couldn't see paying $22 for a basket. Yikes! The last time I bought a basket, I paid $18. Even then, I thought that price was a bit steep. Millard and Peggy recommended a nursery out in the country "Bud & Blooms". They said their baskets are a little more reasonable. I'll have to check it out. I was thinking about having a basket of red or yellow Lantana. I don't know what it is, but I think Lantana seems to do well during our hot Summer months.

I still needed to get my mom a gift for Mother's Day, so we headed to Belk. Katie is such a "Shopaholic". It's so funny shopping with Katie because she is so dramatic when it comes to clothes and especially shoes. I have a feeling she's going to be one to have a closet FULL of SHOES for every and all occasions. I've never seen a little girl, who loves shoes as much as she does. Remember she's only 3 years old! In fact, when we shop around the department stores, she will draw a small crowd. "Oh mommy, I just love this shirt. You need to get it" she'll suggest. "PLEEEASSSEE mommy! I've got to have these shoes because they are so beautiful" as she is hugging a pair of pink sandals with a metal heart shaped accent on the thong. As we mingle through the clothes and shoes, women will pass by giggling or smiling at Katie. I told one lady today (as Katie is telling me for the hundredth time how beautiful these pink sandals were) that I was trying to raise her right. The lady grinned and responded "good". Surprisingly, I was able to find mom a pretty pants suit. It's coral (mom's favorite color) and black silky for church and special occasions. If she doesn't want it, I might be tempted to keep it and give her the money. I thought it was really pretty and light for Summer. We made it over to the shoe section, so Katie could try on these pink shoes. Katie's smile fell right off of her face when the clerk told us, the shoes start in size 11 and go up. Katie convinced me that could wear the size 11 (display shoes). I have to say, she was right. They fit pretty good on her. We waited in line to purchase mom's outfit, Katie's shoes & I found me a pair of white dress sandals. I got to talking to another mom. She was buying her little girl a pair of sandals with rhinestones on them. They were really cute. Then, she told me that they were on sale for $14. I asked Katie if she liked them too. Here we go again. We got out of line to go looking for these shoes. The displays were a size 11 and luckily were the only ones left. She took them off the table and put them on her feet and wouldn't take them off. The clerk had to go dig the box out of the back storage room. Now, I've got to find Katie a pair of white dressy sandals for church. I can usually find a nice pair at Target. I just haven't made it up there yet. Better yet, I had some Belk bonus bucks to spend and it was double bonus points day today. Yay!!!

On the way home, we stopped by KFC and picked up a bucket of chicken for supper. Speaking of KFC, have you tried their new grilled chicken. I meant to blog about it earlier, but kept forgetting. If you like grilled chicken straight from your own grill, you might just like this chicken. Plus, I've heard it's much better for you than regular fried, which makes sense. Doug and I really like it.

Did you hear about Oprah Winfrey promoting the KFC grilled chicken? On her website, she had a coupon available click here for a free KFC grilled chicken meal. Unfortunately, the coupon download has expired, but you could go to any participating KFC and receive your free meal until May 19th. Apparently, Oprah didn't give KFC enough warning and they were flooded with people holding free coupons. I know the KFC in New York had to turn people away because they ran out of the grilled chicken. Some people didn't like the idea of them running out of the grilled chicken before they received their free meal. So, they started a riot. It sounded like it must have been a big mess, but everyone was able to go back today and get their free chicken.

By the way, our Gerber Daisies are so pretty in the front planter. I think Katie had a good time helping me plant them. She got on a watering frinzy. She wanted to water everything in sight and if you haven't been watching the news, we are currently under a Flash Flood Warning. LOL! We don't need any more water. Our yard is like a sponge. Here's a small video of us planting our flowers.